Sunday, September 5, 2010

Cooking "workshop" @ Catootje

Happy Birthday to us! 1 cycle of ETC celebrated @ Catootje in Leiden.

It was actually more work than anticipated...not a wine sipping, chatting, perhaps chop one vegetable between the dips evening. But sweating over the hot stove, we put together a fairly extensive menu.

Memory fails me, but it was GOOD. Brownie points to those who can remember names of the dishes...and who made what! All i remember was Achim roasted the lamb of the 'big meat' theme...and how :)




Friday, August 27, 2010

The Party Plan ETC Season 2

The dates for the next season: (please note monique's date is changed from the first mail)

2010

28 Aug Cook Course Catootje: North African/Big meat
18 Sep Mascha
23 Oct No ETC
27 Nov Colleen *
18 Dec Monique * Christmas Party

2011
22 Jan Nicky
19 Feb Alison
26 March Renee
23 April Ann
21 May Kelly
18 June Clare
  • * indicates partners are invited - so get your babysitters booked!
  • New additions: Renee Clapham (Australia) & Ann Delahaye (Belgium)- which brings our numbers to 9, but in the past we've had very few occasions with everyone attending, so it should be fine.
  • For the future '+ Partners' evenings, this is open to the discretion of the host. We can be more creative with these evenings: e.g. cocktails, tapas, desserts only, going out etc.
  • Whoever hosts the next Indian night must have a Partner evening, or risk the wrath of Alex & Douwe to name a few.
  • The 'Christmas party' will be organised closer to the time, ideas anyone?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Osso Bucco, Risotto Milanese

Osso Bucco

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 pieces veal shank with bone
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 cup dry Marsala
  • 2 cups veal or chicken stock
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • Saffron Risotto, recipe follows

GREMOLATA:

  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • Grated rind of 1 orange
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Directions

Dredge the veal shanks in the flour with salt and pepper and tap off any excess. Heat the oil and butter and brown the shanks on all sides. Remove from pan. Heat oven to 180 deg.

Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves and parsley to the pan and cook until softened & lightly browned. Add some salt to let it sweat a little. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, add the wine and deglaze the pan. Return the meat to the pan, add the stock and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil. Cover, move pan to oven and cook for about 1.5-2 hours or until the meat is tender. Check the meat a few times during cooking to keep it covered with the sauce. Remove the cover, bake for 10 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit if necessary.

For gremolata: combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gremolata over the osso buco before serving. Serve osso buco with Saffron Risotto.

Risotto Milanese

  • 2 Tb olive oil
  • 1/2 big winter carrot (a 250 g), in blocks
  • 3 celery sticks, in blocks
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4 veal shin bones with marrow
  • 50 g butter
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 300 g risotto rice
  • 0.1g saffron
  • 50 g Parmesan, grated

Instructions

Saute the carrot, celery and onion in olive oil until softened but not browned. Add the garlic, bones and 1.5 L water. Bring the the boil and let simmer for 1.5 hours. Sieve the boullion and season with salt. Keep the boullion on the boil and reserve the bones. Heat 25g butter in a heavy pan and saute the shallots until softened. Add the rice, saffron and scoop out the marrow and stir until fragrant. Add the boullion in the usual way to make risotto (spoon-by-spoon and stirring) until the rice is al dente. Turn off the fire and stir in the parmesan and a little more boullion. Cover and let stand for 5 min. Stir through more boullion to make it extra creamy and serve.


Viva Italia!!

Alison's Italian evening was a spectacular feast for the eye, tastebuds and stomach... most of us are thankfully accustomed to the over-production of food on these evenings, but there were those that didn't heed warnings and ended up needing gaviscon...

The beautifully-laid table, starting off with some pink aperitivo (prosecco & pink stuff)

Antipasto: (Alison) A promising start with varied bruschetta & grissini.

Nicky's Lemon, Caper & Eggplant Salad: Tangy & Light

Nicky's Marinated Mint Zucchini: Mint never fails to suprise- with succulently grilled zucchini, it was refreshing.

Alison's Insalata Caprese: A classic combination for good reason

Colleen's Watermelon & Bean Salad: A never-thought-of combination: zingy, fresh and sparkly. The watermelon pairs with the balsamic vinegar in a unconventional but very compatible marriage.

Primo #1: Alison's Sundried Tomato & peccorino pasta: Lovely- simple, tasty and good textures

Primo #2 Guest Chef Achim's Angel Hair pasta in white wine sauce & snow peas: Achim wooed a few ladies a the table with this one....

