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by browniegirl

Easy Creamy Asparagus Soup Recipe

April 23, 2012 in LIGHT MEALS

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Lately I have been struggling to cook. When you cannot eat the food yourself you lose that passion to cook awesome meals. It has been 10 months now since I last ate and chewed my way through an ordinary every day meal….one that you take for granted until something happens and you find yourself spending your days longing for a piece of steak, or a slow roasted leg of lamb. Pork chops done in cider with cranberry would be delicious…..as would perfectly pink duck breast served with some awesome sticky citrus sauce or some yummy quince jelly. A delicious lemon and thyme roasted chicken would hit the spot right now. But instead my days are filled, in reality, with whatever smoothie I can make with the ingredients and fruit that I have on hand, or what soup I feel like sipping….I can manage soft stuff like flaky fish, well cooked finely minced beef or lamb, soft pasta, pureed or smashed veggies….in other words stuff that doesnt require any heavy duty masticating! As in chewing people before your minds start wandering off the subject here. So with the struggle to cook comes the struggle to blog…they go hand in hand. You passionately bake or cook something that looks drool worthy on the photos and sounds delicious reading through the ingredients….you will be passionate and proud to get it up on your blog. That just hasn’t been it for me in a while. So when I DO manage to do something delicious (even if it is the dreaded soup or a smoothie) I feel a bit of that old passion returning and it gives me hope to know that the fires are not entirely ashes….that some embers are warmly flickering inside there, just needing some little bit of life breathed into them to burst into flame again. I hope those embers can withstand another 7-9 months….I sometimes feel that I cannot, but I am only just over half way through my treatment program. Next surgical procedure happens mid May. And then I feel depression settling around me like a heavy, grey, dull, asphyxiating blanket. Almost like when that very thick peasouper of a fog comes rolling in off the icy ocean to settle in the valley where I live….Above the valley the sun is shining…..2 miles out of town the sun is shining and everyone is having a wonderful day….while in the valley we feel only the damp dankness of the fog. We see no shining sun….we believe that the rest of the city is shrouded in the same wet blanket. I constantly remind myself,  daily, that I will not look beyond THIS day…..

Well, on THIS day I decided to make a new soup – not new in the sense of us never having eaten it before but new in the sense that I have never made this one before. At the end of last week I was at the Food Lovers Market and they had some beautifully fresh crisp green asparagus spears there so I bought almost 1kg of them with the intention of using them in a number of different ways. Needless to say they came in very handy for the soup that I made today – a creamy delicious green asparagus soup that has left me with a warm full belly and enough passion to do a blog post immediately! YAAY! And there is enough left over for 2 more helpings! Last week I made some stunning roasted butternut, sweet potato and apple soup. So very good….and I have about 5 portions left in the freezer for when I want some. Tomorrow I am making my Cold and Flu Busting Chicken Noodle Soup because yes…….I am fighting this head cold which seems to be winning at the moment. I cannot afford to be ill right now. I am into the final run of planning for the SA Food and Wine Blogger Indaba and it is taking up all my time and energy. Can not be in bed with a thick head now with so much to do. The pressure is on and I have to get the booking open this week.

So for now……..here is my recipe….I stood with paper and pencil next to me as I worked and wrote down what I was doing so that I could put the recipe up here. And it turned out to be really delicious!

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 750g Fresh Green Asparagus spears – woody stem bits discarded
  • 1 Large Onion – peeled and chopped
  • 3 Leeks – washed and sliced
  • 1 Garlic clove – peeled and finely sliced
  • 30ml Olive Oil
  • 30ml Butter
  • 1 Liter Hot Chicken Stock (use Vegetable stock for the veg option)
  • 500ml Water
  • 6 Sprigs Thyme – leaves picked off and stems removed
  • Large bunch Fresh Parsley (about 25g)
  • 60ml  Cream or Crème Fraiche (optional)
  • ½ Lemon – Finely grated zest and juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 20g Parmesan Cheese – finely grated

