another amazing pasta dish!!!

i know i've done a few pasta dishes already, it's just that i'm such a fan of pasta and this dish is ESPECIALLY good! it's non vegetatian but super yum! its a lamb-mint sausage pasta:)



INGREDIENTS:
 

• 250g spaghetti
• 4 chopped ripe tomatoes
• half a tin of tomato puree (about 250g)
• half a cup of spinach
• 5 lamb-mint sausages
• a small onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• rosemary and mint 

METHOD: 

• put your pasta on to boil
• in a pan, saute your onion and garlic then add your chopped tomatoes. cook that down nicely and then add your tomato puree.
• in a separate pan, fry your sausages. when that's done cut them up to add to the pasta sauce at the end.
• add salt and pepper to the pasta sauce as well as the rosemary and mint.
• let it cook down slowly on low for a good 15-20 minutes.
• add your sliced sausages
• drain the pasta and add to the sauce.
• garnish with parsely and you're ready to serve!!!

i made this dish the other day for lunch. it was freezing and i spent the afternoon munching on it while watching my favourite music dvds. i hope you all enjoy it and try it if you can!

happy cooking! 

my favourite sun-dried tomato and spinach pasta (v)

my exams are finally over! so this means more dedication to my blog and more time in the kitchen! i had a delicious tuna salad for lunch (that recipe will be put up soon - its a little different from the normal tuna salad) but for now (as promised) ... vegetarian recipes!!


the first of the vegetarian recipes i'm doing is an amazing pasta dish using sun-dried tomatoes. it is a little time consuming but absolutely delicious once you try it! you can add chicken as a non-vegetarian alternative. unfortunately, i haven't made it in a while so i don't have a picture...

INGREDIENTS:

• a small packet (it's usually about 12) sun-dried tomatoes soaked in some warm water
• a small bunch of spinach roughly chopped
• 1 cup of vegetable stock (i use the powered kind as i find stock cubes tend to have a high salt content)
• half a cup of cream
• roasted pine nuts
• 1 red chilli 
• 3 cloves of garlic (i like my garlic, but you can always put in less)
• 500g of whatever pasta you like, i usually use fettucine 

METHOD:

• put your pasta onto boil 
• in a saucepan, lightly roast the pine nuts. then remove.
• in the same saucepan, put in your garlic, vegetable stock and cream and warm through to let the flavours infuse. when its simmering remove and let it cool down a bit.
• in a blender, put in your spinach, pine nuts and red chilli with a little bit of the stock, cream and garlic mixture. blend, but make sure the spinach has not disintegrated, you still want a bit of bite.
• add the blended mixture to a pan and bring up to the boil.
• roughly chop your sun-dried tomatoes and add it to the creamy mixture.
• strain your pasta and mix together.
• serve with a sprinkling of parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

i really enjoy this recipe as a summery supper. i came up with this recipe when i had a packet of sun-dried tomatoes and nothing to do with it. so i literally fished around in the kitchen til i found ingredients that could match and just did a little experimentation. lucky for me it came out fantastic and i really hope you guys try it!

up and coming recipes :)

hello all :)

this is just a little note to let you know that in the next coming weeks i will be doing a host of new vegetarian recipes. it's going to be great!

here are a few teasers:

• sun-dried tomato pasta
• caramelised onion and feta tart
• tomato and olive linguine
• soya kebabs chutney or alternatively, soya kebabs with a dipping sauce

stay tuned!!!

rolled chicken breast with sweet potato mash

i made this dish for my boyfriend, mekarl for our 3 year anniversary. we had it as a late lunch but it works just as well as a supper!

INGREDIENTS: 

• chicken breast(s)
• bacon rashers (optional)
• basil
• mustard
• salt and pepper

 For the mash:

• sweet potatoes
•  butter
• milk
• salt and pepper
• cinnamon

METHOD:

• As preparation, slice your chicken through the middle but not all the way through, so that you can stuff it. 
• use a meat tenderiser to bash the chicken breast so that it is thinner and therefore takes a shorter time to cook.
• spread some english mustard on part you have tenderised, and then lay in about 3 basil leaves per breast.

