Cornish Pasties

"Every great inspiration is but an experiment.".

Charles Ives

Cornish Pasties

Blogging certainly does not happening in a vacuum. I am constantly being inspired by other foodies, from watching TV, reading other blogs, reading magazines or cookbooks (new and old).

What really amazes me is when I post something, thinking that I am the first to think of an idea -until I'll notice that on that same day another blogger (or 2 or 3) has done something with the same theme or using the same unique ingredients as me. This happens so often, I wonder sometime if there is a hidden "nanny cam" in my kitchen.

That being said, this post is not one which I claim to have done independently. It was inspired in it's entirety by one of my favourite bloggers Nina, at My Easy Cooking. I rate Nina as one, if not the best food blogger in South Africa and certainly in my top 3 blogs internationally.

Last week Nina posted her recipe for Cornish Pasties, using her fool-proof pastry. I have used her recipe before and I can certainly say it is everything it promises to be - child's play.

This got me thinking of the last time I made Cornish Pasties and how much I enjoyed them. They are certainly easy to make and a filling meal - as they were intended to be.

I have of course updated my original recipe and made a new filling which includes my new favourite ingredient - beans. I also made a change to my pastry by adding brown flour, making it an even lower GI option. I find the flavour of brown flour also adds a depth which is not there with plain white flour.

Cornish Pasties

Pastry

Makes about 1kg of Pastry

250g Plain White Flour

250g Brown Bread Flour

350g Cold Butter

150ml Iced Water

35 ml Lemon Juice

5ml Salt

I use my food processor to make this pastry, 

If you are making it by hand then see here for basic instructions.

Sift the flours into the processor bowl.

Add the salt and the butter.

Pulse the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.

With the machine running add the lemon juice.

Slowly add just enough ice water until mixture comes together as a ball.

Remove from the machine and flatten into a disk about 1" thick.

Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

Filling

Makes enough for 6-8 pasties

500g Goulash cubes

1 Onion sliced

½ teaspoon dried Chilli Flakes

2 Garlic Cloves Crushed

1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme

250 -350ml Beef Stock

1 tin  Small White Beans

1 Cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables

Oil for frying

 In a sauce pan, fry the onion in a little oil until soft, but not coloured.

Add the meat and the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add 250ml the beef stock and simmer until the meat is soft - about 1½ hours.

Keep checking the meat and add more stock when necessary.

Add the beans and the mixed vegetables and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Making the Cornish Pasties

1 Egg beaten

On a floured surface roll the pastry out to about 2-3mm thick.

Cut disks about 18cm diameter (I use a regular side plate)

Add filling to the centre of the pastry disk.

Brush the circumference with a little egg.

Crimp the edges together to form your pasties.  

*** Any left over pastry can be re-frozen for later use.

Place the pasties in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC

Brush the pasties with a little egg and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Serve hot with either some chutney, tomato sauce or my personal favourite sweet chilli sauce.

Slow Cooked Beef Rib

Slow Cooked Beef Rib

 I love my slow cooker. I love it so much, I have 2 and I use them both. The one I inherited from my Mom, she hated it, she said it cooks too slowly (duh)! The 2nd one I won in a cooking competition with Jenny Morris.

The best part of slow cooker cooking is you can throw everything in, walk away and come back 6 -8 hours later and have perfectly cooked food. I don't even defrost the meat first! It turns the cheapest cuts of tough leather into the softest melt in your mouth, fall off the bone goodness.

Weekends are always easy food times in my home. So easy that if it takes more than cutting a bread roll or a baguette - it's just not happening. But even someone as lazy as me, sometimes needs more than just cold meat and cheese rolls.

My latest slow cooking experience was inspired by Kimberly Peterson, from Kimba's Kitchen.

I have never liked beef ribs, I find them tough with too much sinew and fat. The only reason I have them is because I buy my beef as a hind quarter, and that includes the ribs. Slow cooking is definately the answer to rendering the fat and tenderising the meat.  The end result is soft meat packed full of flavour.

I used my beef ribs to make great meat filled bread rolls.

Slow Cooked Beef Ribs

500g Beef Ribs
30ml Dark Soya Sauce
500ml Fresh Orange Juice

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker.***
Cook on high for 6- 8 hours.
Enjoy!
*** If you do not have a slow cooker, you can bake this in a very low oven (110ºC). 

To make Beef Rib Rolls

Allow the meat to cool enough to handle.
Remove the meat, bones and sinew.
Add a little of the cooking sauce, if it looks too dry.
Cut fresh bread rolls in half and spread a little of the cooking sauce on the bread.
Place a bed of lettuce on the roll - I like rocket and watercress.
Place the meat on the lettuce bed, top with gerhkins and season.
Serve and enjoy.

