The Corkless Mind

Tag: OffBeetBlog

  • Unusual Suspects – Celeriac.

    Unusual Suspects – Celeriac.

    Every fortnight I will be doing a post on unusual yet highly underestimated and rarely used vegetables/fruit not usually used for everyday consumption in the everyday kitchen.This week is the first of the “unusual suspects” series, and kicking it off, I am inspired by the Root Vegetable, Celeriac. Much like it’s green, skinny cousin Celery, Celeriac is milder in flavour. Don’t be intimidated by its rugged and chunky exterior, there’s quite a bit one can do with this interesting vegetable. In the photo below, you will see I made Celeriac two ways, as a Slaw and cut up into wedges and roasted until golden and crisp. A few days ago, I was challenged by my partner to think up a different, and alternative to Coleslaw. The photo below shows the slaw I made, I roughly chopped the Celeriac and Apple into matchsticks and using a vegetable peeler with the stick of Rhubarb to create volume and texture in the slaw, for the garnish I added Coriander and toasted Sesame seeds, drizzled extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, so as to prevent the apple from oxidizing(that nasty brown colour chopped Apples turn when we leave them out too long).

    image
    Celeriac, Apple and Rhubarb Slaw.

    The slaw is but a fusion of flavours and texture,the side you can serve alongside a juicy rack of ribs or succulent Pork belly for a bit of freshness and tart to juxtapose the heavyness of the meat. Not keen on slaw? Why not try a Gratin of Celeriac or maybe cut into chips and roast in the oven.

    The wedges were roasted in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with my favourite Maldon Smoked salt. Keeping the flavour profile as simple, so as to let the true flavour of the root vegetable shine through.

    image
    Roasted Celeriac Wedges

    The wedges may not look very cheffy but it’s homemade and I quite like the rustic feel of them. To be quite honest, I’ve never really looked in this humble root vegetable’s way until one day, the thought crossed my mind, and wondered what they taste like and the kinds of dishes I can conjure up. I dare you to have a moment of experimentation of crazy looking veg or fruit, stop wondering and just taste!

    Time for an adventure? Go experiment!

  • Sunny side up!

    Sunny side up!

     

    image
    A twist on the classic Mexican dish Huevos Rancheros

    I could easily bore you with the clichéd saying, “breakfast is the most…” But I do feel that it deserves so much more than just a tribute to daily sustenance. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have an intense love affair with Bacon, for me breakfast is not complete without it! The ever so versatile first meal of the day, many these days are not just restricting it to just a meal shared at dawn. It’s no secret the humble egg has been making a major comeback, taking a simple sandwich making it next level or elevating an already droolworthy burger with golden deliciousness of sunny side up egg yolk dripping down the gorgeous edible tower. Without further ado, here are some of my favourite brekkie meals.

    I made the Huevos Rancheros for supper last night, I added chopped potatoes sprinkled with smoky sweet paprika, the salsa is rather spicy as opposed to the usual method, I toasted cumin, coriander and hot curry spice for the added kick.

    image

    For the most practical and accessible breakfast, I love a whole wheat cereal with chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, figs drizzled with honey.

    image
    Wholewheat cereal with Chia seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Figs with honey.

    And for my ultimate breakfast, a combination of some of my favourites.

    image
    Flapjack stack with Crispy Bacon, Passion fruit and lemon curd.

    image

    I’d love to know what your favourite brekkie meal is, tell me in the comments section.

    Happy eating!

    Dominique x

  • Technicolour 


    Since moving back to Cape Town almost three years ago, I’ve been on a mission to rediscover this beautiful multifaceted place I call home. Over a week ago, I finally paid a visit to the Oranjezicht City Farmers Market situated just outside the V&A Waterfront, to see what all the fuss is about. Upon arrival, I head straight to what I can make out as the fresh produce section, I am immediately taken aback with the gorgeous array of colour and scent. Feeling like Dorothy, the phrase “we’re not in Kansas anymore” crosses my mind. I don’t really buy a lot of fresh produce at major retail stores, beside one of my regular ones that has quite decent fresh produce, but these days it’s really hard to find anything fresh that will last at least a week, not to mention one of the worst droughts our country has experienced in recent years making it the catalyst for many of our food woes.

    The photo above, is proof I went overboard at the market, seeing food in technicolour is such a pure experience. There is something so special about the farm to table movement that captivates me, knowing that great care and expertise was taken to nurture and grow this produce without taking too much, but by giving back to the soil, inspires me to honour and pay respect to such great ingredients. Some of the suppliers to the market are  all local community farms based in Phillipi, Khayelitsha, Elgin and Nyanga, and of course the Oranjezicht farm itself provides the rest of the produce.

    Forget a bouquet of ordinary flowers, for me a lush bouquet of Courgette blossoms will more than suffice! Not knowing this before but there are quite a few things one can do with Courgette flowers, other than stuffing and deep frying like I did, you can roast them with your vegetables, toss them into a quick salad or grill them to get an interesting smokey chargrilled taste. I rinsed the blossoms off with water and removed the stamen inside, to give the stuffing an interesting twist, I toasted ground cumin and coriander and ground it in a pestle and motar to extract the full flavour and pungency of the spices, I then added the Goat’s cheese (you can add Ricotta instead, if you’re not a fan of Goat’s cheese)  I drizzled extra virgin olive oil to bring it all together with a spritz of lemon juice and tiny bit of salt. This mixture was used to then stuff the flowers, dipping into egg mixture( just one egg beaten) and then tossed around in a breadcrumb and dessiccated coconut mixture and then deep fried in coconut oil. Coconut oil has so many benefits, I could go on and on about it and it’s many uses, the reason I used coconut oil instead of sunflower oil, is that it has a really high smoking point and of course the taste that coconut oil gives off is rather subtle and light. To plate up I used the left over stuffing as a base and dip, and drizzled a bit of Sriracha over for an extra kick. If like me, you’re not a big fan of the Jalapeño Poppers, then this is the perfect balance between spicy and tangy without being overpoweringly hot.

    The market is held every Saturday starting at 09:00 am ending at 14:00 pm, for more information you can visit their website: Oranjezicht Farmers Market

    (Some of the information in my post can be found on the above website address)

    (Recipe and photos are my own)

  • Nostalgia

    For most of my life I have had no idea where I was going or where my passion lies. As recent as 5 years ago, I fell in love with the Gastronomic arts. Yes! I believe it is just that, Art. I adore how beautifully vibrant in colour and taste an organic Blood Orange can be, or how crisp, fresh bread with melting  golden butter evokes a warm and comforting emotion and memory. Food has the ability to be centered around a reconciliation, a celebration or bring comfort to those in mourning or distress. No matter where we are in our lives, how busy we get, food always seems to be bringing people together. Food is about telling a story, creating or sharing a memory and breaking bread with those closest.

    My earliest and most vivid food memory  from my childhood,  I remember impatiently sitting in the kitchen watching my mother prepare supper, filling the air with the rich scent of Tomato Bredie (still a favourite dish of mine) and the afternoon autumnal sun beaming into the kitchen, reliving this memory right now I feel the warmth on my skin and inhaling deeply the glorious smells emanating from that kitchen, a memory frozen in time. A dish so simple and not a very spectacular food memory, but a beautiful one. The significance of food, the fact that we are able to pour our hearts into creating simple or even extravagant dishes to show those we love most just how much we care, has to be one of many reasons why I love food so much.

    I would love to know what’s your food memory (that is frozen in time)

    Happy eating and sharing!

    Dominique x