Colin's famous "cheaky" livers

For years we would have Colin's chicken livers at our monthly meetings. This became a tradition. It was more exciting knowing that on the upcoming Monday, we would be getting the famous chicken livers than actually attending our meeting. I finally managed to wriggle out the recipe from him.. and since then I have made these on numerous occasions. I have served it to number of friends, who do not usually eat chicken livers, but will continue to devour a bowl of these if they're placed in front of them. Great as a snack before a lunch or dinner. So if you don't like chicken livers, I'd say - try this, it's YUM!

 

 

 

colin's famous cheaky livers

Cook time: 1 1/2 Hrs

Serves: 8-12 for a starter / snack

Ingredients:

2-3 large onions, finely chopped

2 large red peppers, finely chopped

2 cans chopped tomatoes

2 small cans tomato paste

garlic, minced (as much as you like) - I usually do 2-3 cloves

chili (as much as you like) 

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp curry power, hot

sweet chili sauce 

salt & pepper

3 large tubs of livers (fresh / frozen) 

Instructions: 

Fry the onions and peppers in some olive oil and butter until they are tender

Add the garlic, chili, paprika and curry powder. stir and cook for a minute. 

Add the tinned tomatoes and the paste

Now cook for approx 1 hour uncovered. Stir occasionally and add some water if necessary. You want to let this thicken.

Now add the sweet chili sauce (add a little at a time until you are happy with the taste. 

Adjust the seasoning - add more chili if desired. 

 Rinse and trim the livers and add whole to the sauce. Cook very well (approx 30 minutes). You may need to add some water, but not too much as you want to retain thickness. 

Now you can decide if you want to serve the livers whole, or you can scoop them out and chop and then return to the sauce (I usually do this as it disguises the liver and adds more texture to the sauce)

Serve.

 

Cinnamon Almond Cake

 

 

 

When I think of Christmas, I think of warm, rich aromas. What could be more "Christmasy" than cinnamon and almond together.  A rather plain cake, but small cinnamon-almond slices are enough.

 

 

cinnamon almond cake

Cook time: 20 prep + 30-40 min cook

Serves:8-10

recipe courtesy of Nigella

Ingredients:

8 egg whites 

150g castor sugar 

few drops of almond essence

zest of 1 orange

125ml mild olive oil 

150g ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

100g flaked almonds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

icing sugar, to decorate

1 22cm springform cake tin

   Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, and grease the springform cake tin (or use a special baking spray) and line the base with baking parchment.
2. In a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are opaque and start to hold their shape, then slowly add the sugar, whisking until it’s all incorporated and the mixture is thick and shiny. Add the almond essence and the orange zest. Then, in about 3 goes each, alternately whisk in the oil and the ground almonds (mixed with the baking powder) until they are both smoothly incorporated into the meringue.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, then mix together the flaked almonds and cinnamon and sprinkle them over the top of the cake.
   Bake for 35-40 minutes (though start checking at 30), by which time the top should have risen and be set and the almonds become golden, and a cake tester should come out clean, barring the odd almondy crumb.
4. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in its tin on a wire rack. Once it is no longer hot, spring open the sides of the tin, but don’t try to remove the cake from the base until properly cool.
   When you are ready to serve, push the icing sugar through a sieve and over the cake to create a snowy effect, and take to the table.

Strawberry & rhubarb crumble with crunchy macadamia topping

  For someone who loves experimenting and trying new foods, it's quite strange that I have never had the opportunity to try rhubarb. A friend of mine, Janette, started growing rhubarb a while back. Needless to say, I have been patiently waiting... 

Knowing rhubarb is quite sour or tart, I knew I was going to like it. I thought the addition of sweet strawberries, rather than traditional apple, would complement the tartness of the rhubarb. Result - YUM! 

(This recipe is straight from taste.com.au)

 

 

strawberry & rhubarb crumble with crunchy macadamia topping

Cook time: 15 prep + 30 min cook

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 bunch rhubarb, ends trimmed, washed, cut into 5cm lengths
2 x 250g punnets strawberries, hulled, washed, halved
2 tbs caster sugar
1 tbs finely grated orange rind
Double cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

crunchy macadamia topping

115g (3/4 cup) plain flour
80g chilled butter, chopped
1 x 100g pkt macadamia nuts
50g (1/2 cup) oats
55g (1/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar

 Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and orange rind in a 5cm deep x 20cm (base measurement) square ovenproof dish.
2. Step 2
   To make the macadamia topping, place the flour in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the macadamias, oats and sugar and stir until well combined.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Step 3
   Scatter the macadamia topping over the rhubarb mixture. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and heated though. Spoon the crumble among serving bowls and serve with cream or ice-cream.

