Basil and Lemon Hake

Basil and lemon hake - delicious

.
A while ago my husband found this recipe on the Internet. He downloaded and printed it without a visible link. I do apologize to whoever posted this dish that I cannot credit you, but assure you it was delicious. As noted below the recipe: a dish impressive in its simplicity.

We frequently checked in the supermarket for fresh asparagus. Then one bright day, there it was: a pack of crisp asparagus spears. Adding spring onions to the potatoes while they're boiling, is a wonderful idea and very tasty!

Basil and Lemon Hake (souce unknown)

Ingredients
2 Frozen Hake Fillets
2 Squares of Tin Foil
A Sprinkle of Dried Basil
A Drizzle Olive Oil
Salt & black pepper
A Packet of Baby Spear Asparagus
2 Large Potatoes
A Few Spring Onions
Juice of a Lemon


Method
Set oven to 200° C
Peel potatoes, cut into small pieces and put onto boil
When potatoes are almost done, add the chopped spring onions to the water
Tear 2 squares of tin foil
Place a piece of hake on each square, sprinkle with dried basil, salt and dribble olive oil over it
Fold up into a parcel and place fish in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes (don't overcook)
Blend potatoes and spring onions in a blender with a spoon of olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, sprinkle of salt and black pepper
Put the asparagus spears onto boil for a few minutes
Once done squeeze over lemon juice, a little basil oil and salt
Place all ingredients on a plate and serve with the juices from the fish drizzled over

The Arabic word for fish is samaka

Farfalle with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Basil

I found this recipe in a magazine when we visited our friend’s guest house in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This is the same guest house on the banks of the Mooi River which hosts about half a dozen very large crocodiles. You can read about this here. My friend kindly allowed me to bring the magazine home but I didn't make the dish for a long while because I was looking for the special pasta: farfalle. I eventually found a packet of farfalloni in Woolworths in the city and could test the recipe.

Farfalle or farfalloni is translated from Italian as “cravatta a farfalla” (butterfly ties). According to the packet, it combines perfectly with hearty sauces and can be used in cheese-topped casseroles and pasta salads.

The completed dish was displayed on the cover of the magazine, Food & Home Entertaining. The write-up on the recipe inside the magazine states “Make it in a jiffy” and I can vouch for this; it is very quick and easy to make. It further states: "We love this dish for its ease of preparation and accessible ingredients. It also is great warm or cold, as a starter or main course." The recipe calls for anchovies, which my husband loves. I don’t eat anchovies because they have/had a face;) and as my husband is away in the Sudan, I made the dish sans anchois!

Here's the recipe...

Farfalle with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Basil. (Food and Home Entertaining, August 2006)

Serves 4

Sauté 2 finely chopped garlic cloves in 60ml olive oil over medium heat.
Add 500g cherry tomatoes and stir for 2 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, add 100ml olive oil, 8 capers, 1 anchovy,
8 green and black olives and 4 red spring onions, all finely chopped.
Add 60ml fresh basil.
Mix in the tomatoes and season to taste.
Cook 500g farfalle in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente.
Drain, add to the sauce and toss to coat.
Serve with a generous helping of grated Parmesan.

A Special Birthday Dinner

The accompanying tangy apple salad makes this a really different and tasty dish

On Monday evening I wanted to make something special for my husband's birthday dinner. I found this recipe in a magazine. It was simple to make and oh, so tasty.

Pork Cutlets with Apple Salad – Country Life March 2009
(Serves 2)

Cutlets
4 pork cutlets
2 T sweet soy sauce
1 bunch coriander, washed and finely chopped
2 T olive oil

Salad
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
Lime juice
2 spring onions
Coriander leaves, finely chopped
6 cherry tomatoes
¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Dressing
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 T brown sugar
Juice of a lime
1 T fish sauce

Method
Place the pork in a shallow dish and drizzle with soy sauce.
Add the coriander and 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Toss to coat the pork.
Heat remaining oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat
Add the pork cutlets and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side
Remove from pan and set aside to rest while you make the salad
Whisk the garlic, chilli, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce together in a small bowl
Toss the apple in another bowl with lime juice
Add all the other salad ingredients
Pour dressing over and mix well
Serve immediately with pork cutlets

Note: I didn’t have spring onions and used onion rings instead.

Morrocan Tagine (Vegetarian)

The Morrocan lambshank tagine which I served with rice for my husband
The vegetarian Morrocan tagine was D-I-V-I-N-E!

