Noodles. One of my greatest food loves. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not a 2 minute noodle kinda gal. In fact, I've only tried the 2 minute variety once, during food shortages, in Zimbabwe, whilst camping. And I wasn't happy about it. The fact that they come in a packet, and have flavours which include bacon, biltong, Indian wedding and freshly washed linen just seems wrong.
So this is my take on Asian noodles. And they take longer than 2 minutes :)
Combine all of these together and leave to marinade
for at least 2 hours. You can be generous with these ingredients, there isn't an exact quantity of each. It depends on the size of your steaks and how much you love each of these delicious ingredients.
Noodle Ingredients:
Any Asian noodle (Pad Thai or Glass Noodles work best)
- enough for two, depending on your appetites - I like the Woolworths versions.
Precook the steak in a frying pan in the sauces it has been marinating in, then set aside. We prefer our steaks medium rare, you can cook yours for slightly longer, but just remember sliced tough meat, really isn't tasty.
In the same pan, add chopped pineapple, lemon rind,
ginger, garlic, coriander, soya and spring onions into the pan.
Fry lightly,
then add the noodles, along with some extra soya and hoisin.
Cook until noodles are ready and all coated in sauce.
Plate and add the steak on top.
Serve with chopped coriander mixed with ginger, salt,
sesame oil and pepper and chili on the side.
Deeeelicious!
This has to be one of my favourite dishes ever. Either just for two, or for friends and family - nothing makes me happier than tasting the fresh ginger, coriander and delicious Asian flavours.
Let me know what you think, and if you have any Asian dishes you're really fond of, we're always dying to try more.
This weekend is almost definitely on the ‘Best weekend of 2012’
list. From Friday evening onwards, it
felt like a flurry of good food, great wine, fantastic company and the
obligatory Sunday afternoon nap.
The freezing weather in Cape Town, and undelivered promises of snow on
the ground, didn’t deter us from venturing out of the city and into Franschoek on Saturday morning. As a
fairly-recent Capetonian, I have fast discovered that ‘festivals’ of any kind
in these little towns surrounding Cape Town aren’t something that I enjoy. We
went to a certain unnamed olive festival a few months back, and somewhere
between the traffic, lack of and poor state of the toilet facilities, broken
ATM’s, drunk students, drunk everyone, overpriced food and limited seating, I
lost interest in attending such events.
Very chilly day.
As you might know, it was Bastille Day in
Franschoek this weekend, which is the annual celebration of the towns French
Heritage, so we departed from Cape Town early to miss the crowds flocking into
Franschoek to partake in the French festivities. The reason for our visit was
not in fact to attend any Bastille Day events, but rather to visit the lovely La Petite Dauphine farm nestled just 2kms
outside the village. La Petite Dauphine is a working fruit and wine farm
offering guest accommodation, and wow, it is beautiful!
We found a warm spot in Café Bon Bon – a large almost ‘barn’ shaped
building with stunning home-like furniture including a mini-library, lounge
area with cozy leather couches, beautiful rugs and a big crackling fire to keep
us warm. To our surprise, Hendrick, the resident Rooster was also in attendance
to make us feel at home.
Hendrick.
The story goes that the farm was once home to a family
of ducks. A passing Lynx
took a liking to the little ducks and slowly decimated the group, much to the
dismay of the family. The farm owners decided to buy a chicken from a nearby
township to offer as live bait in the hopes of capturing the Lynx and releasing
it higher up in the mountains. On the night in question, Hendrick was released
into the pond area as live bait, but the lynx had already moved off the farm
never to be seen again. Hendrick now resides inside the restaurant! He is a
fine specimen and reminds you of his existence by happily crowing at any given
moment.
Hendrick, showing us what he's made of.
The breakfast menu at Café Bon Bon is limited, but perfectly adequate,
and very tasty. Our group was slightly under the weather from the night out
before, so many comfort options were ordered including French toast dripping in
syrup, lovely fluffy omelettes and warm health bread toast with sticky
jam.
I would really urge you to visit the farm if you haven’t been already.
The staff and management are really friendly and happily regale stories of
Hendrick for those willing to listen. Franschoek is also worth a walk through on
your way home.
