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by janicetripepi

Meat Free Monday Spicy Falafel Wraps.

April 30, 2012 in Uncategorized

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Serve in a wrap or roti with hummus, crunchy salad and fresh coriander.

I had one of those days yesterday!  As rare as crows’ teeth it was! And I just loved it.  I watched an entire season of Nikita and ‘het myself amper seer gele!  With my puppies, Bubbles and Feenix installed at my feet and Tino-the-claw-Tripepi, plonked triumphantly on top of my tummy like a plump cherry on the top of a cupcake.  Hubby was having a day with ‘the boys’ at the races and I was home alone.  It’s a rare occasion indeed when I have the entire house to myself.  My time, my music, my TV, my, my and victory of all victories, my remote!

My girlfriend Karen and I are planning a trip to Morocco later this year.  We plan to visit Marrakesh, Fez and Casablanca.  I remember seeing Shirley Temple in a movie as a little girl.  Shirley was all dressed up in a sequined frilly number that I would have given my left eye for and she was in this place called Marrakesh!    The combination of the sparkly dress and the name Marrakesh was so incredibly exotic to my little ears that I vowed to visit this place one day.  And who of us bloggers was not moved by ‘Mint Tea and Tagine’s” incredible photographs entitled Wordless Wednesdays, taken all over Morocco. Perhaps this is the year.  

I am a great believer in positive visualisation and such, so I am going to be cooking some Moroccan dishes to get me there.   I am aware of their Egyptian origins but chose to kick my Moroccan cooking off with some Falafel.  I looked this recipe up on the internet, and kind of condensed three different recipes into one.    One piece of useless trivia I picked up along the way is that, McDonald’s, Egypt sells the McFalafel, a falafel sandwich which gives us some idea of just how popular these spicy little balls are in the Middle East.

 Falafel

Makes 16

Crunchy Chick Pea Falafel.

Yum!

 

Ingredients

1 tin of chick peas

Tinned Chick Peas, Chopped Chilli & Chopped Coriander.

1 large onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

3Tbs chopped fresh coriander

2tsp ground coriander

2tsp ground cumin

½ cup flour

2tsp salt

Pepper – to taste

Chilli – finely chopped …. Put in as much as you like.

You could add other herbs or fillings such as parsley, basil or some fried brinjal or

mushrooms for a little variety.

 

 

 

Method

Drain the chick peas, place in a saucepan and cover with water.  Boil for 5 minutes and then reduce to a simmer for an hour. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Fry the onion and garlic gently for five minutes to soften.

Combine the chickpeas, fried onion and garlic, coriander, cumin, chopped chilli and coriander, salt and pepper in your food processor – pulse until all of these have combined.  Add the half a cup of flour and pulse in.  You are looking for a mixture that can be rolled into golf sized balls.

Falafel are quick and easy to make.

 

 

 

You can crumb them if you like but it’s not absolutely necessary.  Fry them in batches until they are golden brown in hot oil for two minutes and drain on kitchen paper.

Process until you have a smooth paste.

 It’s always a good idea to refrigerate anything you are going to fry for 20 minutes.  This ensures that your Falafel

won’t break up during the frying process.

Refrigerate the falafel for 20 minutes before you fry them.

Serving Suggestion

 

Meat Free Monday Felafel.

Serve in a roti, wrap or Rice wrapper with your favourite selection of crunchy salad, some hummus, chopped fresh herbs such as coriander or basil and a teaspoon or two of tahini.  These falafels are so jam packed full of flavour that no one will notice there is no meat in the meal so it’s an idea Meat Free dish that will keep the whole family happy.

 

As always

Buon Appetito

Xx

 jan

 

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by janicetripepi

Spring Rolls Two Ways … Fresh and Fried.

April 26, 2012 in Chinese Food, Hot and Sour Chili Ginger Dressing, Kylie Kwongs Recipes, Uncategorized

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Pork & Prawn Spring Rolls

Durbanites are experiencing what could almost be described as an autumn. If only the palm trees would change into beautiful shades of red or yellow. HO Hum! I am very excited with the two packets of fresh chestnuts that I bought at our local fruit and veg shop yesterday! I shall have them in a dish and roasting over a fire by the end of the weekend. I just love chestnuts … and you don’t often come across them fresh!

Our recent trip up to Champagne Sports in the Drakensberg for Easter meant a fair amount of padkos to feed the six of us and for a change I decided to make some spring rolls. I know this sounds a bit unusual as a padkos but I had both pork mince and a packet of prawns that needed to be used up… so spring rolls it was. I made the spring rolls the day before we left for the Berg and cooked a few for a snack and fried the rest the next day before we got on the road. I used a recipe from The Australian Women’s Weekly New Asian Cooking Book. I didn’t have all of the ingredients so I had to make a few changes and omitted one or two bits. But then that’s the joy of cooking isn’t it.

 Deep Fried Prawn & Pork Spring Rolls

 

 Makes 16 – 18

Ingredients

 2Tbs oil

 2 cloves garlic, chopped

 3cm ginger grated

 100g Pork Mince

Finely chop all of your ingredients.

