You are browsing the archive for Easy to prepare.




Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Matt Preston’s Cola Baked Sticky Chicken

13 May 2013 in Cheap and cheerful, Easy to prepare, Economical

24 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,

I’m a big fan of  Masterchef Australia, even if we are only viewing the 2011 series, I much prefer it to the British version.  I ensure that we are parked in front of the tv with our dinner trays on our laps by 6pm promtly Monday – Thursday.

This is Matt Preston’s recipe that I found on the Masterchef site, apparently he has a cookbook coming out soon.  He is a curious looking man, however I find myself strangely attracted to him.  I mean, he wears the oddest clothes and those cowboys boots…well! *shakes head*

I had an issue with the timing as my oven is not the fan type and after two hours the sauce wasn’t thickening so I decided to up the temperature to 175c and that seemed to do the trick.

I used (skinned) chicken drummettes instead of wings and decided to marinade them overnight in the sauce, Matt doesn’t do that. I’ve no idea if it made them better than Matt’s as I’ve never used the recipe before, all I know is that they were tender and completely delicious.

 

750ml Cola

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 cloves garlic grated

1 large brown onion grated

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1kg chicken wings cut at the joint

Juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 140c fan forced (I think they mean thermofan)

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a deep oven tray and pour over the cola mixture.

Bake for 3 – 3.5 hours or until sauce is thick and very sticky. ( I did 2 hours @140 and then 1.5 hours @ 175)

 

 

 

 

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Sweet Potato and Banana Bake

8 May 2013 in Cheap and cheerful, Easy to prepare, Economical, Vegetarian

24 Comments »

Tags: , , ,

I based this recipe on one in a very old cookery book called Be Bold With Bananas which was produced by the Banana Control Board way back in the *mumbles*. Now I know you are thinking ‘”this bird has a thing about sweet potatoes’” and you would be right, I love them and they are plentiful at the moment.

However, be very thankful I cooked the bake, I was sorely tempted by this photo…not! Food styling has come a long way hey? *sniggers*

I mean the banana thingy is phallic enough, but no, they reinforce the inference with a candle in the background…bold indeed! :)

Anyway, back to my side dish, yes it is sweet, and fattening, but it was delicious served with a simple grilled pork chop and some wilted spinach, so it balanced out…right?

This would also go down well at a braai.

100ml sugar

2 TBS butter

250ml orange juice

125 ml water + -

125 ml raisins/sultanas

500g orange sweet potatoes peeled and sliced

1/2 tsp salt

2 bananas peeled and sliced

breadcrumbs – optional

grated Parmesan cheese – optional

Preheat your oven to 180 c

Melt the butter in saucepan, add the orange juice and the sugar and heat to dissolve the sugar.

Add the raisins and  potatoes with enough water to just cover them, cook until tender.

Add the salt and the bananas for about a minute.

Grease or spray your dish, place a layer of sweet potatoes, then the bananas, then another layer of potatoes, try and make sure all the raisins are underneath so they don’t burn.

Reduce the remaining liquid in the pan over a high heat until it is thick and syrupy, pour over the potatoes

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.

Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 15 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes to crisp and brown the top.

If you also love sweet potatoes, you might like my previous post, sweet potato mash Irish style, click on the photo to be taken to the recipe.

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Sweet Potato Mash – Irish Style

2 May 2013 in Cheap and cheerful, Easy to prepare, Vegetarian

25 Comments »

Tags: , , , , ,

I don’t like potatoes much…I can hear the incredulous gasps! I will probably eat one roast potato with a roast and a couple of chips with a steak, but I’d rather have an extra veg truth be known. I feel the same way about rice, unless it’s got all kinds of goodies in it I will pass, now pasta that’s another story all together, it’s the one starch I really like.

I do like sweet potatoes though and the addition of the cabbage and spring onions was really enjoyable. My apologies to the Irish for bastardising their national dish Colcannon.

750g  orange sweet potatoes

200g piece of cabbage shredded very thinly

1 cup spring onions chopped

30g butter

salt and white pepper

Peel the potatoes, slice them into even pieces and boil in salted water until tender.

Drain the potatoes really well.

Mash half the butter into the potatoes (I use a potato ricer to avoid any lumps) and put aside.

Melt the remaining 15g of butter in a frying pan and stir fry the cabbage until soft, don’t overcook it, you want a bit of crunch.

