WHOLE FRESH FISH


There is nothing as easy and simply delicious!! Make sure it is properly gutted and scaled. You can rinse of any excess blood or guts under running water. Fill the belly with sliced lemon, fresh thyme and seasoning. Sprinkle the sides with lemon juice and olive oil. Follow with coarse salt, black pepper, chopped garlic, dried herbs and a sprinkle of paprika. Layer sliced lemon on the side facing up and topped with a few nobs of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 160 degrees until the flesh are soft at touch and easy to pierce through. Remove foil, base the fish with the pan juices and bake for 10 more minutes at 180 degrees (small fishes only 5 minutes.) Sit for 5 minutes and serve. You can serve it with a fresh salad, potato baked, mash or savory rice. 


ENJOY xxx

STICKY LAMBS RIBS: 


Cook 2 sides of rib in a flavoured stock until soft and just about falling off the bone. Remove and cool. Dice 1 large onion and fry with oil and salt until cooked through and translucent. Add in 10 ml crushed garlic and 10 ml mixed dried herbs and fry for 2 more minutes. Combine 125ml chutney, 125 ml tomato sauce, 30 ml lemon juice, 30 ml honey and 30 ml thick soy sauce. Add to the onions along with 400 ml of the stock. Simmer for 5 minutes. Brush over your ribs and bake at 180 degrees until sticky. Serve straight up with 'slap chips' and salad. Bon A Petit!! (par boil chicken wings or drumsticks and brush with the same sauce - delicious!!)

PORK CASSOULET 

Cassoulet – a slow cooked pork and bean dish - were traditionally made in the South of France and mainly consist out of pork, pork sausages, goose and beans and topped with breadcrumbs and crackling.

It became a nursery and comfort dish that are now made world-wide with a large variety of ingredients.

Beans were traditionally soaked in a mixture of aromatic herbs and vegetable stock – but using tinned beans will make no difference to your hungry family on a chilly winters night.

This is my variation on traditional cassoulet but with an eastern touch. – and soon will become one of your families favourits too.

(recipe will serve 6 people)

1 x Deboned pork shoulder cut into cubes

400 g of pork sausages

4 onions - sliced

4 large garlic cloves - chopped

20 ml masala

6 cardamom seeds

4 pieces of star anise

10 ml cinnamon

5 ml whole cumin

15 ml grounded cumin

2 whole dried red chilies

30 ml brown sugar

15 ml dried parsely

15 ml dried thyme

5 ml grounded ginger

1 piece of fresh ginger root – crushed

1 tomato puree sachet

1 liter chicken stock

1 tin Butter Beans

1 tin Red Kidney Beans

Gently brown die pork meat and sausages in a heave base pot over a hight heat.

Once browned – remove from stove and keep separate.

In the same pot – fry the onions with olive oil and salt until cooked through and translucent.

Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute

Combine the masala, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, cumin, chilies, sugar and add to the onions. Fry for 2 more minutes until the spices are well toasted

Add in the parsley, thyme, ground ginger and ginger root followed by the pork and sausages.

Fry for a few minutes, making sure that the meat are well coated with the spices.

Combine the stock and tomato paste, add to the pot and simmer over a medium heat for 90 minutes.

Keep checking on it – stirring gently through once or twice.

You might need to fill on the stock.

Remove the cardamom, star anise, ginger & chili from the pot and add in the beans.

Gently simmer for 10 more minutes.

If needed – thicken the sauce with a cornflour paste.

Topped with lots of freshly chopped parsley & coriander and serve.

TIPS:

• This Cassoulet will freeze very well – but if you are planning on freezing it, do not add the beans, until it is defrosted and heated up.
• If you cant get hold of cardamom or star-anise, simply leave it out and add 5 ml of aniseeds.
• You can substitute the pork with lamb meat.
• A de-boned pork shoulder are traditionally called a 'pork butt'.

WHITE CHOCOLATE & GOOSEBERRY TART
 

This is a border line dessert between cheese cake and chocolate tart. But better you would not find.

Serve this at your next tea party - and your guest will beg for more.

