Artisan ham and blue cheese pizza

I think that by now you all know how much I dislike and worry about baking anything, right? So it came as a surprise event to me when I decided to try making pizza from scratch.

Now, this might not sound like a massive feat, but I'm terrified of yeast breads, and the amount of yeast in thus thing is daunting. But. I did it, and the pizza was pronounced as better than Posticino and Massimos combined! Now that's saying something! 

The recipe is Marisa's, I didn't change a thing. I will just say though, that great quality, fresh toppings are absolutely key here for a wonderful pizza. I picked up some beautiful bacon, coppa and other hams at the Good Food and Wine Show, and they really shone in this.

Artisan Ham and Blue Tower Pizza

Ingredients:
1 basic pizza dough (recipe will yield 2 large pizzas, if rolled quite thin)
Tomato paste or passata
1 wedge blue cheese (I used Fairview's Blue Tower, for it's creaminess and lovely veins)
Grated or sliced mozzarella
A handful of cherry or small Rosa tomatoes, halved lengthways
A handful of fresh rocket

Method:

1.  When the dough starts it's rise, turn the oven on to preheat to 220-250°C.
2. Once the dough is made, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it's thin, and about the same size as whatever oven tray you're using. I used the ones that came with my oven, because their large and flat without high sides, and they fit perfectly. But if you prefer to use a pizza stone or other dish, go right ahead.
3. Spread the base with the passata, by pouring a bit on, and spreading it with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.
4. Arrange the bacon, tomatoes and any other ingredients you like over the passata
5. Sprinkle grated or sliced mozzarella (and really, the better quality the cheese, the nicer this will be) over the pizza, as generously or sparsely as you like
6. Dice or crumble the blue cheese, and sprinkle over the pizza.
7. Pop into the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, and the edges are starting to brown.
8. Remove from the oven, slice and spread fresh rocket over the pizza for a refreshing bite.

Enjoy your amazing creation, and have loads of fun with toppings!

PS. In the background you can see my new kettle, the adorable Le Creuset one from the Show, too! I love it!

PPS. This is the first post I've sent from my phone, what do you think?

Lemon and Pea Risotto

Source: die katrin {flickr}

You know what I love most about food, and about Italian food specifically? You can be a purist, and follow a recipe, and get a wonderful meal, or you can change and adapt, and add in what you like, and as long as you get the basics right, you'll still have a wonderful meal!

Pasta, risotto and pizza are all like this - there are recipes that you can follow that are traditional, and delicious, like the bucatini I made the other week, and then you can go out on a limb and try something different, with amazing results. The caveat to all this, is that you must start with good basics. The perfect pizza base, and fresh, simple ingredients, and you have a delicious pizza. Good quality pasta, and some roasted tomatoes, and you have a quick, easy and tasty dinner.

And after all my fears, risotto has turned out to be as satisfyingly flexible and wonderful. I've made it with chorizo and courgette, with roasted vegetables, with broccoli and blue cheese - there seems to be no end to the wonderful things you can add to the oozy, cheesy, wonderful goodness that is risotto. And if you're like I was, and you've been thinking, "rice? really? meh." remember that this isn't just common or garden rice, this is cheesy, textural, wonderful rice. A totally different bird, really.

Lemon and Pea Risotto
Serves 2 (easily doubled)

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely diced
Olive oil
Small knob of butter
250g (1 cup) Arborio rice
125ml (1/2 cup) white wine
± 1l (4 cups) stock (I use NoMu lamb, because that's what I have at home, but chicken, or veg will be fine. Use a good quality stock, not from a cube - that stuff is full of preservatives and salt)
1 lemon, juice and rind
250g (1 cup) frozen peas
grated Parmesan, to taste
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1.  Fry the onion in a little oil and butter until soft and translucent - do not allow it to colour.
2. In a separate pot, boil a litre of water, and add stock. Turn down to a simmer, and keep warm throughout the cooking process - add a little water if you think you'll run out.
3. Add the rice to the pan, and toast in the oil and butter, making sure all is coated in oil, and it gets lightly toasted - a few minutes.
4. Pour the wine into the rice, and allow to heat through, absorbing and evaporating the alcohol.
5. When the wine has been absorbed, add the warm stock by the cup full, stirring to absorb between each addition. This should take 30-40 minutes.
6. Using the small grater or a microplane, grate the rind from your lemon, and set aside, then juice it, being careful to extract the seeds.
7. Add the rind and juice to the mostly cooked risotto, and add the frozen peas. Allow to stand with the heat off, while you grate the Parmesan.
8. Add the Parmesan, stir to melt and mix, and allow to stand for a few minutes. 
9. Add a knob of butter, stir, and serve.

This is fresh and light, a wonderful antidote to the exceedingly cold weather we've been having, but would be as good as a spring dish. The lemon keeps this bright and wonderful, and the peas give it a sweet touch. I also had some maple cured bacon on hand, which I fried up and chopped small, and added in at the end.

If you haven't tried risotto yet, do it! I was terrified, but now I'm making it once a week. It's neither difficult, nor onerous - give it a try!

Enjoy!

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

Source: Kevandy on flickr creative commons

Bucatini is one of those things that remind me of my honeymoon. On our last day in Rome, when we'd walked and walked for three days, until our feet were little worlds of pain, we sat down at a funny little fast food pasta shop right by Termini, the central train station, and just ate lunch while we waited for our train to the coast. I didn't know it then, but our bucatini was served with a traditional tomato sauce, with bacon, known as Bucatini All'Amatriciana, which is native to Amatrice near Rome, and to Rome itself. A quintessential Roman dish, if you like. What a brilliant choice!

So, when we were wandering around the Cheese Festival on the weekend, and I spotted bucatini on sale, I pounced on it like a diva on discounted Manolos! This was my chance, I thought, to recreate some of the wonderful food we had on holiday, and I was so happy! 

With all the cold weather we've been having, I thought a comforting pasta would be just the ticket, but I didn't want anything particularly fancy or complicated. I did a quick google search for what goes best with bucatini, and I realised that the way we had it in Rome, what the way it's traditionally served. Bingo! That sounded right to me - short prep and cook time, minimal fuss and ingredients, and maximum satisfaction!