 100g Chicken Mince – I didn’t have any to I used 125g Pork Mince & 125g Prawn Meat

 50g prawn meat, finely chopped

 2tsp sesame oil

  2 celery sticks, finely chopped

 1 small carrot finely chopped

  1/2 cup water chestnuts chopped – I left these out as I didnt have any!

  4 spring onions, chopped

  1 cup finely shredded Chinese Cabbage

   ½ cup chicken stock

  1Tbs cornflour

   2Tbs oyster sauce

   1Tbs soy sauce

   ½ tsp each of salt and white pepper

  1/4 cup cornflour, extra

  1/3 cup water

  36 small spring roll wrappers

  Oil, for deep frying

  dipping sauce – or sweet chilli sauce  * I have included a link to a fabulous Kylie Kwong Dipping Sauce at the end of this recipe.

Method

Heat 1Tbs oil in a wok or frying pan, add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.

Fry your garlic and ginger

Add the pork, chicken and prawn, stir for 3 minutes or until cooked. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sesame oil. Set aside to cool.

Once fried set aside to cool.

Wipe the wok, heat the remaining oil, add the celery, carrot, chestnuts, spring onion and cabbage and stir fry for about 2 minutes.

As you can see I didn't have Chinese Cabbage - I used a normal cabbage from Carols Vegetable Garden.

In a bowl, stir the chicken stock, cornflour, oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper until smooth.

Add to the vegetables; stir until thickened. Stir in the meat mixture.

Combine your meat & stir fried veggies with the cornflour mixture.

In a small bowl, mix the extra cornflour with the water until smooth.

Place 1 spring roll wrapper on a work surface with a corner facing you. Brush all edges with a little cornflour paste.

Brush the cornflour paste onto the outer edge of the spring roll pastry.

Spread 1Tbs of the filling across the bottom corner of the wrapper.

Place some of the mixture on the bottom corner.

Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, tuck in the sides and roll up securely.

I popped a sprig of fresh basil on top of the mixture.

Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

All ready for the frying pan.

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the rolls in batches for 2-3 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Remember to lay each spring roll into the hot oil AWAY from yourself to avoid getting burnt by splatter.

Drain on paper towels and serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

Serve with your favourite dipping sauces.

Here is the link to the Recipe for Kylie Kwong’s delicious Hot & Sour Dipping Sauce, a recipe from her fantastic cook book “My China”, which I used recently.

Kylie Kwongs Hot & Sour Dipping Sauce .... it's yummy!

Here is another link to some Fresh Thai Style Spring Rolls which are really great for a quick lunch. My Daniele makes these often as they burst with flavour and don’t require a lot of meat and have virtually no carbs in –

 so if you are watching your waist line give these a go.

You can Help Save our Rhino's!

There has been such so much sad news about the poaching of our precious African Unicorns – the Rhino. I want to just share this info with you …

if you have a friend or relative having a birthday, in hospital or just needing a good magazine why not buy them a copy of

‘Africa Geographic’s Rhino Crisis Issue at your local CNA.

They will donate R2, 50 per copy sold to Rhino Force PLUS you stand a chance to win a safari with &Beyond and Africa Geographic

where you will see rhinos in their natural environment and meet the people fighting to save them!

I wish you a wonderful Freedom Day!

As always

Buon Appetito

Xxx

jan

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by janicetripepi

Meatfree Monday: Italian Minestrone della Nonna.

April 23, 2012 in Meatfree Mondays, Pesto's, Soups, Winter Meals

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Nothing swells this Mamma’s heart more than a request for one of my recipes.  Daniele has just given up smoking and is on a health and fitness drive.

Minestrone topped with Basil Peso & Parmesan Cheese

 

 His darling of a girlfriend Suzanne, is mindful of eating too much meat, doesn’t smoke and is the gentle and supportive hand that is holding his as he climbs this mountain.  

Daniele is very much a chip off the old block and can be a bit extravagant in the kitchen and rarely looks at the cost of food in the supermarket.  But this is all changing and he has asked me to post three cost effective budget soup recipes.  He particularly asked me to start off with my minestrone recipe which is just so versatile and one of his favourites.  I ALWAYS have frozen bags of this in my freezer ready and waiting to warm someone’s tummy together with a jar of basil pesto in my fridge with which to anoint it with.

Nonna would tell me how Minestrone was the backbone of Italy in the war years and mostly served her minestrone with a little cooked pasta in it.  The joy of minestrone is that, with just a little tweaking you can change its identity and texture into three different dishes.  Max, aka. Mr Smith is not as keen on vegetables as his brother and minestrone was my secret veggie weapon when he was a little boy.  He loved it – bursting with every single veggie on the planet! All I had to do was liquidise it with a dash of cream and Max would gobble down bucket loads of it.  He would take the inside of a bread roll and roll it into little blobs , plonk them into his soup and proclaim that he had found a prawn in his soup!!  He still does this…..

 

Minestrone

1 Large Pot will feed 20 people

Now Daniele, remember that you are going to be making a big pot of this soup so you can freeze portions for another day.  You should get at least 20 – 25 portions of soup from this recipe.   I know that there are loads of veggies here, but there is no meat in this dish so cost wise this is a real winner.  The more veggies the more flavour – it’s a simple as that and your broth is perfect to make a nice cheesey Stracciatella soup with. 

