Apricot, Sultana and Oat Slice Recipe

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  Apricot, Sultana and Oat Slice A slice built for busy days This kind of oat slice is wonderfully straightforward. Everything happens in one saucepan: melt the butter with the golden syrup, fold through the oats, flour and dried fruit, and press it into a tin. There’s no creaming, no mixers, and no complicated steps. The dried apricots bring a gentle tang, the sultanas add sweetness, and the oats give it that chewy, comforting texture that makes a slice feel hearty rather than sugary. Because it’s sturdy and not too sweet, it’s ideal for lunch boxes, tramping snacks, or keeping in the tin for after‑school nibbling. Wrapped individually, the pieces freeze beautifully — you can pop a frozen square straight into a lunch box in the morning and it will thaw by morning tea. Why slices became such a staple Slices became popular because they were portable, economical, quick to make and bake, and reliable — perfect for busy households and school lunches. Early cookbooks from the late 19th ...
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Hungarian Goulash

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Hungarian Goulash

This is my take on Hungarian Goulash, a recipe traditionally heavy on sweet Paprika with root vegetables that can be made in either a slow-cooker or simply simmered in a heavy pot on the stove. It's forgiving on ingredient quantity, so use what you have, and it will still taste great.

The Paprika is the star of this dish so it's important to use the right one. While authentic Hungarian paprika would be preferable it's not readily available to buy in New Zealand.  This recipe uses ordinary ground sweet paprika readily available in the supermarket, not hot or smoked paprika.  


Heavy pot vs slow cooker methods:

Heavy pot: Great for browning the meat, onion and capsicum separately to add more flavor before mixing in the other ingredients to simmer on the stove top.  

Slow cooker:  Great for throwing everything in before work in the morning, mixing it up, and letting the slow cooker do its thing in one dish ready for when you come home.

Hint: One option is to brown the meat, onions and capsicum in a heavy pan before adding to the slow cooker for improved flavor - but it's not fatal if you skip this step, your goulash will still taste wonderful.



Slow cookers are great for throwing everything in and letting it cook while you're at work


Ingredients:

  • 800gm stewing steak diced into large chunks (I used lean wild venison with an additional couple of tablespoons of olive oil and pork lard added to avoid the meat drying out)
  • 125 gm streaky bacon, chopped 
  • 1 large brown onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or alternate with crushed from a jar
  • 1 large red capsicum/bell pepper, seeded and diced into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or pork lard
  • 1 420gm can of plain tomatoes (cheapest)
  • 1/2 cup red wine or port
  • Half the empty tomatoes can of water
  • 2 large carrots, topped, tailed, peeled, and diced into chunks
  • 2 large potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, diced into chunks
  • 1 heaped tablespoon sweet paprika (not smoked or hot)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1.5 beef oxo cubes or 1.5 tsp instant beef stock powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Several good grinds of black pepper

Method:

Slow cooker:

If browning the meat, bacon, onion, garlic and capsicum first, do so in a heavy pan on high then transfer to the slow cooker.  Deglaze the pan with the red wine and tip into the slow cooker.  

Otherwise, simply add the meat, bacon, onion, garlic, capsicum, carrots, potatoes, canned tomatoes and wine to the slow cooker.

Fill the empty can half with water and add to it the beef oxo or stock, paprika, cumin, tomato paste, and salt and combine with the wine.  Pour over the meat and vegetables and mix through.  Add the bay leaves and push them into the liquid.  

Turn to high and leave to cook 6 hours, mixing occasionally.

Heavy Pot:

Add the oil or pork lard.  Heat to medium high and brown the onion and capsicum.  Remove, then brown the diced meat and bacon in the same pot adding more oil or lard if necessary. 

Turn the element to low, return the onion and capsicum back into the pot, and add the remaining ingredients.  Simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

To serve:

Serve hot in bowls with crusty bread




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