Just a few ingredients, about 30 minutes cook time, and you can have a warm bowl of comforting pasta on the table. And it's so simple!

Source: Kevandy on flickr creative commons

Bucatini All'Amatriciana
Adapted from ItalianFood.com

Ingredients:
250g dried bucatini (if you can't find bucatini, I think linguine would be a good substitute)
100-150g bacon, diced (you can use pancetta or guanciale, but I didn't have any)
1/2 onion, finely diced
1-2 cloves garlic, diced finely
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 cans whole Italian plum tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
Grated Parmesan to taste

Method:

1. Put the pasta water on to boil, and when it boils, add salt and pasta. Cook according to packet instructions, until just before it's cooked. It will finish cooking in the sauce.
2. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a little olive oil, until cooked, but not crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered bowl, to be added back later.
3. In the same pan, fry the onion, and add the garlic as it begins to get some colour.
4. When the garlic is fragrant, add the paprika and chopped tomatoes and simmer for 5-10 minutes. If you prefer your pasta more saucy, add back some of the drained tomato water.
5. When the pasta has cooked, drain it and add it to the tomato mixture in the pan. Stir to mix thoroughly, and heat through.

Serve with grated Parmesan, slurp it up and enjoy! The hollow bucatini grabs the sauce deliciously, and the sauce is beautifully simple. Because you use so few ingredients, make sure they are good quality.

Enjoy!

Guest Post: Homemade Pasta - Lasagne

A little while ago, my lovely friend Ash swooped in and saved me from another night of mother-in-law fare and arguing over which tiler to go with, and offered to cook me dinner. At her place. WIN. Now, if you knew my friend, you'd know that she has a lot of talents she keeps very well hidden. Such as this amazing cooking talent she claims she's too 'lazy' to use most of the time.. Now, Ash, you f**ked up. Cos now I know how much you rock in the kitchen. I suspected it, but this sealed it!

The tender, perfectly cooked pasta sheets, the tasty, savoury mince and the delicious cheese perfectly crispy on top.. This was one of the most delicious lasagnes I've had in a long time, and one that I'm definitely going to be whipping up at home (as soon as my kitchen is finished!)

And now, over to you, Ash! 

Wednesday night I had your favourite blogger, Polkadotcupcake, over for dinner at my house. In keeping with my new years resolution to be healthy and fill my life with GOOD things, I decided to make my favourite comfort food from scratch: lasagne. 

Not only is it cheaper to make pasta from scratch, its tastier and healthier. And so easy to make. Total cooking time was about an hour, and this was to feed ten people.. Not that she and I eat for five people each... I have a lot of housemates. Total cost of the meal was about R90. Number of pots and bowls used: four. Could it be any easier? 

Start off by making the pasta (recipe below), and then while it dries, you can start on the mince and white sauce. 

Mix the dry ingredients together, then make a well in the middle. Beat the eggs and olive oil together in a separate bowl, and add the wet ingredients to the dry flour mix. Stir until it combines and becomes a soft dough. Sprinkle a flat surface with flour and knead the dough for about 7 minutes. Divide the dough into 5 pieces. 

Now, pull out that pasta machine that’s been sitting in your cupboard gathering dust. If you don’t have one, never fear, you can do this by hand quite easily.

Flatten a dough ball in the palm of your hand and feed it through the pasta machine at the widest setting. Carry on doing this, closing down a setting each time. My pasta machine has ten settings. By the time you get to the smallest, narrowest setting, run the pasta through twice. Now either place it on a damp dishtowel (otherwise its going to stick to your table), or hang it over a clean chair. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

If you don’t have a pasta machine, you’re going to have a fun time with your rolling pin. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and start rolling until your dough ball is about 1.5mm thick. Repeat with all the dough balls. Place the lasagne on a damp dishtowel or hang it over a chair. 

Now you can start on the mince and white sauce. For the amount of lasagne I made, I used about 700 grams mince, two tins of tomato and onion mix and one onion {Editors note: you can use your favourite bolognaise recipe, or this one}. My secret ingredient is bisto (two tsp). I used about 1.3 litres of milk for the white sauce, and my secret ingredient for that is a cube of chicken stock.

The trick to home made lasagne is making it quite saucy. The liquid soaks into the pasta, softening it and allowing it to cook faster.

Start by pouring a little white sauce in the bottom of a large oven proof dish. Then put a layer of your fresh pasta in the dish. Spoon a layer of mince onto the pasta, and then a generous amount of white sauce. Repeat. I used three pasta-mince-white sauce layers. Put one last layer of pasta on top, and cover generously with the remaining white sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top, and pop in the oven at 160 Celsius for half an hour or until the cheese is golden and bubbling. 

Take it out of the oven and leave it to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with a green mixed salad.

Homemade Pasta 
Ingredients:
500ml (2 cups) flour
3 eggs
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt.

Mix the dry ingredients together, then make a well in the middle. Beat the eggs and olive oil together in a separate bowl, and add the wet ingredients to the dry flour mix. Stir until it combines and becomes a soft dough. Sprinkle a flat surface with flour and knead the dough for about 7 minutes. Divide the dough into 5 pieces.

White Sauce

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter or margerine

2 tbsp flour

(Note: no matter how much white sauce you want, you need to use double the amount of flour to butter)

± 1 litre milk

Method:

Melt butter in a pan, until liquid, but not brown or burnt. Then, add the flour, and stir to mix, incorporating all into a paste. While still over a low heat (or off the plate, if it takes too long to cool), add a little of the milk, just enough to create a more liquid paste, and use this opportunity to squash out all the lumps with the back of a spoon. This will help your final sauce to have as few lumps as possible. Once the paste is smooth, add the milk a little at a time, making sure to incorporate it. When about half is added, change to a whisk, and keep whisking until almost all the milk is added. Then, let it cook for about 5 minutes, whisking from time to time, to cook the flour, letting it thicken. If it gets too thick, add some milk, if not, remove from heat when thick, and add a grind of black pepper, or even some grated cheese.

