Yesterday we did our 6 weekly trek across the peninsula for brownieboys xrays and check up with his specialist. The news is good blogland and we are elated!! The doc is thrilled with his progress, the bone grafted into the spine has “taken” well and bb can start doing things without the aid of his corset and stick, excepting for distance driving or walking. WHOOHOO!!! Thank you once again to each and every one of your fabulous people for all the love, care, support, prayers and comfort that you have given us and uttered on our behalf. We so value and appreciate all of you. The journey is ongoing and bb will start extending his days at work next week and if he behaves himself he might even be able to do a bit of mountain climbing with Tyler by New Year )

This pic of Jay, that I took yesterday, should show you how we are all feeling right now……..

Now onto some food……I have re-started my journey to a healthier lifestyle so am focusing at the moment on trying to sort out healthy, low GI/GL meals for us. Well, mainly for myself as I still have to fatten the man of the house up a wee bit – its a case in this house of Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean LOL! But the low GI is so healthy and good for one so he is going to be partaking of it as well, in between all the other stuff he will be getting.

So last night I made pan grilled chicken breast fillets (I used that nice seasoning that I blogged about a few blog posts ago) and as an accompaniment for it I made a delicious green salsa that I adapted from a recipe I found in a heart health magazine while we were waiting for xray results ) I served a mixed garden salad with it and a baked potato for bb and boiled baby potatoes (lower GI than big potatoes) for myself. I did not add any butter to my taties, just added a tiny drop on olive oil to the saucepan when they were done and then lightly browned them in that….delicious!!

Here is how I made the salsa:

1 Cup Basil – washed and roughly chopped

1 Cup Italian Flatleaf Parsley – washed and roughly chopped

2 Cloves Garlic – peeled and bashed slightly

1/4 Cup Raw unpeeled Almonds – lightly toasted in a dry pan

1/2 Lemon – finely grated zest

1/4 Green Chilli – use more if you want it spicy

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil – I used Willow Creek Lemon Infused (my fave)

100ml Verjuice

Sea Salt Flakes & freshly ground Black Pepper

Place the first 7 ingredients in a deep bowl and whizz with a stick blender (or use your processor if you have one) until a rough paste

Add the verjuice and seasoning to taste

If you want it a bit more moist you can add a bit more olive oil. I added 1 tsp plain low fat yoghurt to mine

EDIT: I have been asked what verjuice is…..so for those who do not know here is an explanation……

The word verjuice derives from the French ‘vert jus’ or ‘verjus’ and literally means, “green juice”. It is the unfermented juice of semi-ripe grapes from the green-harvested, thinnings of premium red and white noble grape varieties. These trimmings are high in acid and low in sugar and can often account for up to 50% of the total crop which is usually discarded. This zesty juice is enjoyed as an elegant, delicate culinary condiment for a range of dishes as wide as the inventive chef’s imagination.

Because it shares the same acid base as wine, verjuice will not distort the essence of wine, the way vinegar or lemon juice would and thus it is the perfect alternative condiment to use when quality wines are being served with a meal.

Verjuice is a premium, natural flavour enhancer and therefore adds dimension and richness to your cooking.

It is also delicious as a healthy cordial, diluted with still or sparkling water, neat as an aperitif sloshed over crushed ice or, as a mixer for cocktails and sours.

Verjuice has an affinity with nut oils and combines particularly well with walnut and hazelnut oils and of course, emulsifies superbly with olive oil. Note: Avoid combining verjuice with premium, peppery, bitter-fruit olive oils. Opt for a milder, creamier olive oil that will not mask the sweet-sour flavours of verjuice. This is one instance where the best (olive oil) is not necessarily the right choice. See more on the Verjuice Website here

I leave you for the weekend with a photo taken of the stunning view from Seaforth Restaurant in Simonstown. We had such a lovely evening and meal there earlier this week. Our waitron Kenneth needs a special mention. What an asset he is to the staff there!!

Have yourselves a wonderful weekend blogland. To those who are attending the MOB have a great one and drive safely!

