Yummi Yanni

Amalfi 3 - mmmm...Mozzarella di Buffalo

2009-08-29T12:03:00.011+02:00

I dream of a farm where happy Water Buffalo roam, yielding milk rich in protein and essential minerals but low in fat and cholesterol. I dream of fresh milky mozzarella, Ricotta and Gelato Limone. I dream of a farm .......

......Back to reality, this dream was sparked by our day three in Italy. Packing, early morning, into Papa's car, we set of south to the Agricultural areas south of Salerno famous for all things Buffalo, but above all MOZZARELLA.

We met up with Angelo Braca, a cousin of Papa's, who took us on a guided tour of a slick modern cheese factory. What an amazing experience! We were astounded by the sterility of the facility and at the same time equally surprised by the fair amount of manual process still involved in making top end Mozzarella....

It all starts with the curds...

...add the renit and beat in a figure of eight...

Feed through the moulding rollers..

...and a series of whey baths...

in various sizes from the small Bocconcini...

...to the plaits, that look disturbingly like space larva...

The Mozzarella are packed in bags with their liquid, by hand, and then packed in polystyrene boxes to ensure maximum freshness.

The day went from good to great at this point, as Angelo took us to an organic Buffalo farm, the exact same one I'd happened to have found on the net in my research, prior to us coming over. I was so excited to be at Tenuta Vannulo!

The original farm buildings are picturesque in the faded Pompeian red, honeysuckle and bougainvillea tumbling over the wall, while ivy scrambled up the wall from below.

The animals are kept in what seemed like buffalo five-star!

After watching the dexterity of the guys practising the age-old art of hand pinching the mozzarella balls into shape, we went to the Yogurteria for well deserved refreshments.

Very modern, yet authentic the interior is cool and crisp.

The boys were seduced into having Gelato di Buffola choccolato and Oumie an amazing Gelato Limone, which she maintains still is the best ice-cream she's ever eaten in her more than 60 years!

Soni and Papa both had Brioche, latte di Buffalo of course, with crema di limone and marmelade aranchia, respectively.Angelo and I both quenched our thirst with a deliciously tart Limonata. Thank you so very much Angelo! It was so great meeting you , and here's to years of friendship and having you guys visiting us in SA soon.

As a last thought to this post, a visual sampling of some of our fav dishes featuring mozzarella:

AntipastiGrilled bruschetta of prosciutto and mozzarella, with fresh nectarines and black figs.Fresh torn and seasoned mozzarella with bresuola and mortadella.Lastly, the ricotta. So creamy and luscious, which we mixed with some chopped prosciutto, stuffed into zucchini flowers, wrapped in prosciutto and the breaded and gently fried. Served with a squeeze of lemon these were the food of the gods!This was only the first half of day three, so more to follow....

Soni's quick Bread

2009-08-10T16:12:00.005+02:00

This is so very simple and so unbelievably delicious! We make this almost every weekend and will find any reason, no matter how obscure, to throw one together.

Soni's Quick Bread Recipe

1 packet of white onion soup (or brown or tomato or mushroom or ....)

500gm packet of self raising flour

500ml carton of buttermilk (or yogurt or stock or water...)

Mix it all together, press into a small loaf tin.

Grate over some parmesean or sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary.

Bake at 180deg for 45min or until a skewer comes out clean.

Let cool to room temp and serve with a choice of chutneys, pickles, cheeses and sausage.

Use this as a guide and be limited only by your own creativity.

Enjoy!

Amalfi 2 - The Piazza in Cava di Terreni and dinner in Cetara

2009-08-04T20:20:00.015+02:00

The charm of Cava is partly in it's relative obscurity, as it lies just off the Amalfi, about six kilometers from where Vietri perches at the southern end of the Amalfi coast, just before Salerno. We only know it because Son's dad lives here in the hills above the town. It is one of apparently only two villages in southern Italy that has colonnaded, arched walkways on either side of the main street.

The buildings surrounding the main piazza are mostly painted in the classic Italian ochre, with white trim and shutters. There is a charming central fountain, which also goes for a siesta when the rest of the town does and wakes with a gentle tinkle at 5pm to beckon all out for a passagare.

The Church on the square was destroyed and rebuilt after the war, but seems centuries old, displaying the notices of the upcoming Saints Feasts.

We had quick refreshments at Gran Cafe on the Piazza - espresso with very more-some little cheese twists, peach tea and gelato.

Well sated, we took a stroll through the park bordering the piazza, which was a cool oasis in the mid-day sun, graffiti on the park benched not withstanding. We were given a riotous welcome by the sprawling bougainvillea at the gate and were totally amazed by the massive old fir trees.

The wild life in the pond fascinated the boys, but I was sad to discover that the turtles weren't endemic to the region, they made good subjects though.

After a siesta, we set off to one our very favourite spots on the Amalfi Coast - Cetara. Unspoilt, not touristy and of the "blink and you'll miss it " variety, it's nested into the cliffs between Vietri and Maiori, at sea level.

We dined at Aqua Pazza, which despite it's contemporary take, still manages to maintain both an intimate and Amalfian atmosphere and aesthetic.