Secondo: Osso Bucco & Saffran Risotto Milanese with Gremolata (Kelly): Decadent- marrow stirred through the risotto, slow oven-baked till the sofrito melted into gravy. The gremolata cut through the richness, leaving a garlic aftertaste the morning after....


Dolce #1 Gelato (Colleen) Vanilla...always room in the pudding pocket!

Dolce #2 Tiramisu (Kelly)

Friday, June 11, 2010

Lamb Vindaloo Recipe

Here's my belated recipe for Lamb Vindaloo:

1/3 cup white wine vinegar
6 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (or more if you like things hot)
2 small red chillis
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 pounds lamb cubes
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
~ 700g diced tomatoes in juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place first 9 ingredients in blender. Add 1 tablespoon mustard seeds and blend until smooth. Transfer spice mixture to large bowl. Add lamb and 2 tablespoons oil and toss to coat well.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add lamb mixture and stir 3 minutes to blend flavors. Add tomatoes with their juice and cinnamon stick; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until lamb is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30-45 minutes.

Season lamb mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in remaining 1 tablespoon mustard seeds. Simmer uncovered until liquid is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

recipes

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:
1/2 fresh red chilli, deseeded
1 clove of garlic ,peeled
15g fresh ginger
1 tablesppon vegetable oil
a pinch of paprika
1/2 tablespoon garam masala
a teaspoon of tomato puree
3 sprogs of fresh coriander,leaves picked and chopped,stalks reserved
400g of chicken breast,diced into 2,5 cm pieces
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
1/2 red pepper,deseeded and sliced
1/2 green pepper,deseeded and sliced
a pich of ground cinnamon
a pinch of ground coriander
a pinch of tumeric
1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes
100ml of plain yoghurt
100ml of double cream

Method:

For the marinade ( needs to be prepared the day before)
Blitz chilli,garlic and vegetable oil in the food processor. Add the paprika,garam masala and tomato puree,plus the coriander stalks and blitz again to form a paste. Place the chicken pieces into a large bowl,coat them with the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight
The next day .....
In a little vegetable oil,on medium heat,fry onion,peppers and spices in a large saucepan. Cook gently for 10 mins then add a tin of tomatoes and the yoghurt. Add the chicken pieces and simmer gently for 20 mins until cooked. Just before serving,stir through the double cream and chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with boiled rice.




Mango coconut ice-cream

Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar (110g)
400ml coconut cream
425g can sliced mangoes,drained
1/2 cup of lemon juice (80ml)
300ml thickened cream

Method:
1. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a small bowl, with electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Bring coconut cream to boil in small saucepan. Gradually beat hot coconut cream into egg mixture,while mixer is operating. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Blend or process mangoes and juice until smooth
3. Beat cream in small bowl until soft peaks form. Fold mango mixture and cream into egg mixture.
4. Pour mixture into loaf pan;cover with foil. Freeze until firm. Serve sprinkled with toasted coconut if desired

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Lamb Jalfrezi

Lamb jalfrezi

Pretty spicy (although of course the amount of chili powder can be adjusted to taste)

Ingredients

  • 1 kg. lamb, clean and cut in cubes
  • 2-3 teaspoons of salt
  • 5 teaspoons red chili powder
  • 4 tablespoons ghee
  • 3 large onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, grated or chopped finely
  • 15 cm. ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2-3 large tomatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 5 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1/2 cup of chopped coriander leaves
  • some onion rings, red pepper, bell pepper

Preparation

  • Mix the lamb with chili powder and salt and leave to marinate a bit.
  • Heat the ghee on a medium flame and fry the onions golden yellow.
  • Lower the flame. Add garlic and ginger and fry until the oil seperates.
  • Add tomatoes, coriander powder, cumin, turmeric and coriander leaf and cook until the tomatoes are mushy. Stir regularly.
  • Add lamb and cover. Optionally add some water. Leave until the lamb is cooked and tender (this will take a while!).
  • Serve with some fried onion, red pepper cut in pieces, and fresh lemon wedges

Monday, May 24, 2010

Nicky's Indian Night

Probably the tastiest evening in the history of the ETC club!
The Menu (as I remember it)
Starters/Sides
Pappadums- nicky
Mango Chutney- colleen
Mint Raita- colleen
Naan- colleen
Mushroom Baji- Colleen
Lassi- Nicky

