Readers’ recipe swap: Raisins

Raisins, it seems, are one of the most divisive ingredients out there. Personally, I think a handful added to couscous, a carrot salad, homemade bread or even a pizza will automatically add just the right amount of sweetness and texture to alleviate any monotony, but I appreciate that there are many among you who waste precious minutes every morning picking them from a perfectly good granola. So, I enlisted a dried-fruit hater to help me test these recipes …

The classic Italian pasta from Marmaduke Scarlet, with its salty sardines, fresh tomato and crunchy breadcrumbs, was hugely satifying, the sweetness of raisins highlighting the variety of flavours. Miz Pepperpot’s flatbread, rich with warming spices and fatty lamb, benefited greatly from the burst of sweetness, as did the spinach and cheese triangles from Suzanne Anderegg, which also worked fabulously well for lunchboxes. Moving on to the desserts, detoutcoeur Limousin’s caramel rice pudding cake was definitely one for the sweet-tooths; if you don’t have time to chill this, I think it’d be equally good served warm in bowls during the winter months. Another take on the classic rum and raisin combination came from Bobby Ananta; a banana sausage roll filled with booze, spices and dried fruit – what’s not to love?

This week’s winner, though, comes in the form of a classic Cornish bake from Colonial Cravings. Yes, it’s perhaps a more typical take on baking with raisins, but as the weather turns, I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy afternoon than baking and baking and subsequently eating these aromatic buns.

The winning recipe: Cornish saffron buns (main picture)

These traditional Cornish treats are made with sweetened dough enriched with milk but they have a slightly more dense texture than something like a brioche or even a teacake. The saffron largely adds colour but there is a subtle hint of its flavour amidst the sweetness of the dried fruit. I love these toasted and slathered in butter for breakfast.
ColonialCravings, via GuardianWitness

Makes 8
A generous pinch of saffron
300g strong flour
65g butter
25g sugar
A pinch of salt
1 tsp fast-action yeast
90g raisins
45g candied peel
120ml warm milk

1 First, crush the saffron and steep it in 1 tbsp freshly boiled water; the longer you can leave it the better, you’ll get more colour into the buns this way.

2 Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and lightly rub in the butter with your fingertips. Add the sugar and salt, mix well, then the yeast and finally the fruit, giving the lot a big stir. Drizzle over the saffron and water and mix this in (a butter knife is the best tool for the job here).

2 Add the milk, a little at a time, until the whole lot comestogether and you have a ball of soft dough. You may not need all of the milk. Gently knead for 7-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled in size – about 1 hour.

3 Once the dough has risen, roll it into a fat sausage shape, cut it into eight even pieces, then roll them into buns. Put these on a greased, lightly floured tray. Cover with the clingfilm again and leave them to rise again for about 30 minutes; it doesn’t matter if they join up a bit.

4 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. When ready to bake, brush the buns with milk and bake for about 20 minutes, until they are browned slightly on top. Cool on a wire rack.

Banana and rum raisin rolls

This sticky, lovely spiced rum and raisin banana roll is perfect for a rainy autumn day. The recipe is inspired by Indonesian Pisang Molen Kismis.
Bobby Ananta, Leicester

Makes 8 rolls
230g raisins
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground clove
¼ tsp ground mace
5 bananas (try to get skinny ones)
120ml rum
80ml golden syrup, plus 4 tbsp for drizzling
500g block puff pastry
30g ground almonds
1 tbsp semolina
1 egg yolk
Plain flour, for rolling

1 In a medium bowl mix together the raisins and all the spices and stir well. Add the rum and golden syrup, and make sure all the raisins are covered with the liquid. Wrap with clingfilm and leave it at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight so the flavours develop. Keep 2 tbsp of the rum liquid to drizzle over the banana.

2 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Roll the puff pastry into two 18x32cm rectangles, scatter over the ground almonds and semolina then place 2½bananas lengthways down the centre of each piece of pastry. Drain the raisins, reserving 2 tbsp of the sauce, then scatter them over the bananas, drizzling with 2 tbsp extra sauce afterwards. Roll the puff pastry around the bananas so they look like big sausage rolls, then cut each long roll into 4, so you will have 8 all together. Brush with egg yolk. Bake for 2--25 minutes, until golden and puffed.

Lamb and raisin flatbreads

Lamb, raisins and spices make a super topping for a simple flatbread. The sweetness and texture of the raisins really adds to this dish, and complements the heat of the chilli. You can use ready made flatbreads but I really don’t think you can beat homemade.
Miz Pepperpot, via GuardianWitness

Makes 8
For the dough
350g strong flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp fast-action yeast
225ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil

For the topping
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ red or green pepper, finely chopped
1 handful of parsley, chopped
1 handful of coriander, chopped, plus extra to serve
1 red chilli pepper, deseeded and minced
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
250g minced lamb
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp dried cinnamon
2 tbsp natural Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve
3 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp pine nuts
Juice of 1 small lemon, plus extra to serve
A good pinch of salt

1 To make the dough, put the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the liquids and mix well. Put on a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic – about 10 minutes. Put into a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.

2 Meanwhile, mix all the topping ingredients together and set aside until ready to use.

2 When the dough has proved, heat the oven to 240C/475F/gas mark 9, or as hot as it will go. Knead the dough again to remove the air, then divide into 8 pieces, then, on a floured surface, roll as thinly as possible into oblong shapes.

