Menu Ideas from Solomon ~ Week 5th September 2011

 A week of comfort ideas....

A lamb bredie.....

1kg Lamb knuckles
4 onions, sliced
2 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
salt, pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4 carrots, sliced thickly
4 celery fingers, sliced
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced in half
1 tablsp sugar
1 tablsp tomato paste
1 lt of beef stock
500ml good red wine


Brown onion, garlic and knuckles that have been dusted with flour in +-2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the carrots,celery, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Then add the stock and the wine. Simmer slowly for 1 hour until the flavours come together. Add potatoes and tomato paste and adjust flavouring. Simmer a further half an hour. Serve.

  Roasted Butternut half moons!

1 butternut
5 rosemary twigs
olive oil
5 ginger bread biscuits, crushed
1/2 cup of almond slivers

Cut the butternut/pumpkin in wedges
Put the rosemary on a baking tray, rub the olive oil into the wedges of butternut and lay on top of the rosemary. Bake at 180deg C for 20 mins until cooked
Crush the ginger biscuits and sprinkle together with the almonds over the butternut and bake a further 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Such a nice side dish for the bredie or a braai!

A fluffy Cheese Omlette

3 organic eggs
cheddar cheese
1 tablsp water
1 tablsp butter

Heat the butter in the pan
Whip the eggs together until creamy and add the water
Pour into the melted butter
Run a palette knife around the edges to loosen . Keep moving the egg around to ensure even cooking.
Add cheese to the one half.
Fold over, cook a further 30 sec.
Pop out onto a serving plate.....nothing better to startyour day with a slice of buttered toast! Yum!! 

Jaffles..........on the fire~

Carameilised Onion and Cheddar Jaffles
You can fill these with anything....from left over savoury mince, plain cheese and tomato, or as I like....
Caramelise some onions with a dash of balsamic and brown sugar until soft and brown.
Fill the bread with a generous helping of cheddar cheese.... you could even try a wheel of camembert with the onion......all ways....an absolute crowd pleaser!

A South African Croque Monsieur
8 slices of white bread...like a large french shape...buttered
For the White Sauce
2 tablsp butter
2 tablsp cake flour
1/2 cup of milk
2 tablesp wholegrain mustard
1 cup of grated gruyere cheese

For the filling.
1 cup of gruyere cheese, grated
some sage leaves (I used only because I have in my garden
some thinly sliced biltong...but you can use black forest ham

Make the white sauce by melting the butter, add flour, mustard and cook out for about 2 mins. Add the milk and incorporate. Then add the gruyere and cook until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Put the cheese, sage, biltong on 4 slices of bread on the unbuttered sides. Put a big scoop of the cheese sauce in the middle of each. Then place the other slice of bread on top.
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Fry the bread on all sides until golden brown and the cheese starts to ooze!!!
You could even top it with a soft fried egg....

Bean Soup
1 onion finely diced
2 leeks chopped
2 potatoes diced (nice large ones)
2 carrots sliced
200g of beef shin (bone in)
3 tablespoons parsley
chopped celery, washed and including the leaves
1 410g tinned tomatoes
2 tins of kidney beans
2 litres of chicken stock
parmessan shavings for the top

Heat oil, fry meat and vegetables for a few minutes until nicely brown.
Add the tinned tomatoes, chicken stock and beans and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.
Taste and adjust flavouring. Serve with parmessan shavings and croutons....(Woolies have excellent flavoured ones!)

Enjoy your week!
Shel

I'm linking to Stonegable's "On the Menu Monday"
 I trust all our American bloggers are having a wonderful Labour Day...

Menu ideas from Solomon~

Everything's coming up "broccoli" in my garden.....it's thriving in this winter's cold!
Here are a few planned menus for this week......

Baby Chickens on a bed of smashed potatoes......

4 small chickens.

51/2 oz butter

2 tsps fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh parsley

2 spring onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 tsp salt

fresh ground pepper

streaky bacon to wrap around the chickens

Mix the herbs and 4 1/2 oz butter, spring onions, honey and salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200deg C

Lift the skin gently with your finger tips.