Roasted Broccoli and Blue Cheese Risotto for Two

Source

So, it's not the most photogenic thing I can think of, but, damn! it's definitely one of the most delicious! My love affair with risotto started only recently, when we were on honeymoon in Croatia. After having worked in a Thai restaurant for 4 years, I was always like "Rice? Meh." and I never ordered or ate risotto my whole life. I wish I'd known what I was missing! Creamy, cheesy deliciousness without the heaviness of cream! Comforting, warm and heavenly, risotto was nothing like I imagined it would be - it was a MILLION times better!

It started off in Rome, where I had a less than exciting mushroom risotto. I swear, those tourist restaurants skimp on quality and charge the earth, because they think we wouldn't know any better. It was alright, but I new there was some key element missing that would make everything right. That risotto was a little bit watery, and a little undercooked, not the best introduction, but I persevered.

Source

The next was at a tiny restaurant on the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea, off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. We discovered this little place on a long walk along the waters edge at sunset, and popped in just before the dinner rush. I'd been reading up on things we should try while in Croatia, and decided on the Black Risotto, a specialty of the area. Flavoured with squid ink, it was delicate, cheesy, rich, and delicious. Whatever the hubs had has faded in contrast with that risotto. A deep black from the squid ink, with little pieces of tender octopus, garnished with a single, red cherry tomato, it was exactly what I was looking for. And there my love affair started; I was determined to recreate this at home, but where to start?!

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[Enter, stage left: The Good Food and Wine Show] At the Show, I found an 'easy' package of risotto, which claimed to make cooking risotto easy. It included dried mushrooms, the arborio rice, all you needed was the wine, stock and cheese. Sounded easy enough, but I was still cowed by the reputation of risotto as finnicky and hard work. So I tried a baked risotto, and it turned out.. meh. It was alright, but it wasn't the creamy, rich deliciousness that I was after... Back to the drawing board.

A few months passed. We got married, life got in the way, and I was tired. I took a break from blogging, and it's been summer. We've had a heatwave, planned some renovations, and it's a new year. So in a bid to find something a bit more interesting (and vegetarian, in our bid to eat meat-free once a week), I decided to attempt risotto again. I bought the arborio rice, the Parmesan cheese, I planned a creamy, cheesy, mushroom risotto. You know, start with the basics. And you know what, people? It wasn't that hard. Sure, it took some time, and you can't go watch TV, but I was on the phone, and stir, stir, stirred away, and 45 minutes later, et voila! we had a plate of heaven on our hands! And I was hooked.

Source

That was last week. This week, I got more adventurous. Yes, I'm finally getting to the point of this post. THIS HAS BLUE CHEESE! Did that get your attention? I hope so. This cheesy bowl of heaven pushes all the right buttons! With a touch of green goodness from broccoli and cauliflower, and a whole lot of creamy heavenliness from the blue cheese and Parmesan, this is a winner. A keeper. And a whole bowl of goodness.. All you need is a little bit of patience, and within an hour, you'll have a wonderful, impressive, delicious meal to serve your loved ones. Go forth, and make risotto! I know I will be!

I scaled down the ingredient this time, as I was cooking for two, and the last batch (500g of rice) meant I was eating risotto for 3 days! These measurements were perfect for the two of us, with some leftovers for my lunch, win!

Roasted Broccoli and Blue Cheese Risotto for Two

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
Small pat of butter
Glug of olive oil
250g (1 cup) arborio rice
± 100ml (1/3 cup) white wine
± 1 litre (4 cups) stock (I used about 1.5 litres)
Small head broccoli and cauliflower, cut into small florets
± 125g (1/2 cup)Parmesan cheese, grated
Half a wedge of blue cheese

Method:

1. Saute the onion in the butter and oil for a few minutes until soft. I usually let them brown a bit, but if you want a whiter risotto, don't let them brown.
2. In another pot, make up a litre of hot stock, and keep it on a low temperature for the duration of cooking. You want it to be warm, but not boiling. If you look like you'll run out of stock before the end of cooking time, top it up with some clod
3. Add the rice to the pan, and turn up the heat a bit to toast the rice for a few minutes, until coated with the butter/oil, and slightly translucent on the edges - 2-3 minutes. Keep the rice and onion turning, so they don't burn.
4. Add the wine to the hot pan, and turn down the heat to medium. The wine should bubble quite vigorously, and will boil away and evaporate quite quickly.
5. When the wine has boiled away, start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time. If you don't have a ladle, use a large spoon and put about 2-3 spoons in at a time. You want just enough to loosen it up, without drowning it. When that liquid's absorbed, add the next, and so you go, stirring, adding, stirring, adding continuously for about 35-45 minutes, or until your rice is cooked, with a slight firmness to it (al dente).
6. When it's cooked, you can add anything - sautéed mixed mushrooms or asparagus, bacon bits or peas and mint, it's really up to you and your imagination, but I roasted up some broccoli and cauliflower (and then steamed a bit more, because it reduced too much when roasted), and added creamy blue cheese (Blue Tower from Fairview is a lovely, creamy blue, and doesn't cost the earth)

Serve with a side salad, or even as an accompaniment to a meat-centred dish. Or do what I do, and enjoy it with a glass or two of that wine you had to open to make the risotto. And remember, if you wouldn't drink it, you shouldn't cook with it! I discovered a lovely Californian Pinot Grigio at Pnp last night, and at just R29 it beat the locals, and was delish! Ah, I know, my carbon footprint.. but can you blame a girl for wanting to explore the world? through wine, at least...

And after that long story, I leave you.
Take care, my friends..

Tangy Beef Wrap

Hi dearies!

{Image source: chapparal, flickr - cropped}

Ah, it's summer again (or almost), and with summer comes salads, wraps and all things delicious and cold. But you get nights, especially in spring, where the wind blows cold and the last thing on your mind is a salad. Now, last week I ordered all sorts of fun salad veggies, and then the weather turned cold, and I'm stuck with a ton of salad, and not much desire to eat it. So what do I do? Pop the whole lot into a wrap with something delicious and warm!

