Pasta Arrabbiata – Great Pasta, Great Times…

Often simplicity makes the tastiest dishes, and when it comes to pasta, in my house, I always opt for simple. What makes any good pasta a great pasta – in my opinion, is the base tomato sauce. Cooking it for a long period, cooking out the acidity of the tomatoes is the secret, infusing all the flavors of the herbs.

With the addition of chili – “Arrabbiata” literally means “angry” in Italian, and the name of the sauce is due to the bite from the chilies.  Make it as hot as you want, or mild, depending on your likes.  I like mine to have a little punch, but I add extra chili in in the end as not everyone likes the heat.

Pasta Arrabbiatta

1 can whole peeled tomatoes
4 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 pkt tomato paste
½ house Fresh garlic
Fresh oregano, finely chopped
Fresh chillie’s – to the heat you can handle, finely chopped
2 tsp Basil Pesto
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Knorr vegetable stock pot
1l boiling water
seasoning
Grated parmesaan cheese
olive oil

**Add a few strips of crispy bacon if you wish to skip the meat free option

Preheat the oven to 200°C, place the garlic on a roasting try, sprinkle with coarse salt and olive oil.  Roast for 25 – 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and set aside.

Over a medium heat, add a generous amount of olive oil and fry the onions off in a deep pot, sprinkle the sugar over the onions and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, chillies and tomato paste.  Fry for a few 5 – 7 minutes, followed by the whole peeled tomatoes, oregano and seasoning.
Add the stock pot and water; drop the heat to a gentle simmer and let cook out for 2 hours. Stir sporadically to ensure it doesn’t burn.

The tomatoes should break up and become a thick sauce, however if you want to use a stick blender at this point to blitz up the sauce, do so now.

Add the basil pesto and balsamic vinegar and crispy bacon if you are using.

Boil pasta according to packet instructions, or best use freshly made pasta – find out here.

Mix the sauce and pasta together, add some grated paramasaan and you have a delicious meal waiting!  Traditionally you would sprinkle with parsley.

Now you guys get to weigh in!  Share with me your Favorite Pasta Sauce!

 

Luddite Shiraz – a wine worth mentioning

For those who know me, know my love for wine.  For those who don’t know me…invite me over for a bottle or two of wine and we will surely become great friends.

“Good wine is a necessity of life for me.”

My husband arrived home one night baring gifts of wine (the best kind of gift), he had been given a bottle of Luddite Shiraz by Neils, the winemaker at Luddite Wines just outside the tiny town of Bot River in the Western Cape, South Africa. Having never heard of the Farm before, I got all excited as it was a new adventure for me.  I jumped onto the internet and started looking for the meaning of “Luddite” I came across some interesting answers…

merriam-webster.com says

Definition of LUDDITE: one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying labor saving machinery as a protest; broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change.

oxforddictionaries.com says

noun

a member of any of the bands of English workers who destroyed machinery, especially in cotton and woolen mills, which they believed was threatening their jobs (1811–16).

derogatory a person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology:a small-minded Luddite resisting progress

Wait…how does this apply to wine? I was also very confused…so I Googled some more and came across the following at Wine Folly…

The Luddite

“Just say ‘No’ to screw caps”

The Luddite is unblushing in their love for the old way. Things like screw-caps, wine-in-a-box and fancy plastic aerators make The Luddite shiver in their boots. They can be found wandering down the French, Italian or Spanish wine aisle in search of terroir. They love real books with real pages. Places like Argentina or Napa Valley are far too young –even at 150 years– to earn The Luddite’s approval.

So having finally opened the bottle to enjoy with family over the marvelous lamb shanks, I can definitely recommend this wine to anyone who enjoys a complex wine with a hearty wintery meal.

Visually, the bottle is just stunning, simple design yet striking, I love the hand written details on the side of the label; we had bottle number 12039 or 23000. Followed by the deep red colour with hues of purple when poured, my heat skipped a beat from the visual allure of this wine.

The best part was yet to come. The rich velvet mouth feel on the palate was so decadent, with hints of wood, fruit and slight spice. I was in heaven. Paired with the weighty lamb shank, it was a match made in heaven.

No at no point do I claim to be a wine expert, I simply enjoy wine, and can really appreciate a good bottle of wine.  This wine, I would unquestionably recommend.

You can learn more about  Luddite Wines on their website - http://www.luddite.co.za/

Thyme, Mustard & Crème Fraîche Baked St Joseph

St Joseph aka the Elephant Fish.  I had never heard of this before, which of course made me want to try it even more. I found this strange fish at my closest Food Lovers Market,  I was not sure how to handle it, fish is not that simple, you must treat certain flavours with certain types of fish otherwise you loose the true flavour of the meat.

After doing some research, and finally finding the info in a book from my father in law, I was educated with the information that the Elephant fish should be treated like Kingklip.

These fillets are rather large so 1 fillet could easily feed 4 people.