The starters consisted of sashimi di Mare, an assorted platter of raw sea food, lip-smacking fresh from the ocean, and maybe just a tad too sophisticated for the venue and occasion, but really good. The kids had a primi of simple spaghetti vongole, absolutely perfect with just a hint of lemon and garlic. Too Yummy.

We ordered a local bottle of white, Costa D'Amalfi - Terre Saracene, which with it's fresh citrus top notes, made for the perfectly paired wine for all choices for the meal.

The mains were simply a mixed grill of fresh local fish, spicy tomato based octopus, langoustine on parpadelle and a roughly chopped garden salad, all exquisitely delicious! The octopus did however take the proverbial cake...

After a very eventful and busy, long day we crammed back into Nonno's car (with Stef in the hutch at the back), and crawled our way back up the hill to SS.Annunziata.

Best burger outside NYC!!

2009-08-03T21:33:00.003+02:00

Just been for dinner with Stef @ GBC - Gourmet burger company in Durban North.
Best burger outside of NYC, 100% endorsed by my own little burger gourmet Stef, so that makes it 110% authentic. Stef had the cheddar burger with fries.

I settled for the blue cheese burger with smoked bacon and fries. We shared a house side salad and home made mayo to dip the chips!

The bill was maybe a tad expensive for a couple of burgers (Paulie did join us last minute) but well worth it! Indulge yourself when you are in the area and go!

Sunday "FEAST" market

2009-08-02T20:50:00.004+02:00

It was the launch of the FEAST market in Durban North. Pity it all but rained out, as it has all the makings of just the type of upmarket market we need. I sincerely hope Lynn and Co keep going, as the plan is to do it the first Sunday of every month.

My favourites were:

Organic veg from Earth Mother - I bought melanzane, fennel and a mix of course salt and herbs. Super fresh Proteas from Lynn, and the taster of the ribs (thanks Mairi) will have me getting some next time.

Great bakes from Debbie, who had the most scrumptious Greek sweets, which we managed to resist, but we crumbled (sic), for the huge muffins, both sweet and savoury, as well as the mini loaves.

We took home a spinach and feta loaf, which we had for dinner with home made fig jam, courtesy of Oumie. Now time for the sunday night movie and bed...

The Amalfi coast - instalment 1

2009-08-01T11:16:00.010+02:00

Arriving in Italy

We are back from a great holiday in Italy, where we stayed with Soni's Dad in Cava di Terreni, a few kilometers from where the Amalfi coast starts at the picturesque town of Vietri sul Mare. Vietri is famous for it's beautifull hand painted ceramics, and I must confess, we buckled and bought a few awesome serving pieces, but that is another instalment...

I'll be blogging about the food on our trip as well as dropping in some pics, just to make you all very envious, of the awesome scenery, classic architecture, as well as some happy snaps.

Oumie and I arrived on Sun the 12th, to join Soni, Stef and Luca who had been at Pappa since the previous thursday. He lives in the hills above Cava, where there are deliciously cool winds in the heat of mid summer.

The view from the terrace is amazing, and just to the right against the hill is a ramshackle ruin than we dream of restoring...

While Soni and the rest of the house hold went for a siesta, I went for a walk with Oumie and the Boys, who were so happy to see us after their ten day adventure with Lu & Co in London. The terrain is very rustic and hilly, so we stopped often, which was another excuse every time for a photo opportunity.

As is custom in these parts in summer, dinner was casual and late for us (9pm). Pappa drove us down to the beach promenade area of Vietri, where we were told they made the best potato croquettes in the world. Crispy outside, soft inside with melting mozzarella centres at Bar . This set the stage for the first meal of many that we shared with Soni's aunts Nelli and Angela.

The angel with Pappa. is ANGELO, Soni's six year old brother, what a gentle, charming boy and what a treat to watch Angelo, Stef and Luce communicate with a mix of pidgin English, Italian and mainly hand signals was refreshingly funny.

The only alternative to the potato croquettes was pizza - either Bianco or Rosso, sold by the slice.

We all slept well after a hour or so of the kids playing at the Gypsy fun fair and the trek back up the hill, there was a week or so worth of adventure, excitement and great meals ahead.....

Bocca di Lupo - London

2009-03-27T18:10:00.002+02:00

With the sad demise of our old Italian favourite, Gennaro Contaldo's Passione in Charlotte str, it was with delight that we dined at Bocca di Lupo!

It is tutta L'Italiano!

Chef Jacob Kennedy delights with a contemporary take on Cucina povera. We dined at the bar, and were all truly satisfied and thrilled with the dishes.

Rob had the Rustic pork & foie gras sausage with farro & porcini from Trentino, Nibs t
Trofie with green beans, potato & pesto from Liguriahe, Shirley the Veal scallopini with artichokes & lemon from Lazio and I had the Braised beef cheeks on berlotti beans with pesto.

The sides were equally inspiring, Berlotti beans, roasted potatoes with rosemary and chestnuts an crispy deep fried artichokes.

We rounded it off with espresso, Vin Santo and a deliciously sharp Gorgonzola.