Last night, I wanted something quick and easy, and I needed to use up some of the lettuce and other salad ingredients I had lurking in the fridge. I'd worked late, and the hubby was at a work function, so my sister and I whipped these up for a quick weeknight dinner. And can I say something? These were delicious! Tangy from the sour cream, slightly spicy from the cumin and cayenne pepper, and wrapped in a soft tortilla with crunchy lettuce and cucumber to finish it all off, divine! Since the hubby was full of finger foods, I got to take the third one to work today, yippee!!

{Image source: stuart spivack, flickr}

Tangy Beef Wrap

Serves 3
Ingredients:
1 pack of beef goulash (the pre-cut strips of beef sold in PNP. Or, buy a steak and slice it yourself after cooking)
A slice of bacon per person
250ml sour cream (I use Clover, because it seems to last longer if I don't use the whole lot at once)
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 small cabbage, finely sliced *optional
1/2 yellow onion, diced
Lettuce leaves, washed (I used 2 per person, but I had a really little lettuce)
About 4-6 cucumber slices per person
150ml tomato and onion mix
Paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, white pepper and salt to taste (I'm not using exact amounts here, because I just sprinkled it over a few times, to taste)
Cheddar cheese, grated
Knob of butter
Olive oil

Method:

1. Heat a frying pan, and pop in a small knob of butter, and a drizzle of olive oil. Heat until quite hot, because you're going to use this to brown the meat, and a hot pan is best for that.
2. Unwrap the beef strips, and season the meat. I sprinkled salt, white pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper and some paprika, then covered it with the clingfilm it was wrapped in, and left it while the pan heated.
3. While the pan heats, dice your onion, tomato and any other veggies you have on hand. I had some cabbage, and not much else, so that went in, and I used the salad veggies in the wrap raw.
4. When the oil/butter mix is hot, put the beef strips in the pan and leave for a couple of seconds. Don't move it immediately, you want the meat to brown, not cook right through. Stir after about a minute, and brown the other side. When it's all brown, remove to a plate, and set aside, covered.
5. In the pan,  fry the bacon, and set aside with the meat once cooked to your liking.
6. Into the same pan, pop the onion, and a little more oil if you need it. Turn the pan down, and cook the onion until translucent, adding the cabbage a few minutes in. While it cooks, sprinkle some more of the spices over, but be careful of adding too much. You can add more, but not take it out, so add less now, then taste when you've added the sour cream and add more to taste.
7. When the onions and cabbage have softened, add the tomato, and cook a little more, then add the tomato and onion mix, and heat through.
8. Stir in a couple tablespoons sour cream, and heat, then taste. Add more spices or more sour cream, or even some more tomato and onion mix, depending on what's missing, then add the beef strips, and heat through.
9. Turn off the pan, and remove from heat, to prepare your wraps.
10. Place each wrap into the microwave individually, for 20-30 seconds, then roll when it comes out, to retain flexibility.
11. When they're all heated and softened, lay each out, and lay the lettuce on top, then the slice of bacon. Spoon some meat mixture on top, then the grated cheddar and cucumber slices. Try not to overfill, as it makes wrapping them tough.
12. Fold the sides in, then roll the side closest to you over the filling, pushing the sides and the filling under, and roll the whole thing over, covering all the filling. I serve them whole, because I like to eat them whole, or serve sliced in half on the diagonal.

Please make these! They're quick, easy, flavourful, and easy to pack with extra veggies, without making a big fuss! You could also vary the spices, making it more or less spicy, depending on palates, and even use chicken in place of beef. If I'd had some avo, a couple of slices would've been delicious! If you've never eaten a wrap outside of Kauai, PLEASE make these, it'll change your mind!

Spring Baked Mushroom Risotto

Hello!

{Image source: placid casual}

So, it's on my 30 before 30 list. It's been something I've been wanting to do for a while now. And I finally did it! I've been planning to make risotto for an age now (no seriously, I've literally been telling the hubs every night for 2 weeks). I mean, I've have at least a dozen conversations about it over the last two weeks, and Claudz, Marisa, Ally, Matt and Nina have all made it since then, we even had a Twitter Risotto Off planned, that I started. And yet I hadn't made it. That's wrong, right? So I gritted my teeth, and eventually the weather turned a little cooler, and last night was the night. The Night I Made Risotto. Deserves capitalisation, in my book! And I had this package, that I bought at the Good Food and Wine Show a few months ago, a kit with the arborio rice, dried mushrooms, seasonings and one or two other things. I used that, so I think this was a cheat, and I'll be doing it again.

I did, however, peel and shell a whole pack of broad beans for the little fava beans inside, and serve the risotto (I have my in-laws down, it was hard enough getting into the kitchen, without suggesting a purely vegetarian meal!) with pork sausages and sauteed asparagus. And let me tell you, that this was a crowd pleaser! I think I impressed the inlaws.. maybe I'll be allowed in the kitchen more often now.. Oh. And I just realised I bought the wrong cheese - how's that for a foodie fail? Ah well, alls well that ends well, right? And it was still delicious, if not perfect. Just means I'll have to keep at it until it comes out right, hey?

{Image source: elana's pantry}

Spring Baked Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:
1 package of Cook me! Mushroom Risotto mix (500g)
1/2 an onion, diced
125ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
750ml (2 1/2 cups) good quality stock - I used veggie stock
1 packet broad beans (here's a good how to for broad/fava beans)
1 bunch of asparagus (half for the risotto, half for serving)
250ml (1 cup) grated parmesan cheese (I used pecorino - foodie fail)
Glug of olive oil and a knob of butter

