Several pieces of heaven… and then a few more!

Yesterday was quite a day! I got officially spoiled rotten by my delightful, cousin, friend, confidant, fellow food and pampering enthusiast, Annika! She had arranged a belated birthday day of indulgence for me.

We started with a Bikram yoga class given by hers truly at Jai yoga studio – the facilities and environment are sublime and her teaching is world class.

Then we meandered off to Café Milano for lunch which is a new café at the top of kloof street and is a collaborative venture by Giorgio Nava and Vanessa Quellec. I have been a fan of Vanessa’s work since I first sunk my teeth into it at Roundhouse. Man, am I glad that she is baking for popular consumption again! I would easily say that she is the top pastry chef and baker in South Africa. You really haven’t tasted pastry until you have tasted Vanessa’s pastry! We ended up discussing strategies of how I could get Vanessa to let me work in their bakery for a few days to see how she does it. The cherry on top was Giorgio handing us both a complimentary packet of rolls as we left. It may have been their surplice but it still made us feel special!

I was then whisked off to the newly refurbished Equinox Spa at the Cape Royale Hotel where we have a ‘couples’ pedicure – so we could carry on with a steady flow of girly banter while getting our tootsies tended to. The setting is fresh and modern and the pedicures professional and thorough.

A cocktail at the ‘Sky bar’ of the Cape Royal seemed the logical next step - this is where the girl talk started to get a little naughty but I'm blaming the apple and cinnamon daiquiri's which were way yummier than I had expected.

Next we went back to Annika’s place to freshen up before dinner while sipping on chilled glasses of pinot noir. I was pretty excited by the wine as I have never heard of it. The Yardstick 2009 by Klein Contantia. It was perfect served straight from the fridge on such a scorcher of a day, and light yet full of flavour.

The evening concluded at La Mouette in Sea Point for six course tasting menu. It was fabulous, from the service to the bread. The food was perfectly presented and the flavours adventurous without being outrageous. Annika and I were both blow away by the sweet breads and I was all over the gin and tonic pre dessert. To top it all off the full six course menu was only R210, what’s not to love.

I was chauffeured home tipsy, full of deliciousness and pampered to the max – I am so blessed!

Mini bacon and cheese quiche

Quiches are really easy to make and once you understand the basics you can get creative and adapt the recipe to suit your taste and needs.

I have added some video links of the blind baking process so you can get it right first time. There are so many cooking related demo’s online – you really shouldn’t struggle with any methods these days! I deboned a leg of lamb the other day after watching a 2 minute long online demo! Was very chuffed with myself.

Quiches freeze beautifully so I always make double and freeze the rest.

Makes about 12

1 roll of frozen puff pastry (brown if they have) - defrosted

1 pack of streaky bacon

2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated

Spinach (optional) – blanched and drained

Butternut (optional) – cut into small cubes and lightly steamed

2 cups of milk

1 tsp of flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp of veg or chicken stock powder

1 tsp Dijon mustard

A pinch of All Spice (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Grease a muffin tin and ‘spray n cook’ it too if you have.

Lightly roll your pastry out on a floured surface. Cut squares out of the pastry and place them into the muffin tin. Gently pull the straight sides of the square in a little to give it a pretty scalloped look and with your finger tips lightly press the pastry to fit the mould.

Blind bake the pastry. To see how check out these two links:

Traditional blind baking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb0jp18Va6Q&feature=related

Silicone mold easy version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCDeJhGWFEA

Pre heat your oven to 200˚C and pace the wire racK in the middle of the oven.

For the filling, chop and fry the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan but reserve the cooking fat in the pan. Add milk to the pan (no heat) and stir till it combines with the bacon fat. Add a teaspoon of stock, mustard, a pinch of salt, a pinch of all spice and lightly whisk in the eggs and flour. If using spinach and or butter nut, wash, steam and chop the veggies. Add the bacon and veggies to the quiche crusts. Fill each of the pastry crusts with the egg and milk mixture and top with the grated cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until set and golden on top, about 10 – 15 minutes. Allow to cool before unmolding the quiche.

Quick, easy, versatile, not too sinful and delicious!

I trained a recipe today which I kind of forgot about (in my own home cooking) and totally love. It is quick, easy and versatile. The base recipe is a mushroom and courgette creamy pasta (can’t go wrong there) but there is no cream – I use a cup of crumbled feta and a cup of milk instead of cream. The recipe is below but the veggies can be replaced with pretty much any veg. Just make sure that that you cook the harder veggies a little longer than the softer veg. It is a total winner with kids and you can add bacon, chicken or beef to add a meaty element.