Enjoy it,
Lisa x
Visit La Petite Dauphine on Excelsior Road in Franschhoek or ring them
on +27 21 876 3936.
Any plans for the weekend? If not, you must put Diaz Tavern on your list - check out our post from yesterday on it here - do it! Worth every minute!
For all those off to Kynsna to run - wishing you strong legs. For all those off to eat copious amounts of oysters and drink some bubbly - jealous! If you've never heard of the Knysna Oyster Festival, you can find out more here. Well worth a visit!
We're off to a Birthday breakfast tomorrow in Franchoek - yes, we know, pretty much one of our favourite places. Check out this post for our previous Franchoek adventures :)
Breakfast, one of our favourite meals. Image from Pinterest.
It’s
a well-known fact that as soon as winter descends on Cape Town majority of the
population transform into complete hermits. In summer, my plus-one and I pop
out after dinner for a quick walk on the Seapoint prom, or a glass of wine at a
friend’s, or just a drive to watch the sun fall over the sea. The days are far
longer, the views around Cape Town are mind-blowing, and the idea of staying in
seems totally foreign.
Fast
forward from January to July, and the opposite is true. Between bouts of
monsoon-like rain, wind that pelts the rain into a sideways motion fooling any
umbrella and freezing temperatures, the thought of poking one toe out of the
front door is absurd. We sprint home before dark to close curtains and stop the
cold coming in. We huddle around the gas heater like we’re the last two people
on earth, and my dogs grow into mini fluff balls resembling little grey lambs.
Besides the little lamb bit, which I secretly enjoy, winter in Cape Town is
totally depressing.
All
is not lost however; as I have discovered one little treat which will suit both
young and old. Now keep an open mind. The place that I recommend below is
well-known by most Capetonians, but not necessarily a first option for a night
out. Keep in mind that this recommendation comes on the back of many depressed
nights in and the need to stretch your fun muscles.
So
here it is:
Dias
Tavern. Don’t gasp or shake your head until you’ve read until the end. The key
to a good night at this old Portuguese institution is a LARGE group of friends.
Don’t bother going if it’s just you and your in-laws – the key to success here
is loads of fun-loving people to accompany you. Book a big table in advance (it
gets busy). Anywhere in the restaurant is fine, but not near the bar or dance
floor.
Yup. This happened at
Dias. Your turn.
We’ve
been a couple times for birthdays and other celebrations and I find that taking matters into your hands early on and booking a taxi ride there and back is the
best way to do it. There is an FNB ATM at the entrance to the restaurant, so if
you’ve forgotten cash for transport, no need to stress. The restaurant is warm
and welcoming and absolutely packed most of the time. If you’re into sport, get
there early on sporting days to watch the major rugby or football games – they
seem to screen most of them.
Once
you’re in, don’t delay: Order a pitcher of Katemba immediately. If you haven’t
tried it, you haven’t lived. This is one of those ‘when in Rome’ moments. If
you’re going to soak in the authenticity of the place then just give in.
Katemba is a mixture of Coca Cola and Red wine (another gasp). The benefit
thereof is that your head and stomach might cope slightly better the next
morning :)
The
menu is filled with many delights like Trinchado, giblets, livers, Espetada,
Prego (I could go on for ages) – you are bound to find something that suits your
taste. I seem to always choose the giblets as a starter followed by the
Trinchado. I can highly recommend both – and the hotter the better!
After
dinner, specifically on a Friday or Saturday evening there is live entertainment,
and hopefully by that time you have warmed up on the Katemba and are in the
mood to shake those hips. The crowd is usually completely diverse, but united
in their need for a good party. The best thing to do is pack your inhibitions
to one side, along with your winter coat, and dance all your stress away.
This picture is
blurred to protect the identities of the people having ridiculous amounts of
fun at Dias :)
You
need to relax and enjoy it – try not be too particular about seating, noise or
service. Just get into the vibe and have a great time. We do it often, and we
have many hilarious stories to tell about nights out at Dias.
