Vetkoek

Ingredients

• 6¾ cups Flour (all-purpose flour)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 1 packet Yeast
• Lukewarm water
• Cooking oil (for frying)

How to make the dough

• Mix sugar and yeast with some lukewarm water and leave to foam.
• Sift flour and salt.
• Pour yeast in flour and knead.
• Keep adding water and knead until you have a consistency like a bread dough.
• Leave the dough in the bowl and cover the bowl with a cloth.
• Leave the dough to rise for about 45 – 60 minutes until it is about double its original size.

How to make the vetkoek

• Pour the cooking oil into a frying pan to have about 3 or 4 cm of oil in the pan. Heat the oil to about 375°F (200°C).
• Divide the dough into balls about the size of a tennis ball.
• Flatten the dough until it is about 3 centimetres thick and about the size of your palm.
• Place two or three pieces of the flattened dough at a time into the oil. Fry each side until golden brown.

Serve with savoury mince, cheese or jam. Yum, yum, yum!

Crumbed Calamari Strips

Serves 4

4 Calamari steaks
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
Robertson's Exotic Thai Spice
Paprika
Oil for frying
Milk
Salt & Pepper

METHOD:

• Defrost the calamari (either in the fridge for a couple of hours or 2 or 3 hours outside the fridge) and rinse off all excess ice 
• Put into bowl and cover with milk and put back into fridge until ready to use - the longer you leave it the better
• When ready, remove from fridge and shake off excess milk
• Cut into 2 cm strips and season with spices
• Dip strips into flour; then egg and lastly in crumbs
• Deep fry in hot oil for 1 - 2 minutes. (The oil is ready when you drop a bread cube into the oil and it sizzles). Don't over-fry as this will cause the calamari to become tough
• Serve with a sauce of your choice and a nice green salad and some chips

Lemon Poppy-seed Muffins

The only lemon poppy seed muffins recipe I make! Thank you to the "Easy as Pie" blog spot! This is soooooo delicious! 





Makes 12 medium muffins 

Ingredients
3/4 c sugar (I used brown sugar)
zest of 2 lemons
2 c + 1/3 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBS poppy seeds
1/3 c + 1 and a half TBS oil
1/4 c milk
5 TBS lemon juice 
2 eggs
1/2 c plain yoghurt (I used double cream)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius 
2. Grease muffin pan
3. Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and rub together with your fingers until the sugar is pale yellow
4. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds
5. In a separate bowl combine the oil, milk, lemon juice, eggs, yoghurt. Whisk together until combined
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over-mix! 
7. Add spoonfuls of mixture to muffin pan; fill about 3/4 of the cups
8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until done
9. Cool & Enjoy! 

Notes:

Substitute the yoghurt for buttermilk if needed. Use a 1:1 ratio. 

Chocolate Mousse Bavarian

I misplaced my mom's chocolate mousse recipe and have searched for a long time to find one that's similar - and I found it! On blog "Baywire" (Dianne Smith) - thank you!!!! It is the one and tastes just like my mom's!! I am rewriting it how I made it.

1 envelope unflavoured gelatin (7 g)
1/2 cup cold water
100 g sugar 
30 g unsweetened cocoa 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 can evaporated milk = 240 ml + the rest of the can (about 2/3 cups)
1 TBS (15 ml) vanilla essence 

METHOD:

1. Put the gelatin and cold water in a 1L saucepan and let the mixture soften
2. Stir in well the sugar, cocoa and salt
3. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the gelatin and sugar dissolve completely, about 5 minutes - DO NOT BOIL. Then take the saucepan off the heat.
4. Stir in 240 ml of the evaporated milk
5. Chill the mixture in the bowl you want to use with your electric beater in the fridge until firm and looks set - this can take half an hour or more
6. With the electric beater, beat in at a low speed the rest of the evaporated milk and the vanilla essence until the mixture is broken up (well combined)
7. Beat at high speed until the mixture fills the bowl - this can take about 20 minutes or more, depending on your electric mixer; until the mixture starts getting firm and making large foamy bubbles
8. Let it stand for a few minutes or until the mixture makes mounds when you drop it off a spoon
9. Heap into dessert bowls and chill until ready to serve

Serves 4



 

Ma Kristie se Mieliebroodjie

My Ma se mieliebrood reseppie. Heerlik! Super maklik en gou om te maak!

