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Pilchards Salad with Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes and Cottage Cheese
Pilchards, in any form!, is my latest craving and I've been looking for new ideas of how to enjoy them. This is one of the variations I came up with :
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pilchards,
3/4 cup chopped cucumber,
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon cottage cheese
Method:
Break the fish with a fork, coarsely. Add the tomatoes, cucumber and cottage cheese. season to taste. Mix through evenly, but do not mince the fish. Season to taste. Serve as is or on freshly baked bread. Yummy!
Nasturtium culinary uses
Try adding the blossoms to salads for a dramatic effect. Nasturtium's spiciness also spices up and brightens cheese spreads. Both the leaves and the blossoms are decorative additions to sandwiches. For a stunning look, pair orange nasturtium blossoms with violets on open-faced cucumber sandwiches on white bread. Adding a few nasturtium leaves to soups and garnishing the pureed soup with nasturtium blossoms is yet another way of utilizing nasturtiums.
Nasturtium vinegars can be made using the blossoms. Place a variety of different coloured blossoms in a bottle (the more you add, the more ‘peppery’ the vinegar will be), add a clove of garlic and cover with white wine vinegar (make sure the blossoms are totally submerged). Leave to infuse for 4 weeks or so and the vinegar is then ready to use in salads or sauces. As the blossoms lose their colour after a while, remove and replace with fresh blossoms.
Nasturtium seeds can also be used; pick tender green seeds and by pickling them they can be substituted for capers. Soak the seeds in cold, salted water for a few days and then discard the water and place the seeds in a sealed bottle or jar and add hot vinegar. In a few days the seeds will be ready to use. Refrigerate after opening.
Nasturtiums are extremely versatile and lend themselves to many uses in cooking. Try experimenting.
Stuffed Nasturtium Flowers
Mix 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 2 Tablespoons finely minced chives or other herbs of your choice. Stuff the mixture into nasturtium flowers and place on a tray that has been lined with nasturtium leaves. Serve at room temperature.
Nasturtium Vinegar
1 cup nasturtium leaves, flowers, and buds
1 pint champagne or white wine vinegar
Place the ingredients in a clean clear glass jar or bottle. Tightly seal. Let sit for at least 3 weeks before using. Place a new nasturtium in the finished bottle for decoration, but you should make sure the vinegar always covers the flowers or they will mold. Makes 1 pint vinegar to use in salads, sauces and flavoring in other dishes.
Nasturtium Lemon Butter
This lovely butter has a mild lemon/pepper flavor and a colorful appearance. It is wonderful on fish, chicken and vegetables. This is also great on those small party breads, pumpernickel especially.
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1-2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (according to taste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped nasturtium blossoms
Mix all of the ingredients well until smooth and well blended. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve. Makes 3/4 cup flavored butter.
Pickled Nasturtium Seeds
Use green nasturtium seeds, and in picking retain a short length of stem on each. Lay the seeds in cold salted water for two days (two tablespoons salt to one quart water), then place them in cold water for another day. Drain well and place the seeds in a glass jar, cover with vinegar heated to the boiling point, and close the jar tightly. In a few days the seeds will be ready to use. They are an excellent substitute for capers.
Decadent Chocochino muffins
"My idea of Superwoman is someone who scrubs her own floors."
- Bette Midler
I'm not much of a sweet or cake eater, but these muffins are absolutely delicious and quick and easy way to delight your guests within 20 minutes of their arriving! Be sure to pre-heat the oven and to put the muffins in just as they arrive - that way you'll have this wonderful smell wafting through the house, showing them just what a wonderful housewife you are!
Decadent Chocochino muffins
275g cake flour
60ml cocoa powder
10ml baking powder
3ml bicarbonate of soda
100g dark chocolate, cut into small pieces
100g cappuccino chocolate, cut into small pieces
100g white chocolate, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
30ml milk
250ml sour cream
115g light-brown sugar
85g butter, melted
Makes 10 muffins
1. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb together. Add the chocolate pieces.