Tell
us yours once you’ve been.
xx L
Dias Tavern is located at 15 Caledon Street (off Buitenkant
st) Cape Town. You can contact them on 021 465 7547.
We’ve had remarks from some
of our readers that they are battling to comment on recent posts. We’ve tested
it outselves and posted an easy step by step guide below. Check it:
To post on this blog:
1. Click on the comments link
2. Pick the method in which you want to comment i.e. by logging in with your
GMAIL log in (google) or anonymously
3. Click Publish
4. A security code will come up that you have to type in
5. Once submitted it will be moderated and posted on the blog
Someone once told
me, life is too short to grind your own spices. Some of the best cooking advice
I've ever had in fact. If something is available, that makes life simpler,
easier and still equally as delicious. Use it.
I will admit
curry is not myfavourite dish to make. Don't get me wrong, I
love a good curry as much as the next person. But making it, well, I just don't
have the energy.
Searching for the
perfect spices, grinding, blending, getting thatpasteto the perfect consistency, I would rather bakemacaroonsfor
hours and whisk eggs into fluffy goodness. Curry, not so much.
But along with
winter comes the craving for hot, saucy curry dripping over a mound of steaming
rice, so I buckled and got cracking. I must warn you though - I cheat. Yes. I cheat when it comes to curry :)
This recipe isn’t
mine. And it isn’t from some fancy recipe book either. It isWoolworths’ Butter Chicken Curry, just presented and paired the way I
like it. The person mentioned above (life being too short to make your own
curry paste), also reminded me that we do not live in 14th Century India, we
have the convenience of fabulous shops. Use them. And, believe me... I
do!
Butter Chicken Bunny Chows
Serves 3-4 depending on how hungry
you are :)
As a standard I double the recipe,
but the recipe below is the standard single version. Doubling is very easy,
just double all the ingredients, and ensure adequate cooking time for all the
chicken. Don't think that you have to double the time cooking the chicken, just
cook it as per normal, making sure it’s not under cooked (pink and watery on
the side) and not rubbery and overcooked.
Ingredients:
1x
Packet Woolworths Butter Chicken Curry Paste
400g
Skinless chicken breasts
1x
Tin of Tomato's
125ml
Cream
50g
Butter
Fresh
Coriander
Mango
/ Banana
Poppadum’s
Chutney
Toasted
Cashew Nuts
Olive
Oil
Cooked
Basmati Rice
Woolworths
Heat and Eat rolls
The Good's. Image my own.
Method:
You will need a heavy based pot or
pan, in which to cook the curry. I am completely biased towards Le Creuset, and always go for my 30cm buffet casserole pot.
Empty the paste into the pan, add
a dash of olive oil and fry the paste for 1-2min until it is completely warmed
through.
Paste. Tomato. Curry Goodness. Images my own.
Add the tin of tomato's and stir
into the paste, until evenly mixed through. Set the stove to a medium heat
and let this mixture simmer for 10min.
In the meantime, slice the chicken
into bite size strips.
Chop Chop. Images my own.
Once the curry paste mixture has
cooked for the 10min, pop the chicken strips in and ensure all the chicken is
covered.
10min. Starting. Now.
You now need to let the chicken
cook in the sauce for about 10-15min under cooked, but still tender.
The extras:
- Don't forget to cook the rice. I
always use Tastic Basmati Rice. Microwave or stove, your choice.
- Slice up some fresh Mango and
Banana, pop into a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice on it.
- I can't eat home-made curry
without chutney – also your choice.
- I buy the dried poppadums from
PnP which are easily puffed up on the stove top –wait until the oil is very hot
and then be VERY quick otherwise they burn easily.
Once the chicken is cooked through
- pop in the cream, and stir in, letting it streak its white goodness
throughout the curry – it doesn’t necessarily need to be mixed right in.
And then. The cream. It's worth it. Believe me.
Once your heat and eat rolls are
hot out of the over, cut a small hole in the top of the roll – discarding the
piece. Place the roll on a clean warm plate and place the roll in the centre of
the plate. Slowly spoon your delicious curry into the hole, letting is drip
down the sides of the roll. Plop a small portion of rice onto the place, as
well as a little bunch of coriander leaves, scatter your toasted cashews over
the top of the curry, and serve while steaming hot.