Lamb Shank and Beans

Lamb Shank and Beans

This dish has been planned for such a long time, I've made it in my head for the last 6 months. Eventually I woke up to a day, where the weather was slightly cooler than hell. This has certainly been one of the hottest summers I can remember in ages, even the ants agree (we speak every evening, as they have taken up residence at the kitchen sink, seeking a cool respite from the dry heat outside).

I am yet to find one product which will stop them (the ants) returning, to what I think as became known as the "Ant Summer Holiday Spa", with complimentary drinks and food.

I have read that all these ants are a sign that winter is going to be extremely wet. This certainly has not made me more hospitable to my uninvited guests.

So, back to the Lamb Shank. It is very easy to cook and only needs patience to produce wonderfully soft meat with a full flavour sauce. I love the added beans and mushrooms, they are both nutritious and add good flavour.  My secret ingredient is the anchovies, they are full of meaty goodness without any fishiness.

Lamb Shank with Beans and Mushrooms
Serves 2

2 Lamb Shanks
3 Carrots, peeled and diced
3 Celery Stalks diced
4 Onions peeled and diced in wedges
4 Whole Peeled Garlic Cloves (leave them whole as to not overpower the dish)
6 Anchovy Fillets (this sounds a lot, but trust me it really works well)
750ml Vegetable Stock ( I used Nomu Fond)
250g Portablini Mushrooms (small brown mushrooms)
1 Tin Butter Beans
250g Green Beans, washed and trimmed - cut in ½
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Salt to taste.

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC
Heat on the stove a "stove- to-oven casserole pot" and brown the shanks.
Remove the meat and add the carrots, onions, celery and caramelize.
Add the meat and anchovies, fry for another minute.
Add the stock and black pepper..
Place in the oven for about 1½ -2 hours, until meat is soft and the vegetables are cooked down.
The sauce should be almost completely reduced.
Check the seasoning. I didn't need  to add extra salt, but you do need to check.
Add another cup of water, the beans and return to the oven for another ½ hour.
Check the seasoning and serve with either mash, or fresh crusty bread.

Chef up Your Tuna Steak

Tuna Steaks on Fried Potatoes and Raw Beetroot

 
As a working wife and mother, I know the weekday humdrum of meal preparation. For those who still have small children, getting anything (except stray pieces of lint or toy parts) into their children's mouth, with out a temper tantrum, is enough of an achievement.

I am very lucky to have a family who are well trained ("You don't have to like it - You just have to eat it"). They eat most things I give them, without too many complaints (and even fewer I take seriously). There is a slight downside to this - you get a similar reaction to toasted cheese sandwiches, as the fancy meal you spent all afternoon slaving in the kitchen preparing.

But sometimes I pull out all the stops, even if it's only for myself.  I like to pretend I'm a professional chef and plating meals at the Rubens. It's over-kill I know, but it's great to play with your food occasionally.

These flavour combinations might seem strange, but they work well - balancing colour, texture, flavours and temperature. I like to mix hot and cold in the same dish - I call it " a surprise party in your mouth", you never know what to expect.

Tuna Steaks on Fried Potatoes and Raw Beetroot
Serves 2

2 Tuna Steaks (2cm thick)
2 Potatoes
2 Small Beetroot (peeled)
Olive Oil

Slice the peeled potatoes into 5mm rounds.
Fry the potatoes in a little oil, until golden and cooked through
Slice the beetroot as thinly as possible, wearing gloves (a vegetable peeler will work well)
Heat a griddle pan to medium hot.
Rub the steaks with olive oil
Grill until just done - medium rare is best with tuna.
Lay the potatoes and the beetroot on the plate, top with the cooked tuna.
Drizzle with a olive oil. 
Serve with this green sauce :

Green Sauce

5-8 Green Olives (pitted)
20g Parsley
3-4 Anchovy fillets
15 -20ml Capers
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
10 - 15ml Olive Oil

Pound all the ingredients together, taste and adjust to your liking.
Serve with fish.

Homemade Fresh Pasta

 
I have posted 2 recipes in the last week, both of which have had feed back regarding my deviation from following "traditional methods". This got me thinking about how far back does one have to go to stay true to "traditional". Do we need to make food the way it's always been done in living memory or hit the history books and find the first time it was made and follow that?

I started thinking of what is now called Italian food. I think for most people if you say "We having Italian for dinner", pasta (or pizza) will spring to mind. But is pasta really Italian? And what makes it Italian as opposed to Chinese?

Pasta was brought to Sicily by the Arabs after their conquest in about 500AD. This fact surprised me, because I always thought it was Marco Polo who brought noodles back from China, 1295AD. The Chinese were enjoying noodles, made from bread-fruit in 3000BC!

Food belongs to the global village. Whether you sitting in Nonna's kitchen in Tuscany or in Wài zǔ mǔ's kitchen in Beijing - noodles or pasta are traditional home made comfort foods. 

This long trip around the world (I'm starting to feel like Phileas Fogg) brings me to MY traditional home made pasta recipe. I can not tell you how old it is or if it has it's roots in a traditional Italian kitchen - but it works for me and my family love it.

