Mid-Week Dinners: Lamb Stew

Pictures to follow...

Ingredients:
1x lamb neck fillet (cubed into 1½ inch squares)
½ pkt of baby carrots (about 8 to 10)
6 baby onions (peeled)
3x sticks of celery (in baby carrot size lengths)
½ pkt baby potatoes (peeled – about 8 to 10)
1x beef stock cube, dissolved in 2 cups of hot water.
3 cloves garlic (sliced)
Olive Oil
Small tin of tomato paste
2x sprigs of rosemary
Grinding of Black Pepper

Method:
1. Put the oven on 180 deg.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and brown the meat. The browner, the more intense the flavor. Don’t burn it though!
3. While the meat is browning, put the carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, onions and potatoes in an oven proof dish / casserole dish.
4. When the meat is brown, add the tomato paste and stir into the meat.
5. Add some of the stock to deglaze the pan, releasing all the flavor of the meat into the stew.
6. Pour the meat mixture from the saucepan into the casserole dish, mix it around and add the remaining stock. The ingredients should be half covered (add water if needed).
7. Grind over some black pepper.
8. Place in the oven, lid on, for 1½ to 2 hours.

Note: I don’t add additional salt. The beef stock is salty.

Serve with rice (the South African way) or just like that, in a bowl.
I would serve this with a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Enjoy!

I Love Cooking With Wine...

... Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Also, remember this:

RED MEAT IS NOT BAD FOR YOU...
Fuzzy green meat is bad for you!

LMAO!!!

--- Blog Updates Coming Soon ---

Event: Jack Daniels Mobile Experience

Trevor, my neighbour and long time Jack supporter, told me about a promotion running at Midmar at N1 City Value Centre - the Jack Daniels Mobile Experience. The promotion ran on 27, 28, 30 and 31 December 2008. I had to go take a look what all the fuss was about.

I arrived there pretty late in the afternoon and immediately saw the 'Mobile' part of a experience - a huge Jack Daniels truck, parked outside the bottlestore. Lots of loud music but a strange lack of crowds. Probably due to the late hour? Who knows... earlier, I believe it was pumping!

The jist of it: You buy a bottle of Jack Daniels at Midmar and then take your slip across to the Mobile Experience. You are then taken for a tour through the truck. The guide gives you some background on Jack Daniels, the man and also gives you information on Jack Daniels, the whiskey.

Did you know that no one really knows when Jack Daniels (the man) was born? A town fire destroyed the courthouse records, and conflicting dates on Mr. Jack's and his mother's headstones have left his date of birth in question. It’s customary to celebrate Mr. Jack’s birthday in September – so he gets a whole month. But for a man as unique as Jack Daniel, one day just wouldn’t seem proper, anyway (hey, Trevor?)

On leaving the truck, you present your till slip to the Chef manning the gas weber and he gives you the most amazing burger you have ever tasted - real home made patty lathered in Jack Daniels Secret Sauce. I sat at the tables that were provided and was brought a glass of freshly squeezed, homemade lemonade.

Well worth it, even though I really don't often drink Jack Daniels. I took my bottle to Boys Night on Thursday and we made short work of it there...

I'll leave you with this: Mr. Jack Daniel passed away due to an injury he sustained when kicking his safe early one morning at work. The moral of the story: Never go to work early!

p.s. Why not try your hand at cracking Jack's safe? Click here

Mid-Week Dinner: Stuffed Baby Marrow

Back to work for me it seems! I started work again on Monday, after 3 weeks leave. It was REALLY difficult, I must say. I really hated putting on a shirt with a collar... covering my amazing tan that took 3 weeks to propogate.
Well, I guess you noticed as I have not sent any blog updates for quite a while. Last Thursday at Boy's Night, I was raked over the coals for this... "Where have you been?" and "Where are all the Christmas recipes?". I did no cooking this Christmas - it was my year off - and it was bliss!

Walking around Fruit & Veg (Monte Vista) over the weekend, I see this amazingly oversized baby marrow / zucchini. I bought it and this is what I did with it:

Ingredients:
1x large baby marrow
1x pack of minced meat
1x tin tomato paste
1x small onion, finely chopped
1T Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Sprig of Rosemary
2x rings of feta cheese, crumbled
1 pkt shoulder bacon, diced and fried until crisp.
1.5 cups of Vegetable Stock
2T Brown Sugar

Method:

1. Put on the oven - 180 deg C.
2. Halve the baby marrow and remove the centre (pips, etc.). Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, fry the onions (in the olive oil), until translucent.
4. Add the mince and brown, adding the rosemary and salt & pepper to taste.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and vegetable stock, adding the sugar at the same time.
6. Reduce heat and simmer until done.
7. Spoon the mixture into the centre of the baby marrow.
8. Sprinkle the bacon bits and crumbled feta over the top.
9. Cover loosely with foil and place in the oven for around 1hr, or until marrow has softed.

Bon Appétit!

Humour: Holiday Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy . Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'"

Mid-Week Dinner: Chicken a la King, Brown Rice, Squash & Asparagus

As of very recently, the doctor has advised that we ensure that my daughter eats a balanced diet - vegetables and fruit. I always cook vegetables and there is always a bowl of fruit in the house. The problem is that I don't ENFORCE the eating of these items. This changed as of last night. I made Chicken a la King served on a bed of brown rice, accompanied by garlic buttered asparagus and gem squash. The latter items were from the wonderful organic produce I received from Rocketseed yesterday (thanks again guys!). My daughter ate asparagus for the first time last night - and it wasn't too much of a mission getting it down.

So here's what I did to make this easy meal:

Ingredients:

1x Pack of 4 Chicken Thighs

1x Pack of 8 Chicken Wings

1x Chicken a la King Cook-in-Sauce (260g)

3x Gem Squash, halved and pips removed

A few stems of Asparagus

Chopped Garlic
Butter
Salt, Pepper & Robertson's Chicken Spice

Method:

For the Chicken a la King

1. Spice the chicken (salt, pepper & chicken spice) and brown in a large saucepan on the stove.

2. Add the cook-in-sauce and a splash of milk (just to thin the mixture slightly).

3. Reduce heat and simmer for around 30min, or until chicken is cooked.

For the Brown Rice
1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add salt.
2. I used 125ml of rice (half a cup)

3. Simmer, covered for 35 to 40 minutes,

4. Drain

For the Asparagus
1. Melt a little butter in a saucepan.
2. Add garlic and asparagus.
3. Fry for a couple of minutes

For the Gem Squash
1. Microwave, covered with salted water, for 15 minutes

Plate and serve. No mess, no fuss!

News: Box of Organic Produce for Xmas!

A BIG thank you to Rocketseed for a really well thought out year end gift! Today, I received a box of Organic Produce from one of our 3rd party suppliers... I am so chuffed. Wow! This truly is in line with my blog - Fresh, organic produce - what more could you ask for?

Rocketseed is the company responsible for Coronation's email branding & auto-signatures. They also manage our bulk email distribution. Over the years, we have built up a very good relationship but never in my wildest dreams did I expect this...

The box comprises carrots, brocolli, asparagus, potatoes, corgettes (baby marrow), spinach, squash, oranges, apricots, plums! AND all organic.

Tonight, I cook up a storm! Thanks Rocketseed! I love the gift...

BTW: Boys Night is not happening tonight (for my avid blog readers)

Another BTW: I will try to find out where this was sourced and post details soonest - for those of you that are interested.