250 ml Smooth Cottage Cheese

200 ml cream

5 ml vanilla essence

420 g white chocolate

gooseberry jam

Fresh gooseberries

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler
Heat cream and cottage cheese over a medium heat and add in the vanilla essence

Gently whisk the cream mixture to the melted chocolate until a smooth consistency has formed.

Spread a layer of gooseberry jam over the bottom of a prepared pastry case. (for this you can use a ready bake shortcrust base – or a tennis biscuit and butter base.)

Pour half of the mixture into the pastry case and top with a layer of fresh gooseberries.

Top with the rest of the white chocolate mixture and genly press more gooseberries around the edge of the tart.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving it.

This tart keeps up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Happy Baking x

QUICK ONION, LEEK & BACON QUICHE

Very simple recipe for a delicious quick and easy savoury quiche.

It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 day.  Simple reheat it

in a pre-heated oven of 160 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.

RECIPE

Puff Pastry

2 Large Onions sliced

5 x celery sticks sliced

20 g crushed garlic

1 packet streaky bacon

10 ml salt & pepper

10 ml mustard powder

10 ml veggie spice

200 g cheddar grated

250 ml cream

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

Layer a quiche tin with the pastry and rest in freezer for 30 minutes

Prick with a fork and bake blind in a preheated oven of 180 degrees for 20 minutes

Remove blind bake material and bake for 10 more minutes without at a reduced heat of 140 degrees.

Meanwhile – sautee onions, celery and garlic until translucent and cook through.

Remove from frying pan and fry bacon until cooked.

Place onion mixture back in frying pan and add seasoning, mustard and veggie spice and fry for 5 more minutes. Remove pan from heat and cool mixture for 15 minutes.

Combine cream, eggs and yolks and add to the bacon mixture. 

Pour mixture in ready bake pastry case and bake at 160 degrees until just set.

Cool slightly and serve with a fresh green salad. 

ENJOY!! 

CHOCOLATE TART

You cant go without a quick, easy and very simple chocolate tart recipe.

This one are tried and tested more than just a few times and keep very well for a few

days in the refrigerated. 

CRUST
250 g Chocolate Ginger Snap Biscuits

Zest of One orange / naartjie

50 g Chopped Hazelnuts

2.5 ml coarse salt

1 whole Egg

100 g butter melted

Crush biscuits and add in zest, hazelnuts and salt

Add in egg and mix well.

Lastly add in the butter and combine well

Press down in a loose form tart tin and bake at 160 degrees for 10 minutes

Cool

(if the crust is a bit too crumbly – add more melted butter)

FILLING

350 g dark chocolate (70% if possible)

200 g smooth cream cheese

30 ml strong black coffee

200 g whipped cream

Melt the chocolate over a boiler.

Once melted add in the cream cheese and stir until melted and well combined.

Remove from the heat

Add in the hot coffee and whisk until a smooth texture has formed

Cool slightly and gently fold in the whipped cream

Pour in prepared and cooled pastry case and set in refrigerator for 2 – 3 hours.

Served with Fresh strawberries, mascarpone or chantilly cream, mango or berry coulis.

• This tart can keep up to 7 days in the fridge. Just make sure it is well covered or clingwrapped.
• You can leave the nuts out if allergic to it.
• Toast the hazelnuts in a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees before using it
• Substitute the ginger snap biscuits with romany creams or coffee biscuits
• Chantilly cream – are cream that has been whipped with icing sugar and vanilla essence added to it.
• Make a little extra of the crust (but without the egg) and crumble it on top of the tart when serving.
  you can also add a little of whiskey/kalua/amarula/vanilla to the coffee before adding it to the mix.

Happy Baking ! ! !

BEST BURGER IN TOWN

This is my famous burger patty recipe.  And you gonna look long and hard for anything better.

THE PERFECT PATTY

2 onions – finely chopped

20 ml salt

20 ml crushed garlic

10 black pepper

5 ml Masala

50 ml balsamic vinegar

50 ml chutney

50 ml worchester sauce

20 ml treacle sugar

200 ml dried herb breadcrumbs

2 whole eggs

50 ml mixed dried herbs

1 kg minced meat

Gently fry onions with salt until translucent and cooked through

Add in garlic, pepper, masala, chutney, worchester sauce and treacle sugar

Cook over a low heat until a pasty consistency forms

Add with breadcrumbs, herbs and eggs to meat and knead through well

Form 200g patties and refrigerate for 4 – 6 hours.

