Pork Patties

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Tandy

I realized when I made my lamb burgers that lamb is far too expensive to make patties from for everyday, general consumption. Straight away I had another recipe in mind, but as with most things in my life, time ran away with me. Before I knew it, Dave turned 60 and we had a week long celebration, my sister left for Australia which meant another trip to Johannesburg and the burger patty competition winner was announced. A sirloin burger has won the competition but to me, that is just another meat patty. I kept my recipe in the back of my mind and had actually decided to make sausages out of the meat instead. But, I still have not got sausage casings, and the pork pieces came out of the freezer for eating. I have used pork as my basis for the patty, and as I am all about healthy eating at the moment, I made small patties, and we ate less than we would have if I had made larger ones.

PORK PATTIES

ingredients:

280g pork

130g bacon

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 egg, lightly beaten

flour for dusting

15g butter

method:

using a meat grinder, grind the pork and the bacon

heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions

set aside to cool

add to the meat and season with salt and pepper

add the spices and the egg

combine all the ingredients well

dust your hands with flour and shape the patties

leave in the fridge for 30 minutes

heat the butter in the pan you fried the onions in

fry the patty on one side until sealed and flip once

serve when cooked through

PORK PATTIES PRINTABLE VERSION

Tandy
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Red Wine Braised Short Ribs for The Secret Recipe Club

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Tandy

Today is reveal day for The Secret Recipe Club! I wonder who got my blog? This month I was assigned Nestlé Kitchens. This is a collaborative blog about good food, and good life. Three bloggers currently contribute to this blog and I had no idea where to even start looking for something to create for today’s dish. Did I want to do a make a drink or something sweet? Or maybe make something for a main course or to entertain with? Or maybe a side dish or something for the holidays, which are looming? I decided to click the random post button and see what the blog decided. And I was lucky! This is a dish I have been wanting to try, ever since my soup recipe I did using ribs. I have made one other short rib recipe, but I have never tried braising them following someone else’s recipe. Chris is a mother of triplets *gasp* and writes recipes for the world’s largest food company. Nestlé products are readily available in South Africa and I am very familiar with them. It made me feel like I already knew Chris before I ‘met’ her through this recipe.

RED WINE BRAISED SHORT RIBS

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

530g extra-lean bone-in beef short ribs

salt and ground black pepper for seasoning

3 shallots, peeled and halved

2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

170mls red wine

125mls port

10mls balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon beef stock granules

2 sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary and sage

2 carrots thickly sliced

10mls water

5mls arrow root

¾ cup red wine

method:

preheat the oven to 160° Celsius

heat the oil in large, heavy oven-proof casserole dish over medium-high heat

pat dry the ribs and season

working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides

once brown, remove and set aside

drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the dish, or add some olive oil if necessary

add the shallots to dish

cook for a few minutes until golden

add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds

stir in the wine, port, vinegar, stock, thyme, rosemary and sage

bring to the boil, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the dish

add the carrots along with the ribs and any accumulated juices

bring to the boil, cover and place in oven

bake covered, for 2 ½ hours

check to make sure it does not dry out, and add up to 170mls water if necessary

using a slotted spoon transfer the ribs, shallots and carrots to a large bowl

if you have time, refrigerate overnight or freeze the pan juices for about 30 minutes

remove the oil from the pan juices

combine the water and arrow root in a small bowl

add ½ cup red wine to the pan juices and bring to the heat

whisk the arrow root into the pan juices

bring to the boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until it starts to thicken

remove and discard the stems from the herbs

return the ribs to pan with ¼ cup red wine and incorporate the sauce

serve over horseradish mashed potatoes

Printable Version

Tandy

To see the other recipes click the linky below

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Sous Vide Crayfish Tails

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Tandy

Cindy came to visit and while she sat in the lounge, Dave and I were in the kitchen discussing how to go about cooking the crayfish for the bisque. I had some left over stock from when I first made the bisque, but of course, it needed the actual crayfish. So I suggested to Dave that we sous vide the tails. Sous vide is French for “under vacuum” and is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath at a temperature much lower than normally used for cooking. The intention is to cook the item evenly, not overcook the outside while still keeping the inside at the same ‘doneness’ and to keep the food juicier.

Cindy did not hear what we were saying and so she asked us how on earth would we SUV crayfish! No 4×4 methods are used here – and you do not need a fancy vacuum sealer or water bath as you see the chefs using on TV. You will however need a ziploc bag, a straw, and a candy thermometer.

