Bobotie (Curry Meat Dish)

Bobotie is a very popular South African home cooked dish, it is once again easy and the taste is ooh laa laa..  I used to think that some dishes was so difficult I would never be able to make them, but as i have gotten older i have learned that everything is easy if you have successfully done once, if you have step by step notes or pictures.


This is a simplistic but yet very flavour full recipe:


So what we need:

500g to 1kg mince (it's up to you)

1/2 onions chopped

1 slice bread

250ml milk

2 eggs

1 tbl mild curry powder

2 tbl tumeric (this is for the nice yellow colour)

3 tbl fruit chutney

1 tbl sugar

salt & pepper for taste

I don't like raisins in but most people add about 125ml of seedless raisins - up to you.

3 bay leaves

What do we do:

1.  Drizzle a little oil in a pan and then add your chopped onions, saute them until they are a nice golden brown.

2. Soak the piece of bread with just a little bit of milk, leave that for now to soak.

3.  When your onions are ready add your mince, and then let them summer so that they can become nice and brown.  Don't add any spices yet.

4.  Now go ahead and add all the spices,1 tbl mild curry powder, the 2 tbl tumeric (this is for the nice yellow colour), the 3 tbl fruit chutney, the 1 tbl sugar, salt & pepper for taste.  You can also add your slice of bread, by breaking it into little pieces, then keep stirring and let it simmer for a little.

5.  Now pour or dish your mince mixture into a glass oven proof container, and let it cook at 180C for about 20 minutes...Always keep an eye to make sure that it doesn't burn. 

Now while the mince is in the oven prepare your egg mixture for pouring over.  Mix the two eggs & milk together. 

After about 20 minutes take out the mince and pour the egg mixture over it and place it back into the oven, now you can place some bayleaves on the egg mixture and then put it back into the oven. 

And then after about another 15 minutes or so, the Bobotie is ready.  Doesn't that just look yummy...

Dish up with some rice and veg....wholesome cooked meal.

Macaroni & Cheese

I love pasta, I truly do, I could most probably eat it every night for dinner...There are so many ways to cook it.  So here is another nice & easy recipe, very quick to make and once you pop it into the oven you can sit back and relax.  My family loves this one, and what's nice about it is if you don't have certain ingredients then you can leave them out. 

Food is all about flavour and enjoyment, making food always puts me in a good mood, and i try not to cook if i don't feel like it...Food should be a pleasure...so enjoy it.

So what do you need:

Macaroni

(I used a bit of a bigger macaroni, but also if you don't have use and other pasta except for spaghetti.)

Onion (chopped)

Oil

3 Eggs

500ml milk

250ml cheese (but if you don't have that much throw in what you have, the more cheese the yummier)

5ml mustard powder

Salt

herbs

1/ 2 Tomatoes

Extras:

Bacon or Ham

1.  Firstly you start by chopping up your onion and then drizzle your pan with some oil, now saute (meaning to cook food in a little bit of oil) onion until golden brown.

2.  Cook your pasta in boiling water, add some oil, this is so that the pasta doesn't stick together.

3.  While the pasta is cooking away, then we can continue with the onion, now add some bacon or ham bits, and cook until nice and brown. I don't really add any flavouring here, but salt and pepper is always nice.

4.  Now let's start on the sauce....Mix you eggs, milk, mustard powder, cheese and spice together.  Mix it very well.  In the picture below you will notice i used two eggs, that is because my eggs actually counts as four eggs, they have two egg yolks in.  You might need some more sauce, it all depends on how much you are cooking, so just keep adding 1 egg and 250ml milk for every time you increase.

5. When your pasta is ready strain the water away.  Now take your glass counter (oven proof) and now only fill it halve way as to make a layer of pasta. 

6.  Now add your bacon, I sometimes mix the bacon and the pasta together, so that there is a nice consistency of pasta and meat.  I also sometime mix in more cheese, I love cheese.  But in this case i made a layer pasta and then a layer bacon, then make a layer tomato slices and sprinkle some cheese.

7.  Now cover it with the rest of the pasta, and then place a couple of tomato slices on top, now pour over your sauce, yes your container might be to small as you can see mine was, but try to get in all the sauce.  Then you can put it into the oven at 180C for about 30 to 40 minutes, keep looking into it every 15 minutes, until all the egg mixture as become solid.

When it's ready take it out and you can serve it with a green salad or some spicy beetroot...this can be a very filling meal but also nice and light for the summer.

Enjoy

Potato Salad

I personally love potato salad and you can have it with any kind of meat, it is a great complimentary salad.  There are a lot of methods in making potato salad, adding onions, or egg etc etc....

My recipe is plain and simply, it comes out creamy and soft and oh so yummy.  I always used to cook my potatoes on the stove but then someone showed me the method below and they blew me off my feet, and now are rarely do it any other way...so try it you might save a lot of time preparing your potatoes, time you can use enjoy the food....

So what do we need:

8 large potatoes

50ml Condense Milk

250 ml + Mayonnaise

Sugar - 50 ml about.

salt

spring onion - chopped

Optional

1/2 eggs (cooked)

1 onion (chopped)

What do you do:

1.  So first you place all your potatoes into a plastic bag, normal shopping bag.  Then you make two or three inserts into the potatoes.  Then you close the bag and put it into the microwave.  You put the potatoes in for the same amount of potatoes in the bag plus 1. 

Just always test the potatoes, if they are not ready yet put them in for another 3 minutes at a time...

