Homemade Lux - A father's post for father's day

When you say "midlife crisis" you immediately think of balding men with hairy chests sporting gold chains, luxury cars and models on their arms. In my world, my dad's midlife crisis has been nothing short of delicious. It started a simply with an interest in creating labaneh like we had had in Israel and progressed...um....naturally into sausages, so that he could make my mom's favourite salami but without pork and from there the very natural step towards smoking.


In the beginning it went slowly slowly as he learned things from YouTube and the internet and then came The Food Network, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and suddenly we had BBQ sauces and dry rubs and all this led him to this forum, and all smokin' hell broke loose. If it could be smoked it was and trust me in their world, everything was fair game until proven otherwise and my dad took to it like a witch...er...duck to water. 


So I decided to introduce you lot to my dad through one of his posts (He is so cute when he photographs his food that I am not even slightly annoyed but very amused by the fact that he is now doing exactly what he used to tease me for doing) Here he is Ladies and Gentleman (please excuse his English, it is his 3rd language after all):

First the results (sorry could not help my self)

it was Wednesday  i could not take it any more...so i got a whole salmon i  fillet it and remove the bones.trimmed the belly and the side off the fish (don't throw )

In a cure  it go's(i love dill and pepper so i add in)  for 48 hours  then to ice bath 90 minutes

and to the frig for 36 hours.

It takes looooong time so we will do the cream cheese for the sandwich

you know the Pieces thet i trimmed i smoked it  in a aluminum pen for 3 hours  mix it with salt,pepper and

butter and i got a yummmmy spread.

OK it is ready now  in to the smoker it gos for 4 hours cold smoke

Now for the long 4 hours ............................................................................ OK it is finish

Yummmy Thanks AL

Al is SmokinAl, one of his forum buddies. You can find my dad and all his posts as africanmeat

Guest Post - Matt Allison - I'm no Jamie Oliver

Friday already, wow this week has really flown by and with it comes a new guest post. All my previous guests have been long time bloggers, most of them I have known since my food24 days, this week is different.

The world wide web is jam packed with food bloggers, every day more and more start up and you can spend hours looking through them. Some start for monetary reasons, others for fun and some have reasons that really amaze you like, for example, Matt Allison from I'm no Jamie Oliver. Before you read any of his other posts, read his intro, it's the entire reason I started following him. 

There are many people who are replicating the whole "Julie and Julia" project but I never really go that vibe from Matt, you know, that wannabe thing. In the short time that he's blogged and I have followed I have enjoyed every post, the pretty pics and the funny comments.

Guess what though, he not only can he cook from Jamie Oliver's but does his own thing too! Multi talented the man is, check it out:

LadyRaven approached me to write this weeks guest post, and while I was honoured, I’ve got to say I was nervous...

I’ve been an instinctual cook for years and until my current challenge of cooking my way through Jamie Oliver’s '20 minute meals', I’d never read a recipe before, let alone written one!

I’ve always loved the kitchen, but really don’t enjoy labouring over my creations, hence the push towards 20 minutes meals, and I can proudly state that this is one.

So without much further ado I present:

Thai Green Chicken Curry (serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer)

Ingredients:

2 medium sized chicken breasts
1/2 tin of coconut milk (200ml)
60g thai green curry paste
vegetable oil
sea salt
2 tablespoons of butter
1 lemon
1 small red onion
2 cups of mixed vegetables (broccoli, baby corn & sugar snaps)
A small bunch of basil leaves
150g of basmati rice

Step 1: Fill your kettle and bring to the boil, preheat your oven or warmer draw and place your bowls in to warm.

Step 2: Fill a pot with the boiling water and place on a high heat, once boiling add the rice, a pinch of salt, along with the zest of the lemon.

Step 3: Place a wok or shallow frying pan on medium to hot heat, add 15ml of vegetable oil and add the sliced onion. Gently sauté until the onion is soft and browning.

Step 4: Slice your chicken breasts into strips and add to the onions, stir fry for a minute, then add in the thai green curry paste and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Step 5: Add the coconut milk and the mixed vegetables to the chicken, onions and curry paste mixture, simmer on a medium to low heat for 3-5 minutes.

