Product Review: Ceramic Baking Beans

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Tandy

I am a kitchen gadget addict and like things in my kitchen that makes my life easier. When my sister asked me what I wanted for a present I told her that Baking Beans would be a good idea.

I have been asked by Yuppiechef to do a product review and I can tell you that I use my baking beans often. In fact, I would not mind having a second lot of them as they make such a difference. I know you can use any old beans, and keep and re-use them but these ceramic beans are much easier and user friendly than ordinary beans. The round balls fit snugly and perfectly into my flans and I have even made use of them when making tartlets in my muffin tin.

all you need is baking paper to get them out of the pastry shell with ease.

please note that I have not received payment in any form for this review

Tandy

Top of Page

Vegetable Stock

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Tandy

Nothing beats using a real stock. I buy ready made stocks to use in an emergency but I know that home made is better. This challenge saw the stock first boiling over and meant I had to clean the stove. And then, the tuffy bag did not seal properly and the stock leaked out, all over the floor behind the stove. Which meant a lot of moving and cleaning.

ingredients:

recipe adapted from Food & Home Entertaining July 2006

15mls butter

20mls olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 leeks, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

4 garlic cloves

4 black peppercorns

large handful flat leaf parsley

small handful fresh thyme

salt and freshly ground pepper to season

method:

heat the butter and the oil in a large pot

sauté the onion, leeks, carrots and celery

toss to coat the vegetables, place the lid on the pot and cook for 2 minutes

top up the pot with cold water to ensure a clear stock

bring to the boil and skim the surface of any scum

reduce the heat and add the balance of the ingredients – be very generous with the seasoning

simmer for at least 1 hour

pass the liquid through a sieve and gently press the solids to extract all the liquid

refrigerate or freeze when cooled

Tandy

Top of Page

Lamb Tagine

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Tandy

I could use my tagine every night as it is a perfect slow cooker! This lovely lamb dish is perfect for slow cooking, and cool nights.

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

250g stewing lamb – you can use neck or shoulder

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried mint

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 handful fresh coriander roughly chopped for garnishing

cous cous for serving

method:

heat the oil in a tagine or casserole dish

seal the lamb

once the lamb is brown add the dried spices, herbs and tomato paste

add ½ a cup of water, cover and cook until the lamb is soft, checking every now and then to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot

prepare your cous cous

stir the coriander into the lamb and serve

Tandy

Top of Page

My Luxury Dinner Party – Main Course- Roast Pork with a Madagascan Peppercorn Sauce

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Tandy

In continuation of how to host a luxury dinner party this is the next step. After the dessert has been prepared I move on to my main course – the most components for any course will always be found in the main course. If everything is prepared beforehand, there is no chance of the main course not being perfect.

ROASTED PORK

ingredients:

you need at least 150g of meat per person

pork fillet

salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon Brandy

method:

make sure you take the meat out of the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature

preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius

place the fillet on absorbent paper and cover with absorbent paper to ensure it is completely dry before seasoning

season with salt and pepper 10 minutes before cooking

heat the butter in a pan and when brown seal the fillet

flambé with the Brandy and as soon as the alcohol has burnt off, transfer to a baking tray

do not discard the pan juices

cook in the oven for 22 minutes and leave to rest before serving

to serve:

heat the peppercorn sauce in the pan you sealed the pork in

once heated leave to simmer while you slice the pork

serve on a bed of butter mash with seasonal vegetables

Tandy

Top of Page

Guest Blogger: Michael English: Paprika Chicken

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Tandy

Hi Tandy,As you know Beverly just got back from Hungary and so we had to do something with the great Hungarian Paprika she bought and so we made Paprika Chicken. We loved this dish. I really enjoy reading your blog. Great work!

Sorry its late for the challenge!

Cheers
Mike

Here forthwith the recipe:

Paprika Chicken – Adapted from Delia Smith

Ingredients:

1 Chicken about 1 kg

2 medium onions chopped

½ yellow pepper

½ red pepper (recipe says 1 green pepper, but as I do not like them I did this)

1 tin Italian chopped tomatoes

¼ pint of chicken stock

1 Dessert spoon of flour

2 heaped tablespoons sweet paprika preferably Hungarian

1 5oz carton of crème fraiche

Oil for frying

Two pinches cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Preheat oven to 160 Celsius.

Method:

Fry the chicken to brown on all sides. Remove to a casserole and use the remaining oil in the pan to fry the chopped onions till soft. Stir the flour, cayenne and paprika into the onions in the pan. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. Pour over the chicken and bake for 45 min. Take out and add the sliced peppers and bake for a further 30 min. (it’s worth cooking longer as the chicken is really tender). Just before serving add the crème fraiche to create a marbled effect and sprinkle with some more paprika. Serve with rice or pasta.