You must have a good vegetable market somewhere in Cape Town – or look for a good early Saturday Morning Farmers Market.  You will get great, fresh vegetables at a good price.   Buy in bulk; you can make a great Red Thai Vegetable Curry with what you have left over.

 

Ingredients

Chop, slice & dice all your ingredients in advance.

Onions – at least 2

Garlic -

Celery – use the whole stick with the leaves.

Green Beans

Carrots

Asparagus

Cabbage

Peas

Butternut

Smoked Paprika, Oregano, Italian Herbs, Pepper & Bay Leaves ready for the pot.

 

Broccoli

Tomatoes

Spinach

2Tbs of Tomato Paste

1Tbs smoked Paprika

1Tbs dried Oregano

1Tbs Black Pepper

2 bay leaves

6 vegetable or chicken stock cubes

Fresh herbs – as many as you like, I grow parsley, thyme and rosemary in my garden so generally always add them.

Salt

2Tbs of Tomato Paste.

 

 

 

Method

Wash, peel and cut your vegetable into bite sized pieces or smaller. In a large heavy bottomed pot heat some olive oil and brown your garlic and onions.  Add all of your herbs and spices together with your tomato paste and fry for another 2 minutes then add two cups of dry white wine. 

Brown your garlic & onions then add all of the aromatics and fry for a further 2 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don’t cook with wine, use two cups of vegetable stock.  When you add the wine or stock, use a wooden spoon to scrape all the caramelisation off the bottom of the pot.  Once all of the alcohol has cooked off, add all of your chopped veggies and cover with water.  Check for seasoning – I always add some extra salt and often use my flavoured salts either in the pot or on top when I serve the soup. 

Stir the veggies well before adding the stock.

 

 Bring the pot to the boil then reduce slightly and cook until all of your veggies are cooked.   Check for seasoning.  As I make a really big pot I always have to add some extra salt and pepper to get the flavour just right.

Bring to the boil and reduce and simmer for 40 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Serving Suggestions

Serve with a good dollop of basil pesto and some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

 

Serve with a good dollop of basil pesto, grated Parmesan Cheese and some toasted Ciabbata bread.

Cook a handful of pasta separately and add to your Minestrone just before serving

Liquidise some Minestrone and add a dash of fresh cream to transform it into a Cream of Minestrone soup – serve with some feta cheese crumbled on top.

Stracciatella, for 1 person.  Strain off some minestrone broth.  In a bowl beat one egg, 1Tbs water and 2Tbs of parmesan cheese together.  Bring the broth to a rolling boil and pour in the beaten egg & cheese mixture in a thin steady stream from quite a height.  As you pour in the egg whisk the broth so the egg forms ‘the stracciatella” which means little rags in Italian.

 

Two other Meat Free Monday Soup Recipes to try!

Roasted Red Pepper, Brinjal & Tomato Soup with Naked Little Dumplings!

Roasted Tomato, Brinjal & Red Pepper soup topped with Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi ... little Italian dumplings.

 Meat Free Monday: French Onion Soup and Taglietelle Alfredo.

French Onion Soup topped with grilled Crusty Bread & Gruyere cheese.

 Today I am making a pot of Nonna’s Pea & Pancetta Soup with Rice, another winter warmer.

I just had to share this pic with you .... I found this little lady on my basil when I was gathering it to make pesto the other day. Isn't she gorgeous!

As always

Buon Appetito

Xxx

jan

 

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by janicetripepi

Lights, Camera, Action … Cooking up a Storm with I Love Cooking.

April 20, 2012 in Breakfasts, Chicken Dishes, Desserts, Janice Tripepi, Pasta Recipes, Pesto's, Sapori - Pasta Recipes, Sapori chapter 2 - The Breakfast Club, Uncategorized, Winter Meals

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Pesche Affogate … peaches poached in Italian Sparkling Wine, Lambrusco.

I don’t know why I bothered to go to bed really.  I hardly slept a wink, switching the television off and on several times in an effort to hypnotise myself into Lalla Land with some benign late night news.  I must have nodded off from sheer exhaustion at around 3.30 am and at 4.00am was awake again. I dragged myself to the kitchen and made some tea, as I boiled the kettle I was I was giving myself a jolly good talking to.  I needed to get my nerves in check and I wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

You know that all is not well when your own reflection in the bathroom mirror frightens you and I was arriving at the grim realisation that the situation had become critical.  My eyes looked like two profiteroles glued to my face and cucumber slices were all I could think of.  I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes to think about it all and examine my feeling.   My ‘light bulb’ moment struck like lightning and I sat bolt upright, energy coursing through my whole body.

This was not Fear I was feeling – it was Excitement!  In a moment I realised that this was the excitement that nine year old Janice felt the night before her birthday.  Excitement!  That’s what it was, pure and utter nine year old excitement and joyous anticipation.  Suddenly the day that had loomed like a spectre rolled out like a red carpet at my feet.  I was up bathing, shaving, coiffing and Polyfillering the cracks.  I donned my Dorothy shoes, clicked my heels together and was off on a wondrous adventure.

