Sep5

12 international foods to try before you die – #1 fresh spring rolls + dipping sauce

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On Spring Day I found myself reading an article posted on the Independent Traveler site written by Lori Sussle – “12 International Foods to try before you die” – it’s kind of like a “food bucket list” for us ordinary people [see the full list below].

The first item on the list was Vietnamese Spring Rolls or Fresh Spring Rolls. Spring Rolls are normally associated with the freshness and vitality that comes with the onset of Springtime and are versatile, healthy and easy to make.

You can prepare either vegetarian Spring Rolls or add seafood or even meat and eggs, whatever your heart delights – but the most important thing for me when serving a fresh spring roll … is the dipping sauce. The sauce needs to compliment the ingredients inside the roll – you can make peanut sauce, soy based sauce or sweet and sour sauce etc. I decided to make spring rolls with ricotta cheese and my own dipping sauce – yip – I think the foodies will tell you that it is somewhat of a no-no to fuse Italian with Eastern cuisine. Well it worked – East meets West … its delicious and the ricotta adds a lovely creaminess to the roll.

In my recipe I cannot specify the quantity of ingredients you will need as this depends on how many Spring Rolls you would like to make or how “fat” you would like to make them…but I have included a list of suggested ingredients with a link to a YouTube video which shows you how to make your own fresh spring rolls. Try my dipping sauce – its fresh, salty, sour and sweet all at once and adds just another dimension to eating this Eastern treat.

Spring Roll Dipping Sauce
Makes ¾ cup of dipping sauce

60ml Sweet chillie sauce
2t Fish sauce
1t White vinegar
1t Chillie flakes or one fresh green chillie chopped
3T Fresh coriander – chopped
80ml Water

Method
Mix all ingredients together.

Ingredients for spring roll

Rice paper wrappers – soaked in luke warm to warm water until soft. Don’t soak for too long as it will break easily
Vermicelli – soaked in boiling water till soft
Carrots – julienned in +- 6cm lengths
Cucumber – julienned in +- 6cm lengths
Spring onion – finely sliced in +- 6cm length
Avocado slices – +- 6cm lengths
Bean sprouts
Ricotto cheese

Method

Youtube video

An accidental tourists’ culinary bucket list ….

“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed pope mobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonald’s? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.” — Anthony Bourdain

1. Vietnamese Spring Rolls – fresh spring rolls is a Vietnamese delicacy known as gỏi cuốn. Depending on the region, spring rolls are made in different manners with different ingredients.
2. Gnocchi – come in various shapes and guises and are soft dumplings made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, potato and egg.
3. Meze – is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Balkans as either a breakfast, lunch or even dinner – with or without drinks (I prefer it with drinks… ). In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals.
4. Lobster Roll – a traditional lobster roll that contains the fresh cooked meat of a lobster, tossed with mayonnaise and served on a grilled hot dog bun or similar roll, so that the opening is on the top rather than on the side.
5. Churros and Chocolate – a churro, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, it is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux-based snack. There are two types of churros in Spain, one which is thin (and sometimes knotted) and the other which is long and thick (porra). They are both normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate or café con leche.
6. Kangaroo meat – is a meat from any of the species of kangaroo. It is produced in Australia from wild animals.
7. Saag Paneer– is an Indian and Pakistani dish consisting of spinach and paneer (Indian farmer’s cheese) in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach.
8. Ćevapčići – is a grilled dish of minced meat, a type of kebab, found traditionally in the countries of southeastern Europe.
9. Poutine – is a French Canadian dish, made with French fries, topped with brown gravy and curd cheese.
10. Completo – is a hot dog variation eaten in Chile, which, is usually served with ingredients such as chopped tomatoes, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, a variation of the sauce américaine, chilean chili, green sauce and cheese. It is normally a lot larger than the American type of hot dog we have come to know.
11. Queso Helado – is reminiscent of frozen rice pudding flavored with cinnamon. Some say it’s like creamy shaved ice. It’s made from sweet milk with a touch of coconut or cinnamon.
12. Ktefa – traditional Moroccan dessert made by layering fried or baked warqa pastry with sweetened fried almonds and custard sauce flavored with orange flower water.

