Brinjal, Garlic and Sweet Red Pepper Paté

Serve this Italian-style chunky, garlicky paté of smoky brinjal and peppers on a bed of salad leaves, accompanied with crisp toast or savoury biscuits. Baking the ingredients gives this pate a wonderful smoky flavour. Use orange, yellow or green peppers in place of the red ones if you aren’t wanting too strong a pepper flavour. If you prefer a totally smooth pate, instead of chopping the peppers, add them with the peppercorns and coriander to the blender with the brinjal and garlic. The pate may not look as colourful, but it will taste just as good.

Ingredients:

3 brinjals (aubergines)

2 sweet red peppers

5 cloves garlic

7.5ml pink (or green) peppercorns in brine, drained and crushed

30ml chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Arrange the whole brinjals, peppers and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and set aside. Turn over the brinjals and peppers and return them to the oven. Continue to bake them for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the garlic cloves and place them in a blender.

Remove the charred peppers from the oven and place them in a plastic zip-lock bag. Set aside to cool. Return the brinjals to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Split each brinjal in half and scoop out the flesh into a sieve placed over a bowl. Discard the skins. Press the flesh with a spoon to remove the bitter juices, which can be discarded. Add the brinjal flesh to the garlic in the blender and process until smooth. Put the mixture in a bowl.

Skin, core and seed the peppers and finely chop the flesh. Stir the peppers into the brinjal mixture. Mix in the peppercorns and chopped coriander and blend thoroughly. Spoon into a serving dish and serve immediately.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

This is definitely a keeper. 

We have just had this for supper;

My hubby and I loved it. 

It's so creamy and cheesy...

Delicious is not enough to describe it..

Yummylicious is more like it!

Ingredients:
190ml flour
7.5ml salt
5ml pepper
2.5ml dried basil
2.5ml dried oregano
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
75ml extra virgin olive oil, divided
15ml finely minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
125ml chicken stock
180g fresh spinach
125ml cream
30ml cornstarch
250ml milk
250ml freshly grated parmesan cheese
500g fettucini noodles

Method:

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Dip each chicken breast in the flour mixture and coat well.

In a large skillet, heat 45ml oil until hot. Carefully place the breaded chicken in the oil until each side is golden brown. Don’t cook all the way through.

On a cookie sheet, line with aluminium foil and spray with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts on the cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until cooked through. Set aside until ready to use.

While the chicken is cooking, in a large pot cook the fettucini noodles according to package directions. Wipe the skillet with some paper towels and add the remaining 30ml olive oil. Cook the chopped red pepper and garlic for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in 15ml of flour and stir constantly for one minute.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a light simmer while whisking constantly until it is starting to thicken. This takes about 3-4 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and cornstarch. Add the spinach, cream, and milk to the skillet. Bring this to a simmer and continue to cook until spinach starts to wilt. Stir in the parmesan cheese.

Add half of the sauce to the coating the cooked and drained fettucini noodles. Top with breaded chicken and spoon more of the sauce on top. 

Enjoy!

Garlic and Butternut Soup

This is a richly flavoured soup, given bite by the spicy tomato salsa served with it. It make a fabulous soup for lunch on a chilly day.

Ingredients:

2 whole garlic bulbs, outer papery skin removed

A few fresh thyme sprigs

15ml olive oil

1 large butternut squash, halved

2 onions chopped

5ml ground coriander

1.2L vegetable stock

30-45ml chopped fresh oregano or marjoram

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salsa:

4 large ripe tomatoes, halved and seeded

1 sweet red pepper

1 large fresh red chilli, seeded

15ml extra virgin olive oil

15ml balsamic vinegar

Pinch of caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220˚C. Wrap the garlic bulbs in foil with the thyme and 7.5ml of the oil. Put the parcel on a baking sheet with the squash and tomatoes, pepper and fresh chilli for the salsa. Brush the squash with 10ml of the remaining oil.

Roast the vegetables for 25 minutes. Remove the tomatoes, pepper and chilli. Reduce the oven temperature to 190 ˚C and roast the squash and garlic for a further 20-25 minutes, or until just tender.