Anne Meyers’s beautiful home in the Strand is all but surrounded by the most magnificent beach.  The sea was gentle and sparkled in the early morning sun.  I was aware that the Two Blondes of Two Blondes and a Redhead were doing their utmost to keep me calm and relaxed.  The lighting, sound and camera crew moved silently and in unison as they weaved an intricate web of cables.  I refused breakfast, preferring to cook on an empty tummy thus ensuring plates of delicious and desirable food that I would definitely want to eat.   My questions were answered by Michelle, my face freshened up with some make-up and before I knew it I heard Anne’s “do as I tell you or I will vliksem you’ confident and commanding voice deliver the iconic phrase, “Lights, camera and Action!”

Anne warned me that an adrenalin rush would render me paralysed and it did!  I stood staring at the cameras like a stunned mullet but in no time, in the safety of my sanctuary, the kitchen, I was off like a Springbok winger.  With her encouragement and direction I soon relaxed and felt safe.  I had the most fantastic day cooking and feeding the incredibly patient and kind crew who were very keen to learn some Italian cooking tricks and recipes with which to impress girlfriends and who woofed down some taglietelle with a prawn and chorizo sauce with such gusto.

It’s not easy to watch yourself in action and I know that if I get a second chance I will be 100% improved in both delivery and confidence.  We cooked and cooked and cooked until 6pm at which time a glass of wine was placed in my hand by Michelle as I flopped into a comfy armchair and we all relaxed and had a good laugh at my many faux pas! 

I have never won any first prizes for my blog or for my cooking but on that hot summer’s day in Cape Town did I ever feel like a winner.  I realise that not everyone will ‘get’ me or my blogging style and content and I am completely comfortable with that.  Being in the public spotlight is both challenging and  ‘interesting’ and I am way more comfortable championing other people’s blogs or causes than my own.   But, I guess that I have chosen to put myself out there by blogging publically and must take the praise with the criticism, stand steadfast and stay true to myself. As they say, and in this case never a truer word was spoken, “If you can’t take the heat then stay out of the kitchen.” 

 

My ‘I Love Cooking” Day Menu

Click on any of these links below to see me in action and get the recipes for these Italian favourites.

Basil Pesto

There are just so many Italian dishes that you can use a good Basil Pesto in.

 

Basil pesto is perfect for crostini, Insalata Caprese and Pasta dishes.

Hand Made Pasta

Do you have a pasta machine gathering dust in your kitchen – making fresh pasta is incredibly easy, cost effective and tastes wonderful!

How to make fresh Taglietelle.

Involtini di Pollo al Marsala

This is an easy to make Italian favourite.  Chicken Breast Stuffed with Parma ham, tangy and easy melting Fontina cheese and Asparagus, cooked in a creamy Marsala Wine sauce.

Creamy Fontina Chees oozing out of the Stuffed Chicken Breast.

The Italian Bunny Ciao!

This is the standard Tripepi hangover cure – a crusty bread roll baked with and egg and pancetta or bacon filling with herbs. 

Sugo di Scampi

A weekend favourite, a fresh tomato based pasta sauce bursting with the flavours of succulent prawns and spicy chorizo sausage.

Spicy Chorizo and Prawn Pasta served with fresh Taglietelle.

Pesche Affogate in Lambrusco

Dreamy peaches poached in a spiced Red Lambrusco Sparkling wine served with vanilla mascarpone and crushed amaretti.

Spicy Poached Peaches with vanilla Mascarpone & Amaretti.

 

I hope you try some of these delish Italian dishes this beautiful autumn weekend.

 

My heartfelt thanks to you again and your incredible crew Anne & Michelle, for the faith you have shown in both my blog and my cooking.  

Thanks to the editors who have done a superb job and I am only too glad they didn’t include all my bloopers!!! Hehehe ….

 

 I loved every minute of it!

As always

Buon Appetito

Jan

xxx

 

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by janicetripepi

Salsiccia e Polenta .. A Romantic Venetian Dinner.

April 18, 2012 in Polenta, Pork Recipes, Venetian Food, Winter Meals

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Salsice e Polenta .... a Venetian Memory!

As our water taxi chugged and puffed its way around the last corner she came into full view and my heart leapt, it honestly nearly leapt right out of my chest.   I must have stopped breathing for a few seconds as I remember catching my breath in a dizzying gasp, and from that very moment I fell hopelessly in love with her ….. And have been ever since.  

Venice is like a magnificent jewel incrusted Baroque ring perched on the index finger of an impossibly beautiful masqued courtesan.  She is an enigma of churches, cupola’s, canals and piazzas that seem to cling to each other for dear life.  A million facades, even more balconies holding even more secrets in their shadows.

I yearn for Venice and her bars, cafe’s, frito misto’s, pasta e fagioli, polenta’s and food markets.  I had occasion to partake in the first European Conference of Crisis Lines for Abused Children when I was working for Childline in Durban.  My director and I didn’t have a small budget, we had NO budget!  We stayed in a 16th Century Monastery on the small island just off Venice free of charge, and lived on freshly sliced prosciutto’s and salumi, beautiful plump flavoured olives, warm crusty Italian cornetti which are all but hollow bread rolls and what we ate dozens of what we affectionately called “Ferrari’s”, which were the reddest tomatoes you will ever see – this all shopped from the market in Venice.  We ate like Queens!