When in London make the effort:

Bocca di Lupo
12 Archer street (Soho)
London W1D 77B

Sea-side Meals - Magic Mussels

2009-02-07T08:26:00.011+02:00

Love mussels? Who doesn't. but most people feel too daunted by the thought of cooking them - don't, the biggest challenge is finding a stock pot big enough to cook them in! I had a bit of a problem on that account at the cottage, but in the end it was two pots (pasta and pressure) that did the job.

For the base sauce:

1 bunch of celery, tops and stalks chopped.

1 Spanish onion, sliced into thin half rings

A thumb size piece of stem ginger, finely sliced

A few cloves of crushed and minced garlic

2 Tins of whole Italian tomatoes

A bottle of fine white wine (and extra for the chef!)

Saute the onion, garlic and celery in olive oil and a generous knob of butter till soft but not coloured.

We had the kids with some of their mates with us, so I held back the chili, but if all diners can handle add the chili to the onion mix now.

Add the ginger and then the wine, cook off the alcohol for a minute or two and then add the tomatoes, chopping them roughly in the pot with a knife.

This sets the scene for the mussels!

The mussels need to be cleaned of all beard and soaked and rinsed to clear all sand and grit.

Tip into the pot (...or pots in this case), mix through ensuring there is enough cooking liquid and if not add some boiling water. Fit a tight lid and leave the mussels to steam for 6 to 8 minutes or until they have opened.

Heap onto a shallow, wide serving dish and serve with fresh crusty bread to mop up the sauce with.

The amazing cooking liquor left in pot, fragrant with all the mussels natural juices were being to be whipped into another dish! What to do? Freeze for future use or....

.... cook a pack of spaghetti in the sauce,(add a little water if needed), and serve with some of the de-shelled mussels and bread crumbs crisped in the oven for crunch.

Whilst the adults were diving elbow deep into the juicy, plump mussels, it was the quite rapture and slurp-sigh of the kids tucking into the pasta, that was most gratifying....check it out!

Old Years Eve '08 Feast - Roast Lamb, Pork Belly....

2009-01-10T12:35:00.011+02:00

We, as always, escaped the New Years Eve's madness and spent it at the cottage. Paulie, Sabrina and Luigi joined us for a meaty feast and some lovely veggies from Son. All this with the ocean in the background and the Mtwalume night sky bursting with a riot of rainbow colour from the surrounding fireworks.

Luigi did an all too succulent Leg of Lamb, that according to urban legend took copious amounts of scotch to lubricate the chef and his helper during the four hours it took to cook.

Soni's Veggies took the form of roasted bean and potatoes with pine nuts and ricotta stuffed mushrooms.

...and I couldn't resist the temptation and my contribution was a juicy Pork Belly.

With all the attention on the meat going around, we all forgot dessert - Soni and Sabrina to the rescue! Marshmallow and Nutella SURPRISE!

Pinwheels

2009-01-10T11:12:00.004+02:00

Sonia was quick to the rescue when the boys were looking for a sweet biscuit and we had none in the store cupboard. The variety of potential fillings are endless and the boys had loads of fun making, baking and eating these.

Roll out a pack of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, divide evenly into three sections along the width and spread each with a filling of choice. We used peanut butter and honey on the first, cinnamon and brown sugar on the second and chocolate spread on the third.

Roll up on the short side into a tube and slice into 5mm sections. Lay these on their sides on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.

They are great with a coffee or as a topping to ice cream. Enjoy!

Crayfish Lunch on the deck @ La Vista

2009-01-09T08:59:00.005+02:00

It is always with great awe and excitement that I look at the bounty of the ocean. We were lucky enough to get a clutch of crayfish whilst on holiday at our South Coast cottage.

I made a bouillon of white wine, celery, lemon, onion and parsley, in which I poached the whole crays three at a time (we were spoilt! 9 awesome specimens!)

Once the juicy delectable meat was extracted from the shells we decided to keep it simple, and I served the tails on a bed of dressed rocket with course salt and pepper to sprinkle, sliced red chili on the side and a homemade aoli with a vicious garlic kick.

No words can describe....

Christmas '08 - Instalmant 6 - Dessert

2009-01-09T08:48:00.006+02:00

By the time one comes the the PUD on Christmas day, most of us feel like "Not just now! Maybe later?" For this reason we have developed the habit of keeping dessert much simpler and lighter for both ourselves and our guests, and it takes the form of a sweet treat, late afternoon.

This year the traditional Italian Panetone was a chocolate, much to the delight of the kids young and old. We served this dusted with cocoa, chocolate puffs and fresh cherries macerated in Frangelico liqueur.

I also made ice-cream the day before. Lemon-curd based with dried cranberries and a twist of lime.

The kids had theirs in cones, whilst most of the adults had the panetone with the ice-cream, splashed with Frangelico - Yummy!

Christmas '08 - Instalment 5 - Side Dishes

2009-01-09T08:24:00.005+02:00

The side dishes:

Mixed garden salad with Mint, Cranberries and fennel.

Washed mixed salad leaves of your choice.

A generous handful of dry roasted hazel nuts.

1 fennel bulb sliced very thinly on the diagonal.