The other method of course it to boil your potatoes on the stove in water in a pot, or still in the microwave, but after you have taken off the skin and cut them into the cubes you want, either ways it is up to you...what every work easier..

2.  While your potatoes are becoming edible..hehehe, it's time to prepare the sauce.  When i got married my husband & I had numerous arguments about what comes in the sauce we came to a collaboration, thus the recipe. 

Add your mayonnaise, sugar, condensed milk all together and mix well, i love tasting and the most important rule about food it tasting...so now you can add a little milk at a time, if it's to runny, just add more mayonnaise. There is no precise way in making potato salad, it should taste good that's what count.  I like adding some salt and some herbs, just for a little extra.

3.  At this stage your potatoes should be done, if they are not, place your sauce in the fridge to keep it nice and cool.  After the potatoes have cooled down, and they are peeled and cut into little blocks, then you can add you sauce over...

A lot of people add chopped up onions & boiled egg, that is all up to you, i don't eat onion and my husband doesn't like egg in, so again we compromised and it works perfectly.  Now pour over you sauce, slowly mix it into the potatoes...just remember YOU ARE NOT MAKING MASH...so there is no need to stir, "fold in" the sauce slowly....

And then you are done, potato salad is best served cold so place it into the fridge to cool down...Serve with some grilled chicken & a nice green salad and you are all set..

Enjoy



Homemade Chicken Burger

Takeaway night in our house is usually on a Friday or on a Saturday, but this Friday night we decided to eat in and make out very own chicken burgers.  I don't like cooking on a Friday, after work everyone is tired and who wants to cook, but this one we did...and oh my word did I cook....As in my husbands own words "this is the best chicken burgers I've ever tasted"  And I must admit they were damn good....crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside...definitely one of our favourites from now on...


So here we go:

What do we need:

Fillet Chicken
Flour
Eggs
Crumbs - I take my crumbs and mix a good selection of spices into it, beef spice, mix herbs, Parmesan cheese spice....and of course some salt and pepper, and aromat.
Spices
Cling wrap


1.  Take 1 piece of fillet and wrap it in cling wrap....now when I say wrap I mean:  take a square piece and place the chicken in the middle and fold one side of the cling wrap over the chicken to cover it.  Now take your meat hammer...and have some fun....smash that chicken...ok ok...just not to much fun...This softens the chicken.

     

 2.  I cut the chicken in halve, but it's up to you.  Place some flour in a place or a flat surface and "pat" the chicken in it...make sure that the chicken pieces are nicely covered by the flour.

3.  Warm your pan with a little bit of oil, it's better if the pan is nice and warm before you place your burger in...Now "dunk" piece by piece into the egg mix and then into your crumb mix...and then into your pan

Remember to turn the "burger" around until they are cooked nice and brown, keep your stove heat on low so that they don't burn.   

 And then enjoy on a bun with some cheese sauce and maybe some chips on the side...yum yum

French Toast (Specially made)

I can't take the credit for making the next recipe...My hubby is now the King of French Toast in our house...he makes the best ever.  And we all love them especially on Sunday mornings served with syrup for the sweet tooth or savoury put cheese on top and some bacon bits.  One of my favourite times is breakfast....the best way to start out a day is with an awesome breakfast.


So here we go:

What do you need

1/ 2 eggs per person
Slices of bread
oil

1.  Get everything that you need together, mix the eggs with some milk, now take one of your slices of bread and dunk it through the egg mixture on both sides, make sure that it's nicely covered with egg.

2.  Heat your pan adding a little butter and then add your dunked slice of bread.  Turn the bread around, cook both sides until golden brown.

When they are nice and brown serve them...at our home we have different tastes, i like them with golden syrup, and my husband likes them with cheese.

We have come up with a new fun way to eat our french toast which is to deep fry them after they have been made...yes yes I know absolutely not the healthest way to them but boy oh boy they sure are good.  Dipped in some golden suryp you just can't go wrong.

Alfredo Pasta

I Love Pasta...yes I think i have said it before...I Love Pasta...To me it is the most comforting food you can make...ok ok pasta and ice cream.  It is also one of the quickest meals to cook for dinner...I think I might be an Italian inside...This recipe is an favourite of mine, it is really easy and tasty too. 

So here we go:

What would you need

Spaghetti/ Fettuccine
Cream
Bacon or Ham
Mushrooms
Onions

1.  Start cooking the pasta, boil water in a pot, i usually pour some oil in with the water (this is so that the pasta doesn't stick to each other)...Then put in your pasta...

2.  Chop your onion and sprinkle oil in a pan and fry up your onions so that they are golden brown, as in the picture below.

3.  When your onions are golden brown then go ahead and add your bacon..I also added some cheese grillers when the bacon was nice and crispy.  When it's all nice and cooked add your mushrooms. 

4.  When your pasta is cooked you can strain it from the water.  Pour the pasta into a bowl and sprinkle some cheese over it..I love Aromat so I also sprinkle some aromat over the pasta and the cheese.  And then you can add all the other ingredients except for the cream.

5.  Lastly take your cream a pour it into the same sauce pan you used to cook the bacon into...this is so that the cream can pick up the flavour of the bacon..  Bring the cream to boil and let it simmer, just for a couple of minutes.  I sometimes add some flour just so to thicken the sauce.  Add some Parmesan cheese and walla your done...Pour over the pasta and enjoy.

Enjoy with a nice green salad...let the flavours transport you...