Source: Info from various internet web pages

Aug29

wheat + mushroom + thyme = delizioso risotto

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I love wheat….and I love Italians. I am fascinated by the way Italians eat and the way they cook – it is the simplicity and the flavours, their history and the la famiglia. I grew up with wheat on our table and have always loved the earthy crunchiness of wheat, its healthy and nutritious in so many forms, its cheap and then of course it is also grown just around the corner from us in Malmesbury. What got me thinking about Italians and wheat was a fabulous foodie get-together with #chicksthatchow (see below)* at the Italian restaurant, Zibaldone. It was a spectacular feast of Italian cuisine and the kind of atmosphere that makes a South African like me feel part of the greater La Famiglia…

What stole my heart and took my gastronomic spirit on a wheat journey was the lamb tortellini with creamed pearl barley. Out of my endless curiosity when it comes to food, I had to explore wheat as a risotto ingredient. I went back to Jamie’s basic risotto recipe that I use every time I make risotto and tweaked it somewhat by replacing the risotto rice with wheat and added some martini and mascarpone cheese. It is so delicious and crunchy. It has such a proud and distinctive nutty undertone of flavour and can be enjoyed as a main meal or accompany any beef or lamb dish.

*About #chicksthatchow: we are a group of “taste, tipple and tweet” women who celebrate life, happiness and all things good over a serving of fabulous food and a glass or two of the best pressed grapes whenever or wherever the mood or the menu may take us. #chicksthatchow was founded by the inspiring and enchanting Errieda du Toit, aka @huiskok and now the presiding President of #chicksthatchow.

Divertiti…!

Wheat Mushroom and Thyme Risotto

Serves: 3 People as main meal and 4 as starters
Cooking and preparation time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 Cup of wheat – pre-cooked for 25 minutes without salt in the water
1T Olive oil
1 T Butter
1 Medium onion – finely chopped
1 Celery stick – finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic – grated
60ml Martini Bianco
450 ml Stock of your choice
40g Grated parmesan
2 Generous tablespoons of mascarpone cheese

For mushrooms

500g Mushrooms – any sort – thinly sliced
2T Olive oil
2T Butter
2T Fresh thyme –leaves picked
2 Cloves garlic – grated
Pinch of chilli powder
Salt
Black pepper
Big squeeze of lemon juice
30g Chopped parsley

Method

1. Prepare the mushrooms first: Cook the mushrooms, thyme and garlic in the olive oil and butter in batches – season each batch with salt and black pepper. Do not let the mushrooms become soggy; they should be a beautiful nutty and brown colour.
2. When cooked add the chilli powder, a squeeze of lemon juice and the chopped parsley and then set aside.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat in a pot and add the olive oil.
4. Add the onion and celery and fry for about 5 minutes till translucent.
5. Add the garlic and let it fry for another few minutes then add the cooked wheat. Slowly fry the wheat for a minute or two.
6. Add the Martini – and stir till the martini has evapourated.
7. Now start adding the stock ladle by ladle – allow each ladle to be absorbed by your ingredients in the pot before you add the next one.
8. Continue until all stock has been added to the saucepan. Remember… your wheat needs to stay moist and creamy.
9. Now add the mushrooms – give it a good stir.
10. Then add the parmesan and mascarpone.
11. Taste for seasoning – it is not normally necessary to add salt – but I always give it an extra pinch of black pepper.
12. Serve with beautiful fresh Italian bread and a glass of good red wine.