Small bunch of fresh mint.

Half cup of dried cranberries.

10 caper berries.

Dress the salad leaves, fennel, berries and mint in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Layer on a salad platter, scatter with the nuts and caper berries and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon.

New potatoes and beans in mustard dressing

500g each of new potatoes and runner beans
large white onion
1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard
1 crushed and minced garlic clove
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Parboil the potatoes in salted water until soft. In a separate saucepan do the same with the beans that have been top and tailed, and cut into bite size pieces, along with the finely sliced onion. Mix the potatoes, onion and beans and let cool.
Heat the olive oil in a small pan, take off the heat and add the garlic to infuse the oil. When luke warm, add the mustard to the oil and beat with a whisk till it emulsifies into a creamy sauce. Mix into the potato and beans and serve at room temperature.

Roasted Roma tomatoes, with Ricotta, pesto and pine nuts.

1 kg Roma tomatoes

350gm Ricotta

1 Jar of organic basil Pesto

Half a cup of dry roasted pine nuts

1 garlic bulb, cleaned into cloves

1 Jar of organic marinated artichokes

Cap the tomatoes and de-seed, spoon in the ricotta and drizzle with pesto and top with the pine nuts. Place in a oiled oven dish, and scatter baby tomatoes, whole peeled garlic and marinaded artichokes in between. Roast in a medium, hot oven (180 deg C) for 20 minutes.

Christmas '08 - Instalment 4 - Parma Fillet

2009-01-08T20:41:00.009+02:00

For the Beef Parma:

Good quality organic beef fillet - 200 to 250g per guest
Mushrooms of choice
Parma ham slices to cover the fillet
minced garlic
small green chili
Saute the mushrooms, garlic and chili in olive oil till soft, put aside.
On a clean, dry work surface, lay cling film long and wide enough to roll up the fillet. Lay the parma ham in overlapping fashion and spread with the mushroom mix. Brown the fillet in a griddle pan, while you heat the oven to a moderately hot temperature.

Rest the fillet for 10 minutes, than place in the centre of the parma and mushrooms. Roll up using the cling film, making sure the fillet is totally covered, wrap tightly in the cling film and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.

Remove the cling film and place in the hot oven and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, rest for 10 and carve.

Serve on a bed of rocket, scattering all the crunchy parma bits, left on the board after carving, over the top.

Christmas '08 - Instalment 3 - Dorado in Salsa Verde

2009-01-08T20:04:00.005+02:00

What can beat the idea of fresh Dorado with Herbs? Even better the ease of this dish on a hot summers day - Christmas or not.

With the fish butterflied and oven ready, all I had to do was rub generously with olive oil and Maldon salt, spread the inside with fennel, dill, oregano and lemongrass. Be generous with the lemon juice, wrap in foil and pop into the oven for 20 to 25 min.

For the salsa, pick and wash two generous hands full of Basil and the same quantity of baby spinach. Wilt the spinach in a pan with salt and a little water, combine with the basil, a table spoon of toasted pine nuts, half a cup of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, two crushed garlic cloves, freshly ground pepper and half a cup of Italian parsley. Blitz all together in a blender till smooth and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Plate the cooked Dorado on a wide platter and surround with the Salsa Verde.

Christmas '08 - Instalment 2 - The Savoury Phyllo Tarts

2009-01-08T11:11:00.006+02:00

Soni's Savoury Phyllo Tarts

Son came across this a few years ago on a girls night out.

All you really need is thawed ready made Puff Pastry, Imagination and a pre-heated oven at 180 C.

For the appetizer on Christmas day, Son made 2:

Parma ham, Gorgonzola, Fig preserve and Chili, garnished with Rocket.

Tomato, Mushroom and Mozzarella

Lightly roll out the dough and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the inner part of the dough with olive oil, leaving a rim of about 1.5 cm, un-oiled.

Layer the ingredients, always ending with the cheese, if you are using any. Fresh herbs must always be added after the baking process.

Bake in the hot oven for approximately 20 minutes until the pastry is cooked through at the centre and puffed and golden brown on the crusts . Carefully slide onto a wooden board, cut into squares, and serve.

Tip:

For dinner parties, take a bit of extra time and make individual tarts. The average Puff pastry sheet should give you 6 generous portions to serve on their own, or 9 smaller single portions to serve with a side salad as starters.

Once you've tried these they will become a standard in your repertoire, as the combinations are only limited by your imagination. These are also excellent to rustle up a snack with for unexpected visitors, using what ever you find in your store cupboard and fridge.

Christmas 08 - Instalment 1 - Soni's table

2009-01-07T17:54:00.007+02:00

Christmas '08 started off as going to be , not the usual whole extended family thing, but rather just us and Oumie, with minimal fuss and something tasty but with minimal effort. Well as always....it changed and ended up as being, to quote from that ubiquitous 'Dinner for one' Old Years classic, "The same procedure as every year, James"

As there was multiple dishes and lots to post on, I'll be doing this in segments over the next two days or so.

Instalment 1 - Soni's Table

The colour theme this year was Black and White, with Cerise Pink.

The details of the Look:

Black and White sateen stripe table cloth.