Mains
Lentil Dahl- Nicky
Lamb Vindaloo- nicky
Lamb Jalfrezi- kelly
Eggplant 'salad'- mascha
Chicken Korma- alison
Chicken Skewers- monique

Dessert

Mango & Pineapple salad- monique
Halava- mascha
Mango & Coconut Icecream- Alison








Friday, May 21, 2010

Food Movies for upcoming movie nights:

Since we had a great time with Julie & Julia, despite the fact I have no TV suitable for watching movies, I still thought a list of movies would be a good star for future movie nights (and my other half is eyeing the new TVs about to go on sale with the World Cup). Leave your movie suggestion under in the comments!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

recipes

Tartaleta's de champinonis a la crema

Ingredients:
1/2 kg of mushrooms
1/2 an onion cut finely
50g of bacon cut finely
2 tbsp of flour
1/4 l of cream
1 tsp Worecestershire sauce
75g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt

Method
Clean mushrooms and take out the stems. Cut into small pieces and place covered in a bowl so that they don't go brown.
Fry bacon with bacon with butter and oil until crispy. Add onion. After 5 mins add the mushrooms and cook until soft.
Sauce: Place flour and cram together and mix under a slow heat. Combine the soup mix and W. sauce. Stir constantly. Add mushroom sauce and pour into tartlets.
Tartlet pastry can be made with a basic pastry mix or you can buy the ready made shells.


Pollo al agillo

Ingredients:
chicken drumsticks. 12 small ones
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 l of white wine
6 peeled garlic cloves
olive oil
salt / pepper to taste

Method
Add chicken drumsticks with garlic and rub with salt. Cook chicken in a pan until browned. Add wine and wait until absorbed and chicken is cooked. Serve in the same pan to enjoy the flavours.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Easy Evening

Posted by Picasa

I failed, totally failed evening to take 'proper' food pictures:
but that's because the evening was a total success :) Too gezellig to remember to take pictures of food...It wasn't too bad having male company for dinner, they may be invited again! Thanks Monique & JC for a great evening!

Menu:
Appetisers:
White bean & pesto dip (Mascha)
Samoosas (Monique)
Blue Cheese Dip (Kelly)
Ham & Cheese Rolls (Nicky)

Mains:
Pesto Pasta (Nicky)
Lamb Kebabs (Colleen)
Coca Cola Chicken (Kelly)
Rocket & Pear salad (Mascha)

Dessert:
Venezuelan Lime Pie (Monique)
Profiterole tower(-ette) (Kelly)

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Monique's Easy Evening

Menu

Appetizers
Samoosas (Monique)
White Bean Dip (Mascha)
Veggie Sticks with Dip (Kelly)
South African Cherry Bacon Skewers (JC)

Main
Coca Cola Chicken (Kelly)
Lamb (or beef) kebabs (Colleen)
Pesto Pasta (Nicky)
Rocket Salad with Pear and Parmesan (Mascha)

Dessert
Choux pastries, maybe a croc en bouch (Kelly)
Venezuelan Lime Pie (Monique)

Miscellaneous info
Husbands included
Clare & Alison not attending
Alex might not be attending, due to losing his wisdom

Monday, April 12, 2010

Colleen's Recipes!

(posting on Behalf of Colleen: better late than never :)

FUDGE:
750ml sugar
25ml golden syrup
1x397g can condensed milk
125ml milk
125ml water
50ml butter
5ml vanilla
Put all ingredients except vanilla in a pan with a thick heavy base. Stir slowly over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Allow to come to the boil and boil gently for about 20-30min. Stir often to ensure the fudge doesnt stick at the bottom. Test by dropping a small ball into cold water, it should be firm and fudgey. When ready (firm ball and fudgey on the side of the pot) remove from the heat, beat in the vanilla and pour into a buttered 26X16cm pan. Cut when cooled.
CALAMARI
1 kg cleaned calamari tubes
about 1 cup milk
about 1 cup flour
1 egg
salt, pepper and a pinch of chilli
about 1L sunflower oil
Cut the calamari into thin rings and allow to soak in the milk (this tenderises the calamari). Mix the seasoning and spices into the flour. Beat the egg with a little milk. Heat the oil in a large pan or a deep fryer. Pat the rings dry and then dip into egg followed dipping into the flour to make a batter. Gently and carefully put battered rings into the oil. They shouldn't touch eachother. Fry for about 2min or until the batter is golden. Remove and place in a warmed dish covered with paper towel. Repeat process untill all the calamari is cooked.
LEMON PRAWNS WITH GARLIC AND BLACK PEPPER
1 large lemon
3 Tbs olive oil
3 finely chopped garlic cloves
3 fresh red chillies (optional)
20 large uncooked prawns
5 Tbs chopped parsley
salt and pepper
toasted ciabatta slices
Grate the lemon zest and set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the garlic and chillies, then toss in the prawns and fry for 4 min.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze one half over the prawns. Sprinkle over the zest and parsley. Toss everything together and continue to cook for 1 more minute. Season with salt and plenty balck pepper. Pile prawns on plate, serve immediately with ciabatta to soak up the juices.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

