chocolate cake

chocolate cake:

What you need:
*3 large eggs
*175g self raising flour
*175g caster sugar
*175g softened butter
*11/2 tsp baking powder
40g cocoa powder
*4 tbsp boiling water

For the icing
*150ml (5fl oz) double cream
*150g (5oz) plain chocolate, broken into pieces
*4 tbsp apricot jam

What do you do:
* Preheat the oven to 180C, gas 4.
*Beat together the eggs, flour, caster sugar, butter and baking powder until smooth in a large mixing bowl.
*Put the cocoa in separate mixing bowl, and add the water a little at a time to make a stiff paste. Add to the cake mixture.
*Turn into the prepared tins, level the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 mins, or until shrinking away from the sides of the tin and springy to the touch.
*Leave to cool in the tin, then turn on to a wire rack to become completely cold before icing.
*To make the icing: measure the cream and chocolate into a bowl and carefully melt over a pan of hot water over a low heat, or gently in the microwave for 1 min (600w microwave). Stir until melted, then set aside to cool a little and to thicken up.
*To ice the cake: spread the apricot jam on the top of each cake. *Spread half of the ganache icing on the top of the jam on one of the cakes, then lay the other cake on top, sandwiching them together.
*Use the remaining ganache icing to ice the top of the cake in a swirl pattern. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Oxtail potjie

What you will need:

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• Olive oil
• 1 kg oxtail pieces, as lean as possible
• 3 carrots
• 1 small butternut
• 1 tin cherry tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes
• 250 ml red wine
• 1 litre beef or vegetable stock
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp course ground black pepper
• 1 sprig parsley, chopped
• 1 tbs chives, chopped

What to do:

·         Put flour, salt, paprika, coriander and pepper into a plastic bag and toss together with oxtail pieces so the meat is evenly coated.

·         Heat a generous glug of olive oil (about 3 tbs) in a large flat-bottomed potjie. Add onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes until just turning brown.

·         Add the floured oxtail and brown all over. Retain seasoned flour left in the bag in case you need to thicken the stew later.

·         Once the meat is sealed, add red wine, mixed herbs and half the stock. Cover the pot and cook slowly on a very low heat for three hours.

·         Every so often, check to see that there’s enough fluid and add stock to prevent it drying out. The meat should be covered but not drowned.

·         After three hours, add the veggies and cook for another hour until they’re soft and beginning to disintegrate into the gravy.

·         Keep checking to ensure there’s enough moisture. When ready, sprinkle chopped chives and parsley over the stew and serve on a bed of rice or samp.

Quick Chicken Mayo sarmie...

Here's an idea for lunch if you have some left over chicken breast from last night's dinner!!!

what you need:

*Slices of Bread (white/brown/rye) buttered on both sides

*Cooked chicken breast

*Fresh chopped parsley

*Finely chopped onion

*Red sweet pepper bell

*Salt and black pepper to season

*Mayonnaise

What to do: 

*In a bowl shred the cooked chicken breast season with salt and pepper, add parsley, onion and sweet pepper bell mix and add a generous amount of mayonnaise, mix well.

*On the unbuttered side of the bread spread the chicken mixture and close with the other slice of bread.
*heat a pan on the stove and once hot lay your bread and toast the one side until it is golden brown and crispy, gently turn the bread with an egg lifter and do the same with the other side.
*Serve hot with a salad of fries.
*If serving it for lunch in a container, allow to cool before closing it into the container this will prevent the bread sweating and becoming soft and "mushy"