Stir in the spring onions.

Add to the potatoes, combine and season to your taste.

If you would prefer this delicious Italian Onion Mash pictured below then click here

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Homemade stock – so easy!

24 April 2013 in Easy to prepare, Economical

32 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,

There is one, and only one factor about winter that I embrace wholeheartedly… comfort food! I love winter fare, gimme some tasty soup and crusty bread and I’m a happy bunny. Himself loves stew and dumplings, thus my slow cooker works overtime.

Stew and dumplings

The base for a really tasty stew/soup/casserole is good stock, it’s so easy to make and it makes all the difference to the flavour.

1 kg marrow bones (I got from Pick n Pay  R12.99 a kg)

1 slice of beef shin chopped

1 large onion

Celery tops or 1 large stick of celery

1 large carrot

Fresh Parsley

1 tsp peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Oil

4 litres of water

Preheat your oven to 200C

Roughly chop the veggies and place on a baking sheet with the marrow bones, drizzle with oil.

Roast until the meat is browned (about 45 minutes) you don’t want it to burn, just colour.

Place everything in a slow cooker and add the water.

Cover and set the slow cooker on high for a couple of hours and then on low for another 6 hours.

Obviously you can also make stock on the stove, the beauty of the slow cooker is that it does it’s own thing and I am not tempted to stir it (stirring makes the stock go cloudy)

When it’s cool, transfer to a pan and put it in the fridge overnight or until the fat congeals on the top making it easier to remove.

When all the fat is removed, heat the stock and strain,  then boil it until it is reduced by half. you don’t have to do this step but I’m a bit short of freezer space.  All you do when using the reduced stock is add the same amount of water to reconstitute it.

Easy peasy hey?!

 

 

 

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

My Version of Pronto Mama’s Slow Roasted Tomatoes in a Spicy Vinaigrette

1 April 2013 in Easy to prepare, Economical, Jams & Preserves, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

18 Comments »

Tags: , , , , ,

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”

There is a range of sauces by Pronto Mama that are simply delicious, sadly they don’t appear to be available here in Natal. So when every baby tomato plant opted to ripen all-of-a-sardine I decided to attempt  to replicate their Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in a Spicy Vinaigrette with Rosemary.

The label clearly states what is used in the preparation but them dastardly devious folk refrain from telling you exactly what herbs and spices were used! :)

This is not a recipe as such, it’s just wot I done innit……

I sliced my cherry tomatoes in half, roughly chopped some red pepper, chucked in an unpeeled clove of garlic, drizzled everything with olive oil, sprinkled with sugar, salt and pepper and few tiny sprigs of rosemary.

Then I slowly roasted them for 2 hours @ 95c

(discard the blackened rosemary after cooking)

Next step was the vinaigrette, which as long as you stick to the base of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar you can add anything you like.

I used:

150 oil

50 vinegar

1/4 tsp mustard powder

2 tsp my homemade chilli jam or you could use fresh chilli (to your taste)

1 tsp honey

1 clove garlic cooked and crushed

1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped

Whisk everything together, season to taste and set aside.

Chop half a small onion and some olives.

Pack the cooked tomatoes, onion and olives into clean jars and top with the vinaigrette, cover with lids and leave to steep for a couple of weeks.

Did I achieve the same delightful taste of Pronto Mama? of course not, but I was very pleased with what evolved. It’s especially good  on pizza or bruschetta, great as part of a  mezze platter or with pasta, the uses are endless. Once you have used all the filling, the oil that remains makes a wonderful salad dressing.

I was not remunerated for writing this post in any way and I do hope the good people at Pronto Mama will forgive me for even thinking I could re-create their product……but you can’t blame a girl for trying! :)

 I topped this Easy Cheese Slice with a dollop and it was really lekker (South African for really good)

 

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Easy, Economical, Cheese and Veggie Slice

24 March 2013 in Budget Beater, Cheap and cheerful, Easy to prepare, Economical

28 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,

You all know me by now, if there’s a bargain to be had, I will sniff it out at 50 paces, hence my freezer now boasts many little bags of frozen grated cheese.

Grated cheese freezes really well and defrosts very quickly, so useful for making cheese sauces, etc. so watch out for specials.