Lemon & Lime drizzle cake

 It's summer, and what could be more refreshing than a little slice of lemon cake on a chilled Sunday afternoon. Perfectly light and fresh with a sweet sour icing. Mmm. 

 

 

lemon & lime drizzle cake

Cook time: Prep time 20 minutes, bake 1 hour.

Serves:8

Ingredients:

for the cake

2 large free range eggs
225g castor sugar
230g double thick cream
zest 1 lemon
1/4 tsp lemon extract / essence
200g self raising flour

for the syrup and topping
juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon
extra lemon juice for the topping
100g granulated sugar
150g icing sugar
lemon & lime zest to decorate



 Instructions:
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Butter a 23cm cake tin.
Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick.
Stir the cream until smooth and mix with a pinch of salt, then gently stir the into the eggs with the lemon zest and extract.
Sift the flour, fold in gently, spoon into the tin and bake for approx 50 minutes until the cake is golden and firm. (Cover with foil if it browns to quickly)
Cool. 

Make the syrup by mixing the lemon and lime juices with the granulated sugar.
Prick the cake all over with a skewer; pour the syrup over. The sugar will form a crunchy topping and the juice will sink into the cake.

Decorate with glacé icing by mixing some icing sugar and a little lemon juice, then sprinkle with the zest. 

Lindt Chocolate Torte

Lindt Chocolate torte. What!? You had me at Lindt. I'm hooked. 

This is by far one of my quickest and easiest AND fail-safe chocolate cake recipes I've ever found.

I also love the fact that this cake is so flexible when it come to flavouring. Simply choose your favourite Lindt Excellence chocolate (Intense Orange, Chilli, Caramel, Mint, Blueberry... ) and you have a completely different torte. 

I'm not gonna say too much more about it, just try it. It's heavenly. 

lindt chocolate torte

Cook time: ready in 1 hour

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

200g Lindt dark chocolate with mint
350g Blueberries
200g unsalted butter
4 large free range egss
200g castor sugar
icing sugar (for dusting)
250ml Cream (optional)

 Instructions:
1.
Heat oven to 180°C.
Grease and line a 23cm spring-clip cake tin.
Place chocolate and butter in a large bowl over a pot of simmering water until melted.

 
Meanwhile,  separate the eggs and whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar until pale and creamy.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gradually add the rest of the sugar until thick and glossy, like a meringue.

 
2.
Fold the melted chocolate into the egg yolk mixture, then gently fold this into the beaten egg whites. Pour into the cake tin, tap lightly to level the surface and bake for approx. 35-40 minutes.
Remove and leave to cool.

3.
 When the cake is cold, turn it out onto a plate and remove the paper.
Add the the berries and dust with icing sugar.
Serve.

In this particular torte I "iced" the top of the cake with fresh cream and added fresh blueberries to finish. 

Try the following:
Lindt Intense Orange with fresh raspberries.
Lindt Caramel with broken caramel chips on top.

 

gnocchi di funghi porcini

I came up this recipe after seeing something similar on TV, and while watching it thought; "I've never made fresh gnocchi. It can't be THAT difficult". So on a Meat-Free-Monday, I decided let's give it a try. Google'd a few recipes of how to make gnocchi and voilà! To my surprise fresh gnocchi is really easy to make, requires a little time, and is not as heavy and "stodgy" as store bought. I have also discovered that there are several ways you can prepare the potato to give it more unique flavours. See cooks notes below. 

Happy Monday.  

 

 

gnocchi di funghi porcini 

A little effort - but oh so worth it

Cook time: 1 hour (if microwave), 1 hour 40 minutes (Oven or Braai)

Serves:4

Ingredients:

gnocchi 

1 kg Baking potatoes 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

2 eggs (beaten) 

pinch of salt 

 

Easy and quick > prick potatoes with a fork and place in microwave for several minutes (until softened). (The way I did it first time.) Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool.

or

Easy and more time > pre-heat oven to 180°C. Prick the potatoes with a fork  in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook. Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool.

