Farmers Cheese (fresh white cheese)

Ingredients

1 quart fresh whole milk (2 pints) 1 cup buttermilk 2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar 3/4 tsp salt

Method

1. Pour the milk into a large pot and gently heat to 175 degrees or just as the milk begins to bubble around the edges, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from burning on the bottom.

2. Turn off the heat and stir in the buttermilk and then the lemon juice. This will begin to form curds and whey in the milk. Don't be frightened if it looks like your milk is curdling - it is! The acidity in the lemon will cause the milk to curdle. Your cheese is created from these curds. If your milk doesn't curdle within 30 seconds then add another tsp of lemon juice.

3. When the curds begin to move away from the sides on their own, they're ready. The whey will turn a yellow/greenish color, while your curds should be a milky white.

4. Use a cheese strainer, or place a double layer of muslin cloth into a sieve and then spoon the curdled milk through this. The whey will drain away, leaving you the thicker curds inside the muslin cloth.

5. After 10 minutes, take the muslin out of the sieve and tie the top with twine. Attach to a wooden spoon and suspend over a deep bowl allowing the cheese to drain for a further 30 minutes. 6. Cut the twine and pop your homemade cheese into a bowl, it will be in a nice neat ball shape so break it up and then mix in the salt. Reshape then place in an air tight container, refrigerate and enjoy.

Extra special

Spoon the cheese into one large or 4 mini ramekins and press down (this cheese makes a really good appetizer and tastes even better made a day in advance) cover with plastic wrap then chill. Turn out onto a plate, drizzle with olive oil, ground black pepper and top with a walnut. Try adding a flavor such as herbs, spices, dried garlic or onion to your homemade cheese. Either add the flavor with the salt or roll the cheese into small balls and coat the cheese with your chosen flavor.

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Nothing tops a homemade pizza better than fresh, homemade mozzarella cheese and it's perfect in a toasted sandwich. This cheese does require a little more effort to make than a basic cheese, but once you've tried it once, you'll see how easy it is once you get the hang of it.

You can buy rennet and citric acid from most health-food stores. For chlorine-free water, try bottled water or you can boil some tap water and then allow it to cool for a similar effect.

Ingredients

8 1/2 pints (4 liters) whole milk 2 teaspoons citric acid 1/4 cup cold chlorine-free water 1/2 rennet tablet 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Method

1. Crush 1/2 rennet tablet into 1/4 cup of cold, chlorine-free water and stir it until it's dissolved. Leave to one side for now.

2. Pour the milk into a pot and heat over a medium heat. Sprinkle the citric acid over the milk surface and stir it in. You will need a cooking thermometer for this step, as you'll need to heat the milk to 88F (31C). You should notice the milk begins to form curds at this point.

3. When the milk reaches 88F (31c), pour in the dissolved rennet and stir slowly from time to time. Continue to heat the milk until it reaches 105F (40C). Remove the milk from the heat and leave to one side. The milk will begin to separate into curds and whey. The curds will look thick and white, while the whey should be a deep yellow/greenish color.

4. Drain off some of the whey and then use a slotted spoon to scoop out the curds and place them into a mesh strainer. Press the curds gently with the back of the spoon to remove as much whey liquid as possible.

5. Place the curds into a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for a minute. More whey will separate at this stage. Drain it off the curds and then use a spoon to press the curds in the center, then scoop up the sides and press these into the center. Flatten the center again, then scoop up the sides and fold them into the center. You should 'knead' the curds into a ball this way until they form a ball shape.

6. Heat in the microwave for a further 30 seconds on high and drain off any whey that has separated. Knead the curds with your spoon once again until you have a nice ball shape. Heat the curds one more time in the microwave for another 30 seconds.

7. When the cheese has cooled down enough to handle, place it onto a clean surface or bench and knead it like you would with bread dough. Sprinkle the salt over the cheese and knead it in well.

8. Your homemade cheese will start to become stretchy and shiny. If it doesn't stretch or if it breaks while you're trying to stretch it, put it back into the microwave for 20 seconds, then knead once again.

9. Once your homemade cheese is easy to stretch, pull it into a long rope. Fold it in half and stretch it out again. Now you can shape your mozzarella into golf-ball sized rounds or you can roll it into a log.