2. Combine the eggs, milk, sour cream, sugar and melted butter, and add to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
3. Spoon the batter into greased muffin pans and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen.
4. Allow to stand in the muffin pans for about 10 minutes before removing, to prevent the muffins from breaking.
(Taken from Louisa Holst’s recipe book No-fuss Food (Tafelberg, R71)
SALSA FRESCA
This is a very simple, quick and easy to make salsa that goes with absolutely everything - even bacon and eggs at breakfast.
4 Tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped Coriander or herb of your choice
Half a small onion, chopped
2 Fresh chillies, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Half teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and leave for 15 minutes before serving. Serve as an accompaniment to any bean, rice, egg or meat dish. This salsa does not keep long, so make sure you serve at as soon as possible.
Marula Jelly
2 kg ripe Marula berriesSugar (heated in oven)
• Halve the berries, press the pips out into a mixing bowl and squeeze the berries hard over a mixing bowl to extract juice.
• Cover the pips and juice with water and turn out into a saucepan (not aluminium).
• Boil for 15 minutes.
• Strain through a nylon sieve lined with damp muslin.
• Use 250 ml heated sugar to 250 ml stock.
• Heat at a low temperature and stir until sugar has melted.
• Increase temperature and boil for 20 minutes, or until setting point is reached. You can test for this by doing the ‘wrinkle test’. Put a blob of the hot juice onto the back of an ice cube tray. Push with your finger. If the blob wrinkles, it is ready.
• Spoon hot jelly into sterilised jars with screw tops and seal.
This jelly is best served with a rich venison pie or stew.
Marula juice
5 kg ripe MarulasSugar
• Pierce the berries so that the juice can escape and place in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Strain through a muslin cloth. Don’t stir.
• Add 7 cups of sugar for every 10 cups of extract . Add lemon juice to taste.
• Bottle whilst still hot, in sterilised hot bottles.
• Date the bottles and store in a cool, dark place. Serve with ice in summer.
And then there are some interesting traditional African recipes (gleaned from the The Evaluation of the Marula Project in Bushbuckridge in Limpopo Province, prepared by Felicia Chiloane and Jackson Phala)
Xigugu
Put biltong (dried meat) and kernels in a mortar. Stamp until it is well mixed. Remove the mixture and place it in a bowl. Pour a spoon of marula oil over the mixture. It is now ready to be served.
Lekoma
Braai maize meal until it is brownish in colour. Put maize meal into a mortar, add kernels and a bit of salt and sugar. Then stamp all the ingredients until well mixed. Serve.Last, but not least, you could always brew your own beer!
EASTER - ROAST LEG OF LAMB
EASTER is just around the corner again, and besides Easter eggs and bunnies, how about serving up a scrumptious Easter Leg of Lamb for the family? This is delicious and easy enough to cook up even if you're on your own!
Easter Leg of Lamb
Serves 6-8
2,2 – 2,5kg leg of lamb, on the bone
45ml olive oil
15ml ground coriander
15ml ground cumin
15ml ground cinnamon
15ml allspice
3ml salt
3ml freshly ground black pepper
3 large onions, halved
3 small carrots
3 cloves of garlic, bruised
125g dried apricots
250ml lamb or chicken stock
15ml tomato paste
50g raisins
15ml white wine vinegar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Lightly score the layer of fat on the leg of lamb.
2. Mix together the olive oil and dry spices to make a paste. Rub two thirds of the paste all over the leg of lamb.
3. Arrange onions, carrots, and garlic in the bottom of a deep roasting dish. Rest the lamb on top and roast uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and rub the remaining spice paste onto the lamb. Decrease the oven temperature to 160°C. Add the dried apricots which will bring extra flavour to the dish.
5. Mix together the stock, tomato paste, raisins and vinegar. Pour over the vegetables, not the lamb.
6.Roast the lamb for 15 minutes for every 500 grams of lamb. (2,2 kg = 66 minutes). The meat will be medium. If you prefer well done then roast 20 minutes for every 500 grams.
