PEANUT SAUCE FOR SALAD OR STIR FRY

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Lockdown Loaf

To avoid having to go out just for a loaf of bread, I've been baking my own.

It's very simple really. You will need:

500 g white bread flour.
7 - 8 g instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
350/400 ml tepid water
2 tablespoons olive oil

• Mix all the dry ingredients together well with a balloon whisk in your machine bowl.
• Using a dough hook mix on low, slowly adding first the water and then the olive oil.
• Mix on low speed for about 3 minutes and 1 minute on med high speed.
• oil a bowl using canola oil and scrape the dough into the bowl.
• cover with a plate and leave for about an hour to an hour and a half, until it has risen to double it's size.
• knock down and transfer to a baking tin and allow to prove once more for about 30 minutes while the oven is heating up to 220°C. 
• Place in the oven for 15 minutes at 220°C and then lower temp to 190°C and leave for a further 30 minutes.
• Take bread out of oven and remove immediately from tin. Leave on a grid to cool.

Single Clove Garlic - Cool New Ingredient For Me

I've just discovered this ingredient. Solo, or single clove garlic.

Never seen or heard of it before. When you peel off the outer membrane, the whole bulb is actually one clove. It has grooves running down so looks like it should have cloves. BUT IT DOESN'T!! Makes prepping garlic a whole lot easier. I used it last night with roast chicken and it roasted well and I was able to incorporate the soft garlic into my gravy. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has anything to say. Have you used it? Do you think it is as flavourful as regular garlic? The one in the front is without it's skin/membrane.

Zucchini - Large- Stuffed With Spicy Ground Beef

Usually the Zucchini I buy are about 10cm high. They had these humungous things at the grocery store at a really good price so I thought I'd try them out. Vegetable Marrows are pretty tasteless at the best of times so I decided to stuff them with something spicy.

When my neighbour left 18 months ago she gave me some stuff from her pantry and although I've used up most of it I had this packet of Taco Salsa and some Burrito Seasoning. So I decided to use them up to create a Mexican feel.

INGREDIENTS

2 large zucchini

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

1 green bell pepper

½ packet Burrito seasoning

1 packet Taco Salsa 

450 gm minced beef or whatever you prefer.

grated cheese. (I used White Cheddar)                                

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce.

METHOD

- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise after cutting off the ends.
Scoop out the seeds and discard.
- Scoop out the flesh until you have a nice boat shape,  keeping some of the flesh to chop into the filling and save the rest for another day (soup perhaps)
 - Brush with olive oil and bake for about 20 minutes at 180°C.

In a frying pan saute the onions until soft along with the green bell pepper.

Add the meat and fry for about 3 mins.
Add the spices, taco sauce and garlic and mix well together.
Put on a low heat and simmer with the lid on for about 30
 minutes.

Allow the mince mixture to cool.

Fill the marrows and bake in a 180° C oven for about 40 mins.
Top with cheese and give them another 10 minutes in the oven to melt the cheese.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Linguini With A Spicy Tomato Sauce With Calamari

This sauce is sort of a combination of Puttanesca and Arrabbiata.

INGREDIENTS

Sauce

1 can diced tomato

1 diced onion

5 cloves garlic

6 anchovies chopped

2 tablespoons capers

12 green olives, pitted and chopped

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste (quite a few salty ingredients, so be cautious)

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

a handful of fresh basil, chopped

grated Parmesan cheese

CALAMARI

THIS IS IMPORTANT
The Secret to Beautifully Tender Calamari

Clean and trim the calamari, removing all the inedible bits.

Place in a bowl.

Sprinkle over a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Massage well into all the calamari and then cover with just enough water.

Leave for 20 minutes or more, not less, and then rinse well to remove the baking soda.

Place in a colander to drain.

COATING FOR THE CALAMARI

1 teaspoon za'atar spice
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried origano
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cake flour

mix all of the above together well in a large bowl.

Put all the pieces of calamari in the bowl and toss around until all are coated in the spice and flour mixture.

Pan fry in olive oil and butter for about 2 minutes. Keep warm in the oven.


SAUCE

Fry the onion in a pan until translucent. Add the garlic and the can of diced tomatoes and simmer for about 30 mins.

Add the chopped olives, capers, anchovies, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer for another 20 minutes to allow to thicken.

