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by bitsofcarey

Superb side dishes and salads for lazy days and braais

July 30, 2010 in salads

5 Comments »

Have you ever had a lazy day when you end up buying a rotisserie BBQ chicken and find yourself in a pickle, “what do I serve with it?” Or at a braai, you long for inspiration to prepare something other than the standard potato salad and green salad, something different…but not too wacky for your guests(have a gran and teenage bro and sis to consider)

 

So here are my new favourite salads for a braai:

 

Roasted Butternut and Rocket salad

Sweet, peppery, salty, crunchy, nutty…what more could you ask for? I could eat this one as a meal.

I used fresh rocket from the garden, tossed in 250 g roasted butternut, 3 sticks of danish feta, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and parmesan shavings. Drizzle with Verlaque’s pomegranite balsamic dressing.

 

Lush potato salad

Tangy with a honey and mustard undertone

Boil +- 500 g baby potatoes until tender and cut in half. Add 1 bunch of chopped salad onions.  Mix 1 cup of good mayo, juice and zest of 1 lemon, 3 T extra virgin olive oil, 2 T wholegrain mustard and 2 T honey and combine well with the potatoes and salad onions. Season with salt and pepper.

This could jooshed up a bit by adding some smoked salmon to it and fried bacon bits.

 

Mom’s Curried Banana Salad

Naughty, but so nice! It is so divine when eaten with lamb or chicken.

 

 

Mix 1 can of condensed milk, 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 heaped T mild curry powder. Slice 4 – 6 bananas and add to the sauce. Stir until well combined. Allow to stand for about 30 minutes to allow the favours to develop.

Trust me…don’t diss it before you’ve tried it!

 

Classic Green salad

You can’t not have this

 

I like my salads to have less leaves and more filling: baby rosa’s, soft avo, calamata olives, crumbly feta, cucumber and salad onions. Drizzle with a bit of lemon juive and extra virgin olive oil.

P.s. On this particular day I made sticky pork riblets, and wings(just used steers rib sauce!) and boerewors rolls for the youngens.

And for those days when you bought a BBQ chicken…

 

Rosemary Roasted baby potatoes

Boil potatoes until tender. Place onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with freshly milled salt and pepper. Toss in pieces of fresh rosemary, chopped garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 200 degrees or until crispy and slightly golden.

 

Avo and feta salad

Soft creamy avo, smooth and salty feta in crunchy rocket with nutty pecorino ending off with a tart vinaigrette

Toss fresh wild rocket leaves, feta cheese, slices of avo together. Drizzle with olive and lemon juice. Top with pecorino shavings. Season with freshly milled black pepper.

 

Dinner is served, enjoy with your rotisserie chicken! or braai in fact!

 

Have a lovely weekend all!

 

Happy cooking!

 

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by bitsofcarey

Citrus Inspired Desserts

July 28, 2010 in Sweet treats, tarts

4 Comments »

Since it is winter, gone are the weird and wonderful tropical fruits. However, one does forget about good old faithful citrus fruit that only flourishes in winter really.  In summer, I long for winter when you can buy a pocket of oranges for R 10 and look forward to making a huge batch of freshly squeezed OJ (however, you never actually manage to do it and you are stuck with 30 + oranges!).

We had the family around on Sunday for my mom’s birthday, and I decided to make one of her favourite desserts – Lemon Meringue Pie, and while I was at it, why not milk tart too! To my disappointment, I had no vanilla essence in the cupboard!! NO!! What to do? I glanced at my pile of oranges and thought an orange infused Milk tart would suffice. So that is what I did. We had Citrus inspired desserts.  Lemon Meringue pie and Citrus Milk tart.

 

Lemon Meringue Pie

This dessert reminds me of my childhood, my gran would walk through the front door like a ray of sunshine every Sunday with a Lemon meringue in her hands… we never grew tired of it!

A few years before she passed away, I watched her make one and she said with her bubbly voice (almost like Meryl Streep as Julia Child), ”…the trick is to stir the condensed milk mixture gently, never whisk and it will come out smooth and velvety everytime!”. And it is so true, so everytime I make lemon meringue I think of my beloved Oma Pat.