Heat the remaining oil in a large non-stick pan and cook the onions and ground coriander gently for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, skin the pepper and chilli, then process them with the tomatoes and the oil for the salsa. Stir in the vinegar and seasoning to taste, adding a pinch of sugar to help bring out the flavour of the tomatoes and pepper.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into the onions and add the squash, scooped out of its skin. Add the stock and seasoning. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Stir in half the chopped fresh herbs then blend or sieve the soup. Reheat and check the seasoning. Serve in warmed bowls topped with a spoonful of salsa and sprinkled with the remaining herbs.

Serves 6

Spanish Potato and Garlic Soup

I'm back in spain again with this soup.... 

and here's a little history about the potato as well.

Sailors returning from the Andes to Spain brought potatoes for their own food on the trip. Leftover tubers were taken ashore and planted along the Bay of Biscay coast of Northern Spain. The potato arrived in Spain some years before the end of the 16th century where the Spanish though that they were a kind of truffle and called them "tartuffo." It was thought at first that they were only suitable for animal feed, but soon the nutritious nature of the crop was recognised and it became incorporated in the Spanish diet as a staple for the peasant masses.

Potatoes became a standard supply item on the Spanish ships as it was noticed that the sailors who ate patatas, as potatoes became known, did not suffer from scurvy. Basque fishermen from Spain, using potatoes as ships' stores and ballast for their voyages across the Atlantic in the 16th century, took them to places like Ireland. The Spanish, whose empire also stretched across Europe, brought potatoes as provisions for their armies and peasants along the way adopted the crop, spreading the potato across the Continent.

Potatoes are high in complex carbohydrates and include both protein and fibre. Any potatoes, which have green patches, should be discarded as this colouring indicates the presence of toxic alkaloids known as solamines or solaranoids.

This creamy soup, served peasant-style in earthen ware dishes, is a classic Spanish dish that is really one to savour.

Ingredients:

15ml olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 large potato

5ml paprika

400g can chopped tomatoes, drained

5ml chopped fresh thyme leaves

900ml vegetable or chicken stock

5ml cornflour

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh thyme leaves to garnish

Method:

With a sharp knife, cut the potato in half, then into slices.

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, crushed garlic, potato slices and paprika to the pan and cook gently for 5 minutes, or until the onions are softened, but not browned.

Add the chopped tomatoes, thyme and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Blend the cornflour with a little water in a cup to form a paste and stir this into the soup. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the soup is thickened.

Break the potatoes up slightly with a fork and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to individual serving bowls and garnish each bowl with chopped thyme leaves.

Serves 6

Chilled Almond Soup with Grapes

Called ajo blanco – white garlic soup – this is a Moorish recipe of ancient origin. It is a perfect balance of crushed almonds, garlic and vinegar in a smooth purée enriched with olive oil.

Although today we use a food processor or blender to break down the bread, almonds and garlic, in days of old this grinding would have been done with a pestle and mortar.

To accentuate the flavour of the almonds, dry roast them in a frying pan until they are lightly browned before grinding them. This will provide a slightly darker soup.

Ingredients:

115g stale white bread

250ml blanched almonds

2 garlic cloves, sliced

75ml olive oil

25ml sherry vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Garnish:

Toasted flaked almonds

Green and black grapes, halved and seeded

Fresh chives, chopped

Method:

Break the bread into a bowl and pour 150ml cold water over it. Leave to soak for about 5 minutes, and squeeze the bread dry.

Put the almonds and garlic in a blender and process until very finely ground. Add the soaked white bread and process again until thoroughly combined. Continue to process, gradually adding oil until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Add the sherry vinegar, followed by 600ml cold water and process until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the soup to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, adding a little more water if the soup is very thick. Cover with cling film and chill for 2 hours or more.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Scatter the almonds, halved grapes and chopped chives over to garnish.

Serves 6

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
1kg chicken wings
500ml flour
10ml celery salt
2.5ml cayenne pepper
2.5ml ground black pepper
60g butter
10ml garlic powder
30ml Parmesan cheese
Parsley for garnish (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC. 