I shall pass on one sage piece of advice to you.  If you visit Venice, don’t make the same mistake that TrickyRicky and I did.  We chose to stay in a hotel that backed on to St Mark’s Square and as the bells of St Mark’s Cathedral pealed ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT -  wardrobe doors flew open, draws jumped out of their comfy nights stands and our bed hopped across the floor!  By the morning we woke up somewhere near the door!  But Oh my madumbi’s is she the most beautiful and romantic city in the whole world!

Salsice E Polenta

This is a hearty Autumnal dish that celebrates the ‘fruits’ of the early half of the Italian hunting season, plump Italian sausages and another of

A selection of exotic mushrooms add flavour and texture to this dish.

Venice’s prized favourites, Polenta.  My rendition of this dish includes a selection of exotic mushrooms and small side bowl of my

Truffle & Porcini Mushroom Finishing Salt

 

Dried Porcini & Truffle Oil Finishing Salt.

Ingredients

 

Italian Sausages, Pancetta, Lardo, Mushrooms, Onion & Rosemary.

150g Pancetta or Smoked Streaky Bacon chopped into bite sized pieces or lardons

150g Lardo or Pork Fat chopped into bite sized pieces or lardons

1 packet – 8 Italian Sausages – or your favourite Sausage

200g mushrooms

2 onions finely chopped

1Tbs finely chopped garlic

4 sprigs of fresh Rosemary

2 glasses of dry white wine

 

Method

Place a heavy bottomed pot on your stove on a medium/hot heat and add the chopped pancetta and lardo and gently fry.  This releases the fat from the pancetta, now add your sausages and fry for about 4 minutes until they are lightly browned on both sides.

 

Once your pancetta and lardo are browned and have released their fat add the sausages.

Remove the bacon and sausages and set aside.  Now you will see that the bottom of your pot is covered in the caramelisation from the meat – this is where your sauce is going to get all its flavour from.

Add the garlic, onion and rosemary and fry until the onions are golden, then add your mushrooms and fry for two minutes.Add back the sausages and

Add in the mushrooms and fry for two minutes

bacon, season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper and fry with the onions for 2 minutes.  Don’t go wild with the salt as the pancetta and lardo are quite salty.

So the secret here is to TASTE your food, before adding the salt and pepper.

Add your wine, cook until the alcohol had cooked off and then put the lid on and leave to cook for 25 minutes.

Add the dry white wine and cook with the lid off for 3 minutes to allow all of the alcohol to evaporate.  Use a wooden spoon to scrape all of the nice flavour off the bottom of your pot into your sauce while the alcohol is cooking off. 

Once all the alcohol has cooked off, pop the lid on and reduce to a very gently simmer for 25 minutes when it will be ready.

If you don’t like to cook with wine, you can deglaze the pan with a little vegetable or chicken stock. 

Italian sausages are very thick – so if you substitute with a thinner sausage eg. pork sausage or boerewors, I would suggest that you reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Polenta

Feeds 6 people

Buttery Yellow Polenta.

This is Italy’s version of our South African staple, Mielie Meal.  Polenta is produced from yellow sweet corn as opposed to the white Mielie which is why is has such a beautiful soft yellow hue.

The rule of thumb here is 1 part polenta to 4 parts water and 1 cup of polenta will easily feed 6 people.

Ingredients

Add parmesan or pecorino cheese for flavour.

1 large cup of Polenta

3 cups of water

100g butter

1 cup of fresh cream

2 stock cubes

1 cup of grated parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese.

 

Method

My apologies for a lack of picture here – once the polenta is in the pot you must not stop stirring or your polenta will get lumpy – so picture taking was impossible.

Bring the 3 cups of water with the two stock cubes and butter to the boil.

Bring the water, chicken stock and butter to the boil.

Very slowly add the Polenta in a steady stream whilst stirring the pot constantly with a whisk.

Once all the polenta is in, keep stirring and add the cup of fresh cream and stir the polenta constantly for 4 minutes.  This is a great workout for your biceps!

That’s it!  Ready.

Pronto a tavola!

 

The polenta is traditionally poured onto a large wooden board and left for 5 minutes to cool slightly then it’s cut into portions using a piece of cotton.  Alternatively place one ladle of polenta into the centre of your plate and top it with two sausages and some sauce.

Polenta cut into portions on a board.

This is quite a rich dish so a man’s portion would be two sausages and a woman’s portion would be one.

 

Using a piece of cotton to cut the polenta into portions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TrickyRicky's Dinner Plate last nigh .....

 

Have a great Wednesday.

As always

Buon Appetito

Jan

xx

 

 

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by janicetripepi

Take it with a Pinch of Salt, 3 Special Flavoured Salts For Your Kitchen.

April 16, 2012 in Flavoured Finishing Salts, Gifts From Your Kitchen, Janice Tripepi

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Rosemary & Lenongrass Fleur du Sel, Dried Porcini & Truffle Oil Pink Salt & Smoked Paprika, dried Chilli and Curry Leaf Himalayan Salt.