17th of April's Theme

Good evening dear ladies,

The theme for next weekend's 'first time ever with partners' dinner is:
Food that is surprisingly good for the amount of time / ingredients / effort that went into it. I know this is a bit vague, but the constriction lies in that whatever you make, you either have to be able to eat it by hand, or from a small plate while standing up (unless the hubbies want to bring their own big plates!)

In keeping with the tradition, I added a few quotes. All of them short and sweet, as your recipies should be!
"Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook."
- Chinese proverb

"...tomatoes and oregano make it Italian, wine and tarragon make it French, sour cream makes it Russian, lemon and cinnamon make it Greek, soy sauce makes it Chinese, garlic makes it good."
- Alice May Brock

"...my secret ingredient.....salt!"
-Marge Simpson


We'll start at 7:30. Hope you all have babysitters arranged!


Clare, I'm sorry you will not be able to make this one, you will be missed!
Mascha, I'm really glad you can finally join us again! We had to go too long without your good cooking!

And Colleen, we all decided that there's definitely a way that you can spin your calamari recipe around so that it will fit in with this theme!

As to what food will be served: I will make samoosas. I remember when I made them the first time, I had such an 'ahh, this is much easier than I thought' feeling, which is exactly what this evening will be all about. The rest of the menu will follow. I'm anxiously awaiting to hear what you all will come up with!

Cheers,
Monique

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Dolma & Arancini Recipes

Dolmades
1 pack vine leaves (250g)

2 cups rice
pine nuts
currants
1 tsp allspice
1 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1 lemon. juice & zest
1 onion, finely chopped

1. Boil the vine leaves in water to soften and remove excess salt (10 mins).
2. Saute the onion in a generous splash of olive oil until softened, add in the rest of the ingredients and stir over medium heat until the flavours are released.
3. Add water (as if cooking risotto) and stir until absorbed. Do this till the rice is half-cooked.
4. Roll 1-2 teaspoons of rice in the vine leaves to make the dolmas (practise makes perfect!)
5. Reserve the old and damaged leaves to line the bottom of the pan (3-4 layers). Lay the rolled dolmades on top of this all snug in the pan. Cover the dolmades with more vine leaves and weigh the lot down with a saucer.
6. Add water to cover nearly cover the dolmades and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes (check that water doesn't dry up- better too much than too little).
7. Drain and bathe in olive oil
(Tip: The rice filling is great to stuff vegetables...)

Arancini
Cooked Risotto *I used mushroom risotto with white wine & some truffle oil from 250 g rice
Mozarella cut into 1 cm cubes
egg
breadcrumbs
seasoned flour

1. Make (golf ball-sized) balls from the cooled risotto and push in the mozarella. Reform the balls and refrigerate until firm.
2. Roll the balls in the flour, egg then bread crumbs and deep-fry until golden. Serve HOT! Could dipped into a tomato based sauce.

Clare's Mediterranean Tapas Night

Oh what a night .... So many flavors, so many bites, like a carnival for your tongue. Please edit what the dishes as my memory fails Were Actually ....

Nicky's Parma Ham & Brie concoction. Loved the apple-mint that was fresh and Surprise.

Nicky's Avocado Cucumber Rolls

Colleen's now-famous calamari, as 'failed' it was still delicious, cold as it was still delicious! (Recipe here)

Colleen's diet I Prawns (Recipe here)

Clare's Chorizo in red wine

Kelly's arancini



Clare's Berenjena con Vinagreta / Grilled Eggplant in Tomato Vinaigrette


Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
* 2 eggplants, medium size or 1 large
* 1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin Spanish olive oil
* 3 roma or plum tomatoes (also good with cherry tomatoes)
* 3 Tbsp Spanish sherry vinegar(I used balsamic)
* 2 red onions, finely chopped
* 2 tsp capers, minced
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
* 2 basil sprigs for garnish
* 1 French-style baguette

