Mid-Week Dinner: Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Bake

The IT Manager at Coronation is also a Foodie... Can you Adam & Eve it? He shared a recipe with me yesterday and I had to give it a go. My family was overly impressed with this dish, asking me to add it to my repertoire. My dad also popped on and raved about my 'special recipe'. Here's how to do it...

Ingredients:
4x Chicken Breasts
2x heads of Broccoli, separated into small florets
1x cup of Wine
1x cup Water
Salt and Pepper
250ml Cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup of Chicken Soup (already made)
3t curry powder
3t lemon juice
1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (for the liquid)
2 cups grated cheddar (for the topping)
3/4 packet of shell noodles (the 500g packet)

Method:
It is good to start with putting your oven on at the beginning. Set it to 180 deg.

1. Grease a oven proof dish and set aside.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a small saucepan, add the wine and the water (add more water if necessary to just cover the chicken).
3. Season with salt and pepper and apply the heat, simmering for about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked but still tender.
4. In another saucepan, add a little water and add the broccoli. Season with salt, cover and steam for around 8-10 minutes.
5. Fill a large saucepan with water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 12-15 minutes, until el dente.
6. Drain the pasta. Drain the broccoli.
7. Remove the chicken from the liquid, retaining 1 cup of the stock.
8. Shred the chicken.
9. Mix the pasta, chicken and broccoli and place in the oven proof dish.

For the sauce:
1. In a large mixing bowl / jug, add the stock, chicken soup, mayonnaise, curry, lemon juice, cheese and cream. Mix well.
2. Pour over the pasta.
3. Cover with a layer of cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve piping hot, with a green salad and some garlic bread. Simply delicious!

Tx Philip!

News: Community Sponsored Agriculture Scheme

A fellow foodie sent me a link to an article titled 'Would you join a Community Sponsored Agriculture Scheme?'. I gave it a read and what really stuck in my mind was the sentence, in brackets, saying 'when last did you even know it was harvest time?'. This is so true. I have no idea when harvest time actually is. We are all so used to popping down to the local supermarket or Fruit 'n Veg where fresh fruit and vegetables are always available - we never even give it a thought. It just made me stop and think a little...

Slow Food Cape Town is currently exploring a summer organic box scheme with a small-scale, previously disadvantaged farmer. Under the scheme, scheme members would pay upfront for this farmer to grow us a selection of certified organics summer veggies, to be received over the course of the summer (probably January through April).

Slow Food Cape Town would arrange optional outings to the farm, to see the veggies growing, including a picnic celebration at the first summer harvest. Over the rest of the summer, scheme members would receive a box of summer veggies (such as mielies, cherry tomatoes, lettuce) every week.

As Pia writes in her blog: I love knowing where my food came from... I am starting to feel the same. If you are interested, email the following details to kateschrire@gmail.com:

- Name
- Contact Details
- Suburb
- Indicate whether you can collect your veggie box once a week from a local drop-off point.

To read more, click on this link.

Other Interests: Fishing at Hillcrest Wine Farm

A few friends and I have decided to take up a little fresh water fishing. The group currently comprises Lee, Gary, Philip, Clive & myself.

We went the whole nine yards last week: We bought rods, reels, lures (poppers, spinners, plastics, worms, frogs) and the likes.

Of course, Gary has to be brag-gat buy the R600 rod... After Saturday, his nickname is Mr. Birds Nest! More expensive is not always better... Gary thinks this is KNOT funny...

You have gotta love an over-wind... NOT!

Also, I am not sure if it is correct to include Clive in this as he didn't pitch to our first fishing extravaganza at the Hillcrest Wine Farm.

For those of you that are interested: Hillcrest is a wine farm in Durbanville that has opened it's quarry up for fishing. The dam has Carp, Bass and Trout. The site itself is very picturesque. Lovely green grass for the kids to play, a place to make a fire and do the family thing... Check the pictures out, they speak 1000 words.

The prices are as follows:
R75 per person fishing
R25 per child fishing
R25 per person not fishing

The hours are from 9am to 5pm. This is unfortunate as fish bite mostly in the early morning (6 - 8am) and late evening (4-6pm).

Lee managed to snag a small, small mouth bass. Unfortunately, I could not get there with the camera quick enough (Sorry Lee). Also, we chatted to one of the more professional fisherman and he said that there was too much contrast between shallow and deep water. This is apparently not so good for fishing.