Black and White Polka dot and Pink Rose napkins, layered alternately by place setting, held together with either a pink bauble or faux diamond ring serviette ring.

Clear glass and black cut glass drink ware, with white antique dinner ware, and silver cutlery.

Metallic Black and Silver crackers for the Boys and whimsical pink fairies for the Girls.

Pink double dip candles in silver plates with pink and black jelly-beans, and pink foil wrapped chocolate truffles and party favours.

A centre piece of Cerise Gerbera's floating in a glass bowl with black pebbles.

It blew everyone away, as always! Soni is a creative genius!

16 Dec, Pre-Christmas-Christmas @ Greg and Elsie

2009-01-07T14:25:00.008+02:00

On the 16th of December, in the great southern hemisphere summer heat, we had a traditional Christmas Lunch at Greg and Elsie.

There were the girls...

...and a few Good Men...

Greg was a demon on the Weber with a great, big, fat bird! He also juggled the gas braai and delivered perfectly crisp Chirizo to nibble on, (and it wasn't as dainty as nibble sounds!), whilst the Main attraction was being put together.

It was cooked to perfection and I got hustled into carving the Beast....err Bird.

Liz contributed a succulent roasted Gammon, and there was a host of Yummy side dishes, not least of all these mouthwatering, bacon wrapped potatoes, Elsie's Mom's receipe, which She used to make as a tradition for Christmas.

By the time the dessert had to come out, which we'd been responsible for, we were all well oiled!

So I added fat to the fire and served the World's most decadent Chocolate Pots, on demand from Elsie, with a nice sweetish dessert wine.

175g 70% chocolate, 2 egg, 2 tbl spoon of strong coffee, 2 tbl spoon of coffee liqueur and 285ml cream.

Blend all the ingredients except the cream in a blenders, whilst heating the cream to just below boiling. Pour the hot cream into the running blender in a slow stream and continue blending until colour is even and consistent.

Pour into espresso cups and chill until set.

As a variation I did two lots, the first with a chili chocolate, garnished with the chocolate truffle, and the second batch with Kirsch instead of coffee liqueur, garnished with fresh cherries. I served with dessert wine and chocolate biscotti to dip with. Unbelievably Triple Yummy!

13 December - Anniversary Dinner

2009-01-02T07:14:00.012+02:00

The 13th of December was our 11th Anniversary, and to celebrate Soni and I had full day and evening planned!

Soni treated me to a whole day of pampering at the Mangwanani Spa @ Sibaya, http://www.mangwanani.co.za/, which was awesome, and we walked away feeling fresh and rejuvenated. Thanks my Baby!

I cooked her a three course meal at home that evening:

Heirloom Tomatoes,

stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach and Sun dried Tomatoes, on garden Greens

Seared Tuna,

wrapped in Proscuitto di Parma, on Polenta with roasted, seasonal Vegetables

Pasteis de Nata,

with toasted Hazel nuts, Honey and fresh Cherries

A very ambitious menu, but by Soni's reaction a Winner!

Stuffed Tomatoes

1 medium Tomato per person, a small tub of fresh Ricotta, a small bunch of baby Spinach, 2 or 3 Anchovy fillets and a third cup of chopped Sun dried Tomatoes. To serve, Garden greens like assorted Salad leaves and marinated whole Caper Berries.

Blanch the Spinach till just wilted. Mix the Sun dried Tomatoes, Anchovies and cooled Spinach and chop roughly. Mix in with the ricotta and spoon into the hollowed out tomato cases, and bake in a moderate oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

In the meantime dress the greens with a good quality olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Nest on the serving plates, plate the roasted Tomatoes on top and drizzle with chopped Sun dried tomatoes and garnish with the Caper berries.

Seared Tuna

About 250g of Tuna for two, Harissa paste and 6 to 8 slices Prosciutto di Parma, for the main portion of the dish. Assorted seasonal vegetables(I used baby squashes and zuchinni), trimmed to roast and 150g of instant Polenta.

Rub the tuna with the Harrisa paste and sear in a hot griddle pan. Allow to cool, slice into 2.5 cm fingers and wrap them in the Prosciutto.

Roast the vegetables and when done, pop the wrapped tune into the oven briefly for the Prosciutto to crisp - DON'T OVER COOK THE TUNA!

Prepare the Polenta as per manufacturers instructions.

Plate the Polenta, surround with the roasted veg and top with the Tuna fingers.

Pasteis de Nata

1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 vanilla bean, 1 cup white sugar, 6 egg yolks, 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups and line bottom and sides with puff pastry.

In a saucepan, combine milk, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into egg yolks. Gradually add egg yolk mixture back to remaining milk mixture, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Remove vanilla bean.

Fill pastry-lined muffin cups with mixture and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is lightly browned on top.

Toast half a cup of Hazel nuts in a dry pan, remove from the heat and cool. Drizzle with Honey and swirl around the tart and garnish with the fresh cherries.

I hope you attempt some of these! The tomato starter is really easy, the Tuna fingers takes mostly preparation time but well worth it and the dessert can be done in 2 minutes if you get the tarts from a bakery, (which I have to admit I did!)