Fresh Pasta

Homemade Heaven Fresh Pasta

Per Serving

100g Flour (I like Italian 00 flour or cake four)
1 Extra large Egg
Lots of flour for dusting.

I use my food processor to start the mixing, but it can be done by hand too.
Place the flour in the processor and start the machine running.
Add the egg and allow it to run until mixture forms a ball.
Dust your work surface well and take the dough and knead for about 5 minutes.
You must end up with a smooth elastic dough which is not sticky.
You might need to knead in extra flour to get the right texture.
Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes, while you set up your pasta machine.
Cut the dough in 100g balls and start to work through the pasta machine settings -
Starting with the biggest first, working all the way down to the thinnest roller.
I usually do each ball twice, making sure my end result is smooth and very thin.
If you do not have a pasta machine, you can roll your pasta out with a rolling pin
and cut the pasta with a knife.
Leave the flat sheets to rest for about 10 minutes, on a dusted surface.
Using the cutter on the pasta machine, cut to the required thickness - I like tagliatelle.

To cook your pasta
Take a large saucepan and fill ½ way up and add a generous amount of salt.
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for about 4-5 minutes until al-dente.
Serve with a sauce of your choice.
I used Pesto Princess Thai Pesto (with coriander and chilli), which I highly recommend.

Finger Licking Crispy Chicken

Finger Licking Crispy Chicken

 While researching this post, I started looking into what fast foods South African's love the most. According to Grow South Africa, KFC is South Africa’s biggest quick service restaurant brand.

This is great news if you own KFC stocks or a KFC Franchise, but it is certainly not good news for South Africa's growing obesity problems. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) did an independent survey which showed that 61% of South African's are either over-weight, obese or morbidly obese.  

More shockingly was that the GSK survey found 52% of the morbidly obese people thought that they were "somewhat health or healthy" and that 47% have no health concerns whatsoever.

To add to the problem of growing obesity, we are including our children in the lifestyle of unhealthy living, with 17% of children between the ages of one and nine already being classified as obese.  For some parents it's more about ignorance, as 23% of parents have no idea what their children eat during the day.

Here is the source for the above information via Health 24

Sadly this all boils down to, as a nation we seem to think we're healthier than we are.

All seems like bad news, but the survey did find that in our tough economical climate 87% of South Africans still eat a home cooked meal. 

Fast food is attractive, it's well packaged and marketed, millions of Rands are spent in advertising aimed especially at children. That being said it is expensive and filled with empty calories, loaded with salt, fats and preservatives, all which make it tasty and in some cases even addictive. This doesn't count the "free" frizzy drink that comes included, to wash down all that finger licking "goodness".

The solution? We need to empower ourselves with recipes and food choices that are quick to prepare, do not require expensive or hard to find ingredients. Best of all would be if most of the ingredients can be bought well in advance, for those days when time is at it's most precious. 

This recipe I have for you, is certainly a finger licking family treat. It is quick to prepare and all the ingredients you can have in your pantry, fridge or freezer well in advance.

Finger Licking Crispy Chicken
Serves 4

4 Chicken Breasts sliced lenghwize into quarters
½ cup of Plain Flour for Dredging
1 Cup of Fine Breadcrumbs for coating
6 Teaspoons of Pesto Princess Olive Tapenade (or any good quality olive tapenade)
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
4 Teaspoons Butter
Mixed Green Salad leaves to serve.

Dip the chicken into the flour, shake off the excess
Coat the chicken pieces with 4 teaspoons of the tapenade
Coat the chicken with bread crumbs and allow to rest in the fridge for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
Add the oil and the butter until butter is starting to bubble.
Add the chicken pieces to the pan and fry until golden brown, turning only once.
The chicken does not take long to coat, so be careful not to over cook, 
or the chicken will dry out.
Drain the chicken on kitchen paper and serve on a bed of washed salad leaves and
topped with a little extra tapenade (the reserved 2 teaspoons).
This is great served with warm crispy rolls and coleslaw.

Pita Pockets of Pleasure

Life has a way of catching up with you. I can go weeks without anything happening, and then I have a month like this past month and it seems I've lived a whole year in 3 weeks.

Travelling, work commitments, family worries and health issues have filled my days with joy and pain. Slowing down is not always an option. In times like these you need meals that are not time consuming, but still give you the much needed nutrition to fuel your body for long hard days.

I only got home last night at 7pm, after another emotional day. I'd started at 5.15am, doing my daily workout - a much needed drug - and ended it by making a scrumptious supper, which only took 10 minutes to prepare.

 In times like these I am so grateful for the love and support I get from Keith as well as my family and friends, without them I wouldn't have the strength to see my way past my morning shower! I owe so much to these people, I pray that when they need me, I'll be the rock they can stand on.

These Pita Pockets of Pleasure are filled with goodness to fill your tummy and fuel your body for peak performance.