Fry on both side in a hot pan until a good crust appears.

Place in a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees and cook until desired done-ness.

Let patties sit for atleast 10 minutes before serving.

A FEW TIPS FOR THE BEST BURGER IN TOWN

• If you are short on time – use boerewors or wet droewors meat. Simply squeeze the meat out of the casing and shape into a patty.
• If you are scared that your patty might fall apart during the cooking process, coat it in flour and eggwash – this will help to bind it from the outside.
• To add a little bit of texture to your patty, coat it in breadcrumbs and fry in a bit of oil.
• Bake or fry your patties until perfection and see what works the best for you. When baking it in the oven it might have a slightly pale look to it – but this method will definitely ensure to get rid of all the excess fat in the meat.
• Allow your guests to built their own burger and make sure that there is enough condiments to choose from. Cheeses, pickels, preserves, lettuces, cook & raw onions, poached or fried eggs, spicy pastes like harissa or chermoula, pesto's, flavoured butters, crispy bacon and ham.
• Make sure that your burger bun is freshly baked. Use small focassia or ciabatta rolls instead of the traditional burger bun. Prego and garlic rolls is also a big winner. Slightly heat the buns in a pre-heated oven to freshen them up and crisp the outside crust.

MEDITERRANEAN STYLE CHICKEN
& PORK SAUSAGE BAKE

One of my all time favourites.  Alot of flavour and more than easy to put together for
a house full of people.

(recipe serves 4 hungry people)
8 x Chicken Thy's - on the bone and with the skin in
12 x Pork Sausages  - also called chippolata's
200 g black calamata olives
4 whole garlic cloves
one tin of tomato & onion
1 tin of whole peeled tomato's
2 sashes tomato paste
10 ml grounded black pepper
10 ml dried oregano
10 ml dried thyme
5 ml medium curry powder
25 ml brown sugar
5 ml cumin
10 ml veggie spice / mixed herbs

Brown the chicken skin side down in a heavy base pan.
Place them in a heavy duty oven tray and place sausages between the chicken meat.
Scatter olives and garlic cloves ontop
Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour tomato mixture over the meat in the oven tray, sprinkle with freshly grounded sea salt and bake at 160 degrees until chicken are tender and cooked through. (about 40 - 60 minutes)
Remove from oven and neatly place the chicken and sausages in a clean serving dish.
Gently pour the tomato sauce over and garnish with fresh thyme and basil.
Serve with basmati rice and a fresh garden salad.

TIPS:
You can also add in baby potato's and whole baby onions to the chicken before baking it

QUICK CHICKEN SALAD AND FRESHLY BAKED 
FOCASSIA FOR LUNCH 


Lunch simply stay one of those meals that always catch me off guard on a weekday.  Especially when you only cooking for two.
Running between washing, cleaning house, wetting gardend, emails and a naughty puppy - and before you know it lunch is upon us - again!.

Here's a real quick fix - and when there is no time for kneading focassia dough - simply toast a few slices of rye bread of use some freshly baked buns form the supermarket.

This simple recipes can be serve to 4 people for a light lunch

FOCASSIA BREAD
500 g Cake Flour
5 ml Salt
5 ml Sugar
1 sashet yeast
350 ml luke warm water
50 ml extra virgin olive oil.
Simply combine the wet and dry ingredients separate.
Gently knead in the wet ingredients to the dry ones (you can use a electrical mixer if prefer)
and knead until a soft dough has formed - you might need a little more flour or water to get the nonresistance
right.  Cover and sit until double in size.
Place dough on a flat oiled baking tray and spread out.  Punchuring the douh with your nuckles.
Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Rest again for atleast 20 minutes.
Place in a pre-heated oven of 160 degrees and bake for 20 - 30 minutes

CHICKEN SALAD
While the dough is rising  cut 6 bone and skinless chicken breasts up in even slices.
Combine 75 ml olive oil, 75 ml lemon juice, 15 ml veggie spice, 15 ml parsley, 5 ml garlic and pour over
the chicken strips.  Marinate for atleast 15 minutes.
Heat a heavy base pan and fry the strips in olive oil until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove from pan and cool.
Cut up three tomato's and tossed with some mini mozzarella balls, fresh rocket and olives. Add to the cooled down chicken and served with the warm focassia straight out of the oven along with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

A fresh piece of soft cheese - eg camenbert, brie of a smooth blue will - can be served alongside and will
raise the bar on any boring weekday lunch.
Sundried Tomato Pesto or home made Hummus are also great condiments for this lunch.