METHOD

Cut tips from the asparagus (about 3cm from top) and reserve for garnish. Chop the remaining asparagus stalks up into 3cm pieces and set aside

Place large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil, butter, onion, leeks and garlic and sauté for about five minutes, stirring often, until onion is limp and translucent

Add the asparagus pieces and the thyme and saute for another 5 minutes

Pour in the hot stock and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes until the asparagus pieces are tender

Take off the heat, cool slightly

While the soup is cooling bring about 500ml water to a rolling ball in a small saucepan with a good pinch of salt

Add the reserved asparagus tips and boil for about 3 minutes just until done. Refresh immediately in some icy cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until needed.

Add the chopped parsley, zest and juice of the lemon to the slightly cooled soup and blend until smooth with a stick blender or food processor

Return to the saucepan, add the cream or crème fraiche (if using) and the parmesan cheese. Season to taste and stir over heat just until heated through

Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a few asparagus tips and some extra parmesan cheese

Later this week I will be my making my families favourite broccoli and feta soup (YUM!) and then my Spicy Carrot Honey and Ginger Soup will follow….also fabulously warming and healing. I DO love the cooler weather!

Have a great new week everyone. Its a short one again for us in South Africa….and another short one next week too. Brownieboy is taking a day or two off in between and has a about a week or so off work. He needs it badly as he is suffering with a bit of stress and exhaustion, so the time off is going to be good for him! I am just trying to put an Indaba together :)

browniegirl xx

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by browniegirl

Malva Pudding Recipe

April 7, 2012 in BAKING, DESSERT

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And just like that it happened…..in the blinking of an eye…..overnight!  Autumn, my favourite of all the seasons, has disappeared without actually showing her beautiful self much at all. Now and again I throught I caught a glimpse of her but then summer reappeared with a vengeance again. The last couple of days were once again in the 30′s and today? I think if it was 13 we were lucky. We so need the copious amounts of rain that has fallen today so I am definitely not complaining. It will be lovely to see the countryside turning green again and the little Silvermine river filling up once more to flow freely into the ocean.

With the advent of cold weather my thoughts turn to comfort food. Today was a typical example…I sent brownieboy out to go and buy some lamb and our bellies are full tonight with delicious lamb curry. Earlier this week my brother and sis in law were visiting from the Free State and came over for lunch. I am here to share with you all my delicious Malva Pudding that I served for dessert – a well-loved, traditional baked South African dessert from Dutch origins that graces the most classy plates in the classiest restaurants…….and also most homes! Everyone needs to have this particular ace up their sleeves. Talk about comfort food on a cold wintry night. It ticks all the boxes for me! And the beauty of it is that it is simple and easy to prepare. I am not sure where the name comes from (malva is Afrikaans for marshmallow but this does not have any marshmallow in it) but Wikipedia suggests that it is called Malva Pudding after Malvasia dessert wine from Madeira – apparently the two were served together after the meal in the good old days…that makes sense! My inspiration for this recipe comes from my well worn Cook With Ina Paarman – one of the doyennes of South Africa’s culinary history.  This book was given to me years ago by a very good friend and it has been the inspiration for many a delicious meal. I will blog a few of them when I can. Right now I am in the midst of organizing the South African Food and Wine Blogger Indaba 2012 and it is taking up all of my time.  I am in the process of discussions with a new headline sponsor so should be able to make an announcement soon. But I CAN tell you all that this event will be happening on 24 June 2012 in Cape Town once again. It will be a one day event as before….but I am hoping to add a few new twists that will make it very attractive for all those keen to attend. So do save the date and those who are planning to fly down for it, best you start making plans and booking tickets! To sweeten you all up a little bit more…..here is my Malva Pudding Recipe

MALVA PUDDING

Serves 8-9

(adapted from the original recipe in Cook With Ina Paarman

published by Ina’s Kitchen 1987 ISBN 0 620 11087 2)