Step 6: When your rice is cooked, drain it into a sieve, place it over the pot and add the butter, place the lid on the pot and let it sit.

Step 7: Remove the curry mix from the heat and set to one side, remove your bowls for the oven/warmer drawer and divide the rice between them.

Step 8: Tear the basil leaves and mix them in with the curry, then serve on the bed of rice

Guest Post - Nicola George - Wots for Lunch

I feel kinda bad about this one as I had asked Nicola over at Wots for Lunch for a post 2 weeks ago and have only just gotten around to it. @ weeks ago my world collapsed a little as my work computer crashed hours before deadline and the Friday after that I was frolicking with goats at Fairview.


I didn't want to do a rushed post because Nicola deserves more then that. another Food24 original, Nicola has always impressed me with her beautifully packed lunches. No matter how much I try I can never replicate and mine always look like a sad mockery of hers. As a designer I really appreciate creativity in every day things and Nicola really brings that into her food. If I had to open a lunch box with her creations at work every day my days would be filled with smiles. So without further ado, I bring you the Bento Master :)

Lady Raven has been asking me if I would like to do a guest post for her for awhile and every time she has extended the invitation I've chickened out. But this week when she asked I couldn't say no and so a mad scrambled began as I tried to figure out what to post about. Luckily I found something in my archives that thought might be fun to revisit, home-made pickled ginger. Making it yourself is so easy and the flavour is much fresher and not as sweet as the commercially produced kind.

It's a really simple process, all you need are four ingredients

• fresh ginger - about 5cm long
• salt - enough to sprinkle over slicked ginger
• 1 cup rice wine vinegar and
• 2/3 cup sugar

Method:

1. Peel the ginger and thinly slice using a mandoline or vegetable peeler.
2. Sprinkle slices with salt and leave in a bowl for an hour or so.
3. Drain the slices of ginger and pat dry to remove any excess salt.
4. Gently heat the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Pour the vinegar and sugar solution over the sliced ginger and leave to cool.
6. Once cooled store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.

You don't have to limit yourself to eating pickled ginger as an accompaniment to sushi either. Here I've used it in a salad (you can't really see it, but it is there) with some sliced chicken breast, avocado, orange, cucumber and mint. It's a really refreshing meal for those warmer days that are heading our way. 

Guest Post - Nina Timm - My Easy Cooking

Greater then the sum of the words, that's how I would describe my next guest. When I sat in Marlene van der Westhuizen's cooking studio and waited for other Food24 bloggers to arrive I remember wondering what everyone would be like. Most of the bloggers were exactly how I pictured them, Nina, now from My Easy Cooking, however was not. She was just so much more then I expected and I really enjoyed her company that day.

I believe she should be big in the foodie world. Mouth watering recipes, food styling top class magazines should kill for but you judge for yourself:

I feel so honored to be a guest here on Add to Taste. Hila and I met about a year ago at a cheese cook-a-long and it was my first meeting with other foodies here in Cape Town.  Since then much has happened on the blogger scene here, so this is really just another facet or extension of blogging and that is why this is special to me. The recipe that I am sharing with you today is perfect for a light supper, to serve with drinks or just a quick winter warmer. Classically a Spanish recipe, but you can twist and teak as much as you like. You can read the story behind this recipe here: http://www.my-easy-cooking.com/2008/11/patatas-bravaslets-have-tapas.html

Patatas Bravas features on our menu regularly and I am sure it will soon be a favorite in your house to. Smoked paprika is the secret here, so if you do not have any, hop in at your nearest Woolies and get some…

Links to Recipes on my site:

 http://www.my-easy-cooking.com/2009/09/sausage-recipes-patatas-bravas-with.html

Patatas Bravas

Ingredients

about 1 large potato per person - peeled and cut into big chunks

1 medium onion - peeled, but keep it whole

1 onion - sliced

5 whole cloves

1-2 tsp smoked paprika

3 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp tomato paste

fresh thyme

salt and pepper

1 chopped chili - optional.

Press the cloves into 1 onion and place the onion, potatoes and salt in a pot with some water. Cook the potatoes until soft, but not mushy. Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic and paprika.

Fry until onion is soft and add potatoes. Lower the heat and let the potatoes caramelize. Finally add the tomato paste and season well. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and enjoy as a light meal or add slices of smoked pork fillet.