This recipe which is essentially a crust-less tart is based on one posted by Celia from the blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. I have made it in a round cake tin but I prefer the look of a loaf style. It’s a piece of tacky to make, great for lunch boxes and lovely served with salad for a light meal. I have added diced ham before and the original recipe suggests cooked bacon, so play with different elements.

2 cups (500 ml) grated raw veggies – I used I cup grated baby marrow and half a cup each of grated carrot and butternut)

1 cup (250 ml) grated cheese of your choice

4 jumbo eggs

1 medium onion chopped finely

1 cup (250 ml) self-raising flour

1/2 cup (125 ml) sunflower oil

Season with salt and white pepper

Heat your oven to 175c

Line your tin with baking paper or grease very well.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and stir until combined well.

Spoon into your tin and bake for 40 minutes or until firm and nicely browned.

If any of you are curious what I topped these two cheese slices with, then you will have to read my next blog post. :)

If you have any leftover, try dipping it in beaten egg and frying it in a little butter, it makes a  tasty breakfast.

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Italian Style Pork Meatballs – Mince Your Own Meat

14 February 2013 in Budget Beater, Cheap and cheerful, Easy to prepare

22 Comments »

Tags: , , ,

The reason for my lack of posts recently is because my beloved camera died on me, I sent it to Durban to be fixed almost 3 weeks ago and NOW  they tell me they don’t have the part and will have to order it, so it will be another couple of weeks. As it’s also going to cost me over R2000.00  I’m pretty bleak right now.

There again, it does give me time for reading more blogs, my word there are some food bloggers (both here and overseas) that take themselves way too seriously.  So, if you are a reader who likes to use special ingredients sourced from a secret underground cave in outer Mongolia, where they are hand picked at midnight by 16 year old virgins….then you’re at the wrong blog!

Nope, this home cook intends to carry on using everyday local ingredients found in most homes and supermarkets, always with an eye to saving us all some dosh.

On that note, pork is particularly economical at the moment, in the ‘olden’ days it was advised never to buy pork in months with an r in them. In these days of good refrigeration I think we can take a chance! :)

I bought some for R29.99 a kilo just before Christmas and minced it, using my Kenwood and the mincing attachment.

My favourite words ‘Special Offer’

Pork mince  can be used just like beef mince, I make burgers, meatballs and I recently made a barbecue pork cottage pie which was delicious. I also watch out for beef specials. I like knowing exactly what is in my mince.

Here is a link to a recipe for some Italian style meatballs I made a while ago, also made with pork mince.

 Hold thumbs that my Canon gets fixed asap, like Arnie says, “I’ll be back”

 

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Sage & Onion Chicken Loaf

17 January 2013 in Budget Beater, Cheap and cheerful, Easy to prepare

28 Comments »

Tags: , , , , ,

It’s that time of year where we all bemoan our diminished bank balances, yes January is the ultimate Salticrax month.

This easy-to-make, economical Chicken Loaf is very versatile it can be served cold with salads or warm with roast potatoes, veggies and gravy. It’s great in sandwiches too, once refrigerated it can be sliced quite thinly.

350g skinless chicken breasts

4 pork sausages skin removed

1 small onion chopped

a handful of raisins or chopped dried fruit (optional)

1 pkt of Paxo sage & onion stuffing * or you can make your own from scratch here.

Heat your oven to 180 c and grease a loaf tin.

Chop the chicken into cubes and using a food processor blitz the chicken into very small pieces (but not mush) and place in a bowl.

Following the instructions on the packet mix the stuffing with boiling water, do not add the oil.

Add the onions, sausage meat, stuffing, fruit and the chicken and mix together.

Press into your greased loaf tin, cover with foil/lid and bake  for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes to brown the top a little.

Serves 6+

* Paxo stuffing is sold at most supermarkets, Ina Parman also does a version but I find Checkers Heritage brand to be the most economical.

 

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Leftover Gammon & Caramelised Onion Quiche

30 December 2012 in Easy to prepare

18 Comments »

Tags: , , ,

We did our best I promise, the two of us manfully ate gammon ad infinitum but there was still some lurking in the fridge. Luckily  friends from Johannesburg were passing through on their way to Durban and I invited them for a light lunch, I promise there was absolutely no ulterior motive! :)

Pastry

250g cake flour

125g butter cubed

iced water

1 egg mixed with a little milk for egg wash

Filling

1 medium onion sliced

a knob of butter or a little oil for frying

175g gammon cubed

275g cheddar cheese (I used 200g cheddar and 75g Parmesan)

3 eggs + what’s leftover from the egg wash above

250ml fresh cream (you could use half milk, half cream)

Seasoning

Grease your pie dish and heat your oven to 180c

I make my pastry using the K-beater on my Kenwood mixer, you could also use a food processor. All that rubbing butter into the flour by hand ….life’s too short!

