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Ilse Fourie’s Mediterranean Smoked Kipper Quiche

August 7, 2012 in Uncategorized

The last post I wrote about Ilse Fourie‘s Butter Chicken, the standard comment was: “Beautiful….and the food isn’t bad either!” I got it! Loud and clear, with Ilse in the kitchen, my food and photography were taking  back seats and just because she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, I was ok with that! Today I  am sharing her delicious Smoked Kipper quiche recipe and I expect profuse drooling, not only for her, but for the quiche too!
During last week’s Easy Cooking Housewife Challenge, Ilse received Mediterranean Smoked Kippers and Mature Dutch Gouda cheese in her mystery basket.Dumbfounded at first, but after serious contemplation with Sue-Ann Allen (runner up Masterchef SA 2012), she felt inspired enough to create this masterpiece. It was a delicious quiche, she added just enough smoked quiche to give it a very subtle smokiness without overpowering it.With just enough cream, milk, eggs and  cheese to bring it all together, the result was a light, fluffy, eggy quiche….divine!!

Mediterranean Smoked Kipper Quiche

Mediterranean Smoked Kipper Quiche

More Master Chef Recipes

Chorizo and Potato Snack

 Jade de Waal’s Potato and Chorizo Snack

Mediterranean Samoosas

 Sue-Ann’s Mediterranean Samoosas

Thank you Mediterranean Delicacies for sponsoring this event! Visit their Facebook page

All photographs in this post is courtesy of Matt Stow. Thank you Matt!

You will find Mediterranean Delicacies at selected  Shoprite stores, Pick n Pay, Checkers, Spar, Foodlover’s Market and other smaller retailers in your area.

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Mediterranean Snacks for the weekend

August 2, 2012 in Uncategorized

a few humble ingredients

Mediterranean holiday is more what we need at the moment, but at least we can snack in style! Yes, it’s the weekend baby! Hard to imagine that a whole week has gone by and 2 days of a slightly slower pace is but a night away. During the week it is tough trying to keep up with deadlines, meetings, mom’s taxi duties as well as all the other things that come in between. Come Friday, we just want to shake some of the routine jobs….like cooking for instance!
I can hardly imagine that cooking is a “job”, but I do realize that for many of you reading this blog, it is! Not to worry, I will gladly be your closet chef. For this weekend, I have a snack idea that has 4-5 ingredients, takes minutes to prepare, yet the taste will quickly whisk you off to some Mediterranean destination! Keen to try, let’s go!

For the recipe, visit My Easy Cooking

Quite a tasty mouthful

More snack Ideas for the weekend!

Deli Sandwich - Caramelized onion with Goat's Cheese

Jam and Cheese Bites

Housewife Challenge in Nina’s Kitchen

August 2, 2012 in Uncategorized

Housewife Challenge

In preparation and planning the layout of our cooking school, we invited 3 Masterchef contestants to Nina’s Kitchen to try out our brand new (delivered as the contestants arrived) workstations. They were the very feisty  Sue-Ann Allen ( runner-up), Ilse Fourie (yes, the model!) and the fabulous Anel Potgieter from the blog LifeisaZooBiscuit and who have featured on RSG before! In the last week we even created a hashtag for our group…#ChicksThatChow

While I had these girls in my kitchen and since they all had their turn at a pressure test(some a few), I wanted to spice things up a bit….with a little pressure test of course! Inside each mystery box was a challenge, a housewife challenge. I wanted these young ladies to feel the pressures of  a housewife, who sometimes have time and money constraints. They were fantastic…….

continue reading on My Easy Cooking

Mediterranean Samoosas

Tomorrow morning just after 9 on RSG, Sue-Ann will be sharing her recipe for Mediterranean Samoosas. Do tune in 100-104FM or listen online.

Thank you Mediterranean Delicacies  and Nederburg who spoiled the girls with awesome hampers. All photographs in this post is courtesy of Matt Stow. Thank you Matt!

Cheap as Chips – Chips Chicken!

July 27, 2012 in Uncategorized

Cheap as Chips, but so rich in flavor!

Years ago, Chips Chicken was such a fad, everyone made it together with cute little chips sandwiches and chips rolls.  I think it was popular  because it was a place where mothers and children agreed. Mothers who tried to feed their children a healthy diet and children who only wanted to eat junk food. Healthy, definitely not, but delicious none the less and with a cheese sauce to boot,  Chips Chicken is still a firm favorite even after all these years.

