Revival

Holy cow! I am so sorry to have been so absent from my Blog. I have been cooking - that's for sure, just not sharing...ouch. But I'm back...and as the holy cow suggests I am totally becoming an Indian. That's with regard to all things culinary and well possibly much, much more.

I was given the most wonderful book for my birthday, it's called Serendip by Peter Kuruvita, he's a Sri Lankan Australian chef and he tells the story of living in Sri Lanka as a child and his grandmother's kitchen. It is such a heartfelt, personal book, with beautiful recipes and pictures. Not only that, but it has inspired me to find out more about the Ayurvedic attitude towards food. And so the spicy journey continues.......

Today is helluva rainy in Cape Town and perfect weather for a chickpea curry, also known as Chana Masala. Oooooh with the fluffy Basmati rice and roti / paratha /chapati , if you're lucky.

CHANA MASALA


Ingredients:

500g Chickpeas - best soaked overnight, then brought to boil and simmered for 1/2 hours till firm but soft when bitten, taste them - else use canned chickpeas
1 medium onion chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 4cm piece ginger, roughly chopped -you can also use the paste of ginger&garlic for convenience 1/2 tsp chilli powder / 1 dried chilli
1 tbsp whole/ ground cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tin chopped /whole tomatoes
1 bunch fresh coriander - washed of sand in a big basin of water

Method:

Once you've got your chickpeas ready, fry the onion with a little oil in a large saucepan or pot, as they go translucent add the ginger and garlic. After about 3 minutes, when they too are nice and soft, add all your spices ( chilli, cumin turmeric, coriander ). Allow to sizzle gently for 5 minutes, if they start to stick just add a little dash of water. Then add tomato paste, allow this to cook for a minute or two. Now add the chopped or whole tomatoes, mash them a bit if they're whole.

Add the chickpeas, bring to the boil, and then simmer until the sauce thickens a bit. You can also mash the chickpeas a little at this stage, it helps thicken it very nicely.
Garnish with fresh coriander.

Make some fluffy Basmati and eat it all up with your hands!

Favourite Pasta Forever

I suspect that like aubergines, this pasta dish has many names, depending on where you're from.

The main ingredients are so simple that it could be any number of dishes with tomatoes, pork, onions and chilli as their base + whatever else is seasonal ( rosemary, thyme, red wine, basil, aubergines and so on). I make it once a week, usually on a Sunday. It's simple, but do not be deceived by it's simplicity, it changes a little bit all the time..just like us.

Ingredients:

250g streaky bacon/prosciutto/parma ham/black forest ham + any other pork, you could use other red meat too, like lamb, ostrich, rabbit, beef..

1 normal tin tomato puree/juice/ Pomi etc

1 normal tin whole peeled/chopped tomatoes
you can use 500ml of both too
1/2 dried chillies
1 medium onion - as finely chopped as possible

500g penne rigate -try to get a decent Italian or equivalent, else rigatoni, else macaroni..

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium to large pan. Cut your streaky bacon, proscuitto etc into approximately 1 cm size pieces. Put them in the pan on medium heat, you want the fat to sort of melt away and the bacon to be half soft and half crisp. Add your chilli to the pan. Cut your onion as finely as you can. Add to pan. Your onion needs to go translucent, but not browned. Once you are sure they're very soft, add the tins of tomato and tomato juice. Use a masher to mash up your whole peeled tomatoes a bit.

Allow to come to the boil and then turn down to a gentle "plop plop" simmer. Take out the chillies now if you want only a little bite. Simmer for a good 10 minutes, or until there's good ratio of sauce and tomato pieces.

Serve with very al dente Penne preferably ( err on the side of dente-ness), else other short pasta of a similiar shape. Also make quite sure you have lots of Parmesan (or similiar) cheese on hand, and for colour - a few torn basil leaves. After all, I only make this delicious pasta as excuse to eat Parmesan!