Blend together flour, celery salt, cayenne pepper and ground black pepper. Cut wings and dredge them in the flour. Heat oil to 180ºC. Fry wings for about 5 to 7 minutes, and then drain on a wire rack. Depending upon the side of your pot fry 5 or 6 wings at a time. Be sure to turn the wings once during cooking to make sure that they cook evenly. Cook the wings until they just begin to brown. Bake wings for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Prepare the sauce by melting the butter and the garlic powder in a small pan. When the wings have finished cooking in the oven place the wings into a large bowl. Stir in half of the Parmesan cheese into the melted butter. Pour the melted garlic butter over the wings and toss until the wings are well coated. Serve the wings sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Garlic and Dill Potatoes

Ingredients:
900g potatoes, peeled and cut into shallow slices
8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
30ml olive oil
15ml fresh chopped dill
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the potato pieces in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the slices in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with garlic, salt and black pepper and toss again.

Roast, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, or until the potatoes are well browned and tender through the centre. Sprinkle with fresh dill and serve hot.

Crunchy Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Ingredients:

6 to 9 pork chops, not too thick

2 eggs

60ml water

500ml flour

5ml salt and pepper

5ml garlic powder

Sunflower oil for frying

For the Glaze

375ml honey

125ml brown sugar

2.5ml ground ginger

1.25ml cayenne pepper

125ml light soy sauce

15ml garlic, chopped

30g butter

Method:

Whisk the eggs and 60ml water in a shallow dish.

Mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in another shallow dish.

Dip the chops in the flour, then over into the egg, then back over into the flour mixture again. This is what puts the extra crispy coating on the chops.

Be sure to get plenty of flour on this last coating, then shake them a little and place in a pan with about a half inch of oil.

Be sure the oil is hot, but not too hot or the chops will cook too fast. You need to get it good and hot and then turn to about medium.

Cook for about 6 minutes on each side. Try not to turn more than twice or your breading will come off.

Remove from the pan to a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Sauté the garlic a little in the butter. Add the honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne and garlic.

Bring to a boil then reduce to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Watch this carefully because it will foam and might boil over.

Pour 1/2 of the glaze over the pork chops. Flip them over and pour the other 1/2 over the other side.

Place uncovered in a preheated 180˚C oven for about 20-25 minutes. This sets the glaze and finishes them to be sure they are cooked through.

Pasta with Avocado and Garlic Prawns

Ingredients:

500g fettuccine or linguini or spaghetti

For the Avocado Sauce

4 avocados, peeled and pitted

60ml fresh lime juice

60ml plain yoghurt or sour cream

125ml chopped fresh coriander

125ml chopped fresh parsley

2 spring onions, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

30ml Olive Oil

½ jalapeño pepper

2.5ml ground cumin

For the Garlic Prawns

30ml butter

80ml Olive Oil

8 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2.5ml dried hot red pepper flakes

salt and black pepper, to taste

30ml chopped parsley

500g large prawns, peeled and deveined

Method:

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, cook the prawns. 

In a large pan, heat the butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper and cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is tender but not browned. Increase heat to medium and add prawns and sauté, turning the prawns once with tongs, until prawns are just cooked through, about 2 minutes each side. Set aside.

Make the avocado sauce: 

Place the avocado in a blender or food processor, add the remaining sauce ingredients and process until smooth and creamy.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and place pasta into a large bowl. Add the avocado sauce to the pasta and toss until pasta is well coated.

Using tongs, add the prawns to the pasta and pour the garlic sauce over the prawns. Garnish with parsley or coriander and serve immediately.

Lamb Kofta with Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
For sauce:
1 cup plain yoghurt, preferably whole-milk
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Sea salt

For kofta:

2 slices firm white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
500g ground lamb
1 small red onion, grated
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
15ml baharat spice blend
15ml chilli flakes
10ml sea salt

Optional accompaniment:
16 soft lettuce leaves for wrapping

Special equipment:
16x10-inch-long wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Charcoal or gas grill
Method:
For the sauce:

Stir yoghurt together with garlic and salt to taste in a small bowl.

