My cookbook..

My passion in life involves people and good food
I love #training 
Knowledge is power, no one can ever steal that from you. When I impart knowledge I loose nothing but the next person learns
I love #good food
Agree with me or not good food makes one feel good. I no not promote comfort eating, but healthy balance eating with a dash of indulgence
I love #people
Without people the above is in vain to me.
I love #LOVE 
it is the driving passion in all I do.

Hello. My name is Mmathabo and all I want to do is impart the wealth of knowledge that I picked up on my way in the hospitality industry. Let's cook, eat and be merry. 

Chicken Stir Fry

I like this recipe as it is an all in one, you have your starch, vegetables with beautiful colour and meat. Enjoy this tasty recipe with noodle, rice or pap if you like. Enjoy...

This image shows the recipe served with rice noodles

You will need:

3 tbs Vegetable oil

2 Skinless, boneless Chicken breasts, sliced into bite size strips

1/2 red,yellow and green peppers

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 cup button mushrooms, slices

1 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and shredded

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tbs soy sauce or worcestershire sauce

2 tbs Tomato sauce

1 tsp constarch aka maizena

paprika for colour

What to do:

1. In a large wok or skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat

2. Add the chicken pieced that have been dusted with paprika stir fry for about 3 minutes. Removed from skillet and set aside.

3. Add peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and ginger to the skillet and stir fry for 3 minutes.

4. in a mixing bowl combine chicken stock, soy sauce, tomato sauce and cornstarch

5. Add chicken back in the skillet, add liquid mixture and cook for a further 3 minutes

6. Serve with rice, or noodles immediately.

Seafood Chowder

This nice and filling Chowder will have you coming for more than seconds. 

You will need:

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 onion (chopped)

100g streaky bacon, Chopped

1tbs PLAin Flour 

600ml fish stock

2 potatoes chopped

300ml Milk

300g cooked shellfish

Fresh Parsley

pinch cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to season

crusty bread/ croutons to serve 

What to do:

1. Heat 1 tbs of oil on a deep saucepan at medium heat

2. Add onion and bacon cook for about 8 minutes.

3. Add flour and stir then cook for a further 2 minutes.

4. Pour fish stock and the cubed potatoes then simmer for 12 minutes until potatoes are cooked. 

5. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper then add the milk.

6. Add the cook shelfish cook further for 2 minutes.

7. Serve hot will crusty bread or crouton with freshly chopped parsley 

***variety: add fish mix with crab sticks, haddock, salmon etc.***

Pancakes

You will need:

100g plain flour

2 eggs

300ml milk

1 tbs cooking oil

A pinch of salt

What to do:

1.    Sieve flour salt into a large mixing bowl

2.    In the middle of the dry ingredients crack open the eggs

3.    Pour about 50mls of the milk and the oil

4.    Start whisking from the centre, gradually drawing the flour inte the eggs milk and oil.

5.    Beat until the texture is smooth and thick, add a little milk if too thick

6.    Add the rest of the milk to loosen the batter

7.    You may leave your batter for a few minutes before cooking

8.    Heat a pan over moderate heat then wipe with an oiled kitchen

9.    Spoon the batter in the pan tilting it so it spreads evenly over the pan

10.  Leave it to cook undisturbed in the pan for 30 seconds, once it starts to bubble you may flip it to cook the other side

11. Serve while hot with any topping of your choice: whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, golden or maple syrup, fruit pieces...etc.

Potato and bacon Bake

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 4 bacon rashers, chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 8 potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1250ml Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder or granules 
•  1/2 cup grated cheese

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease an 8-cup capacity baking dish.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan on high. Sauté bacon, onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes until onion is tender and bacon is golden.
3. Layer potatoes and onion mixture alternately in prepared baking dish.
4. In a large jug, whisk together cream, milk and stock powder. Pour over potatoes. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour, until potato is tender.
5. Remove foil. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake a further 15 minutes, uncovered, until cheese has melted and is golden.

Vegetable Lasgne

What you will need: 

• 3 red and peppers
• 2 aubergines aka Brinjal
• 1 onion
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 butternut
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 8 tbsp olive oil, plus a little for greasing
• ½ quantity tomato sauce (see below)
• 300g fresh pack lasagne sheets
• ½ quantity white sauce (see below)
• 125g ball mozzarella
• salt and pepper for seasoning

·         White sauce

Melt 85g butter in a saucepan, stir in 85g plain flour, then cook for 2 mins. Slowly whisk in 750ml milk, then bring to the boil, stirring. Turn down heat, then cook until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Sauce can now be cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

• Homemade tomato sauce
  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. Add 2 onions, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, sliced and 1 carrot, roughly chopped. Cook for 5-7 mins over a medium heat until softened. Turn up the heat a little and stir in 2 finely chopped tomatoes. Cook for 1 min, pour in 200ml white wine/vegetable stock, then cook for 5 mins until this has reduced by two-thirds. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool, whizz in a food processor.

Method

1. Heat oven to  180 degreesC
2.  Deseed the peppers, halve, then cut into large chunks. Trim ends off aubergines, then cut into slices about ½cm thick. Roughly chop onion into chunks. Rinse and chop spinach. Peel and chop butternut into blocks drizzle a little bit of oil and cinnamon powder.
3. In a baking tray roast butternut in the oven for 20 minutes
4.  Lightly grease another large baking tray, then place peppers, onion and aubergines on top. Toss with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, then roast for 25 minutes until lightly browned.
5. In a bowl pour boiling water to blanch the spinach for 2 minutes then drain water out.
6. Reduce oven to 160 degreesC
7.  Lightly oil (or spray and cook) an ovenproof serving dish (30 x 20cm). Arrange a layer of the vegetables on the bottom, then pour over a third of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets, then drizzle over a quarter of the white sauce. Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta.
8. To finish, spoon remaining white sauce over the pasta, making sure the whole surface is covered. Scatter mozzarella over the top. Bake for 45 mins until bubbling and golden.

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.