And remember there are only 28 sleeps left till Christmas….

I am off to see what we will be baking for Pinky Friday )

browniegirl xxx

Just popping in to say a quick Hi and to let you know that all is well. Contrary to speculation I have not been abducted by the Letterdash aliens (you can put away those tinfoil hats and bleach now) but I am a bit stretched time wise at the moment and am battling to get everything done. I will be back as soon as I get a moment to spare with the Red Pepper Jelly recipe that I have promised. In the meantime we have had some stunning sunsets over the last couple of days and this sunset chaser was privileged to experience a couple. The one evening we arrived at the same time as a photographer and snazzily but “overdressed for the beach” male model who then proceeded to entertain us with his poses and antics hehe…… 

On Friday Tyler asked if he could go see a sunset as he has not seen one since his Papa’s accident so we went again (I did not need much arm twisting)…and this time a bride and groom arrived with a photographer so we were entertained again. Tyler was so excited and demanded we stay until he saw them kissing LOL!!!

We didn’t do any Pinky Friday baking (because Tyler has cottoned onto Farmville and Fishville and had hijacked my computer) and on Saturday he and brownieboy had their first official fun day together (well half a day as bb can’t do too much yet) and they visited Imhoff Farm and Higgeldy Piggeldy Animal Farm. He petted and fed all the animals (he just loves any animals and creatures from snakes to snails!!) and got to ride on one of the camels and also got a lesson on camels and can now tell you anything you want to know about them )

Promise I will be back as soon as possible. And maybe even with some exciting news - in the near future – for foodie bloggers and wannabe foodie bloggers!!! Watch this space………..

Hugs from an overcast & drizzly Fish Hoek

browniegirl xxx

Edit: Just pass your mouse over the photographs for explanatory titles ) Thanx Dinx who told Toks who told me how to do it..

I have been promising my recipe for Red Pepper Jelly to Jo over at Rockstar Rehab for a little while now. Sorry Jo, been so busy and also struggling a lot with physical infirmities over here. But never too late eh? I thought I would start with making the pectin for the jelly. Jo asked what pectin was so here is a brief explanation from the online Encyclopaedia Brittanica 

“Pectin is a water-soluble carbohydrate substance found in the cell walls and intercellular tissues of certain plants. In the fruits of plants, pectin helps keep the walls of adjacent cells joined together. Immature fruits contain the precursor substance protopectin, which is converted to pectin and becomes more water-soluble as ripening proceeds. At this stage the pectin helps ripening fruits to remain firm and retain their shape. As a fruit becomes overripe, the pectin in it is broken down to simple sugars that are completely water-soluble. As a result, the overripe fruit becomes soft and begins to lose its shape.

Because of its ability to form a thick gel-like solution, pectin is used commercially in the preparation of jellies, jams, and marmalades. Its thickening properties also make it useful in the confectionery, pharmaceutical, and textile industries.” Do read more on it if you would like to…..

I make my own pectin from apples. I have never bought commercially available pectin powder to make jam or jellies.

Here is my recipe that I have used, very successfully, for years……..

HOMEMADE APPLE PECTIN

1.5kg under ripe Granny Smith apples, washed and ¼ ‘d (including peels and cores)

3 Lemons – juice and pips

10 cups water

Large saucepan

Strainer

Muslin or cheesecloth (available from fabric shops)

Large jug or bowl

1. In a large saucepan, over high heat, bring the apples, lemon juice and water to a rolling boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes until tender.
3. Remove from the heat and cool.
4. Line a large bowl with dampened muslin.
5. Pour the pulp and juice through the muslin. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth, and tie in a knot. Tie with string and suspend from a hook on a cupboard door handle and allow it to drip into a bowl overnight. Do not squeeze the muslin as this will result in cloudy jelly when you make it.
6. The next day, measure the apple juice and pour into a large pot. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced by half.
7. Pour into clean sterilized bottles. Refrigerate and use within 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months

The pectin looks cloudy but when it is boiled with sugar and fruit to make jelly it becomes clear

Delicious ready to use apple puree

I always have a few bottles of pectin in my freezer.