3 Put them on nonstick baking sheets, spread with the topping, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the bread is risen and golden and the lamb cooked. You may have to do it in batches. Serve warm with a squeeze of lemon, some yoghurt and chopped fresh coriander.

Caramel gateau de riz (or caramel rice pudding cake)

Caramel gateau de riz is a French favourite. A thick and creamy rice pudding cake with a layer of dark caramel sauce. My version is spiked with rum and raisins, orange zest and a hint of perfumed cardamom spice. The addition of rum and raisins is one of my favourite flavour combinations, and the raisins add a lovely sweetness to the rice, which only has a small amount of added sugar. A French twist on a classic British rice pudding...or was it the other way around...? I don’t mind either way - both are delicious. Bon appetit!
detoutcoeur Limousin, via GuardianWitness

Serves 8
For the rice pudding
1 litre whole milk
1 cardamom pod, crushed
200g short grain/pudding rice
Zest of 1 orange
A pinch of salt
50g sugar
3 tbsp rum, or to taste
75g raisins

For the caramel sauce
100g sugar
4 tbsp water

1 Lightly oil a 20cm cake tin. Make the caramel sauce by adding the water to the sugar in a pan and gently simmering until it turns an amber caramel colour – about 5 minutes. Immediately take off the heat and pour very carefully into the bottom of the cake tin. Leave to one side.

2 Put the milk, cardamom, rice, orange zest, salt and sugar into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer and stir frequently; it will take about 25-30 minutes for the rice to cook – you want the rice soft, but still with a little bite.

3 Take off the heat, remove the cardamom pod, stir in the rum and raisins and then pour it all into the cake tin. Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for a few hours, preferably overnight, to firm up. To serve, turn out on to a plate, cut into slices and drizzle with the syrup in the base of the tin.

Spinach and raisin spicy triangles

This recipe is my take on a snack I once ate in Spain, which proved to be so moreish that, after finishing my own, I mistakenly continued to eat someone else’s, to their extreme annoyance. You can make the triangles to whatever size you need, or, alternatively, you can bake it as a larger pie by simply placing half of the filo pastry in a lightly oiled baking dish and pouring the filling inside. Cover with the remaining pastry, tuck in the edges and brush the top with a little olive oil.
Suzanne Anderegg, via GuardianWitness

Serves 4-6
75g raisins
1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium carrot, finely diced
300g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 tbsp pine nuts
175g emmental cheese
A pinch of cloves
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cinnamon
Cracked black pepper to taste
1 egg
330g filo pastry
50g butter, melted or 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Put the raisins in a bowl and pour over just cover with boiling water, then leave to soak for 30 minutes.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on low-medium, then stir in the onion. Cook for 2 minutes until it begins to soften, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute, then add the carrot and continue tocook until everything looks about done.

3 Drain the spinach, add to the pan and cook until all of the water has pretty much evaporated. Set aside to cool in a bowl.

4 Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan and grate the cheese. Add both to the cooled veg with the spices, pepper, egg and drained raisins. Stir everything together until fully mixed.

5 Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5, then line 2 baking trays with nonstick paper. Put 2 sheets of filo pastry on to a counter top and cut into 4 long strips (if making larger pasty-sized triangles, cut in half). Put 1 tbsp filling (or 5-6tbsp for the larger sized) in the bottom corner of one of the strips and fold the corner over to make a triangle. Continue to fold the triangle over, side to side, as if you are folding a flag until you get to the top of the strip. Brush the end of the strip and the top of the filo with a little melted butter or olive oil to seal and put on the baking tray. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake the triangles for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned, or for about 40 minutes if using a larger dish.

Spaghetti with sardines and raisins

A Sicilian pasta dish which is a bit Italian, a bit Arabic, and a fabulous combination of sweet and sour flavours, using dried fruit. I’ve used fresh sardines, but it actually works really well with tinned ones too.
Marmaduke Scarlet, via GuardianWitness

Serves 4
100g dried breadcrumbs
Salt and ground black pepper
A handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
60ml olive oil
1 small fennel bulb, finely sliced (reserve any fronds)
1 small red onion, halved and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 medium tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
¼ tsp chilli flakes
80ml white wine
3 tbsp water
A pinch of saffron (optional)
8-12 fresh sardines, filleted
200g dried spaghetti
30g pine nuts, toasted
60g raisins

1 Toast breadcrumbs in a small frying pan over a medium heat until they’re a golden brown colour. Shake the pan often to prevent crumbs from sticking and burning. Set aside to cool. Once cool, season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley.

2 Heat the oil in a saucepan, then gently fry the onion and fennel with a pinch of salt until they’re beginning to soften – around 10 minutes.

3 Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and chilli flakes. Fry for another couple of minutes, then add the white wine and 3 tbsp of water. Bring to the boil and simmer until it reaches a sauce-like consistency. It should be thick and slightly sticky.

4 Add the sardines, raisins, pine nuts and saffron (if using). Gently cook for a further 10 minutes, breaking the sardine fillets up with a wooden spoon.

5 While the sardines are cooking, cook pasta in lightly salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain, then reserve some of the cooking water.

6 Toss the pasta with the sardine and raisin mixture, adding a little of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if it is too thick. Divide between plates, then scatter with the breadcrumbs.