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Posted by:
Admin
on 4/10/2012
Beef bourguignon
One of winter's greatest pleasures is making slow-cooked meals - they're comforting, timesaving and, because they use less expensive cuts, they're Rand savers.
Ingredients (serves 6)
1½ OXO beef stock cubes
375ml boiling water
2 tbs olive oil
1.3kg beef chuck steak, cut into 4cm pieces
1 brown onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbs plain flour
2 tbs tomato paste
500ml (2 cups) red wine
1 tbs chopped fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
30g butter
1 bunch spring onions (globe onions), trimmed, halved
250g button mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Serve with a fresh side salad instead of the traditional mash.
Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Combine stock cubes and water in a jug. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a flameproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Cook one-third of the beef for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with oil and remaining beef.
Heat the remaining oil in the dish. Add the brown onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the flour and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually add the wine, stirring constantly, until well combined.
Add the beef, stock, thyme and bay leaves to the mixture. Cover and bake for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the spring onion and mushrooms, stirring, for 5 minutes or until golden.
Add mushroom mixture to the dish. Bake, covered, for a further 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. 
Posted by:
Admin
on 4/10/2012
Bean and vegetable soup
Hearty comfort meets healthy eating in this delicious low-fat soup recipe.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g small chat potatoes, lightly chopped (see note)
4 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock
400g can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
2 x 300g cans soya beans, rinsed, drained (see note)
1 bunch spinach, trimmed, washed, chopped
1/3 cup continental parsley leaves, chopped
Method
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add potatoes and cook, tossing, for 1 minute.
Add stock, tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Stir in soya beans and cook, uncovered, for a further 5 minutes.
Stir in spinach and parsley. Cook for 1 minute, or until spinach wilts. Season with pepper.
Notes
Note 1: Chat potatoes are small young potatoes of any variety. Note 2: Soya beans contain a large amount of protein, and vitamins A and B.
Posted by:
Admin
on 4/4/2012
Mint-Pesto Rubbed Leg of Lamb
(serves 12)
What better way to celebrate Easter than with this traditional spring dish with an Italian twist. Have your butcher "butterfly" a boneless leg of lamb (that is, open it up to a large, flat cut of meat), and ask that any visible fat be trimmed off. To toast the pine nuts, use a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir constantly, until the nuts are fragrant and lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.
Ingredients
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1.5Kg boneless leg of lamb, butterflied and trimmed of fat
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sprinkle lamb all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Place basil, mint, parsley, pine nuts, cheese, oil, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pesto; spread the rest over the top side of the lamb and roll it closed. (It will not be a perfect cylinder.)
Tie kitchen string around the roast in five places; do not tie too tightly or the pesto will squeeze out. Rub the reserved pesto over the outside of the lamb and place in a roasting pan.
Roast the lamb until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 140°F for medium-rare, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest for 10 minutes. Carve the lamb, leaving the string in place to help hold the roast together.
Enjoy!
Posted by:
Admin
on 4/4/2012
Carrot Cake  (serves 16)
This timeless favorite has a healthier nutritional profile, but is still as moist and delicious as ever. You can find whole-wheat pastry flour in large supermarkets and in natural-foods stores. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and is just as tender in delicate baked goods.
Ingredients
For the cake:
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1½ cups sugar
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
½ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 400g can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
2 cups (4-6 medium) grated carrots
¼ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
For the frosting:
2 tablespoons coconut chips or flaked coconut
340ml low-fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
To prepare cake:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Coat a 250 X 350 cm baking dish with cooking spray.
Toast walnuts or pecan nuts in a small baking pan in the oven until fragrant, 5-10 minutes.
Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and ¼ cup of the reserved pineapple juice in a large bowl until blended. Stir in pineapple, carrots and coconut. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare frosting & finish cake:
Place coconut in a small baking pan and toast in the oven at 150⁰C, stirring several times, until light golden, 5-10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread frosting over the cooled cake and sprinkle with the coconut.
Posted by:
Admin
on 4/4/2012
Grilled fish with Mustard & Herb
(serves 4)
Fish cooks over a bed of lemon and fresh herbs to infuse it with flavor and keep the fish tender and moist. We like a blend of thyme, tarragon and oregano, but any of your favorite herbs will work.
Ingredients
2 lemons, thinly sliced, plus 1 lemon cut into wedges for garnish
20 to 30 sprigs mixed fresh herbs plus 2 tablespoons chopped, divided
1 clove garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
500g fish (salmon, hake or any other fish of your choice to grill)
Preparation
Preheat grill to medium-high.
Lay two 9-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil on top of each other and place on a rimless baking sheet. Arrange lemon slices in two layers in the center of the foil. Spread herb sprigs over the lemons. With the side of a chef's knife, mash garlic with salt to form a paste. Transfer to a small dish and stir in mustard and the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped herbs. Spread the mixture over both sides of the fish. Place the fish on the herb sprigs.
Slide the foil and fish off the baking sheet onto the grill without disturbing the fish-lemon stack. Cover the grill; cook until the fish is done in the center, 18-24 minutes. Wearing oven mitts, carefully transfer foil and fish back onto the baking sheet. Cut the fish into 4 portions and serve with lemon wedges (discard herb sprigs and lemon slices).
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