Ask most cooks or chefs what the one ingredient is that they cannot do without, and most of them will answer salt.  Now I know that nature provides this in her usual abundant way but I really do cherish this snowy bounty.  Finishing any dish off with a sprinkling of homemade flavoured salts guarantees that extra little trinity of flavour, colour and aroma.

Salt is figuratively, and was once literally, worth its weight in gold.  A mere dash of a few grains of salt lifts a dish out of a drab Victorian Sepia photograph devoid of all colour into a mighty mega pixilation of resplendent beauty and mouth tingling flavour.

Salt was the currency in which Roman soldiers were paid.  The Italian word for salt is sale, ergo Salarium, a Roman Soldiers monthly stipend and we have all had a ‘salacious’ thought or two!  Since 2000BC we have been preserving our food with it and we continue to bath in it.  Let’s face it; we actually can’t live without it.

These three Finishing Salts are motivated mostly by what’s currently growing in my garden, ie. Rosemary, lemongrass and curry leaves.  Don’t make enormous quantities at any time, unless you intend to spread the joy around in the form of gifts from your kitchen.   These three finishing salts are just the ticket for winter roasts, soups and stews. 

Bubbles checking out our bounty!

It’s a real pity that these blogs don’t have a ‘scratch-and-sniff’ function.  Trickyricky got all excited when he got a hit of the Rosemary & Lemongrass fleur du Sel Salts in the lounge, thinking that I was making fresh focaccia in the kitchen. 

These aromatic grains are perfect to add a final flourish to your food and only your imagination can limit the number of tasty combinations lurking in your grocery cupboard.  At the risk of going all Martha on the crowd, they are a great way to use up old jam jars or spice bottles.

Bubbles and I had a great time picking herbs together.  She is on of those dogs who eats most of the plants in my garden most days.  Her favourite is definately lemon grass!

Lemongrass, curry leaves and rosemary for our salts.

Rosemary & Lemongrass Fleur du Sel

Fleur du Sel from Die Winkel in Paternoster.

I bought this little bag of Fleur du Sel from Die Winkel in Paternoster.  This is the culinary laboratory of our dear blogger Kobus, known to us as Sardines on Toast and I both admire and adore his passion and creativity in the kitchen.  I have travelled all the way from Durban on a few occasions in search of a plate of his extraordinary food!

Rosemary & Lemongrass Fleur du Sel

Process the salt, lemongrass & rosemary for about 3 minutes.

Ingredients

3 sprigs of Rosemary

2 stalks of lemongrass

1 cup of fleur du Sel (or any other salt)

1 jar

 

Method

This is a perfect way to use old jars up – and an old spice bottle of this makes an excellent little gift for a visitor to your kitchen.  Don’t throw away glass jars, repurpose them.

Remove all of the needles off the sprigs of rosemary.  Clean the tough outer layers of the lemongrass of until you are left with a pencil thin soft shaft of lemon heaven. Chop the lemongrass finely and combine all three ingredients in your food processor for 3 minutes.

Store in a glass jar or salt box

Perfect sprinkled on Focaccia, Grilled Fish or braai’d fish, Thai Soups and curries, and any lamb dish especially as a finishing for a rack of lamb, or braai’d lamb chops.

 

 

 

 

 

Porcini & Shitake Mushroom & Truffle Oil Himalayan Pink Salt

 

Salt of the Earth.

 

 

Dried Porcini and Shitake Mushrooms and Truffle oil - you can use any dried edible mushrooms in place of these two.

 

Ingredients

1Tbs dried Porcini Mushrooms

Finely chop the mushrooms.

1Tbs dried Shitake Mushrooms

1/2Tbs Truffle Oil

1 cup of pink Himalayan Salt

 

Method

This take a bit of muscle power but finely chop the dried mushrooms and combine them in with the salt and 1Tbs of Truffle oil in your food processor for 3 minutes.

 

Pop a few extra dried mushrooms on top and store in a glass jar.

 

Store in a glass jar or salt box

Perfect on Cauliflower soup, Mushroom Omelette, Mushroom Risotto, Butternut Risotto, Fillet Steak, Dippy soft boiled eggs (sublime) we had it for breakfast this morning,  and again any bread or Focaccia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft boiled eggs with Toast Soldiers dipped in Porcini Mushroom & Truffle Oil Salt ....

Smoked Paprika, Dried Red Chilli and Curry Leaf Rock Salt

My curry leaf bush or should I say tree!

 

In my garden I have a beautiful curry leaf bush.  These leaves are used in all of my Indian curries and have the most magnificent perfume and flavour.

 

Wars have been fought over this precious bounty.

 

Ingredients

Chopped dried Chilli & Fresh Curry Leaf

2 dried red chillies

1Tbs of smoked paprika

1 cup of rock salt – you can substitue with any other type of salt.

 

Process the salt, dried chilli and chopped curry leaves for about 3 minutes.

 Finely chop your dried chillies and combine all three ingredients in your food processor for 3 minutes.

Store in a glass jar or salt box

Fabulous over pork chops, stuffed fillet of pork, roasted tomato soup, ribs, and serve in a little dish to accompany meatballs or falafel.

 

 

Remember that you can use any salt with any number of other ingredients in your store cupboard and herb garden.  How about dried olive and rosemary salt or Lemon & thyme salt or or or …. the combinations really are endless.  Have fun – there are no rules!