The fridge at the home I was training in was full of red peppers, so I added some of those to the sauce which gave it great colour and nice body.

Mushroom and courgette creamy pasta

Serves 6

500g of pasta, cooked and drained

2 Tbsp. of oil

1 small onion

250g mushrooms, washed and sliced

Black pepper

1 Tbsp. of soya sauce (optional)

a pinch of salt

250g courgettes, washed, topped and tailed and cut into ribbons

1 cup (250ml) of crumbled Feta

1/2 cup (125ml) of Milk

Heat the oil on high heat in a large pan and fry the mushrooms and onion for 10 minutes or until they have reduced to half their size and are browning slightly. Season with black pepper, salt and soy. Add ribboned courgettes and fry gently for a few minutes. Crumble the feta over the mixture, add the milk and gently stir until the feta has melted and the sauce us slightly thickened and ready to pour over the cooked past of your choice.

You can add or substitute things like green beans, peppers, broccoli, butternut etc. for extra veg, or add bacon bits or chicken while frying the mushrooms for a meaty version.

PS - if you want this recipe in a nice printable word format, please e-mail me at info@domesticgoddesses.co.za and I will gladly mail it to you.

Waste not, what not!

I have a bit of an issue with throwing food away. I can find the most ingenious ways of using left over food to make great meals, but give me carte blanch to make a meal from scratch, throw in some guests and I get totally over whelmed … issues?

One of my favourite waste management tricks is with fruit. I like having fruit around but I’m not the biggest fruit eater, so more often than not I have some which if not used soon will need to be thrown out! I could turned it into some kind of fruit crumble or serve it poached with ice cream but I don’t encourage too much dessert eating unless we are really treating ourselves. So, I usually just cut it into smallish chunks and freeze it - ready for smoothies whenever we want them.

Frozen banana is great as it gives that lovely creamy finish to a smoothie and frozen grapes give the extra sweetness so you don’t need to add sugar. Freeze pineapple, mango, melon, apple, pears, plums - pretty much any fruit you can think of.

I like to have bought frozen berries in my freezer as they are a easy dessert when needed and I like to add a few to my smoothies.

To the frozen fruit, I usually add yoghurt and fruit juice and blend it up with a hand blender – that simple. To make it a complete breakfast smoothie I add some oats, nuts and seeds. You can add sugar if needed, coconut milk, water, ice, ice cream – some spices like cinnamon or chia spice can also be fun… get creative.

For an adult alternative use the fruit for a daiquiri by blending the frozen fruit with ice, fruit juice, sugar and your favourite white spirit. Mmm… Now that is good enough reason for me to never to throw fruit away again.

Roast Veg & Grilled Lamb Pitas - Phase 2

Okay - the recipe has now been developed - see below. Have had a few problems though! Getting the right cut of lamb has been a hack. South African's like a choppie but to find a nice lamb loin you seem to need to go to a butchery direct. It is worth it though! Promise. I used ostrich today and it just wasn't the same.

Serves 4
400g piece of well-trimmed lamb loin or a piece of deboned leg

Juice and zest of ½ lemon

2 Tbsp. oil

20 rosemary leaves, bruised

1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped

125ml of plain yoghurt

6 chopped mint leaves

1/8 tsp. of cumin

1/4 tsp. of salt

8 cups of cubed roasting veggies (butternut, onion, peppers, carrots, courgettes, aubergine etc.)

1 Tbsp. oil

20 rosemary leaves

½ tsp. of salt

4 – 6 pitas depending on who might want seconds ;-)

Wash the meat and pat it dry with kitchen roll. Mix together the lemon juice, zest, oil, garlic and rosemary in a container small enough to snuggly hold the meat. Coat the meat with the marinade and leave it for about 2 hours if you can (shorter is fine if you don’t have the time).

Mix up the yoghurt, mint, cumin and salt and refrigerate till ready for use.

Pre heat your oven on grill and place the wrack in the centre of the oven.

Select the veggies you want and dice them into pieces of about 1cm – 1.5 cm. This is so that they can easily fit into the pitas. Combine the veggies with the oil, salt and rosemary, in a bowl, tossing them until they are covered with oil. Spread them out onto a baking tray and place them in the oven. They should take about 15 minutes to roast. Every 5 minutes or so, check them to see that they are not blackening too much and turn them with a spatula if they are. Remove them from the oven and set aside.