 

After they have cooled, but still warm, scoop the potatoes from their skins and mash together. Add in the eggs and 1/2 the flour and combine. Gradually add in the rest of the flour and the salt.
Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not overmix.

 

 

Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 2cm in diameter.  Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.

 

 Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about 3cm long. Using a fork, gently roll and press the dough until it forms the shape. (This is to "hold" the sauce)  As you make the gnocchi, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with flour.

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently drop the gnocchi into the water. As soon as they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon, draining well. Arrange on a warm serving dish. Depending on how many you make, you can cook in batches. They cook really quick - mine took about 3 minutes.

 

 

mushroom sauce

 1 packet (500g) Portobello mushrooms or Black mushrooms, sliced

Garlic crushed

1 chili (optional) finely chopped

Olive Oil 

1/4 cup dry white wine

Dried Porcini mushrooms 

2 cups chicken stock 

Chopped parsley 

Knob of Butter 

Freshly grated Parmesan 

  Sauté mushrooms, garlic and chili in olive oil. 
Meanwhile, place a small handul of the dried porcini mushrooms in a little boiling water and set aside. 
Once the sauted mushrooms have softened, de-glaze the pan with the wine and simmer for a minute. Add the porchini mushrooms with the water (THIS IS FULL OF FLAVOUR) and stir. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for a few minutes. (Note - if you want a slightly thicker sauce, add a little flour)
Just before serving, add the knob of butter and chopped parsley.
Combine with the cooked gnocchi and grate parmesan over. Serve.

Cooks notes:
You could also cook the potatoes in foil on the braai. I havent tried this yet, but a friend of mine, Darren, says that it gives the gnocchi a lovely smokey taste.
Instead of potatoes, try sweet potato. 
You can save yourself the effort and just buy gnocchi and just make the sauce.

mitch's famous spaghetti bolognese

Spag Bol... what could be more comforting, yet so easy and quick to prepare? The classic!
After chatting to good friend of mine the other day, he mentioned that he wanted an easy recipe for a classic dish that he could quickly prepare for his wife after work, say on random Wednesday or "date night" for that matter. Or even a quick meal for friends that pop over after work for a quick meal during the week. So this got me thinking... My famous spaghetti bolognese is pretty simple. It's pretty quick. And it's ALWAYS a hit! Thank you Anthony for the inspiration behind this recipe, I look forward to hearing / seeing all about your culinary experiences of you enjoying it with Kerri-Anne over a glass of red.
So here we go...

mitch's famous spaghetti bolognese

Cook time: 15 minutes prep + 45 minutes cooking

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

500g Extra Lean minced meat
1 Large onion (finely chopped)
1 Red Pepper (finely chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 chilli (optional)
1 tin chopped Italian tomatoes
2 tins tomato paste
Beef Stock (your choice) in 250ml of water  / 250ml Liquid beef stock
2 tbsp Rosemary (Dry)
2 tbsp Oreganum (Dry)
2 tbsp Sweet Basil (Dry)
1 packet of black mushrooms (roughly chopped)

1 packet of Spaghetti
Parmesan to taste
Salt & Pepper

Note: I like to use a mixture of fresh and dry herbs, but you really don't have to. The flavour is just as good.

Instructions:
On a medium heat gently fry the onion and red pepper in some olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and chilli at this point. Remove and place in a bowl.
Brown minced meat on high, add the dry spice ingredients and mix together well. Add the onion and red pepper mixture back in and stir. Next, add the tin of tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the beef stock and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the mushrooms and cook for a further 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning at this point.

Cook pasta according to instructions.

Plate pasta and bolognese sauce and serve with parmesan. Tear basil leaves over pasta. Serve.

Tips: to add extra "body" to the bolognese sauce, you can add a splash of red wine. 

quick Italian crumbed chicken with coleslaw

Often, if I'm not sure on what to cook for dinner, I resort to a simple and quick crumbed chicken breast. Can't go wrong with that and you can always cut up into strips for a chicken salad or serve them with French fries with dips.

When it comes to the seasoning, be adventurous! I have tried many varieties such as: curry powder, grated Parmesan, fresh chopped herbs, Moroccan spice or even Chinese all-spice. Whatever you think will work, throw it in. 