 

 

I wish you a wonderful week filled with opportunity, peace and

Lashings of laughter.

 

These salts have just so many uses.

As always

Buon appetito

Xx

jan

 

 

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by janicetripepi

Spaghetti Amatriciana … Cheers, to your Jolly Good Health!

April 11, 2012 in Janice Tripepi, Pasta Recipes, Sapori - Pasta Recipes, sauces, Uncategorized

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Spaghetti all’Amatriciana!

 

This year my home has been blessed with so many visitors and house guests.  Our nephew, George and his dynamic and sparklingly awesome wife

Fun with the girls whilst cooking and beading!

Maddy, together with their son George Jnr have visited on a number of occasions.  I am now churning out bracelets, necklaces and angels as a result of these.  During one of her visits Maddy needed to stock up and took me shopping at a bead shop – say no more!  In a former life I must have been a Jackdaw or Magpie for my

Baubles, bangles, spangles and beads!

eye lights up and my mouth goes onto “auto smile” at the mere glimpse of baubles that have a high bling factor!  I never throw a glass jar away – and have a box of naked ones just waiting for some decoration ! 

Our George is a Tripepi, through and through and although we always attempt a meal at Maddy’s favourite Chinese Restaurant, China Plate and George’s favourite curry spot in Musgrave Road, Little India, he will never pass up the opportunity of a nice big plate of pasta and a laugh with his cuzzies around our table.

My heart sings at the sight of a big bowl of pasta like this .... it means that my table is well and truly full!

Amatriciana sauce originated in the region of Lazio and hails from the town of Amatrice.  The dish is traditionally made using dried pork cheek which is called Guancale.  As is the case with many Italian dishes, they have been changed over the centuries.  This is my version of Amatriciana – the addition of mushrooms, anchovies and capers is my idea of fun and I can’t find Guancale that often in Durban so have substituted with bacon.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Naughty Girls ....... always found sitting at the back of the classroom! Giggling!

 

Three bracelets and a few more tequilas later ... we were rocking and rolling!

Amatriciana Pasta Sauce

Makes 8 Servings

Preparation is key to the success of any dish!

Ingredients

2Tbs of chopped garlic

2 onions finely chopped

8 anchovies

2Tbs capers

½ tsp of smoked dried chilli (optional)

A handful – of black and green olives deseeded

2 packets of bacon chopped into bite sized pieces

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 packets of sliced or chopped mushrooms

2 glasses of dry white wine

8oog cherry or Rosa tomatoes halved

2 small tins or 1 large tin of plum tomatoes – placed in a bowl and squashed by hand

 or you can liquidise them if you prefer a smooth sauce.

1 cup of fresh basil

250ml fresh cream

200ml finely grated pecorino

2 packets of spaghetti

 

Method

In a large frying pan heat enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan to a high heat

Brown your garlic and onion for 2 minutes

Add the Anchovies and capers and cook until the anchovies have disintegrated

Browning your onion will help avoid indigestion.

Add your bacon, dried chili flakes and rosemary and brown

Add the bacon and fresh sprigs of rosemary.

Add the mushrooms and brown them too

Adding plenty of mushrooms give your sauce bulk ... to feed a large family!

So your pan is now laminated with layers of flavour – the browning of the onion, bacon and mushrooms needs to be

 lifted off the bottom of the pan and plonked into your sauce. 

This is the flavour base of your sauce and is what raises your pasta sauce up to Diva-liscious-ness!

Add about 2 glasses of good dry white wine.

Add a good two glasses of wine and cook until all of the alcohol has evapourated and then add the freshly cut and halved fresh tomatoes, cover with a lid and cook covered for about 5 minutes on a high heat. 

Add your fresh tomatoes

 

This will soften the tomatoes , now add the squashed or liquidised tinned plum tomato, season with salt, I prefer to use a stock cube or two and plenty of black pepper and bring to a boil.

Cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly and the oil on top of the sauce is red and clear.

 

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

To Assemble your plates:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook your Spaghetti

Drain well and return to the pot – add your cream and stir into the spaghetti.

ALWAYS dress your pasta before serving ... naked pasta will cling to each other ashamed and naked!

Add half of your Amatriciana Sauce and serve individual portions with a little extra sauce on the top.

I love to serve pasta in very large dishes so that each person can help themselves at the table .... A tavola!!!

My MOST IMPORTANT TIP OF THE DAY!!!

Nota Buonissimo!

NB NB NB …

  Italians absolutely NEVER serve cooked pasta without some sauce or at the very very least, a little olive oil ON IT to dress it.  The moment that the cooked pasta comes out of the water it’s been boiled in and is drained is the very moment that is perfect to add your sauce. 

This is when the pasta sucks in some of your wonderful sauce and morphs from a bowl of plain white pasta to a bowl of pure heaven. 

If you don’t add some sauce or fresh cream or olive oil OF COURSE THE PASTA WILL ALL STICK TOGETHER!!

The poor strands of pasta are clinging to each other for dear life – Naked and Ashamed of their nudity!

Haibo!  Shame on You!

Serve with a sprig of fresh basil!