 

What you will need:

 

1 packet tennis biscuits or digestive (if you do not like coconut)

50 g melted butter

a bit of hot water

 

3 eggs yolks

1 can full cream condensed milk

juice and zest of 2 lemons

 

3 egg whites

3 T castor sugar

1 t lemon juice or vinegar

1 t vanilla essence or 1 T lemon zest

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

In a food processor, blits the biscuits, then add the butter, blend until the crumbs clump together, add some hot water if it does not. Press into a greased pie dish.

Gently stir the yolks, condensed milk, juice and zest until well combined. Pour over the crumb base.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until firm to the touch. Allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, Beat the egg whites, castor sugar and lemon juice until soft peaks form. fold in some extra lemon zest or vanilla essence.

Reduce the oven temperature to 170 degrees.

Gently spread onto the cooled filling and bake for a further 10 – 15 minutes or until golden.

 

Citrus milk tart

 

 

I used the Milk tart recipe I posted last month, just replaced the vanilla essence with the zest of 2 oranges.

 

Go to http://blogs.food24.com/BITSOFCAREY/ol-fashioned-milk-tart for the recipe.

 

 

These went down well with freshly brewed coffee!

 

 

So don’t you just love citrus fruit?

 

What would we do without oranges and lemons?

 

C xx

 

 

 

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by bitsofcarey

Gorgeous bacon and poached egg sarmies

July 26, 2010 in Breakfast

14 Comments »

Just recently, I had my first successful attempt at poaching an egg in boiling water. I don’t know why it took me so long to try it again, I suppose I was afraid I would have a repeat of disintergrated eggs and heart palpitations! The other day, I realised the last time I did it, I added salt to the water(which apparently breaks down the egg) and I didn’t use enough acid. So now I know for sure that you DO NOT add salt and you add 3 table spoons of vinegar per litre of water. So this weekend, with my new found egg poaching confidence, I decided to make healthy Bacon and Egg Sarmies, and might I just say, I will never go back to a fried egg again!

 

I started off laying some back bacon onto a baking tray and popped that under the grill, turned once.

 

So I prepared the boiling water as explained above, made a little whirl pool, then plopped the eggs one by one into the centre and left it there to cook for about a minute and a half(I like the yolk runny!). Not more than two eggs if it is a small pot, you don’t want to lower the temperature of the water, also you don’t want one giant poached egg!

 

I placed the grilled bacon on toasted Low GI bread and topped with the gorgeous beauties and covered it all with slices of cheddar cheese. Don’t forget the freshly milled pepper and Maldon salt!

 

 

Pop under the grill to melt the cheese a bit

 

And look at that! Serve with some fresh peppery rocket and mini rosa tomatoes.

 

Now cut into the yolk! ooooooh…..sumptuous, absolutely sumptuous! Serve with freshly squeezed O.J.

Have a good week all!

 

C xx

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by bitsofcarey

Cranberry and almond fudge

July 23, 2010 in Sweet treats

7 Comments »

I am obsessed with fudge. I make it every month or two, but this time I experimented a bit by adding cranberries and almonds. yummy! It lasted 2 days in our house!

 

 

So, all you do is make basic fudge. See my post “Oh my fudge” http://blogs.food24.com/BITSOFCAREY/oh-my-fudge

  Before beating it to thicken, add 100g cranberries and 100g flaked toasted almonds, beat until thick and spread out into a rectangular dish. Cut into squares before it hardens.

 

Who knows that combination I will do next…

 

Maybe a coffee chocolate flavour…mmm

 

I think a cheese platter and a good bottle of red wine or two is in order this weekend!

Have a good one all!

Cxx

 

 

 

 

 

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by bitsofcarey

Cauliflower mac ‘n cheese

July 21, 2010 in Meatless meals, Pasta

12 Comments »

I just adore cauliflower cheese, and mac ‘n cheese is a staple in our home. So why not combine the two and get the best of both worlds?! Oh my heavens, it was yum-alicious!  We ate the whole dish between the two of us!! This could be a great dish for kids or peeps who don’t enjoy veggies – just finely chop the caulifloweror even puree it once it’s cooked. I had whole chunky florets in mine though, hubby doesn’t mind! :-) It’s really simple to make, it’s basically mac ‘n cheese with steamed cauliflower added to the mixure and then baked until the cheese topping is crispy and golden.

 

Cauliflower Mac ‘n Cheese

 

What you will need:

 

Serves 2 – 4

1 cup(250 ml) macaroni, cooked al dente

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed until tender(but still firm)

 

For the cheese sauce:

50 g butter

50 ml flour

500 ml (2 cups) milk

250 ml(1 cup) grated cheddar cheese

125 ml (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese(optional- I can’t do without it!)