  Pita Pockets of Pleasure
Serves 3

6 Pita Breads - toasted in the oven
300g Thinly Sliced Steak (or ready sliced stir-fry steak)
1 Can Butter Beans (Drained and Washed)
½ Cup Beef Stock
1 Heaped Teaspoon of Wholegrain Mustard
Seasoning to taste

Salad
Chopped Tomato, Cucumber and Lettuce

Fry the steak in a little oil in a hot pan until starting to brown.
Add the Beans, Mustard and the Beef Stock and allow to reduce for 5 minutes.
Season to taste.
Allow your diners to fill their hot pita pockets with meat and salad.
Serve with lots of serviettes!

Kedgeree and Didgeridoo

I love reading and especially love unusual words. Some words just feel so good in my month - I find myself randomly staying words like didgeridoo, bamboozle, cowabunga, plutz or like yesterday when I couldn't get the word "kedgeree" out of my mind.

 It been blisteringly hot in Cape Town for the last week. I can neither face cooking or eating a big hot meal, after spending the day trying to find cool breezes to offer slight relief.

So back to kedgeree, this was something I enjoyed many Saturday mornings, when Dad would get up early and make the family big breakfast. Although I was never a fan of haddock, somehow kedgeree with the pieces of orange fish and boiled egg nestled in spicy rice always had me asking for seconds.

This is my take on kedgeree, adapted to my family's tastes fussiness.

Kedgeree Didgeridoo

Serves 3 -4 (depending on how hungry they are)

2 Cups Cooked Rice (cooked al dente)

400g Smoked Haddock

4 Boiled Eggs, cut into 8th's (I boil them medium not blue)

1 Large Onion sliced

½ teaspoon Curry powder

1-2 Green Chillies chopped (this is to taste)

Salt and Pepper

1 Tomato peeled, seeds removed and chopped (garnish)

Thyme leaves (garnish)

Poach the haddock in water until just cooked.

Strain and keep the liquid- set aside.

Fry the onion in a little oil until golden, add the curry powder and chilli and fry for 1 minute.

Add the rice and add ½ cup of the poaching liquid.

Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, until rice is properly soft.

Season and if you want to have more sauce, add more poaching liquid.

Add the fish, which you break into pieces and the eggs.

Turn off the heat.

Garnish with tomato and thyme.

I served my warm rather than hot, but it's equally nice hot.

Roast Belly Pork Roll

I am so happy, summer has arrived in Cape Town. There's still some wind, which is normal for this time of the year - but it helps to ease you into the rising temperatures. Once January and February comes, all we'll have are blisteringly hot days and no cool breezes to combat the heat.

Our days are longer now, so supper is being served later and later, it's too hot to eat at early and I find facing hot meals too much effort. We are enjoying lots of pasta, salads, cold meat and of course ice-cream!

Yesterday I managed to find a beautiful rolled pork belly( at Woolworths), which had very little fat and decided to slow roast it, and then leave it to cool before serving it with a big salad and a boiled potato - simple to make and easy to digest on a hot summer evening.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly Roll.

1 Rolled Pork Belly
2 Large Onions cut into 1" rings
2 Granny Smith Apples, slides crosswise the same as the onions
10 Fresh Sage leaves
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
Pomegranate juice concentrate to serve (optional) - I used Verlaque

Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC
Place the onion, apples and sage leaves on the base of the roasting pan.
Dry the pork well with kitchen paper.
Rub the pork with a little oil and salt well.
Place the pork on the vegetable trivet and top with a good grinding of black pepper.
Roast for about 1½ -2 hours until done.
Remove from the oven.
Remove the rind from the roast and set aside - this will make the crackling.
Leave to cool to room temperature, or you can serve it hot if preferred.
To make the crackling, heat a thick based non-stick frying pan to high.
Lay the rind which you removed and weigh it down with another heavy pot.
Allow to fry until crispy.
Slice the rind into thin strips and serve with the pork.
I made a green salad with blue cheese and grapes, which worked very well with the pork.
If you using the pomegranate juice, pour over a little just before serving.

Relaxing Chicken

Yesterday was Meat-free Monday, but unfortunately there was a spoke in the meat-free wheel yesterday. We will however make up our for our slip later this week, but for now we're living in carnivore sin!

I will share my reason for taking the easy supper route, I spent most of yesterday afternoon being pampered with a Thai massage. I got home so relaxed, that thinking about cooking anything that required thought or effort was just not going to happen.

In comes stage left - good old faithful chicken. The easiest meal to throw into a pot, forget about and then serve a wonderful meal 2 hours later.

In some parts of South Africa, when you tell people you're a vegetarian, they will answer you very cheerfully with: "No problem, we'll have chicken then"!- So it's not all bad.