Always dress your pasta before serving it!!!!

 

Have a great day

And as always

Buon Appetito

Jan

xx

 

 

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by janicetripepi

Bush Biscuits … Membry’s Walnut & Choc Chip Biscuits.

April 2, 2012 in Biscuit recipes, Janice Tripepi, Uncategorized

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Membry Maphanga's Bush Biscuits

A lone duck carves a liquid v in the water with her wake, hippo’s yawn with mouth so wide one could easily deposit a hundred Chomps in her chops and as the sun peeps one eye over the hillside, illuminating all of 22 000 hectares of the Nambiti plains, my mug of hot coffee and Membry’s Walnut & Choc chip cookie that was made, too early to mention that morning, taste like none other.

 I spent last weekend at the Nambiti Plains Private Game Lodge in the Nambiti reserve with two girlfriends. The reserve rubs shoulders with the infamous Battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal. The infamous Battle of Isandlwana was fought here; where the British Army incurred their greatest defeat until that time and was subdued by the mighty spear of the Zulu army and yet, in utter contrast, Nature rests gently where once brave soldiers bled and fell.

 I get a bit p*d off with the prototypical National Geographic portrayal of our beautiful bush. Camera pans over a watering hole teeming with wildlife, a crocodile has a go at an Impala drinking water, which by some adrenalin fuelled miracle, manages to wrestle itself free and darts off at an incredible pace, at speeds of nearly 100km an hour, in moves mother cheetah who brings down the impala with feline grace, clamps her jaw around the beasts neck and it’s all over, all while her four cubs are watching! Give me a break National Geographic; you had an entire crew of camera men camped out at that watering hole for six weeks in order to obtain enough footage for the editors to piece together with vinegar and brown paper! Shame on you!

The reality of the African bush is so different to said television portrayals. The delicate balance between fauna and flora is as beautiful and delicate as a sunrise and literally takes ones breath away. The Nambiti plains stretch out as far as the eye can see and proudly boasts the big five. There is no bating of animals here and one is never guaranteed sightings by overzealous rangers; this sits well with my soul. I don’t like the idea of luring animals to viewfinders with dead carcasses. The Nambiti Hills Lodge is the epitome of contemporary good taste, the décor is fabulous and ones’ every whim is pre-empted right down to a nice cool or warm face cloth drenched in authentic African Aromas and the appropriate libation to cool or warm ones cockles. Your stay is wrapped in the tones and textures of the Nambiti Plains and the food an African celebration. Our dinner in the lantern lit Boma was outstanding – with meat perfectly braai’d and with all of the accoutrements of a traditional bush braai – from homemade spiced pumpkin bread, roasted seasonal veggies, cabbage salad (to die for!!!), potato salad, beef fillet, luscious lamb cutlets that were just out of this world, boerewors, pap and sous … dessert was a biscuit cup containing two table spoons of heaven!

The gentle giants of the bush.

 With a carpet of magical stars above us and lanterns all around us, the sounds of the bush and a crackling log fire, dinner felt like a bit of an African fairy tale. It was an agonisingly exquisite moment!

When your soul needs soothing and your heart needs warming, when ailing energies need reviving and friendships are worthy of celebrating, I suggest that you head for the African bush. We are so incredibly blessed to be able to see our wildlife in their natural habitat, to smell the heady aroma of bush mint at sunset and to be humbled by the paralysing stare and majesty of Madoda, the Alpha Male lion who didn’t take his eyes off us but did allow us to watch his three, four month old cubs at play. To see a massive mother Rhino gently attending to her baby was such an unforgettable sight and, who knows, if in ten years we will still be able to do so. We arrived with the stress and strains of life, love and work strapped to our backs and left light footed a smiling from ear to ear.

African textures ...

 

 Membry Maphanga’s Forest Walnut & Choc Chip Cookies

I have to share Membry’s awesome choc chip cookie recipe with you. I rise at 4.45am every day to go and swim at the beach bathes and when I get home I love a steaming hot cappuccino with either a rusk or a biscuit. One bite and you will be magically transported to one of the many watering holes on the Nambiti Plains …

 I love Africa!

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

All of the ingredients for our heavenly bush biscuits.

½ cup margarine

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup castor sugar

2 eggs

1Tbs milk

2Tbs vanilla essence

2 cups sifted flour

1Tbs baking powder

1Tbs Bicarbonate of soda

400g chocolate chips

 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

 2 cups oats

 

Method

Cream margarine, butter and sugar together until fluffy

Add eggs milk vanilla essence until smooth

Add the eggs

 

Sift and add baking powder flour and bicarbonate of soda

Yum!

Fold in oats nuts and chocolate chips

Choc Chip Heaven!

Cover and refrigerate for one hour

Roll into golf ball size and place on try, flatten with for decoration but DON’T demolish

Ready for the oven!

 Bake at 180d for 8 – 10 minutes Should make 40 – 50 medium sized biscuits

 

They are simply awesome dunked into a nice cup of espresso!

 As always

Buon Appetito

and may your week be as relaxed and beautiful as this …

A wonderful afternoon lap on our deck overlooking the Nambiti Plains!

 

My besties enjoy the moment! Happy Birthday Kami xxx

xxx

jan

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