A couple of months ago I while visiting friends, I was served a ready-made Vegetarian Moroccan Tagine. The hostess always goes the extra mile to accommodate my vegetarianism and which is one of the reasons why I love this lady dearly. Even spending many years in West Africa where Moroccan influence is strong in restaurants, I never came across this dish before.
A tajine or tagine is a North African dish, typically a slow cooked stew, named for the special type of pot it's cooked in.

Once I got home, I decided to look up the recipe and make it for myself. I also made a meat tagine with Lamb shanks for my husband.
The two main ingredients in a tagine are usually meat and dried fruit. This vegetarian twist uses chickpeas as the protein element.

Vegetarian Tagine http://www.epicurious.com/

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ white onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 red chillie, seeded and finely chopped
3 cups canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
 1/3 cup /2 oz dried apricots, soaked overnight, drained and sliced
¼ cup/ 1 oz raisins, soaked overnight and drained
½ cup/ 3 oz black olives, pitted
1 large potato, cut into wedges
1 cup/8 oz diced carrots
½ small cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 ½ cups chickpeas/ 410g tin, drained
Bunch parsley

Heat half the oil in a large saucepan. Add the red and white onions, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chillie. Cook gently for 10 minutes until onions are soft and transparent. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add carrots, olives, potatoes, apricots and raisins. Cook slowly for a further 45 minutes until carrots are tender.

Heat remaining oil in a wok and stir- fry cabbage until tender. Add drained chickpeas and a toss to mix. Season with salt and black pepper. Add to vegetables above and mix through. Garnish with parsley and serve on couscous.

Serves 4

Note: My husband isn’t crazy about “different” food such as this. I had to serve it on rice though; he refused point blank to eat the couscous. He ate half of the portion of lamb shank tagine on his plate, just to please me. (Emily LOVED it the next day!)

Pop's Burn-down-the-Barn Curry

Naan bread which I made according to an authentic Indian recipe

Delicious vegetable curry with the sambles served seperately

My husband, who normally works away in West Africa, has been home for four months. It has been such a blessing for us to be together for such a long uninterrupted period, and of course, with a practical man around, there is not a broken or tatty thing in the house or garden. Window latches, hitherto swinging on snapped arms, broken cupboard door locks, blown light bulbs, sagging towel rails and much more have all been repaired, replaced or renovated.

Not only is my darling hubby a very handy handyman ;) he is also an innovative cook. (See Hash’s Homemade Hamburger Patties and Crumbed Camembert). Three evenings a week, while I’m at spinning or band practice, he makes dinner. One of my personal favourites is his delicious curry. He makes a meat curry for himself and normally ends up inviting our son and daughter-in-law to join him. He also makes the same recipe for me, using only vegetables.

Both our sons call him Pops, hence the name of his own personal curry recipe. Don't be misled or put off by the hot-sounding name; my husband loves alliteration...

As for the sambles: apart from the Maryland, I’m responsible for all the accompanying dishes. When in Kwa-Zulu Natal, we often eat out at our favourite Indian restaurant. While you wait, two men in a glass-fronted cubicle with an oven, bake naan bread for you. The first time there, I asked the bakers for their naan recipe which they kindly gave me. A dear friend of mine, Fazila Ebrahim, told me how to make Raita.

Oh, and because I normally get carried away with posts about my garden and pets, and take ages before I post recipes, I decided to post all the relevant curry – related recipes here today. I also felt it’s best to have them all together for easy reference!



Pop’s Burn-down-the-Barn Curry

3 Medium potatoes, peeled and halved
3 Onions finely chopped
1 Brinjal/Aubergine, peeled and quartered
6 Cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tbs freshly grated ginger
3 Tbs ground dhania
3 Tbs jeera powder
1 Tbs jeera seeds
3 Tbs ground turmeric
2 Tbs ground chillies
3 Tbs Masala
4 Pieces cassia, crushed
4 Pieces cinnamon bark, crushed
½ Cups dried lentils
2 Carrots cut into discs
1 Green pepper, chopped
½ kg topside mince/or stewing meat of your choice
Salt to taste
½ cup olive oil
Fresh dhania, for garnishing

Method
Fry onion, garlic and ginger until golden brown. Add green pepper, carrots and brinjals. Fry for 5 minutes, add lentils and still well. Add meat, fry for a further 5 minutes. Add all the spices, stir and fry for a few more minutes. Add water until you have sufficient juice. Add potatoes and simmer for 45 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add fresh dhania and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve on rice with sambles. *

Sambles:
Maryland: chopped chillies, onion and tomato;
Desiccated coconut
Sliced banana
Readymade fruit chutney
Readymade Mango atcha
Readymade pappudums (optional)
Raita (See recipe)
Naan bread (See recipe)