Aug21

vegetable soup = slow warm hearty comfort

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Vegetable Soup – A couple of weeks back I invited a few foodie friends over to watch the finale of Mastechef SA, as it was winter I thought it would be appropriate to put on a large pot of my vegetable soup for the occasion. It went down a treat; the problem came about when they all asked me to share the recipe. This proved to be quite difficult as I don’t have a recipe for this soup. The way it works in my house is that I make soup on Sundays. I open the fridge, take out all the veggies + herbs that I did not use over the previous week and make a steaming pot of soup with it. So…to be frank, the recipe below is a list of all the items leftover in my fridge from last week…

If you think the recipe seems a bit long, do not be put off, once you get the hang of it and taste of it you will be making this soup for generations to come. The thing about soup is, you have to make it your own … put in the effort and spend that little extra time…I can promise you it is worth every little spoonful. Enjoy making it and remember to serve it with love.

I do have 10 tips that I have picked up along the way that I would like to share with you when making this soup:

1. Don’t be in a hurry – take your time… and love the process – that is why I normally do it on Sundays – it takes time to grate and chop. Make big bowl of this soup… the soup freezes very well and will never go to waste!
2. Use the veggies + herbs – even lettuce, rocket – whatever you have in your fridge or veggie basket…..the stuff you did not use during the week and want to throw away.
3. Look in your freezer and use all those small packets of frozen veg that you still have not got around to using…
4. The five basic vegetable ingredients that you have to put in to your pot are the following: potatoes, carrots, onions, celery + tomatoes.
5. I always leave the skin on all my vegetables.
6. I grate my vegetables …that is if they are grate-able – it cooks faster and I feel the flavours infuse just that much better.
7. Veggies like broccoli and cauliflower – use the stems – cut them into thin slices – it adds to the beautiful chunkiness of the soup.
8. Parmesan skins – when you buy and use parmesan – don’t throw the skin or rind away – keep them in your freezer and use this in your soup – it adds a wonderful richness.
9. The secret ingredients of my soup : cloves, pesto (any flavour), whole pepper corns, parmesan cheese skins and grated, instant tomato cream soup, oats, good stock to cover the veggies, Worcestershire sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and always a bit of butter.
10. To serve always finish your soup with a drizzle of olive oil , chopped parsley and some parmesan shavings.

Preparation time: 40 min
Cooking time: 60 min
Serves: This recipe makes a pot of soup large enough to feed an army – you can just half or quarter the quantities as your mood takes you…

Ingredients

A.
300g Grated large potatoes +- 2 large
300g Grated large carrots +- 2 large
220g Grated medium onions +- 2 medium
250g Grated butternut squash +- 2 generously thick slices
350 g Tomatoes either chopped or rosa tomatoes halved
200g Baby marrows – sliced
150g Cauliflower – cut into chunks
130g Broccoli – cut into chunks
2 Long pieces of celery – chopped
70g Lettuce
80g Cucumber – chopped
300g Frozen peas
50g Sundried tomatoes – chopped
10g Fresh coriander – chopped
25g Garlic – grated
6 Cloves
20 Black peppercorns
20g Fresh parsley – chopped
1t Chillie flakes
410g Tinned chopped tomatoes (1 tin)
2 Stock cubes (Vegetable or chicken)
75-100g Parmesan skins
3L Water (or 3L of good stock – then omit the stock cubes and remember to add more salt)

B.
100g Dry pasta (I use spaghetti and normally break the spaghetti up into small pieces)
100g Oats
2x 410g Sugar beans (drain the fluid) – you can even replace this with tins of baked beans
60 ml Olive oil
1 Packet cream of tomato soup mixed with 500 ml cold water

C.
1T Worcestershire sauce
100g Pesto (any basil or rocket pesto)
100g Parmesan cheese grated
50g Butter
1t Salt
1t Black pepper

Method

1. Put all A ingredients into a large pot and bring to boil. Simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat. Please remember to stir frequently. As this is a big pot of ingredients, it can easily burn if you don’t keep a watchful eye on it.

2. Now add all the B ingredients and simmer for a further 20 minutes.

3. Then add all the C ingredients – stir well – and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. At the end please taste for seasoning – adding salt and pepper as per your individual taste or preference.