Cook the pasta and add to the sauce. Mix the pasta with the sauce. Add the basil and parmesan cheese just before serving with the calamari on top.

Buon Appetito!!

Chicken And Mushroom Pie with Phyllo Pastry

This is a family favourite. I normally use a cake tin.

I feel by using Phyllo Pastry instead of regular Puff or Short Pastry it's not so heavy and maybe has less carbs. (I hope)

INGREDIENTS

400 gm button mushrooms, sliced.
4 chicken breasts, pan fried or poached, and chopped or shredded.
1½ medium onions, diced.
1 large carrot, diced finely
4 cloves of garlic, chopped.
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried thyme
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
a pinch of dried rosemary
20 gm butter
16 gm flour
1 cup chicken stock
1½ cups milk or cream with gravy granules dissolved
1 can green beans, or the equivalent in fresh green beans, cooked.
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

 METHOD

Fry the onion and carrot in a deep pan until soft.
Add the mushroom, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.

Lower temp to #1 and with the lid on, leave for about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked.

Create a well in the centre of the vegetables. Melt the butter on med heat, add the flour and create a roux.

Cook for a few minutes and then add the stock and milk.  Mix the vegetables with the sauce created by the roux, stock and milk.

Raise the heat, and when it starts to bubble, remove from the heat. If it's too thick, add some more milk or water, but it should be quite thick to keep the pie's shape.

Add the black pepper.

Mix well.

Add the shredded chicken, chopped parsley and green beans. Mix well. Leave to cool.

Line cake tin with 4 leaves of phyllo pastry brushed with olive oil. Fill with the chicken mixture. Fold over the excess pastry. Scrunch up another olive oil drenched sheet of phyllo pastry and place on top.  Sprinkle with celery salt and smoked paprika. Dot with butter.

Bake for 40mins at 180° C

Sauerkraut with Debrizina Sausages

My whole family love this dish. A reminder of our Swiss and Northern European roots.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chopped/diced bacon
2 medium onions - diced
1 pack, jar or tin of sauerkraut
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and grated.
3 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup wine, apple or grape juice
2 heaped desert spoons brown sugar (the sticky kind)
4 large juniper berries, or if they're small, about 10
3 bay leaves
black pepper, ground.
 3 large potatoes cut into quarters, and boiled separately.
1 pack of Debrizina sausages.

METHOD

Fry the bacon and onions until the onions are soft.
Add the sauerkraut, apple, garlic, stock, wine/juice, mustard, sugar, juniper berries, bay leaves and black pepper.
Cook on a medium heat until it starts to bubble and then simmer with a lid on for about an hour.
Add the sausages and the boiled potatoes.
Sprinkle potatoes with celery salt.
Replace lid and simmer for another 30 minutes at least.

This is the sort of meal that can bubble away until you're ready to eat it, so an extra hour until the football match is over is absolutely fine.

bon appetit!!
  

Andy's Sushi Bar

OMG!!! What more can I say. Sea Point, 315 Main Road. Andy learnt his skills from the best I believe. Willoughby's Restaurant at the V&A Waterfront. So good.

                                                                                     

    

You say Eggplant I say Brinjal

When I made a trip to my local Food Lovers Market the other day I was amazed at the sheer quantity of Aubergines for sale. And the ridiculous price. 8 for R10. Thats the equivalent of US$0.75 for 8 medium size Eggplant.

So I bought 8, brought them home and pondered on what to do with them.

Fortunately once cooked, brinjals, as they are called here in South Africa, freeze well.

There was also a special on red and green bell peppers. So the obvious choice had to be Ratatouille.

I bought some courgettes (Zucchini), and along with onions, garlic, fresh basil leaves from my garden, some dry rosemary, some tomatoes that needed to be used and a can of tomatoes I was all set. Normally I would use tomato puree, but I didn't have any, and I'd bought quite a few cheap cans of tomatoes from Foodies.

Now that I'd sorted out what I would do with half the Eggplant, I decided to try something I'd never made before, but had tasted once and really loved.

BABA GHANOUSH.

This is a middle eastern eggplant dip.

I found a really great recipe on Chowhound.com and changed it slightly as I nearly always do.

This is the recipe I used:

4 medium sized Eggplant
¼ cup tahini
3 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika




- cut Eggplants in half, brush with olive oil and roast in a 180°C oven, for about an hour, until tender when a knife is inserted.