Aubergine brinjal eggplant melanzane snacks

This one is Bel's recipe. I don't know where she got it from, but she's been making these since the beginning of time ( since I was born), and I like them a lot. I have also found the perfect accompaniment in the form of a coriander atchar relish pesto made by the famous ladies at the Ondersteun Handelaars at the Salt River Market (they are also usually at the Biscuit Mill on Saturdays). They're really cool to serve with drinks and they leave a lovely tingling tasty taste in your mouth just before your next sip of delicious pinot noir...

Batter:

1 egg

150ml milk

200ml flour

salt and pepper

2 medium or equivalent aubergines

Method:

Beat egg in bowl, then add milk and then flour. Mix with a whisk, it makes everything smoother quicker. Add big pinch salt and pepper. you should have a medium heavy batter.

Slice your aubergines about 1/2 cm thick.

In a pan, heat 1/2 cm of oil, dip one slice aubergine in the batter and gently plop it into the pan. Your heat needs to be about medium, enough to slowly crisp the batter and cook the aubergine inside. They should be nice and golden to brown. Drain on some kitchen towel.

Test by eating one. Try and get hold of some of the Coriander Atchar it is the business.

Prost!

Peace oop

Despite the looooverly weather we've been having in Cape Town, it's officially cool to make soup till its coming out of your ears. Although I have already made a medley of el classicos - minestrone, fish soup, and leek & potato soup, I am digging the pea soup I made over the weekend the most. I am eating it as I write this...

PEA SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
500g split peas ( you can buy ones that you don't have to soak overnight)
200-250g pork ie bacon, kassler, eisbein etc or lamb/beef bones
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 big stalks Celery with leaves, roughly chopped
3 leeks, white part only, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic , roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
1 dried chilli
2L water + 1 chicken stock cube OR 2L real chicken stock
1 knob butter



METHOD:

In a large pot with a little! oil, brown your bones or cook you bacon a bit.

Add onions, celery, leeks, garlic, bay leaves, chilli and knob of butter.


Allow them to come together - as John Lennon requested - that's to say, don't let them colour, just soften, the flavours need to release a little. Add the split peas, stir and leave for about 3 minutes. Either add your stock cube now and mix in a little, then add 2 L cold water and allow soup to come to the boil, or just add your 2L chicken stock and allow to come to the boil, then turn down to a good simmer.

Simmer until the peas are quite soft ( if you squish one on your tongue then it goes soft with a little bite left).

At this stage I like to take the hand blender, and whiz about 60 % of the soup, so just a little chunk/texture is left.

Serve with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil and some toasted chunky bread.


Tastes even better 3 days later.

*Remember when refrigerating liquids like soups and stocks to be quick to cool them and get them in the fridge when not using them. You essentially have 4 hours between the temperatures 5 - 65C, and the last of those four hours should be for cooling or re-heating to above 65C.

How to kick the birthday blues in the bum...

Ah ha...wouldn't you like to know...especially if you're about to turn........ah who cares, life is for living.

But - if you feel like creating extra extra cheer, don't wait around for someone to make you an old fashioned cake - make one yourself....a serious cake, not too fancy on the outside, but just delicious on the inside. Then put candles in it and sing happy birthday to yourself - jokes.

The cake I made myself was a Hot Milk Sponge, with lots of orange and lemon zest. The Boiled Butter Cream Icing - also known as Italian Meringue Icing is wonderfully messy to make and just the lightest puffiest icing you can imagine -totally worth it, after all it's your ......birthday!

All things Grand : the Bath House and the Fish Curry

The Bath House.

Just the kind of suite you need when your aquatic better half is always jumping in and out of the either the ocean or the pool. The Bath House has its own little pool and outdoor shower, not to mention nice armoirs and side-by-side deep old school baths for the girlie-girl in you. This lovely suite, is in a sort of Cuban style house hotel called The Grand, in Plettenberg Bay. It's a large light pink building at the far end of the Main Rd, on your right. Find it. It has the grooviest restaurant overlooking the Lagoon and what used to be the Lookout Beach side of Plett. The perfect place for a drink or a pot of Earl Grey tea thank you very much.