500 g bruismeel
1 blik sweetcorn
250 ml melk
50 g (3E) botter, gesmelt
3 ml sout
250 ml gerasperde kaas
1 ml rooipeper

METODE:

• Meng meel, mielies, peper en sout.
• Voeg melk en botter by en meng goed.
• Voeg die helfte van die kaas by.
• Skep die mengsel in 'n gesmeerde broodpan en sprinkel gerasperde kaas bo-oor. 
• Bak teen 180 grade Celsius vir 45 tot 60 minute tot gaar. (toetspennetjie kom skoon uit)

Garlic & Chilli marinade for prawns

• Half cup olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Half tsp minced garlic & chilli mix
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs white wine
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tbs orange juice if you like

Mix all together and pour over prawns. Cover.

Marinade for 1 hour and then braai prawns over hot coals or in a pan on the stove. 

Easy Coleslaw Recipe

Ingredients:
2 small cabbages, sliced (I used 1 green and 1 red)
Raisins
Peanuts / Sprinkle nuts or other nuts you prefer

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TBS sugar
1 and a half TBS lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 TBS vinegar

*Whisk all together until smooth and pour over coleslaw mix and combine well

Onion Marmelade

Ingredients:
4 large brown onions, sliced (preferably red onions)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup red wine vinegar / brown vinegar / apple cider vinegar
100 ml Balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Paprika
Thyme (dried)
Cayenne Pepper / 1 finely chopped chilli
(optional: add a bay leaf to the above ; 
or try the following combination: cinnamon stick + star anise  + clove) *Thank you Sonja Carlyle

*you don't need cooking oil for this recipe!

Method:

1. Put the onions and 4 TBS brown sugar of the measured out sugar in a large pot; mix well and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes or until the onions looks caramelized. Stir from time to time; keep an eye on the pot
2. Add the vinegars, rest of the brown sugar and a pinch of Cayenne pepper, a pinch of Paprika and Thyme or any of your spices/herbs and cook further - stirring often; until most of the liquid is reduced; this takes about 15 minutes; when you see "large bubbles" on the bottom of the pot when you stir it's almost ready - keep a a bit of the liquid
3. Add salt & pepper to taste 
4. Let it cool
5. Bottle in sterilized jars
6. Should keep in fridge for 1 - 3 months - (sugar & vinegar combination) - probably less because it's so nice and you're going to eat it all long before then!!!!;-)
7. Makes 1 medium glass jar

NOTES:

• Spices/herbs etc. that would work well: fennel; star anise; cinnamon; thyme; rosemary; garlic - just be creative!!! :))

Crumpets - by Nikki

Best crumpets I ever made! Absolutely divine :) 
Thanks to Food.Com & Nikki

makes 20 - 30

2 Cups flour
3/4 Cup sugar
3 Tsp baking powder
3 Eggs
1 Cup milk
2 TBS butter, melted

1. Mix everything together, leaving butter for last
2. Grease flat bottomed frying pan or griddle
3. Drop / pour small amounts onto griddle
4. Turn and cook other side when bubbles break on the surface of crumpets
5. Heat should be medium to get even golden colour

Serve with butter, cheese, jam, syrup or whatever you prefer!

Neil's Pancake Recipe

This is my partner Neil's recipe and he makes the best pancakes in the world! And it never flops.....

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 cup milk

Directions:
Mix well and then add just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
Cook on a low heat until light brown on each side.
Grease the pan if you are not using a non-stick pan.

Cheese & Chilli Bread

This is my all-time absolute favourite bread to make! It only takes about 10 minutes to put together and then bakes for 60 minutes. If I can bake a bread (and I really suck at baking) you can too! The recipe comes from a recipe card I picked up in the OK in Struisbaai years ago. 


Serves 4 - 6 

Tip: for variations, you can substitute the cheese and chilli with ingredients of your choice, like sun-dried tomatoes and feta. You can even use different soup sachets if you like to experiment a bit with the recipe.

Ingredients:
500 g self raising flour
1 sachet Knorr Brown Onion Soup
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
500 ml buttermilk 
2 cups grated cheese (1 cup will also work if you don't have enough cheese on hand!)
2 TBS mixed herbs 

Directions: 
Mix all the ingredients together, either by hand with a wooden spoon (not so pleasant - this is a very sticky dough, and you will need some elbow grease! Better to use a dedicated mixer for mixing the dough). I don't have the equipment, so have to stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Sometimes I just use my hands and it also works well. Very messy though!

Spoon into a greased bread tin / loaf pan and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for one hour. Check with a wooden stick for doneness. If some dough sticks to it, bake a little bit longer until it comes out clean. 

It is supposed to be a very moist kind of bread, and will break / crumble easily. 

Enjoy!!!


