What’s good for you

This was probably one of the first Chinese style dishes we used to make as kids growing up in rural New Zealand. I’m not sure how authentic it would be, though it was pretty exotic at the time. Anyway, I’m sure they have Watties Tomato Sauce in China – heck, it’s probably made there.

We normally have this as a party style finger food, but is also great as a meal with some home made egg fried rice and steamed bok-choy.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Liquid Honey
• 3 tbsp Tomato Sauce
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Salt
• Garlic
• Ginger

1. Mix all together and marinate chicken wings or pieces at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Bake in a hot oven (200°C) for approximately 25-30 minutes, basting frequently.

Here is the recipe more or less

1. Bring lamb casserole chops to room temperature
2. Oven on 160
3. Chop 1/2 Red Onion  and 1/2 brown onion and brown (can just be brown)
4. Add spices: Curry powder( small tsp), bit off cinnamon and turmeric (can also add cumin and coriander)
5. Remove from casserole
6. Sprinkle lamb with onion salt, garlic powder, turmeric and Ina Paarman Garlic & Herb (optional)
7. Dust with flower
8. Brown
9. Add onions back
10. Add Spanish fortified wine (sherry or red wine) – evaporate
11. Tomato paste, half or pot
12. Chicken stock, 250ml
13. Oxtail Soup Powder , 1/4 sachet mix with a bit of hot water
14. Add big chunks of carrots and potato (this can be added half way through )
15. Oven for 2-3 hours on 160
16. Add 1/4 cabbage chopped 30 min before finish

Serve with greens and a bit of rice to suck the sauce up.

Lekker beskuit vir almal om te proe. Hierdie is ‘n halwe resep.

Oven on 180°C

Ingredients

Add below together:

• Self-raising Flour, 500g
• Digestive Bran, 2 ½ cups
• Salt, 3.5ml
• Sunflower seeds, 1 cup – toasted slowly in pan
• Pecan nuts ( or walnuts) , ½ cup  – crushed a bit

Melt below together:

• Butter (or Sunshine Light Margarine), 250g
• Brown Sugar (sticky soft type), 1 cup

Then add and mix:

• Olive Oil, ¼ cups
• Buttermilk, 250ml

Add all the above ingredients together.

Push into bread/cake pan  try to make it at least 7cm high.  Cut to desire size now before you add to oven.

Bake for 40-45min on 180°C

Take out and pack out on baking tray. Fan bake on 100C for 4-5 hours (can leave the door ajar slightly).

Beskuit can be frozen if you wish to be so silly.

Recipe form Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals TV series. I used Chicken but it is supposed to be prawns.

Curry Paste

• Lemon Grass
• Tomato Paste, heaped tsp
• Char-grilled Peppers, 4 small ones in jar
• Coriander, bunch
• Chilli, 1
• Garlic, 2 cloves
• Ginger, 2cm cube
• Kaffir Lime Leaves, 4
• Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
• Soy Sauce, 2 tbsp
• Fish Sauce, 1 tsp
• Sesame Oil, 1tsp

Add above in blender and mix well.

Brown chicken and then add paste.

• Sugar Snap Peas
• Coconut Milk

Add something green like frozen greens. Add coconut milk and simmer for a few minutes (not boiling)

Serve with cooked rice (Jamie did an awesome Jasmine rice with a Jasmine flower in) and cucumber salad.

Cucumber Salad

• Ginger, 1-2cm chunk finely grated
• Sesame Oil, 1 tsp
• Olive Oil, 2 tsp
• Lime Juice, 1
• Lime Zest
• Soy Sauce, 1-2 tsp

Mix above and taste – change till just right

• Chilli, how brave are you?
• Coriander
• Cucumber – Sliced lengthways with potato peeler (excludes middle seeded area)

Add dressing to salad just before serving.

A short while ago, I realised I’d never cooked a Stroganoff before. I guess I’m not really that into mushrooms. (Isn’t that a recent romatic comedy or something?) I had a look at what the interweb masses seem to agree on for ingredients and gave the following a whurl as an experimental treat for my Mum. I have to say it was a pretty damned nice,  I even think she had two helpings.