Guest post by Homemade Heaven

I am loving my guest post slot. I get to feel a certain sense of pride that my tiny little blog gets to host some of the best bloggers in the industry. My next gust is no exception. Rosemary from Homemade Heaven was someone who I discovered in the food24 stable, I always admired her cooking and baking and she was one of the blogs I missed most when I stopped reading the food24 blogs. Happily I get to follow her again and enjoy her kitchen skills as well as her inspirational trips to Namibia.


Here she is with some more chocolaty goodness:

When I was asked to write this guest blog post, I couldn't help but think about how I got started in blogging.

I was remembering the months before of reading other food blogs and the inspiration I felt reading about other people's cooking and life experiences.

The most difficult part for me was the writing part. As an infamously bad speller (even with spell check), appallingly bad grammar and very little creative style, I knew that I was always going to have an uphill battle.

All this said, I embarked on my first blog post on 29 August 2007. I am very happy to say that while I still battle with all my short comings, I have managed to post over 300 posts in 3 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing everything from baking cakes to hiking the Namibian mountains!

The most rewarding aspect of blogging has certainly been the people I have met and most not even in the flesh. I have grown to love my blogging friends and have really enjoyed sharing the ups and downs of their's and my life. I have learnt so much about writing and photography over the last 3 years, especially after attending the Cape Town Food Bloggers Conference in February.

I hope that my blog will remain a true reflection of who I am and the beliefs I have.

I am sharing my recipe for mint chocolate chip muffins, as it is by far the most popular treat in my home. As a naturally lazy person, I love recipes which are simple to make, with maximum pleasure and these muffins certainly meet all these requirements.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 Eggs
240ml of Buttermilk
120ml Oil
200g Sugar
250g Self Raising Flour

120g Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
100g Mint Aero Chocolate

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Muffins bake for about 25 mins.
In one bowl mix all the wet ingredients together.
And in another bowl mix all sifted dry ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir roughly.
You must not beat until it is smooth.

Guest post by ThePartner

As some of you may know I have been plotting to start my own baking and catering company for a very long time. I guess if you read the Hello Kitty post you would know. Well I am very much well into the process of doing this...well I have a logo and a partner. My partner is an old friend of mine, she has been my friend for 16 years (what? wait? how old am I again) and one afternoon we played around with the idea and play turned to seriousness and now well..you will soon see the results.

ThePartner is talented in very many aspects, 2 of which are baking and photography and if you don't believe me, see for yourself:

I was compiling my CV the other day, filling in my education details and long forgotten high school awards, when I reached the subsection entitled, “Hobbies and Interests”. About two years ago, when I last needed a CV, I would've written, 'writing, photography, cooking, reading and travelling,' but that was before I became a full-time pastry chef. My actual hobbies now involve working, eating, sleeping, then repeating the process on a daily basis, with extra sleep on Sundays, when possible. Travelling now means going to Mossel Bay on occasional weekends to prove to the in-laws that I'm still alive, and photography is something I do with my phone when I see my friends, (or their pets) in embarrassing situations.

Enter Mister Retrenchment. With a week's notice, I now have all the time in the world to do as I please. I can stay in bed all day, catching up on all the books my iPod can handle, or I can stare at Facebook until I'm blue in the face. Just knowing I have the choice is enough to put a smile on my face and make me forget the rising dread of the upcoming job search. I now have TIME to pick up my camera, my notebook and my whisk and juggle them in the air until they blur my vision and form the amalgam that lies before you; a food blog post.

LadyRaven picked a good day to have me as her guest blogger, because I made the yummiest batch of chocolate brownies this afternoon. They're not just good, they're completely transcendent. I usually make brownies with toasted nuts, but today I was only after chocolate; as much of it as I could fit into one recipe without losing the cakey, fudgy texture that is characteristic of this all-American treat.

I'm working on the food photography, it's far from perfect, but I'm pretty sure I got this recipe right; a dense chocolate brownie with a just-set fudgy centre and a thin top crust. Not for the faint of heart or the weak of will, this recipe only makes 9 brownies, so hide them away from yourself if you're planning on sharing with someone who won't be around when they come out the oven. If you can hold out long enough, they keep nicely for up to 3 days.