Once all the juice has dripped from the apples I open up the muslin bag, remove all the pulp from the cores and peels (use fingers to do this), discard the peels and cores. Return the pureed apple to a medium sized saucepan with a dash of salt, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a little brown sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Cool and keep in fridge for up to a week or freeze for when you need it. Makes a wonderful accompaniment to pork or to use when making apple crumble or apple bars – add more sugar if using it for this.

PS Wash your muslin cloth immediately in warm soapy water, rinse and dry well then pack it away for next time. I have used mine for many years already )

browniegirl xxx

Good afternoon blogland. I was going to post this yesterday but it took so long to do my extravagant dinner post that I had to leave this one till today. And now it is late and I am running around like a chicken without a head trying to do a whole armload of stuff yet again. And I just know its going to take ages again to post the pics through the letterdash editor…ai, I can’t say I am enjoying doing this……it used to go much quicker……I wish the album could default to the current month and only load the photos in it…or the particular album you need..not the hundreds of photos in all the albums at once. It takes forever this way!!! Why bother to make different monthly albums if it doesnt do that I ask you??????? And it still wont allow you to work in word and then copy and paste and keep the style, font, size, format etc!!! Aaarrgghhh!!! OK!! My rant is over…………..

So, Saturday was the big boy birthday. My grandson Ty was a fabulous birthday gift for his daddy on his 30th birthday. He was born in London 14 November 2003. It seems like yesterday!! These nanna hands were the very first human hands to touch that precious bundle. Having been a midwife many years ago I was allowed to actively participate in Ty’s birth. It was the most amazing experience and he and I have always shared a special bond. I was also there a month later when he almost died and had to administer CPR to get him breathing again. Having said that….Ty and his papa share an even closer bond I somehow think……and no, brownieboy was NOT in the labour ward. He was back home in Cape Town keeping the homefires burning. Anyhooooo, I digress, so this year the birthday boy’s request was to have a Ben 10 party….the young hero is all the rage at the moment and it just so happens that when you are trying to find Ben 10 anything there either is no stock or it is outrageously priced LOL!! So after a fair bit of a run around SD and I managed to find some stickers, serviettes and other bits ‘n bobs and I managed to get my hands on an edible cake topper. Ty was beyond excited about all this and he told us all that NOBODY but he could eat the fire guy (I think his name is actually Heat Blaster or something)!! He also wanted the snake man with his python/boa constrictor to come to his party but boy oh boy it’s expensive……R750 for an hour or so at a kids party…….so out the window went that idea. Second best was “OK, so then I will have Puddles the clown” LOL!!! We have told our son to get out of the IT industry where he is struggling along and buy himself a colourful outfit with big shoes, a unicycle and to learn how to fold balloons. The rest comes naturally to him ) The clown fee was R1,200 for an hour and a half!!! So out the window flew the clown as well………..poor Ty was quite devastated!! Anyway his dad and a friend decided they would organize a couple of paint ball guns and some paint balls and they made some targets that were fastened onto the hedge. SD also tackled the making of a pinata which caused a few headaches before finally “WHOOOHOOO the paper mache dried” and it was ready just in time to be decorated and filled with 400 individually wrapped candies. Some cheapo water pistols and water bombs (Osmans is great!!!) and the stage was set for a wild wet fun filled afternoon with much shrieking and laughter (more from the adults I think LOL!!) The kids loved the target shooting. Brownieboy did a fine job of being a modern day male Mary Poppins and kept using his walking stick handle to haul back the two toddlers Jay and his little friend Madelynne out of the line of fire hehe….after that it was time for the pinata…….Oh my word, I have not laughed so much in a long long time. It was hysterical to watch…..those blindfolded kids had a ball smashing that paper mache ball to pieces with a broomstick. Constrictors and clowns were looooong forgotten. When it finally broke open and the candy started raining down…….I kept having image flashbacks of our times in Plett where we feed the birds and the ravenous guinea fowl just shout raucously and descend in a heap of feathers and claws, intent on getting every scrap for themselves - this was how the kids were descending on the sweeties…..forgetting the danger from the blindfolded kid wildly wielding the weapon that was bashing the pinata. I was screaming for them to be careful, watch out, get back, move out of the way…..hehe….fortunately there were no injuries. The adults were great, especially the other birthday boy, SIL, who should get full marks for being a very interactive involved daddy at his kids party )