  

• lay out slices of bacon - about 2 per breast - and roll your chicken breast in them. this keeps the chicken breast more moist when cooking. if you do not eat bacon, then just go without, it will work just as well.
• use skewers or pieces of string to keep the chicken breast in a rolled shape.
• pan fry til cooked on the inside and crispy on the outside.

ALTERNATIVELY

• roll you wrapped chicken breast in cling film and poach, then remove and pan fry.

• for the sweet potato mash, cut and boil 2 sweet potatoes and mash with some warmed milk and butter. salt and pepper to taste and a little cinnamon.

you can serve this with a simple cucumber and rosa tomato salad!

  

really tasty and delicious meal that you can have as a big lunch or dinner:))

hope you try it! 

 

the chefs i love...

i'm completely obsessed with the BBC chefs, and there's a number of them that i absolutely love! it's not just their recipes, the simplicity, the ease with which they cook.. it's the fact that you see the passion and love for the food every time they talk about it or cook a dish :) i've cut the list to 4 of my faves:


rick stein - absolute legend and the kindness that exudes out of this man makes me think of him as another grandpa! haha 

nigella lawson - what's not to love about her? so beautiful and when she cooks its like you are there about to taste exactly what she's made. 

the late keith floyd - to me, he reminds me of being a little girl. he was the first tv chef i ever saw. every sunday afternoon his show used to air on mnet.

james martin - perfection!

bacon, banana and balsamic open sandwich

this is one of the most simple sandwiches to make - quick, easy and delicious!

INGREDIENTS: 

• a slice of whatever bread you like eating - i recommend low GI seed loaf
• 3 rashers back bacon (or macon)
• 1 sliced banana - slice it long ways and not in rounds as this makes it easier to eat in the sandwich
• balsamic vinegar
• a tablespoon of sugar

METHOD:  

• toast your slice of bread on a griddle pan with no oil and remove when toasted to your liking
• then put in your bacon (or macon) rashers with a little bit of oil - fry it in the griddle pan until crispy
• while those are getting nice and sizzled up, slice up your banana
• in a separate pan, add about 7 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and your tablespoon of sugar - when you see it starting to boil, let it reduce for approx. 2 minutes and take it off the heat.
• plate up: layer your bread, banana and crispy bacon (or macon). then spoon over your balsamic dressing :)

Serve with a side salad!  

ENJOY!  

influences...

morning all :) woke up this morning after a long, hard study night, thinking of the underlying reasons this blog seems so important to me. i start exams next week and it seems this blog is the only sanity and break from the world of law that i have right now. i'm actually surprised at myself, being so thoroughly into this. it got me thinking... i think the reason food is such a huge part of my life is because food has always been a priority in my family. preparing food, setting up the table, eating together - it's a way of showing love. i'm sure many of you know that when you cook a meal and when everyone sits down to eat it and they enjoy it - it is the most satisfying feeling in the world. this i got from my mother and my grandmothers.

my mum's mum, although i never got to spend the maximum amount of time with her, was a lady who you found in the kitchen the first thing in the morning braising a curry for breakfast! if that was not the case, it was cleaning vegetables or something of the like. i distinctly remember her coming to visit, and my mum would be cooking and she'd be sitting with her cup of tea keeping her company in the kitchen. my mum and i do this now - me cooking and her with the cup of tea keeping me company in the kitchen :)

my dad's mum is a super woman. she's the lady that wakes up early, does all the house work and the cooking for lunch and still has the energy to to do a million other things around the house - who needs a domestic worker! oh and she's 72 years old this year, or should i say 72 years young! if there's one memory i will always have, it's that this granny likes to set the table for every meal. my late grandfather would pick us up from school and we'd go my grans house to a set table for lunch.