Pasta with Bacon, Chorizo, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Tandy

Being Tandy Tuesday pasta day, I am presenting a dish which is an amalgamation of two other recipes you can find on my blog. Clearly, these are ingredients I love to cook with, and I suppose one day I will have to put all the pasta recipes into a cook book!

© pasta with bacon, chorizo, mushrooms and tomatoes

ingredients:

pasta of your choice

4 rashers bacon, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 chorizo sausage, sliced

100g mushrooms sliced

100g tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon crème fraîche

Parmesan for garnishing

method:

start by getting your pasta water on the boil, and cooking your pasta

fry the bacon in a dry pan until crispy

add the olive oil and the sausages

when the sausages are cooked add the mushrooms

as soon as they have soaked up all the liquid in the pan add the tomatoes

once they are cooked add the crème fraîche

you may need to loosen the sauce with some of the pasta water

drain the pasta and add to the sauce

grate over some Parmesan cheese and serve

Tandy

Top of Page

Ingredient Challenge

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Tandy

This week, the challenge is to use the following ingredients:

onions, leaks, carrots, celery

PREVIOUS CHALLENGES ROUND UP

Zabwan has a lovely dish of samp and beans for the pepper challenge. Shaz has made the most wonderful ‘pop in our mouth’ biscuits.

Tandy

Top of Page

Picture Perfect – Chocolate Sauce

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Tandy

At the South African Food Bloggers Conference we were told not to make the headings of our blogs something obscure. I would love to call this recipe, the world’s best chocolate sauce – but, that is really only my own opinion. However, give it a try and I am sure you will agree. For Project Food Blog, Challenge 4 was to do a post using photographs. This would have been very challenging for me, as I only use one photograph per blog post. Here I am going to show you step by step with pictures and words, how to go about making this chocolate sauce. The recipe can be found in Lavender & Lime.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

ingredients:

180g good quality chocolate, mixture of semi-sweet and dark

½ cup corn syrup

½ cup thick cream

30g unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla purée

method:

in the top of a double boiler melt the chocolate over barely simmering water

stir in the syrup

whisk in the cream

add the butter and whisk until the sauce is shiny

remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla purée

store in a sterilized jar

cooks notes:

you can use maple syrup instead of corn syrup. Serve hot over ice cream. Keep in the fridge and use as needed

and now in pictures:

mise en place:

cooking:

© put a little bit of water in a sauce pan

Tandy

Top of Page

Guest Blogger: Michala Schiodt: Poor Man’s Pudding

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Tandy

Here’s Roger’s pudding, called Poor man’s Pudding.The size of it depends on how many layers you want, and the size of the plate and how many will eat it.

2-4 ripe bananas, sliced

1or 2 packets of Tennis biscuits

1 Ultra mel carton.. shaved chocolate for decoration.

Method: Spread a layer of Ulta mel on the plate,put the biscuits on top, and put the bananas on top of that, then biscuits and a layer of Ultra mel .When you have made the desired layers, put the plate in the fridge, and take out an hour or so before serving.The idea is that the biscuits soak up the ultra mel. It tastes like Tiramisu only better!

Michala

Friday’s Food Quiz Number 38

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Tandy

My favourite quiz is back this week! PinkPolkaDot has posted some questions, and here are my answers:

1. What is Larb and where did it originate?

Thai salad

2. What ingredient is used in both Tipsy Tart and (original) Sticky Toffee pudding?

both use sugar, eggs, bicarb of soda, flour, butter, and cream

3. What are two main ingredients of Caponata salad and from which ingredient does it get its name?

Caponata is a Sicilian speciality made of aubergines, celery and tomatoes, sliced and fried in olive oil and flavoured with capers, olives and anchovy fillets. * It would follow that it gets its name from capers.

4. What is Fajitas?

grilled, marinated beef, chicken or shrimp served with tortillas, sautéed onions and sweet peppers, refried beans, guacamole, and salsa **

5. What is the origin of Caesar salad’s name?

it is named after the inventor of the salad, Caesar Cardini, a Mexican restaurateur **

6. What are cruciferous vegetables?

vegetables whose flowers resemble a cross (cruciform) such as cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprout

7. What unusual ingredient is found in the Belize dish, cena molida?

insects?

8. If we talk about Hubbard, Atlantic Giant and Queensland blue, what are we referring to?

Squashes – like butternut (not juices)

9. What is “pepita” more commonly known as?

pumpkin seeds – these are one of my favourite snacks – I can eat them salted by the handful