Family favourites #2 Mommy's ox liver

Many people do not like liver because it is normally over cooked and rubbery. A tasyy juicy ox liver is what we all like. Mommy makes it in a lovely way and it will have you coming back for more, it is simple and to the point...

You will need:
Fresh/defrosted OX liver
4 tabs Mixed powder soups
1/2 cube beef stock
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
White pepper
Onion cut in julienne
3 tbs Cooking oil

What to do:
1. In a bowl dust the liver with the powder soup, add 2 tbs of Worcestershire sauce and soak liver for a few minutes, add white pepper.
2. Heat cooking oil in a pan, add onion with the beef cube, cook until onion is clear in colour
3. Add liver and fry for 2 minutes on  each side add the worcestershire sauce left in the bowl and cook for a further 3 minutes on medium heat.
4. Remove pan from heat, you liver is ready when it is still juicy and not dried up.

Family favourite #1 - Nokza's creamy samp

We all love samp, now that it is colder outside, warm hearty food is all we need. My sister Nokuthula makes the best samp. I hope you will love it....

Cooking a good samp requires time, so do not cook it when you in a hurry.

You will need:
1kg samp
250g butter/margarine
salt to taste
200g Creamora powder
2tbs dried parsley
Water to soak and cook samp.

What to do:

1. Rinse samp in water, then pour boiling water enough to cover the samp in a deep pot add salt.
2. Cook samp for 3-4 hours over medium heat, constantly stirring and adding a little water to  it soaked.
3. When samp is cooked (it will be soft but not mashed) add butter and creamora, finish off with parsley.....

Enjoy is as it is or with some grilled chicken/stew/curry

Chicken and mushroom Pie

You will need:

1 tbsp Cooking oil

8 pieces of skinless boneless chicken 

8 rashers of streaky bacon (optional)

1 onion, roughly chopped

250g pack of white button mushrooms (or any mushrooms of your choice)

thyme, salt and pepper to season

2 tbs plain flour

400 ml chicken stock

200 ml milk

500g fresh puff pastry or frozen puff pastry that has been defrosted

1 egg beaten 

What to do:

1. In a large non stick frying pan heat the oil.

2. Season the chicken with thyme salt and pepper fry it for 5-8 minutes until golden brown.

3. Lift chicken onto a plate and fry bacon for 5 minutes until crisp, add onion and mushrooms, fry for another 3 minutes.

4. Add flour into the pan stir for about a minute, slowly pour in stock and whisk it, followed by the milk.

5. Add chicken back into the pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat.

6. Place aside and let the filling to cool down

7. Pre heat oven at 200 degrees celsius.

8. On a floured surface roll out the pastry to about a thickness of 2cm.

9. Choose a desired baking dish, base it with the pastry to cover the whole dish, add the filling, measure the pastry over the top and cut along the edges.

10. Brush the beaten egg lightly over the pastry to glaze.

11. reduce oven heat to 180 degrees celsius and bake for 30 minutes until pastry is golden brown. 

Enjoy with a crispy green salad....

Creamed Spinach

What you will need:

• 2tbs Butter
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 tbs plain flour
• 200ml full cream milk
• 400g chopped spinach
• crushed garlic
• salt and pepper to taste 
• cheese (optional)

What to do:

• heat butter in a pot add onion and garlic cook until soft
• stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes, then slowly start to add milk whisking or using a wooden spoon
• cook for 5 minutes until sauce has thickened
• place spinach over a large colander, pour boiling water over it so the leaves can be wilted
• let spinach drip out excess water
• stir spinach into the sauce season with salt and pepper
• let it cook about 3 minutes
• add cheese (if desired)

***note: the spinach should not be overcooked, it must remain green with a texture of crisp***

Boiling is one of the easiest ways to prepare vegetables. All you need is a cooking pot, some water, some vegetables, and maybe a bit of salt. It's quick and convenient!But boiling vegetables causes them to lose some of their nutritional value. The boiling water leeches some of the vitamins and nutrients, and even some of the flavor, right out of the veggies. The best way to minimize that nutrient loss is to make sure that they spend as little time as possible in the boiling water. And just how you do that depends on what kind of vegetable you're boiling.