For the kofta:
Cover bread with water in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill: If using a charcoal grill, open vents in bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Fire is hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for just 1 to 2 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat on high, covered, for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high.

Squeeze bread to remove as much moisture as possible. Put in a large bowl, add remaining ingredients, and mix with your hands until thoroughly blended. 

Divide lamb mixture into 16 portions and form each into a ball. Roll each ball into a 7- to 8-inch-long cigar, rolling it first between your hands and then on a work surface (be sure the kofta are uniformly thin for even cooking.) Slide a skewer lengthwise through centre of each kofta.

Oil grill rack and grill kofta, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil, and serve warm with yoghurt sauce, wrapping them in lettuce leaves, if using.

Falafel with Garlic Tahini Sauce

Tahini is a Middle Eastern sesame seed paste you can find
in most grocery stores.
Ingredients: 

For the tahini sauce:225 g tahini 
(seasame seed paste)1/2 a tin of chickpeas, 
drained and rinsedjuice  of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5ml sea salt
2.5ml cayenne pepper

For the falafel:
1/2 a tin of chickpeas, drained350g lamb mince
50ml spring onions, white and light-green parts only, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
60 g finely chopped parsley
5ml sea salt
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
2.5ml ground black pepper
A large pinch cayenne
125 ml olive oil

Method:

To make the sauce, combine ingredients in a food processor.
As you purée, add chickpeas and 170ml of water through feed tube until mixture is smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce should be thinner than hummus.
For the balls, in a large ball, mash chickpeas with a potato masher or fork.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands until well blended.
Form into 2 cm balls.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Cook balls in batches for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally until golden-brown and just cooked.
Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Drizzle with sauce and serve immediately.

Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

1.5kg chicken wings
80ml honey
60ml lemon juice
60ml water
30ml soy sauce
30ml apple cider vinegar
10ml garlic powder or 15ml chopped garlic, crushed with salt
5ml ground ginger

Method:

Heat honey, lemon juice, water, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Turn heat down to low once it starts to simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour marinade over chicken wings. Allow to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Place in a greased baking dish (or line with foil) and bake at 200 C for 1 hour, turning once.

Asian Fried Chicken with Garlic Chilli Sauce

This is one of those recipes you will make over and over again. Once you have tasted these Asian fried drumsticks you’ll be wanting more, even craving there delectable stickiness. The crunchy exterior can be made with plain flour or with rice flour if you want a gluten free crunch. But if you think you can eat these little delicacies without the chilli garlic sauce then think again. Flavoured with garlic, onion and hot sriracha sauce, this amazing sauce is the star of the show. However if you’re a woos and prefer a milder sauce, try tomato sauce with a little vinegar instead of the sriracha or use another sauce, like a soy honey and ginger sauce.

Cooks Note:

It is important to rest the drumsticks after coating them in flour and egg as this allows the crust to hold to the chicken better, helping to stop it from peeling away from the pieces as they fry. Also, if you want really juicy chicken, marinate the chicken with salt water in the fridge for an hour before dredging.

Ingredients:

For the Garlic Chilli Sauce:

30ml sunflower or peanut oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large shallot, chopped fine

30ml fish or soy sauce

30ml packed soft brown sugar (Muscovardo)

30ml rice wine vinegar or white vinegar

50ml tomato sauce or ketchup

15-30ml Sriracha or hot chilli sauce

For the Fried Chicken:

1kg chicken drumsticks, washed and patted dry

4-5 eggs

Plain flour or rice flour for dredging- you may need as much as 3 cups of flour

Sunflower or peanut oil for frying

Method:

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and add the garlic and shallots. Sauté until translucent and slightly coloured. Take care not to burn. Add the fish or soy sauce, the sugar, vinegar, tomato sauce and sriracha, stirring to combine well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes before removing from the heat. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add water, a tablespoonful at a time until the desired consistency is acquired.