{Image source: beautiful cataya}

Fresh, unshelled fava beans

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Heat a heavy based pan, and put a knob of butter and some olive oil in.
3. Fry the onion for a bit, until soft and translucent.
4. Pour the rice mixture in, and turn up the heat. Stir to coat the rice in oil, and heat until it pops a little - you really want to toast them a bit.
5. Pour the wine in, and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. At this point, you can carry on on the stove top, stirring and incorporating the stock, ladle by ladle, but I had a couple of over things I still wanted to make, that needed my hands. So I decided to bake it.
6. Transfer the rice mixture to an ovenproof dish, and pour in the stock, stirring it gently to make sure the stock is mixed in, and pop the whole thing into the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, steam your fava beans for a few minutes, until the skins wrinkle up and they go a dull, grey colour.
8. Allow to cool, and peel them, revealing a bright green, nutty bean. Reserve, and stir into the risotto when you take it out.
9. After 20 minutes, remove the risotto from the oven, and check that it's wet enough. Add some more stock if it looks dry - the oven is always hotter than the stove top (and mine doesn't seem to have a thermostat), so you'll probably need more liquid to keep it creamy. You'll see that the rice has swelled up a lot, and it'll swell up more and get creamier. Don't add the fava beans now, add them at the end.
10. Put back into the oven for another 20 minutes, and start with the asparagus. 
11. Snap the woody ends of your asparagus, and snap in half. The stalks are woodier than the tips, and need a little more cooking. So in the pot that you steamed the fava beans in, steam the broccoli stems for a few minutes, then add the tips for another. Say 3 minutes for the stems, and 2 for the tips, which brings it to 5 in total for the stems. Remove from the heat, and run under cold water to refresh.
12. Chop the stems a bit smaller, and set aside with the shelled fava beans.
13. When 20 minutes are up, take out the risotto out, stir some more liquid in if it's a bit dry, then stir in the chopped asparagus stems and the fava beans.
14. Then stir in the cheese, handful by handful, getting it all worked in.
15. Quickly stirfry the asparagus tips in some butter, garlic and lemon, and serve all hot.

This is a bit long winded, but you get the picture. The baked risotto is slightly less creamy, but I hear adding a cup of liquid right at the end helps with creaminess. It also means you're free to do other things, whether that's frying up some sausages, or hanging the laundry, which all helps in the end, right?

I still plan to try the stovetop risotto, when it's just the two of us. My boy can take a vegetarian meal, but the in-laws are rys, vleis en aartappels mense (rice, meat and potatoes people). They enjoyed this, I served it with some pork sausages, which they eat rarely, and I think it made a nice change for them. I would've liked it a bit creamier,but that gives me a great excuse to make it again, right?

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Hello dears! 

{Image source: pvera, flickr}

So, you read the title and you realised that there is no part of this that isn't good, right? I mean, we have the main players (cheese and bacon) the backup (chicken) and the stage (oven). What could possibly be wrong here? You were right, nothing! While I was (again) planning to make risotto last night, my sister convinced me to make it when she can come round and share, so I had to make another plan for dinner. And while we've already had chicken this week, I thought it was different enough that it wouldn't matter, and I needed something fast.

These are fantastic to make on those nights when you have little time, and less patience. Just steam some spinach or chard, mix it with some cream cheese, beat the chicken flat, fill, wrap, pop in the oven. Prep takes 10 minutes, cooking takes 20-30 (depending on the size of your chicken breasts). So this is quick, easy and flavourful! Get to it!

Oven Baked Cheese Stuffed Chicken

{Image source: kubina, flickr}

Ingredients:
Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (as many as there are people, more than one per person if you have hungry people. I bought a pack of 4, made all of them and we ate 1 each, with 2 leftover. And mine were small, so its up to you)
Plain cream cheese (or flavoured, if that's your thing. Don't know about salmon cream cheese and chicken though...)
Spinach or Swiss chard, roughly chopped
Small block of feta diced *optional
2 rashers of streaky bacon per chicken breast
Salt and pepper to season

{Image source: pvera, flickr}

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Steam or quickly boil your chard/spinach in the microwave - 3 mins worked for mine. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. Using a can, pan or meat mallet, beat your chicken breasts to about a centimeter thick - you want them quite thin, so you can fill and roll them.
4. Once flattened, season both sides with salt and pepper, and set aside.
5. In a bowl, mix the chard and the cream cheese. You'll have to judge how much you need, based on how many chicken breasts you have, but for 4 small chicken breasts, I used just over 2 tbsps cream cheese.
6. Mix in the diced feta, and spoon the cheese and chard mix into the centre of each breast.
7. Wrap the chicken around the filling, covering all of it with the chicken. You don't want to over-fill these, as all the cheese will leak out when baking. If you fill them properly, it should stay inside.
8. When they are all full, take the bacon and wrap it around each breast, sealing in the cheesy goodness. Mine took 2 rashers per breast, but I suppose if you have enormous chicken breasts you might need more. Judge it. And remember, there's no such thin as too much bacon.
9. Spray an oven-proof dish or cookie sheet with some oil, and place the chicken breasts seam side down into the dish.
10. Pop the whole lot in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Take it out, and stab the chicken, if the juice runs clear, its cooked, if not, pop it back in for another 5-10 minutes. You don't want to overcook or undercook the chicken, so keep an eye on it. 
11. If you like your bacon crispy, when the chicken is cooked, turn up the grill and brown the bacon for a few minutes.
12. Remove from the oven, and serve hot with a salad, and sweet potato mash.

This was delicious, fast and easy, and came with leftovers. Plus, it had cheese and bacon which, next to cupcakes, are my two favourite things.

So make this, and thank me later!

Enjoy, lovelies!

Sweet Sticky Chicken and Blue Cheese Sauce

Hi there!

{Image source: Oakmonster, flickr}

So I had EVERY intention of making my risotto last night for the twitter #RisottoOff, but then I got tired. And lazy. And I couldn't get visions of sticky chicken out of my head. And we had leftover potato bake to eat. So sue me, I didn't make what I'd planned. SUCH a rebel.

And while I was thinking about the sticky chicken, I remembered that last months Fresh Living Magazine insert (Fresh Ideas) there was a sticky chicken recipe. So as usual, I looked at the recipe looong and haaard, and then I did my own thing. It's a curse, I tell ya. Their version looked fantastic, and my version was pretty amazing too. The hubby and I were licking our fingers and making those mmmmmm sounds of delight, so I'm pretty sure you'll like this one. And the blue cheese sauce I made to go with it? Well, I'll add that in as a bonus, because the sticky chicken just wouldn't be the same without it!

