feeling figgy

Hello. So today's exploit took place in a foreign kitchen somewhere in my home-province of KwaZulu-Natal. Inspiration for this post was found (repeatedly) at a delight of a restaurant called Brenaissance. We have frequently enjoyed a similar pizza at their lovely little cafe situated on a wine farm on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. If you get a chance to pop in there, be sure to try out their Rose Geranium & Berry Bliss cordial drink, its exquisite on a warm summer day. 

The pizza base recipe was borrowed from the beloved Jamie Oliver - when in doubt, trust Jamie. An expert pizza maker friend conveniently walked in just at the crucial kneading step of this recipe, and gave me a few cheeky tips to perfect the process - many of which I've tried to include within this recipe. This link might help you with the typical kneading technique.

I may be speculating - or cheesifying - but I think the trick here is to just have fun, knead with a merry heart, and know that when dough, cheese and tomato paste are combined with love, the outcome will still delight the soul. 

biltong, avocado, feta & fig pizza

with fresh rocket and a sweet fig balsamic reduction

[creates 4 - 5 medium pizzas]

500g cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

7g dried yeast

1/2 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

325ml lukewarm water


3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 to 2 rounds of soft danish feta

250g rare biltong, sliced thinly

1 avocado, sliced thinly

1 large fig, preserved in syrup and chopped into small chunks

handful fresh rocket

balsamic reduction  - we used Poetry's Balsamic Syrup Dried Fig which is arguably the most spectacular balsamic reduction on Earth, if you can't get a hold of this, I suggest combining some of the syrup from the fig preserve with the balsamic reduction to create something similar to this figgy bliss


sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle 

in a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and set aside for 5 minutes

pour the yeast mixture into the well

using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid

continue mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in

when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands

knead until you have a smooth, springy dough

place the ball of dough in a large olive oil greased bowl and rub the exposed surface of the dough with a small amount of olive oil

 cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size

* you can speed up this process by placing the dough (in a bowl covered by a damp cloth) in the oven at a very low temperature - perhaps 60 degrees celsius. After it has risen for 10 minutes, take the bowl out of the oven and "punch-in" the dough, so that it almost deflates a little. Repeat this process once more and your dough should be ready to use. Wrap it up in cling wrap and freeze it if you'd like to use it at a later time

place the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and knead it briefly to push the air out with your hands – this is called knocking back the dough 

voila! roll out your dough to your preferred shape and size and pop it in the oven on a lightly flour-dusted baking sheet at 200 degrees celsius until it starts to lift off the surface and is just starting to brown

covered your pizza base with 1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste and danish feta 

place the pizza back into the oven until it is looking crispy and delicious

remove the pizza from the oven and dress it with the biltong, sliced avocado, fig chunks, rocket and your figgy balsamic reduction

eat up

and happy fooding!

happy hippie birthday

Hello. So it was Carmie's birthday last Saturday (Hip Hip Hooray). She gave me (absurdly) rigid instructions on how she would like her birthday cake to look... "80's...kitsch...100s and 1000s." The challenge was cheekily accepted and this was the result... 

The sponge cake turned out delightfully light and moist. It behaved - as a simple recipe such as this one should - and seemed to fulfil all of her specifications. 

You can change it up a bit with different decorations etc. This recipe should give you enough batter to make 2 round cakes (20-25cm in diameter). 

To explain the post's title... our official room birthday song is Happy Hippie Birthday by Soko. It's not the happiest of songs, but she's great. 