My cheat is complete. Images my own.
I have to say – this one is a
winner at my table. It warms the cockles of your heart...try it, you’ll see.
Wow, how time flies. I feel like I blinked and suddenly I hadn’t posted
on the blog for 2 weeks. Apologies to those who might have visited in the
interim.
As a stop gap to help me fill the time I am taking on a partner.
Someone to help me keep the blog up to date with interesting and relevant
content. You would have read posts from Lisa regularly on the blog, so now, to
make it official – here are a few details on Lisa...
Lisa & Rufus, Hout Bay
Lisa is a communications consultant living in Cape Town, South Africa.
She is a fellow Miniature Schnauzer lover and I’m sure we will see the odd post
about her furry babies R&R. Lisa only moved to the fair Cape with her new
hubby in Jan 2011, so she has interesting insights on Cape culture and things
that many of us take for granted. She
has been heard ranting about the lack of parking ‘in our village’ and happily
greeting many a grumpy Capetonian on a morning run. Yes, we’ll admit to not
being totally friendly first thing in the morning!
Lisa has fast become my number one exercise partner as well as drinking
buddy, and together we conquer many fabulous trail runs, restaurants and
recipes.
In the first year of our relationship, I offered to host my husband’s
family for dinner. I thought it was the polite thing to do – to prove to them
all that I was decent long-term material for their son, and to generally just
have a fun evening together. A day later I realised what a stupid suggestion it
was. I detest cooking and I am terrible in the kitchen. Those close to me
happily regale the tale of me giving my grandfather salmonella poisoning . Oi
vey.
So I took it all in my stride.
I threatened my then boyfriend with his life if he didn’t make up an
excuse to get out it, and then feigned crippling illness the morning of the
dinner. Alas, he was by then aware of my tactics and refused to budge. “You’re
amazing” he said. “You’ll be fine” he said. “We’ll do it together” he said. His
toe wasn’t so fine after I stomped on it on my way to the kitchen.
What to do, what to do.
My only option was Jamie Oliver. Mostly because it was the only cook
book I owned at the time. And for goodness sake – if he can teach an island
full of Brits to feed their kids properly, it can’t all be bollocks.
I won’t venture into the full production now. But I will tell you about
the starter that I served. Yes, Starter!
The point of this post is to fully illustrate that this recipe is FOOL
proof. I make it at least once a week in winter, and this weekend it was even
enjoyed by someone who dislikes peas.
Jamie Oliver’s Pea and Mint Soup
Pg 132 of Jamie’s Ministry of
Food
Serves 6-8
2 Carrots
2 Sticks celery
2 Medium onions
2 Cloves of garlic ( I just
use the minced John West garlic)
Olive oil
2 Chicken (or veg) stock
cubes
800g Frozen peas
A small bunch of fresh mint
Sea salt and black
pepper
300g Cooked ham (I used bacon)
Method:
Peel and roughly slice carrots
Slice the celery
Peel and roughly chop the onions
Peel and slice the garlic (or just chuck a teaspoon into the pot into pan with olive oil)
Put a large pan (pot) on a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Add all chopped ingredients to the pan and mix together
Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew until soft but holding shape
Put the stock cubes into a jug or pan and pour in 1.8 litres of boiling water from the kettle
Stir until the stock cubes are dissolved then add to the veggies
Add your peas
Give the soup a good stir and bring to the boil
Once boiling allow to simmer for 10 minutes
When the peas have softened, remove the pan from the heat and season with salt and pepper
Add mint leaves (just a few – it can be overpowering)
Hand blend or liquidise the soup until smooth
Chop up the ham and stir it in.
Food Love. Images my own.
I served it with Heat and Eat rolls from Woolies and it went down with a treat.
Strange? Yes! A welcome
emotion on a cold day? Yes!
Know what I’m talking
about? (you all scream Yes!)
Comfort food...mmmmm. After a
busy couple of days, and some very chilly weather, last night felt the perfect
night for some good old fashioned comfort food.