This is more of a method than a recipe. I mostly tossed things together, and tasted it, and added other things. So go wild! You want some spice? Add a pinch of chilli flakes, cumin or cayenne pepper. Want it fruitier? Mix in some pineapple juice. This is a flexible dish, so be creative with what you want... And with that, I give you:

{Image source: wwny, flickr}

Sweet Sticky Chicken
Served 2, with leftovers

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces (I used 5 chicken drumsticks)
Barbeque sauce
Chutney
Juice of 1 orange
2 tsp brown sugar
1 heaped tsp finely minced garlic
Salt and fresh black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Cut 2 deep slashes into each piece of chicken, more if its a big piece, like a thigh or a breast. This helps the marinade/sauce mixture penetrate more deeply.
3. Mix all the ingredients together in an oven proof dish, large enough to hold the chicken pieces.
4. Put each piece of chicken into the dish with the mixture, rolling the pieces around in the mixture to ensure even coating.
5. When all are in, pop the whole lot into the oven, but don't run away! You'll need to keep turning the chicken, to avoid it drying out in the oven. I turned my pieces every 10 minutes or so for about 30-40 minutes.
6. Then turn the grill on, and grill for a few minutes, or until the chicken is sticky and slightly caramelised.

Blue Cheese Sauce

{Image source: Oakmonster, flickr}

Ingredients:
130 ml sour cream
2/3 wedge of blue veined cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
A little milk to thin if necessary

Method:

1. Put the blue cheese and sour cream into a dish. I have a smoothie cup thing that came with my stick blender that's quite good for this.
2. Using the stick blender, whizz the two together until combined. This will both integrate the blue cheese into the sour cream, and thin the sour cream slightly.
3. Dribble in a little milk if the mixture seems too thick, and add salt and pepper to taste. I only added some pepper, since my blue cheese was quite salty

Serve the chicken with a mixed salad and the blue cheese sauce for dipping. This is rich, yes, but delicious, and quite fast! While the chicken is cooking, you can make the blue cheese sauce and salad, and by the time all that has come together, you're good to go.

Enjoy!

Creamy Spring Tagliatelle

Morning!

{Image source}

Spring is in the air here in the Southern hemisphere, and although we may not always think so, summer is on its way! With the changing seasons, I start to want more fresh veggies and less of the warm, yummy comfort foods I craved over winter. However, spring isn't without its ups and downs, so while we may have fresh spring veggies around, it sometimes feels decidedly colder than it should! Last night it was freezing, and I wanted something warm, but with a spring feel to it, to get me in the mood. Add to that my new amazing veggie box from The Ethical Co-op, and we were away!

{Image source}

This pasta was born from my ignorance in how to prepare asparagus. I've just started buying a weekly organic veggie box from The Ethical Co-op and in it I got a bunch of things I've never used before. You'll have noticed that I tend to stick to the same foods, although I prepare them differently. This is partly habit, and partly just what's available at my local shop. With the veggie box, I pay a flat fee, and get a mixed box of seasonal, organic veggies. I don't choose what goes in, so I'm forced to find a way to use what comes in the box. This last week, I got asparagus, Swiss chard and mangetout, along with some others, and I've never cooked with in my life! So google to the rescue, and I figured things out.. And boy, am I glad I did! This was fresh, tasty, creamy and delicious! I hope you like it..

Creamy Spring Tagliatelle
Serves 3

Ingredients:
1 bunch of fine, early spring asparagus (about as much as you can hold in your hand, while your fingers can touch your thumb
1/2 a pack of mangetout (say, about 10)
4-6 leaves of Swiss chard, depending on size
1 onion, chopped finely
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic
Half a pack of tagliatelle
100-150ml cream (I use reduced fat, and it was fine)
Blue cheese (I cut 2 sides off a wedge)
Grated Parmesan (to taste)
Reserved pasta water
Salt and black pepper to taste

{Image source}

Method:

1. If you have dried pasta, put that on to cook so long, as it'll be the thing that takes the longest.
2. Prepare your asparagus and mangetout, but breaking off the woody/stalky ends, and breaking into pieces. This early season asparagus wasn't very woody at all, so I just broke off a centimeter or so, and the mangetout, I just broke off the stalk.
3. Separate the tips of the asparagus, as they will not need as much cooking as the stalks.
4. Slice the chard into more manageable pieces, and set all the greens aside.
5. Slice the onion, and fry in a little oil on a medium pan, until the onion is soft, but not very coloured.
6. Add the garlic, and stir, then add the cherry tomatoes. Fry for another couple of minutes.
7. Add the cream, and allow to heat through, letting the cream thicken, and reduce a little. Add the blue cheese and Parmesan, and stir to melt.
8. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving as much of the cooking liquid as possible.
9. Put the asparagus stalks, chard and mangetout into a strainer or steamer and lower into the cooking water. 
10. Cook for a minute, then add the asparagus tips, and cook for a further minute. Remove from the water, but don't throw the water away yet.
11. Add the cooked greens to the onion and cream mixture, and stir to mix.
12. Add the tagliatelle to the same pot, and stir, mixing it into the cream and veggies. If there is not enough liquid, spoon some over from the pasta pot. The starch from the cooked pasta will help make a lovely, silky, creamy sauce for the pasta.

Serve in a bowl, with plenty of cracked, black pepper and Parmesan cheese!

Potato, Leek and Blue Cheese Soup

Hi ladies!

After the veggie heaven on Sunday, I still wasn't satisfied, and while paging through the latest Fresh Living magazine, I saw a recipe for potato, leek and blue cheese soup, which looked divine! And it was easy (they recommended buying the potato and leek soup mix - and who am I to complain about not having to chop and wash leeks?)

{Image source}

But you know me by now, right? Can I stick to a simple recipe? No! So I jazzed it up (only slightly) with some extra cheese (you knew that, right?) and some bacon. Now, in my humble opinion, you can add bacon to virtually anything and it makes it better, right? So this was, obviously, better. Salty, crispy little bits of bacon buried in the rich melty cheese goodness of this soup, heaven!

And without further ado, I bring you the incredible, rich, cheesy delight that is this soup!