TIPS
You can top your focassia with any flavour.  From tomato, olives, flavoured pesto's, thinly sliced potato, 
cheeses, cold meat etc.  And if freezes VERY well.
You can really add anything to this salad to spice it up a little bit. Pineappe of mango cubes, cucumber, onion slices, avo - or what ever you have around.

Dont forget the glass of wine  :)

HOME MADE GRANOLA

I've made my first granola working in a Hotel in Massachusetts. The process seemed endless and almost uncalled for.  Until i tasted my first bowl...

I've adapted the recipe and made a few changes to make it easy for every kitchen goddess. 

Serve this with a good quality Bulgarian or goats milk yoghurt, fresh fruit and honey - and you will be hooked.

This recipe takes a little time – but store in a airtight container and it will last for a couple of weeks. You can also package it in ziplog bags and freeze it until needed.

If the granola seem to be becoming a little wet – simply spread out on a baking tray and dry in a pre-heated oven of 120 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes.

1 Box oats

250 ml brown sugar

10 ml vanilla essence

250 ml oil

150 ml maple syrup

250 ml honey

150 molasses syrup

1 cup macadamia nuts roughly chopped 

1 cup walnuts roughly chopped

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup flaked almonds

1 cup crushed nuts

½ cup poppy seeds

½ cup sesame seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

2 cups dried fruit chopped

1 cup raisins

1 cup sultana's

Combine brown sugar, vanilla, oil, Maple, honey and molasses

Gently stir in the oats

Spread evenly out on a large baking tray and leave to dry at 90 degrees overnight (as for rusks)

Combine all the seeds and the nuts and spread out on a baking tray.

Roast at 160 degrees until well toasted – make sure to stir them through for even browning.

Once the oats mixture has dried and cooled down. Brake lumps up and add in the toasted seeds and nuts along with the dried chopped fruit, raisins and sultanas.

Stir through well.

Store in a airtight container until needed.

You can always double the amount of dried fruit / nuts / seeds or raisins to suit your taste.  Play around with coconut shavings, dried mango and banana shavings, different seeds or nuts or keep it simple and cut the nuts, seeds and fruits by half.  

FEW GREAT BREAKFAST TIPS

When making fruit salad, remember to add a little bit of lemon juice to cut apple, pear and banana. This stop the oxidation process that make the fruit turn brown.

Flavour natural plain yoghurt yourself by making fresh fruit coulis.

Simply blend a fruit of your choice to a fine pulp. Strain through a fine sift and serve a selection of fruit coulis with plain yoghurt. Now your guests can create and make their own favourite flavour yoghurt by adding a little bit of coulis to plain yoghurt. Use mango's, strawberries, blackberries, banana or ripe nectarines and peaches.

Store nuts and seeds in the freezer or refrigerator. This will help to prevent them from going ransit. And always make sure that they are kept in a airtight container or vacuumpacket. Make sure to toaste them before serving them – as this will cook the seeds or nuts and bring out the flavour aswell as the texture.

MUSHROOM TARTLET

Easy Mushroom Tartlet.  Make small ones for pre-dinner snacks or serve as a starter or vegetarian meal with a light tossed vegetable salad.

YOU NEED
Ready made puff pastry
2 onions - sliced
2 leeks - sliced
olive oil, salt & pepper
20 ml dried thyme
2 punnet mushrooms - sliced
10 ml fresh thyme
one round of feta cheese - crumbled
100 g of cream cheese

Cut even size round or square shapes out of the puff pastry dough.
Place the cold dough in a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees and bake until
crisp, puffy and golden brown.
Fry onions and leeks in the olive oil, salt and pepper until translucent and cooked through.
Add in dried thyme and mushroom and cook over a slow heat until all the water of the
mushrooms has evaporated
Remove from stove and cool.
Add in fresh thyme, feta cheese and cream cheese and mix well.
Scoop spoon ful of the mushroom mixture optop of the ready bake pastry
Topped with more fresh thyme and freshly grounded black pepper  and serve.

