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Welome to our recipes blog. Here you wil find a series of recipes containing ingredients based on our seasonal fresh produce, condiments and sauces. The recipes are taken from various sources (some even created by us) and have been specially chosen or adapted to suit even the most novice cook. For more information on Seven Acres, please visit our website www.sevenacres.ie .

Boiled Fruit Cake

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  SOURCE   This recipe is from the collection of one of our mothers (i.e. the mother of one of us, not that we have multiple maternal parents...) At the moment, it doesn't actually contain anything that we grow, but at some stage in the future we will have walnuts and cherries, at least. NOTE The original recipe called for 6oz of sugar, but as usual we have reduced this by a third. You don't have the be exact about the ingredients, so feel free to leave out say glacé cherries if you don't have any — you can always add in something similar, or extra sultanas; or use raisins if you don't have currants.  Time (approx) : preparation 30m; cooking 1h to 1h 30m [it takes 1h in our oven]. Ingredients 6 oz sultanas 6 oz currants 2 oz chopped walnuts 2 oz glacé cherries  2 oz mixed peel 6 oz butter 4 oz granulated sugar 10 oz plain flour 4 eggs 1 tsp mixed spice 1/2 tsp baking powder Equipment Weighing scales Measuring spoons Saucepan 8" round or 7" square cake tin Oven

Chocolate Balls

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SOURCE   This recipe is adapted from one given to us in a former office life by a South African colleague. NOTE The original recipe called for 10 spoons of sugar and 5 of cocoa, which is far too sweet for our tastes, and for Marie biscuits, which are pretty much the same as Rich Tea. It also used margarine rather than coconut oil; the one injunction we were given in this regard is that butter is not  suitable for this recipe.  Makes  c.24 balls Time (approx) : preparation 20m; chilling 1h. Ingredients 200g Rich Tea biscuits 5 tbsp sugar 7 tbsp cocoa powder 7 tbsp milk 80g coconut oil (solid - at room temperature) Desiccated coconut (optional Equipment Weighing scales Measuring spoons Food processor Baking tray Fridge Advance preparation None required. Preparation and cooking Blitz the biscuits in the food processor until they are in small pieces — you don't want them to be reduced to powder, but they should be pretty small. Add the sugar and

Savoury oatmeal biscuits

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SOURCE This recipe is adapted from Marietjie and Jaco Swart's Rainbow Cooking website. NOTE The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of sugar; we were trying to approximate the taste of savoury Scottish oatcakes, so left it out. We also added the ground black pepper. This recipe can be 'veganised' by substituting aqua faba for the egg and using coconut oil rather than butter: 3 tablespoons of aqua faba = 1 egg. (Aqua faba is the cooking liquid of chickpeas or other legumes and is used as an egg-white substitute: the simplest way to get it is to drain a can of chickpeas (with no added salt or sugar). You can add the chickpeas themselves to a salad or use them to make hummus.) Makes c.80 biscuits, using a 5cm round biscuit cutter Time (approx) : preparation 20m cooking 15–20m (per batch: you'd need a very large baking tray to get it all done in one go) Ingredients 360g porridge oats 100g flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground bl

Savoury mixed vegetable porridge

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SOURCE This recipe is a Seven Acres take on a time-honoured Winter warmer. Serves 4 as main breakfast course Time (approx) : cooking 15-20m ( but see 'Advance Preparation' below ) NOTE This meal is most easily managed if you cook the vegetables the day before, but it is perfectly possible to make it all in the morning: just allow an extra half hour or so. Ingredients 150g mushrooms c.120g onion (unprepared weight — a medium-sized onion) 120g carrot (unprepared weight) 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil You can change the amounts and substitute/add (e.g. celery) to your heart's content. 190g porridge oats* 1 litre water 3-4 tsp Seven Acres vegetable stock concentrate** * When treating ourselves, we use the magnificent local organic gluten-free oats from The Merry Mill * Or season to taste with salt, pepper and herbs such as thyme or rosemary . Equipment Chopping-board Knife with a sharp blade Wooden spoon or spatula for stirring Vegetable

Sorrel and potato soup

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SOURCE This recipe is adapted from one for cawl suran (which is the Welsh for 'sorrel soup') in Celtic Cuisine (G. Davies, Graffeg 2008). Serves 4 as main course, 6 as starter Time (approx) : preparation 30m cooking 30m Ingredients 3 tbsp cooking oil 250g onion 600g potatoes 1 clove (10g) garlic 120g fresh sorrel leaves 2L vegetable stock* Salt and pepper to taste Yoghurt or cream to serve (optional) * Or 2L water plus 4 tsp of good-quality bouillon powder or 2 stock cubes. Equipment Chopping board Knife with a sharp blade Large saucepan (min. 2.5L) Kettle or other means of boiling water Bowl Measuring jug Blender or food processor Facilities A hob or other direct heat source; space to chop. Advance preparation None required. Preparing the Vegetables Peel and chop the onion. Wash, peel and chop the potatoes in (approx) 1cm cubes. Peel and crush the garlic. Remove any thick stems or ribs from the sorrel leaves, and wash t

Leek, potato and kale soup

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SOURCE This recipe comes from Beach House Kitchen . We have tweaked the recipe very slightly and made some of the steps more explicit for the novice cook. Serves 4 as main course, 8 as starter Time (approx) : preparation 20m cooking 30m Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable oil 750g leeks 1.25kg potatoes 1.5 litres vegetable stock* 1 tbsp fresh / 1 tsp dried sage** 1 tbsp fresh / 1 tsp dried rosemary** 1 tbsp fresh / 1 tsp dried thyme** 2 bay leaves 200g kale leaves 250ml single cream or milk Salt and black pepper (optional: to taste) * Mix 2–3 tbsp Seven Acres vegetable stock concentrate with 1.5L water . ** If these herbs are not to hand, use others that would blend in well, e.g. parsley, coriander, tarragon. Equipment Chopping-board Knife with a sharp blade Plastic or wooden spoon or spatula for stirring Large saucepan. Blender or food processor. Facilities A hob or other direct heat source; space to chop. Advance preparation None required. P

Tomato & courgette frittata

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SOURCE This recipe comes from 1001 Recipes: The Ultimate Cookery Book , edited by Alexa Stace. We have tweaked it very slightly, and made the recipe steps more explicit for the novice cook. Serves 4 Time (approx) : preparation 25m cooking 25m Ingredients 3 tbsp vegetable oil* 3 tomatoes 1 medium onion 250g courgettes 2 cloves of garlic 4 eggs 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil** 1 tin of borlotti beans*** Salt and pepper to taste 60g grated Gruyère cheese (optional) * We use Second Nature organic Irish rapeseed oil. ** Try sorrel or some other herb if you don’t have basil. *** Use cannellini or other beans if you can’t get borlotti . Equipment Chopping-board Knife with a sharp blade Plastic or wooden spoon or spatula for stirring Whisk or fork for mixing eggs Large frying-pan Saucepan for blanching the tomatoes Colander or strainer for draining the beans A large bowl Facilities A hob or other direct heat source and a