Preparation: 6-8 servings as an appetizer.
Trim off any stems or blemishes on the skin of the eggplants. Cut eggplants crosswise into slices about 3/8 inch thick.Note: Slices 1/4 inch thick are a bit too thin. They will burn easily and fall apart after they are dressed with oil and vinegar. Slices 1/2 inch thick take too long to cook under the grill and the skin can be hard to cut or chew.Turn on grill to heat. Place slices on a baking sheet and spray or lightly brush each slice with olive oil. Place baking sheets under grill on second shelf from top, so that they are not too close, or they will burn. When one side is slightly browned and soft when you press lightly, turn slices over, apply olive oil and return to grill.Depending on your grill and the distance from the pan, it may take 15 - 20 minutes to cook.Remove slices individually as they are done cooking and place on a large platter or serving plate. Don’t be afraid to overlap slices on the serving plate. It works just fine for serving and will be more appetizing.While the eggplant is grilling, finely chop the tomatoes and place them into a medium size mixing bowl. Finely chop the onions and garlic and place in the bowl with tomatoes. Remove the capers from the jar with a slotted spoon, so that they drain. Chop the capers and mix into the bowl with other ingredients. Make sure that stems are removed from the basil leaves, then chop the basil and place in bowl.Pour Olive oil and vinegar into the bowl and mix with the other ingredients.Allow the eggplant to cool a few minutes. Then, spoon the tomato vinaigrette sauce over the eggplant. Serve immediately with sliced bread or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If you refrigerate this dish, be sure to take it out of the fridge a few minutes before serving, so that it warms up. You will not taste the rich flavors of this dish if it is served ice cold.
Alison's? Fancy italian especially for mushrooms in cream

Clare's Patata Bravas

Bread and Olives Which we did not eat Actually ....

Kelly's Dolmades

Monique's or Trinity: 1. Rosemary Cookies and Orange Scented Figs


2. Orange somthing yummy

3. The divine Creme Caramel

Friday, March 12, 2010

Saturday March 20th 7pm - Clare's Mediterranean Melange - "TAPAS" night

Hi Fellow foodies

Instead of a quote I give you a little history courtesy of Wikipedia, or how its believed Tapas evolved:

The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover". According to legendthe tapas tradition began when King Alfonso X of Castile or Alfonso the Wise, recovered from an illness by drinking wine mixed with small dishes between meals. After Regaining his health, the king ordered taverns that were not allowed to serve wine to customers unless the beverage was Accompanied by a small snack or tapa. The word became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to consume alcohol.According to The Joy of Cooking, the original tapas were the slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from Hovering over the sweet sherry. The meat used to cover the sherry was normally ham or chorizo, which are both very salty and activate thirst. Because of this, bartenders and restaurant owners began creating a variety of snacks to serve with sherry, thus increasing their alcohol sales. The tapas eventually became as important as the Spanish sherry.Tapas has evolved through history by incorporating ingredients and influences from many different cultures and countries. Most of the Iberian Peninsula was Invaded by the Romans, who introduced the olive and irrigation methods. The invasion of the North African Moors in the 8th century brought almonds, citrus fruits and fragrant spices. The influence of their 700-year presence remains today, especially in Andalusia. The discovery of the New World brought the introduction of tomatoes, sweet and chili peppers, maize (corn), beans and potatoes. These were readily accepted and easily grown in Spain's microclimates.Tapa means "member" or "cover" in Spanish. There are several explanations for why it has come to denote a type of food: * A commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies, at some point it became a habit to top this "cover" with a snack. * It is also commonly said that since one would be standing while eating a tapa in traditional Spanish bars, they would need to place their plates on top of their drinks in order to eat, making it a top. * Some believe that the name originated sometime around the 16th century when tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine, thus "covering" it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine. * Another popular explanation says that the king Alfonso XII stopped by a famous venta (inn) in Cádiz (Andalusian city) where he ordered a cup of sherry. The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The king, after drinking the wine and eating the tapa, ordered another sherry "with the cover."

After lots of mouthwatering research I am going to do Chorizo in Red Wine, and attempt some Banderillas - skewered type things with pickled bits on. Soft drink for Tapas apparently grape juice, otherwise some Rioja or Cerveza will be on offer or does anyone like sherry? I just can not do .... sherry!!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Lemon Meringue

Since my mom STILL won't share her recipe with me, here's one that I use in the meantime.

Ingredients

¾ packet digestives
75 mls melted butter
1 tin of condensed milk
100 ml lemon juice
4 egg yolks
2 egg whites
75 ml castor sugar

The process

Crush the biscuits, melt the butter in a mixing jug in the microwave.
Add the biscuit crumbs to the butter and mix well.

