Thursday 14 February 2013

the ultimate steak feast

Valentines feast for one.... 

Cause who really cares about Valentines day?  I couldn't think of anything worse than eating out surrounded by love birds and by love birds I mean love birds for a day. 

There was a time when it used to be fun in school, we'd receive different colour ribbons to wear on our blazers, most of mine being yellow (friendship) rather than red (lovers), but fun none the less. 

Not only is a good excuse for retailers and restaurants to cash in, it also makes all the single folk feel slightly lonely.  So it is with this in mind that I have created a feast fit for one, all those wondering what to do tonight, go grab yourself a steak fit for a king.

In summary:  Steak on a giant garlic crouton, topped with berry sauce and melted Camembert!!!




You will need:

1 clove of garlic, grated
1 rump steak
1 tablespoon of mixed berry jam or raspberry jam
1 slice of Camembert cheese
1 slice of bread

Method:

Step by step:

1) Place a glass on top of the bread and cut out a circle crouton and fry in a little olive oil with the garlic.




2) Fry your steak and place on top of the garlic crouton




3) Water down the jam in a saucepan with a little water, leave to simmer till it starts to thicken and pour over the steak



 4) Place the slice of Camembert on top of the steak and put under grill till the cheese melts slightly.

Thursday 7 February 2013

sweet potatoes and cous cous



This is a simple yet rich tomatoey sweet potato and carrot stew which works very well with cous cous.  In fact I would serve everything with cous cous if I could, I'm just simply addicted to it.

A soft hint of cumin brings out the sweetness in the carrots and the potatoes making this an all round mid-week family favourite.

Maybe a little healthy for some but try it, it may surprise you.



 Serves 2

You'll need:
  • 3 sweet potatoes, chopped (skin on for more roughage)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 cup cous cous
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 Tbs olive oil

Method:

1) Saute the onion in olive oil till transparent.
2) Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cumin and simmer for approx 20 - 30 mins.
3) Pour the boiling water over the cous cous and leave to stand for approx 10 mins, serve with the stew and enjoy.



 

Tuesday 29 January 2013

crunchies

....cause one always needs a little something with a cup of tea.





I introduce to you Crunchies...a South African favourite, truly the simplest and quickest biscuits of them all. 

As long as you have a bag of oats lying around, you're away.  My favourite part is measuring the golden syrup, man oh man golden syrup and me are very good friends, I always add a little extra just because.






Makes approx 24 pieces (depending on how big you cut them)

You'll need

1 cup of flour
1 cup of coconut
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of oats
1 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
1 1/2 tablespoons of golden syrup
6 0z of margarine

Method:

Melt margarine and syrup, add to dry ingredients and mix well. 
Spread in a tray and bake at 180C for about 15-20 mins or until golden brown
While still hot, cut into square and leave in the tray to cool.

Tip:  The mixture may seem a little dry but you need not worry, when it bakes it all binds together.  Just make sure you pack in in the tray tightly

Wednesday 23 January 2013

golden beetroot & feta risotto



Talk about having to climatise...  Having just returned from a long stint in sunny South Africa this snowy winter wonderland sure is an adjustment.  Coming from a land of salads and BBQ's, I had all good intention of carrying out the all healthy, all slimming January detox.  It soon became apparent that in this icy weather, we are still very much in need of warm comforting food and that's exactly what you can expect over the next couple of weeks.

Let the detox begin in February, where we'll 'Detox - the delicious way'!   There will be soups, curries, stews, bean salads, dips, healthy snacks and lots of herbal teas. 

But for now, here is a warm creamy risotto, using golden beetroot which you don't always find and feta.