Overall, we had fun. We are going again this weekend, but to another venue in Lakeside. I can't wait to blog about cooking a trout or a bass!

Mid-Week Dinner: Mince Curry & Basmati Rice

I only managed to leave the office at 6:30pm last night so I really wanted something simple and quick to make for dinner. Mince curry is all of those things. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
1x Pack of Mince
2t Curry Powder
1 large Onion, chopped
1 pkt Baby Tomatoes (the really small ones, halved)
3/4 cup Mixed Frozen Veg.
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
Salt & pepper
1/2t Sweet Basil
1T Olive Oil
1t (heaped) Chopped Garlic
1/2 cup water

Method:
1. In a large saucepan, cook onions & garlic until translucent.
2. Remove half the cooked onion and set aside. Add the Mince, Salt, Pepper & Sweet Basil to the saucepan. Brown the mince.
3. Remove the browned mince and set aside.
4. Add the onions back into the pan (from 2 above), add the tomatoes and half the tomato sauce.
5. Add the curry powder, moving the mixture around, roasting the spices (2-3 minutes)
6. Add back the mince, stirring it into the curry mixture.
7. Add the remaining tomato sauce and add the mix veg.
8. Add the water, stir and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve on a bed of Basmati Rice. Smaaklik!!! This is a very mild curry - my daughter ate everything... and loved it. Serve with a glass of milk.

Humour: Steve, Don't Eat It!

My friend emailed this link and said I must put on on my blog. It is hilarious! And, it has to do with FOOD! Check this out:

Steve, Don't Eat It!

LMAO!!! I cannot believe the things that people manufacture. Even worse: I can't believe people actually buy and eat this stuff.... 

Oooomygosh!!!!

Mid-Week Meals: Weber Roast Chicken & Potato Salad

Oh how I love my Weber! I could shout it from the hilltops. My Weber is the best gift my wife ever gave me... EVER (other than Celine, that is)! If you don't have one, you will never know how a roast chicken should really taste... Seriously. The simplicity of it is astounding.When I got home last night, the electricity was down again (I had to figure out how to open my garage door manually... LOL!). As it was a lovely evening, I sparked up the Weber - Indirect Method - and while waiting for the coals to grey, I mowed the back lawn. Yeah, the power was back on by then.

 

Ingredients:

1x Whole Chicken

Vegetable Oil

Salt

Cooking String

Method:

1. Remove and discard the neck, giblets and any excess fat from the chicken.

2. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Tie the drumsticks together with cooking cord (see picture). 

4. Lightly spray or brush the chicken with sunflower oil.

5. Salt the chicken all over.

6. Place in the middle of the grid and close the lid. Don't peek! Everytime you lift the lid of the weber, you drop the temperature inside the 'kettle', slowing your cooking time.

7. Resist the urge! Don't do it! The chicken cooks in about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on the size. Use a meat thermometre to check that it is cooked.

8. Remove from grill, carve and serve.

For the potato salad:

Ingredients:

5x medium Potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks

Couple of sprigs of flat leaf Parsley, chopped

3x eggs, soft boiled and diced

1 cup Mayonnaise

3/4 cup Milk

3t sugar

Method:

1. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add cold water, until just covering the potatoes.

2. Apply heat and cook until the potatoes are soft.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, mix the Mayo, Milk & Sugar in a bowl. Be sure to fully dissolve 

the sugar!

4. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them.

5. While still hot, pour over the Mayo mixture (As the potatoes start cooling, they will absorb more of the liquid).

6. Add the eggs and chopped parsley.and mix everything together gently.

7. Allow to cool.

Plate and serve with Beetroot Salad. Absolutely scrummy!

Weekend Meals: Butternut & Ricotta Ravioli

On Sunday, my daughter and I decided to make some ravioli. I must admit that this was only my second attempt at ravioli - the first was a dismal failure for the simple reason I did not use what I made immediately. Not realizing they don't keep well in the fridge, they all grew mould before I could cook them!
This time around, things went much better. This may be due to the help I received from my 9yr old daughter... child's play!

Ingredients:

For the Pasta
3 cups cake flour
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup water

For the Filling
1 medium butternut
1 block of Ricotta Cheese (about 250g)
Salt & Black Pepper

For the Sauce
1x Can of Tomato, Basil & Garlic
3 t brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Method:

For the Filling (make this first)
1. Peel and dice the butternut
2. Place in a saucepan, with a little water and cover with a lid.
3. Put this on the heat and cook / steam until soft.
4. Drain the excess water
5. Add salt & black pepper
6. Allow to cool slightly and add the ricotta, stirring in.
7. Taste, checking your seasoning.