Anyway, here are just a few photies……the cake turned out wonderfully well. If you can get the edible sheets its really worth it. They are not cheap at R50 for a sheet the size of A4 paper or 12 cupcake toppers. They are a little bit fiddly to work with. The instructions say 2-3 minutes in a 70deg Celcius oven. I did it for exactly 2 minutes and it started cracking…..so I called it my decoupage cake WAAAHAAA but it didn’t look too bad once the rest of the decorating was done. Learn from my mistakes and check if it will peel off the backing sheet after 1 minute in the oven. You can always repeat it again if needed….

I made my hot milk & oil vanilla sponge cake with french buttercream frosting

I just left the orange out of it this time and as a filling I used caramel.

Do boil your own condensed milk. It is sooo much tastier than the bought caramel. I do a few tins at a time as I use it fairly often. I use a deep saucepan (pasta pot is ideal), cover the tins well with water, bring to the boil then boil for 1 1/2 hours watching it carefully and replacing with boiling water from the kettle as needed. Believe me you do not want the tins to be exposed during cooking. Exploding cans catapult boiling hot caramel all over the place and it can cause dreadful burn injuries. It also takes a lot of labour to clean the stalactites of caramel off the ceiling )

Pinata fun!!!

The hunter and the hunted…..

Balloon fun…..Stay back Madelynne, it’s dangerous…love you Papa

Jay had a ball!!! Aaaaw looking very sad that the cake is being destroyed hehe….

Once all the kids had gone it was time for the BIG clean-up and getting ready for the adult evening party. Ty had a few of his friends coming with parents so it was our duty to cart Wildman Jay off to our house for the night so they could party in peace….I was very nervous about that at that little guy is indeed wild, he is fearless and he cant see properly LOL!!Into everything at this stage and climbs like a monkey!He was super good actually and it all turned out OK…after he stopped sounding like a catawauling tom cat on the prowl with his big voice calling Mum….MUUUM!!! Daddeeee, Dad at the front door……and gave in to the fact that is was Nan or nothing!!!

Peace reigneth…that flippin light stick has to go everywhere with him !!

SIL asked me to make him my famous death by chocolate cake cake for HIS party….slathered in dark chocolate ganache. Hmmmm good for the soul )

Happy Birthday boys……..until next year!!!

Hugs,

browniegirl xxx

Righteo then, it has been a hectic few days since I last told you that brownieboy and I had been invited out for a wonderful fine dining experience…..my apologies for the delay in reporting back blogland….but SIL and grandson Ty had their birthday on Saturday and I had to do the baking as you lot all know!! And then to add insult to injury we had to babysit Wildman Jay on Saturday night so the boys could party in peace!! LOL!! When that little fella is around there is NO TIME for anything else )

Anyway……first things first…….the report back!!

A few weeks ago we were invited by Granny Hen to a dinner for friends on Thursday night. Now as you might or might not know, GH won a fabulous prize with M-Net and she and OC arrived in Cape Town on Wednesday (transported here by Mango Airlines). They were whisked from the Airport to the Table Bay Hotel at the VA by means of a luxury Merc E Class courtesy car. On arrival they were welcomed by the GM and staff and booked into their suite up on the 7th floor with a wonderful panoramic view of the VA and Cape Town……GH has been babbling on ever since about fruit baskets, spa baths, Camelot Spa treatments, food, celebrity status and (pretend) rich & (in)famous since then….I don’t know so much about the pretend part………they fitted in very well there in amongst all the elegance and extravagance……and as for infamous??? Well, she said it not me HAHA!!! But what an amazing prize. 5 nights as guests of the hotel and a host of other things included…….among other things the dinner  for up to 10 friends at the Captains Table in the Atlantic Restaurant to the value of R10,000……yep folks, that works out at R1000 per person. Who ever would’ve thought that you could spend that much on one person sitting around a dinner table for a couple of hours…???

