Can’t Master Country Women’s Association Recipes Posted by Kate Flower 6 July, 2010 - 11:05 AM

Is it true? Are we really a generation lost in the kitchen?

A Country Women's Association cooking judge who sat through the "disastrous" replication of five Country Women's Association classics on MasterChef has hit out at the current generation for lacking basic culinary skills.

Personally I think she is probably right but I believe some of the blame can be placed with our parents who did not spend the time imparting their secret family recipes before we flew the coop.

These days the world is fast paced and we have less time to slave over a hot stove. But what has been lost? We spend more time keeping up with life and eating take away rather than cooking with our kids and enjoying a family meal at the table, without the TV on!

There certainly seems to be a strong move towards a renewed respect for cooking again, bolstered by food programmes such as MasterChef, Food Safari, The Cook and The Chef and even the wonderful new Poh’s Kitchen. Maybe there is hope for us yet!

This week I have baked a country style savoury muffin to remind us all of the simple joys of baked goods. I truly believe there is nothing that says I love you like a home cooked meal.

Savoury Muffins - Makes 12 standard muffins

Ingredients
2 cup self raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
3 free range eggs
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup milk
3 slices leg ham diced
½ red pepper finely diced
¼ brown onion very finely diced
1 cup grated mature cheddar
4 leaves silver beet, taken off stalk and finely sliced
40g melted butter
6 cherry tomatoes halved

Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a standard muffin tray. Place flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Break eggs into the centre, add the oil and milk then stir to combine to a smooth batter. Add ham, red pepper, onion, 2/3 cup of cheddar, silver beet and butter and stir once again to combine. Distribute the mix evenly into the 12 muffin cups, top with half a tomato and a little grated cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

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