Put your flour into the bowl together with the cubed butter and on a slow speed mix until it resembles breadcrumbs, with the motor still running add the water a little at a time until the pastry forms. Wrap in clingwrap and leave in the fridge for 20/30 minutes.

Roll out on a floured surface and line your pie dish, I used my new oblong dish but a regular round 22cm jobby will be fine. I prefer to use a metal pie dish, I think the pastry is crispier.  Put the whole thing back in the fridge for 15 minutes. Bake the casing blind I also like to prick the bottom of the casing with a fork, bake for 10 minutes, allow to cool a little, brush with the egg wash and pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Egg washing helps the base stay crisp

Cool before adding the filling.

Fry onion in butter until soft and golden.

Sprinkle half of the cheese onto the cooled base, add the cubed gammon and the onion.

Whisk the eggs, cream and seasoning until combined and pour over, sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until risen and golden.

Straight out of the oven

 

PS Cooked gammon freezes well, I have frozen a 200g bag of cubes to be used in another quiche,  on top of a pizza or even in a macaroni cheese.

Update: 01/01/13, my Mum decided to use up her gammon as well, looks good Mum!

 

 

Avatar of Sous Chef

by Sous Chef

Need to whip up a cheap plate of eats?…..

28 November 2012 in Cheap and cheerful, Easy to prepare

22 Comments »

Tags: , , ,

 

One of the sponsors of Dinner Divas is Rhodes Food and each contestant received R750 of Rhodes vouchers……in R10 denominations!

 

So off I went to Checkers, grabbed a selection of their products and marched to the till clutching my wad of barter. The lady looked at the vouchers, looked at me with great suspicion and told me I could use only one voucher at a time!

*Cue camera to me in Spar*  Now Spar seem to stock different Rhodes items, so I loaded up, as-ya-do when it’s for free. Lady at the till looks grimly at vouchers, peers at vouchers some more and declares that I must only buy tomato products…..cos that’s the picture on the voucher!

Pick n Pay were the only supermarket to take the vouchers without a hassle, they even gave me change!

Anyway, here I am trying out some products I have never used, and presented with a tin of curried butter beans I came up with the following…..

Curried butter bean spread

1 tin Rhodes butter beans in curry sauce

Red onion

Fresh tomatoes

Cucumber

Grated carrot

Fresh coriander

Fresh chilies to taste

Seasoning

Empty your tin of butter beans (juice as well) into a blender and buzz until you get it as smooth as you can. Place in a container and put in the fridge to chill, this does not have the consistency of a dip, nor is it a pate, it’s more of a spread.

Chop the ingredients for the sambal and mix, I haven’t given exact amounts here, you be the judge of how much you want.

Rotis

1.5 cups flour

½ tsp salt

1.5 TBSP oil

Hot water to form a dough

Butter for spreading

Oil for frying

Mix the flour and salt and add oil, using a mixer or your hands mix until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Add the hot water gradually with the motor still running until you get a soft dough.

Roll out on a floured surface until it’s about 25 x 25 cm.

Spread butter over the dough and then roll it up.

Cover with a tea towel or cling and leave for 30 minutes.

Cut off pieces of dough and form into small balls.

Roll out each ball into a thin disc.

Heat a thick bottom pan, smear with a little oil and fry the discs until they look like this.. 

 

The combination of the spread topped with the sambal in the roti was really good, this is a tasty, economical dish to serve with drinks or to take along when you get asked to bring a plate. The tin of butter beans cost R9.99, rotis are very cheap to make and the sambal/salsa can be a combination of anything you happen to have in your fridge.

Rhodes also gave us these huge chopping boards, it amazed me that I was allowed to take mine onto the flight home as hand luggage, no sharp objects mind….but let the old duck on with a lethal weapon! :)

 

Disclaimer: I wrote this post of my own volition, I was not remunerated.

 

 

 

 

 

Switch to our mobile site