To make the chicken, beat the eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl, place flour. Dredge the chicken first in flour, shaking off the excess flour, then dip in the egg, ensuring the chicken is totally coated. Now dredge again in flour to ensure a thick coating, gently shaking off any excess flour. Set the coated chicken aside on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes to rest.

In a large pot or frying pan, heat about an inch of oil. Be sure that the depth of oil will not overflow when the chicken pieces are added. Heat the oil to about 180˚C. Fry the chicken in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan and reduce the temperature of the oil too much. Carefully put the drumsticks in the oil and fry on both sides till crispy and cooked – about 10 minutes on each side. Make sure that the oil heat does not rise too much as this will crisp the outside of the chicken before it is cooked through properly.

Put the sauce in a large bowl and toss the fried chicken to coat all over.

Serve hot.

Garlic and Lemon Chicken Bake with Potatoes and Green Beans

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound trimmed green beans
8 small potatoes, quartered
4 chicken breasts 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the chicken, green beans and potatoes and toss to coat. Pour this mix into the pan and spread around evenly.

Roast for 50 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve warm.

Green Beans With Parmesan, Garlic Butter and Almonds

Ingredients:
400g fresh whole green beans
30g butter
1 clove garlic
15ml grated parmesan cheese
60ml slithered almonds

Directions:
Top and tail the beans and cook them for 2-3 minutes in salted boiling water. Lift them out of the water with a slotted spoons and drain on kitchen paper.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is tender, but not coloured, stirring frequently. Add the almonds and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the cooked green beans to the garlic butter and stir to heat through, coating the beans with the butter and nuts. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Steak and Baked Potatoes with Chilli and Garlic Cream Sauce

Now that we are into July, we are also into the full swing of summer with wonderful warm days and long balmy evening. What better way to enjoy these amazing days and extended evenings than to take out the Weber and have a braai. - or barbecue for those of you who are not aversed with South African English...

So many people seem to think that a braai or barbecue is just for sausages, burgers or kebabs, but not in our household; we like to have steaks, chops, even roasts.

I concocted this steak dish to utilise a chutney I bought at a food fair that was held in Ellesmere not so long ago, and even if I say so myself, it turned out divine!

The chutney came from Heather's Harvest, a one-woman home-production outfit in Shrewsbury, UK - not so very far from where we live.

Ingredients: Serves 2

2 large baking potatoes
2 sirloin steaks
steak and chop seasoning

For the Sauce:
30ml olive oil
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
5-10ml chilli and garlic chutney - Heather's Harvest
...... depending on how hot you like it
50ml soured cream
50ml double cream
10ml sugar
5ml Worcestershire sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:
Parboil the potatoes in their skins for about 10 minutes until just beginning to soften, then warp in foil and put on the prepared charcoal fire for about 15-20 minutes, turning from time to time.

Season the steaks on both sides with Steak and Chop Seasoning and grill over a prepared charcoal fire until done to your specifications. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare the sauce, put the onion, garlic and chutney into a mini-blender and blend to a smooth paste. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the prepared paste. Cook gently until a wonderful aroma arises and the paste begins to become translucent. Add the soured cream and blend into the mixture in the pan, followed by the double cream, stirring gently all the time. Mix in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to amalgamate the flavours.

When ready to serve, remove the potatoes from the foil, cut across the top and push the potatoes on the sides to expose the soft flaky flesh. Place a potato and a steak on each plate and cover them with the thick, creamy sauce - and enjoy!

Sage and Garlic Focaccia

Focaccia is an Italian bread that has captured the imagination of the world. Known as "Italian country flat-bread", "pizza rustica" or "pizza genovese", this is the original Italian hearth bread made from surplice pieces of dough and baked at a high temperature before the oven cooled for the baking of the massive family loaves. Focaccia is a large flat bread, slightly puffy when fresh and dimpled all over the surface with finger indentations. It can be round, square, or a misshapen rectangle; shape is irrelevant. It is a wonderfully versatile bread,which can be sprinkled with sea salt, herbs, onions, garlic, prosciutto or cheese to enhance its flavour.