TIPS

• This filling keep well for up to two days in the refrigerator.  It can be serve cold or at room temperature.
• For a meatier version - add 250g of bacon with the onions and leeks.
• Use the same filling for a savoury tart of quiche.  Mix three egg yolks, one egg and 100 g grated cheddar with the cream cheese before adding it to the mushroom mixture (u can also add in two cups of chopped spinach) pour in a prepared quiche base and bake until just set.  Sprinkle with more cheese and paprika and bake for 2 more minute. 
• Drizzle a  few drops of black truffle oil over the tartlet before serving it (truffles are a type of mushroom/fungi that grows under the ground and get sniffled out by pigs - originally found in Italy.  It's an extremely expensive product, but the oil - locally available in deli or specialty stores - are a great substitute and a little really goes a long way.  Make sure you buy a bottle that have a few pieces of truffles in it.  - it look like small black pieces of dirt.  To stretch your oil, add one unit of a good quality extra virgin olive oil to one unit truffle oil.  

SIMPLE AND EASY VALENTINES MENU FOR TWO

Valentine is only a few sleeps away. And you better be prepared.

Here is a very simple three course menu that will guaranteed blow your loved one away.

PRE-DINNER DRINK
Chilled Watermelon & Vodka Drink
Cut and remove the pips form one quarter of a large watermelon.
Combine with the zest of 1 orange, one shot of vodka and 2 sprigs of fresh mint.
Blend together until a smooth pulp has formed.
Strain through a sift, pour in a martini glass and chill for alteast 3 hours before serve.
Topped with crushed ice, fresh mint and serve with a bowl of calamata olives and marinated feta.

STARTER NIBBLES
Crispy Pastry with Home Made Spreads
Roll out a piece of bought puff pastry and brush with egg white. Sprinkle with cheese, herbs and chopped garlic, cut into heart shapes and bake until double in size and crispy.
Make a cheese spread by combining 200 g of smooth cottage cheese with 100 ml whipped cream, 2.5 ml salt and 2.5 ml freshly ginded black pepper.
Now add the desirable flavour to it – 30 ml of biltong dust / 20 ml mixed dried herbs / 20 ml pesto / 30 ml chopped sundried tomato / 10 ml roasted garlic.
Pour in little ramekins, cover and keep refrigerated until needed.

MAIN MEAL
Rare Roasted Beef Fillet with Rustic Salad.
MEAT: Marinate a 400 g portion of beef fillet in 50 ml lemon juice, 50 ml olive oil, 20 ml honey, 20 ml chutney, 20 ml soy and fresh rosemary for 2 – 3 hours.
Heat a grilling pan to smoking point and and sear the meat well on all its sides.
Place into a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees and bake for 10 – 15 min for
Cool, and store in refrigerator until needed.
SALAD For the salad you will need one bunch of fresh rocket, cup plum tomatoes- halved, 1 mango -cut into cubes, half cup toasted walnuts, one roll of goats cheese, 5 boiled baby potato's -halved, 1 punnet of steamed baby corn, 1 punnet of steamed mange tout
DRESSING: 50 ml olive oil, 20 ml lemon juice, hand full of freshly chopped herbs, 2.5ml salt, 2.5 ml coarse black pepper, 10 ml whole grain mustard, 5 ml honey.
Combine all ingredients and whisk well. Keep refrigerated until needed.

Get all the ingredients ready before the time. With dinner, simply combine the salad ingredients and toss lightly with the salad dressing. Arrange on a large serving platter, cut the fillet and put the thin slivers on top of the salad and drizzle with the rest of the dressing. (you can also plate individual portions if prefer.)


DESSERT
Strawberry Meringue Cup
Whip one cup of cream with 50 ml of icing sugar to soft peak and fold in one tin of passionfruit pulp.
Cut up 6 large ripe strawberries and combine with a handfull of blueberries, 50 ml orange juice zest of one orange and 10 ml of brown sugar.
In a fluted or martini glass – scoop one large spoon of the berry mixture, topped with wipped cream and crumble meringue ontop. Repeat with more berries, cream and topped with soft chocolate ganash or minted chocolate shavings and fresh mint. Serve straight away.