This method in my opinion is one of the nicest ways to cook the crayfish if you are not going to grill them over an open fire. I am sure you will have as much success with prawns, fish or even meat. I think what counts the most here is that you cook it low and slow, and that you add a great flavour base to your bag to infuse what ever you decide to cook.

SOUS VIDE CRAYFISH TAILS

ingredients:

small handful of fresh thyme

rind of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, lightly crushed

2 crayfish tails

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

method:

place the thyme, lemon rind and garlic into a small Ziploc bag

season the crayfish tails and place them into the bag

place a straw into the bag and leave enough of it sticking out for you to suck on

seal the Ziploc bag as much as you can around the straw

suck out as much air as you can before removing the straw and sealing the bag

bring a pot half filled with water up to 70° Celsius – on a low heat setting

put the Ziploc bag into the water for 20 minutes

make sure the tails are cooked before you serve them but this should be enough time

Printable Version

Tandy

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Venison and Blueberry Casserole

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Tandy

In South Africa we have a blogging platform called Letter Dash. Letter Dash is host to a whole collection of blogging arena’s including the media24 stable. When I started blogging the only food related blogging platform on Letter Dash was food24. I stayed there loyally even when Taste started their own blogging platform, as I believe in loyalty. In fact, whenever I saw a blogger on the global South African platform, blogging about food I suggested they come over to food24.

Then a series of happenings started with a certain blogger being most rude about other bloggers on this platform. This resulted in a 101 series of blogs where there was not enough space for my post on ethics and copyright. That aside, I was not getting any ‘front page’ exposure on food24 as this was left to the ‘in crowd’. I was however briefly a blog of note and got a ‘heard on food24′ mention every day. Not to sound like sour grapes, but I just felt this was not enough for me.

I have been blogging on Letter Dash for over 2 years, and I have published more than 860 posts and I felt the need for some more exposure. I decided to move over to the Taste platform to see if I would get more exposure and within two weeks I was featured on the front page of their newsletter (read my post here to celebrate). But, the biggest exposure has come my way as I am the featured blogger in the Taste Magazine November issue! This issue is a readers collaboration, and goes on sale today at all Woolworths Stores nationwide. Woolworths in South Africa is the equivalent to Marks & Spencer in the UK, and Taste Magazine is their in house magazine, run under the New Media Publishing stable.

To celebrate this great accolade I have made another dish using Woolworths ingredients:

VENISON AND BLUEBERRY CASSEROLE

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

15g butter

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 slices streaky bacon, sliced

250g venison, cubed

100g exotic mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup red wine

1/3 cup frozen blueberries

method:

in a casserole dish, heat the oil and the butter

sauté the onions and the garlic until soft

cook the bacon until the fat has rendered down

brown the venison

add the mushrooms and cook until soft

add the thyme and the red wine

cover and simmer for one hour

remove the lid and add the berries

cook until the berries are soft

Printable Version

Tandy

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Tapas Tomatoes

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Tandy

I did not manage to get my tapas recipe in on time for the food24 competition so decided it would be perfect for this month’s vinatics. I just love nibbling while drinking and even more so when it is with friends. We have done a fair bit of entertaining this past month and the one thing I know about myself is that I need to eat when I drink. Tapas make the perfect sense to start an evening off with – a small bite or two to whet the appetite, as well as to make sure the wine does not go down on an empty stomach. We were tasked to choose something from the KWV Classic Collection and this was my choice as it goes down perfectly at the start of a warm evening.

Chill the pinotage before serving and enjoy! This tapas was inspired by my gezpacho however, some people like my husband do not like raw onions, and so I needed to cook the ingredients before serving them. I grew up eating raw onions, but since I have stopped eating them raw to suit Dave’s palate, I have found them quite offensive in some dishes. The raw onion flavour overpowers everything else. These little tapas are a perfect way to start the evening – a little slurp of something before tucking into the wine, and the conversation.

TAPAS TOMATOES

ingredients:

2 roma tomatoes, cut in half

1 red pepper, cut in half and deseeded

2 garlic cloves, cut in half (you can leave the paper on)

olive oil for sprinkling

salt for seasoning

small handful of fresh thyme

1 tablespoon lemon infused olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon hot paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

handful of flat leaf parsley

150mls vegetable stock

method:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

place the tomatoes skin side down into a baking tray

play the red pepper skin side up into the baking tray

add the garlic and then sprinkle with olive oil

season with salt, and add the thyme

bake for 20 minutes and then leave to cool

heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions until soft

add the paprika and the cumin

remove the garlic from the skins and add to the onion

roughly chop the tomatoes and the pepper

add them to the onions with any of the juices

place all of the ingredients into a blender with the parsley and the stock and process until smooth

Printable Version

Edit September 21st: I have withdrawn my entry from the Vinatics competition as it does not quite comply with food24′s rules of blogging about the actual evening and publishing photographs of my guests.

