The Corkless Mind

Tag: South Africa

  • Chicken liver pâté.

    Chicken liver pâté.

    Have you ever loathed a particular food for most of your life and one day experience said particular food and find that its actually quite tasty? Growing up, my mom used to fry up chicken livers in a sauce, I remember hating every morsel of any chicken liver dish ever(sorry mom) until as recent as a few years ago my soon to be brother in law, changed this deep rooted hatred into a new found food love with a chicken liver dish I would never forget. The dish was fairly simple in that it was served in a relish, yet packed a flavour punch that bowled over my tastebuds and changed my stance on chicken livers for the rest of my food filled existence.

    The chicken liver pâté is super easy to recreate at home and only requires a blender as special equipment. This recipe is adapted from a Woolworths Taste Magazine recipe.

    Ingredients:
    – 400g Chicken livers

    – 3 Tablespoons of Sherry/Brandy (I only had Port on hand)

    – 300g butter half melted and half cubed

    – 2 Shallots finely chopped

    – A few sprigs of Sage finely chopped

    – A few bay leafs

    – 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

    – 2 Garlic cloves finely chopped

    – 1/4 t nutmeg

    – Salt and pepper to season

    – 50g clarified butter

    – 2 bay leaves

    – 3-6 sage leaves

    Method:
    Fry the chopped shallots until translucent. Add the garlic and chopped sage and cook for 1 minute, set aside.
    In the same pan, increase the heat and add the chicken livers, cook 3 minutes on each side, the livers should be light and with a slight pink colour.

    Be cautious not to overcook, this changes the texture of the pâté to that of a grainy consistency. Pour in the sherry/brandy or in my case the port and cook for a further 2 minutes, the. Add the nutmeg and season to taste.
    In a blender, add the livers with the shallots, garlic and sage. Add the melted butter and blitz to combine. Add the cubed butter and blitz once more to a smooth consistency. Pour into a pâté dish or baking tin would do(just be sure to line with parchment first. Place the sage and bay leaves on top and pour the clarified butter on top. Place in the fridge to set for 2 hours.


    Serve on warm freshly baked bread rolls.

  • Sweet potato, maple and pecan nut waffles.

    Sweet potato, maple and pecan nut waffles.

    Autumn is a special and magical time of year, the transition from light crisp summery food and weather to a comforting warmth of stews and chunky knits, I find totally irresistible as any winter/autumn baby would! There’s something so satisfying about hearing the crunch of leaves under your feet and feeling the crispness of the cold wind against your face. 
    As you can tell I’m pretty excited for Autumn and the imminent(hopefully rainy) Winter to come! I might have mentioned before that, the Western Cape of South Africa is currently experiencing the worst drought yet, The City of Cape Town has implemented very strict water restrictions to curb the rather high water usage. Currently our dam levels are at a dismal 23% , I urge you to please use water sparingly if you live nearby, and to be smart about how you use water. At the moment my plants are getting watered by my recycled dish water, so I’m expecting a rather soapy tasting fennel, basil and mint 🙂 
    This recipe is a take on a conventional waffle with a twist of course! Having finally purchased an electric waffle machine, the temptation was too much to not put it to immediate use. 
    Sweet potato, maple and pecan waffles. 
    Ingredients: 
    -210g of cake flour 

    -15ml baking powder

    -15ml castor sugar 

    -15ml maple syrup (plus a little extra for roasting the sweet potato) 

    -300ml milk 

    -2 eggs separated 

    -50g melted butter 

    -1 sweet potato cut into chunks 

    -pinch of cinnamon 

    -100g of pecan nuts roughly chopped 
    Method: 

    For the waffle mix, sift the dry ingredients into a bowl then add the sugar. 

    Whisk the milk, the two egg yolks and melted butter together. Add to the dry ingredients, mixing until a smooth consistency is achieved. 

    Beat the egg whites to a soft peak consistency and add folding it into the mixture. Let stand for 30 minutes. 
    Whilst the waffle mix is resting, in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C, cut the sweet potato into chunks and place into a roasting dish and drizzle with maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. Place into the oven for 25 minutes until soft and caramelized. Once the waffle mix is done resting. Switch the waffle machine on, then add the cooled down sweet potato chunks( I mashed mine to be able to get them adequately into the waffle mix) add the maple syrup and chopped pecan nuts and gently fold into the batter. Using a ice cream scoop! spoon the batter into each side of the waffle machine, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown or according to the waffle machine instructions. Serve with pecan nuts and ice cream. 