{Image source: Ethan Anderson, Picasa}

Potato, Leek and Blue Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
1 packet potato and leek soup mix
1 triangle (100g) blue cheese
750 ml veggie stock
250 ml milk
1 tbsp blue cheese cream cheese (Simonsberg make it, and it's divine)
4-8 rashers streaky bacon
1 tsp garlic
Salt and pepper to season

Method:

1. Heat a heavy bottomed soup pot on the stove, and fry the bacon until some of the fat melts. There's no need to go mad with the bacon now, we're going to crisp it up in the oven later, this is just to get some of the porky goodness into the soup.
2. Remove the bacon, and set aside.
3. Put the garlic in the hot fat, and fry for a few seconds.
4. Add the potato and leek soup mix in, and stir in the hot fat for a bit. If it gets a bit dry, just add a little olive oil, and continue to stir for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the hot veggie stock and the milk, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through.
6. Blend to your preferred consistency (I like mine quite smooth), and return to the heat.
7. Chop the blue cheese wedge up, and add it to the soup, stirring to melt it into the soup.
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve hot and melty, with a tsp of blue cheese cream cheese and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Burger

Hi!

I can't remember where I read this, or who inspired me, but among my endless trawls through the blogs, I saw a blue cheese burger, and I knew, I just knew, that this would be in my future. Yup. Sometimes, these things become crystal clear, and no matter what, it will happen eventually. And this was my time.

So after an incredible (and expensive) weekend, the boy and I were heading home from the market in Hout Bay with a lump of gorgonzola that stole its way into my bag, and it came to me: Blue Cheese Burgers! And what burgers these were! Thick, flavourful and stuffed with a hunk of gorgonzola that oozed from the sides as the middle cooked through...! And, I can tell you know, even better the next day! How'd you like that?!

So, all you #cheesesluts out there (and I know you're watching!), this is another one for you!

The Beef Blue Cheese Burger

Ingredients:
Makes 3 thick burgers
400g beef mince (NOT the extra lean kind, you want a bit of fat, the fat gives the meat flavour)
3 blocks of blue cheese (I used gorgonzola, but roquefort or stilton would work just as well)
Quarter of an onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp tomato and onion chutney
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin (optional - will add a bit of spice)

Method:

1. Put all the above ingredients, except the cheese, into a bowl, and mix gently. Don't overmix this, as it makes the meat tough.
2. Form patties, with a block of blue cheese in the middle. My patties were rounded and thick, to cover the blue cheese. One burger each was MORE than enough for my boy and I, and we're greedy.
3. Set aside in the fridge to set, for about 10 minutes. It helps the mince not fall apart when you cook it. Don't ask my why, it just does. Use this time to pour yourself a glass of wine, or make a salad (or both!)
4. Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed pan, and place the patties in the pan to brown. Once brown on both sides, decrease the heat. You want the burgers to cook right through, until still juicy, and only just pink in the middle. They should give off a lot of liquid, since the mince I told you to get has a higher fat content, a lot of this will cook off, which is what you want. As it cooks, the fat flavours the mince, and drains off. Great: flavour and less fat!

When the burgers are cooked through, serve on a roll, or a halved ciabatta like I did, with some parsley baby potatoes and a root veggie relish. If you're feeling cheesy (and you know I was) slice some more gorgonzola, and place it on the lower half of the roll or other bread, and when you place the burger onto it, it'll get all melty, just amplifying the delicious cheesiness! I made an extra one, undercooked it, and brought it to work. A couple of minutes in the microwave and it was perfectly cooked through, warm and even more delicious, as the flavours had had time to permeate. So if you can stand it, this is a make-ahead meal. Form up the patties, cover and stick in the fridge, then cook the next day. Delish!

Enjoy!

{Image source, burger: Live-Laugh-Love, flickr}
{Image source, new potatoes: incurable_hippie, flickr}

Chicken with bacon, mushrooms and cheese

Ah! Cheese strikes again.. When I got home last night to find it storming and foul, and all I had in the fridge were some chicken breasts, I won't lie, I felt a bit bleak. But then I remembered Jan of A Glug of Oil and the delicious chicken breasts she posted last week, and I was sold!

{Image source: Quite Adept, flickr}

Hers were beautifully presented with a lovely looking side salad, while mine were a presented with some rather lacklustre frozen veggies, which were the only thing resembling veggies in the house. Would've been better to have no veggies, but the chicken!! Tender and yum, with the slightly salty contrast of the bacon, the savouriness of some mushrooms I threw in, and the oh-so-delicious cheese! So, we've decided to keep this one, thanks Jan, what a winner!!

I, as usual, can't follow even a simple recipe the way it was written (that's why I can't bake, I can't follow instructions, and I never measure anything!), so of course I changed a few things. For the original recipe, go here, but I'll put down my recipe with my additions and changes.

Ingredients
2 chicken breast fillets
2 rashers back bacon
1/2 punnet white mushrooms, quartered
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful cheese
1 tsp garlic

{Image source: olgucz}

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Heat a frying pan, and fry the bacon to taste. Some like it crispy, I prefer it a little less crispy. Whatever. Set aside when cooked, and don't wash out the pan.
3. Heat a little oil in the bacon pan, and fry a tsp of garlic in it, followed by the quartered mushrooms. I guess you could cut them however you like, but they look nice quartered.
4. Fry until evenly browned, but not disappeared. When cooked, set aside with the bacon.
5. Using a meat mallet or heavy skillet, bash the chicken breasts flatter, so they're an even thickness.
6. Season flattened fillets with salt and pepper.
7. Heat a little extra oil in the pan you used for the bacon and mushrooms, and sear the chicken breasts. While the breast is on its first side down, pour a little BBQ sauce onto it, and spread around, then flip and pour a little on the other side.
8. Cook about 3 minutes either side, or until cooked through, and remove from the heat.
9. Place the chicken breasts in an oven-proof dish, and place the bacon rashers on top. Pour the mushrooms around the chicken and bacon, with the cherry tomatoes. Pop a handful of cheese on top of each breast, and pop into the oven.
10. Bake in the oven until everything's heated through, and the cheese has melted. You can put the grill on for a few minutes to give it some extra crispy, bubbly deliciousness, but keep an eye on it, it'll burn much quicker under the grill!