It had been touch and go as to whether we would attend seeing as brownieboy had the fractured spine. But he is no slouch in the recovery department and has progressed well to date. The decision was made almost at the 11th hour to attend and so we set off excitedly on Thursday evening, in the pouring rain with brownieboy all corseted up and instructions to bring his special back friendly chair seat with us. Arrived at the Table Bay and walked into the foyer and were immediately swept up by generous hugs and welcomes from Granny Hen and OC (which incidentally stands for Old Cock if you lot don’t know hehe). What absolutely fabulous people. Friendly, loving and full of fun with great sense of humour. They made us feel so at home and we proceeded to have a wonderful evening of fun and raucous laughter (against this beautiful backdrop)

interspersed with excellent service amid delicate slurping of Moet & Chandon champagne

(ooooh yeah baby!!!),

……………………..

Elsenham Artesian Water,

the one in the tall square bottles *blink blink* expensive water

……………………….

fabulous starters – over the lips, over the gums, watch out tummy here it comes HAHA!!

(Deconstructed) Prawn Cocktail with Beluga Caviar, Asparagus,

Snails – the fork says it all Mildred (that would be Belinda’s older cousin) and French Onion Soup

……………………..

then we got our palates thoroughly cleansed (in preparation for the taste sensation to come)……

Yellow for the boys, pink for the girls teehee…..

……………………

wonderful tasty main dishes from chef Dallas Orr’s fine dining selection

kabeljou, rib eye steak, chateaubriand, baked veg in phyllo parcel

As you all know I am a sucker for bowls of all shape and size and these eye catching ones made me covet

You can never have enough in your arsenal as a food blogger (“,)

…………………………….

and then, of course because no fine dining experience would be complete without it,  the piece de resistance for any browniegirl of worth…………..

fabulous dessert!!!!!!! The sugar work was stunning!!

Tart au citron with raspberry sorbet, “something” Huguenot(hehe) which was

vanilla sponge soaked in french cognac with fruit salad

homemade ice cream in brandy snap baskets, coconut & white chocolate creme brulee

fabulous cheese platter

………………………

 and the grande finale (for us anyway) 

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2004 -  the re-creation of the famous Constantia wine made in the 18th and 19th centuries, favoured by Napoleon Bonaparte who, I believe, sent his ships to the Cape to fetch his supplies. It is made from raisined Muscat de Frontignan grapes, believed to be from the same clones that were originally planted in Constantia, matured in French Oak barrels and bottled in replicas of the original 500ml bottle. The total maturation time in the cellar for the 2004 vintage which we (thoroughly) enjoyed is around 4 years. When our lovely wine dude Dominic poured that deep golden natural (unfortified) sweet wine into our glasses I just knew I was in for an experience that I will most definitely not repeat in this lifetime…maybe there will be Vin de Constance & Moet in heaven…I hope so hehe. 

These were placed on the table just as we were saying our goodbyes

to the rest of the party who were settling in for some more fun over coffee & cognac/liqueurs - brownieboy’s back had had enough punishment for the day. So no, I never got to see the spa bath upstairs, or the bedroom! But I did look very carefully on the facebook pics and saw no sign of a chandelier!!!!!!

…………………………

And that, in short, is a description of our once in a lifetime treat around The Captain’s Table in the Atlantic Restaurant in The Table Bay Hotel. I hope this post has allowed you, dear readers, to live a little vicariously through me……just for a moment or two.