  • Turmeric and lemon muffins

    Turmeric and lemon muffins

    I love baking on weekends, having said so, I haven’t done so in a while. Yesterday, I spotted a recipe from a renowned blogger and someone I admire for her beautiful food photography, the Displaced housewife . This recipe is adapted from her original recipe for the mouthwatering Meyer lemon and Chamomile muffins 
    What drew me to making these delicious looking muffins, were the fact they contained Chamomile. Chamomile being a natural sleep and relaxation aid. On a personal note, in recent years I have been suffering from Insomnia, which makes my polymyalgia worse. I find that moderate exercise and eating healthy seems to help with the symptoms, I don’t care too much for medication and carefully watch what goes into my body.

    A dear aunt of mine, gave me some great advice to drink first thing in the morning, a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of Turmeric. The turmeric is a wonderful anti inflammatory with so many healthy benefits. I’ve only just taken her advice this morning, and will report back to you, if there are any dramatic changes.

    These muffins are so dense and lemony in flavour, I love how the earthiness of the turmeric shines through also picking up on the floral notes of the chamomile.So with that said, I give you turmeric, lemon with a hint of chamomile muffins.


    Ingredients:

    For the Muffins

    -250g granulated sugar

    -2 teaspoons of loose chamomile tea

    -170g canola oil

    -2 large eggs (room temperature)

    -170g buttermilk (room temperature)

    – 50ml milk, room temperature

    -50ml fresh squeezed lemon juice

    -2 tablespoon lemon zest

    – 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric

    -500g of all-purpose flour

    – 2 teaspoon baking powder

    – 1 teaspoon baking soda

    -1/2 teaspoon sea salt

    -Pinch of cinnamon
    For the glaze:

    -1 ½ cup powdered sugar

    -2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    – 1 tablespoon lemon zest

    -1 tablespoon milk
    Method:
    Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place a rack in the top third of the oven. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with butter or canola oil. Place the sugar and 2 teaspoons of chamomile tea in a blender( I used my NutriBullet with the grinding blades) and grind until the chamomile is reduced to small flecks.

    In a large bowl whisk together your granulated sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream, milk, lemon juice and eggs until well blended.In a medium bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until barely blended.

    Pour the batter into the muffin tray filling until just barely ¾ full. Squeeze some lemon over the top and sprinkle with sugar + cinnamon. Let the muffins sit for 15 minutes before putting in the oven…this will help them get a nice crown. Bake for 15 minutes in the top third of the oven or until a toothpick comes out clean. You want the tops to be puffed up and slightly golden.Let cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes, then use a butter knife to help get them out to finish cooling on a rack. In a separate bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins. In my photos you will notice I added a dash of turmeric to my muffins, I did this for dramatic colour contrast, of course, you don’t have to do this, to avoid a yellow mouth and hands 🙂

    Happy weekend baking!

    Dominique x

  • Honey and Mustard Pork meatballs with pumpkin tagliatelle.

    Honey and Mustard Pork meatballs with pumpkin tagliatelle.

    The pairing of pork with flavours like honey, mustard and sage not only enhance the natural sweet flavour of pork but celebrate its umami undertones. This week’s midweek meal is a budget buster, super easy to make and best of all it takes only 20 minutes to magically whip up!
    Like many others, I constantly find myself stuck in a rut when it comes to weekly meals and making the same things for convenience sake. Each week, usually as a mid week meal, I make pork and sage bangers, using one of my jars I recycle to use as salad dressing jars(a tip I picked up from Siba from Siba’s Table) I mix some honey, mustard, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice and give it a vigorous shake to combine I then proceed to drizzle over the bangers then roast in the oven for 20 minutes to achieve a crisp and golden brown banger. The perfect accompaniment for me is runny polenta studded with butter of course, placing the bangers on top of the polenta and using the pan juices to dress the dish. This for me, is the ultimate comfort food dish.


    So in rebellion of boring mid-week meals and costly healthy food, I’ve decided to pimp up the usual pork bangers and give it a lighter more fitting facelift for end of summer days.
    Honey and Mustard Pork Meatballs with Pumpkin Tagliatelle with crispy sage. 
    Ingredients:

    -350g pack of Pork bangers

    -2 Tablespoons of honey

    -2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

    -1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard

    -1 pack of pumpkin tagliatelle(or any spiralized veg for that matter)

    -a few sprigs of sage

    -a knob of butter or tablespoon of coconut oil

    -1 tablespoon of coconut oil to flash fry the pumpkin tagliatelle.
    Method:

    Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Remove the meat from the bangers roll into balls and place in a oven tray/dish. In a jar or bowl, add the honey, mustard, olive oil and lemon juice mix or shake until incorporated. Place the pork meatballs in the tray and pour over the honey and mustard glaze and roast for 20 minutes until golden brown. In a pan, flash fry the pumpkin tagliatelle in the coconut oil for 1 minute on high, place in a separate bowl and set aside to serve with the meatballs. Using the same pan, add the knob of butter or more coconut oil and fry the sage leaves until crispy. Take off the heat and set aside. On a plate, place the pumpkin tagliatelle (I sprinkled a little dukkah and chilli flakes over the veg pasta) place the meatballs on top with the crispy sage leaves using the leftover pan juices drizzle over the dish and serve with grated Parmesan.