Gooey-Centred Chocolate Brownies
175g dark chocolate, chopped (I used 70% cocao mass discs)
115g unsalted butter, cut into cubes for quick melting
25g dark cocoa powder, sifted
3 eggs (I used extra large, free range)
200g sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
140g flour, sifted


Preheat the oven to 180 and line a 20 x 20cm baking pan with baking paper, cutting down the corners of the paper so that they don't crumple in the pan.

Place chocolate and butter in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and stir until completely melted and combined. You should have a smooth, glossy chocolate liquid.

Remove bowl from the heat and whisk in cocoa powder, then eggs, making sure the mixture stays smooth. Continue stirring as you add the sugar and vanilla extract.

Lastly, stir in the sifted flour and stir well to combine. Scrape the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for  about 25-30 minutes, depending on how gooey you want your brownies. My oven is a bit strange, so check on the mix after about 20 minutes to make sure it's baking evenly, before deciding how much longer you'll want it in the oven.

Once done, cool completely before cutting. Trust me, it's worth the wait.
You might also want to close all your windows, so that the neighbours don't crawl through them when they smell the deliciousness wafting through the air. These brownies are too good to share, unless of course you have a glass of fresh milk with which to devour them. Happy baking!

A guest post from The Creative Pot

We are currently in our production week and the magazine is going to print next week. This means that all my WABing activities come to a grinding halt to make sure everything is out on time with as few errors as possible. Unfortunately my food blog is one of those activities but luckily for you, dear readers, I can get by with a little help from my food blogging friends.  Our next guest this evening is non other that Marisa from The Creative Pot .


You may have noticed (or at least I hope you have) that my images are improving. The reason for this dear readers, or really more the inspiration is Marisa's blog. See if you visit her blog, which I am sure you wont hesitate to do, you will immediately want to climb into your screen and have a feast. Her images make you think "I don't care how complicated the recipe is or if I have these ingredients or not I HAVE TO MAKE THAT!" and you will not be disappointed if you do, her concoctions are just as spectacular as her pictures. Don't believe me yet, take a look:

I am nothing if not dedicated to my craft. So much so that when I was gripped in the middle of a (up-to-now-unknown-to-me) soccer obsession, I managed to tear myself away from the excitement for long enough to study up on some Uruguayan food in honour of the sexy boys of Uruguay.
And it was no mean feat either. For one, there weren't a lot of information online about Uruguayan food - the sexy men must have some super secretive womenfolk in their kitchens at home.  And secondly, the information that was available was mostly in Spanish. Which I am mostly unfamiliar with, barring an unfulfilled yearning to speak Spanish fluently one day. But sadly, no habla Espanol as of yet. Enter my friend, Google translate, which helpful though it was, also caused some smirks on my side at the sometimes painly obvious translation mistakes. Eg. Lengua stifado, which Google translated as Language Stew. (In case you were interested, the correct translation should've been Tongue Stew).

Nevertheless I forged on until I happened on this beauty of a recipe. Meatballs. I can hear you already: "Meatballs? Really? LadyRaven why did you give us this boring person with her boring old meatball recipe?" Because, really, what can be new about a meatball? 
Oh but you haven't tried these - they come with raisins embedded in their meaty insides. Raisins! And as I'm a sucker for fruit/meat (indeed any sweet/savoury) combos, I whipped out my minced meat, shook in some raisins and started forming the mixture into soccer imitating balls. You know, in the spirit of the World Cup and all that. Definitely not your normal meatball. Damn tasty though. But don't tell those secret-hoarding Uruguyan women that I've let the cat out of the bag. They might send their men to come pummel me...


Albóndigas con pasas de uva (Raisin Meatballs)
Adapted from Recipes Wiki
Serves 4
500g (approx 1 lb) minced (ground) beef
2 eggs
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp chopped parsley
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/3 cup raisins
salt and pepper to taste
sunflower oil
2 leeks, white part only, sliced
5 carrots
1/2 cup semi-sweet white wine
1. Place meat in a bowl, add eggs unbeaten, parsley, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, raisins, chopped garlic boys.
2. Mix all of this, then form into 8 meatballs, dip in flour and fry in hot oil.
3. Brown them well and remove from the heat, reserve.
4. In the same oil, put the white of leek, sliced, cooked a bit and add carrots, peeled and cut rather small, the kitchen a moment, put back the meatballs to the pan, add the wine is left uncovered so that the alcohol evaporates, add enough water to cover the remaining meatballs, add 1 tablespoon salt, cook till the carrots are tender. 