Traditional Homemade Sausage Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground lean pork 1/2 pound ground lean veal 6 oz (170 grams) ground pork fat 3 slices of white bread, crumbled 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon minced thyme 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1 large egg Pre-prepared hog casings

Method

1. Combine pork, veal, pork fat and bread crumbles together.

2. In a small bowl, mix an egg, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, thyme and lemon zest.

3. When well mixed, knead mixture into pork and veal mixture.

4. Put meat mixture into a pastry bag and stuff hog casings with sausage mixture. Be sure they're compacted firmly. If you see any air pockets, prick them with a pin.

5. Raw sausages can be stored in the fridge for around 3 days or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Homemade Chicken Sausages

Ingredients

1/2 lb (225 grams) ground chicken breast meat 1 lb (450 grams) ground chicken thigh meat 1/4 cup mustard 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white pepper Zest from 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Method

1. Using a food processor or blender, grind the chicken, salt and pepper until well ground.

2. Add crushed ice to the blender as a fat substitute.

3. Add herbs, mustard and lemon zest to the mixture and mix together.

4. Spoon the chicken mixture into a pastry bag and then pipe into prepared hog casings.

5. Poach your chicken sausages in a pan of simmering water for 10-12 minutes. Then you can saute your sausages over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until they've browned.

Homemade Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are a favorite with most people, but it's often difficult to know what's really in them when you buy them from a store. Homemade hot dogs taste great and they have a much lower fat content than store-bought hot dogs.

Ingredients

1 lb (450 grams) lean pork 3/4 lb (340 grams) lean beef 1/4 lb (110 grams) pork fat 1/4 cup finely minced onion 1 clove of chopped garlic

1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 egg white 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup of milk Pre-prepared hog casings

Method

1. Use a blender to blend together the onion, garlic, coriander, mustard seeds and paprika until they're pureed.

2. Add the pepper, salt, sugar, milk and the egg white to the blender and mix together thoroughly.

3. Grind the pork, beef and fat together twice to be sure you have a well-ground meat mixture.

4. Knead the herbs and seasonings into the pork and beef mixture with your hands. This step can get very sticky, so run your hands under cold water first to help reduce stickiness a little.

5. Spoon your home made sausage mixture into a pastry bag and then pipe your hot dog-sausage mix into the pre-prepared hog casings.

6. When you're done, put plenty of water in a large saucepan and raise the heat so the water is simmering gently.

7. Place your hot dogs into the simmering water and cook for about 20 minutes. Don't allow the water to boil.

8. Remove them from the heat and put them into iced water to stop the internal cooking process.

9. When they've cooled, use absorbent towels to dry them off and them leave them in the fridge for up to 4 days.

10. When you're ready to make hot dogs, simply heat up your premade hot dogs and your family and friends will really notice the great difference in taste! Homemade Italian Sausage

Ingredients

1 pound (450g) ground pork shoulder 1 clove crushed garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons sweet paprika 1/4 cup pepper 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley Hog casings

Method

1. Prepare the hog casings overnight by soaking them in water. Add a little splash of orange juice and some salt to the water to help the casings soak properly.

2. When they've soaked overnight, rinse them well and keep them in tepid (room temperature) water so they stay soft and pliable until you're ready to use them.

3. Grind your pork shoulder coarsely. If you've already bought it ground from the butcher, then grind it once more.

4. Place pork on a clean bench and sprinkle all ingredients over the top of the meat. Mix together well. This step gets sticky, so run your hands under cold water before you begin to reduce the stickiness a little.

5. When all the seasonings are blended well into the meat, spoon it into a confectioner's bag with a piping attachment at the end. You might need two people to make this part work for you.

6. Carefully fill the hog casings, squeezing the pork through the icing bag. Try not to allow too many air bubbles to get into the casings. You can experiment with the size and shape of your Italian sausages, but generally you can shape them easily enough using your hands.

7. When they reach the length you prefer, simply twist the casing around itself a couple of times and begin the next sausage. This will give you a nice string of sausages when you're done. If you don't like the idea of your sausages coming untwisted, you can take the time to tie off the ends of each sausage as you finish it.