Thyme, Mustard & Crème Fraîche Baked St Joseph

 

400g St Joseph fillet , cleaned and rinsed
1 tub Crème Fraîche
5 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp freshly chopped thyme
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup cheddar & mozzarella mixed, grated
seasoning

Preheat the oven to 240°C

Spray an oven proof dish, large enough to hold the fillet, with olive oil or run the bottom with butter, to ensure the fish doesn’t stick. You may have to cut the fillet to fit into the dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the Crème Fraîche, mustard, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest and cheese.

Place the fillets in the dish and season.  Pour the mustard mixture over the fillets, ensuring that the whole fillet is covered.

Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes.  This may seem a little excessive for fish, however the fillets are rather thick, so you will have to keep them in the oven for some time. If you are using different fish for this, you have to determine the time by the thickness of the fillet.

The mixture on top of the fillet creates a nice crust over the fish, with so much flavour however, personally I did not enjoy the texture of the fish or the flavour of the meat. It was a little to stringy for me, I am very picky when it comes to fish and sadly I enjoy boring old hake.

 

Cinnamon Pancake Happiness

Nothing comforts me more on a cold rainy day than pancakes.  Typical South African Pancakes with cinnamon sugar and a splash of fresh lemon juice.

With this weekend that just went by, the wind was howling, the rain was pouring so it was the perfect excuse to whip up a batch of cinnamon pancakes.

South African Pancakes

2 ¼  cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
50g melted butter
5 eggs
600ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
30ml ginger liqueur (use Old Brown Sherry if you want)
oil for frying

1 tsp Cinnamon
3 tbsp Sugar (I used white, but can use brown)
½ tsp ground ginger

Mix the cinnamon, sugar and ginger together in a clean shaker.

Place all the pancake ingredients in a mixer and mix until you have a smooth batter.

Add a little of the batter at a time to a frying pan which has been wiped with oil, just cover the bottom of the pan.  Cook until tiny air bubbles start to appear, flip over for a little colour and place onto a plate.  If I am making cinnamon pancakes, I like to sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the pancake and cover so it sweats and the sugar almost “melts” into the pancake.

Now this is me completely happy, however, pancakes are more versatile than this, I have used pancakes in catering jobs, filled with chicken mayo or bacon & jalapeno, and of course the more classic banana and caramel. So I wanted to make a breakfast pancake for Justin, he is a bacon & egg kind of guy.

I used cream cheese, bacon & scrambled eggs, with rocket and fresh peppadews, grown in my moms garden, and wow it was delicious.

I Dream in Rainbow

I dream in rainbow is my new personal slogan.

What brought this on you ask? A few things…I will get to that in a bit. I have a few things running amuck in my head right now, I can only somewhat promise that I will make sense.

Firstly, this is NOT a food post…sorry I am not sharing a recipe today, although, now that I think about it, that Pad Thai I made last night was delicious, I could share maybe some of the recipe, just to make it a legit food post? NO…focus Ang…This is all about dreaming in rainbow.

Secondly, I have decided that rocking the boyfriend blazer does not make me look like the type of woman who eats her young, it’s sassy and  daring…I will have to speak with my fashionista friend, Leely, to discuss the finer details of tweaking said outfit which is currently being shared with the whole of St Francis Bay and a certain portion of Jeffery’s Bay.

The original thought pattern behind this post – The Color Run.  I just fell in love with this idea and am now currently working hard to take part in the Port Elizabeth Color Run in September, this year.  I am an achiever, I go for what I want and I always excel, however I am not competitive, which often leads to me not taking part in ‘peeing contests’ so for me, this Color Run is perfect – known as the “Happiest 5k on the Planet”, this event is dedicated to celebrating a healthy lifestyle, happiness and individuality, and most importantly, giving.  Each city has a selected charity which all proceeds are awarded to.

I dived head first in doing some research, trying to consume as much knowledge about training for a 5k run.  I always just ran, jogged and went with what I felt like, I never had a set routine or goal, I run because I enjoy it.

And the planning began. Let’s face it, what is the most important part of your run…MUSIC.  I wanted some upbeat, new tunes that would rock my run!

Now my OCD kicks in, yes, I know you all going “Eish Poor Husband of Ang”  I don’t like running with my phone – again I hear you going “WHAT you actually do spend time away from social media & out of contact with the world” – I do – I needed to fix this dilemma before any training of any sort would commence.

Short of whipping out my Über N3rd Skillz and creating my own C25K program, I found downloadable podcasts to get me started on my new mission.

Now I have nothing holding me back, I am equipped – the world is my oyster, as the saying goes and I dream in rainbow.

 

House Lamb Curry

Curries are definitely my thing! I love the aromatic flavours that entice all your senses. I often mix my own curry spices, I have a small collection of different spices that sit in my pantry waiting to be used, now with my recent trip to Durban, I have accumulated a fair amount of new spices.

Finding the Victoria Market downtown Durban was a mission, my poor husband was slightly less thrilled to be on this mission with me, however, he also knows that once I get something in my head, it is best to go along for the ride…most adventures do turn out to be a whole bucket of fun.

I NEEDED to find a spice vendor that would mix my spices, I NEEDED to experience meeting such a spice vendor and truly experiencing what I have only heard or saw on TV, and boy oh boy did I get what I wanted…and more.