As for the side, this is a coleslaw with a twist. Little mayo (healthy 😊) and some added Avo for some mono unsaturated fats. 

quick Italian crumbed chicken with coleslaw

Recipe type: pan fry, cook, easy

Cook time: 15 minutes prep + 10 minutes cooking

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 x large deboned and skinned chicken breasts 

2 eggs (lightly beaten) 

1/2 cup of Flour 

1 cup of Breadcrumbs (I use Kelloggs) 

2 tsp Seasoning (for this recipe I used Nomu Italian-rub) 

2 - 3 tbsp dried parmesan

 coleslaw

1 x PnP packet of ready made coleslaw (raw) 

1 Avo chopped 
1 small red onion finely chopped

1 tbsp Mayonnaise

2 tbsp Yogurt 

1/4 cup salad dressing (i.e Italian / French) 

Instructions: 
Lightly bash the chicken breasts until flat. 
Add your seasoning to the breadcrumbs, together with the Parmesan. 
Pat chicken breasts in flour and then dip in egg. Then place in breadcrumb mixture and cover. Shake off excess and place on a plate. Do one at a time. Leave to rest. 

Coleslaw salad
Mix all ingredients together. 

Lightly fry the chicken breasts in some olive oil for about 3-4 minutes per side or until golden (Depending on the thickness of the breast). 

Serve with some lemon wedges and the coleslaw salad. 

seared norwegian salmon with greens

For a quick and easy, no fuss dinner or lunch, here's my version of seared salmon. Love this because salmon is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids (great for people with high Cholesterol) and its quick and easy... perfect for a quick dinner or light lunch. I usually serve with steamed vegetables or a crisp green salad with a dill dressing (you can make extra to pour over the fish) and maybe a nice cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc ;-). Baby potatoes mixed with fresh rosemary and olive oil (with a touch of sea salt) would also be a great accompaniment.

seared norwegian salmon with greens 
Recipe type: Seared, cooked, fish

Cook time:  10 mins + 30 mins marinade time

Serves: 2  (350-400g salmon)

Ingredients: 
350-400g salmon (fresh, deboned and skinned)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp fresh chili (optional)

greens
A salad - mixed green salad leaves with finely sliced red onion. (your options are endless - I prefer simplicity)
or
Steamed Vegetables 


Instructions:
Mix together the soy, honey, lemon juice and chili and pour over the salmon. Leave to rest in fridge for 30minutes.

Place a frying pan or wok on medium-high heat, allowing it to warm up for at least 1 minute before adding the oil (this will help prevent the fish from sticking). Drizzle the pan with a little olive oil. Fry salmon for at least 2 minutes before turning. If you turn the fish too soon, it will stick. Instead, allow it to "sear", and it will come freely away from the bottom of the pan.
Turn and fry the fish for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Salmon is done when the inner flesh is no longer transparent. Although i personally prefer a line of transparency in the middle. Remember it will still cook slightly after removing from the pan and plating your meal.

 Serve.

baked caramel cheesecake

So I bumped into an ex-colleague of mine the other day, started chatting, and realised that we both loved to cook. She proceeded to show me pictures of her marvellous creations of what she had recently baked. Wow, she's good! Needless to say, I asked her for a few recipes and this was one of them.
So it was National Braai Day yesterday, and my list of "things to bring" to a little braai was dessert, and of course cheesecake being one of my TOP 5 cakes, there was no question of what I would bake.
After reading the ingredients I was expecting a sickly sweet, rich  "cut me a very thin slice" kinda cheesecake, but I was remarkably surprised. This turned out to be a lovely and light cheesecake with a hint of caramel flavour. Thank you Jeane-Marie for sharing this recipe with me.

Baked Caramel Cheesecake

Recipe type: Cake, Baked goods

Cook time:  ± 70 minutes

Serves: 8 (1x 22cm Cake)

Ingredients:

crust

200gr packet of Nuttikrust biscuits, finely crushed

50gr melted butter

5ml ground cinnamon

filling

125ml sour cream

500gr cream cheese

1 tin caramel condensed milk / Caramel Treat

3 extra large eggs

30ml custard powder

30ml brandy

Instructions

Crust:

Combine all the ingredients and press onto the base of a greased, loose-bottomed cake tin.

  

Filling:

·         Beat the sour cream, cream cheese and caramel condensed milk together.

·         Add the eggs one at a time, beating well until smooth and there are no lumps.

