May3

maple syrup + mielie fritters + new york

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Whilst wrapped-up under the duvet on a public holiday with a glass of red wine and watching a dvd, I was wondering what I felt like to eat. Jade de Waal’s twitter came through with a recipe for mielie fritters (Jade is an extraordinary wonderful woman that is currently in the Top 13 in Masterchef SA). That little tweet took me back to my moms’ “mielie brood” (mealie bread) that we used to gobble down with lots of golden syrup. My mind then next teleported me to the place where I had fallen in love with Maple syrup … New York…! Oh my word, how I love maple syrup! That amazingly, beautiful, golden sticky, earthy, sweet syrup stole my heart (as did New York…). At that moment I knew I wanted Jade’s Mielie Fritters with my maple syrup!! I really love mixing sweet and savoury and immediately started cooking. To say the least – it was YUMMY and the chopped spring onion complimented the Maple syrup in such a profoundly earthy way!

Just a little snippet about Maple Syrup…
In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in the spring. Maple trees can be tapped by boring holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap. The sap is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.

So here is Jade’s recipe – she serves it with a green avocado salsa and/or sweet chilli sauce – delish! You can also watch her cook the fritters on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tZih27ytV0)

The recipe makes about 6 medium fitters
Fritters
1 cup (250ml) cake flour
1 teaspoon (5ml) baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 spring onion, finely chopped
½ cup (125ml) corn kernels in brine, drained
Olive oil, for frying
Salsa
Small handful coriander, roughly chopped
1 avo, peeled and diced
½ chilli, finely chopped, optional
Juice of 1 lime or lemon, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sweet chilli sauce, to dunk, optional

Mix all the ingredients for the fritter in a bowl. At first the batter will look dry, but keep mixing until the ingredients come together. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium frying pan. Turn down to medium so the oil is not too hot, otherwise the outside of the fritter will burn whilst the inside is still raw. Spoon a tablespoon scoop of the batter in the oil, frying about 2-3 at a time for 2 minutes on each side or until brown.

Meanwhile chop and mix the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl. Test the first fritter by cutting in half to make sure they’re cooking through. When all fritters are done, spoon the salsa over to serve perhaps with the sweet chilli sauce on the side to dunk the fritters in or … as I did smother the fritters with golden maple syrup.

Bon appétit!

Apr24

let’s braai

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I have been very fortunate to be chosen with my dear friend, Joani to partake in the Western Cape auditions of “The Ultimate Braai Master” competition (ultimatebraaimaster.com). So naturally I will be braaiing a lot more! I have been braaiing since a very young age … growing up with three brothers and a father that thought that going without a braai every couple of days was an insult to ones’ culture and constitution. My dad taught me how to make a fire, how to braai the perfect chops and “wors”, meat and “braaibroodjies”. We braaied a few times a week – sunshine or rain and through the years the braai became a part of my soul. Every time I smell a braai it brings back the fondest childhood memories of my dad. Nowadays I braai every Friday night – without exception. So last Friday I decided to brush up my chicken braaiing skills. I really believe in making your own marinades – I despise the “off the shelf” marinades – I don’t like the taste and you will never find it in my kitchen. I searched for different marinades and got some amazing marinades on Alida Ryder’s blog (simply-delicious.co.za). I love reading her blog – so please do yourself a favour and make time to read some of her recipes.



frankie + robbie helping me with the fire

Below are four of my favourite marinade recipes from Alida’s blog – each one of them is simply delish. I did add some chillies to the Indian and Moroccan recipes. Try it – it’s so easy and very moreish!

All these recipes will yield enough marinade for 1 large chicken – butterflied or cut into pieces. The method for all these marinades are the same, combine the ingredients, pour over the chicken and massage the little bird a bit – marinade for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 day) before braai-ing.

Moroccan
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground coriander
2tsp paprika
1tsp ground cinnamon
2tbsn honey
1 tsp salt
1-2 red chillies finely chopped

Greek
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2tbsn fresh oregano chopped (or 1 tbsn dried oregano)
1tbsn fresh mint, finely chopped (or 1tsp dried)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

Indian
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2tsp crushed ginger
2tbsn garam masala
1tsp ground coriander
1-2 red chillies finely chopped

French Provincial
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 sticks fresh thyme (or 1tbsn dried)
2tsp Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, crushed

Apr17

the simplicity of mince meat + chillies + basil . a thai match made in heaven

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When I arrived at home on Friday night there was a huge red gift on my kitchen table from my loving husband. It was a huge, huge bag of red chillies – do you perhaps think he wanted to tell me something? Anyway, seeing these beautiful chillies took me back to Thailand – and my dear friend Pierre (kitchenbabble.com) in Bangkok. In 2010 I was privileged enough to spend a week in Bangkok where we shared the most wonderful times preparing all sorts of Thai dishes and specialities … but back to the chillies … chillies can be found in nearly every Thai dish or element of Thai cuisine – and rightfully so. I left Bangkok with the most fantastic memories and loads of recipes … but this one – Pierre’s Grapua Moo Sub is my ultimate favourite. Its easy to make and soooo tasty! Just so you know though … I added a bit of lemon juice and black pepper to the dish. Its heaven when that yellow of the egg breaks and spills over the cooked mince and rice. This recipe serves 3-4 people.

500g extra lean mince meat
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
8 cloves of garlic – finely crushed – I love grating my garlic on the smallest side of the grater
2 teaspoons of fish sauce – I tend to use more – taste and see what your palette says
3 – 4 red chillies – chopped -I don’t take the seeds out – I do like things hot
nice big pinch of freshly grounded black pepper
big squeeze of lemon juice
huge handful of fresh basil leaves – please be generous
3-4 eggs (1 egg per person)
cooked basmati rice or if you prefer normal rice

Heat your oil add your mince and loosen the meat with your fork – brown your mince in the pan.
It must be loose, fine and brown. Fry slowly till the meat is cooked. Now all you do is add the garlic, fish sauce, chillies and pepper. Stir it and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the lemon juice, taste and correct the seasoning with salt (I prefer fish sauce) and pepper. Poach or fry the eggs( if you fry your eggs make sure that these are sunny-side up and soft).

To serve:
Add the fresh basil to the mince. Scoop some rice into a bowl. Then add some mince to the rice. Top the dish with a soft poached or fried egg – season you egg with salt to taste. Enjoy!

Apr12

frozen grapes + dark chocolate + grappa

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Well it seems that summer could very soon be slipping away from us and before we know it, we will all be creeping away into hibernation but before the North Wester starts to blow and the rains come, why not get out into the sunshine and share this delicious Tuscan treat (www.jamieoliver.com) with your friends … just freeze some grapes for about 24 hours, put on a plate with the best dark chocolate (www.honestchocolate.co.za) and serve with some good grappa … sunshine, good friends, love and frozen grapes + dark chocolate + grappa does wonderful things for the soul.