 Chicken Beans in Verjuice and Molasses Sauce

Serves 4

8 chicken pieces (skin removed)
4 Anchovy fillets 
125ml Verjuice
30ml Molasses
1 Onion cut into wedges
4 Garlic Cloves roughly chopped
1 Chili (optional)
1 Tin Butter Beans (washed)
4 Courgettes thickly sliced
Salt and Black Pepper
Water
Fresh Thyme for serving (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC
Using a pot that can go from hob to oven.
Fry the chicken, onion, chili, garlic and the anchovy fillets until golden brown.
De-glaze the pot with the verjuice and stir in the molasses.
Add a little water and season.
Roast for about 60 minutes.
Add the beans and the courgettes.
Return the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked.
If you want more sauce, add a little water or you can use more verjuice and molasses.
Serve with rice and garnish with fresh thyme.

Fish Cakes Again

If you have followed my blog for more than a month, you will undoubtedly know that I love fish cakes. I love to make them, I love to eat them and best of all my family love them too.

To actually give you "my fish cake recipe" would be almost impossible. I make them differently each time, depending on what fish I have on hand and what flavours I fancy that day.

One of the wonderful things about fish cakes, is that they taste as good hot on the day you make them as they do cold the next day. You can splash out and use expensive fish like salmon, or go on the cheap and use tinned pilchards - both are equally good in my eyes mouth!

I know many of you will baulk at the idea of using instant mash, but I find it gives great consistency and holds the fish cake together beautifully. You are welcome to use your own real mash, just make sure that it has no lumps, is very dry and is perfectly smooth.

Butter Fish Cakes
Serves 2

150g Butter Fish
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 Big Handfull of Parsley, with stalks (for Steaming)
15ml chopped Fresh Parsley for the fish cakes
50g Instant Mash Potato
Salt and Pepper to taste
Breadcrumbs for rolling the fish cakes before frying
Oil for Frying

In a steamer place the parsely on the base and top with the fish and then the chopped garlic.
Steam the fish until just done.
Reserve the liquid.
Flake the fish in a bowl, together with the as much of the garlic you steamed it with to taste.
Add the chopped parsley, the mash, salt and pepper.
Mix together and add enough of the steaming liquid to get firm but workable mixture.
Place in the fridge or freezer until well chilled.
Shape the fish mixture into patties, roll in breadcrumbs and fry in shallow oil until golden on both sides.

I served my fish cakes with the great home made tartar sauce. I would only suggest you thy this if you have a food processor, as beating mayonnaise by hand is a long and tiring job.

TarTar Sauce

1 Fresh Egg
300- 400ml Sunflower Oil
2 Pickled Gherkins
30-45ml Pickling Juice from the Gherkins
Lemon Juice
Salt and White Pepper
1 Small Onion peeled and roughly chopped

Place the egg in the food processor bowl.
Start the processor on high.
Add about 20ml of gherkin pickling juice.
Add the oil in a very thin stream while the motor is running.
After each 100ml of oil, check the mayonnaise until you have the correct consistency.
Once your mayonnaise is thick and creamy, add the salt and pepper to taste.
Add the gherkins and the onion and whizz until smooth.

Check the taste, you might need to add more pickling juice or lemon juice to help even out the taste.


Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Gazpacho with Brie and Olive Focaccia

Stephen Stills, of Crosby Stills Nash and Young fame, wrote the song : "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you with." It's rather mercenary for a love song, and certainly not the words I would want my lover to proclaim, should we be separated for any length of time.

It does however play well when it comes to a holiday in Spain I would love to have. Since I can't be in Spain for the holiday I want, I'll still love their food in place I'm in.

My inspiration for a Spanish meal came from Jeanne at Cook Sister, who just had a holiday in Spain. Be sure to click the links to her blog to see the beautiful photographs she took while enjoying the Spanish sunshine.

Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighbouring Portugal (where it is known as gaspacho) and parts of Latin America. Gazpacho is mostly consumed during the summer months, due to its cold temperature and acidic bite.

   Gazpacho
Serves 2

1 Tin chopped peeled Tomatoes
½ Cucumber peeled and seeded
1 Green Chili
1 Slice of White Bread Moistened
3 Garlic cloves
15ml Olive Oil
1 Red Pepper, grilled and skin removed
Juice of ½ a lemon
10 Fresh Basil leaves
4 Ice Cubes
10ml Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Place in a bowl and chill for at least 2 hours.
Serve cold. garnished with small dice of cucumber, cherry tomatoes and fried basil leaves.

I made this Brie and Olive Focaccia to have with our soup.

Brie and Olive Focaccia

500g White bread dough (shop bought is fine)
10 Olives pitted and torn in half
3 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
100g Brie Cheese, sliced thickly
Sea Salt
Olive Oil

Pre-heat your oven with a pizza stone to 250ºC
Roll out your dough to about ½cm thick
Once the stone is hot, place dough on the stone and top with garlic, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Return to oven until cooked and starting to brown.
Place the olives and brie on the focaccia and bake until cheese has melted.
Serve warm.