5. To serve: Drizzle some olive oil over the soup, add some chopped parsley and some parmesan shavings.

Aug15

flambéed sweet apple omelette = a delicious yellow glowing matter

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Flambéed Sweet Apple Omelette – Every now and then you experiment with something new, sometimes the outcome is just ok and other times it just blows you away. This is what happened to me when I tasted my own rendition of a sweet omelette – whoop whoop – it blew me away and it is so easy to make! But first let me tell you the story how I ended up with fruit and an omelette of all things…

I draw my inspirations from many different people … one person who really inspires me is Lidewij Edelkoort. What a fascinating woman – she is well-renowned as an international trend forecaster in any form of design. The other day I read on her website that yellow is a currently one of the primary fashion colours of the season – and as she says… “ the power of yellow with its strength and radiance, is able to change all volume and all surfaces, giving glow to all matter”. She shared some intriguing, and quite amazing references when it comes to eggs… she took us to France with “eggs + soldiers”…and then to Spain for an omelette. It just got me thinking. Before I knew it, I was traversing the world, the internet and my hoards of cookery books for something, yellow, eggy and interesting…. I eventually found something quite enticing and a recipe that woke up my taste buds….it was an egg + pear omelette … a dessert of all things.

I decided to use apples instead of pears and then used our local brandy to flambé the dessert. It did not stop there though… being my cheeky self, I added some cream, a pinch of nutmeg, a dose of cinnamon, a star anise and a heap of expectation….taste for yourself … it is delicious!

Flambéed Sweet Apple Omelette

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 25 min

Ingredients

2T Butter
4 Granny Smith apples – cored, peeled and cut into 1 cm slices
1 Star Anise
2 Cinnamon sticks
2T Sugar
4 Large eggs
2T Cream
1 Big pinch nutmeg
1 Pinch salt
3T Brandy

Method

1. On medium heat in a big non-stick pan – melt the butter and add the star anise, cinnamon, apples and 1T of sugar.
2. Cook with the lid on for 10 min and then cook without the lid for a further 10 min.
3. Stir from time to time but be careful not to break the apples.
4. In the mean while beat the eggs, cream, nutmeg and salt together.
5. Then pour the eggs over the apples.
6. Cook till the eggs are set. Lift it on the sides to make sure it stays loose and your egg mixture does not stick to the pan.
7. Invert the omelette onto a large serving dish, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the omelette and pour the 3 tablespoons of brandy over the dish. Ignite the brandy and then shake the platter till the alcohol burns of and extinguishes itself. Serve immediately.

Tuck in and enjoy!

Aug7

hot olives + baguette and the #hot-and-happening

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Hot Olives – A few weeks ago I was on a business trip in the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg, Guateng. The City of Gold has plenty of interesting foodie places well worth seeking out…Some colleagues and I ended up in a very interesting restaurant that serves both gossip and glitter to the well-heeled of Parkhurst and surrounds. We ordered a few small starters to share and one of them was hot olives with baguette. Never in my life would I have thought of heating olives in olive oil – isn’t that kind of like smuggling sand in the desert? Well, just so you know, this little starter tapas was so delicious. Heating the olives gives this stone fruit an undeniably new dimension. Dipping the fresh baked bread into the fragrant hot oil just seems to forge with the olives… leaving a most tantalizing taste….wash this down with some chilled wine and you could swear that you were sipping wines with the gods of ancient Greece!

It is just one of those really simple dishes you can make on the run or when guests come knocking unannounced…simple yet oh so sophisticatedly #hot-and-happening.

Serves: One bowl of tapas
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 7 min

Ingredients

150 ml Virgin olive oil
1t Fresh rosemary (not chopped)
1t Parsley – roughly chopped
2 Red chillies chopped (I like it hot but you can leave the chillie out of the recipe if you are not fond of the fiery stuff)
1 Garlic clove – finely sliced
200g Kalamata olives
1 Spring onion – chop the stalks and leaves
1 Fresh baguette

Method

1. Heat the olive oil, rosemary, chillies, parsely and garlic slowly in a pan for a 5 minutes minutes. Just to infuse the flavours with the oil.
2. Add the olives and heat through for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the spring onion at the end, give it a good stir + serve with baguette.