I'd like to mention the Fillet Prego Rolls, and the Grilled Prawns with the most delicious minted rice made by Lungile the chef....his fresh Kabeljou was one of the best pieces of fish I have ever eaten in my whole life. He gives it colour in the pan, and then pops it into the wood-burning oven so it retains its juice! Que Rico!

While spending an entire week at this wonderful establishment ( for that is surely what it is) I was lucky enough to taste a lot of Lungi's great food. We were there for the occasion of a wedding, and we celebrated life for the whole week prior to the wedding with long walks in the surrounding area like Robberg and Nature's Valley.
We also celebrated with lots of long dinners and Campari, Negronis and Bubbles bien sur....

One of these beautiful late April evenings we celebrated the birthday of my aquatic friend. I undertook making a Fish Curry, and I was up against the version my good friend Jeeva (from the Maharajah in Kloof Nek Rd 021 424 6607) makes. Needless to say I called him up and consulted him about the recipe. Most of my guests eat his curry once a week, and I knew what they wanted....

The Fish Curry.

1 - 1.5 kg Fresh Kabeljou / Kingklip / Firm white fish Fillets -skin off
1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds
1 tbsp Whole Cumin (Jeera)
2 medium Onions - finely chopped
4 tbsp Fish Masala, preferrably a Durban masala
2 Green Chillies - depending on your preference for heat
4 tbsp Tamarind - sticky black goooey stuff
1 tbsp Turmeric
3 tins Whole Peeled or 4 Fresh Tomatoes
2 tbsp Garlic and Ginger paste
2 bunches Fresh Coriander *
*to wash coriander well, fill a bowl/ sink with cold water and then wash your coriander gently shaking the sand off it as you seperate the stems. The sand should fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Repeat once.

Method :

In a pan heat some oil, add your chopped onion, garlic and ginger paste, mustard seeds, whole cumin, fish masala and turmeric. Cook gently until onions are very soft and the whole mixture is nice and mushy.

Now add you tomotoes and chillies and simmer slowly for ages, stir in the tamarind - 30 mins at least. Everything should start to come together in a sauce, use a masher to mush the tomatoes.

Just before you're ready to serve, poach your fish in the sauce, if it's very thick, add a little water. Then, let it rest for about 10 minutes before you serve it. Be careful not to overcook your fish, this is the most crucial stage, dont muck it up - ha ha. To test if it's done, you should gently break into the thickest part of the fish, it should be very white in colour and firm. If it is, take it off the heat immediately. Stir some of your very well washed coriander into the sauce.

Serve with your choice of Basmati rice, rotis, parathas, naan breads, pappadums, chutney, mango pickle, lime pickle, diced onion and tomato salad with a little grated carrot and lemon juice and lots more fresh coriander...

The Grand Cafe and Rooms, 27 Main Rd, Plettenberg Bay 044 533 3301

Maharajah Restaurant, Kloof Nek Rd ( opp Rafikis ) 021 424 6607

The Friendly Chef

I'm shit scared of heights, most people are, but I once jumped out of a tiny aeroplane, backwards, at 3000 ft – and it was one of the best things I've ever done. Sure, I could have died. And yet, an experience I had imagined as truly terrifying, was sublime, peaceful and strangely meditative.
Diving headlong into an entire world of sensory gastronomic delight is comparable. Watching my first light, yellow, sweet and sour lemon soufflé rise precariously, and tasting my own delicate handmade lamb ravioli was extraordinary. Understanding the laws, mechanics (and tricks) of the world of food is like skydiving: trusting, feeling, open-hearted, but working within a strict set of protocols. Which is also how you learn to enjoy cooking.

If you want to skydive in the safety of your own kitchen, then I’m reaching out to you.

Come fly with me.

Creating food that is nutritious as well as delightful to eat, and sharing this passion for cooking in a practical way with others, is wonderful.
Add recipes to your repertoire, spice up your life, eat healthier food, eat more delicious food, learn to fry an egg, how to stock your pantry...
Whatever the case - I'll come to your house and teach you how to cook or bake or make a delicious salad!
We can cook a 3-course meal, or your favourite dish, we can make chocolate éclairs, or I can show you some wonderful recipes, the old classics, the traditional showstoppers, or the new fashionable twists.