Classic Carbonara with Courgette Spaghetti

The saying goes, "When the cat's away the mice will play" and yesterday my Tom Cat (actually his name is Keith) was away, so I could do and cook anything without considering his tastes or comfort.

I could watch Army Wives, without his real military knowledge spoiling the romantic drama. I enjoyed Private Practice and Mercy without the peanut gallery saying "Oh pleeeese, doctors and nurses don't do / look like that". Of course they don't, if I wanted the real thing I would only have to go see my own GP!

But best of all I could make a pasta dish like this Carbonara at 5pm, when the natural light was at it's best, spend as much time as I wanted to style the food and photograph it without worrying that my darling's food was getting cold. Real life in food photography is not dish up and photograph in 30 seconds before everyone forgets why they sitting at the table.

So, I managed to create a wonderful dish, thanks to the recipe I found at Pick 'n Pay Fresh Living and enter the Eat Pray Love competition. I am really hoping to win the first prize from Le Creuset .

I choose the Italian theme, as I am more of a Eat person.

Classic Carbonara with baby marrows 

According to the Italians, one should never add cream or Parmesan cheese to carbonara.

1 packet no name spaghetti

6 baby marrows, cut into thin strips (courgettes)

1 dash PnP olive oil, for frying

1 packet PnP back bacon, cut into strips

2 cloves of garlic, or 3, finely chopped

4 large PnP free range eggs, beaten

125 ml pecorino cheese, finely grated

1 pinch salt and milled pepper

• Cook pasta according to packet instructions. 
• Add baby marrows 2 - 3 minutes before the end of cooking. Drain and set aside.
• Heat a glug of oil in a large pan and fry bacon until crispy.
• Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
• Drain excess fat from pan and fry garlic for a minute.
• Add pasta, baby marrows and bacon to pan and toss well.
• Remove pan from heat. Quickly stir through the eggs, mixing until they begin to thicken, but not scramble.
• Add cheese, season and serve

I will say that while I did have a fun day doing all my own thing,

I did miss my Tom cat and 

I am so glad he is home safely,

where he belongs.

Break The Habit

 

When I saw this Australian advert that is part of a  public service announcement (PSA), which forms part of a campaign to put a stop to the increasing incidence of childhood obesity, shows a mother drawing prepared heroin into a syringe and tying a tourniquet around her son’s arm before they bite into burgers. It ends with the tag line: ‘You wouldn’t inject your children with junk. So why are you feeding it to them?’ - I was rocked to my socks. It really made me think about the number of children who are fed really junk food on a daily basis and never get the benefit of good home made food.

There are excuses about busy working parents who feel that so long as they feed their children, no matter what it might be, they have done their duty as good parents. While the occasional "treat" from your local fast food drive through might be fine, it still does not substitute nutritiously balanced meals.

But junk food is not only food that you might get at Mac Donald's or KFC, it's also those ready meals which are sold in supermarkets. Many of these meals might look like "home made goodness", but when you see the ingredient list you'll be shocked to see that they have alarmingly high levels of salt and preservatives - "junk", none of which you would want to eat yourself, never mind feed to your precious child.

I have found a book by Michael Pollan, which I haven't read but am planning on buying. In this book Food Rules : An Eaters Manual, he states some helpful things to keep in mind when choosing good food from junk food.

Rules like :

1. #13: Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
2. #19: If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.
3. #20 It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
4. The best rule for me is : " Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.". 

There are so many simple meals, which you can make at home, they don't take much time or fuss and even the worst junk food addict will admit it's so much better than anything they have eating from the window of their car.

Next time you feel you just don't have the time - try this delicious Tandoori Chicken and see how how rewarding it is to feed your family something wholesome.

   Tandoori Chicken

2 Pieces of Chicken per person (more if you have BIG eaters)
¼ cup of Plain Yoghurt per serving
Juice of ½ Lemon
1 Teaspoon Crushed Garlic
1 Teaspoon Crushed Ginger
1 Teaspoon of Dried Chili Flakes

 1 Teaspoon of Cumin

1 Teaspoon of Dried Coriander

¼ Teaspoon of Paprika

¼ Teaspoon of Cloves

A good grinding of Black Pepper  and Salt

Place all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and marinade for as long as you have - anything up to 24 hours is fine.

Pre-heat your oven to 220ºC.

Place the chicken in a roasting dish and roast for about 60 minutes, turning once.

Check it is cooked.

Serve with chips, salad, naan, bread or anything else you like, to make a good nutritiously balanced meal.

Meatloaf : Singing or Eating?

Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947), better known by his stage name Meat Loaf is an American rock musician and actor.

My favourite Meatloaf song is "Anything for Love" - And I would do anything for love, I'd run right into hell and back, I would do anything for love, I'll never lie to you and that's a fact. I Would do anything for love, Anything you've been dreaming of, But I just wont do that..."