If you want the official
Little Kitchen definition for comfort food it’s rich, saucy, delicious and absolutely loaded with carbs ;) It can
usually partner with a good bottle of red wine like they are long lost soul
mates, and it has to involve a couch somewhere along the line. That’s comfort
food. And so is this:
Spicy Sausage and Mushroom
Pasta
Serves 4. Okay who am I
kidding? Serves 2 ;)
Ingredients
500g Pasta - I used the bow-tie
one, but Penne will be just as good.
1 Chorizo sausage - I used the
Woolworths one - delicious
500g Lean beef mince
1 Punnet of button mushrooms
Fresh Basil
Fresh chili
Fresh Garlic
Olive Oil
Mozzarella
Salt and Pepper
1 400g tin of chopped and
peeled
Ready...Steady...Cook! Images my own.
Method
Heat the oven to 180
Degrees.
Add chopped garlic and a
pinch of chili depending on your taste into a warm pan with some olive oil, and
gently fry. Be careful not to burn the garlic, it will be all you can taste.
Once this mixture is
browning nicely, add about a tablespoon of hand torn fresh basil. Someone once
told me that torn herbs hold their flavour much more than chopped or cut herbs. Not sure how true this is,
but it feels creative so go with it!
Fry lightly in the olive
oil until it smells and looks delicious. Be careful not to dry out the basil
leaves, they should still be shiny with Oil.
The base flavours are often the most important. Images my
own.
Slice up the button
mushrooms and add to the herbs and garlic, stir so that they are evenly
covered. Remember the trick with mushrooms, don't ever wash them, as they
absorb monumental amounts of water. If they are dirty rub them down with some
kitchen towel or invest in one of those fancy little mushroom brushes. Just
don't wash them. Put a handful of mushrooms in at a time, I find that if you
put them all in together they release liquid and go all soggy. Not ideal.
Get your water for the
pasta on to boil. Pinch of Salt in the water, and get it boiling.
The prep. Images my own.
Next... get going with your Chorizo. I find working with
Chorizo extremely tough, I end up eating most it before it even gets to the
board. Try and resist!
I traditionally buy the Woolworths
Chorizo, but
there is no denying that it is a pricey purchase. You can swop this with spicy
Spanish sausages or add regular sausage meat and generously add in smoked
paprika and extra chili.
Chop the Chorizo into bite
size pieces and pop them into a blender, to grind them up. If you don't have a
blender, don't panic. Slice and dice the sausage into small pieces which will
mix well with the Beef mince.
Life is too short grind a Chorizo by hand. Images my own.
Add the Chorizo to the
cooked mushrooms, stir and let simmer for about 5min.
Make sure the pan doesn't
become too dry, add a splash of Olive Oil if the contents start to stick.
Pop in the mince, and give
it a good stir, mixing the mince, chorizo, mushrooms and herbs. Make sure the
mince browns evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the tin of tomato paste
and one tin of chopped and peeled tomatoes. Stir and simmer until evenly mixed
and looking delicious. ABout 8-10min depending on the heat of your stove.
Don't forget about your
water on the boil. Once it has come to a fast boil, pop your pasta in and give
it a good stir. Depending on what your pot is like, I often add the tiniest
dash of olive oil into the water to ensure it doesn't stick together. This
really isn't a hard and fast rule, all depends how I'm feeling and how the
pasta is looking. Sticky pasta is my worst.
Once the pasta is Al Dente
(not mushy, cooked, but still firm). Drain using a colander and stir into the
meat mixture and simmer for about 2min.
All coming together. Images my own.
Grate some cheese, I used
mozzarella, sprinkle generously on top. Pop in the oven for 10min until the
cheese is melted.
Cheese. Glorious Cheese. Images my own.
Serve with fresh rocket,
extra chili and if you managed to avoiding polishing off the Chorizo, add
some extra slices of Chorizo to top it off.
Out of the oven. Into bowls. Into hungry tummies. Images my own.
I’m desperate for feedback
on the blog, so let me know if you’ve tried any of the recipes and how it went.
Alternatively hit me up
with one of your comfort food favs...I am always looking for a new couch friend :)