The point is that you feel comfortable in your kitchen and that the experience is hands on, informative and relaxed. You can take the class exclusively with me, with your best friends, with your children, your spouse or with your indispensable housekeeper.

This is how it works...

The class takes approximately three hours depending on what we're cooking.
I buy all the ingredients, and keep the slips, which are for your account. We can cook for as many
people as you like, as you will probably enjoy sitting down with your family or a friend or two to enjoy the meal. However if it’s just a class for you to learn from, we can cook just one of each dish.
The cost of the class is R600.00 per person.


To get your taste buds watering, I have created several proposed winter menus, but we can easily custom make one for you!

Classic Three-Course Menu
Fish Soup with Brandy
Ricotta Gnocchi with Porcini Mushroom Sauce
Dumplings with Plums and Cinnamon

Classic Three-Course Menu II
Salt Herring with Crème-Fraiche, Apples and Onion
Hand Made Tagliatelle with Braised Lamb Shoulder
Yoghurt Cake with Pistachios and Honey

Classic Three-Course Menu III
Timbale of Aubergine with Parmesan and Tomato
Braised Oxtail with Polenta
Julie's moist, warm dark Chocolate Cake with Cream

The Grand Café Menu
Shrimp Tempura
Kingklip or Sirloin Tagliata with Rocket and Parmesan
Vanilla Pannacotta with Berry Coulis

Back to Basics
Onions – chopping technique
Stock – the base of all good things
Soup – clear, cream, purée,
Jus – how to make the real envy gravy

To book a class or make an enquiry, please call:
Melisa Clayton aka The Friendly Chef
073 77 53 141
or email me : melisaclayton@gmail.com

Spotted in Plettenberg Bay

What have we here?

While enjoying a whole week of wedding festivities ( like in the old days, or eastern style countries) I encountered these beauties. These are "regte egte" porcini mushrooms from the pine forests around Plett and Knysna. Just another reason, apart from the natural splendidness of the place, to live there.

I found them at Robberg Seafood Safari in Plett, where we received wonderful service and where you can buy all sorts of fresh fish, spices, homemade ginger beer and mushrooms if you're lucky nakri.

Robberg Seafood Safari

Chris and Karin Kastern

044 533 0597

The Friendly Chef - AUTUMN MENUS

Below this post I have created some menus to inspire us to eat well, and cook of course.

Please feel free to call me if you would like to learn to make any of these recipes or anything else, like fry an egg.... ;)

The Friendly Chef aka Melisa Clayton

073 77 53 141

Autumn Menu

Timbale of Aubergines with Parmesan and Tomato

·

Braised Oxtail with Polenta

·

Julie´s moist, dark Chocolate Cake with Single Cream

Autumn Menu

Salt Herring with Creme fraiche, Apples and Onion

·

Hand made Tagliatelle with Lamb

·
Yogurt cake with Pistachios and Honey

Autumn Menu

Fish Soup with Brandy

·

Ricotta Gnocchi with Porcini Mushroom Sauce

·

Dumplings with Plums and Cinnamon

Julie´s Chocolate Cake

This recipe is written in swiggly red neat Frenchie handwriting. Julie Briands handwriting. I am almost certain that it was given to her by her sainted mother - Nicole.
Nicole ( apart from my very own mother) is my hero. She is a wonderful person and an excellent cook. The Briand family eat like kings. They think it's pretty normal, because a lot of normal people in France, who have their own professions, are excellent cooks. Men, women and children. You know how it is, it's their thing.

This cake is easy as hell to make. It's a warm cake with a mushy centre and it tastes of chocolate. You can make it after you´ve delegated someone to clear the Main Course. That easy.

200g Dark chocolate ( min 60% cocoa)
200g Butter
180g Castor sugar
4 Eggs
2 tablespoons Plain flour
Serves about 8

Heat oven to 200C with a fan, or 210C if you dont have one.