NABC - Christmas dinner, 27 November, Gaby's Tosca

2008-12-22T11:54:00.007+02:00

The boys gathered for the last dinner of the year at Gaby's Tosca in Durban North , with the exception of Paul B who was in China, Jay had his company Christmas party and Kane? Well we're all still guessing, he'll have to update us at the January dinner, with force if we have to!

Greg, Paulie, Max, Little Sol, Solly, Grey and I were all there and more than made up for it!

The shots are bad and very grainy, but photo quality wasn't the priority of the night.

We had assorted mezzo to start with the usual Portuguese suspects like Peri-Peri chicken livers, grilled calamari, chili steak strips etc.

The food was real simple but really, really great!

Chicken as Peri-Peri spatch-cock or half bird with prawns.

Espatada of beef.
Grilled sardines!

Portuguese steak!

Yum-Yum-Yum!

22 November - Simple Seafood Lunch

2008-12-22T11:16:00.009+02:00

Soni had been craving seafood, so whilst doing some shopping I was lucky to find both fresh scallops and clams. It was unbearably hot so there was no way I was spending hours in the kitchen, so this is what we did:

Pan fried Scallops with Mozambican Masavaroo.

Clean the scallops, season with salt and lemon juice and flash fry in butter and olive oil until just done. Put them back in their shells and dress with the chili and serve with lemon wedges.

Spaghetti Vongole

Make a Soffrito:

Take a small bunch of Italian parsley, 3 anchovy fillets and a handful of spring onions, chop finely. Crush 4 garlic cloves and chop roughly. Zest 1 large lemon and braise lightly with all the above.

When the onion is translucent, add white wine to taste (about half a bottle should do), as well as 3 or 4 chopped Roma tomatoes. Season.

In the mean time, whilst the tomatoes soften, ensure the clams are well rinsed and clean. Add the clams to the tomato mix with a handful or so of stoned Calamata olives, seal the pan with a tight fitting lid and steam on a moderate heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until the clams have opened.

Add some freshly chopped parsley and a dash of cream.

Serve on al dente Linguine - Enjoy!

22 November - The best FLATTIE in Durban.

2008-12-22T11:10:00.009+02:00

For those who are in the know, in this case Brad Evans, the best flattie (spatchcock chicken) in Durban is at the Ski Boat Club at the Point. In young Brad's own words "Finger licking, best chicken in the whole, entire world! ".

Well he was so right! Juicy, succulent and made even better with a side bowl of the chef's own curry sauce to dip with. Add a few fries and what more could a young man want after a morning in the surf and sun?

The folks all had a few beers to wash this down with, so everyone was happy in the sun!

For those in Durbs, this is a great family venue, no airs and graces, cheap and cheerful, with the best view in Durban.

15 November. Dinner @ Beanbag Bahia

2008-12-22T10:35:00.010+02:00

Beanbag Bahia, in Umdloti, north of Durban - The sister restaurant of the Durban stalwart Beanbag in Windermere rd. Soni and I went for dinner with our mates Liz, Greg and Elsie.

The setting is awesome, right across the road from the beach, at night though there is no view, but still the sound of the crashing waves as background.

The interior design is great, a retro feel with tropical wall paper, contemporary lighting and a mix of modern moulded ABS chairs as well as a sence of nostalgia provided by great fifties rattan chairs. This was aproject of the internationally reknowned design team at EGG designs, husband and wife team, Greg and Roche Dry.

We started with a mix of Oyster shots, raw oysters in a Bloody Mary, and the warm Caprese salad, cherry tomatoes and bochoncicni in abalsamic vinegrette on rocket leaves. All Bloody marvelous!

The mains were spicy calamari, served with couscous, Prawn pasta and slow braised rabbit on polenta. Whilst the calamari was great, the balance of the mains were at best ok (WITH ABOUT 3 PRAWNS PER SERVING!), and the rabbit tough and very difficult to eat out of the oversized bowl it was served in.

The service was intermittant, if that.

The evening was great fun tough, due to the copiuos amounts of red wine (great one Liz!) and awesome company and conversation.

I have however, only heard great reports from everyone that has gone there for lunch, it must be the view, so to be fair we'll give it another go - For lunch this time!

Lemony Lamb Shanks - Sunday Lunch - 9 November

2008-11-22T14:41:00.005+02:00

It all started with half a bottle or so worth of red wine left from Saturday's lunch. That and the great lamb shanks found at the butchery at Ever fresh, our local organic market.

I marinated the shanks in:

half bottle(or so) of red

2 tablespoons of soy and 1 of brown sugar

2 lemons cut into chunks

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

thumb size node of fresh ginger, grated

a splash of balsamic

1 cup of olive oil

lime juice, salt and pepper to taste

Marinade for at least 4/5 hours, and then the real trick - slow roast over night at 100 to 120 degrees Celsius (low, warm oven) with all the lemon pieces, until the meat is literary falling off the bone.

I served this with pan juices, thickened into gravy and couscous with dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts.