Sage and Garlic Focaccia is a simple and commonly prepared version of this loaf. Punctuated with the flavours of olive oil, sage and garlic, this recipe produces a delicious, succulent loaf.

To vary the flavour, use other herbs such as oregano, basil or rosemary and top with black olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, ham or cheese. Just don't go overboard - it's not a pizza, although this dough can be used for making pizza.

.

Ingredients:

For the Bread Dough:

20g fresh yeast

325-350ml lukewarm water

45ml extra virgin olive oil

500g white bread flour

10ml salt

15ml chopped fresh sage leaves

For the Topping:

60ml extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

12 fresh sage leaves

Method:

Lightly oil 2 x 10 inch shallow round cake tins. Cream the yeast with 60ml of the warm water, then stir in the remaining water. Stir in the oil.

Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the yeast mixture into the well in the centre of the flour and mix to a soft dough. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Knock back the dough and turn out on to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead in the chopped sage. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Shape each part into a ball, roll out into a 10 inch circle and place each into a prepared baking tin. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Uncover, and using your fingertips, poke the dough to make deep dimples over the entire surface. Replace the clingfilm cover and leave to rise a further 30 minutes or more until the dough has doubled in size.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C. Drizzle over the olive oil for the topping and sprinkle each loaf evenly with chopped garlic. Dot the sage leaves over the surface. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately remove from the tins and transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Best served warm.

Garlic, Lemon and Cranberry Lamb

Every year, just before Christmas,

a chap my husband works with brings us half a lamb,

or if we are lucky, half a hogget.

A hogget is a lamb more than a year old,

but not as old as a sheep, which it becomes at three years old.

They are much more rich in flavour than their younger siblings.

We had the leg for our Christmas dinner.

Usually we do it with garlic and rosemary,

but this year we tried something new that turned out absolutely fabulous.

Try it and I'm sure you will agree.

.

Merry Christmas one and all.

Ingredients:

Leg of Lamb or Hogget

For the Marinade:

peel and juice of a large lemon

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

250ml cranberry juice

250ml red wine

60ml olive oil

15ml dried oregano

a handful of fresh basil leaves chopped

10ml sea salt

For the Gravy

Juice from the marinade

50ml Cranberry jelly

15ml cornflour, slaked in a little water

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:

Score the surface of the lamb or hogget about 1/4 inch deep. place it in a large plastic bag in a container you can put in your fridge. Mix the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the lamb or hogget. Seal the bag, expelling all the air as you do so. Marinade over night in the fridge, massaging the meat once or twice.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Remove the meat from the bag and place in a roasting pan. Set the marinade aside.

Roast 18-20 minutes per 500g for rare,

20-25minutes per 500g for medium,

25-30 minutes per 500g for well done.

While the roast is cooking, pass the marinade through a sieve or muslin cloth to remove the solids. Reduce the liquid in a pan to less than half of the original volume.

Once the roast is done, place the joint on a wooden board to rest for 15 minutes, covered in foil.

Use the reduced marinade to deglaze the roasting pan. Add the cranberry jelly and seasoning and blend in before adding the slaked cornflour to thicken. The sauce should take on a translucent look.

Serve with festive vegetables and enjoy!

Braaied Langoustines in Garlic & Parsley Marinade

Langoustines, when you can get them, are delicious.

Quick and easy on the braai or barbecue.

Ingredients:
100ml olive oil
50ml white wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with the edge of a knife
small bunch parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 langoustines, or tiger prawns, de-veined, cleaned, heads and shells removed (reserve the shells)

Method:
In a bowl, mix together the oil, white wine vinegar, garlic and parsley in a bowl.
Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add the langoustines and reserved langoustine shells to the marinade mixture, cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Meanwhile, light the barbecue 30 minutes before you want to eat.
Soak 12 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes, then shake off any excess water.
When the braai coals are ash-white and the langoustines have marinated, thread three langoustines onto each skewer and place onto the braai.
Cook, turning regularly and basting with the remaining marinade mixture, until pink and completely cooked through, then serve.

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