For the Pasta (make this while the butternut is cooking)
1. In a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork.
2. Mix in the water, oil and salt
3. Add a cup of flour and mix.
4. Continue adding the flour and mixing until you have a dough mixture (you can add water if it it too dry and flour if it is too wet.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it for at least 10 minutes, working on a flour-covered surface to prevent sticking.
6. Wrap the dough in cling-film and leave for about 30 minutes.

Making the Ravioli
1. Run the dough through a pasta maker, forming sheets of pasta. My pasta maker has thickness settings starting at 7 and counting down - I go down to 3 when making ravioli. This is approximately 2-3mm thick.
2. Using an upturned glass, press out pasta circles (see picture)
3. Place a teaspoon of the filling on one half of the circle.
4. Wet the edge, around the filling.
5. Fold the non-filled side over (pushing out all the air) and make a half-moon.
6. Use a fork to go around the edges, making sure they seal properly.
7. Repeat until you have lots and lots of ravioli.

TIP: Flour each one lightly to prevent them from sticking to each other.

The Cooking

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add about 2t salt
2. Add the ravioli and cook for no more than 4 minutes. You will see the ravioli come to the surface just before they are cooked.
3. In another saucepan, add the tin of tomato, basil & garlic. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add the tomato sauce and brown sugar & simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Drain the ravioli and place in a serving bowl. Cover with the tomato mixture.

Serving
Serve in individual bowls and grate some pecorino cheese over the top.

I served this with an apple juice with chunks of fresh orange adding to the flavour.

I must mention that the feedback I received from my family was mixed. My daughter loved it but my wife was not overly impressed. I think this could be due to fact that it is a vegetarian dish... no meat! Next time, I'll make a mince filled ravioli. Mmmmm....That sounds good!

Review: Something's Cooking (Bothasig)

Ok! You're right! I have been slacking a little on the blog side... Last update was 2 weeks ago. Trust me, it is not for lack of motivation - My paying job has been really really hectic...
So, I popped around to Sulnisa Centre, a new shopping centre that is opening on Bothasig, behind the Caltex Country Garage. We hired a DVD at the video shop and I a little restaurant caught my eye: Something's Cooking! The guys were still busy setting up so I made a mental note to check it out sometime.
I have decided to always try to support local entrepreneurs in our area: The hardware, the take-aways, the restaurants, etc. It is the only way to keep them around.
Sunday comes around and I decide not to cook, remembering this restaurant that I saw. We picked up my dad and his new wife, Brenda and off we went to give Something's Cooking a try!
The food was brilliant! The pic above shows you the portion you get for R39.95. Tasty and great value for money (the most important thing in our flailing economy). My dad tried the sago pudding for dessert - It was just how my mom used to make it. Real, homestyle cooking. Tasting that brought back some tucked away memories... the good old days.

Something's Cooking is setup as a quaint restaurant and also does take-aways. I was chatting to the owner and I get the impression he is passionate about food. A man after my own heart! He does a set weekly menu - 5 different meals a day. For example: On Monday, they serve Cottage Pie, Irish Stew, Mince Curry, Chicken a la King and Bacon & Mushroom Pasta. Prices range between R22.95 and R39.95.
Last night, being a Thursday, was my regular Boy's Night. I decided to give Something's Cooking another try. Saved me from first cooking and then going out.
Celine wanted the Spaghetti Bolognaise and Mel wanted to the Chicken a la King. The food was great but it turned out that the Bolognaise had a bit of a bite to it and Mel and Leen had to swop. I will remember to ask next time...
I would definitely recommend Something's Cooking to you, my blog-readers... Give it a try & treat yourself. There is nothing better than having a homestyle meal that you don't have to cook yourself... Local is lekker!

Something's Cooking
Sulnisa Centre, Shop 8
cnr Vryburger & Botma Street,
Bothasig
021 558 6716
Hrs: Mon - Sat: 11:00 to 20:00 / Sun: 11:00 to 17:00

* Please note: Take cash. They don't have a Speedpoint. I am hoping is temporary...