When cooking like this I also tend to taste the sauce as I’m making it and only using small approximate amounts for the mustard and tomato paste, then tasting and adding more if needed. I think the cut of meat is important too – I usually choose to use scotch fillet which always seems to give a very tender result.

What you’ll need (although these values are approximations):

• 500 – 700gms of thinly sliced beef (I used a thick cut Scotch Fillet and sliced it very thinly, but you could use Eye Fillet or Rump too)
• 1 small Onion (sliced)
• 1 clove of Garlic
• a bunch of Mushrooms (sliced, about the same mass as the beef)
• 1 tbsp Paprika (Smoked if you have it, but normal will do nicely – Use more to taste)
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp of Tomato Paste
• a knob of Butter
• Oil for frying
  
• about 2 shots of Brandy (no, not one for you, one for the recipe – they both go in)
• a cup of beef stock (real stock if you can)
• 2-3 tbsp of Sour Cream
• Flour (for dusting)
• Salt and Pepper

How to do it:

1. Heat a large frying pan, and fry onion in butter until softened a little, add mushrooms and garlic, and brown. Remove from pan.
2. Season flour with salt, pepper (I prefer white pepper here) and a dash of paprika. Dust the thin beef strips in flour, and fry in batches over a medium high heat, adding a little oil as needed. The thin meat cooks quick, so be attentive and if you don’t crowd the pan, it’ll brown much easier. Remove to a warmed plate as the pieces of beef are browned.
3. Deglaze the pan with brandy, add mustard, tomato paste, paprika and beef stock, stir until combined and simmering, then add the browned beef, onions and mushrooms back to the pan. Coat the meat with the sauce, and simmer gently for a few minutes. You may need to add more stock or hot water, if it doesn’t look saucy enough.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning. You want just a hint of paprika to come through, so you might want add a little more to taste.
5. Before serving, stir in the sour cream to make the colour a pale brown.
6. Traditionally pasta was served with this yummy dish. I’d recommend cutting some nice thick ribbons from a fresh lasagna sheet of pasta (Parpadelle). We serve ours with boiled rice which I think is more commonly accepted

Enjoy!

Ingredients
225 grams of butter
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
1 small cup of raw sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of coconut
2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of wholemeal flour
1 1/2 cups of dried fruit, nuts and seeds of your choice

Method

Boil the butter, golden syrup and raw sugar together in a saucepan.

Add all the other ingredients to the melted mixture.

Press into a flat tin and and bake for 15-20 minutes at 150*C.

Cut while still warm.

Really yummy.

I have baked this cake for my friends and family’s birthdays for years and it’s enjoyed by all who taste it. It is so easy to make and turns out every time.  It stays moist and is easy to vary the quantities to make the size cake that you need.  The recipe given makes quite a large cake.

Ingredients
2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of soured milk (add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the milk and leave to curdle)
1/2 cup of cocoa
200 grams of softened butter
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of self-raising flour
1 cup of boiling hot coffee

Method

Place all the ingredients in a bowl or food processor in the order given.

Process or beat with an electric beater for one minute or until smooth.

Pour into a greased and lined 23cm cake tin.

Bake at 160*C until the cake bounces back when pressed or knife comes out clean (45min-1 hr).

Ice as desired.  I always use butter icing and if chocolate I sprinkle a flake on the top, which is everyones favourite.

Alternatively yoghurt can be used in place of the milk or 1/2 and 1/2.  The cake will be denser – more like a mud cake.

Another Auntie Helen muesli recipe changed to taste. The exact amount of the ingredients is not really important. See Pam’s version – you may like that better!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Whole Oats
½ cup Oat Bran
½ cup Wheatgerm
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Honey
½ cup Coconut
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Mixed Spice
½ cup warm Water
½ cup Olive Oil (or Grape Seed)
¼ tsp Salt (pinch)

Add the following, whatever you like, and amounts you like:

Seeds: Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds. And/or add a bit of L.S.A (Crushed Linseed, Sunflower Seed and Almond)

Nuts: Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Cashews etc

Fruits: Sultanas, Apricots, Cranberries, Dates, etc. I do not put this in as I rather add fresh fruit when I eat it. Best to add dried fruit only half way else it gets to hard..

