Comfort food for a cold snap

Today it's back to winter in the middle of spring, so comfort food is the order of the day!

Pea Soup:

In a large pot, place one smoked hock, a bay leaf or two, salt to taste (about 1 Tblsp depending on how salty the meat is), one and a half cups of split peas, two carrots, an onion, a large sweet potato and plenty of white pepper. Add enough water to cover the meat, at least 3 litres. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer all afternoon. Once meat is tender, remove from pot, peel off the rind and shred. Then either liquidise or use a hand blender to smooth the soup, and return the meat to the pot. Adjust the seasoning.
Serve with croutons. An easy method is to crush garlic and saute for just a minute in plenty of butter, just allowing the butter to melt, then brush liberally on both sides of sliced bread. Toast and cut into squares.

Baked Apples:

Chop two large green apples and place in medium-sized bowl. Add chopped fresh dates and chopped walnuts. Mix thoroughly with your hands - there is no finer kitchen tool - then place an individual ramekins, top with honey and bake in a moderate oven till apple is soft. Serve with custard, cream, ice cream or yoghurt.

You didn't expect a photo of pea soup, did you?

My take on devils on horseback

Time has rushed by since I last posted on Kommetjie Kitchen. I can only say work took over my life, but I am now back in charge and renewing my interest in spending more time on cooking.

Tonight it is just two of us for dinner and a few lightly steamed vegetables and an interesting bit of chicken will suffice. I was going to do my old favourite, pesto and feta stuffed chicken, but am restricting myself to a fairly light diet for a while, so decided to go for a less rich dish based on devils on horseback.

2 filleted chicken breasts, sliced lengthways
4 large slices of streaky bacon
Generous amount of chutney (alternatively, soak chopped prunes in a little sherry for a while)

Spread chutney or prune mixture on bacon strips, season chicken to taste and wrap in bacon. Place in baking dish and cook in hot oven 200deg C (the cooking time should not exceed 20 minutes and the heat is required to crisp the bacon slightly).

Delicious!

Monster meatball!

I'm all in favour of cutting down work in the kitchen and one of the best ways to do this, I think, is not to fiddle with things. Why make a meatball mixture and spend an hour separating, rolling and frying 20 little meatballs, when you can just put a humungus one in the pan and cut it up afterwards? Maybe you like all the sides to be brown and crisp, but it can also dry the meat out, and my version is cooked in 15 minutes.

This is a large dinner plate, although it appears to be a side plate!

This particular meatball was made with beef mince, chopped onion, a slice of white bread, an egg, dried thyme, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard (essential in a meatball!), a liberal amount of Himalayan rock salt, white pepper and a few teaspoons of ground cumin. Mmm, mmm!

Serve on mash with lots of chutney or sweet chilli sauce, and your favourite vegetables or a salad.

Livening up a chicken breast

If there is one thing that I am guaranteed not to look forward to eating, it is a chicken breast. The slightest bit of overcooking and you are left with a dry, stringy and dare I say tasteless bit of protein. Apart from keeping a watchful eye on it and making sure that you are not cooking the tastier bits such as thighs and drumsticks, which take much longer, in the same dish, the way to add excitement to chicken breast is to stuff them.

A breast that is still on the bone is always more tender and tastier than deboned - perhaps that's because all meat cooked on the bone seems to benefit from it - and these can be stuffed just as successfully. All you need is a sharp boning knife to make a slit that doesn't quite separate the two halves of a breast. Each flap should be the same thickness, about 1cm, and you can then fill the pocket with mouthwatering stuffings - whatever takes your fancy.

Last night I filled them with pesto made from olive oil, parmesan and pecorino cheese, basil, chilli and ground almonds. Make sure that the open side faces upwards and secure with a couple of toothpicks. Cook for a short time - 15 to 20 minutes at 180 deg C should be more than adequate. Only cook just before eating, as chicken breast doesn't improve with standing!

Serve with basmati rice and a salad or some lightly steamed vegetables. Mmmm!

Basic mince - how to cook and tasty extras

We tend to forget that not everyone knows basic cooking skills and take for granted that everyday meals don't require a recipe or guidance. Here are some tips for tasty beef mince meals.

Basic mince:
Use 400g or so of mince until you know how much you eat per person. Everyone has their own capacity! This should feed 3 or 4 people as there is always something added.