Return to the Old Biscuit Mill

I really needed to get out of the house this weekend so I decided on lugging the family off to the Neighbourhood Goods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill on Saturday morning. I think my choice of day had a little 'to be desired'. This was the weekend that Table Bay Boulevard was closed to traffic (for road works) AND this was the weekend with the Theodore Roosevelt docked in Table Bay. Just imagine the N1...
After sitting the traffic for quite some time, we managed to get to the Market in Salt River. Parking was once more nightmarish but I managed to park about 3 blocks down.
This market was just too full for words. It seems everyone but the Pope pitched... it was a beautiful day, I might add. Well, we cruised around, testing and tasting. I found the most divine Bree Cheese, infused with Mushroom (R30). I also stocked up on Greek Pesto (R25) as well as Mel's favourite Red Pepper Pesto (R25). I also bought an amazing loaf of bread for R20 and decided to buy the fancy carrier bag too... this R10 is donated to charity. Celine then wanted one of the huge pancakes with Cinnamon and Sugar, with a splash of lemon syrup (R20). You guessed it... the syrup ended up on the front of dad's T-Shirt - bloody inconsiderate market goers!
Mel and I then started looking around for something to nibble on and found a really busy table with two ladies working frantically, making really good looking, healthy rolls!
These two ladies have hit on a money spinning formula. Mel and I each had a roll with Chicken, Basil Pesto, Red Pepper Pesto, Mayo, Pecorini (Cheese), Tomato and Leaves (Greens). R30 each! They must be making a fortune...
But man... was it GOOD! Finger licking good!
A great day was had by all...

Mid-Week Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognaise

So yesterday, my colleague (Girlpants) comes over and tells me he needs to make dinner for a friend (Mmmmm!) but wants something quick and easy as he is not culinary proficient... Turns out, I made the same thing for Mel and Leen before popping out to Boyz Night. The feedback was great!!!

Ingredients:
1x Pack on Minced Meat
1x Medium Onion (finely chopped)
1t Crushed Garlic
½ t Salt
1x Tomato Paste (larger tin)
2 cups Hot / Boiling Water
2-3 heaped teaspoons of Brown Sugar
Squirt of Tomato Sauce
1t Sweet Basil (Robertson’s Spice)
½ pack of Spaghetti
Splash of Olive Oil

Method for Mince:
1. Heat a splash of oil in a saucepan
2. Add the onion and sauté until translucent (about 5 minutes)
3. Add the mince and brown for a while (about 10 minutes), adding salt & garlic.
4. While the mince is browning, in another container: add the tomato paste, sugar, basil & tomato sauce into the water and stir / mix.
5. Add to the browned mince and bring to boil.
6. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Method for Spaghetti:
1. Bring a pot of water to the boil – Add salt to the water.
2. Add pasta and cook for around 10-15 minutes, depending on your preference.
3. Drain in a colander.

Add the cooked spaghetti into the mince mixture, stir in and serve. You could easily add some courgettes (zucchini) or mushrooms for colour.

I would serve with a Cabernet Sauvignon (my favourite).

Mid-Week Dinner: Celebration!

On the eve of me starting my new job at Coronation, I decided to cook up a storm. The plan was to serve a starter of Butternut Soup, a main of Spinach & Feta stuffed Chicken Breasts served with homemade pasta and dessert, a simple Strawberries & whipped cream. The only thing I did not have time for was making the pasta so I had to settle for the store-bought variety. I don't have the time this morning to do all the recipes in today's blog entry so I am going to share my butternut soup recipe with you.


Ingredients:
2x Medium Butternuts (cut into 2cm cubes)
1x Granny Smith Apple (peeled, cored & cubed)
2x Large Onions (roughly chopped)
4T Butter
4T Cake Flour
1.5t Curry Powder
1.5t Salt
3 Cups of Boiling Water
2 Cups of Milk
2x Chicken Stock

Method:
1. Melt the Butter in a large pot.
2. Add the Onions and saute until translucent (5min).
3. Add Curry powder, stir in and cook for another 2 min.
4. Add the Butternut & Apple and saute for a further 8 minutes, stirring now and again.
5. Add the flour and saute for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6. Dissolve the Chicken Stock into the Water and add to the soup mixture.
7. Add the Milk, bringing it up to a simmer.
8. Simmer for around 20 to 30 minutes, until the Butternut is soft.
9. Remove from heat and blitz with a Thunderstick (much less fuss than using a blender).

Serve with a swirl of cream...

Wish me luck for my first day at Coronation!