OOEY GOOEY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

This is definitely one of those recipe's to have handy - as one never know
when you simply need to bake some OOEY GOOEY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES.
This recipe is easy, quick to make and are best kept in the refrigerator.
It also freeze well for up to 6 weeks.

Serve it dusted with icing sugar, with a dollop of cream, as a base for a
deadly chocolate mousse cake or with a scoop of ice cream.


RECIPE
220 g Dark Chocolate
125 ml Cooking Oil
125 ml treacle (dark brown sugar)
2 eggs
5 ml vanilla essence
5 ml coffee granules
80 ml cocoa powder
200 ml cake flour
7.5 ml baking powder
1 cup chopped white chocolate

Melt the dark chocolate and slowly whisk in the oil, sugar and eggs,
Followed by the vanilla and coffee
Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder and gently fold
this into the chocolate mixture.
Pour this in a prepared baking tray and sprinkle the
white chocolate chips over the top.
Using a spoon - swirl the white chocolate chips into the mixture by making a
figure 8.
Repeat this process two or three times.
Bake at 180 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes.

The brownie should have a cracked top with a slightly soft interior.
Cool and keep refrigerated until needed, but serve at room temperature.

happy baking

(photo by Shirley Bowker)

THEMED FOOD DEMONSTRATIONS AT FAIRFIELD

Themed food demonstrations can be booked
at Fairfield Kitchen for groups of 6 to 8 guests.
The day include a full demonstration of a 3 course meal of the selected theme, beverages before, during and after the class, all notes and recipes and a lunch that consist out of all the food demonstrated.

These demonstrations can also be held in the comfort of your own home.
An island style kitchen layout is ideal and the amount of guest of these classes depends on the kitchen's facilities.

THEMES TO CHOOSE FROM:
Italian South African 'Boerekos'
Mexican Mediterranean
Indian Easter
French Christmas
Moroccan Valentine

Inbox me at fairfieldfoods@gmail.com for costs and more info
regarding the classes.

TROPICAL CHICKEN SALAD

You cant go without a few great salad ideas and this chicken salad are just
what you need for healthy lunch in a flash.
(recipe serves two people)

CHICKEN
2 x Chicken Breast
Cut the chicken breasts into smaller strips and season with olive oil, lemon juice and veggie spice and marinate for 1 hour.
Heat a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and flash fry the strips until brown and cooked through.

DRESSING
1 teaspoon mustard
2 teaspoons brown sugar
30 ml apple vinegar
250 ml Extra Virgin olive oil
half cup chopped chives
Combine mustard, brown sugar and vinegar and whisk well.
Add in olive oil and chopped chives
Keep refrigerated till needed

SALAD
1 packet of fresh lettuces - washed
fresh rocket, coriander & mint - washed
half a pineapple cut up into cubes
1 whole ripe avocado
half a cucumber – cut into ribbons with a veggie peeler
half cup toasted pine kernels
1 x 125 g plain goats cheese

Combine lettuces, herbs, pineapple, avocado and cucumber and lightly toss in a deep bowl
Arrange on a flat serving platter
Place grilled chicken ontop of salad and sprinkle with pine kernels.
Lastly crumble the goats cheese over the salad and serve with the dressing on the side.


TIPS:
U can use ripe Camembert or feta cheese instead of goats cheese
Leave out the pine kernels if allergic to nuts
To keep your avocado from going brown – cut into slices and place in a bowl with ice water and lemon juice for 10 – 15 minutes (25ml lemon juice to 250ml water)
The chicken pieces can be served either cold or hot.
For a creamier dressing combine 100ml LIGHT Mayonnaise with 100ml milk, 5 ml black pepper, half a cup of finely chopped herbs (eg rocket, coriander, parsley, basil) and whisk well.