METHOD: Mix water, oil, sugar and honey. Put rest of stuff into a large roasting pan, add liquid and combine.  Bake at 160 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.  Stir every 15 minutes or so.  Stir as mixture cools, store in an airtight container when cold.

For all those who have been hounding me for it…
Here’s my ‘Now Famous’ Bean Salad recipe, it’s so easy to make.

You’ll need these ingredients…
310-400 gm can of beans  (Either mixed or kidney, I use ‘Ceres’ organic mixed beans)
1/4 Red onion, Chopped
3 tablespoons olive olive
2 Tablespoons either Wine Vinegar or I use Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon of Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of water or brine from beans
about 1 cup of chopped capsicum (I like red)
1/4 cup of chopped celery (optional)
parsley

This is what you do…

• Rinse Beans under cold water
• Mix onion, oil, vinegar, sugar, cumin,salt and /brine and mix with the beans.
• Stir in the Capsicum, Celery and finely chopped parsley and Chill.

The salad keeps really well in the fridge for a few days.  Everybody I know loves it when I make this Salad, hope you enjoy it too.

Don’t be tempted to buy those cruddy premade ‘convenient’ sachets for making mulled wine – you’re ripping yourself off both in cost, flavour and fun It’s a great wintery beverage, and depending on how much water you add, your non wine drinking friends might like it too. And the recipe is so simple, I really wonder why the even bother selling sachets.

What you’ll need:
A bottle of Red Wine (750mls)
A zesty fruit like an Orange or a Lemon
A bit of water
2 Cinnamon quills/sticks
3-4 Cloves
3 heaped tbsp Sugar

Gently does it:

1. Set a pot on the stove on it’s gentlest temperature and add your wine (you can also gently heat it on the top of your fire/log burner).
2. Add about a glass of water (of course, if you’re hardcore you may prefer not to add water, but it makes  a lighter drink and goes a little further too) – you can add more to taste, depending on the wine.
3. Peel the Orange or Lemon (with a vegetable peeler) and add the zest only to the pot with the cloves, cinnamon quills and sugar. As a general rule, I use about 3 small palms full of sugar, which I guess is about 3 heaped tablespoons – I’ve used white sugar and organic raw sugar. Both work equally nice.
4. Stir often to dissolve the sugar and infuse the wine with the spices. Don’t let it simmer or boil. The idea is to gently heat and infuse.
5. Taste and adjust the sugar or water to taste.
6. Drink straight away, or you can let it sit to keep warm on a very gentle fire, but its best drunk hot.
7. Serving is easiest with a soup ladle and into short wine glasses, and see who gets the random clove at the end – there’s always one the get’s through.

Wine choice:

I prefer a Shiraz, Shiraz Cabernet or Cabernet Sauvignon for mulled wine and while it may hurt to spend $20 on a nicer bottle, of course it’s much nicer. Some people argue its a waste too, so each to their own. I prefer a Peter Lehmanns (mmm, Barossa Valley), but a Jacobs Creek is quite good too, and can be regularly found on special at the super market. Our last attempt used a Wyndym Estate which turned out great.

That said, this is also a bloody good way to get rid of that cheap bottle someone left at a dinner party. Not only does it remove the label from eyesight (and you can deftly avoid questions about it when people ask, or simply vague out), it makes even banrock station and ruben hall almost drinkable – yey water!

There you have it. An enjoyable drink to celebrate winter. Good on its own, or with dinner (or should I say, supper) with some nice homemade soup and bread in front of a warm fire. Try it a few times, play with the amount of ingredients to suit your tastes – the recipe is very basic so don’t be shy.

Enjoy.