Tandy

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Duck Egg Ravioli With Exotic Mushroom Sauce

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Tandy

If you are a regular reader to my blog you will know I am a self confessed Woolworths Baby. Woolworths in South Africa is the equivalent of Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom. The majority of all my shopping is done at Woolworths, from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, and everything in between. Woolworths have their own magazine, Taste, and I have every single copy. I subscribe so that I can read it before it hits the shelves. I have also seen my name in the magazine on more than one occasion. Recently, Taste decided they would have their own blogging platform and I moved my South African blog over to them. This morning in my inbox, was my bi monthly newsletter and there was my photograph with:

Much-loved and followed SA blogger Tandy of Lavender and Lime blogs for TASTE! Read her yummy post on lamb burgers.

In celebration of this lovely accolade, I decided to devise a recipe show casing duck eggs. This is a new product on the shelves at Woolworths, and I have been buying 6 a week since I first saw them. Duck eggs have the most amazing yellow yolk – and it is large. They make the creamiest scrambled eggs you can imagine and so far I have used them to make mayonnaise and cookie dough. Duck eggs are now available locally at selected Woolworths stores so if you find them, do buy them!

DUCK EGG RAVIOLI WITH EXOTIC MUSHROOM SAUCE

ingredients:

for the ravioli

100g pasta flour

pinch of salt

1 egg

flour for dusting

2 duck eggs, separated (at fridge temperature)

for the exotic mushroom sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, cut in half and sliced

1 garlic clove, sliced

200g exotic mushrooms, sliced

4 tablespoons vegetable stock

½ teaspoon salt

2 rashers back bacon, finely sliced

1/8 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons cream

method:

for the ravioli

mix together the pasta flour, salt and egg with a fork

form a dough in the bowl before turning out – the dough should be neither too wet nor too dry so add flour / water if necessary

dust a surface with flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes

you want a smooth, silky dough

cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for half an hour

cut the dough in half and roll out each piece to number 6 on your pasta machine

cut each sheet in half

carefully place an egg yolk into the centre of each ravioli sheet

be careful now!

use the egg white to moisten the area around the yolk

carefully place the second sheet on top and join together

you need to get all the air out and not break the yolk!

seal the edges

trim the edges

you will notice, these are not the same shape as in the photograph of the meal. The first time did not work out properly, so I did them again. This shape meant less pasta, and the thinness of the pasta meant a better texture. The cold egg yolks meant they were nice and soft when they were opened.

cook in boiling salted water for 3 minutes

the end result

for the exotic mushroom sauce

heat the oil in a large sauté pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft

add the mushrooms, the stock and the salt and allow the mushrooms to cook down

add the bacon, chilli flakes and thyme

you may need to add some water at this stage to loosen the sauce

when you put the ravioli in the water to cook, add the cream

Printable Version

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted next week by ME!

Tandy

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Marinated Feta Cheese

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Tandy

There was a debate a while ago between journalists and food bloggers as to whom deserves the ‘airspace’ more! Personally, I find it childish and pathetic and wonder why there cannot be space for all of us in the world. In fact, I know some journalists who blog, and some bloggers who contribute to magazines. Then, the next point is made by a food blogger who thinks there is no space for those of us that blog for the love of blogging. She thinks there is some ulterior motivation for people who blog. Frankly my dear, I don’t give a crumb (with thanks to Gone with the Wind). I blog because I love to share my recipes with anyone who wants to read them. I type a story at the start, because I like to share my feelings and thoughts and observations. I do not want to sell advertising on my blog. This is my space to say what I want to about everything and anything. I want to be able to eat at a restaurant and say honestly what I liked and disliked about the place and the food and the service. I want to offer an opinion about a product without someone accusing me of being paid to say the words. I will tell you when I get a freebie, and know this, I have turned down a few offers! I feel that if you blog with honesty and integrity the world is your oyster and I hope that each one of us finds a string of pearls. For the rest of you, who think you are above us because you are famous, or published (oh, I forgot, so am I) or have done some amazing things in the food world, please go and marinade in your own juices!