8. Pan fry, grill or barbecue your italian sausage however you prefer.

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound (450g) Italian Sausage meat 1 clove minced garlic 1 tin tomatoes (14 oz or 400g) 2 teaspoons dried basil 3 cups ricotta cheese 2 cups shredded or grated mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tin tomato paste (6 oz or 170g) 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 eggs 10 oz or 285g of lasagna pasta sheets (homemade pasta tastes best, but pre-cooked sheets will work fine)

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375F (190C)

2. Using the base Italian Sausage recipe above to create the meat portion, cook the meat slowly in a large pan.

3. Drain off any excess fat. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and tomato paste.

4. Stir all the ingredients well and allow them to simmer gently uncovered for around 30 minutes. If the tomato sauce gets too thick, add a little water and stir again.

5. In a bowl, mix the ricotta chesses, parmesan cheese, parsley, eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Leave to one side for a moment.

6. Line the base of a lasagna pan or baking dish with a layer of lasagna sheets.

7. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture over the pasta and then cover with a layer of meat.

8. Sprinkle a little grated mozzarella over the meat and cover with a layer of pasta sheets. Repeat the layers until ingredients are used.

9. Top with a little more grated mozzarella cheese and bake at 375F (190C) for 30-35 minutes.

Italian Sausage Pizza

You don't have to put your prepared Italian sausage meat into hog casings. This particular recipe tastes great partially cooked and then sprinkled over a pizza base spread with a light layer of napolitana sauce with freshly made mozzarella cheese with some semi-dried tomatoes. You can also shape your sausage meat into small patties and cook in a little olive oil.

Traditional Homemade Hamburger Recipe

This one's probably the most basic homemade hamburger recipe, as well as the most common. Below are the ingredients and the procedure.

Ingredients

500g (or 1lb) of ground beef 1/4 onion finely chopped (or grated) A dash of black pepper A pinch of salt

Procedure

1. Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together nicely.

2. Use your hamburger press to make patties. Or shape them into several small balls (five would be best to start with, but it's up to you how many you want). It's basically recommended that you shape them around the size of your fist (or bigger, if you feel adventurous.)

3. For the grill, wipe it slightly with cooking oil using a small clean brush (buy one at home depots for exclusive cooking utilization.

4. Fire up your grill (or frying pan).

5. For the pan, add a small amount of cooking oil to wet the entire inside surface.

6. Place the balls of beef on the pan when it gets hot enough.

7. If you haven't used a press, flatten the balls with your spatula to get that classic burger shape.

8. If you're using a grill, use the small brush to wipe the beef with oil as you cook.

9. Let it cook for 3 minutes, turn the beef over accordingly when it browns.

10.

If you want, let it cook for longer to get that well-done burger.

11.

Cook for less than 3 minutes if you want it rare.

12.

Serve and enjoy.

The Onion Burger

Here's another famous homemade hamburger recipe. This one needs more ingredients than the basic recipe. The following are the ingredients and the procedure for cooking.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. of ground beef A tablespoon of salt

1/4 tablespoon of pepper Half an onion (finely chopped) Two tablespoons of butter Two tablespoons of horseradish (prepared) Two tablespoons of mustard (prepared)

Procedure

1. Mix together the ground beef, pepper and salt.

2. Shape into thin patties (12, preferably).

3. Mix the onion lightly with the butter. Then add the salt, horseradish, and mustard. This makes the onion mixture.

4. Spread the onion mixture on top of 6 of the patties.

5. Place the other remaining 6 patties onto the former 6 patties (which are now spread with the onion mixture). These are the patty combos.

6. Press the patty combos, turning it into a sandwiched onion mixture of beef patties.

7. Let it all chill for a minute.

8. Place all the patties on the grill (or pan) and let brown each side for 7 or 9 minutes.

9. Serve with buns and enjoy.

Traditional Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients

12 lb (5 kg) chopped tomatoes 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar 1 clove finely chopped garlic 1 large chopped onion 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 small chopped hot red pepper (optional) 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds 2 teaspoons whole cloves 2 tablespoons pickling salt

Method

1. Place the celery seeds, cloves, allspice and mustard seeds into a cheesecloth or muslin bag. Tie the top so the spices can't escape.

2. Pour the vinegar into a small saucepan and add the spice-bag.

3. Heat the ingredients over a low heat so the flavors of the spices infuse into the vinegar. When the vinegar is boiling, remove it from the heat and leave to one side to cool for about half an hour. Then take out the spice bag and discard it.

4. In a large soup pot or kettle, combine the chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion and pepper.

5. Heat the ingredients over a medium heat, remembering to stir the mixture frequently so it doesn't scorch on the base of the pan. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low.