Mint and cucumber Raita


45 ml (2 ½ tablespoons) freshly chopped mint
375 ml yoghurt
¼ finely diced cucumber
Salt and pinch of paprika

Add yoghurt to chopped mint, paprika and diced cucumber.
Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Naan bread

4 ½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1 x10g packet instant yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
¼ butter, melted
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup warm water

Place flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl.
Add warm water, milk and egg to make a soft dough
Knead (adding a little flour, if necessary) for 6-8 minutes
Place smooth dough in an oiled bowl, cover and set aside
Allow 1 hour for proving, until dough is double in size
Punch down dough and knead in garlic
Pinch off small handfuls about the size of a golf ball
Roll into balls and place on greased tray
Cover and allow to prove, about 30 minutes
Meanwhile preheat oven to 180 °C/ 350 °F
Press each ball down into thin circles
Cook for 3 – 5 minutes, until puffy and slightly browned
Turn and brush uncooked side with melted butter
Grill for 3 -4 minutes
Remove from oven and serve immediately

What's for Dinner?

I'd already served one very hungry male, when I realised I hadn't taken a photo!

Even though the weather is unbelievably hot at the moment, I decided to make one of my husband’s favourite meals for dinner: Cottage Pie. This is a dish consisting of minced beef flavoured with vegetables, covered with mashed potato and baked. Sometimes referred to as shepherd's pie; this is more properly made with minced lamb or mutton. I’ve been making this dish for over forty years so, wanting to make something different, I looked up the recipe on the Internet. I normally only add garlic and onions when I brown the meat. Today I added carrots, tomato paste and some chopped sweet red peppers. I also sprinkled a little Cheddar cheese on top of the potato. Following the steps below turned an age-old recipe into a really memorable repast.

Cottage pie (en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cottage pie)

Ingredients
15 ml olive oil 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, finely chopped
500 g extra-lean beef or ostrich mince
3 large carrots, peeled and grated
10 ml tomato paste
15 ml beef-stock powder
100 ml water
10 ml Worcestershire sauce
5 ml sugar
2 whole chillies
80 ml chopped fresh parsley
450 g topping: large potatoes, cut into chunks
45 ml fat milk
30 ml chicken or vegetable stock
5 ml salt
5 ml pepper

Method: (Meat filling)
Heat olive oil in a pot.
Add garlic and onion, and stir-fry for a minute or two.
Add mince, stir constantly and allow to brown.
Add carrots and toss to mix well.
Stir in remaining ingredients except herbs.
Bring to the boil.

(Topping)
Boil potatoes until soft.
Drain and mash with milk and stock to achieve desired consistency.
Season well.
Spoon mashed potato onto mince mixture. (This is slightly easier to do if the mince has cooled a bit)
Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake in preheated 180°C oven for about 20 minutes.
Grill to brown if necessary.
Serve with rice, steamed vegetables and salad.

Note: I sprinkled a little grated Cheddar cheese on top of the potato before browning it.

Lazy Housewife's Dinner

Braised salt beef simmered in one pot with vegetables
Delicious hot or cold, be sure to serve salt beef with Hot English Mustard

A simple yet very satisfying meal

A while ago I made one of my husband’s favourite meals: salt beef and vegetables. He was away at work at the time, so I cooked it for the Creare Children who stay with me every Thursday. (you can read about them on yesterday's post) I learnt to cook this English meal, known as Lazy Housewife's Dinner, from my hubby's paternal grandmother, Nan. This dear old lady, who has long since passed on, did not spend hours in the kitchen but everything she made was tasty and very simple to prepare. Nan (by her own admission) preferred to sit in her easy chair and study form (horseracing) choosing her bets for the next race day, rather than slave in front of a hot stove!

I popped into our butchers and managed to procure a nice piece of salt beef. When I arrived home, I heated the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and braised the salt beef on both sides. I removed the meat and I sliced two onions and fried them in the same oil. I returned the meat to the saucepan and added enough water to just cover. Then I added two large whole carrots, four to five new potatoes and a whole peeled onion. (The carrots and potatoes were washed and cooked with the skin) I added a few peppercorns and a pinch of mixed herbs. Covering the saucepan, I turned down the heat and allowed the meal to simmer gently until done. (About an hour and a half)

Serve salt beef and potroasted vegetables with tender green peas and fluffy white rice. Be sure to have a pot of Hot English Mustard on the table. No salt beef dinner is complete without mustard.

Freeze any leftover meat and use for cold meat at a later date.

As Grandma-in-law proved, this really is a Lazy Housewife’s Dinner!