You will not believe that 5 ingredients and so little time can result in such flavor and popularity, but try this easy recipe and you will be ever so popular with dad and the kiddos…

Chips Chicken

Ingredients
6 chicken fillets with skin ( the skin prevents the chicken from drying in the oven)
1 x 125 g Cheese and Onion Chips
1 egg – beaten with a little milk
125 ml flour
1 t barbecue spice

Method
Place the chips in a plastic bag and with a rolling pin, bash the chips until it becomes course crumbs. Place in a plate. Beat the egg and milk together and place in another bowl and lastly mix the flour and the seasoning and place in a 3rd bowl. Place a chicken breast between 2 layers of plastic and with a meat mallet, lightly beat the chicken to make a “schnitzel”. Repeat with all the chicken breasts. Now one-by-one dip the chicken first into the flour, shake off the excess flour, then into the egg mixture and lastly into the crumbs. Repeat with all the chicken. Place on a baling sheet and allow to set in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 180C. Bake the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Smother in a velvety Cheese sauce to make it even better!

For a luscious Cheese Sauce recipe to serve with the chicken, visit

My Easy Cooking

 More tasty Chicken Recipes

(click on picture for the recipe)

Mom, this chicken tastes like KFC

Another Retro classic - Coke Chicken

Roast Chicken Pasta Bake

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French Fried Cauliflower

July 11, 2012 in Uncategorized

Golden crispy nuggets, it almost looks like KFC

“French fried cauliflower that looks like KFC, come on, get real!” My  family’s reaction as we paged through Colonel Harland Sanders’ book to look at all the recipes. I was immediately intrigued by this recipe, but  my poor family was pretty skeptical about this KFC look-a-like and in their minds, the only way to eat  cauliflower is smothered in a thick cheese sauce!

 

French Fried Cauliflower

Grab one while you can, soon they will be all gone!

Do tune in to RSG on Thursday mornings just after 9 when I share these delicious recipes. You can also listen online here:

More vegetarian recipes

Mashed Chickpeas and roasted butternut

Beetroot Tarts

 Pea Pesto

 

Masterchef’s Jade de Waal makes a quick Chorizo and Potato Snack on RSG

June 20, 2012 in Uncategorized

This week I have the pleasure of talking to Jade de Waal, the bubbly, exuberant and boisterous contestant in South Africa’s first ever Masterchef Competition….
If you wan to listen the interview, tune into RSG( 100-104FM) tomorrow ( Thursday) morning, just after the 9 o’clock news or listen here online!

Perfect for a quick lunch!

Chorizo and Potato Snack

serves 2
Ingredients
4 large potatoes – boiled with skins on
1 chorizo sausage
½ t smoked chili flakes
1 large red onion – chopped finely
125 ml grated Emmentaler cheese
Method
Heat a skillet or pan on the stove and add the chopped up chorizo to the pan. After a while the chorizo will render some delicious smokey oil in which you can fry the onion and tomatoes. Add the smoked chili flakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions and tomatoes have softened up. In the meantime, cut your potatoes in a criss-cross and give them a squeeze to make a nice bed for the lovely chorizo sauce. Scatter some cheese over the potatoes and then the hot sauce and  finish off with some more grated cheese and shome chopped coriander.
A Delicious light lunch or pick-me-up afternoon snack!
Cook’s Notes – For a healthier option, leave out the chorizo and just use ½ t smoked paprika when frying the onions and add 3 chopped tomatoes.  I also added some baby spinach for extra flavor and texture. For a “lighter option” cheese, try Edam.

Invite a few friends......

For more information on Jade and a quick video on how this easy snack is made, visit …

My Easy Cooking

3 Easy Steps Lemon Pound Cake and more lemon recipes….

June 18, 2012 in Uncategorized

Tangy, zingy and utterly delicious!

This lemon pound cake is so, so easy to make, only three simple steps and yet the end result is utterly delicious and perfect to serve on its own with a lovely cup of tea and a few best friends. Anybody who knows me or has ever read an article about me, will know that, if asked what my favorite ingredient in the kitchen is, the answer is always lemon.
I love lemons and yes, in my opinion most recipes gets a little face lift with the addition of just a few drops of lemon juice or a little of the zest. I am lucky enough to have two lemon trees in my garden, so this time of the year, I make the most of the abundant harvest I have off my trees. I can hardly imagine grilled lamb chops without lemon, tuna fish cakes lighten up with the addition of lemon juice and zest and for me, the perfect end to a meal must be a zingy Lemon Tart!
I used thick Greek yogurt in this recipe, which made this pound cake moist and rich, but you can also try it with fat free yogurt if you are trying to cut down on fats in your diet.