Ingredients:

250ml Castor Sugar

1 ¼ Cups (312ml) Cake Flour

2 XL Eggs (at room temperature)

1 ½  tsp (7ml) Bicarbonate of Soda

Pinch of Salt

Finely grated zest of 1/2 an Orange or 1 whole Clementine

½ Cup (125ml) Milk

1 Tbs (15ml) Smooth Apricot Jam

2 Tbs (30ml) Butter

1 Tbs (15ml) Vinegar

½ tsp (2.5ml) Real Vanilla Extract

Sauce:

1 Cup (250ml) Evaporated Milk (or fresh cream if you prefer)

½ Cup (125g) Butter

½ Cup (125ml) Sugar

½ Cup (125ml) Orange Juice (or water if you prefer)

Knife point of Vanilla bean seeds

It also works well with ½ brandy and ½ orange juice  for an adult version

 Method:

Preheat oven to 1800 Celcius

Grease a medium to large deep ovenproof dish and set aside

Beat the eggs and castor sugar until light and fluffy

Beat in the apricot jam and orange zest

Sift the dry ingredients together in a seperate bowl

Melt the butter and mix together with the milk and vinegar

Alternately fold some of the dry ingredients and liquid into the batter until all is folded in (I do about a third of each at a time) end with dry ingredients

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes

About 5 minutes before the end of baking time melt all the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan and boil gently for a few minutes – this can also be done in the mircrowave

As soon as the pudding comes out of the oven poke some holes into it with a fork or skewer then pour the hot sauce over and leave to be absorbed for about 15 minutes or so

(I like to keep about half the sauce aside and serve it warm with the pudding)

Serve this pudding warm with thick cream, custard, crème frâiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream – my best way….I just love the mouth feel of hot and cold at the same time! :)

For a yummy extra South African twist I like to sometimes half whip some cream, add a tot of amarula liqueur  and 10ml Icing Sugar to it and then whip until stiff peaks form and serve this with the warm pudding….yummy!

The beautiful thing about this dessert is that it is one of those dishes that improve with age and maturity :) So it is always a good thing to make more than enough for left overs. Oh and you can safely make it a day or two before you need it and leave it sealed with foil or cling film in the fridge, just warming it up before you need to serve it.

To all my Christian readers and friends I wish you a Blessed and Joyous Easter! To all the rest of you I wish you a wonderful time of happiness and joy with families and friends, a time of renewal and celebration of life.

browniegirl xx

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by browniegirl

Easy Simnel Cake Recipe for Easter

April 5, 2012 in BAKING

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Easter – a time of year when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and a celebration of His resurrection to life on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday it is traditional to eat hot cross buns. Easter Sunday is the day of feasting and celebration, the day when kiddies all go on their Easter egg hunts and overdose on sugar and chocolate. For many families it is a tradition to bake and enjoy a Simnel Cake, a light fruit cake that has a layer of marzipan (almond paste) baked into the middle of the cake and another layer to decorate it when it is cold. It is also decorated with 11 little marzipan balls – these symbolize the eleven disciples of Christ (Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ is not included).

Recently my friend Michael Olivier  called and asked me if I would be interested in baking his Granny’s Simnel Cake for him to include in the Easter edition of Crush! Online Magazine. I was delighted in his faith in my abilities to recreate some childhood memories for him and set about preparing the ingredients and baking the cake according to the recipe supplied by Michael. What a delightful cake! And one that I will adopt for my own families Easter celebrations from now on!

GRANNY’S SIMNEL CAKE (courtesy of  Michael Olivier)

Ingredients:

For the almond paste

250g castor sugar

250g ground almonds

2 free-range eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla essence [some like to use almond essence]

For the cake

180g butter [don’t even be tempted to use margarine or vegetable fat]

180g soft brown or Moscovado sugar

180g cake flour

¼ tsp each ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves and fine salt

3 extra large eggs

150g Orange River Raisins

150g Orange River Golden Sultanas

50g currants

60g chopped mixed peel

grated rind of 1 lemon and one orange

2 Tbs smooth apricot jam (for brushing on cake before the applying the almond paste topping)

1 egg – for brushing over the cake before grilling.