CHINESE STYLE CHICEN STIRFRY
(recipe serves two)

Quarter Pack of Egg Noodles
1 x Chicken Breast – de-boned and skinned
50 ml lemon juice
20 ml olive oil
freshly chopped parsley

1 x Onion
1 x Small Red Cabbage
1 x Carrot
1 x Red Pepper
1 packet of mange tout
10 ml freshly crushed garlic
80 ml Sesame Oil
20 ml Soy Sauce
20 ml Fish Sauce
5 ml Honey
30 ml Rice Wine Vinegar
5 ml fresh Ginger Grated

Cook Egg noodles and keep separate.
Slice Chicken breast into thin strips and marinated with lemon juice parsley & olive oil for
10 – 15 minutes
Slice all veggies in thin even size strips.
Bring a wok (or large frying pan) to a medium heat and add the sesame oil
Add the veggies and stir fry for 1 – 2 minutes
Now add in the garlic, soy, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey and fresh ginger
Fry well and make sure that all the veggies are coated with the flavours added.
Veggies must be lightly cooked but still be crunchy.
Remove the veggies from the wok – and return to the heat.
Add some more sesame oil – and add in the chicken .
Fry quickly until just cooked through and add back in the veggies.
Fry for 1-2 more minutes. Making sure you mixing all the veggies and chicken well together.
Add in the cooked egg noodles and serve in bowls with lots of freshly chopped coriander or springonions.


TIPS
If allergic to sesame – substitute sesame oil with, extra virgin olive or grape seed oil.
Its not necessary to mix the noodles through with the chicken mixture – and the chicken can be served ontop of the noodles.
Substitute Chinese noodles with paperdelle pasta or jasmine rice.
Substitute chicken with duck breast, beef strips.

WAYS WITH WATERMELON

This is the best time of the year to get hold of that perfect ripe bright pink watermelon.
But don’t fool yourself by thinking that watermelons are only good to eat as a fruit or on a hot afternoon.
Here are a few great tips on what to do with that pink beauty.

WATERMELON & FETA SALAD
Believe it or not – but watermelon, feta and black olives are a perfect mach. Through in a hand full of fresh basil leaves and you’ve got a winner.!!
4 Large slices of watermelon – pitted and cut into cubes
4 rounds of black pepper feta
1 cup of pitted black olives
100 ml olive oli
Fresh Basil
Gently Layer the feta, watermelon and olives in a large see trough glass bowl.
Keep refrigerated until needed - topped with fresh basil and drizzle with a bit of olive oil

Tip: You can also splash the salad with balsamic reduction
Add strawberries and black berries to the salad
These ingredients also make a great pre-dinner /cocktail snack. Simply skewer some Danish Feta, a Pitted Olive and a Watermelon Cube on a bamboo skewer and serve with dry sparkling wine.

CHILLED WATERMELON & STRAWBERRY SOUP
Combine 500g of watermelon (peeled and pitted) with 500g strawberries and 100 g blueberries.
Add a splash of vodka if you like.
Chill for alteast 4 hours. Serve in martini glass as a chilled soup with a citrus peel twist ontop

EASY CHRISTMAS PUDDING

MERINGUE KERSFEES KAAS KOEK
N ietsie soets is nou maar eending waarsonder ons Suid Afrikaners net nie kan klaar kom nie. Veral nie met n groot geleendheid soos Kersnaweek nie!
Met die voorspelde warm temperature gedurende hierdie naweek – kan jy seker maar n bietjie wegskram van die tradisionele gebakte of gestoomde kerspoeding en iets meer ligs en maklik voorsit.
Nie net sal jou gaste gaande daaroor wees nie – maar ook jy sal verlig wees met die min en maklike takie om jou Kers ete met n 'grand finale' af te rond.
MAKLIKE MERINGUE KAAS KOEK 3 ewegroot meringue wiele (die groote van n hoofgang bord)
2 blikkie kondensmelk
2 x 250 g gladde room kaas – kamer temperatuur
300 ml suurlemoen sap
5 ml vanilla geursel
2 blikkies granadella pulp
fun gerasperde skil van 1 suurlemoen
1 pakkie vars aarbeie
2 pakkies vars blou bessies
1 pakkie vars appelliefies