As a an 80's child - I like my Rock stars to have lots of make -up, long unkempt hair and sing heart wrenching love ballads.  I don't like love songs which are soft and weepy (yawn) - like Celine Dion, Justin Bieber or Mylie Cyrus -  I'm a Guns and Roses, Bon Jovi and of course Meatloaf kinda girl.

So, you ask, why do I think you are interested my music choice? Well it ties into what I made for dinner last night meatloaf (with a small m). Maybe I'm crazy, But it's crazy and it's true - I would do anything for love, even make meatloaf!

Just like an 80's rock star, it's not pretty to look at, but it tastes great!

Rock Star Meatloaf with Ginger Tomato Sauce

500g Minced Beef
1 Onion Grated
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Dried chili
4 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
10 Mushrooms Sliced

Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC
In a bowl mix all the ingredients well together, except the mushrooms.
Layer the bottom of a loaf tin with the sliced mushrooms.
Top the mushrooms with the mince mixture.
Cover the tin with foil.
Bake in the oven for 60 minutes.
Place the tomato sauce in the loaf tin and bake for another 30 minutes uncovered.

Tomato Sauce

4 Fresh Tomatoes peeled and roughly chopped
1 piece of Ginger the size of your thumb, peeled and shredded
1 Green Chili Chopped
6 Sun dried tomatoes
30ml Rice Vinegar
15ml Sugar

Mix this together in a baking dish with a lid.

Bake covered, separately, in the oven for 60 minutes with the meatloaf.
Pour over the meatloaf and bake for another 30 minutes uncovered.
Serve hot.

Chicken Biryani Made Easy

I stand by the belief that home made food is better than take outs or ready made meals. It not only makes economical sense but you know exactly what is going into your meals and there are no hidden fats, sodium or preservatives. It's highly unlikely the average home has bottles of calcium propionate, sodium nitrate ,or  methylchloroisothiazolinone sitting in their pantry.

 With that said, even Father Christmas has elves help him make the presents for Christmas and I have no problem buying pre-made ingredients to help produce a great meal without added fuss. They are also great for those of us that are learning new cuisines, like curry.

There are days when I will use fresh spices, dry fry them and grind them up to make my own spice mix, but there are some great ready made spice mixtures, which I have found that can create lovely meals, with minimum fuss.

One such product I have recently discovered is from a company in India, sold in most local supermarkets called Curry Tree. They have no preservatives, no hydrogenated vegetable fat, are 100% natural and are gluten free. They have easy to follow recipes on the box and need no exotic or expensive ingredients to create authentic dishes packed with flavour.

Yesterday I bought the Curry Tree Chicken Biryani. While the recipe provided was simple to follow, I have changed it slightly and I was very impressed with the result. Once again, I did the "all in one pot cooking" in the oven - less fuss and less washing up!

Chicken Biryani with Curry Tree Spices
Adapted from the recipe supplied by Curry Tree

1 Packet Curry Tree Chicken Biryani
8 Chicken Thighs
300ml Plain Yoghurt
300ml Water
300g Plain White Rice
2 Teaspoons Crushed dried Chilli (optional if you like it hotter)
1 Pinch Saffron (optional)
Chopped fresh Coriander (optional for garnish)

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC
In a pot which can go on the stove and oven, brown the chicken until golden (don't add extra oil).
Mix the yoghurt,1 teaspoon of the chilli and the Curry Tree spice in a bowl.

Pour the yoghurt mix into the chicken and combine.
Pour over the rice and then the water and sprinkle the saffron and other teaspoon of chilli on top.
DO NOT STIR.
Allow the mix to come back to heat - slow bubble.
Place a layer of foil over the top of the pot and then place the lid on to make it completely sealed.
Place in the oven for 60-80 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve sprinkled with some chopped fresh coriander.

Meatless Commitment Continues

Sometimes when I make a commitment to something, I go hell bent for leather and then cool off  into a steady rhythm of nothingness. This is true with numerous diets, exercise regimes, gym contracts and promising to cook every meal from scratch. I can be a bit of a fader, I bore easily and need consistent motivation to keep my focus on a repetitive task.

Last month I decided to join the City of Cape Town's call for a once a week meatless meal program and I'm happy to proclaim that I have remained fully committed to this. This has not been a difficult task to remain focused on, because every week is a new experience in creativity.

This week I took what is essentially a puttanesca sauce, with a twist to accommodate family tastes.You will notice that I have used a large quantity of parsley (Jamie Oliver would use basil), I love the fresh flavour, but if you're not a big fan you can either substitute torn basil or reduce the quantity.

Pasta Puttanesca Rose (and yes I know what puttanesca means!)