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Freshly ground nutmeg

Topping:

extra cheese

a few sprigs flat leaf parsley

 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

In a medium pot,  make a roux with the butter and flour, then slowly add the milk, whisking all the while over high heat until thickened.

Stir in the cheese and season to taste.

Add the cooked macaroni and cauliflower, stir until well combined.

Spoon into a greased baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

Bake for + – 20 minutes or until the cheese topping is golden and crisp.y

 

 

Serve with a green salad, personally we ate it as is – not feeling cold salads lately.

 

 

C xx

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by bitsofcarey

Thick cream of tomato soup – the best ever!

July 21, 2010 in Meatless meals, Soups

10 Comments »

In my opinion, there is nothing like a good thick tomato soup. I make this often at home and we somehow never grow tired of it!  I use tinned tomatoes – they are packed with flavour and loads of lycopene(cancer fighting phytochemical). A bit of potato gets added to give it a lovely thick consistency. Do give it a try and I guarentee you will thank me afterwards! We had a braai over the weekend and it was icy cold outside, so I served the soup in enamel cups and we enjoyed it next to the fire. The “braaiers” appreciated it!

Most of you will have all these ingredients at home!

 

You will need:

 

2 onions or 200 g leeks, chopped

2 sticks celery (optional), chopped

30 g butter

2 cans whole plum tomatoes

2 T(30 ml) Ina paarman sundried tomato pesto or tomato paste

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes

1 cup(250ml) chicken stock (Ina or nomu)

2 T(30 ml) sugar

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 t(2 ml) nutmeg

2 bay leaves

250 ml cream

 

Saute the onions and celery in the butter until soft and aromatic.

Add the remaining ingredients except for the cream.

Cover, bring to the boil then reduce the temperature and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes. ( The potatoes take a while to cook because of the acid in the tomatoes.)

Blend the soup until smooth and velvety. Pour in the cream and heat through. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve with seed bread

 

Tip: if you don’t have cream, replace with milk or stock.

 

 

What a busy 2 weeks it has been, but I think it will get back to normal again! Shoo!

 

 

 

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by bitsofcarey

Chunky Chicken and Veg Chowder with freshly baked Beer Bread!

July 14, 2010 in Chicken, Soups

15 Comments »

 

Back to comfort food! It is raining buckets in Cape Town and I can’t think of anything better for din dins than a thick, creamy and chunky chowder. I love chowders…haddock, mussel, the list goes on…mmmm. I experimented with a chicken one this time and even baked a beer bread! Dunk hot buttery bread into the chowder and you will be on cloud 9! You might even shed a tear or two! ha ha!

 

For the chowder you will need:

 

Serves 4

 

500 ml (2 cups) milk

2 chicken breasts on the bone

250 g mixed butternut and sweet potato, cubed

2 leeks, sliced

250 g Bacon, chopped

250 ml (1 cup) peas

50 ml butter

50 ml flour

125 – 250 ml cream

 

In a large pot, bring the milk and 500 ml(2 cups) water to boil , add the chicken, butternut and potatoes, cover and cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked and veg is tender. ( I add water to the milk to prevent it from burning and bubbling over)

 

Strain – reserving the cooking liquid. Shred the chicken off the bone. Set aside.

In a frying pan, saute the bacon until crispy, the add the leeks and fry until soft, add the peas and heat through. Remove from the heat.

In the large emptied pot, melt the butter and make a roux with the flour, then add the reserved liquid and stir until slightly thickened over moderate heat. Add the cream. Bring to the boil, then add all the prepared ingredients. Heat through.

Season with salt and loads of back pepper.

 

For the Beer bread you will need:

 

This bread is just divine, it smells as if it was made with yeast! The beer gives it that “bread” taste without the fuss!

 

+- 450 ml beer of your choice

500 g self raising flour

Salt and pepper

Dried mixed herbs

 

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees

Mix the bread ingredients together and spoon into a greased loaf tin. Sprinkle with some dried herbs.

Bake for 1 hour.

 

Happy mid-week all!

