Kumquat Marmalade

What's the best part of the end of winter? The beginning of summer!

Preserving is a becoming increasingly popular (judging by blogs and cookbooks available), after many years of everyone being caught up in the fast and convenient food culture. I don't do much preserving, except jams and marmalades.

I love making marmalades especially since it is by far more popular in my home than jam.  A bottle of strawberry jam will last long into the next strawberry season - not so with a marmalade.

I have perfected the art of lemon marmalade, which I make throughout the year. This week I thought I would try making something I have grown up knowing and seeing often, but never actually eaten or cooked with - Kumquats.

Kumquats are widely available at the moment and on impulse I took a bag before sanity could prevail and I am so glad that I did. This preserve / marmalade is sweet with a lovely tang of ginger and of course kumquat.

Kumquat and Ginger Marmalade

1kg Kumquats (washed and then cut 1cm trough the length - not all the way)
Thumb size knob of Ginger, peeled and finely shredded)
1kg of Sugar
Juice of 1 Large Lemon

Water

Place the kumquats and ginger in a large saucepan, and cover generously with water.
Boil for between 1½  hours.
The longer you boil the fruit the less time you'll need to boil with the sugar to reach setting point.
Once the fruit is soft add the sugar.
Stir the sugar until it has dissolved and then allow to boil without stirring, removing any scum.
Once it has reached setting point (4º - 5ºC above water boiling point), add the lemon juice.
Remove from the heat.
Allow to cool slightly and then pour into sterilized jars and seal tightly.
Serve on hot buttered toast!

Ready Steady Cook - Start

Ready Steady Cook hosted by Add to Taste

This challenge has taken me almost 3 weeks to get to the start! It's been more like reading Jodi Picoult than Leon Uris! 

With the ingredients I have left to make my starter, you might understand why I've been at odds and ends starts. I have yet to use my dates, chilli and 2 leeks (used some in the main).

So after 2 weeks of procrastination I went through the store cupboard ingredients and fell back on one which is never missing from my pantry - canned tomatoes.

Lucky for me today was chilly enough to attempt a something which has had me stumped almost everyday since I first got my ingredient list.

Tomato Leek and Date Soup

1 large Tin of Whole canned Tomatoes
2 Large Leeks washed and finely sliced.(White part only)
1 Clove of Garlic
10 Fresh Dates (stones removed)
10ml papricka
1 Green Chilli
Oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning.
Garnish : A small piece of leftover leek and thinly shredded and deep fried until golden brown

In a pot, fry the leeks, garlic, chill and dates until the leeks are softened.
Add the rest of the ingredients with about 350ml water and simmer for about 1 hour.
Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.
Purée the soup until smooth.
Serve hot, garnish with a drizzle of  olive oil and fried leeks.

How good is this soup? Very good, just look at the bowl...yummy!

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.