Elbows Off the Table is the latest offering from the well-known New Zealand cook, who last year hit the headlines when she and her husband's company went into liquidation following the closure of her cooking school and cafe in Oxford.
The couple still live in Oxford. Seagar is keeping busy writing her magazine column, doing food tours and volunteering for the hospice.
Her latest book combines her love of food with another interest, manners. She offers advice on everything from how to set a table to how to be a good guest.
''This book is simply a a relaxed guide to understanding the rules that grease the wheels that allow life to run smoothly,'' she says.
Manners are not old-fashioned, Seagar says, but highly desirable and at heart are about putting people at ease.
''Good manners and kindness are always in fashion.''
Going hand in hand is food and so she has created a range of simple recipes able to be delivered to friends and family in times of strife, for gifts and when sharing a meal.
Crispy cheese and chutney wonton sticks. Photos by Jae Frew.
Crispy cheese and chutney wonton sticks
These are quick-to-make and fast-to-disappear little nibbles to have with drinks. A welcome plate to arrive with when it's a shared meal.
Makes 20
Ingredients
20 wonton wrappers
½ cup finely chopped-up fruit chutney
10 store-bought cheese sticks, each cut in half (or cut up your own from a block of cheese)
water to seal
oil to deep-fry
Method
Brush each wonton wrapper with a thin layer of chutney.
Place half a cheese stick in the middle and wrap it up, fish-and-chips style.
Brush the final fold with water and seal down well.
Keep well chilled while heating the oil to 180degC, then deep-fry until crisp.
Drain on paper towels and serve warm.
These freeze well for up to three months, sealed in a zip-lock bag, and can be rewarmed on a baking tray in a medium oven.
Prep time 10 minutes | Cooking time 5-6 minutes per batch
Sausage and spinach-stuffed pasta shells.
Sausage and spinach-stuffed pasta shells
This makes a fairly economical but drop-dead impressive main course. I fall back on this recipe often and it is always a hit.
Serves 6
Ingredients
350g packet pasta shells
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 Italian-style sausages, meat squeezed from skins
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 eggs
500g ricotta cheese
250g frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup grated mozzarella
½ tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
500g tomato pasta sauce
½ cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley to garnish
Method
Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil over a high heat.
Add the pasta shells, and make sure they don't float but sink down below the surface of the water.
Cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. You have to be careful not to overcook the shells, as then they tend to fall apart.
Drain in a colander, and run cold water through the shells to stop them cooking.
Preheat oven to 180degC. Spray a 20cm x 30cm deep lasagne dish with non-stick baking spray.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Add the onion and stir as it softens, about 5 minutes.
Add the sausage meat and break up into smaller minced-meat-sized pieces.
Cook, stirring, until the sausage meat is no longer pink. This will take about 5 more minutes.
Add the garlic, stir for 1 more minute then remove the pan from the heat.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and ricotta together.
Stir in the thawed spinach, half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella.
Add the sausage mixture and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
When cool enough to handle, use a teaspoon to fill each pasta shell, until all the mixture has been used.
Arrange the pasta shells in the prepared dish with the filling facing up. Pour over the tomato pasta sauce.
Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella over the surface.
Leave the foil off and cook a further 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.
Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.
Prep time 20 minutes | Boiling pasta 10 minutes | Baking time 45 minutes
Apple streusel mug cake.
Apple streusel mug cake
Perfect for when you want a little warming pudding in a jiffy, great for an after-school treat for the kids.
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp chunky apple sauce or lightly stewed apple
2-3 drops vanilla essence
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
icing sugar to dust
Streusel
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp mixed spice
Method
Place the butter in a coffee mug and soften for a few seconds in the microwave.
Add the sugar, apple and vanilla and mix together.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a spoon, then press into the base of the mug.
In a separate bowl, mix all the streusel ingredients together. Sprinkle gently into the mug.
Cook for 50-60 seconds in the microwave on high. It will look just set.
Cool for 30 seconds, then dust with icing sugar.
Serve with ice cream or thick yoghurt.
Prep time 1 minute | Cooking time 2 minutes
To see
Jo Seagar is visiting Otago and Southland this month. She will be in Invercargill on August 11, Gore on August 12, Winton and Mosgiel on September 13 and Oamaru on September 14.
For more details, visit: www.penguin.co.nz.