Aug1

white pepper is back …viva! = steak + white pepper sauce + peppery mushrooms

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For some time now, some of my foodie friends and I have been wondering whether white pepper is making something of a comeback….well, I can reliably confirm that it is back. That everyday seasoning that for so many years has done duty on our mother’s and grandma’s dinner tables but somehow got lost over the past decades between her black, pink and red peppercorn brothers and sisters … Lady White Pepper … is back!

Before I share more about the return of the white pepper I need to make it clear that my aspirations for this blog are not to win favour, nor benefit from freebies.This is my journey and my experiences with food. This being said I do believe that good experiences need to be shared, and in this instance I just want to shout if from the top of Table Mountain – if you are looking for a good food and wine experience….this is it … go and experience it at De Grendel Restaurant. It is not an inexpensive outing I might add, but worth saving the pennies just to savour this culinary sojourn through amidst the Durbanville vineyards.

But without further blabbering, let me get back to that somewhat magical afternoon and the white pepper….there we were, Sue-Ann and Ilse from Masterchef and foodie doyen and all-round intriguing persona, Errieda, wine-fundi Samarie, cookbook publisher Daleen and De Grendel’s winemaker Elzette – breathing in the majestic views, soaking up the ambience from table to plate. We laughed, we ate, we drank and toasted our shared passion – we became the absolutely fabulous olympic #chicksthatchow! As Errieda said: “Some chase for gold; others chow for gold”!

Back to the white pepper … I tasted the prime rib with white pepper, pearl onions and broccolini that Errieda ordered and it blew me away. It WAS the best steak and sauce I have ever eaten – the sauce combined with the steak just melted in your mouth with a flash grilled flavour, subtle yet striking. This bite confirmed to me that the sultry Lady White Pepper is back … out of the shadows and back on the plate … she is sexy, sharp. shining and ready to take over the pepper world.

Chef Ian Bergh inspired me so much with his creation that I had to try this back at home – my version was also delicious, simple with a dash of brandy and cream. I tried my utmost to replicate the delicate balance, silkiness and sharpness of their sauce, but I have to confess despite my best efforts I fell short … but please do try my recipe – it is still yum! I served the steak with some beautiful white peppery King Oyster mushrooms.

Welcome back in our pots and on our tables Lady … Viva … Lady White Pepper … Viva!

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Serves: 2

Recipe

500 g Prime Rib (I used rump but you can also use fillet) – fried to your taste. My guidelines: hottest plate, oil, season, +-3 1/2 minutes on each side, rest for 6 minutes.

White Pepper Sauce

1 Small onion – finely chopped
1T Olive oil
1 Knob of butter
1 Clove garlic
40 ml Brandy
200ml Thick cream
3t Fine white pepper ( I even like a little more but be careful, I believe white pepper is deceptively hotter than black pepper)
Small pinch of salt

Method

1. Plate on medium – heat a pan and add the olive oil, butter and add the onion. Sauté for about 3 minutes until nice golden.
2. Add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the brandy to the pan – not too much as you do not want to set your kitchen alight – heat it up and then ignite the brandy with a match. Flambé the steak by letting the alcohol burn off the liquid. Let it burn till finished – it needs to extinguish itself naturally.
4. Add the cream, then stir in the pepper along with a pinch of salt.
5. Taste for seasoning. Heat through for a minute or two.
6. Pass the sauce through a sieve to catch the onions and garlic – I normally use the sieved garlic and onions as a base for the steak and then pour the sauce liberally over the steak just before serving.

White peppery King Oyster Mushrooms

Ingredients

150 g King Oyster mushrooms – sliced length ways
2T Olive oil
1T Butter
½ t White fine pepper
Large pinch of salt
Squeeze of lemon juice

1. Heat a pan until it is very hot – add the olive oil and butter then add the mushrooms , sprinkle with the pepper and a big pinch of salt. Fry fast for about 3-4 minutes till brown and done.
2. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and serve hot.