 - allow to cool and then scoop out the flesh and mix with all the other ingredients.

- blitz together with an immersion blender or in a food processor until you are happy with the consistency. Should be creamy and silky. If too thick you can add more olive oil.

It's fantastic on toast. Very tasty.

If you serve it as a dip, in a bowl, you can decorate it with chopped nuts, ground cumin and sesame seeds, black pepper, some paprika and a drizzle of olive or sesame oil. And some chopped coriander leaves.

This recipe makes a lot, so I've frozen quite a bit in separate containers.

Tortellini Stuffed with Mushrooms with Basil Pesto Cream on a bed of Bolognaise Sauce

I had such fun this afternoon making a batch of Tortellini.

First I made the pasta. (Flour, eggs, salt, olive oil and a little water)

Then I made the mushroom filling. (Shallots, Fennel bulb, Mushrooms, Garlic, Origano, Parmesan Cheese, Salt, Pepper.)

Then I made the Bolognaise. (Ground Beef, Stock, Marsala Wine, Worcestershire Sauce, Tomato Paste, Onion, Garlic, Herbs)

Then I stuffed and made the Tortellini.

Served with Creamy Basil Pesto Sauce on a bed of Bolognaise Sauce, with Parmesan Cheese, Chives and fresh Rocket.

And here it is.

Ostrich is the new Beef

Well not really, but for my family it is. I've decided to cut down on red meat, ie, Beef, Pork and Lamb in favour of lighter meats such as Chicken, Fish and Seafood. And Ostrich. In my family we all like our red meat rare and ostrich can be cooked lightly and eaten rare, and served with a sauce as you would serve a beef steak. It is low in fat and tastes delicious. And it's MUCH cheaper than Beef. I paid the equivalent of $7 a kg.

Last night I made little steaks with a brown mushroom and cream sauce. I serves it with Rosti potatoes and Avocado on the side. OK the cream was not such a healthy option, but nobody's perfect.

Spicy Fish and Seafood Stew

INGREDIENTS

2 onions- chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper- chopped
½ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
some lime leaves
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup lemon juice (or lime juice if you have it)
1 tablespoon thai fish sauce
½ cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric
500 ml fish stock (or chicken stock)

fish and seafood: I used hake, calamari rings and shelled prawns.

METHOD

fry onions and bell pepper for about 5 minutes on med heat
add all the other ingredients except the fish and seafood, mix well and bring to the boil.
simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the fish and seafood, put the lid on the pan and allow to simmer for another 10 mins or until all the fish and seafood is cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Chicken Breast Fillets with a Spicy Mushroom Sauce

If like me you are always looking for interesting ways to prepare chicken fillets, and you like spicy food, then you will really enjoy this. Full of authentic Indian ingredients. Would make a good steak sauce too.

INGREDIENTS

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
250 g button mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 star anise crushed
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
½ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 teaspoon palm sugar
300 ml chicken stock
125 ml cream
½ cup cold milk with a heaped teaspoon of corn starch dissolved into it.

METHOD

Fry the onion in some oil until translucent
Add the garlic and stir around for a minute or so
Now add all the spices to the pan and stir for about 2 minutes

Put all the sliced mushrooms into the pan and saute for a couple of minutes until they are coated with the spices.
Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the stock, tamarind paste, palm sugar and ¾ of the chopped coriander leaves.
Leave to simmer for about 5 mins.
Add the cream and heat to just on boiling point. Add the milk/corn starch mixture and mix through.

In a separate pan fry the chicken breast fillets which can be cut through horizontally. 3 minutes each side.
Add to the pan with the sauce and serve as soon as possible. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped coriander.

Easy Beef Curry

This is a delicious beef curry. Easy to make and as good as any Indian restaurant.

INGREDIENTS

800 g lean beef, cut into small cubes
2 medium onions finely chopped
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1/3 cup cooking oil
2 bay leaves
1 ±6cm cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods
2 green chillies chopped up finely
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 cup tomato passata
1½ teaspoons salt
½ cup coriander leaves finely chopped
¼ cup red lentils

METHOD

• fry onions until translucent. About 10 mins
• Add garlic and ginger and stir around. Fry for another minute.
• Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and fry for a further 2 minutes.
• Now add all the powdered spices and stir until the onions are coated and your kitchen is filled with the wonderful aroma of the spices. About 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato passata and a cup of water and bring to boiling point.
• Turn the heat down to low and cover.
• Simmer for about an hour at least.
• Remove the lid after an hour and add the lentils. These will thicken the sauce. Simmer for 15 mins.
• Add half the coriander leaves and the rest as a garnish when you serve.