This is where I met Joe, from Joe’s Corner Shop at the Victoria Market.  Joe has “prison chubs”  covering his arm and a bandaged foot with a black toe peeping out with no toenail…I didn’t want to ask, so I kept the conversation to spices.

Once Joe found out that we were from the Eastern Cape, he quickly ran (read limped) to the back of the shop asking if we could deliver a parcel for him…my husband and I exchanged looks of “turn and walk away…and do so fast” however Joe realized that his package was actually for the Western Cape and continued with the spices.

After discussing the different spices Joe offered to make me my own special spice mix, he asked me what flavours I favoured, if I liked it stronger or milder type mix.  I opted for a medium style, as I like hotter, but also know it’s not for everyone) and while he was tossing different spices together, he was calling the names out to me, this only got me more excited, wanting to try my special masala mix as soon as possible.

Last night I got the opportunity…cold wet day out, I decided a “House Lamb Curry” was in order, slowly cooked for 5 hours…the wait was worth every second, I was blown away with the flavours and can honestly say, if you are every visiting the Victoria Market in Durban, stop by Joe’s Corner Shop.  The best part, he also deliver’s worldwide…or so his sign says.

I didn’t need to add much to the spice mix, so this would me more of a recipe idea than a recipe!

Angie’s House Lamb Curry

600g – 900g Lamb Neck / Lamb Knuckle (I used a mix of both, bone in)
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
4 heaped tsp Masala Curry Mix from Joe
1 heaped tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp crushed ginger
1 Knorr beef stock gel
2 cups boiling water
2 large onions
Seasoning
3 medium potatoes, cut into large chunks, skin on

Preheat the oven to 150°C

In a cast iron pot, over a medium heat fry the onions until translucent.  Add the garlic, ginger and spices and fry gently until the oils start splitting from the spices.
Add the meat and brown off
Add the stock gel, water and whole peeled tomatoes.

Cover pot and place in the oven for 3-4 hours to slowly cook.
Add potatoes and cook for a further house until potatoes are soft.

Avoid stirring the pot too much; you don’t want to break up the meat.

Croissants & Pain au Chocolat – I MADE IT Challenge – May

The I MADE IT challenge for May was set by Blue Jellybean, and what a challenge it was.  In my career, this has been a challenge that has been with me for a while.

After I made these, I sat back and analyzed what I could improve on, see the CHEF NOTES below.

Croissants & Pain au Chocolat

250g salted butter
280g full cream milk (NOTE: must be grams, not millilitres)
1 tsp dry yeast
450g flour
70g white sugar
pinch of salt

Heat the milk until tepid (lukewarm) – see chef’s notes at the bottom.  In the tepid milk, add the yeast, 1 tsp flour and 1 tsp sugar.  Whisk together at set aside in a warm place for the yeast to activate.  This will take about 10 – 15 minutes, you will know it has activated once the yeast creates a large section of foam on top of the milk.

Cut your butter into slices, about ½ cm thick, place between cling wrap and roll out until the butter is really thin.
Place in a tray, cover with cling wrap and place into the fridge.
NOTE:  The butter must be very cold before you can work with it.

Mix the rest of the flour, sugar, and the salt into a mixing bowl.
Whisk the yeast mixture and pour into the flour.
Using your fingers, mix until combined.
Place on a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes.  (This stage can be done in a mixer using a dough hook).
Wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a long rectangle shape, using a rolling pin.

Place butter slices on the dough, slightly overlapping the edges of the sliced butter.
Tightly, but gently, fold one edge of the dough to the middle, and repeat with the other edge, forming a 3 fold.
Fold in half.
Wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Again, on a lightly floured surface roll out dough again into a rectangular shape.  Do this gently at first as you do not want the dough to split and the butter to break through. Rub a little flour on the surface if you feel your butter is breaking through.
Fold again into a 3 fold, and then into half.
Cover and place into fridge for 1 hour to rest.

Repeat the rolling out step 3 times, remembering to rest for 1 hour between each roll.

After the last rest, cut the dough in half and roll out on a lightly floured surface, the dough should be about 1 cm thick.

For the Croissants

With a sharp knife, trim the edges to make them even, cut even sized triangles out.

Cut a small slit in the middle of the top edge of the triangle.

Gently stretch the dough.
Not to tightly, roll the dough into a cylinder, creating a crescent shape.

Set aside to rise for minutes and bring the dough to room temperature.
Brush with an egg wash
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 minutes

For the Pain au Chocolate

With the left over dough, trim the edges to make them even.
Cut rectangles out of the dough.

Sprinkle icing sugar over the dough, break bits of chocolate and place on the surface of the dough.

Roll the dough into cylinders.
With the palm of your hand, gently press down on the dough to flatten slightly.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 minutes

Chefs Notes

Replace 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of corn starch for lighter, flakier dough

Don’t heat the milk up to much as this will kill the yeast, however if the milk is too cold it will not activate.  You want the milk at a temperature that if you put your finger in, you feel the heat on your cuticle.

When working with the dough, ensure that your work surface is cold, keep your hands cool as the dough must stay cool to ensure the butter does break through.