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Inspired by the pea custard on Masterchef Australia I made mushroom custard. It was the perfect use for my mushroom powder and I made extras to use as a boost of flavour for mushroom sauces. Skip ahead to the recipe for Mushroom Custard Recently I flew up to Johannesburg alone. I had too much luggage … Continue reading Mushroom Custard
The first most trusted person in my life is Dave. He is the one who goes out and catches crayfish for me to experiment with. I tried curing the crayfish using my sous vide bags but it was not a huge success. To rescue it I placed it into the sous vide cooker and was … Continue reading Confit Crayfish
"At the Cape, when wild mushrooms were plentiful, they were picked and preserved in a spice sauce or dried for later use. Cooks used their own preferred herbs and spices to improve the taste of the mushrooms. Add this mushroom powder to soups, pastas, sauces or vegetables to enhance the flavour" Cape Winelands Cuisine page 146. … Continue reading Mushroom Powder
This mince and courgette bake is one of those meals you can freeze. I make two at a time, one for dinner straight away. The other gets popped into the freezer for me to take out the night we get home from travelling. Or for nights I really do not feel like cooking. Head straight … Continue reading Mince And Courgette Bake
With the Five Roses tea I was sent I made Apple, Vanilla And Cinnamon Iced Tea. I boosted the flavour with fresh lime juice and sweetened it with honey. Using mint as a garnish this was very refreshing on a hot summer's' day. Skip ahead to the recipe for Apple, Vanilla And Cinnamon Iced Tea … Continue reading Apple, Vanilla And Cinnamon Iced Tea
When green durum wheat is roasted and rubbed together the result is freekeh. This grain is high in protein and fibre, and mineral rich. Due to its prebiotic nature and the fact that it is high in fibre it is great for good gut health. This freekeh salad is low carb and packed full of … Continue reading Freekeh Salad
Use a selection of in season fresh green herbs to make this anchovy and herb mayonnaise. It can be used as a salad dressing for grains, as a dip for artichokes, and as an accompaniment to lamb or chicken. Skip ahead to the recipe for Anchovy And Herb Mayonnaise When I drive alone I often … Continue reading Anchovy And Herb Mayonnaise
I took inspiration for our Burns Night main course from my Curry recipe book. This crayfish balti is a British curry. The balti originates in Birmingham, the curry capital of Britain. The word in Punjabi means bucket but it is presumed that the word batti meaning food would have inspired the original recipe. Skip ahead to … Continue reading Crayfish Balti
Make this ginger syrup to liven up water or soft drinks. Or use it in cocktails, especially those containing whisky. I have made a ginger whisky cocktail and will share the recipe with you soon. Skip ahead to the recipe for Ginger Syrup We have done everything possible to reduce our water consumption at home. This … Continue reading Ginger Syrup
Making a savoury bread pudding is a great way to use up bread before it goes too stale to do anything else with. Here I have used focaccia but you can use any bread. The more flavour it has to start, the better it will taste after baking. Skip ahead to the recipe for Savoury … Continue reading Savoury Bread Pudding
This prawn linguine is packed full of flavour from the herbs and garlic. Buy peeled, cleaned and deveined prawns if you do not feel like the hassle of doing that yourself. Skip ahead to the recipe for Prawn Linguine I am not a fan of the word diet, or following a restrictive eating plan. Dave … Continue reading Prawn Linguine
In the next instalment of recipe testing, I made this caprese focaccia. Using firm tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil this is a super tasty addition to any meal. We served this with octopus spaghetti. Head straight on to the Recipe For Caprese Focaccia ♥ I have a few spring cleaning things I do each year … Continue reading Caprese Focaccia
Some days I really don't have time for my sourdough to work its magic. And I also don't have time to let a yeast bread prove. It is on those days that I turn to my quick beer bread recipe. This month has seen a lot of those days already. Head straight on to the … Continue reading Quick Beer Bread
In Britain the first ketchup condiment was mushroom ketchup and not tomato as one would expect. This was made by packing the mushrooms into a container with salt. I have based my mushroom ketchup recipe method on the one found in Cape Winelands Cuisine. Head straight on to the Recipe For Mushroom Ketchup ♥ Dave, … Continue reading Mushroom Ketchup
Trying to recreate the grapefruit tea I enjoyed in France, I made my own version using dried grapefruit. The addition of spices and fresh mint made it most refreshing. Head straight on to the Recipe For Grapefruit Tea ♥ It is amazing how we take basic things for granted. We turn on a tap and … Continue reading Grapefruit Tea
Melanzane Parmigiana is a classic Italian dish made with fried eggplant, a rich tomato sauce, hard cheese and topped with Parmesan. I added breadcrumbs to mine to make good use of my leftover focaccia. Head straight on to the Recipe For Melanzane Parmigiana ♥ I am being very zealous in saving water and heard about a … Continue reading Melanzane Parmigiana
This green goddess salad dressing is my own concoction. It does not truly reflect the traditional ingredients. But as it is named after the colour more than the contents I think I am OK with that. Head straight on to the Recipe For Green Goddess Salad Dressing ♥ How long after a new supermarket opens … Continue reading Green Goddess Salad Dressing
Marinara sauce is of Napolitano origin and as a base consists of tomatoes, garlic, herbs and onions. My mariners sauce includes the addition of capers and wine. Head straight on to the Recipe For Marinara Sauce ♥ Being the forward planner that I am, I like to have a host of recipes lined up, ready … Continue reading Marinara Sauce
This month The Food In Jars Mastery Challenge was hot pack preserving. I decided to make use of my sous vide cooker for my canned herbed tomatoes. Head straight on to the Recipe For Canned Herbed Tomatoes ♥ Sometimes, coming to the end of your patience levels pays off. I had more than enough of trying … Continue reading Canned Herbed Tomatoes
Farro has been a part of the Mediterranean diet since Roman times. It is a great source of fibre and can be used to make risotto. Here I have used this easy and quick to prepare ingredient to make a farro salad. Skip ahead to the recipe for Farro Salad Since Dave and I moved to the … Continue reading Farro Salad