Thank you so much Granny Hen (& her OC) for inviting us to share in this fabulous prize of yours and for introducing us to vivacious & highly entertaining Ananda Russ(catch her on CCFm the 1st Wednesday of every month on Morning Rondevouz) and her lovely hubby and Meezie - one of blogland’s delightful bloggers who is currently a lurker, and her equally lovely hubby. Who would’ve thought that someone who looks so young could be a granny??????? Hehe…hello Meezie, was lovely to meet you too :o)

Sorry, no photos of the party goers, they all need to maintain their anonymity and infamity (“,)

Now this has taken me the better part of Monday to put together (Letterdash rage and the album editor is enough to drive me to drink….but hang on a minute…..I dont have any Moet in the house, just the cake brandy teehee!!) so best I move on and get other things done. I have another post to do about the birthday weekend. Oi vey! This could take forever. I didn’t even get a chance to do Polkies Friday Food Quiz. Sorry girl…next time )

Have a great week blogland….back to home reality for Granny Hen who flies back (to where she came from) this evening )

browniegirl xxx

I’m just running in to tell you all that I will blog about our wonderful dining experience at the Atlantic Restaurant as soon as I can! I know you lot are all waiting with bated breath to hear all about it so thought I would come and tell you to take a breather and get some oxygen into your lungs. You are going blue HAHA!! All I can tell you right now is that it was an amazing evening ) Oh ja, and brownieboy managed so well until about 10.30 and then we had to leave the others to enjoy liqeuers and cognacs without us as he could not manage another minute. Soooooo this half blind as a bat browniegirl had to drive home in the pouring rain!! Thank goodness for the Moet is all I can say hehe…….those little zingy bubbles kept me going )

I am having a hectic day in the kitchen with Ben 10 and death by chocolate and whatever else……SD told me this morning that SIL wants my death by chocolate cake for tomorrow….and of course we all know that Tyler is Ben 10 verskrik so that is what he is getting….my boiled milk vanilla sponge with French Buttercream frosting….he is beside himself with excitement. Told me he can’t possibly come for Pinky Friday today as he is filling party packs and helping his mom fill the pinata with candy ) So its a night off for me (well not really seeing as I am already baking) but tomorrow night will make up for it in bucketloads when I have to have Wildman Jay for the night……ooooh boy!! I’m wondering how I can knock him out hehe. Maybe I should’ve nicked one of them big bottles of Moet & Chandon last night so that I could knock myself out and allow him free reign until he falls down )

OK, I’m outta here. Can hear the oven timer going……..and the chocolate smells divine!! )

Have a grand weekend everyone. Remember, keep it real. Don’t drink and drive please!! To those who are attending Granny Hen’s MOB tomorrow – enjoy!! What a special lady!! She doesn’t look anything like a granny……or a hen for that matter teehee….and OC isn’t half bad either ;o)

Hugs

browniegirl xxx

Just a quick pop in to say HI and to tell you all that this gal is in for a special treat this evening…………..

As we speak I am titivating (How do you spell that???)….a thing I don’t do very often…no, make that never teehee……see? I’m even giggling ) In fact…….I’m so afraid I am going to look like this when I get there……….

 Why do my links to animated blinking pictures and art never work????

You see, we have been invited out for a fancy schmancy wickedly expensive, elegant, exquisite and extravagant (unjustifiably so but who am I to complain??) dinner tonight. We are dining here

at the private 10 seater Captain’s Table

A fabulously fine dining experience awaits us……..

Now, I wonder if brownieboy will make it??? We have been in two minds about this all along…..will he? Won’t he? Its a long evening of sitting…can his back take it? Will he have to pace? Can he walk in there with his special seat cushion?? He is resting for the afternoon especially as he refuses to stay home…..I could’ve taken a special girlfriend but would he allow that?? NOOOOOOO!!! He even shaved off his little “mo” that he has been growing for Movember (go read about this very worthy cause guys!!) as it looked too grey and scraggly for his liking teehee…so if you want to sponsor someone best you give me a shout and send moola donations for my son GITS who has en extremely sexy good looking one already )

Man, I’m starving………….I haven’t eaten all day, like I said, I’m too busy titivating

titivate, tittivate ['t?t??ve?t]