Gently push the butter between the skin and flesh

Tuck the wings inward

Lay the chickens on a grid of the roasting pan.

Layer the bacon over the chickens and brush with remaining butter and juices.

Bake for 30 mins and serve on a bed of mashed potatoes and seasonal veg.

Broccoli and Chicken Bake

I don't have and exact recipe for this.....a real family dish....

One head of broccoli cooked until tender

White meat of a whole chicken

500g of cheese sauce

250ml chicken stock from poaching the chicken

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp nutmeg

2 chopped leeks

1 stalk of chopped celery

Break broccoli into individula florets.

Poach chicken in a pot of water with bayleaf, salt, pepper, carrots and onion.

Discard the veg once the chicken is cooked.

Break the white meat into fair size chunks

Fry the leeks and celery  until translucent

Make a quantity of cheese sauce.

Add the chicken and broccoli, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add around 250ml chicken stock.

Adjust the flavouring.

Pour into a casserole dish.

Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs and bake at 200deg C for +-45 mins until golden.

Serve with a salad of greens.

Butternut, Feta and Baby Tomato quiche

you will need~

a quantity of shortcrust pastry (I use a cheese pastry) to fill your pastry case

1 small butternut, peeled and cut in wedges

200g feta cheese

300g rosa tomatoes

salt and pepper

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp crushed chilli ( I don't add this)

1 tbsp butter

1 red onion

1/2 cup cream

2 tbsp creme fraiche

2 eggs

Rocket to serve

Preheat oven to 200deg C

Arrange butternut wedges on a greased baking tray and season with salt, pepper, brown sugar.

Roast for 30mins until slightly charred

Remove from oven.

Heat butter and fry onions until lightly caramelised.

Allow to cool.

Reduce oven temp to 180deg C.

Spread cooled onion over the pastry shell. Top with butternut wedges, tomatoes and feta.

In a large jug, beat 2 eggs with cream and crem fraiche. Pour egg mixture over the veg in the tart shell.

Bake for 30 mins until the skewer comes out clean.

Serve topped with the rocket.

And how about a good South African Favourite as a pudding ......click here for the recipe.

Good old Bobotie.....

 

You can click here for this recipe of  traditional South African fare ....

Lamb Knuckle Stew and Herb Dumplings.....

Recipe. (for 4 - 6 people)
800g lamb knuckles
1 large onion sliced
fresh herbs (thyme and parsley)
salt and pepper to your taste
1 tin chopped Italian tomato and onion
1 Tbsp tomato pasata
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 leeks chopped
5 potatoes
1 lt of chicken/vegetable stock.
Fry your meat dusted with flour and seasoning together with onions and leeks until browned.
Remove from pan. Add to cooking crock together with carrots, tomato and onion and pasata, herbs and stock. After about an hour and half when meat is tender add the potatoes. Cook until tender.

Mix together a cup of flour, 2 tsps baking powder, herbs, salt and pepper. Add a beaten egg and milk.water to form a wet dough. Drop spoon fuls on top of the stew. Steam with lid on until nicely risen then turn over just before serving!

Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

Bluecheese and Broccoli Salad.

Serves 4 to 6 ~
200 g tender stems of broccoli
100g fresh green asparagus
1 handful of leaves (red lettuce)
100g blue cheese cut into blocks
100g green olives
2 avocados, cut into small blocks
2 spring onions
Salad dressing
100ml olive oil
40ml lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
5ml grainy mustard
1/2 tsp dried italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Drain in cold water.
Place salad leaves in serving bowl.
Mix all the ingredients together and carefully arrange on top of leaves.
Mix the ingredients for the salad dressing and pour over the salad.

Enjoy!

Linking to Stonegable's on the Menu Mondays

Menu Plan: 27 - 1 October.

Another week! And it's a Spring Break for my youngest so there needs to be a constant supply of food...

Monday:
Lamb Knuckle Stew with Herby Dumplings in the Crock Pot! (I love this pot, as I can put everything in and know at the end of the day, there's a hearty meal waiting for everyone)...the ultimate comfort food!