Jul24

milk tart + tea cups + merry-go-rounds

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Milk tart – they say that time changes everything, and everything changes with time…but does it? I think time is like a merry-go-round … it is only your view of things that changes, not the merry-go-round … … the “melk tert” never changed.

I grew up with “melk tert” with almond essence, puff pastry and cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. It brings back many fond and happy memories. A kaleidoscope of “Kerk bazaars” (chruch fete’s) and of course the “koek en tee na kerk op Sondae” at our home (cake and tea after church on Sunday).

The most lingering memory of the milk tart for me was custard inside the tart shell. This recipe is one of those versatile recipes that gives you the freedom to decide how you want to use it…either in a traditional puff pastry shell, or one where you create your own biscuit base or what I did … I thought I would update this age old classic without trying to change its history or heritage so I served it in my Mom’s tea cup and I added a few a Ameretti biscuits allowing the memories of the past to dwell in the sweetness of the present.

My mom and I made it just the way that we remembered….I went to visit her the other day and we milled about in the kitchen, talking and laughing about those times when we were much younger … the many different stories of how to make milk tart and how to bring the best tart to the bazaar, we talked about family, we giggled like young girls as the milk boiled over and the maizina mix splattered all over the kitchen counter, we counted how many “melk terte” we had made together over the years and then we counted the blessing we have been able to share – then and now. For just a few hours I was again on that merry-go-round … me, my mom, the milk tart and a heap of happy memories….

Dankie Ma. Lief vir jou.

Recipe

Serves: 6
Preparation and cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients

2 Cups of full cream milk
75 g Sugar (the recipe says 4 round table spoons of sugar)
1/4 t Salt
2 large eggs separated
50g Maizina powder mixed with some of the milk (mix through until it has that thick cream consistency)
1/4 t Almond essence
2T Butter (not margarine)
Sugar and cinnamon mix to sprinkle over tart
Amaretti biscuits

Method

1. Mix the milk, sugar and salt in pot and bring to boil.
2. In the meanwhile beat the egg yolks slowly adding the Maizina.
3. Pour this mixture very slowly in the milk mix – I use a hand egg-beater to mix it in – to avoid lumps
4. Cook for 5 minutes till cooked.
5. Add the almond essence and the butter. Stir well.
7. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks start to form then slowly fold this in the custard.
8. Please always taste again for seasoning.
9. Pour in cups, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve with amaretti biscuits.

Jul16

whole baked fish + origanum + lemon + olives + tomatoes = mediterranean feast

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Fish – I just love fresh fish. But… I am a “no fuss fish” person – I am not one for these complicated fish recipes…the simpler, the better. Just baked or grilled or with the some subtle flavourings of lemon and herbs or just cooked whole over the coals – that’s my preference.

My most memorable meal consisted of fish. I recall so vividly the time I spent in Istanbul, Turkey…I had the most dreadful case of bronchitis and was feeling significantly sorry for myself. I was ambling along the Bosphorus River when I smelt this amazing aroma…. A local fishing boat was tied up alongside the pier and the fishermen were selling freshly grilled fish on ciabatta bread, with just a squeeze of lemon juice. A bite … and at that moment I felt so much better and I knew someone loved me.

I buy my fish from Julie Carter from Ocean Jewels in Cape Town (http://www.oceanjewels.co.za/ 083 582 0829) – if you don’t know Julie – go to her website and subscribe to her mailer. She is such a wonderful woman with the most beautiful smile and is always there to deliver ONLY the freshest of fresh fish to you! You simply cannot get better than that.

This past Saturday, down at the market, Julie recommended that I sample two little Pangas (Pterogymnus Laniarius its Latin name and it’s also on the sustainable green list). I decided to combine the fish with real Mediterranean flavours of olives, origanum, tomatoes and lemon. This dish reminds me of Turkey – and all the wondrous colours, sights, sounds and smell of the Mediterranean. It makes me feel loved and happy.
Enjoy its delicious!