2. (tr) to smarten up (a thing) to titivate a restaurant

If you live in the Western Cape (or are about to hit our shores for a visit – hello Granny Hen ) then you will (or soon will) know that we are experiencing a long snap of winter weather…it is driving some people crazy!! Each time we think it is over and Spring will return the next cold front rolls in over the Atlantic. I keep looking out of the window when I see a bit of watery sun and sure enough…..there is the next cloud bank blowing in from Kommetjie with the north westerly gale….aijaijai!! But, having said that…….. the perfect weather for some heat in the kitchen & some serious comfort cooking (& eating of course…..) I was in our local supermarket the other day and found some stunningly large juicy looking lamb shanks that had my name stamped all over them in bright blue ink.  I made the tastiest lamb shank dish that we have enjoyed over two days…….the aromas of that, together with the cinnamon and fruity smells of my baking Christmas cakes must’ve been enough to drive my neighbours to distraction hehe… 

Serves 2

2 Lamb Shanks

2 Onions – chopped into small dice

1 Carrot – chopped into small dice
2 Celery Sticks – chopped into small dice

1 Punnet Baby Button Mushrooms – sliced

2-4 Cloves Garlic – peeled and finely chopped or grated
Good glug Olive Oil
Knob Butter

Fresh Thyme – few sprigs (I just popped the whole sprigs in)
1 Bay Leaf
2 Oranges – juice and finely grated zest
1 Lemon – juice and finely grated zest
3  Tomatoes – peeled and chopped (or 1 can tomatoes)
250 ml Red Wine (or Verjuice)
250ml Water or Stock
Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper

½ tsp Ras El Hanout (or use a mix of cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cloves, cardamom & Star Anise)

Pinch Chilli Flakes

2 tsp Sugar

2 Potatoes – peeled and cubed into medium sized dice
Fresh Parsley & Mint – finely chopped

Heat oil and butter in large saucepan or deep frying pan, season then quickly brown the lamb shanks then transfer to a deep casserole dish with a lid, cover and set aside and keep warm (I baptised my new slow cooker!!)

Add the mirepoix (hehe I like that word – it means finely chopped up onion, carrot & celery) to the pan with a bit more butter & saute gently until limp and glazed – don’t let the veggies brown. Add the mushrooms and turn up the heat gently to sauté until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates

Add the thyme, bay leaf, garlic, tomato, wine, spices, chilli, citrus zest & juice and stock or water. Bring to the boil, add the sugar and lower heat to simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180deg C

Pour the mixture over the shanks in the casserole dish and cover with its lid or use aluminium foil if you don’t have a lidded casserole. Cook for about 1 ½ hours then add the potatoes. Cook another hour or so until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone and the potatoes are cooked. (I did it all day in my slow cooker) I also added a few chopped dried apricots at this stage

Remove the shanks from the casserole and keep covered with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the sauce a bit by boiling on top of the stove if you think it is necessary. I prefer this method rather than thickening with flour

Add the zest and juice of another ½ orange (or lemon depending which citrus you want it to taste more of….)

Stir in the parsley and mint (keep a pinch or two for garnishing)

Serve the shanks (with the sauce) on a bed of rice, couscous, quinoa or garlicky mashed potatoes. Garnish with the last bit of chopped herbs.

A stunning meal. The lamb shanks that I bought at our local supermarket were so big that brownieboy and I shared one and had the other one last night. Even more YUMMY on day 2!!!

Now, I do hope the weather clears up otherwise Granny Hen, granny & Simon are going to complain bitterly, Jasmine is going to go on another wine drinking spree and Tyler is going to have a hissy fit of note (as will his parents hehe) It is his 6th birthday on Saturday (and his daddy’s of course) and there are big plans afoot for a Ben 10 party……that includes a pinata that is proving very difficult to make in this damp weather teehee…and of course a Ben 10 cake that his granny has been commissioned to make…So wish me luck as you wave me goodbye )

Warm Wacky Wednesday hugs from a cold wet windswept Cape Town (can you say that 5 times very fast???)

browniegirl xxx

ps This editor is driving me more to distraction than all the bad weather in Cape Town….