6. Allow your ketchup to simmer gently for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spiced vinegar and stir frequently for a further 30 minutes.

7. Remove ketchup from the heat and then put your tomatoes through a food mill. You want to try and extract as much pulp and juice as you can. Discard any tomato skins or solids you have left over.

8. When you've pulped the tomato add the sugar and salt and stir well.

9. Return the tomato mixture over the heat and bring back up to boiling over a medium-high heat.

10. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer gently for around 2 hours. You should notice your ketchup reduces down and begins to thicken.

11. Store your homemade tomato sauce in air-tight sealable bottles or jars.

12. You should find this recipe makes around 1 1/2 liters of ketchup (about 3 pints).

Southern-Style Ketchup

You'll love this rich, flavor-filled Southern-style ketchup. It's easy to make and tastes great.

Ingredients

1 tin (32oz or 950g) whole tomatoes 1 chopped onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar

Method

1. Puree the tomatoes in a blender until they're smooth. Leave them aside for a moment.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and lightly cook the onion and garlic until the onion turns golden. Add the spices and stir through the onion and garlic for about 1 minute. Then add the tomato puree, tomato paste, brown sugar and vinegar.

3. Allow the tomato mixture to simmer gently over a medium-low heat for around 40-45 minutes until it becomes very thick. Remember to stir your ketchup frequently so it doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan.

4. When your homemade tomato sauce has thickened, carefully puree the mixture in a blender until it's very smooth. Store your homemade ketchup in air-tight sealable bottles or jars.

Creamy Homemade Mayonnaise

Ingredients

2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups oil (try for a light, flavorless oil, like peanut oil or safflower oil) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 tablespoon mustard powder (optional)

Method

1. Separate your egg yolks from the egg whites. You won't be using the egg whites for this recipe, so keep them for another recipe or find something else you'd like to make that can use them up so they don't go to waste.

2. This is the fun part - you want to put one egg yolk into one bowl and the other egg yolk into another bowl. The recipe for homemade mayonnaise is separated like this to make sure you end up with a really smooth mayonnaise at the end.

3. You'll need to use a whisk for these steps. If you have an electric whisk, then this is fine. If not then a hand whisk will just take a little longer. Don't be tempted to cheat and use a blender or food processor or stick blender. They're just too heavy for this recipe and your mayonnaise will turn stiff. You want creamy, so use a whisk.

4. In the first egg yolk bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the mustard (once again, this is optional). Whisk at a low speed until the egg yolk

begins to look sticky. Very slowly add a few drops of the oil into the egg mixture. Once again, it's important not to cheat and add too much oil at a time. Don't get bored and think you can start adding oil faster to make it go quicker either. You really need to add the oil very slowly to make this recipe work. You're only going to add about half of your total oil amount at this step.

5. Move over to the second bowl with the second egg yolk in it. Whisk the egg yolk until it goes a little sticky. Use a tablespoon to transfer the egg-oil mix one spoonful at a time over to the whisked second egg.

6. Whisk each new spoonful very well into the egg before adding another spoon. When you're done, resume drizzling the oil into the mixture. Remember to keep beating the whole time.

7. Once you're done with the oil, add the lemon juice. Never add the whole amount at once. Always put a little in, mix together and taste. If you want a little more zing to your home made mayonnaise, then add a little more lemon juice. This is completely up to your own tastes, so add until it tastes right to you.

Homemade Mayonnaise Variations

Now that you have a lovely, smooth and creamy homemade mayonnaise, let's work with some variations from this base recipe.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Create your homemade mayonnaise the same as the base recipe, only add 1/2 cup of very finely chopped pickles and 1/2 teaspoon very finely chopped parsley. Tartar sauce is a wonderful addition to fish and seafood dishes and tastes great with fries.

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Thousand Island dressing is the orange-pink dressing usually seen garnishing shrimp cocktails. Simply take 1 cup of your homemade mayonnaise. Add 1/2 cup ketchup and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. Check the taste and then add a little more ketchup if you feel it needs a little more tartness or add a little more Worcestershire sauce if you like a little more zing to your sauce.

Homemade Garlic Aioli

Take 1 cup of your mayonnaise. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons of wholegrain mustard. (Remember - if you added mustard into your original mayonnaise recipe, then only add another 1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard instead of 2). Blend well and serve on pasta, seafood or over roasted potatoes.