Line the bottom of the pie dish with the biscuit crumbs and chill in the fridge.

Mix the condensed milk, juice of lemon and egg yolks together and pour onto the pie shell.

Beat the egg whites until stiff add the castor sugar slowly and mix and when thick and full spread on top of the filling.
Bake for 20-30 mins at 160C until meringue is light brown.


Pap en sous

Pap:
Travel all the way to South Africa and buy a bag of mieliepap. Cook according to the instructions on the package.

Sous:
This time you only need to travel to Leiden to the international store and buy Mrs. Balls Chutney. Chop up onions, fry, add chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft. Add a whole bunch of the very cherished Chutney as well as anything you feel like that particular day, or nothing else but salt. And there! You have a traditional South African dish!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

lemons

Lemon Chicken Parcels

You need
  • 4 chicken breast fillets
  • 30g butter
  • 1tbs oil
  • 8 sheets fillo pastry
  • 60g butter. melted, extra
  • 1tbs seeded mustard
  • 1tbs fresh chopped coriander

Sauce

  • 1tbs lemon juice
  • 1tbs chopped coriander
  • 1tbs grated ginger
  • half a cup of thickened cream

Method

  1. Trim away any excess fat. Heat oil and butter in a frying pan and brown chicken. Remove chicken and drain on absorbant paper. Reserve the frying pan with juices.
  2. place 1 sheet of f. pastry on bench, brush with extra melted butter. Top with another layer of f.pastry. Place fillet onto pastry and coat with s. mustard and coriander. Fold sides of pastry over chicken, roll up to form a parcel. Repeat with remaining pastry and chicken.
  3. Place chicken parcels onto baking try and brush with melted butter. Bake in the oven until golden brown. Test if chicken in cooked by piercing with a skewer.Add lemon juice to reserved juices in the frying pan,stir in corinader , ginger and cream.Stir constantly over heat until reduced to half and the slightly thickened. Serve over chicken parcels.

Lemon Biscuit slice

You need:

  • 125g buter
  • pkt of marie biscuits ( also can use the sanfransico biscuits)
  • grated rind from one lemon
  • half a can of condensed milk
  • 1 cup of coconut

Icing

  • 185g icing sugar
  • 2 tbs lemon juice

Method

  1. Melt butter and add condensed milk. Stir until well blended. Crush biscuits and place in basin with coconut and lemon rind. Pour onto butter mixture and mix well.
  2. Press into a slice tin and chill until set.
  3. mix icing sugar and lemon juice stiring briefly over a low heat. Pour over slice and allow to cool. ( sprinkle with coconut). Slice must be refridgerated.

Enjoy!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Colleen's Lemony Night

The Lemony Theme of February's Dinner was a tantalising taste of the spring and summer to come. We''re still battling the cold, snow, sleet, hail (all in one day today) but the Lemon dishes were zesty and warming! The AH Allerhande featured lemons as their monthly theme, quite apt after the illustrious Eattalkcook Club had announced the same!

Menu (Photos to follow)
Appetisers
Cheesy Lemons with basil oil and chilli (Clare)

Starters
Calamari with lemony mayonnaise & fresh lemon wedges (Colleen)

Palate Refresher
Lemon Sorbet (Clare)

Mains
Spring Vegetable and Lemon Rice(Colleen)
Chicken Tajine with preserved lemons (Kelly)
Lemon Chicken Parcels (Alison)

Desserts
Lemon Slice (Alison)
Lemon Meringue (Monique)

Miscellaneous info
Nicky and Mascha not attending


Saturday, February 20, 2010

Cheesy Lemons, Lemon Sorbet, Preserved Lemon Chicken Tajine

Thanks for a great night Saturday Colleen&Fellow eat talk cook clubbers!!
Here are my recipes: (Clare)

CHEESY LEMONS WITH BASIL OIL (Donna Hay!)

4 lemons, halved
1 cup (100g) grated mozzarella
1 cup (200g) ricotta
½ cup (40g) finely grated parmesan
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1 cup basil leaves
¼ cup (60ml) olive oil


Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Remove the flesh from the lemon halves+ and discard. Place mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, chilli, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine. Spoon into the lemon halves and place in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden. Place the basil and oil in the bowl
of a small food processor and process in short bursts until well combined. Drizzle over lemon halves to serve. Serves 4.