Serves 4

You'll  need:

1 red onion, chopped
3 golden beetroots (roasted in foil to maintain their juices and diced)
1 slab of feta (to taste)
400g arborio risotto rice
300ml boiling stock
4 Tbs white wine
salt and pepper to taste
slice of lemon

Method:

1) Put oil in a pan and saute onion
2) Pour in the rice and coat with the onion and oil, then add the wine
3) Gently add the stock spoon by spoon, allowing all the stock to be absorbed by the rice before adding the next ladle, over medium heat for approx 20 minutes.  If you need to increase the amount of stock do so, until the rice is al dente, but not too soft.
4) Add chopped up feta and beetroot and let it cook through the rice.
5) Serve immediately warm and creamy, and squeeze a slice of lemon over and season with salt and pepper

Wednesday 19 December 2012

slow cooked lamb pasta (Youvetsi)




Here is something to bring warmth and comfort into all homes before the big feast.  It's a very rich and rewarding meal.

I truly love it, but the real secret is the tender fall-off-the-bone meat which is cooked slowly in a rich tomato sauce.

Also known as Youvetsi, it's a typical Greek dish made traditionally by baking rice pasta.  This version is a simple rendition which my aunt introduced me to using Penne pasta, transforming it into a very tasty pasta dish.
























Serves 4

You'll need
  • 8 or 10 lamb chops (or stewing lamb on bone)
  • 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 500g Penne pasta

Method:
1) Gently fry the chopped onion in the olive oil
2) Add the meat and brown
3) Add the tinned tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and bay leaves, simmer on low heat for approx 2 hours, adding boiling water to ensure it does not dry out.  Meat should be tender and falling off the bone.
4) In a separate pan, boil the pasta
5) Mix all together and serve immediately.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

easy cranberry sauce

Christmas is all about 'Giving' and 'Eating'.  This year for the first time I made my own home-made cranberry sauce and I will never look back, after all a traditional turkey is not complete without it.

I've said this before and not sure why, but for some reason people are intimidated with things that come in jars.  Chutneys, jams and sauces are some of the easiest things to make and this recipe proves it.

The reason the idea dawned on me was solely down to my husband.  I sent him out to buy some fresh red currants which I was going to use to decorate a cheese board.  He returned with, wait for it.....a frozen packet of cranberries :)

I kept my cool as I realised I hadn't explained myself properly (lesson No.1 learnt) and secondly thought, good work Jimbob.  Instead of leaving these little puppies sit in the freezer for months on end, I decided to put them to good use.

Our annual Christmas dinner with friends is always a great success with everyone taking turns to host.  This year was our turn.  I tend not to get involved in the cooking as it's all down to hubby, his tradition, his mates. However I did contribute this little jar of red heaven and would encourage you to try it too.

It's the quickest, easiest preserve I've ever made, taking 5 minutes, or slightly more if you prefer it less runny and an absolute delight.  Eat that Mr Oliver's 15 minute meals, GF does it in 10.

You'll need:

  • 1 Pkt frozen cranberries
  • grated zest of 1 orange
  • juice from 1 orange
  • 150g sugar
  • 1 Tbs port (optional)

Method:

1) Place all the ingredients in a pan and bring to boil
2) Simmer for 5 - 10 mins (or till sauce thickens slightly)
3) Pour into jar and let cool, serve with Christmas meal.


Tuesday 4 December 2012

strawberries and cream, Santa style




When my sister sent me a picture of little strawberry Santa's I couldn't resist making them to share with you all.  They are just so adorable and so simple. 

The original recipe, not entirely sure where it came from seemed to be a festive mailer, using cream cheese however I think these work just as well with whipped thick cream and icing sugar.

The next time you're asked to take a plate of eats rounds to friends, why not take a plate of Santa's







You'll need:
  • 1 punnet of strawberries
  • 1 tub of double cream, whipped till thick
  • a handful of linseeds
  • 3 Tbs icing sugar

Method:

1) Wash the strawberries and remove the stalks, cutting the bottom of the strawberries so they stand straight.
2) Slice the top half of the strawberry to create the hat.
3) Using a paring knife, remove the inner core of the strawberry
4) Fill the strawberry with cream and using a piping bag pipe the buttons down the front and the tip of the hat.
5) Place two linseeds for the eyes and sprinkle with icing sugar