Anyhoo. Happy baking!

the classic kitsch birthday cake

400g salted butter 

400g castor sugar

8 medium eggs

400g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

250g icing sugar

250g soft butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons 100s and 1000s

preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius 

cream together the butter, sugar and teaspoon of vanilla extract until pale and fluffy (this can take up to 10 minutes)

beat the eggs lightly in a separate bowl and slowly add them to the mix - if the mixture starts to curdle, add a bit of flour

once the mixture is well combined, mix in the flour at a low speed

line two baking tins with baking paper or grease well with butter

spread the batter evenly into the tin 

(the sponge tends to rise more in the centre, so try to spread the batter higher on the edges)

bake the cakes for 20 - 45 minutes 

(when the sponge is cooked when it springs back to the touch and the sides are coming away from the tin. you can also insert the tip of a clean knife into the centre - it should come out clean)

once the sponges are baked, let them rest until completely cooled before icing

for the icing, beat together the icing sugar and butter with an electric mixer on high

add the teaspoon of vanilla extract an continue to mix

to make the icing lighter, I used a white gel food colouring and a pearl powder which worked surprisingly well

once the sponges have cooled you can begin the icing process

smear a thick layer of icing over the top of your base cake layer

gently place the top sponge directly on top of the base cake

using a palette knife (or the smoothest knife you can find) smooth a generous layer of icing over the top and along the edges of the cake - no sponge should be visible at this point

cover the top of the cake with 100s and 1000s - leaving a 1cm border around the edge without sprinkles (this is to avoid spilling the little ones down the edges)

using a piping bag with your desired nozzle (I used something like below) pipe your cake around the edges until your heart's content

have a happy hippie birthday

happy fooding

there's a banana in my bread

Hello. Today's recipe is a true classic in my household. It is deliciously simple and will happily satisfy that something-with-tea need. This banana bread rarely lasts longer than a day or two in my home, but kept to ourselves within our res room it kept beautifully for about 5 days. I suppose it can be classified somewhere between cake and bread (leaning a little towards the former). 

Bake him, warm him, smear him, share him and devour him. 

classic banana bread loaf 
with roasted pecan and brown sugar topping

2 cups of flour

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

120g butter

2 eggs 

3/4 cup milk 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

3 ripe mashed bananas (Ours "ripened" for about 2 weeks - the longer you leave them, the stronger the banana flavour will be in the bread)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

a handful of roughly chopped pecans

preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius 

sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and baking powder together, set aside

in a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy

add the eggs to the sugar and butter and beat until well combined

add the vanilla essence and continue to beat the mixture

add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternatively with the milk and bananas (we added a third of each mixture at a time) - beating the mixture between each addition

pour the mixture into a well greased (buttered) loaf tin

sprinkle the surface of the batter with the chopped pecan and the brown sugar

bake for 45 - 85 minutes 

(the time taken varies - after 45 minutes check the loaf every 10 minutes, if the cake tester/knife comes out clean, the bread is ready)

best enjoyed warm with a generous smear of salted butter and a cup of sweet tea

happy fooding!

cheesy treesy soup

Hello. So yesterday's exploits involved.... drumroll.... cauliflower and (our seemingly favoured ingredient) blue cheese. Banter's, try not to be dismayed by yet another cauli-recipe, it's going to be OK. 

Apologies for the delayed post, in order to supply both sound and spectacular recipes to cyberspace (and whoever may choose to participate therein,) we have to try out a few unspectacular meals too - the kind of recipes that don't quite make the cut.  

Despite Carmie's lack of faith in my cauli-soup, this decadent meal came out quite delightfully. This soup is possibly the only reason I ever opened up my mind to the idea of perceived white broccoli and mouldy cheese. 

Anywho. This really isn't all too difficult to make. If you are in a rush - or simply don't feel like washing the roasting pan - feel free to steam the cauliflower instead of roasting it. 

roasted cauliflower and creamy blue cheese soup

[feeds four]

1 cauliflower, broken into florets

2 leeks, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

500ml chicken stock

250ml beef stock

250ml cream 

100g butter

40g blue cheese, crumbled

olive oil for roasting

pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius 

place the cauliflower into a roasting dish, then drizzle with olive oil and season

roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes until golden brown 

remove the cauli from the oven

saute the leeks in the butter with the garlic in a large pot

add the stock and cauliflower

simmer for 20 minutes until the cauli is soft

add the cream and the blue cheese and stir on a low heat until thoroughly combined

remove the soup pot from the heat

using a handheld blender, blitz the soup until smooth

season to taste



happy fooding!

hello. is it meat you're lookin' for?