Dessert is a summer time classic in South Africa:

Freshly picked cling peaches, cut in half and stoned. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. grill till the peaches are soft and the honey sticky and bubbling. serve with fresh custard, clotted cream or just a simple home made vanilla ice cream.

Simple thing that give us warm fuzzies - Enjoy!

Dinner with Miss Jones - Saturday 8 November

2008-11-15T17:41:00.003+02:00

Miss Jones was in town, and seeing we haven't had her around in years, due to her relocation to Cape Town, this was a major occasion, calling for a special meal cooked by yours truly.

The menu was simple with a few hidden surprises.

We started with a Garden Salad:

Selected mixed greens of your choice layered on a shallow platter.
Crunchy, firm Pears of your choice (approx 1 apple to 2 guests)
Creamy, rough skin Avocado (Optional if not in season)
A handful of Rosa tomatoes, halved.
Finely chopped shallot.
Strong cheese of your choice. (I used crumbly textured Simonsberg blue)
Toasted Pine nuts to dress.

Layer all the ingredients on a shallow platter and dress just before serving with olive oil and balsamic, season to taste and scatter pine nuts over.

The Main was an old standby - Fillet of Beef, wrapped in in mushroom and Parma ham, served with Minted Pea Mash, mixed, buttered garden greens and topped with potato sticks.

For the Mash, boil one medium potato and Quarter cup of frozen peas, per guest, in salted water until tender, mash with a generous knob of butter and enough milk to render into a creamy finish. Fluff with a fork and mix in ciffonade mint to taste.

For the Beef Parma:

Good quality organic beef fillet - 200 to 250g per guest
Mushrooms of choice
Parma ham slices to cover the fillet
minced garlic
small green chili

Saute the mushrooms, garlic and chili in olive oil till soft, put aside.

On a clean, dry work surface, lay cling film long and wide enough to roll up the fillet. (I did forget to take pics of this process - sorry, you'll have to wait for a next time) Lay the parma ham in overlapping fashion and spread with the mushroom mix.

Brown the fillet in a griddle pan, while you heat the oven to a moderately hot temperature.

Place the fillet on the parma/mushrooms and carefully roll up, using the cling film, rest foe a few minutes, remove the cling film and place in the hot oven and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, rest for 10 and carve.

Serve with the hot buttered green and Minty Pea Mash. Mmmmmmmmm...

NABC - Dinner 4

2008-11-15T09:18:00.005+02:00

I've been hectic, things are CRAZY, but it's no reason for not posting, so apologies!

About four months ago a bunch of us started a dinner club - NABC - it's a revenge club for us to counter act the wives's book clubs! Not Another Book Club!! Initially there was F... floating around the middle as well, but we thought we'll keep things tidy!

So this is how things work is there are 10 of us, each month a different guy acts as host on the last Thursday evening. The host chooses the restaurant, makes the booking, circulates the details and basically makes it happen. Sounds like fun?? You bet!

We've done four so far:

July, I hosted at Market.
August, Max hosted at Dish.
September, Solly Jr hosted at 9th Ave Bistro.
October, Graham hosted at Cafe 1999.

I've got no pics of the first three, but lots memories of great food and fun times, but I'm not gonna back track, I will however commit to post details of our meals (or at least those sitting around me and my own) from here on.

Cafe 1999

What a vibe!!!!!

I hadn't been to Cafe 1999 in a long time. This restaurant has been around for a while, as the name suggests, as a matter of fact the last time was when Andre Schubert was still the owner (he is now the proprietor of Market, and Arts Cafe at ACKZN Gallery). It was like nothing (except a barely noticeable decor update) has changed. A Tapas style menu, as good as always and way ahead of the trendy fashion curve, still had almost all the guys ordering the same meal - it never happens! So in the main it was Grilled calamari on glass noodles for most, with Paulie doing deep fried Anchovies and myself having parma wrapped figs, stuffed with bleu.

For Mains it was a full-house of Pan fried Lamb Fillet, served on herbed mash with a spicy tommato sauce, topped with Gremolata. Graham, who's a regular, suggested a substitution of the mash with the porcini risotto, which most of the guys opted for.

Great food, great company!!!!

Eating business in Hong Kong and China

2008-10-28T13:21:00.000+02:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I've been on business in China and Hong Kong. some of the gastronomical highlights, not that we had much time for anything but work, were:

AQUA - Hong Kong

Located in Kowloon's new designer fashion capital, One Peking Road, Aqua redefines destination dining with its ultra-stylish interiors, stunning harbour and city views, and its innovative combination of Italian and Japanese cuisine.

Aqua presents to the right of the sultry, mirrored entrance, Aqua Roma, a contemporary tribute to Italian style with seamlessly tiered banquette seating that guarantees an uninterrupted harbour view from every table.

Dinner was courtesy of Shaz and her team from Home Habitz, with the ever charming Sunny, their Hong Kong agent playing perfect host.

We started with a shared platter of super fresh, well prepared sushi - Yum!!!

Whilst the ribeye steak proved a popular choice for mains, Shaz opted for the pigeon breast which sounded and looked scruptious, Shirley had the sundried tomato pesto on Penne and I chose the Slow braised Beef Cheeks served with Sweetcorn Polenta, seared Foie Grass and Porcini jus. Heaven - yes the Aqua way!