To make the gravy: Remove the lamb from the roasting dish and leave to rest covered while you make the gravy. Strain the leftover roasting liquid and vegetables through a sieve and skim off the excess fat. Reduce the liquid by a third. Add 150ml of cream or more to balance the flavours.
STEAMED GREEN BEANS WITH CRISPY SAGE BUTTER
Recipe by: Abigail Donnelly
Serves: 6 - 8
Dietary considerations: Low carb
Category: Vegetarian / Easy / Great value /
Quick
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
700 g green beans, trimmed
460 g tender broccoli stems
150 g salted butter
1 bunch sage, leaves picked
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
700 g green beans, trimmed
460 g tender broccoli stems
150 g salted butter
1 bunch sage, leaves picked
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking instructions:
Cook the beans and broccoli in salted
boiling water for 2 minutes, or until tender. Drain and refresh under running
cold water. Set aside.
Place the butter in a frying pan over a
medium heat and stir until melted. Add the sage leaves and gently cook for 3 to
4 minutes, until crispy. Add the beans, broccoli, sea salt and pepper, and toss
to heat through.
Arrange on a plate and spoon over the
sage butter to serve.
Recipe from Woolworths TasteMag
CUCUMBER SALAD
If you have warmer days looming, it's time to put all those lovely cucumbers you've planted to use! The benefits of cucumbers are legendary (you can read more here) and they are so easy to prepare.
So here's a lovely quick and easy cucumber salad to spice up your life.
1 cucumber
10 black olives
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 spring onions
½ lemon
½ fresh red chilli
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh mint
Run a fork down the length of the cucumber all around it, then halve and quarter it lengthways and cut the quarters across into 1cm (½in) chunks. Put them into a mixing bowl and set aside.
Drain 10 black olives, squeeze out their stones, and tear them into another bowl. Pour over 2tbsp balsamic vinegar and push down on the olives, so the vinegar starts pulling out their saltiness. Trim and finely slice 3 spring onions, then add to the olives.
Drizzle 4tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of ½ a lemon into the olive mixture and stir really well.
Deseed and finely slice ½ a red chilli and add to the bowl of cucumber. Pick the leaves from the sprigs of mint, finely slice them and add to the cucumber. Pour over the dressing, toss quickly, drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.
Cooking time - 10minsIf you have warmer days looming, it's time to put all those lovely cucumbers you've planted to use! The benefits of cucumbers are legendary (you can read more here) and they are so easy to prepare.
So here's a lovely quick and easy cucumber salad to spice up your life.
1 cucumber
10 black olives
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 spring onions
½ lemon
½ fresh red chilli
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh mint
Run a fork down the length of the cucumber all around it, then halve and quarter it lengthways and cut the quarters across into 1cm (½in) chunks. Put them into a mixing bowl and set aside.
Drain 10 black olives, squeeze out their stones, and tear them into another bowl. Pour over 2tbsp balsamic vinegar and push down on the olives, so the vinegar starts pulling out their saltiness. Trim and finely slice 3 spring onions, then add to the olives.
Drizzle 4tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of ½ a lemon into the olive mixture and stir really well.
Deseed and finely slice ½ a red chilli and add to the bowl of cucumber. Pick the leaves from the sprigs of mint, finely slice them and add to the cucumber. Pour over the dressing, toss quickly, drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.
POTATO
SALAD WITH BACON
Ingredients:
500 g baby potatoes
2 free-range egg yolks
1 T English mustard
pinch salt
400 ml canola oil
3 t red wine
vinegar
spring onions,
to serve 2 rashers of bacon, crispy fried
Cooking instructions:
Rinse the baby potatoes, place in a saucepan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and slice in half.
Place egg yolks, English mustard and salt in a mixing bowl.
Whisk until combined and slowly add the Canola oil in a thin stream, whisking continuously until the mixture is fairly stiff.
Whisk in the red wine vinegar.
Season and toss the potatoes in the mayonnaise.
Serve topped with sliced spring onions and crispy bacon pieces!