MARINATED FETA CHEESE

adapted from PRESERVE page 100

ingredients:

250g feta cheese, drained and cut into chunks

1 small bunch thyme, leaves stripped

zest of 1 lemon

4 teaspoons capers, drained

1 teaspoon peppercorns, lightly crushed

1 shallot, thinly sliced

400mls olive oil

method:

put the feta, thyme, zest, capers and peppercorns into a bowl and mix gently

spoon the mixture and the shallots into sterilized glass jars

top with olive oil and make sure the feta sits below the oil

leave to marinade in a cool dark place for 2 weeks before using

you can keep this for 6 months, so don’t forget to date the jars!

to serve remove from the oil and leave to stand at room temperature for an hour

Printable Version

Tandy

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Herb Crusted Belly Pork for The Secret Recipe Club

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Tandy

I just loved the idea of The Secret Recipe Club when I saw it and I have joined up. Each blogger is assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from. As it’s a secret, all posts are published at the same time from each group of bloggers. I was given Jennifer Sikora’s blog For Such A Time As This as my secret blog. Jennifer has been blogging since 2007. She is a baker, loves to shop and is a dog mom – sounds like we have a few things in common.

I chose Jennifer’s recipe for Herb Crusted Pork Loin as the dish I would prepare. Below you will find my adaption of the recipe. This was made necessary as I could not find untrimmed pork loin and so bought a pork belly roast to cook. As the weight of my roast was exactly half that of the one given my Jennifer I halved her rub. You could smell the garlic cooking, and the meat tasted great. What a great way to try something new!

HERB CRUSTED BELLY PORK

Recipe adapted from Jennifer Sikora

ingredients:

0.964kg pork belly roast

½ tablespoon salt flakes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

method:

take the roast out of the fridge at allow to dry on a rack for at least 2 hours

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

pat the pork dry

combine the salt, oil, garlic and herbs in a bowl

massage the mixture onto the pork with your fingers, ensuring you cover the meat and the fat

place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan

roast for 30 minutes per 500g of meat, plus an additional 25 minutes

allow to rest for 10 minutes – we did this under the grill to crisp up the fat to make crackling

Printable Version

Tandy

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Product Review: Le Creuset Tagine and a recipe for Moroccan Chicken

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Tandy

I have had a lot of people asking me whether getting a tagine is worth it, and all I can say is YES! You have to be prepared to spend money on ensuring that the one you get can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven. This way you will know you are getting the best value for money. I decided to purchase a Le Creuset Tagine for the quality of the product and I have not looked back.

I have used this as a traditional tagine, to make a tarte tatin, as well as for making breakfast. The most amazing thing about a tagine is that it behaves like a slow cooker and so it is both versatile and pretty to look at. The heavy cast iron base is perfect for searing and stewing and it can be used in the oven if you want to make a pie in one dish. The tagine is good enough to go from the kitchen to the table so that you can serve your meal in the traditional North African manner. I use my tagine at least once a week, and if you are only going to buy one Le Creuset item, then I would suggest that the tagine be on top of your list!

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

ingredients:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon white cardamom pods

1/8 teaspoon lavender petals

4 chicken pieces

1 tablespoon lemon infused olive oil

1 onion, quartered

½ cup white wine

4 plum tomatoes, quartered

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

1 cup chicken stock

method:

using a pestle and mortar grind together the cumin, thyme, cardamom and lavender

remove the cardamom husks and rub onto the chicken

heat the oil and brown the chicken

add the onion, white wine and tomatoes

when the wine starts bubbling, season and add the chicken stock

cover and simmer for 40 minutes

Printable Version

Tandy

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Broad (Fava) Bean and Pea Farfalloni

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Tandy

I wanted to write a series of recipes to submit to a magazine for consideration and started with the concept of doing pasta recipes. But, in the very month I wanted to send them in, the magazine did a whole series in preparation for the Argus Cycle Tour. Completely having missed the boat on that one, I saved the recipes but once again, pasta was in fashion with the Comrades Marathon. I am going to put my thinking cap on and come up with another series of recipes for the magazine, but in the mean time I will share with you the recipes I jotted down. Fava beans in Italy are known as broad beans here and in the UK and are a vibrant green bean that has to be double podded to enjoy to their fullest. This takes time and effort, but it is well worth it. Medically these beans are quite interesting and so I would recommend that you do not eat them raw. They are rich in tyramine and so should be avoided if you are taking Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors. However, if you have Parkinson’s disease or hypertension, they are a recommended addition to your diet.