Hello. So tonight's dish is perhaps a little extravagant for the average student cook, but we thought we'd get a little excessive and splurge out on this dish. We pretty much created our own recipe for this meal, and it turned out pretty darn spectacular. The oxtail will take time to reach optimum deliciousness, but persevere, it is well worth the wait.

I think we can go as far as to describe this meaty wonder as sublime. 

Feast your soul on this luscious wonder. 

hearty oxtail stew

slow-cooked with carrots & button mushrooms, nestled in a bed of cauli-rice

[feeds four]

1kg oxtail 

4 small onions, halved

4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky blocks

4 leeks, cut into chucky blocks

3 stalks celery, cut into chunky blocks

125g mushrooms

1 teaspoon garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups beef stock

2 cups red wine

1 can chopped tomato

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 heads cauliflower, grated 

6 small onions, grated or chopped finely

1/2 teaspoon garlic

butter 

place the baking dish with the olive oil into the oven and preheat to 200 degrees celsius

once the oven has reached temperature, place the oxtail, onions and garlic into the baking dish

leave the meat to brown for about 20 minutes 

while the meat is browning, combine the beef stock, red wine, chopped tomato and thyme in mixing jug

 once the meat has browned, add the carrots, leeks, celery, mushrooms and liquid mixture to the oxtail

cover the baking dish with tinfoil - sealing the oxtail as well as you can

reduce the oven temperature to 150 degrees celcius and bake for a further 4 hours

check the meat every 30 minutes from this point onwards

the oxtail is perfectly cooked once the meat is falling from the bone

for the cauli-rice, fry the garlic in the butter on a high heat

add the onions and fry until they begin to brown

add the grated cauliflower, and fry for a further 10 minutes until soft but not squishy

remove from the heat and serve with your oxtail

devour. 

happy fooding!

chicken à la us

Hello. This is our take on the classic Chicken à la King. Upon discovering the lack of green peppers in our fridge, we 'made do' with our disastrously overpriced red pepper. The result was spectacular. 

Do yourself a favour and use a food processor for the cauli-rice - it will save you a lot of time (and dishes). 

chicken à la king
with red pepper and mushrooms, served with a side of cauli-rice

1/2 chopped onion

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/2 red or green pepper, sliced

125g sliced mushrooms

250 ml cream

chicken spice 

butter for frying

1/2 onion, chopped (we used the food processor to get it super fine)

1 head of cauliflower grated or processed in the food processor

heat the butter in a pan and fry the onion until brown

add the red pepper and mushrooms and fry until cooked through

add the chicken and continue to fry on medium heat 

add the cream, allowing the food to simmer for about 5 minutes

season to taste

for the cauli-rice, fry the onion on medium heat until brown

add the cauliflower and fry for about 10 minutes until cooked through (taste a little, checking that it is soft but not mushy)

season to taste

happy fooding!

stuffed.

Hello. So these are Carmie's chicken delights. They're relatively simple to make - only calling on 5 key ingredients (butter included). As usual, we ate them on their own, because we're students. But for those of you looking for something a little more well-balanced, we'd suggest you throw together a side salad of sort to accompany this savoury treat. 

bacon-wrapped chicken breasts

stuffed with danish feta and basil pesto

2 large chicken breasts

75g danish feta, crumbled

2 teaspoons basil pesto

200g streaky bacon

butter for frying

string for tying 

turn the breast onto its side and using a knife, cut into the centre of the breast, creating a pocket and being careful not to cut through the breast

smooth 1 teaspoon of pesto throughout the pocket of each breast

evenly place half of the feta into each breast 

separate the bacon into two portions and lay the two sets of strips of bacon out on a clean surface

place each chicken breast in the middle of a set of bacon strips 

fold the bacon edges over (towards the centre of the chicken breast)

tightly wrap the chicken breasts with string to ensure the bacon holds throughout the cooking

season with salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 150 degrees celcius 

pan fry the breasts in butter on a high heat until golden brown on both sides

remove the breasts from the pan, and place the both the breasts and cooking juices into a baking dish 

place the breasts in the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through but still moist

remember to remove the string before attempting to eat this delicious meal!

happy fooding!

luscious leaves

Hello. Forgive us, dear foodies, for we have briefly slipped into the abyss of perceived public health food. With little time to spare this evening, we threw this leafery - yes, leafery - together to partially full our tums. The combination of strawberries and balsamic vinegar might sound a bit peculiar to most, but the two acidic flavours compliment one another in a rather delightful and friendshippy way.

