Red Onion Confit

This is my second entry in Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this time by Chris from Mele Cotte. Chris you do have lots of entries I am going to need a holiday to get to see them all. Sorry that I missed out last week with the founder of the Weekend Herb Blogging event Kayln hosting. Read more

Recipe Request

Tonight I had a request for this particular dish.

Panfried scallops with tomato, onion, capsicum & avocado salpicon, lemon butter sauce.

You need; 3 scallops with shell, 3 scallops no shell. Dice of tomato, red capsicum & avocado. Fine dice of red onion. For the butter sauce reduce 200ml of white wine, add a tables spoon of fish stock concentrate & 200ml double (thick) cream, reduce by half. Now stir in 200g cold diced butter. This will thicken the sauce, give it flavour, colour & body. Season with salt & pepper & a generous squeese of lemon juice. Remove the scallops from the shell & boil the shells. Place the dry shells on to a plate of rock salt (this will help keep them level). Mix your diced ingreadients with some butter sauce & place in the shells. In a very hot pan add just a little clarified butter (ghee) place in the seasoned scallops, turn after about 30 seconds (depending on size) do not overcook, or they will be like rubber. Arrange the scallops ontop of the salpicon, garnish with crispy leek julienne & dry fish roe if you have it.  Happy cooking ;-)

Cape Town Lamb Curry

This just has to be one of the most popular curry dishes that have ever been on the menu……

This recipe I have from working in Switzerland from a chef that was in South Africa. Simple, tender and tasty.

What you need; 200ml vegetable oil, 5kg lamb shoulder dice, 3kg sliced onion, the same volume of onion in tomatoes cut in quarters, 200g garlic, 200g ginger puree, 4 limes, 150g curry powder (Clive of India)

What to do; heat a large pot with a wide base, add oil and onion, cook with lid on until soft with little colour, add the garlic and diced lamb and season well with salt and pepper. Cook with the lid on over low heat until the juice appears from the meat and onion, approximately 20 minutes. Now add the tomatoes, ginger and curry powder. Allow to cook without lid for about 1 1/2 hours. Squeeze the limes and add the juice. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Store in the refrigerator. Reheat and serve with your favourite rice and poppadoms. Most curries taste better when reheated. Try for yourself and see.         Happy cooking…….

Chocolate Rum Balls

What with the feeling of Christmas coming and the love of chocolate in most of us, I thought that I would share with you this simple recipe for Chocolate Rum Balls. Do your self a favour though, get your hands on the best chocolate that you can, believe me it makes the difference in almost all chocolate recipes.

You will need; 480g Butter, 8 Egg yolks, 150g Cocoa, 500g Icing sugar, 6 shots Rum and 1.2 kg Chocolate grated.

This should make you 160 balls, depending on how much you eat and how big you roll the balls!!

Cream the butter with the Yolks in your mixer. When light and fluffy add the cocoa and sugar, allow this to mix in ( turn the speed on slowly or you will get it all in the face) Add the rum and a kilo of the chocolate, the rest you will need to roll the balls in. Place in the fridge. (warning don’t taste it as you won’t be able to stop) When cool, shape into small rounds with your hands. The balls now roll them in the grated chocolate and then store them in airtight containers in the fridge. You could also roll them in coconut, pistachio, hundreds & thousands etc, just use your imagination. Enjoy