Serve with a salad or some steamed veggies, and oven chips or a baked potato. Delish!

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review: The Fat Cow

I guess not everyone knows this about me, but for me there are few things nice than a good quality steak. And if that steak is paired with the most delicious blue cheese sauce? This is heaven, methinks!

So, I've been trying to keep this place to myself, but, because I love you, I've decided to share. Also, my fellow #cheesesluts on twitter will kill me if I don't share this, because this sauce was revelatory. Now, you may be a cheese fan, you may not, but if you are, and if stinky blue cheese is your weapon of choice then, my dears, I've found the ninja sword of cheese sauces.

Roquefort is a French blue cheese, with a strong odour and taste and a creamy texture. It melts well, and spreads quite easily, and I think it improves with age. Stilton is an English blue cheese, and Gorgonzola an Italian. So everyone has a blue cheese, and they all have their merits. The revelatory sauce, however, was made with Roquefort, so for the moment, I'm going to say that Roquefort's my favourite. (Course, next week when I make blue cheese burgers, then maybe it'll be the Gorgonzola, but you understand that I'm fickle, right?)

So, while I've been waffling on about cheese (and who doesn't wax lyrical about cheese, right?) you've been wondering at what point I'll start talking about the Fat Cow. Well, here you are.

The Fat Cow Restaurant is a little gem set in Harfield Village in Cape Town's Southern suburbs. Since the boy and I nearly moved to Harfield (it was a near thing, but luckily we ended up in Sea Point), we made it a mission to find out what there was to do in that neck of the woods. Also, the boy works in Kenilworth, so it's convenient. And originally, back when we found it, we were starving and drunk after the J&B Met, and needed food, pronto, and so stumbled on this gem.

The steak, my dears, and the burgers. Well, I won't go into too much detail, but this hidden gem has well priced, well cooked (and by that I mean, cooked to order, not well done) tasty steaks, and delicious burgers. We had the 200 g (or 250g, I can't remember) rump, with the Roquefort sauce. All steaks come with chips, rice or a baked potato, and the chips are thick cut and delicious. In addition, all steaks come with a plate of veggies, which had butternut, peas and beans I think. Anyway, they were lovely. However, the Roquefort stole the show by being rich, creamy and delicious. I totally smothered my steak in it, and then dipped my chips in it. I'd have ordered it for dessert if I'd been allowed!

We also had a burger, and although I don't remember its name, it had bacon and brie on top, which was divine. Paired with the rich blue cheese steak, and we were in heaven.

The wine list is reasonable, the 200ish gram steaks feel much bigger than their equivalent in other restaurants. And if you go for no other reason, go for that sauce.

And that, my dears, is it. Go and eat there. Nuff said.

The Fat Cow: 43 2nd Avenue Claremont (actually Harfield Village)
Phone: 021 671 6592

Grilled Pineapple and Chicken Quesadillas

This Mexican thing is started to become a habit! Could it be the #cheeseslut  in me (see twitterfeed for details)? Could it really? Well, I don't live anywhere close to Mexico, I've never visited, or even spoken to a Mexican person, and yet, the Mexican food (although it may be truly bastardised by the time it reaches my table) really appeals to me! There's few things better on a cold winters night than something ooey and gooey and cheesey and GOOD! And so, when I was looking for something fast and tasty for dinner, I saw these quesadillas on Ree's blog, I knew I'd spotted a winner. And boy, was I right.
{Image source}
These are sweet and tangy, and with just a few small steps, you can have dinner in 20-25 minutes!

I'll be honest and say that although I did see very cheap pineapples on sale, looking divine, I didn't feel like all that chopping, even though Ree does give the most brilliant pineapple chopping tutorial, I just couldn't face it, so I bought a can. Probably fresh would've been better, but convenience and speed was the name of my game last night, and canned won.

You can even buy Ree's cookbook through Amazon, and from the looks of the recipes on her blog, this cookbook should have a place in my kitchen!

And because I changed the recipe to have a sweeter, less spicey version, here's the recipe. For the original, jalapeno-and-spicy-BBQ-sauce version, visit Ree herself, at The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Ingredients: feeds 2
4 flour tortillas
2 chicken breasts
4 pineapple rings
1 spring onion
Mozzarella and cheddar cheese, enough to cover two tortillas and to put a bit on top.

{Image source}

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C.
2. Take a heavy can, meat mallet, heavy pan and flatten the chicken breasts a little, so they're of uniform thickness. This will ensure even cooking, and if you're slicing it, give you more surface area so you have more slices, and it means there's more surface area for spicing, which means more taste. So, beat it, just beat it..
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper, and any other spice you like, onto the flattened chicken breasts and set aside.
4. Heat a grill pan on the stove, or put in the braai. 
5. Remove 4 rings from your can of pineapple, and place onto the grill pan or grill. Wait quite a while before you turn, because what you want are those blackened grill marks, that show the pineapple has heated and the sugar has caramelised properly. When it has those lovely marks on both sides, remove from pan.
6. Place the flattened chicken breasts in the hot pan, turning it down a bit, since you don't want to cook these too quickly. Turn once or twice, and cook the chicken until the juices run clear when you stick a knife into the thickest part, I think it's about 10 minutes, but test with the juice test. If it runs pink, the meat is still raw inside.
7. Remove the chicken from the pan when cooked, and replace the grill pan with a big, heavy bottomed frying pan.
8. Melt butter in the pan, and heat your tortillas on both sides.
9. Place two heated tortillas next to each other on a cookie tray (in retrospect, I'd've used a rack, since the bottoms got a bit soggy, but its not a train smash), then cover both tortillas with a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
10. Sliced the cooled chicken breast and chop the pineapple rings/
11. Artfully place chicken strips and chopped pineapple on top of the cheese mixture.
12. Chop some spring onion (I always use scissors, so much faster!) and sprinkle on top, with a bit more cheese.
13. Top with the other tortillas. You should now have two tortilla sandwiches.
14. Pop them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
15. Remove from the oven, slice like a pizza and serve!

Delicious, cheesy, pineappley, chickeny goodness, people!! Enjoy!