Lemon Pound Cake

make one large loaf

Ingredients

For the loaf
210 gr cake flour
10 ml baking powder
½ t salt
250 ml greek yogurt
250 gr sugar
3 large eggs
zest of 1 large or two medium lemons
125ml vegetable oil
For the glaze
125ml sugar
juice of 1 large lemon
For the Icing 
50 ml lemon juice
1 cup icing sugar – sifted

Preheat your oven to 180C and line a large loaf tin with baking or silicon paper. Sift together the dry ingredients, flour, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs and lemon zest and then slowly mix the dry and wet ingredients. Lastly fold in the oil until it is fully incorporated into the batter. Pour batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the loaf.
Meanwhile heat the lemon juice and sugar in a small pot on the stove until all the sugar has dissolved. When the loaf comes from the oven, leave in the pan for a couple of minutes, because it will break if removed from the pan to quickly. After about 10 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan, place on a wire rack  pour the lemon syrup over the loaf and allow to soak in a little t a time.
When the loaf has completely cooled down, almost just before serving, mic the sifted icing sugar and lemon juice until it becomes a smooth paste and drizzle over the pound cake. Delicious!

Grab a slice before it is all gone!

More awesome recipes with Lemon

Lemon Tart

Lemon and Blueberry Scones

 Lemon Meringue Pie


Coq au what????

June 11, 2012 in Uncategorized

Under Cover Coq au Vin....

Coq au What??????? My hubby’s reaction when I told him what was for supper!

Coq Au Vin  in essence is an ordinary French chicken stew, but if you choose your ingredients wisely, there is nothing ordinary about this dish. In fact, it is hard to imagine that a few mushrooms, some countryside bacon or lardons, a delicious red wine and  a couple of handfuls of herbs, can become such a flavorsome stew.
The “coq” in Coq Au Vin refers to an old rooster or bird that is traditionally used, because the bones of an older bird, yields such fragrant stock. I am not going to lie to you, honestly, I do not have the time to hunt for “older birds”, but I do use Elgin free-range chicken and have never been disappointed, so for me it was the obvious choice. So although in the eye of a coq au vin purist, I may have compromised by not using an older bird, there are other steps in the recipe that I think are as important and you should not skip or alter them. I know that I swore to never make another after the glorious Meraai se Paai which featured here not so long ago, but this is not a pie…..rather an

Under Cover Coq a vin

Rich, flavorsome and delicious with or without a blanket

More delicious Chicken Recipes…

Winter-warming roasted garlic, corn and butternut risotto

June 6, 2012 in Uncategorized

Humble ingredients ......

This time of year, I want winter-warming recipes, recipes that stick to my ribs and warm me up from the inside. A creamy risotto does just that. I think it is so awesome  that three such simple ingredients can be changed in something so delicious and creamy ….rice, cheese and stock! I had only a few ingredients in my fridge because I was away all week and have not done my shopping. Come and see how I made an amazing supper with such humble ingredients…….
We are also in the tight grip of a June exam, so my afternoons are hectic with trying to study with Miss Muffet. So yesterday morning, while I still had time, I roasted my garlic, butternut and 3 cobs of corn, so at least I needed only 30 minutes before supper to whip up a risotto. I know that I am an advocate for  a cop-out oven risotto, but somehow yesterday, I needed the stand-and-stir-therapy.

Roasted garlic, corn and butternut risotto

Rib-sticking, winter warming risotto...

More winter warming recipes

Vegetable Soup

 Venison Pie

Greek Honey Tea Cakes

Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara for Meatless Monday

May 28, 2012 in Uncategorized

Simple, yet quality ingredients!

The idea of a vegetarian Spagetthi Carbonara will surely send  shivers down  the spines of those who love this classic Italian dish. I know of one person in particular who will most probably put a ban on this post and that is Fritz from Real Men can Cook. After all he made a perfect Spaghetti Carbonara at the Cheese Festival this year….why would I want to mess with such a divine dish?
Simple reason actually, after tasting Fritz’ version made with Guangiale, which is an unsmoked bacon made from the pig’s cheeks, ordinary bacon was simply not going to cut it for me… Furthermore, after watching the ever-so-sexy Giorgio Locatelli  in action at this year’s Good Food and Wine Show I realized again that any dish made with top quality ingredients (even if only two or three) is better than adding  ingredients just for the sake of adding it…. So  because I did not have Guangiale, I decided to go virgin……meatless……… vegetarian! Can a pasta dish with just three ingredients taste good? Oh yes, I bet you it can, give it a go!!!

Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara

Simplicity = Perfection

More Vegetarian Dishes

Thai Chickpea Curry

 Curry Beans

 Mexican Bean Crumble

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