The G @ the Grand Hyatt - Guangzhou

Located on Level 22 and famous for its steak and seafood, grilled to perfection in wood-fired ovens, G is a stylish and contemporary restaurant with panoramic views of the city’s new Central Business District.

We started with a sumptious, crisp Ceasar Salad, accompanied with one of the most surprising whites I've had in a long time, an Oyster Bay Savignon Blanc form New Zealand - double YUM!

Various cuts of steak abounded, with yours truly opting for a simple ribeye with rocket and roasted rosa tomatoes, blanched asparagus and grilled seasonal veggies, all of which I shared with our host Jaya. Thanks Jay, the fare was awesome and the company even better!

On the way home to SA, the ever green favourite for a refeul on a long haul is the Wild Fire in Hong Kong airport, were all is good and the only thing better will be to get home faster!

The burger did hit the spot!! I'll be back to normal posting for the next few weeks.

Sunday 19 October - Happy Birthday Max!!!

2008-10-19T19:53:00.000+02:00

It has been a very busy weekend! no less than two 4oth birthdays! Happy birthday to Liz on Saturday, we had a blast at the Haloween party on saturday night!

Happy Birthday to our old friend Max today! It is almost unbelievable that we've been great mates for almost half of that time (19 years to be exact).

We spent the afternoon with Max, Nikki, Graydon and Ashton, as well as all their close family and friends at their charming home and what a feast we had!

Max and Nikki never fail to outdo themselves with superbly fresh and lovingly prepared spreads, for this special occasion they served a lushious medium rare fillet dressed with caramelised onions, roasted tomatoes and pine nuts - YUM. Pesto fettucine, fisy balls, Lasagne, apple and feta salad and crispy fresh baguette completed the buffet spread.

How scruptious does all of this look?! Everone tucked in...

The true show stoppers were the amazing desserts! Nikki was the mistress of the kitchen and produced almost like magic, a new take on the classic Pavlova, check this out.

Then the creamiest Creme Caramel...

We were utterly seduced by the sweet treats, which also offered an amazing almond tart, by Nikki's Mum Barbara, and a fruit and nut fridge tart. Watch this space, as I will be getting my hands on the Almond tart receipe and will post it step by step in the near future.

Enjoy whatever makes your taste buds tingle during the next two weeks, I'll be away in China on business and will post again Sunday two weeks from now ... Ciao

Sunday 12 October - Prego Rolls

2008-10-12T17:04:00.000+02:00

What an awesome day it was in Durbs today! We woke up to a bright and hot (already at 7am) sun glistening on the ocean, the glare so bright I couldn't see the ships waiting for berth outside the habour.

The boys ventured into the still freezing pool for the first swim of the summer yesterday, so with the amazing weather, I knew today will be spent round the pool. I was also feeling a bit lazy, so the only option for lunch was - PREGO ROLLS!

As far as I know these are a very South African/Mozambiquean Portuguese.

What you'll need is:

Enough Rump or Rib-eye to feed the number of people your cooking for.
Minced chilli salsa (I use my mate Greg's - will post this when he makes his next batch!)
A good organic Humus - not South African or Portuguese, just my twist.

Grill the steaks to your prefrance (ours was medium rare for the kids)

So what next? The garden yielded some crispy salad greens, tomatoes and some stunted pygmy carrots (too small even for Jumper the bunny) but perfect for the salad.

From the fridge: Organic goats cheese, green olives stuffed with garlic slivers and radishes.

Serve the salad platter, which I dressed with balsamic and extra virgin olive oil, sliced steak and chicken (for the kids!) with crusty portuguese rolls, warm from the oven.

The best way to eat this, or at least my favourite way is to break the roll in two, wedge some salad (make sure you get some goats cheese!) and some steak strips in the half rolls and top with humus and chili!

As we say here in South Afrika ......... mmmmmm ......... MMMMM ......... LEKKER!

Sunday 5 October - Spiced Pork Belly

2008-10-12T13:15:00.000+02:00

I’ve been craving Pork Belly for some time now. Whilst out getting some provisions yesterday, I spotted the perfect cut at a local butcher, and I buckled and bought! so needless to say it is SPICY PORK BELLY for lunch today.

Spice Mix

Dry roast a generous pinch of each:

Mustard seeds

Coriander seeds

Fenugreek seeds

Cumin seeds

Fennel seeds

Piece of cinnamon stick

Cardomom pod

Star Anise

Grind the mix down after dry roasting in a pestle and mortar.

Brush the meaty side of the Belly with a good quality Soy Sauce (I prefer Tamarind) and the rub with spice mix then season with Maldon salt to taste. Put skin side up in a roasting tin.

In order to get a good crackling the skin needs to be bone dry. Sprincle with Maldon salt and roast in a pre-heated oven, at 150 degree C, for 2.5 to 3 hours.

I’ll serve the Belly with Couscous to mop up the pan juices, Green beans with Garlic and Freshly picked Spinach from our garden (check out the pic of my son Stefano doing the prep). and to wash this all down a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio.

Bon Appitito!