Recipe. (for 4 - 6 people)

800g lamb knuckles

1 large onion sliced

fresh herbs (thyme and parsley)

salt and pepper to your taste

1 tin chopped Italian tomato  and onion

1 Tbsp tomato pasata

2 carrots roughly chopped

2 leeks chopped

5 potatoes

1 lt of chicken/vegetable stock.

Fry your meat dusted with flour and seasoning together with onions and leeks until browned.

Remove from pan. Add to cooking crock together with carrots, tomato  and onion and pasata, herbs and stock. After about an hour and half when meat tender add the carrots and potatoes. Cook until tender.

Mix together a cup of flour, 2 tsps baking powder, herbs, salt and pepper. Add a beaten egg and milk.water to form a wet dough. Drop spoon fuls on top of the stew. Steam with lid on until nicely risen then turn over just before serving!

Serve with veg and rice.

Tuesday!

Apricot Glazed Chicken.

Recipe!

You could either cut a whole chicken into pieces or by 2 pkts of thighs and drumbsticks.

Brown Onion seasoning.

a cup of mayonaise

a cup of chuctney or apricot jam.

Pour the sauce over the chicken rubbed in the brown onion seasoning.

Cover the casserole dish and bake for around an hour and half on 180 degree C. until nice and golden.

Serve with a fresh green salad and crusty bread to mop up the juices!

Quick and Delicious!

Wednesday!

Flat breads..

Quick and Easy mid week supper.

Rump steak

Olive oil

1 x plain wrap per person

1 pillow pack of lettuce, baby spinach and rocket

green, yellow and red sliced peppers

sliced cucumber

Onion rings

baby tomatoes

feta cheese

olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a dressing.

Pile all the ingredients on the wrap and top with slices of seared rump .

Dress with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Thursday!

A vegetable pie!

So simple and delicious.

For the crust....rub plain flour into butter in equal portions...then I add a little seasoning and a cup of grated cheddar. Form into a ball and let it rest about 1/2 hour. Press into quiche tin , prick and bake blind for about 15 minutes...sometimes I cheat and freeze raw until I'm ready to put the filling in.

For the filling, I make a rich cheddar sauce that has a fairly thick consistency, cool and beat in 2 eggs. Add your grilled meditterranean veg or you could add asparagus, bacon, fried onion or mushrooms for other suggestions.

My sons love it with bacon and fried onion and can make a meal of this tart on it's own.

Bake for about 45mins on 200 degree C until nicely brown.

I'm making a quick salad of greens, shavings of parmessan, fried croutons and sliced biltong with a balsamic vinegrette to accompany.

Friday!

Solomon's Mom- made Hamburgers . (Build your own!)

And for the mornings.....how about a batch of these exquisite Blueberry Muffins. Recipe, Merci Monique.~♥

Please browse her index for Blueberry Muffins..you can get the recipe here...

http://latabledenana.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-daughters-muffins.html

Here's one left over from this morning that I baked...

hmmm...

Bon Apetit!

Shel

Menu for 13 - 17 September.

Monday!

fresh mushroom soup!

4 level tablspoons butter

3 level tablespoons flour

225g mushrooms, washed and sieved

4 level tsps parsley

600ml chicken stock

300ml milk

150ml double cream

1 lemon's juice

Fresh dill and capers and tiny croutons to garnish.

Blend all of the above, after frying your mushrooms in butter and flour to make a roux.

Add your chicken stock, milk, lemon juice and double cream.

Simmer and blend. Add dill, capers and mini croutons.

Serve with a cuppuchino of frothed cream on top, garnish and serve.

Follow with a gorgeous indulgent baked lasagne!

Recipe!

1 Quantity of bolognaise sauce

Pasta sheets

1 Quantity of cheese sauce.

Starting with a layer of cheeses sauce, then add pasta sheets, then bolognaise. Continue in layers until ending with white sauce. Top with grated cheese of your choice...cheddar, mozzerella, parmesan..

Serve piping hot with a crusty garlic loaf!