If you enjoyed this post, you will most certainly enjoy the rest of my shenanigans over at The Creative Pot. Or come & say hi on twitter. Or facebook. Even better, you can subscribe to my RSS feed so you never miss out on any of my posts. Happy cooking!

A guest post from Cooksister

As a food blogger in this day and age I have been fortunate to have a lot of great influence and inspiration from other food bloggers around me. Whether its the style of writing, beautiful pictures or great recipe ideas, the wealth of knowledge and passion in the food blogger universe is immense. One of the greatest food blogger inspirations has been Jeanne from Cooksister. With her mouth watering imagery, inventive and delightful recipes to her entertaining writing, she really is a great example of one of the best food bloggers around.

When my food blog grows up it want's to be like Jeanne's. For now though my food blog and I will be happy to host one of Jeanne's posts:

Hello and welcome to (would you believe) my first ever guest post!  I have been following the delightful LadyRaven for probably almost as long as she has been blogging, and she was one of the first people listed on the South African Food and Wine Blog Directory.  When she asked me to guest post for her, how could I resist.  And after all, she is a fellow cheeseslut!

Those of you who grew up in South Africa at about the same time as I did will recall that Mexican cuisine was not beeeeeg in our beautiful country 20 years ago.  In fact, the first restaurant that introduced any form of Mexican dishes to the public at large was Spur Steak ranches, albeit the Tex-Mex version rather than the Real Deal.  We were mesmerised by these exotic sounding creations on the once-familiar menu of burgers and steaks.  As an indication of just how novel these dishes were, the menus came with a pronounciation guide telling us to ask for "kes-a-DEE-a" as opposed to "kwes-a-DILL-a" and "ha-la-PEH-noh" instead of "ja-la-PEE-no".  Definitely a more innocent time! 

Of course, these days Mexican food is easier to find (and I don’t mean the Old El Paso taco kits available at supermarkets!).  When I tasted real Mexican foods for the first time, what struck me was the fact that not everything was blow-the-roof-off-your-mouth hot.  There was a full spectrum of heat, from cooling fresh salsas to smoky, slow burning hot chillies.  But the one thing that is super-important is starting with the right fresh ingredients – that’s what will lift an ordinary tomato salsa to something fresh, zingy and sublime.

The same can be said for this quick but delicious Mexican-inspired potato salad – the secret lies in good ingredients.  Make sure that you get waxy salad potatoes (as opposed to baking potatoes) as there is nothing worse than a potato salad that disintegrates into mayonnaise-potato mush rather than identifiable cubes (Charlotte and Nicola varieties are particularly good).  Use fresh coriander leaves – the dried stuff is simply not the same.  And unless you have found a secret supplier of authentic Mexican salsas in South Africa, consider making your own as there are many recipes on the internet.  The main ingredient in salsa verde is tomatillos (a tart relation to the gooseberry), but you can substitute green tomatoes and a little lemon juice - or you can even try growing your own tomatillos!  If you really can’t find or make salsa verde, mix 1-2 teaspoons of green Tabasco sauce into the mayonnaise before adding it to the potatoes (or more if you like it spicy!).

MEXICAN POTATO SALAD (serves 6)

Ingredients

6 large waxy potatoes
4 Tablespoons finely chopped white onion
about 4 Tablespoons good mayonnaise (I always use Hellmans)
1 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems
about 2 tablespoons salsa verde (I used some bought from an online Mexican grocer)
salt and pepper

Method

Boil the potatoes until you are able to pierce them with a sharp knife.  Drain and plunge into cold water.  When they are cool enough to handle, peel and cube them into a large bowl and allow to cool.

Stir the chopped onion and coriander leaves into the potatoes.  In a smaller bowl, mix the mayonnaise and salsa verde, then stir into the potatoes.

Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with more coriander leaves.  Delicious served at a braai!