Method:

Prepare a 20cm cake tin by lining it, bottom and sides, with greaseproof or silicone paper.

In a large glass bowl mix the sugar and the finely ground almonds.

Whisk the eggs until frothy and add only enough, a bit at a time, to give the paste a soft texture.

Flavour with the vanilla essence and knead gently for about a minute.

Divide the almond paste into three portions. Roll out one third to make a circle 18cm in diameter which will go into the centre of the cake.  Wrap the remainder tightly in double cling film and set aside. One half  will be used for the 11 balls and the other to roll out another circle to place on top of the cake once completely cooled.

Preheat oven to 140C.

Using your mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy and then add the sugar and beat together until pale in colour and light in texture.

Sift together the flour, spices and salt in a separate bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time and add about a third of the flour mixture with each egg as this helps to prevent curdling.

Add the fruits, the mixed peel the grated rinds and stir together with a wooden spoon to mix well.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared cake tin.  Level it off with an off set spatula and then put the circle of marzipan on top.

Spoon the rest of the batter on top and smooth over allowing a little bit of a dent in the middle to ensure that the cake ends up baked with a nice flat top.

Bake for 1hour 45 minutes, insert metal skewer into the middle to test.  If it comes out clean, the cake is baked.  If not test after a further ten minutes baking.  Remove the cake from the oven.

Allow to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cake is completely cooled remove it from the greaseproof or silicone paper.  If it is slightly domed, put it upside down on a baking tray.

Set your oven’s grill on high.

Heat the apricot jam and brush over the top of the cake.  Roll out one half of the  remaining marzipan  into a thickish circle the exact diameter of the cake (use the pan to measure) and place it carefully on top of the cake.

With the remaining marzipan, roll out 11 small round  shaped balls and place them around the edge of the cake.

Brush the marzipan and the balls with beaten egg and set in the oven to brown gently, watching all the time for about 1 – 2 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.  Otherwise use a blow torch to brown it.

Garnish with some little candy or small chocolate Easter eggs.  And do place a little fluffy chicken on top.

As I sit here writing up this post my skin is being caressed by the most beautiful cool sea breeze blowing gently in the window. It has been so many months since I last felt that and my whole body is  cheering on the advent of Autumn. This is MY time of year…the season that I delight in the most! In previous years by the time Easter came upon us autumn had all but disappeared and winter was already making her presence felt with wicked north westerly gales and driving rain. I remember well that my daughter, who has her birthday at the end of March, throughout her childhood years bemoaned the fact that she could never have a swimming party around the pool! Instead all her little friends arrived dressed up warmly in coats and boots and they had to play indoors! This year for the first time sweet daughter was able to have her wish……for her 33rd birthday!

If you are on the roads travelling at this time of year do drive safely and have a wonderful time with family and friends. We remain home as brownieboy has to work. Usually our Good Friday is quiet with those who want to going off to church to commemorate the crucifixion. In true Cape style I always enjoy some pickled fish for my lunch on this day! YUM! On Easter Sunday the family gathers at daughter and son in laws home to participate in the excited hunt for Easter Eggs. Then we all head to church as a family to celebrate Christs resurrection. After church we gather around the table at our home to  feast!

Now it is time for a nice cup of soothing rooibos tea before I tackle the afternoons admin…… and a slice of this delightful Simnel cake would do very nicely too thank you! But I shall have to wait until I have baked it again!

I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Easter.

browniegirl xx

This recipe was first published in the 17th issue of  Crush! Online Magazine and also on Michael Olivier’s website  Crush is available globally and provides very interesting reading with interactive pages. Just supply your email address to subscribe and your issue will drop into your mailbox once a month – absolutely free of charge! 

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