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!!