Serves: 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking + Grilling Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 Small whole fish – I used Panga +-500g each
2 Cloves garlic sliced
Olive oil for drizzling over the fish and at the bottom of the baking tin
1/4 t Dried origanum
1 Lemon, sliced
Juice of one lemon
1 Bunch of spring onions
Olive oil
250g Cherry tomatoes
100g Calamata olives
White pepper for seasoning (I love white pepper with fish)
Salt for seasoning

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C.
2. Pat fish dry with kitchen towel.
3. Make small incisions into fish, placing the sliced garlic in the slits + fill
the tummy of the fishes with olives, spring onions and sliced lemon.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and season with origanum, salt and pepper.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
7. Bake for 20 minutes with foil on or closed.
8. Turn the oven onto grill, remove the foil + squeeze the lemon juice over and grill for 5-10 minutes.
9. Serve with a fresh salad and bread.

Enjoy its delicious.

Jul12

guava + camembert + beetroot-rhubarb-fig-balsamic chutney = easy delicious snack

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At the recent Bloggers Indaba we received amazing goodie bags and one of the items in the giveaway was a Beetroot-Rhubarb-Fig-Balsamic-Chutney from Pick and Pay. I love rhubarb and figs and knew that I was going to love this chutney. Once back home, I tasted some of the chutney and it was just yummy. By chance there was also a punnet of beautifully ripe guavas staring at me from my fruit bowl on my kitchen table. I got thinking….one slice of ripe guava, a good chunk of camembert and topped with the chutney and coriander leaf or two. Wow…a kind of explosion of different, tropical tastes… again an unusual combination but oh so good…fresh and fun…you will be a fan too…try it!

I don’t have specific measurements or recipe – just buy the mentioned ingredients, poor yourself a glass of wine + slice + play + enjoy!

Jul8

peas + lettuce + parsley + onions = petits pois a la francaise

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Lettuce + peas + onions – in French … Petits Pois a la Francaise. Sometime a go I decided to up my French cooking techniques and my friend Pierre (kitchenbabble.com) from Bangkok suggested we start cooking our way through Le Cordon Bleu at Home recipe book. As it then turned out, Saturdays became a specific cooking lesson, with Pierre in Bangkok and myself here in Cape Town, we set out on what was such an intriguing and rewarding international, virtual cooking experience. From other ends of the atlas, we emailed and facebooked our comparative findings.

This dish of lettuce + peas + onions was a lesson in which they paired it with a roast chicken. My culinary dictionary expletives included…it is absolutely delicious!!! As it happened, we did not finish the chicken – as this dish just took centre stage on the table…. My friends tucked into this dish, with bread in hand it was like a peasant dish – or from the look of my friends, their last meal as they soaked up the juices, finishing every little last little pea! You can serve this as a side dish or as a main meal – just bring the bread, good wine..and good friends.

Serves: 4 as a main meal – 6 as a side dish
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients

1 Small head of lettuce chiffonade * see at bottom of recipe for the chiffonade technique
5 Tablespoons of real butter (margarine is not going to work this time!)
3 Cups of peas ( I used frozen peas, I simply poured hot water over and let it stand for 5 minutes and thereafter drain)
18 Pearl onions pealed
1 Small bunch of parsley ( tie into bouquet with kitchen twine)
1/3 Cup water
11/2 T Sugar
1t Salt

Method

1. Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the lettuce + peas + onions. Stir gently until the lettuce wilts.
3. Add the parsley + water + sugar + salt.
4. Stand back, simmer for +/- 30 minutes, taste for seasoning, then be amazed!
5. Remove parsley and serve.

* Stack the lettuce leaves one on top of each other and roll them up tight into a cylinder – or something like a rolled lettuce tube. Then cut the cylinder crosswise into thin slices.

Remember … lifisazoobiscuit