For the lamb you need to get the oven as hot as possible and on grill. Move the wrack as close to the element on top but naturally not so that the meat touches it. Remove the meat from the marinade and place on a backing tray in the oven. The meat should need about 7 – 8 minutes per side (you need to turn the meat with a fork) for a 400g piece of meat and if the oven is at the correct temperature. The lamb is best served medium rare. Up the cooking time by two minutes per side if you prefer it well done. Remove the meat and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Lightly salt the lamb after slicing.

Toast the pitas in the oven until they puff up. Slice a hole about 1/3 big along the edge of the pita and with the knife loosen the inside creating a pocket. Layer roast veggies, yoghurt sauce and lamb evenly in the pita and serve immediately.

PS - if you want this recipe in a nice printable word format, please e-mail me at info@domesticgoddesses.co.za and I will gladly mail it to you.

Roast Veggie Rice Pilaf

My parents made the most delicious rice pilaf for Christmas dinner and I've been dreaming of it ever since. This recipe is my interpretation of it on a more humble scale. Great texture and taste combination.

Roast Veggie Rice Pilaf

Serves 4

1 cup of basmati rice

¼ cup of pink lentils

½ stock cube or 2 tsp. of stock powder - chicken or vegetable

1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped

2 ½ cups of water

½ tsp. turmeric

½ tsp. cumin

8 cups of roasting veggies, chopped

(butternut, mushrooms, onion, peppers, carrots, courgettes, broccoli etc.)

1 Tbsp. of oil

20 rosemary leaves and 20 thyme leaves, bruised

¼ medium lemon rind, grated

½ tsp. of salt

½ a cup of mixed nuts

1 Tbsp. of sugar

¼ tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of water

50g dried cranberries (optional)

½ cup of toasted coconut (optional)

Combine the rice, lentils, stock, garlic, water and spices in a medium sized, heavy bottomed pot with a lid. Bring to the boil and simmer until the water level reaches the level of the rice. Turn off the heat and leave the rice on the stove with the lid on for 15 minutes.

Pre heat the oven on grill and place the wire rack in the centre of the oven.

Chop up the roasting veggies. Cut harder veggies into smaller pieces than the softer veggies. In a bowl combine the vegetables, oil, salt and herbs and toss until the veggies are all coated with oil. Spread them out on a roasting pan and place them in the oven. Check the veggies every 5 minutes or so to check if they are not blackening too much and turn them with a spatula until they are cooked through and a little shrivelled and browning in places. If they are blackening too fast, either drop the heat a little or place the wire rack lower in the oven. If they are drawing too much water, leave the oven door open a crack for the steam to be released. Once cooked set aside until ready for use.

In a hot pan start roasting the nuts a little. When they are starting to brown, add the sugar, salt and water and move the nuts around in the pan with a spatula until they are coated and the water has evaporated. Set aside until ready for use.

Combine all the ingredients while still warm and serve into bowls or on a big platter. If using as a salad, serve cooled on a pile of lettuce leaves. Serve with plain yoghurt or chutney if desired.

This dish isn’t the best for freezing but will last for up to two days in sealed container in the fridge.

PS - if you want this recipe in a nice printable word format, please e-mail me at info@domesticgoddesses.co.za and I will gladly mail it to you.

Lamb and Roast Veg Pitas - Phase 1

Okay – I haven’t officially developed the recipe yet – I still need to take out the measuring spoons and scale… aaargh! But it has been cooked, photographed and grovelled over already. I just couldn’t wait to share it with you!

The basis is your favourite pita breads toasted till they puff nicely in the oven, roast veggies (they need to be chopped smallish so they can fit into the pita’s easily), tossed in oil, garlic, salt and some rosemary. The sauce is plain yoghurt with chopped mint, a pinch of salt and pinch of cumin. But the lamb… an ode to the lamb…

Get a nice piece of deboned leg or lamb loin. You can use the rest for a roast or on the braai, but save a nice juicy fat piece for this. Marinade it in lemon zest and juice, oil, garlic and rosemary. I left it for 2 hours. Get all the other ingredients ready and your guests too.

Get your oven on grill and wait for it to get scorching hot. Place your oven rack as close to the element as possible. Put the lamb in the oven and grill it for a 7 – 8 mins per side. It’s best served rare but judge it by the side of the piece of meat you are using.

Once out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes – then slice it thinly, salt it and fill your pita’s, dolloping sauce inside and onto top. Garnish with chopped mint and grovel it the goodness!