You are browsing the archive for 2012 May.




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by mitzireddy

BEEF STROGANOFF

May 16, 2012 in meat

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It’s a chilly day in Gauteng – perfect for beef stroganoff, a meaty comfort food that requires minimum effort and even less time spent in the kitchen. This dish, which originated in Russia, served with ribbon pasta is food in a flash.

I was disgruntled when my local supermarket did not have the brand of tagliatelle I
usually buy and ended up buying a pasta using chana dhal (chickpeas) as an
ingredient  and was pleasantly surprised with the pasta– it tastes a lot better than it looks – quite delicious.

The recipe is from an old copy of Your Family’s BestRecipe Collection.

 

BEEF STROGANOFF

Ingredients

125ml flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

800gr topside or beef fillet, cut into thin strips

60g butter or margarine

10ml sunflower oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

250g button mushrooms, wiped and sliced

250ml beef stock

20ml tomato paste

100ml sour cream

 

Combine
flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and toss the beef strips in the
seasoned flour until thoroughly coated. Shake off excess flour.

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan.

Add half the meat, brown well. Remove the meat, set
aside. Repeat with the remaining meat and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the
mushrooms, stock and tomato paste, cook for 3 minutes.

Add the meat, heat through.

Remove from heat, stir in sour cream.

Serve immediately with ribbon pasta.

 

 

 

 

 

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by mitzireddy

COCONUT TARTS

May 14, 2012 in Cakes

14 Comments »

Shopping for Mother’s day was a frantic rush as usual in the crowded stores as I searched for the correct size and colours of clothing that will appeal to my mum. Luscious Lynn and Lovely Linda had made plans to take me to a spa for Mother’s day and I wanted to give my mum her gifts a day earlier as I was not sure of what time we would be returning from the spa. She smiles when she opens her gifts and says that I always know what to buy for her – and I grin pleased that she is happy. When it is time to say goodbye – I turned to
give her one last wave and smile – and she says to us that she will be home on
Monday.  It’s a memory that will always remain with me as it was the last time I had spoken to my mum – she had a stroke the next day from which she did not recover – seven years today – seems like yesterday. Mother’s day brings poignant memories for me and I avoid the shops over that period – it’s a reminder of the void in my life.

My mum, Doris, in her youth

Doris as her grandchildren know her.

As a child I remember Fridays being special – my Dad would come home with treats which always included coconut tarts and macaroons which was my mum’s favorite. It’s the first time that I have made these in the last seven years. It’s an old recipe from the Housewives’ League cookery book and my mum always enjoyed these.

The recipe below makes 2 tart crusts and I am posting recipes for 2 different coconut fillings.

The pictures below are of filling (1) – the filling is much thinner.

Picture of Filling (2)  – which is more like a macaroon.

CRUST

60g margarine

60g sugar

4 teaspoon sunflower oil

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

Cream margarine and sugar well. Add oil and beat well.

Add the egg. Fold in sifted flour and baking powder. Mix
into a soft pliable dough.

Press into greased pie / tart pans.  I prick holes into the pastry with a fork to
ensure  a fully cooked pastry.

Spread the base of the tart with a generous layer of apricot
jam.

Then add the coconut mixture.

Bake at 180 C until light brown  approximately 30 minutes.

FILLING (1)

½ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon butter

1 egg

1 ¼ cup desiccated coconut

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and beat well.

Add coconut and mix well.

Spread the filling over the jam covered tart base.

Bake until light brown. The filling is sufficient for 1
tart.

FILLING (2)

2 cups desiccated coconut

1 beaten egg

Pinch of salt

½ cup milk

1 cup sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon over the jam
covered tart base.

Bake until light brown. The filling is sufficient for 1 tart.

 

 

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by mitzireddy

SELF SAUCING LEMON SPONGE

May 9, 2012 in Desserts

8 Comments »

 

I am going to keep the family theme going with my posts this week and am starting with the lemons that I received from my brother, Joe. Hot puddings are welcome in the chilly evenings we are now experiencing and I enjoy the flavour of citrus fruit. There so many fabulous recipes around – I have settled for an old favorite self – saucing lemon sponge
– its light and delicious.

The recipe is from an old Best Recipe collection –Your Family magazine.

 

SELF SAUCING LEMON SPONGE

Ingredients

30g butter or margarine, softened

125ml sugar

2 extra-large eggs, separated

60ml flour, sifted

2ml salt

250ml milk

Finely grated rind of one lemon

15ml fresh lemon juice

30ml lemon or orange marmalade (optional)

Sifted icing sugar to sprinkle

 

Cream together butter and sugar.

Beat in egg yolks one at a time.

Sift together flour and salt, add alternately with
milk to creamed mixture.

Beat well.

Add the lemon rind, lemon juice and marmalade.

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 220mm diameter
oven proof dish or 4 individual ramekins.

Place in a pan of water making sure water reaches no
more than halfway up sides of dish.

Bake at 180C for 20 – 30 minutes, until well risen
and lightly browned.

This sponge pudding forms its own sauce at the
bottom of the dish.

Serve at once, sprinkled with sifted icing sugar, if
desired.

 

 

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by mitzireddy

GULAB JAMUN

May 8, 2012 in Biscuits, Desserts

14 Comments »

 

The weekend has been a whirlwind of activity with my sister, Dawn and family arriving from Durban to spend a long weekend with us and our niece, Ashley’s engagement to Shayan on Sunday. The engagement was a lovely Indian traditional affair with all the glam, bling and fabulous traditional food.

Ashley and Shayan

Coconut all blinged for the traditional ceremony

Colourful garlands for the engaged couple to wear

Sweetmeats are generally served at Indian traditional affairs and I am sharing my recipe for a sweetmeat, gulab jamun, which has remained a favorite for decades. It’s main ingredients is flour and condensed milk which is made into a dough then shaped into fingers and fried in oil and dipped into warm syrup. Delicious.

GULAB JAMUN

2 ½ cups self-raising flour

60ml semolina

1 tin condensed milk

5ml elachi powder

60gr gram flour

60ml ghee

60ml water

2.5ml ground nutmeg

Oil for frying

In a large mixing bowl combine condensed milk, ghee,
water and flavourings.

Beat well.

Add semolina and gram flour.

Add self-raising flour and mix into soft dough –add
more flour if necessary for the right consistency.

Shape into long finger shapes.

Deep fry slowly in oil.Remove and dip into warm syrup.

Remove from the syrup.

Roll in desiccated coconut (optional) – it’s not traditional
but just my preference – the coconut absorbs the syrup and the jamun is not
over sweet.

Syrup

Dissolve:

4 cups sugar

750ml water

 

Simmer for 15 minutes until sticky.

Flavour with 12.5 ml rose water.

Keep the syrup warm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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