·         Blend together the custard powder and brandy, and beat into the cheese mixture.

 

     Pour the filling onto the biscuit crust and bake at 160 for 45 minutes.

·         Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 20 – 30 minutes or until set.

·         If it doesn’t seem to set at this point, don’t worry – it will set as it cools. Let the cake cool in the tin, it “cracks”  slightly if it’s still hot.

·         Store in the fridge.

chocolate hazelnut cake with frangelico cream

So I found this recipe in a magazine a few years back and decided to give it a try... OH MY WORD!
I have now made it several times, each time experimenting with different "creams". The last time I baked this cake I used Patrón XO Cafe which gave it a rich coffee flavour. But you can use any liqueur or even plain cream should you wish. Enjoy!

Chocolate Hazelnut cake with Frangelico cream

Recipe type: Cake, Baked goods

Cook time:  45 mins

Serves: 8 (1x 22cm Cake)

Ingredients: 
200g plain chocolate, chopped
175g unsalted butter
175g castor sugar
175g ground hazelnuts
5 eggs, separated
40g cocoa powder
3 tbsp boiling water

200g dark chocolate
100ml double cream

for the Frangelico cream:
100ml whipping cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp Frangelico liqueur

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease a 22cm spring-form cake tin.
Place the chocolate and butter in a heavy based pan and heat gently, stirring until melted. (Cool for 5 minutes). NOTE: Sometimes the butter splits from the chocolate and it looks like one big chocolate mess. Don't worry. It will come together in the next step. :-)

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and beat in the sugar, hazelnuts, egg yolks, cocoa powder and water until smooth. 
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form and then fold into the cake mixture.
Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for ± 35 minutes or until just firm. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes. Then remove from tin and cool completely.

Make the ganache.
Melt the chocolate and cream in a small heavy-based pan. leave to cool for 30 minutes or until a thick pouring consistency. Pour over the cake and chill until set.

Make the Frangelico cream.
Whip the cream, icing sugar and Frangelico together until thickened slightly. Serve with the cake.

Tips / Notes:
You could substitute the hazelnuts for almonds and then use Amaretto Liqueur instead. Or even add some Orange zest into the cake and make a Orange Liqueur cream... 

a lazy saturday breakfast

poached egg, salmon on a potato rösti with a tomato and basil salsa. delish!!

the ultimate lemon tart

One of my absolute favourites. Lemon in food - LOVE! So when i came across this recipe, I knew I had to try.

I was expecting the "ultimate" as the name suggested; a light pastry with the tartness and sweetness of the lemon filling (this reminded me of my childhood and my Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie) and that's just what I got! I loved this recipe and will most certainly bake it again. I served it as a desert after a dinner party, accompanied with a vanilla cream, but it would be great for an afternoon tea. I hope you enjoy.

The ultimate Lemon Tart (Recipe adjusted from the simply-delicious food blog)

Recipe type: Tart, Pastry, Baked goods,

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  50 mins

Total time:  1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 1x 28cm tart

Ingredients

for the sweet shortcrust pastry

• 125g cold butter, cubed
• 200g flour
• 50g icing sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg yolk
• 2T ice water

for the filling

• 250ml cream
• 125g sugar
• 4 Jumbo, free range eggs
• 125ml lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. To make the pastry, combine the butter, icing sugar, flour and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Pulse until the mixture resembles rough bread crumbs.
3. Add the egg yolk and with the blender running, pour in the water, spoon by spoon until the mixture comes together in a ball.
4. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 180°c. Roll the chilled pastry out on a floured surface and press into the 28cm tart case.
6. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes then remove the baking paper and baking beans and return the pastry back to the oven for another 10 minutes to finish baking.
7. Remove and set aside while you make the filling. Turn the oven down to 100°c.
8. For the filling, heat the cream and sugar in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan, do not allow to boil.
9. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.
10. When the cream is hot, slowly pour into the eggs, whilst continuously whisking.
11. Pour in the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well.
12. Strain the mixture into a jug and carefully pour into the baked tart cases.
13. Bake the tart for 50 minutes until the edges are set and the centre is still slightly jiggly.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to cool completely.
15. When you are ready to serve, slice the tart and serve with a dusting of icing sugar.

Notes: 

The pastry. This was an awesome recipe. The lemon zest gave it life. It was light and crispy - perfect for the lemon filling.

The Finished product !