LEMON SORBET

You will need for 4 servings:

Thinly peeled rind and juice 3 lemons

6 oz. loaf sugar (I used castor sugar)

1 pint water

1 egg white

Put lemon rind into saucepan with water and sugar. Warm over a gentle heat until sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly for 5-6 mins. Cool. Add lemon juice and strain into a 1&1/2 pint container. Freeze for about 1 hour or until almost firm(In fast freeze drawer-if you can still stir it like liquid it needs longer before you add egg white or they will float on top!) Remove from freezer and mash so that no large lumps remain. Fold in stiffly whisked egg white, cover closely with double thickness foil and refreeze.

To serve: Allow to thaw a little in refrigerator for 3 hours before serving.

Preserved Lemons & Chicken Tajine

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces
  • 2 large white or yellow onions, very finely chopped
  • one small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
  • one small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric (or 1/4 teaspoon Moroccan yellow colorant)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
  • 1 handful green or red olives, or mixed
  • 1 preserved lemon, quartered and seeds removed
  • olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water, approximately

Preparation:

Prepare the Chicken

Remove the flesh from the preserved lemon, and finely chop it. Add the chopped lemon flesh to a bowl along with the chicken, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, spices, and mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight.

To Cook the Chicken

Add enough olive oil to the tagine to coat the bottom. Arrange the chicken in the tagine (flesh-side down), and distribute the rest of the marinade all around.

Add the olives over the chicken. Add the water to the tagine, cover, and place on a diffuser over a medium-low heat.

Gently simmer (lowest setting possible) for 80 to 90 minutes, and then turn the chicken over so that it's flesh side up. Cover the tagine again, and allow the chicken to finish cooking until very tender.

Turn off the heat, and let the tagine to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Moroccan tradition is to eat directly from the tagine, using Moroccan bread to scoop up the chicken and sauce.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Happy Chinese New Year!

We had a dinner for 4 adults (and 2 kids) with this much food. Burp! The photos might just be appreciated :)
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Monday, February 8, 2010

February's Theme

Hi Fellow Foodies
I have trawled the web and finally found a suitably foodie quote using the word LEMON. Here it is:
“Huge lemons, cut in slices, would sink like setting suns into the dusky sea, softly illuminating it with their radiating membranes, and its clear, smooth surface aquiver from the rising bitter essence.”
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)

So, to continue....the theme for the next eattalkcook meeting is Lemons.

I have given some thought to my dishes and will definitely have calamari served with lemon mayonnaise and fresh lemon wedges, I will serve this as a starter. I would also like to make a spring vegetable and lemon risotto as part of the starch. Please feel free to add your dishes so that we can feast in what will soon be true eattalkcook tradition.

xx Colleen 

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Brown Beer Beef Stew aka ''Stovers''

OK, I finally got to posting the stovers recipe. I promise to be quicker next time. I do have a good excuse: I've been in Barcelona this past week on a business trip. Of course, it wasn't all work and no play. I took the opportunity to try some yummie tappas food while there. The local cured ham and calamari still being among my favorite finger foods, and I burned off the calories afterwards at the company clubbing shindigs (3!) (incriminating pictures on facebook for those who are interested ;-)

Here's how I make the stovers:

ingredients:
2 chopped onions
1kg stew beef, diced
~50g butter
laurel, thyme, pepper, salt
1 slice of bread
mustard
1 bottle of brown belgian beer (I prefer Grimbergen or Leffe)
a dash of vinegar
a scoop of (straw)berry jam

how to fix it:
- Saute the onions in the butter.
- Sear the beef cubes on all sides in the onions mixture.
- Add the herbs, pepper & salt
- Add the bottle of beer to just submerge the meat. If needed, add some more beer.
- Add a dash of vinegar
- Cover the slice of bread on both sides with mustard and put on top of the meat. It will soak up the liquid and disintegrate during the cooking process.
- Cover and simmer for about 4 hour, or till the meat is tender
- Just before the end, add the scoop of jam.

The stew is best served with brown beer of course !
Enjoy

Monday, February 1, 2010

The 'How Your Food Obsession Began' Tasting Menu

We came, we talked, we ate= in summary, it was a success!! It was a great feeling cooking a small dish and knowing that it was a part of a much bigger and better meal. I love talking about food, not just how it tastes, but the personal, cultural and historical past of food traditions.