Tuesday!

kingklip topped with a white wine sauce!

Pan sear individual pieces of kingklip or guernard until tender. Add a dash of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Fry off some fennel seeds and capers. Add white wine and allow to reduce.. Slowly add cream and simmer 'til slightly thickened.

Serve  your fish on a banana leaf (if desired!) with baby roasted veg of your choice and for a nice touch , half a lemon tied in a piece of tuele!

Wednesday!

Steak casserole

creamy mashed potatoes.

healthy vegetables.

1 kg steak cut into cubes
2 brown onions.
4 tomatoes
1 litre beef stock.
4 carrots cut into fair size chunks.
Fresh parsley and thyme or a tsp of Italian Herbs
3 cloves of garlic
A dash of Worcester Sauce
Method:
Fry off the onions in 1 TBLS olive oil.Add tomatoes.Add the steak cubes and brown.Add the herbs,Worcester Sauce and stock.
Lastly add the carrots.
Simmer on a low heat until tender, about 1 and 1/2 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes, butternut and steamed broccoli!
Enjoy!

Thursday!

Couscous and Spring Stir fried Vegetables!

250g couscous cooked as per instructions

In a wok heat 1 Tblsp oil and 1 tsp butter.

Add and fry 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp finely chopped lemon grass.

After 2 mins add 1 Tblsp soy sauce and 1 Tblsp honey.

Add red, green and yellow peppers, mini corn, spring onion, carrot, green beans and baby marrows.

Flash fry over high heat in a wok tossing to ensure you don't burn the veg. They should be crispy and cruncy.

Place couscous in a serving dish, make a well in the middle and add the veg.

Top with pumpkin and sesame toasted seeds and a doppol of sweet chilli sauce!

I love this dish!

I have loads of fresh, peppery rocket in my garden and will serve on top with a crumbling of plain feta!

Friday!

Out to dinner to my favourite pizzeria!

I can't compete with that!

à bientôt

Menu Plan: 23rd - 27th August.

Monday: It's always a busy day for most of us, so it's good to know at the end of  a chilly winter's day, something hearty is waiting in the pot for us...and it's basically looked after itself.
If you take time to brown your meat and vegetables before transfering to the cooker, you're sure to end up with an awesome meal in your crock pot!

Slow Cooker Lamb:

Ingredients:
1kg lamb knuckles
2 chopped onions
1 clove of fresh garlic
1tsp each thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper.  2 bay leaves
2 tsps sugar
1 tin of tomato paste/pasata
Chopped celery, parsnips, carrots.
1 lt of either meat or vegetable stock.
1 tin of peeled tomatoes.
Method:  Brown the meat first rolled in a little flour with the onion and other root veg. Transfer this to the crock pot and add the stock, tomatoes, paste and herbs and seasoning. Check for seasoning as you will possibly need to add more salt and pepper.
First set the pot on high then reduce after an hour.
Serve with fresh veg and brown rice.

Tuesday:
Hearty Vegetable Soup:
Need to be healthy today and tomorrow as Thursday is Wes's birthday and we will make a celebration birthday meal for him!

Ingredients:
Roughly chop celery, leeks, carrots, onion and fry with a nice big piece of soft shin meat, bone in, this allows for extra flavour. Add 1 cup of dried split peas and a cup of barley. Add 1 lt of vegetable stock and allow to boil for altogether for about 45mins. Add salt, pepper to taste. Let this simmer for +-2hrs.
I then grate 2 potatoes on the course grater together with finely grated 2 carrots.
Let this all simmer until you are ready to serve and all the veg are nice and soft.
Serve with a crusty bread. Delicious for this chill we are experiencing just before spring!