 Cxx

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by bitsofcarey

“Poffertjies” with Rooibos Syrup

July 9, 2010 in Snacks, Sweet treats

17 Comments »

South African Style Doughnuts drizzled with homemade Rooibos syrup. Little mouthfuls of heaven. I got the rooibos syrup idea from a lovely cookbook called “A touch of Rooibos”.  If you have any syrup left over, use it drizzled over your french toast or an alternative syrup for baklava. So delicious and easy to make.

 

 

“Poffertjies” with Rooibos Syrup       

 Makes 30-40

 

What you will need:

600 g (4 x 250 ml) cake flour

15 g (1 1/2 pkts) instant yeast or fresh or dry equivalent

125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar

5 ml (1 t) salt

 

90 g melted butter

2 eggs, beaten

± 250 ml buttermilk

 

 Sift all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Beat the butter, eggs and buttermilk into a separate bowl.

Add the liquid and mix to form soft dough (add a little extra flour if the dough is too wet or a little extra buttermilk if the dough is too dry).

Turn it out onto a well-floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover and leave in a warm place rise (to double in size).

Take two teaspoons to form little balls with the batter.

Spoon batter into hot oil and deep fry until golden, turning once. The “poffertjies” will float to the surface.

Drain cooked poffertjies on absorbent paper towel. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve with Rooibos syrup.

 

 

For the Rooibos Syrup:

125 ml(1/2 cup)  brown sugar

125 ml(1/2 cup)  strong Rooibos tea

5 ml (1 t) corn flour

 

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Boil until syrupy.

 

 

 

Enjoy the Soccer final all!

 

Here’s to another blessed weekend! :-)

 

C xx

 

 

 

Please note: Copyright:  All pics and recipes belong to Bitsofcarey and cannot be re-used with out permission.

 

 

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by bitsofcarey

There’s nothing better than a freshly baked scone!

July 7, 2010 in Snacks, Sweet treats

10 Comments »

Most scone recipes contain ridiculous amounts of butter! Not this one…and you cant even tell. I personally don’t believe in using soft margerine in scone dough. You need COLD butter and it MUST be rubbed in – this creates that amazingly soft texture that we all love so much. The trick is also not to overwork the dough, as this makes the gluten in the flour tough. Scones are so cheap, easy and versatile! The perfect option to bake on the fly!

 

We polished these beauties off during the Netherlands vs Uruguay game…what a pleasure!

 

You will need:

2 cups self raising flour

1 t baking powder

pinch of salt

1 T castor sugar

50 g COLD butter

+ – 3/4 cup milk, yoghurt or buttermilk

 

To serve: Freshly whipped cream and strawberry jam

 

Put a pot of coffee on, by the the time it’s finished brewing, the scones will be ready to come out of the oven!

 

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl.

Grate or break the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour to form fine “breadcrumbs”.

Pour the milk into the mixture and mix together with a knife until it all clumps together.

Pat onto a floured surface (about 3 cm thick) and cut into +- 6 rounds.

Place onto a baking tray and dust with flour.

Bake for +- 8 minutes depending on the size of your scones.

Break open and serve with cream and strawberry jam!

 

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by bitsofcarey

Wokking it with Beef stir fry in black bean sauce

July 5, 2010 in Asian flavours, Meat, vegetables

10 Comments »

I’m very much into “wok” food at the moment. Just waiting for the rain to hit Cape Town again, then I will continue with my comfort food extravaganza, until then I’m wokking it! I love that dark black bean sauce that the chinese add to their beef dishes, so thought I’d give it a bash too!

 

Beef Stir fry with Black bean sauce

Serves 4

 

You will need:

 

1 T vegetable oil

+- 400 g Beef strips or sliced rump

+- 150 g egg noodles, cooked al dente

1 pkt spring onions, sliced

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red pepper

2 carrots, julienne

1/2 broccoli, broken into florets

FOR SAUCE:

3 T black bean sauce

1 t honey

2 ml corn flour

1 t soya sauce

Fresh coriander(optional – I just love it with everything!)

 

Heat oil in awok until it is smoking hot, fry the beef strips until almost done. Remove and set aside.

Add the onions and peppers, fry for a minute, then add the carrots and broccoli, fry for another minute.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together to form a paste. Add the meat back into the wok, heat through and add the sauce, continue frying until glossy and thickened. Will take no more than a few seconds. Toss in the cooked noodles and some coriander, mix well and serve immediately.

 

Dinner is served!

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