The 'How Your Food Obsession Began' Tasting Menu

Appetizer
Stuffed chicken wings (China-Thailand- Kelly) recipe

De-boned chicken wings stuffed with vermicelli, carrots, spring onion and pork mince. Steamed then lightly battered and deep-fried. Served with a cucumber sweet chilli sauce- a nice contrast with crunch! Stuffing things with this kind of filling is common in chinese food, adding the vermicelli and the cucumber dipping sauce is a Thai thing. Deboning chicken wings is fun to do once in a while, about every 4 years I get the urge to do this recipe again!

Mum used to eat out and then would mull over it for days until she could actually try and recreate the dish.

Starters
Australian Pumpkin Soup (Alison- recipe)

A myriad of pumpkin soup variations have been invented- but the Australian classic is my favourite. The browned Bacon and onion base gives a richness and heartiness that is so full of flavour. This is Alison's mum's 'cooks this when the kids are home to visit' dish. All mums have those dishes and no one cooks it better than mum does... what will be your dish?

Mains
Steamed egg & rice (Malaysia- Kelly) recipe
(no picture taken) Oops, but perhaps it's better this way. This is one of those dishes that is not so photogenic and one of those dishes that you don't cook for 'company'. Silky smooth steam egg with a filling of marinated minced pork with white rice that tickles your tongue in contrast. This is a dish my mother made often as one of 3-4 dishes for dinner. Dinner was always a mini buffet, a variety of textures and flavours.

Palate Refresher
Blood Orange Basil Granita recipe

Something tangy to refreshen and ready the taste buds for the coming onslaught...

Mains Continued
Stovers (Belgian brown beer-beef Stew-Nicky) recipe

An old-time Belgian classic that originated as 'poor people's food' but now (as many of these things are) served in commonly restaurants. This is an amazing stew that is punchy and definitely a masculine character (as I was typing this I had to warm up the leftovers for a nibble :) The dishes which require long, slow cooking used to be reserved for the cheapest cuts of meat, but now represent the opposite: if you've got the time to do it, that's a luxury.

Pap en Sous (South Africa- Monique)

Continuing in the tradition of dishes that are not cooked for 'company' Pap en Sous was served. A humble dish with African origins with a sauce with a chutney base. We should share these dishes more often as it's not so much the taste (although the tangy stewed tomatoes and onions were a perfect foil for the smooth pap) but the memories that are embedded in them: we return home for just a bit when eating :)

Stoofperen & Rabbit Stew (Netherlands- Mascha)

Sweet Stoofperen/Stoofpeertjes are a beautiful accompaniment to hearty stews, and they brought along gorgeous rabbit slowly stewed in white wine and and mixed mushrooms (kind of a Jennifer Aniston-Brad Pitt pearing :Pun intended: she's lovely and multifaceted but he's a Star). The pears turn a beautiful pinky red as they are cooked (pigments in the pear turn red in acidic conditions) and were beautifully fragrant with vanilla. This recipe is from Mascha's granddad and he always cooked it for special and festive occasions. Unfortunately, he passed away last year but thankfully passed the recipe in time to his granddaughter. To continue the tradition at Christmas, Mascha went shopping and dutifully picked up a box of potato starch, as Granddad had instructed....what should be on the back of the potato starch box, was Grandad's traditional Stoofperen recipe!

*must try the witches soup recipe with my kids too!*

Sweets/Desserts

Pavlova (England- Clare) recipe

This pavlova was reminiscent of the first pavlova I ever tasted. I don't really remember that pavlova, but I do recall that pavlovas eaten in recent years never lived up to the image of that pavlova that I held on a pedastal. This was 'my' perfect (and I know there are different versions of perfect) enough crispy-shell-to-marshmallow-innards-ratio, magically chewy base, no smelly egg smell, loads of fresh fruit to relieve from the sweetness every now and then, fresh white pristine cream. Pavlova is one of those simple recipes that often stymie the most hardened of cooks. Some 'traditional cooks' don't really experiment with the new-fashioned sushi/stir-fry/rosé lamb trends but who needs to when you can perform alchemy and make pavlova. This is Clare's mum's recipe and was the beginning of further food adventures for Clare.

Dangerous Chocolate Fudge (South Africa/England - Colleen; Recipe)

The nail in the coffin for the evening; a wicked chocolate fudge- that magical crumbly, melty, almost brittle texture and sweetness and caramel flavour that coats your tongue. This is not just any fudge, but one that burned 6 year old Colleen and left a scar for a lifetime on her hand. Scar? More like a Love bite!

Next month's evening has already been planned: Colleen's Night of the Lemons (title to be revised!). Stay tuned!!!