Wednesday.
I am trying a new recipe today. I found it at Stonegable and savouring time in the kitchen.
You can click on the Stonegable link on my right hand bar! Stonegable must be one of the most beautiful blogs I have read! True inspiration. I have adjusted it to suit the Cheese we get here in S.A.
Here goes the recipe:
Baked Zucchini Pie:
3 cups grated baby marrows, squeeze the juice out.
1 small onion chopped
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of strong cheddar
1/2 cup of mozzerella
3 eggs beaten
1/4 cup oil
4 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (reserve 1 tablespoon)
1tsp each basil and thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
freshly ground black pepper.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Grease a pie plate.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Blend. Spoon the mixture into pie plate.
Bake for 40 - 45 mins til brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle over parmesan cheese reserved.
Cool and serve with a nice big green salad fill of fresh leaves dressed with balsamic, cherry tomatoes,feta, olives, avocado and garlic croutons!
Scrummy!
Thursday:
Wesley's Birthday celebration.
Slow roast leg of lamb baked for 8 hrs until the meat falls off the bone! Stuffed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and Rosemary freshly picked from my garden.
Roast potatoes, broccoli cheese, carrots in parsley and butter! and Brown rice.
For desert, I am baking (attempting!) a Dutch apple cake! with lashings of cream.
I will put the recipe for this cake up soon. But have to  say it's my son's favourite cake/desert!
Friday:
Stir fried skinless chicken, peppers, mushrooms and garlic on top of linguine with Parmesan shavings and cherry tomatoes.

Enjoy your week.
Shel

Weekly Menu Plan: 19 - 23 July 2010

Weekly Menu for 19th July - 23 July. Blog for my use (no need to read this post if you like!)

Monday:

Poule au Pot
Ingredients
One fine, fresh free-range chicken

Turnips, onions and celery

One leek

Thyme, bay and parsley for a bouquet garni

Salt and pepper

250ml Cream

50g Butter

Plain white flour



Method

Poule au Pot is a really rich and decadent dish, but it's really simple to make and needs only really simple ingredients.
This classic dish is just root vegetables, onions and a bouquet garni and they all go into the pot with the chicken and cold water.
Simmered for a few hours, the chicken is beautifully poached and has a lovely flavour.
The poaching liquid is reduced and then turned into a sauce simply with cream or possibly a béchamel sauce which gets poured back over the meat.
So first of all the water goes in the pot and the chicken is placed in there while you slice the vegetables, turnips, onions, celery and a leek.
Make a little bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaf and flat leaf parsley and pop that in there.
Pack the vegetables in around the chicken and add a little salt and pepper, but not too much. You season it at the end when you are making the sauce.
Put the lid on and let it simmer for about two hours.
After that lift out the chicken, which is meltingly poached, and take out the vegetables as well.
Now you can reduce the liquid in the same pot.
Strain this now, because there are lots of bits of leek that are still floating in it.
The stock goes back on the heat and it's going to bubble away and reduce by about half before we put the cream in and finish off the dish.
While the fresh chicken stock is reducing, make a simple roux to finish the thickening process.
Start by melting some butter in a small, heavy cast iron pan, into which you sprinkle some plain white flour, and stir it around until the flour has been completely absorbed by the butter.
It's important that the flour is completely cooked before adding the stock.
Gently and slowly pour the stock onto the roux and then do the same with the cream.
Give it a good stir and there you have it: a lovely silky sauce to pour over the chicken.
It is a hit in my home and my pic doesn't do justice to the taste and aroma!

Tuesday!


Plain old spaghetti bolognaise and a delicious Baguette filled with garlic and herb butter.

Wednesday!

Cheddar and Bacon Quiche with a green salad.. quick and easy ... I've got a school meeting and a hungry family waiting for their dinner...always a hit in my home.



Thursday!
Family dinner at dad for his 72nd! Happy Birthday dear dad x




Friday! For Eddie...

Grilled Salmon Burgers with guacamole.
1 side raw salmon
burger rolls
Guacamole.
1 red onoin,finely chopped.
1 red pepper deseeded and finely chopped.
2 avocados,mashed
coriander to garnish
Method
Cut salmon into sizes to fit rolls and sear 1 minute either side,
Combine onion, red pepper and avo in a bowl and chill.
To serve, place guacamole and coriander on the bun and top with the salmon.
Serve immediately.
Delicious. A busy week ahead!
I'll see you soon!
Shel