Serve with poppadums and rice or roti's, chutney and mango atchar.

Serves 4

Moroccan Tagine with Persian Style Jeweled Rice

One doesn't need to have a real Tagine to produce a really tasty Moroccan stew. If you have the time you can use a normal pot on the stove or a casserole in the oven. I used a pressure cooker for this one and it was superb. I wandered over to the middle east for the rice dish which went so well with it.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TAGINE

800 gm beef (or lamb)
2 med onions very finely chopped
5 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
½ teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup canola oil
1 large cinnamon stick
small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
1 cup dried apricots, cut in half
3 tablespoons honey
1 litre beef stock
toasted almond flakes and sesame seeds for garnish
chopped coriander and parsley for garnish

METHOD

Fry the onions in a pressure cooker with some of the oil. Add spices and sesame oil. Brown the meat with the rest of the oil in a separate pan and then add to the onion and spices. Add the garlic, half the apricots, honey and coriander leaves and stock. Cook under pressure for 45 mins.

When pressure is released, remove lid, add the rest of the apricots and cook down to reduce the liquid, until thick.

Serve garnished with the toasted almond flakes and sesame seeds. Sprinkle with coriander and parsley.

INGREDIENTS FOR PERSIAN STYLE JEWELLED RICE

1 cup Basmati rice
1 orange
1 large carrot cut into Julienne strips of about 6cm long
2 tablespoons dried cranberries soaked in water for 30 mins
2 tablespoons raisins soaked in water for 30 mins
2 tablespoons flaked almonds-toasted
2 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
seeds of 10 cardamom pods crushed
10 g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
chopped mint and pomegranate seeds (if available) to garnish.

METHOD

• Cook the rice. Drain and place in a serving dish in a warm oven. 
• Clean the orange well and cut the skin (without the pith).
• Cut the skin of the orange into matchsticks. Place in a pot with enough water to cover, bring to the boil and cook for 3 mins. Drain and rinse.
• Saute the carrots for about 5 mins in the oil and butter. Add the sugar and orange peel and cook for a further minute. Add the turmeric, nuts, fruit (after draining) and spices. Season with salt and pepper, mix well together and set aside
• Remove rice from oven.
• Separate a quarter of the carrot and orange mixture and set aside. Mix the rest into the rice. Garnish the dish with the remainder and sprinkle with the mint and pomegranate seeds.
• Serve immediately. If you are not serving it immediately, keep the garnish to one side and only garnish just before serving.

Recipes adjusted from Diana Henry's book Crazy Water Pickled Lemon

Jam Omelette

This is great for breakfast or a healthy dessert. It was on the menu of our restaurant, The Red Sails Inn in Hout Bay. When I was a child I thought the idea of a sweet omelette gross, but once I tried it I got hooked. You can use any jam that you have available. I prefer smooth apricot.

INGREDIENTS

2 large eggs
2 tablespoons cream or milk.
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Jam. Just as much as you want.
cinnamon for dusting

• Beat the eggs together with the cream/milk and the sugar and vanilla.
• Heat some butter in a pan and make an omelette in the usual way
• When it's still soft but nearly ready to flip over onto the plate, add the jam. As the jam starts to heat up from the omelette it oozes out the sides. 
• dust with cinnamon and serve

South African Pickled Fish

This is one of our specialties. In Cape Town it is especially popular around Easter time. You can use any fish as long as it's a white fish. Fish such as Tuna and Swordfish don't really work so well for this dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg filleted fish. I generally use hake. Cut into smallish portions.
oil for frying
flour for coating fish
3 large onions- sliced.
6 cloves of garlic - crushed.
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger.
1 red chilli - chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
5 cloves
10 peppercorns
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon masala powder
110 ml sugar
1 cup white grape vinegar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cornflour