For you salad lovers out there, we're quite sure you'll enjoy this fresh and fruity meal. For the rest of you, scroll down for something a little more hearty...

smoked chicken & strawberry salad
with grated parmesan and a balsamic vinegar dressing

[serves 2]

2 handfuls preferred salad leaves
(we used a lambs lettuce, watercress and baby butter mix)

6 cherry tomatoes

8 slices of cucumber

1/8 cup grated parmesan

50g feta cheese

1 smoked chicken breast

4 largish strawberries 
(or 2 if you use gigantic ones like we did)

2 teaspoons of sesame seeds

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

place the lettuce leaves in a salad bowl

add the cucumber to the greens

slice the tomatoes into thin rounds and add them to the leaves

slice the smoked chicken breast and add to the salad

slice the strawberries into smaller pieces and add them to the mix

crumble the feta over the salad

sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the beautiful green mess

dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

devour. 




happy fooding!

there's no taste like home

Hello. So we must apologise for the lengthly "study break" we recently took from our foodage exploits. It is indeed a sad reality that once in a while, students are compelled to spend a little time less living, and a little more time studying. Thankfully our first attempt at today's dish possibly turned out to be the most heart-warming of our creations yet. We borrowed the carb-free pasta recipe from the Real Meal Revolution and paired it with my mom's classic savoury mince recipe. The deliciously rich and creamy cheese sauce is another as-we-go throw-together, but certainly proved itself worthy of your - or at least our - time. 

We highly recommend checking out the official Real Meal Revolution YouTube video on how to make the perfect carb-free pasta, as some do struggle to get this mixture right. Like most things in fooding, if you follow the given steps faithfully - assuming that the source has no wicked intent to ensure your failure - your pasta should turn out just right.  

This lasagne tastes just like home, and is completely satisfying in its meaty heartiness and cheesy magnificence. It takes a while to create, but is certainly worth the effort and the wait.

Beef Lasagna 

not like yo' mama made it

[serves 6] 

4 eggs

1/2 cup psyllium husks

125g cream cheese

4 tablespoons coconut flour

450g quality beef mince

1 carrot, grated

1 onion, diced

1/2 large celery stick 

2 teaspoons crushed garlic

1 can chopped tomato

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 sachet liquid beef stock

1/2 teaspoon oreganum

3 tablespoons butter 

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh cream

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup grated cheddar cheese as a topping

mix the eggs, psyllium husks and cream cheese in the food processor until completely combined

allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes

roll the pasta mixture in a ball and place it on a clean work surface that has been dusted in coconut flour

using a rolling pin - or any other strong cylindrical object - roll the pasta out until it is as thin as normal pasta 

slice the pasta into desired sized strips - this is completely up to you, we sliced ours into rectangles about 5cm x 25cm

leave the pasta be until the other components are complete

fry the onion and garlic together in the butter until golden brown

add the grated carrot and chopped celery and fry for a further 5 minutes

add the mince and fry until browned

mix in the beef stock, tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and origanum and simmer for 5 minutes 

take the mince off the heat and set aside

melt the butter in a hot pan 

combine the arrowroot - already dissolved in 20ml of water - and the butter in the pan 

add the fresh cream to the pan, whisking the mixture until it is smooth and heated through

add the cheese and continue whisking until completely combined

stir the mixture on a medium to low heat until it thickens to a desired consistency - adding more dissolved arrowroot if the sauce refuses to thicken

layer the lasagna in the following order: mince, pasta, cheese sauce, mince, pasta, mince, cheese sauce, grated cheddar

place the lasagne in the oven at 180 degrees celsius until the cheese has browned

remove from the oven and tuck in 

happy fooding!