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"

Shakshuka

 

what you will need:

·         3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

·         1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

·         3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1 teaspoon sweet paprika

·         ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

·         1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped

·         ¾ teaspoon salt, more as needed

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed

·         6 large eggs

·         Fresh Parsley for serving

What to do:

1.      Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.      Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in crumbled feta.

3.      Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with hot sauce.

 

 

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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.***