Grease (with butter) or line (with baking paper) a cake tin, or baking tray.

Cut the butter up and break the chocolate up in a glass bowl, or bain marie ( double boiler).
Melt over gently simmering water, not too fast..once melted stir so it's nice and glossy and take it off the heat.

While its melting, whisk 4 eggs in a big bowl and slowly add the sugar and then flour, it should be nice and frothy and well whisked, or as Julie says in her version: ¨mix very strong¨.

Slowly add the chocolate to the egg mix, use a spatula or spoon and make a round folding motion ( dont kill the bubbles in the egg too much you know). Once all incorporated and the mixture has an even light brown colour, pour gently into your cake tin and slide it into the oven.

It takes about 15 - 20 minutes to bake but you SHOULD check it, it is the only way of getting it right. Use a cake tester or a butter knife, stick it in the middle of the cake, the bottom half of the knife should still have liquid on it.Take it out and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with medium stiff plain cream ( or vanilla ice cream, or whatever you like, or eat as is...)

Perfect Poached Egg

I was recently informed that when your friends order poached eggs at a breakfast joint, its a bit of risky thing. You think they're either foolish or ballsy. It depends on the breakfast joint and so many other things. The point being that the poached egg can go any way. Will you ever be able to recover from eating raw egg white? Is that what most people fear? I certainly wouldnt, and its the reason I didnt eat eggs until the ripe age of 24. Raw white freaks me out.

So make your poached eggs at home and make everyone happy.

You need:

1.5 - 2 L water - rolling boil (boiling vigorously).

15ml vinegar -any kind

eggs at room temperature

a slotted spoon (spoon with holes)

To cook:

Water in the pot, boiling properly. Pop in the vinegar. Make sure the eggs are at hand and swirl the water to create a vortex which you break your egg gently and confidently into. Using your slotted spoon keep the swirl going for a while. Its about 3 minutes cooking time at sea level, so set the alarm, or the timer, or count to 180 slowly and rythmically.

If you're making a lot of eggs you can cook them for a little less time, like 2.5 min, gently plunge them into some ice water and warm them all up together( in some hot water) when your breakfast party arrives, anyway if you're having a breakfast party and you're making poached eggs, perhaps you should rethink your life?

Serving suggestion: Enjoy poached eggs with Apricot Jam on Rye toast, and a some Fresh Tomato with salt and black pepper. Enjoy the eggs in the company of the one you really adore.

V Day weekend

I survived the super active and foodilicious weekend! Thank god for Mondays!
A little respite and time to catch up on the Blog (and eat Dahl and rice)... from el blotto to el blogo...
Thats not to say I was el blotto the whole weekend, there was a lot of climbing up Chapmans Peak for V day and yoga..... and in between all of this activity I ate a lot of lamb, and drank ice ice icey cold beer and pinot noir...

Ah yes mid summer lamb.
The fall off the bone, suck out the marrow, lamb curry (on the bone) at Maharajah on Friday.
Succulent lamb shanks with green chilli raita and rotis on Saturday at friends, and saddle lamb chops with a minty potato salad (I want more) on Sunday made by friends who-braai-so-well. So, actually, I didn't do any of the cooking this weekend, just the eating....

There was also a little trip to the courtyard of Caveau for lunch on Saturday, and here we managed to keep it light with Camillas choice of salmon tartare and thin chips. The sushi platter was good, the sashimi was the best of it. My friend Mr S had the entrecote from HQ, with the thin chips again and the Cafe de P Sauce, and it was delicious. We drank Waterford ¨Rose -Mary¨ Rosé, like water, and finished off with a couple of local grappas - yay – and espressos.
We also shared a little crème bruleé, which is the nicest thing Ive had for R25 for while.

The crowd was a decent mixture of the usual suspects, Japanese perlemoen smugglers posing as legit, uptight Eurofools in pastels smiling for no reason, and washed out joburg party poopals - fun.

Caveau 021 422 1367 http://www.caveau.co.za/