3 Ripe Tomatoes (skinned and chopped into dice)
2 Onions Chopped finely
2 Green Chillies chopped
3 Garlic Cloves Chopped
1 410g Tin Chopped peeled Tomatoes
7 bottled Anchovies (7 fillets not 7 bottles!)
1 Sachet Tomato paste (50g)
10ml Sugar
2 Bay Leaves
10ml chopped fresh Oregano
2 large handfuls of Fresh Parsley
400g Penne Pasta (cooked to instructions)

Fry the onions and the anchovies until the anchovies have melted and the onions are soft.
Add the the rest of the ingredients, except the parsley (and the pasta).
Add enough water to allow a simmer, without drying out.
Simmer on a low heat for at least 60 minutes.
Cook the pasta as per instructions on the box / packet.
Drain the pasta and stir the sauce into the pasta and leave in the hot pot with the lid on for 5-7 minutes - This allows the pasta to absorb the flavours of the sauce better.
Stir in the parsley (if using) and serve.

Lamb Rogan Josh

This last weekend I had the Lamb Curry King of the North, stay with us, together with his lovely wife Marilyn.

As Jane-Anne Hobbs, writing the Scrumptious South Africa blog, rightly described food bloggers as “desperate for attention” at the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club, I stepped up to the plate stove - desperate for attention and praise for being able to create a lamb curry for the most renowned curry maker I know.

I decided to go for Rogan Josh, a mild curry with fragrant with spices and mellowed by the yoghurt.

I am proud to proclaim this was a resounding success, and to quote the Curry King: "I couldn't do better myself"!

Lamb Rogan Josh

Lamb Rogan Josh

1kg Lamb Knuckle (traditionally you should use lamb neck)
250ml Plain Yoghurt
3 Cloves of crushed Garlic
2" piece of Crushed Ginger
2 Tablespoons Black Vinegar (not balsamic)
2 Medium Onions Finely Chopped
300 -500ml Lamb or Chicken Stock

Spice Blend
2 teaspoons Cumin
3 teaspoon Coriander
1 teaspoon Fennel
3 teaspoons Paprika
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 teaspoons Dried Chilli
5 Green Cardamom Pods (crushed)
3 Cloves Crushed
4 Large Potatoes peeled and cut in half

In a dry pan, roast the spices until fragrant, then crush in a mortar and pestle. 
Marinade the meat, the crushed spices, the yoghurt and the vinegar overnight.
Pre-heat oven to 140ºC
In a oven and stove proof casserole.
Brown the onions and the meat (with the marinade) until lightly browned.
Add the stock.
Cook on low heat for 2-3 hours at least, until meat is tender.
Add the potatoes, check there is enough liquid and cook for a further hour until potatoes are cooked.
Serve with steamed white rice, sambals and cucumbers in plain yoghurt.

Pasta Challenge : Lavender and Lime

This week's meatless meal is part of Lavender and Limes weekly challenge.

The challenge for this week is to make a pasta dish using 5 ingredients. These 5 ingredients do not include the pasta, olive oil or seasoning but you have to use 5.

This is a perfect vegetarian meal or a simple light meal for days when you've overindulged on meat for too long.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Verjuice
Per person
250g Vegetables ( I used butternut, onion, red pepper and courgettes)
10ml of Verjuice per serving
A big handful of fresh Parsley, roughly chopped.
Olive Oil
150g Penne Pasta per serving

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.
Roast the vegetables with verjuice and olive oil until soft.
Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.
Combine the pasta and the roasted vegetables, and include the oil and juices in the roasting pan too.
Stir in the parsley and serve with a good grinding of black pepper.

All in One Chicken

Having enough time to cook, blog, entertain guests, watch TV, exercise, sleep and read is a full time job for me. Then if you throw in a challenge like Ready Steady Cook I'm about ready to jump off the bus.

Thank goodness for one pot oven baked meals, they are a wonder to me. I can read, watch TV, entertain and sleep all the while my meal is gently cooking away in the oven. What makes this meal even better is that you can have your meat and vegetables all done together - so the washing up is a breeze.

I came up with this simple meal yesterday after having our water cut from 9.30am - 7.30pm. I had only the  water in the water-cooler as my only supply. So this is a perfect low water meal too - saving time and water!

Chicken with Leeks and Green Olives.
Served with Pasta Rice with Courgettes and Kidney Beans
Serves 4

8 Pieces of Chicken ( I used legs and thighs)
6 Large Leeks cut into 2" chunks
1 packet Pitted Green Olives (about 100g)
45ml Chicken Stock Concentrate (I use Nomu Chicken Fond)
500ml Water
45ml Nomu Stir (or Tomato paste, dried garlic and dried chilli)

Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC
In an pot that can go from stove to oven brown the chicken until golden.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
Once the liquid is boiling place in the oven for 2 hours.

Pasta Rice with Courgettes and Kidney Beans

250ml Pasta Rice ( risoni / orzo)
8 Courgettes cut into 1" pieces
1 Can Kidney Beans, drained and washed
2 Cloves of Garlic crushed

Cook the pasta rice ( risoni /orzo) as per instructions on the packet.
Drain, leaving a little of the water behind in the pot.
Return to the heat and add the courgettes, garlic and the beans.
Stir through and cook on a very low heat until the courgettes are tender and beans are warmed through.
Serve.