 

Best-Ever Burgers with Caramelised Onion

I just love Pick & Pay's Fresh Living Magazines! This recipe is from the March edition and really lovely. The apple and mustard makes all the difference. 




Caramelized Onion:
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 TBS brown sugar

Patties:
500 g beef mince
1/2 onion, grated
1 apple, grated
1/2 cup instant oats
2 TBS wholegrain mustard
Salt and Pepper
1 TBS olive oil

To serve:
1 wheel Camembert cheese
Salad leaves
4 hamburger buns, halved and toasted

Serves 4

1. Melt butter with olive oil in a frying pan. Add onion and sugar, and fry over low heat until  onion is caramelized.
2. Mix mince, onion, apple, oats and mustard together. Season and shape into patties. Rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Rub patties with olive oil and cook over medium coals or on a heated griddle pan for 5 - 7 minutes on a side.
4. Cut Camembert into 8 slices.
5. Layer patties, caramelized onion, cheese and salad leaves on half the buns. Top with remaining buns. 

Notes:
You can use coconut oil instead of olive oil and Steer's / Wimpy mustard sauce instead of the wholegrain mustard sauce. 
You can also just use your own toppings such as pickles, cheddar cheese and tomatoes etc. as well.

Crumbed Calamari

Thank you to www. food.com and Ben Ross for this recipe! My parents loved it so much so I had to " save" it! I am rewriting it the way I made it step by step but of course following Mr. Ross' recipe :)

Ingredients:
1 pack Pick&Pay frozen Calamari Rings (400g) (defrosted in the fridge and then put into colander and rinsed well with water to remove any residual "ice") Keep aside
2/3 cup bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper / Spice Mix (I used Portuguese Chicken Spice Mix from P&P and added a good TB or so!)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
Oil for deep frying

Method:
1. Mix the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper/spice mix (any spice mix you would prefer!) and put into plastic bag
2. Beat egg and combine with milk in small dish
3. Heat oil in your frying pan
4. Dip calamari rings individually in egg/milk mixture (or leave for a couple of minutes - I added all the rings at once!) and put into plastic bag with breadcrumbs and shake to coat well
5. Deep fry calamari in batches in hot oil for 4 - 5 minutes or until nicely browned and remove with slotted spoon (keep aside and warm)
6. Serve with lime wedges / lemon wedges / tartar sauce / mayonnaise (or whichever you prefer!)

I served this with oven roasted veggies but I think some nice home-made chips would be divine! 

Penne Pasta with Duck Legs

Now this one is something special! Amazing flavour and taste! 

Definitely one you can serve up for the boyfriend...or girlfriend you want to impress.
Adapted from a web recipe I found.

INGREDIENTS

4 duck legs
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced/chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine 
1 can whole peeled Italian tomatoes
1 cup water (or chicken stock) 
olive oil
Grana Padano / grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

• In a thick bottomed casserole heat some olive oil and add the duck legs and cook until brown on all sides; about 10 minutes
• Remove and keep warm
• Add onion, carrot and garlic to dish and cook until soft
• Add wine, tomatoes, water/chicken stock and bring to a boil
• Add duck legs and bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 40 min to 60 min
• Remove duck meat and slice into bite sized pieces (remove from bone) and return to casserole and simmer for another 20 min or so while the pasta is cooking, until the sauce is nice and thick 
• Season with salt and pepper and serve with Grana Padano (grated Italian cheese) or grated Parmesan cheese over the pasta 

Butternut Fritters with Sweet Ginger Glaze

This is absolutely my favourite pumpkin fritters recipe! Thank you to "All for Women Daily" for this lovely recipe! This is the only pumpkin fritters recipe I make.

Ingredients

250 ml water

1 TBS finely grated fresh ginger

1/3 cup white sugar + 1/3 cup brown sugar

20 ml corn flour (Maizena)

1 large butternut, cooked and thoroughly drained

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup self-raising flour

3 ml salt

5 ml baking powder

Canola oil for deep frying

Directions

·    Make the glaze by adding the water, ginger and sugar to a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then bring to a boil.

·         Mix the corn flour into a paste with a little cold water and add to the water. Stir until thickened and set aside to cool.

·    In a large mixing bowl, mash together the butternut and eggs. Sift the dry ingredients over the butternut mash and mix well. Then whisk or stir until well combined and smooth.

·         Heat 2-3 cm of oil in a pan and fry heaped tablespoons of butternut mixture until cooked through and nicely browned. Turn once or twice.

·         Drain on paper towels and transfer to a serving dish. Keep warm until you have fried all of the mixture.

·         Once all the mixture is fried, pour over the cooled ginger glaze and serve.