  • Light and fluffy Cheese muffins with a sweet marmite glaze

    Light and fluffy Cheese muffins with a sweet marmite glaze

    Returning to our holiday retreat this year was another soul cleansing experience. The West Coast of South Africa offers tranquility and beauty in abundance, one of many reasons we keep going back to the very same place. The guesthouse we stayed at Absolute Beach, is situated on the shore of Stompneusbaai just past St Helena Bay off the West Coast. The co-owners of the guesthouse Marina and Duncan are incredibly hospitable and generously share their wealth of knowledge of where to go and what to do in the surrounding areas. The area is as rural as can get and lucky for us they had a local supermarket further out of town.
     Having only left almost three weeks ago, I’m dreaming of going back soon! What makes this decision that much more easier are the amazing cheese muffins with a sweet marmite glaze that Marina effortlessly whipped up for us at brekkie. She gave me a hint of what was in her recipe, and with that in mind I needed to recreate these fluffy umami morsels. 

    Cheese muffins with a sweet marmite glaze. 
    Ingredients:

    For the muffins

    -375g Self raising flour 

    -125ml milk 

    -125ml olive oil 

    -pinch of dried herbs of your choice 

    -2 eggs lightly beaten 

    -150g grated Gouda cheese 

    -50g grated Grana Padano 
    Sweet marmite glaze

    -1 heaped tablespoon of Marmite 

    -2 tablespoons of water 

    -2tablespoons of golden syrup
    Method: 

    Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.

    In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, eggs, olive oil, milk and grated cheese, add half of the Grana Padano to this mixture. With a butter knife, stir the ingredients until just mixed through. In a greased muffin tray, divide the batter into the tray, sprinkle over the rest of the Grana Padano and bake for 20 minutes. Whilst the muffins are baking, mix the glaze ingredients into a small bowl and place in a microwave for 20-30 seconds(this step can be done over the stove in a small saucepan) once the muffins have been cooled, spoon over the glaze. 

    Marmite is definitely an acquired taste, like their advertising campaign suggests “you either love it or you don’t”. A simple marmite toastie is just my kind of quick snack chock full of umami flavour! The muffins don’t quite taste exactly like Marina’s but they are my take on a memory. 

  • Zucchini and Haloumi fritters

    Zucchini and Haloumi fritters

     I have recently gifted myself a digital subscription to the award winning Delicious Australia’s food magazine. Honestly, I don’t know why I haven’t done so sooner! I’m a massive fan of their glossy food mag and find myself constantly perusing their websites in search for ideas and inspiration. 
    This recipe is adapted from their February issue, which is packed full of colourful and light summer inspired recipes. This particular recipe looked amazing photographed on their cover but also seemed like something I wouldn’t usually make. Like any fritter recipe, this is super easy and so light and fluffy. The zesty flavour of the zucchini and creamy profile of the Haloumi really complements each other and the accompaniment of the crisp vibrant sugar snaps are just the thing this dish needs for texture and colour. I love how the creamy dressing provides relief for the slight kick of chili in the fritter. 

    Okay, enough explaining the flavour profile, try the recipe for yourself!

    Zucchini and Haloumi fritters

    Ingredients: 

    – 620g Courgette/zucchini (about 5 of them) coursely grated

    – 100g Self raising flour

    – 50g plain flour 

    – 250g haloumi

    – Pinch of chilli flakes ( I added a few pinches) add according to taste.

    – 1tsp salt 

    – 2 eggs lightly beaten 

    – 1/2 cup chopped dill 

    – 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil 

    – 200g of sugar snap peas 

    – 50g julienne beetroot to serve 

    – A few spinach leaves or baby gem lettuce to serve 

    Green Goddess Dressing: 

    -1/2 bunch of mint and dill 

    -Juice of 1/2 lemon

    -120g sour cream 

    -140g Double fat plain yoghurt 

    Method: 

    Place the colander into a bowl and coursely grate the zucchini into the colander. Add the salt and set aside for 15 minutes, then squeeze to remove extra moisture. In a separate bowl, add the grated zucchini, flours, eggs, chilli flakes and dill, mix to combine. 

    In a frying pan, heat the olive oil for a shallow fry on a medium heat. In batches, spoon in a heaped tablespoon of the fritter mixture and fry for 3-4 minutes on either side, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. 

    Plate fritters with the lettuce/spinach, beetroot and sugar snaps, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Top with a poached egg or two. 
    In a blender (or in my case my NutriBullet) blitz together the yoghurt, sour cream, mint and dill until combined. Drizzle over the fritters and salad 

    **the original recipe calls for smoked ham to be added to the fritter mix, you can, like me completely omit this ingredient or add smoked bacon if you want to take it to next level deliciousness!