METHOD

• season fish and coat in flour. Fry in oil until cooked through. Place to one side on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
• slice the onions and fry for about 3 mins. 
• add the garlic, ginger, chillies and mustard seeds and saute for a minute or 2.
• add the spices and combine with the onions. Now add the sugar, water and vinegar and bring to the boil. 
• simmer for about 5 minutes. Onions should still be a little crunchy.
• mix the cornflour with a little cold water and add, just to thicken slightly.
• layer the fish in a glass or ceramic dish. I normally use a corning-ware dish. Don't use a plastic dish as the spices will discolor it.
• cover each layer of fish with some sauce and then pour the rest of the sauce over the top.
• once cool, refridgerate. Allow to sit in the fridge for about 24 hours before eating to allow the flavours to meld. 
• should keep quite long in the fridge. About a week. Not that it would last that long in my house. Should be eaten cold.

Homemade Vanilla Almond Ice Cream with Caramel Ripple

This is one of the most delicious ice creams I've ever made. Ever.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups full cream milk
1 Cup cream
170 gm caster sugar
2 X-Large egg yolks
1 X-Large egg
3 Vanilla Beans
2 Tablespoons Amaretto liquor

For the ripple:

200 g butter
400 g treacle sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cream

METHOD

• Combine the milk and cream in a pot. Split the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds as well as the beans into the pot with the milk and cream. Heat to 75° C. Remove from heat and leave to cool and for the vanilla to infuse. 
• Blend eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Strain the milk/cream mixture to remove pods. Seeds should remain.
• Temper the egg/sugar mixture with some of the milk mixture and then combine.
• Add the Amaretto and mix thoroughly.
• When cool, cover and store in the fridge for at least 12 hours before churning.

For the caramel ripple, melt the butter in a pot. add the sugar, vanilla and cream until the sugar is dissolved and all is well mixed. Simmer for 5 minutes. When cool the consistency should be thick but still pour able.

Once the ice cream has been churned place half into the container you will use to store it in the freezer and pour the caramel on in a swirly motion. Swoosh it around a bit. Place the rest of the ice cream in and some more caramel and swoosh some more. Place into the freezer until the ice cream has set and is firm but still creamy. This is sooooooooooo yummy. Next time I'm going to toast some almond flakes and add them to the mix. 

Black Bun for a bit of Scottish Tradition

A couple of months ago I mentioned to my husband that I was going to attempt a Christmas cake this year.
"that's a good idea" he said, "when I was a child, my aunt used to make a special Scottish cake every year. It had a lot of pepper in it."
After some searching on the internet I was able to find out that there is a special Scottish cake, made for New Year, called a Black Bun. It is a rich fruit cake with spices, including quite a bit of pepper, and encased in shortcrust pastry.

So I decided to give it a go. This is the recipe. I found it on Epicurious from Christopher Trotter of The Scottish Kitchen and then just halved all the ingredients and made a few adjustments. I added more alcohol than the recipe called for and although the recipe uses Brandy I decided to add some whiskey as well. It is Scottish after all.  I made it 2 weeks before Christmas but you can actually make it even earlier. Instead of covering the whole cake with pastry I decided to only cover the top and bottom.

It is very rich and very fruity. The pepper adds a nice bit of heat. If you prefer your cake more "cakey" use less fruit and more flour.

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry:

112 g butter
225 g cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

For the filling

1.125 kg mixed fruit (raisins, saltanas, glace fruit, candied peel)
115 g chopped nuts
175 g cake flour
125 g soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon whiskey
1 beaten egg
80 ml milk

METHOD

• To make the pastry, dice the butter and rub into the flour/baking powder. Add enough cold water to make a stiff dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about half an hour.
• Preheat oven to 150°C
• For the filling mix all the dry ingredients together.
• Mix in the brandy, about ¾ of the egg and the milk. Mix well with clean hands. 

• grease a 22cm loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
• roll out the pastry and cut a piece of pastry to fit the bottom. Place on top of the paper.
• pack the fruit cake mixture into the loaf tin to the top.
• cover with pastry and trim with a sharp knife to cover the cake snugly.
• using a fork, poke little holes all over the top.
• add a little bit of milk to the rest of the egg mixture and brush over the top.

Bake in a 150°c oven for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 110° and bake for a further 2 hours. For the last hour cover with foil to protect the pastry and stop from over cooking. Once cool store in an airtight container or wrap in heavy duty foil.