Here are my answers to Pink Polka Dot’s newest food quiz

1. What is “Au gratin”?

 A DISH THAT IS COVERED WITH BREADCRUMBS BUTTER & CHEESE (NOT ALWAYS CHEESE) THEN PLACED UNDER THE HOT GRILL UNTIL BUBBLING AND GOLDEN BROWN

2. What is a challah and give another name for it?

A BRAIDED JEWISH BREAD; ANOTHER NAME FOR IT IS KITKE AND IT IS YUMMOS!!

3. What do Calendulas (marigolds), Daylilies and Hibiscus have in common?

 THEY ARE ALL EDIBLE FLOWERS

4. Give another name for soybean curd and what is it?

 TOFU – HIGH PROTEIN CURDS FROM CURDLED SOY MILK. I DONT LIKE IT!!

5. Strawberries are native to which country?

AMERICA – I THINK!!  

6. Name the vegetable on which the ancient Egyptians placed their right hands when taking an oath.

 ONION

7. What fruits are crossed to produce a nectarine?

IS THIS A TRICK QUESTION??? IT IS NOT A CROSS BETWEEN FRUITS BUT A SMOOTH SKINNED PEACH

8. Which country produces two-thirds of the world’s vanilla?

 MADAGASCAR

9. What are prunes?

YOU GET A FRESH FRUIT CALLED A PRUNE. IT IS A SMALL OVAL VERY SWEET PLUM. THE DRIED FRUIT VARIETY ARE DRIED PLUMS

10. What sticky sweetener was traditionally used as an antiseptic to treat cuts and burns?

 HONEY

11. Name the Italian Christmas cake?

 PANNETONE – IF IT WEREN’T SO EXPENSIVE I WOULD EAT IT ALL THE TIME. MAKES DELISHY BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING )

12. How does double cream differ from single cream?

 DOUBLE CREAM HAS A MUCH HIGHER FAT CONTENT THAN SINGLE CREAM

13. Which condiment throughout history has frequently been valued equal to or more precious than gold?

 OLIVE OIL????? SAFFRON??? SALT??? CINNAMON????? BALSAMIC VINEGAR??? I’M NOT SURE ACTUALLY

14. To what temperature would you boil sugar to get it to the hard ball stage?

 125-130DEG

15. What seeds are commonly associated with rye bread?

CARAWAY SEEDS

Yesterday I was in the kitchen all day baking Christmas cakes and by the time I had to start thinking about cooking supper I had about zero energy left and a very sore back for my troubles!! I had a pack of filleted chicken breasts to hand as those always cook fairly quickly…what to do with them….the chicken friccassee that bb loves so much? Nah, didn’t have the energy to chop an onion……chicken schnitzels? NAH….didn’t feel like making breadcrumbs! Hmmmmm what to do……………then my eye spied a little packet in my grocery cupboard…AHA!!! Just what I needed )

A couple of weeks ago I was in Woolworths and picked up a little packet of what was then a new product called Summer Sizzle Seasoning. I tossed it into the cupboard and thought I would wait for summer as it was still freezing cold in Cape Town at that time!!

Summer Sizzle Seasoning

For a seriously quick & easy meal I just pounded the chicken fillets between two pieces of cling wrap until they were a bit thinner. I just brushed each one with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkled liberally with the seasoning and a grinding of black pepper. I then pan seared them in a dry medium hot frying pan about two minutes on each side. By the time they were done the potatoes had baked in the microwave and I had thrown together a small mixed garden salad with Danish style Feta and dressed it with a teensy glug of Willow Creek Lemon Infused Olive Oil and a light squeeze of Black Gold!

Voila!! I can really recommend the Summer Sizzle Seasoning, it is delicious and will work on lamb, fish, pork or even sprinkled over veggies for braaiing or roasting.

 A stunning meal done inside of 10 minutes from beginning to end. And healthy too

(well, except for that buttery baked potato teehee….

Enjoy your Friday lunch everyone….

browniegirl xxx