Room die maaskaas met n plastiek spatula to heeltemal sag en heeltemal glad
Voeg die kondensmelk bietjies gewys by todat n gladde mengsel gevorm het
Voeg nou die suurlemoen bietjies by en meng goed
Laastens meng die granadilla pulp, vanilla geursel en die suurlemoen skil by
Meng goed
Laat staan die mengsel in die yskas vir tenminste 20 minute voor gebruik
Sif n dun lagie kakao poeier bo-oor die meringue skywe.
Op die boden van n koek staander – smeer n klein sirkel van die maaskaas mengsel
(dit help dat die koek mooi op die bord vas sit en nie rondskyf nie)
Plaas nou die eerste meringue laag bo-op.
Smeer een derde van die kaas mengsel bo op die meringue en plaas van die bessie bo-op
Plaas nou die volgende meringue laat bo- op en herhaal.
Voltooi die koek met die laaste kaasmengsel en bessies bo-op.
Versier met vars mint en fyngekapte wit en donker sjokolade
Bedien dadelik.

TIPS Gebruik ook ander vars vrugte in seisoen soos pynappel, kersies of vye.
Gekapte vars mint kan ook tussen die lae ingesit word
Versuikerde vrugte of tradisionele kersfees koek mengsel kan gebruik word ipv vars vrugte.
Die kaaskoek mengsel sal die meringue uiteindelik sag maak indien dit lank staan – verf dus die meringue vooraf met wit (of donker) sjokolade – dit sal verhoed dat dit gou sag word en hoef nie dadelik te bedien word nie.
Die kaaskoek mengsel sal goed in die yskas hou vir 5 – 6 dae.

CLASSES FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS

CLASSES FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS
Hands-on Morning classes for domestic workers
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
9:00 – 12:30


Classes will take place in your home kitchen where your domestic worker can learn practically how to prepare a meal in their everyday working environment.


Classes consist out of two meals (meat and starch dish), one veggie dish and one salad.


Cost of R550.00 per morning class
Cost does not include ingredients or traveling
Cost include all recipes and notes



Classes are for 1 to 3 students – depending on your kitchen.
You will receive a list before the class of all ingredients needed.


CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING 3 CLASS OPTIONS
CLASS 1:
MEAL 1: Chicken Pie with Herb Mash
MEAL 2: Bolognaise Style Mince with Spaghetti
VEGGIE DISH: Veggies with Bechamel
SALAD: Cabbage Slaw
* * *
CLASS 2:
MEAL !: Tomato & Olive Chicken , Potato with Onion, Bacon & Cheese
MEAL 2: Tomato Scented Beef Curry, Herby Rice with Peas
VEGGIE DISH: Sweet Peas & Carrots
SALAD: Fresh Salad
* * *
CLASS 3:
MEAL1: Marinated Chicken Breast, Baby Potato with Garlic & Herbs
MEAL 2: Spicy Mince & Pasta Dish with Cheese
VEGGIE DISH: Crisp Green Beans, Broccoli & Plum Tomato's
SALAD: Cous Cous Salad

Contact me for more info or to book a class.

fairfieldfoods@gmail.com

LEMON CURD TART

Time for summer ice tea and a decadent citrus tarts.

This simple recipe consist out of a curd that is cooked, butter is then whisked to it and the mixture are poured in a pastry case and bake until just set.
Use shortcrust pastry for a flaky texture or a biscuit crumb and butter base for a quick shortcut.
Flavour it with white chocolate chips and lemon zest. .

TART
5 Eggs
5 Yolks
350 ml Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
350 ml Castor Sugar
350 ml Chilled Butter – cubed
Zest of One lemon

Combine Eggs & Yolks and keep separate.
Combine lemonjuice, and castor sugar in a medium sauce pan and slowly bring to a boil
Once the mixture has boiled – add a little bit of the hot mixture to the egg mixture, stir well and return it too the rest of the ingredients.
Cook over medium heat till thicken and almost translucent while stirring continuously with a plastic spatula (make sure not to use a wooden spoon or a whisk)
Remove from heat and pour through a sift in a clean mixing bowl
Whisk in the butter – one block at a time until melted and mixture have a shiny glow to it.
Lastly add the lemon zest.
Pour in Prepared Pastry Case and bake at 160 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes or until the custard
has just set.

Serve this with fresh berries, berry compote or berry coulis, clotted sweet cream and mint.

happy baking x