Steaming is a great method for cooking vegetables. It cooks the vegetables and softens them up, but because they're not immersed in water, they don't lose as many nutrients. It also preserves more of the flavour than boiling does.And like boiling, steaming is super convenient. Even though you can get a special cooking appliance, a steamer, you really don't need one. If you have a pot, some water, and a steaming basket, you're all set. Or if you don't have a steaming basket, even a colander can do the trick. There's even a way to steam vegetables using just a pot and a bit of water. What could be easier?

Sautéing vegetables, or stir-frying them, means cooking them over fairly high heat, and stirring them often. The high heat helps them cook quickly, which minimizes nutrient loss. And stirring them keeps them from burning!Sautéing is a really tasty way to cook vegetables. They keep a lot more flavour than boiling or even steaming, so that you taste how delicious the veggie really is. And it also lends itself really well to seasoning the vegetables. A little bit of oil and spices or a tasty marinade can really make your vegetables go from good to outstanding.Unlike some of the other methods for cooking vegetables, though, you really have to keep an eye on sautéing vegetables. They can burn pretty quickly!

Roasting: One of the great things about roasting vegetables is that even though it takes a while to cook, the preparation time is pretty much non-existent – just toss the veggies with a bit of oil and herbs, put them in a baking dish, and let them roast. It's especially nice when the rest of your meal takes a little more attention, so that you can work on it in peace.Roasting gives the vegetables a unique flavor that you don't get by boiling or steaming. Cooking them slowly in the oven helps them caramelize a little bit, bringing out their natural sweetness and enhancing their flavour. And it's so easy to add a few delicious herbs and spices. Yum!

Grilling aka Braaing. Some vegetables are just better on the grill. Grilling gives that special cooked outdoors, perfectly browned taste that no other cooking method can match. And you can easily marinate the vegetables, or add some herbs or a sauce to them before cooking to give them some extra flavour.Grilling isn't quite as convenient as some of the other cooking methods though. For one thing, you need a grill. And that also means it's usually more of a warm weather kind of meal. But you also have to keep a close eye on the vegetables while they're cooking. They'll usually need to be flipped, and checked to be sure they're not burning. Not as convenient, but well worth the effort!

Braising is a cross between steaming and boiling. Instead of cooking the vegetables by completely immersing them in boiling water, you only add enough water to cover about half the vegetables. Like steaming, it cooks the vegetables a bit more gently than boiling. But it's usually a bit quicker than just steaming, since part of the vegetables are in the water. And using just a bit of water means that you don't lose as many nutrients or flavor, so you get extra delicious vegetables.And it's so easy. Vegetables and a pot filled with a bit of water is all you need for a delicious vegetable side dish! You can even use stock or wine for some extra flavour.

Family Favourites...

We all have that one dish we master like no one else can master at home. No matter how bad one is as a cook but they have a favourite.  My family is blessed with people that love good food and that can make good food.

Over the next few weeks I would love to share with you some of our secret recipes that I hope you will love and enjoy making...Keep your eyes on the blog>>>>click on "follow by email" to follow the blog to never miss a recipe. All that I post will be sent to you on email.

looking forward to sharing our family faves!

Yours in good food
Charms <3

Beef Lasagna

What you need:

• 400g lasagna sheets , blanched. (soak in hot water for about 5 minutes)
• Grated cheese
•  50ml olive oil
• 15g butter
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 100g onion, finely chopped
• 175g beef mince
• 75g bacon, finely chopped
• 75g white mushrooms, sliced
• 10ml tomato paste
• 150ml red wine
• 250ml beef stock
• salt and pepper
• bechamel sauce (White sauce)

What to do: 

1.  Heat the oil and butter in a pan, and add the onion and garlic

2         Cook for a few minutes till soft

3         Add the mince and bacon, cooking until coloured, stirring often

4         Add the mushrooms

5         Pour off any excess fat, then add the tomato paste, wine and demi-glace

6         Simmer for about 30-40 minutes, or until the meat is tender

Adjust the seasoning

To assemble the lasagna:

1. Spread the white sauce on a baking tray and arrange the lasagna sheets
2. Cover with a  layer of meat sauce, then one of béchamel.
3. Repeat the layers in the same order, ending with a layer of lasagna sheets and béchamel.
4. Sprinkle the top with cheese.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until brown on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.