Heat 2 Tablesp oil in a pan or pot over medium heat and add a large onion, sliced or chopped depending on how energetic you are feeling. Once it has softened, turn the heat up and add the mince - a higher heat enables you to break it up quicker. It doesn't matter if it is still frozen - keep turning it and peeling off the browned surface, using a fork to crumble the meat. Once all lumps are gone, turn the heat down and add 1 teasp of salt and some white pepper. This is your basic mixture to which you add whatever floats your boat!

Savoury mince:

Add the following to basic mince: beef stock powder, allspice powder (1/2 teasp), bay leaf, a little water to prevent burning. Add your vegetables to the mince and cook it all together. Much easier to clean one pot!

Tomato-based mince:

When cooking the onion for basic mince, add 1 sliced celery stalk (not leaves), 1 peeled and grated carrot and a clove or two of garlic. Once basic mince is crumbled, add 1 tin chopped tomatoes (or fresh) and 2 Tablesp tomato paste (alternatively just use 1 tin tomato puree), 1 teasp sugar, a bay leaf and 2 teasp dried oreganum. You can also add beef stock powder if you wish. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 - 40 mins, ensuring it does not boil, it should just simmer (odd bubble popping). If the liquid evaporates (it shouldn't because tomatoes produce liquid), add a little hot water. The flavour develops better if you make it early in the day or even the day before and keep in the fridge till heating with your vegetables. The celery adds a richness to the flavour and the sugar takes away the sharpness of the tomato. This is very good topped with mashed potato or even easier, plopped on top of the mash.

Further additions to tomato-based mince for bolognaise sauce:
1/2 teasp nutmeg, 1/2 cup red wine.

Will think of others for another time!

Getting your daily dose of spices

Our bodies benefit greatly from the ingestion of a multitude of spices, and what better way to do so than in the form of curry? A curry does not have to be too spicy or overwhelmingly hot, but there is no doubt that chilli peppers, once you have acquired a taste for them, contribute towards natural mood enhancement. The accompaniments for curry - yoghurt, coconut, banana, cucumber and avocado - should also form a regular part of our diets. To me, it constitutes an ideal meal!

Tonight I am making mince curry and will throw the rice into the same pot, as it saves on washing up afterwards!

Mince curry:

Heat a little coconut oil or butter/oil of choice and saute finely sliced onion, garlic and fresh ginger until transparent. Add 1Tbs each of cumin, coriander, turmeric, commercial curry powder and chutney, 1 teasp each of dried chilli (or however you like it) and salt, a bay leaf, stick of cinnamon or cassia, and stir constantly for about a minute. Do not allow to burn. If it is too hot, add a dash of hot water (not cold, you don't want to crack a pot), taking care not to burn yourself on the steam, and then add the mince. Break it up with a fork until all crumbly, add 1/2 cup water and simmer for about 15 minutes.

A can of beans or a cup of frozen peas are a nice addition to extend the dish. Add this when you add the rice - preferably basmati - if there is no liquid in the curry, add 2 cups hot water to 1 cup rice - give it a good stir and simmer on low for 15 minutes by which time the water should be absorbed and the rice cooked to perfection. Beware of burning if you have added baked beans, as the tomato/sugar content seems to sit on the bottom. If it only 'catches' slightly, this always enhances the flavour, I think, but this kind of timing only comes with practice!

Enjoy!

Homemade chocolates without the guilt!

It's been a long time since I posted a recipe! Today I want to share one of life's great treats - real chocolate - that's actually good for you!

The health benefits of many South American foods are being introduced to the rest of the world and in the main are referred to as superfoods for their extremely high nutritional content. It seems that the native peoples of South America needed an extra boost to compensate for the extremes of climate and altitude that they endured!

Raw cacao is said to have one of the highest antioxidant properties, as well as being conducive to happiness. This easy method of producing chocolate that hasn't been subjected to high temperatures or any additives is ideal for those seeking chocolate satisfaction without the guilt:

500g raw cacao paste
250g cacao butter
1/4 cup agave syrup or more if you really have a sweet tooth
Chopped raw almonds and cranberries

Melt the first three ingredients in a double boiler, or even just over hot water, making sure it melts but doesn't heat. Constant stirring ensures a speedy result. Add sufficient almonds and cranberries to make about double the mixture. This will extend the volume of chocolates and allow you to eat more than one at a time. Spoon the mixture into ice trays - takes a bit of practice as it is very thin and can be messy. Place in deep freeze or fridge to set, knock out of trays and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

You should try not to eat more than 20g of chocolate per day, simply for the caloric value. It might have a similar effect to caffeine and keep you awake.

Whatever the claims made with regard to the nutritive properties of any food, I can say with certainty that these delicious treats sure beat any commercial chocolate out there!