and my mum... so much to say... she's perfect and i love her! she always made cooking a no hassle thing, always so simple - 20 minutes she'll say! i think that's why it has always been so simple for me to get into the kitchen.

best:)

 

durban :))

so i'm back from writing my test - it was great if you're wondering - i'm shocked, especially since it was the first oral test i have ever done in my life.

got home and kept thinking about the weather. in durban, its almost like winter doesn't fully exist. it's may and we might have a bit of wind and a chilly night, but for the most part its sunny and slightly humid at times. its an amazing city despite what people may say about it. the way i see it, you're either a durban person or you aren't. we're chilled, laid back, beachy kinda people:) sitting looking at our sunny day, couldn't help thinking about ice cream. now those that know me know that i dont really have a sweet tooth, but if i eat ice cream is has got to be vanilla. vanilla is the best - plain, simple and perfect just the way it is, without the frills and fancies. it just speaks for itself. you can add chocoloate sauce or nuts - but you take it away and it's still perfect.

so this post is dedicated to vanilla ice cream in durban :)

yesterday's lunch

i cannot believe i'm doing this! i am writing a test this morning but i had to get at least one post in:) this may be short...

yesterday after i started this, i was all revved up and ready to cook but when i went downstairs the fridge was almost empty (don't u hate when that happens?). Anyway, looked in the vegetable rack and found a beautifully orange butternut (yay) and we had some brown mushrooms in the fridge. looked in the freezer and voila - A WHOLE SMOKED CHICKEN BREAST! i was psyched, i wont lie!

so literally sauted the brown mushrooms in butter, olive oil (add the olive oil so the butter doesn't burn) and like 3 cloves of garlic, and sliced up some chicken breast.. the thing i wanted to share was my butternut recipe... it's a variation on my mum's recipe, it works every time and soo delish! so here it is:

INGREDIENTS:

•  one large butternut
• one small onion
• cumin seeds
• mustard seeds
• sugar
• cinnamon

METHOD 

• chop up one butternut into roughly the same size pieces (it doesnt matter if it's not exact, it's almost impossible to get exactly the same size pieces, and this dish is rustic anyway)
• chop up a small onion
• heat up a little oil in a decent sized pot (medium heat)
• into the oil, add the onions. 
• add in cumin seeds and mustard seeds
• saute for like 5 mins or until transluscent and the mustard seeds have popped 
• add the butternut, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of sugar
• saute that for a bit
• add some cinnamon and a tablespoon of water
• turn the heat down to low and put on the lid
• when the butternut is soft but still has a bit of bite in it, it's ready!

It's so simple! I had an open sandwich - put on the butternut with a little feta on some bread (you can heat that up under the grill if you want the feta to sizzle a bit), add the smoked chicken breast and a few slices of the garlic mushrooms and you've got lunch!

Try it:)   

second timer

the first time i decided to blog, i actually had no idea what to blog about. i was misdirected. and thinking back, i think i know why. i think it was because i had no idea what i wanted to write about. the second time around, it seems i know myself better and have developed a few passions:)

how was this blog born you may ask? well...i was on twitter, tweeting about what i had decided to make for lunch (which i have not made yet because i have been busy starting this blog!) and i had a light bulb moment. no seriously, it sounds so cliche, but these things actually happen. i thought instantly about all the food memories i have and all the times i've spent in the kitchen and i realised that those times i've spent in the kitchen have actually been some of my happiest.

my dad and i are always talking about opening a coffee shop where i'll do the cooking and he'll do the managing, and i always write down all my recipes. i watched "julie and julia" and all i thought of was - "i wanna do that!". i'm addicted to the food network and it seems writing in a journal is a little outdated, so what was my option? blogging!

this blog is dedicated to my favourite food memories, my favourite recipes and my own personal recipes. 

i can't wait to share it :)