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Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Restaurant Review: Daleah's Eatery
Despite its small size, Daleah’s manages to feel light,
bright and spacious. We were immediately greeted by a friendly young waitress
who found an empty table for us. We had a good view of the large chalkboard
that displays the menu.
I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast yet was nearly tempted
into ordering the croissants that the guy at the table next to us was enjoying.
Without hesitation, husband ordered the Beef Sliders (R76.00) while I couldn’t
decide what I wanted. The waitress jumped in to suggest the Salad with Chicken
and Asparagus (R55.00) and I went with
her recommendation. I was tempted by the delicious looking pastas (R50.00 –
R75.00) and our neighbours sandwiches (R35.00 – R70.00 with R10.00 extra for
pretzel bread) also looked tasty.
Daleahs eatery will be seeing us again soon. The relaxed
atmosphere, the full-flavoured food and the friendly service make it a little
gem worth revisiting.
6 de Beer Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
Tel: 011 403 0243Open Tuesday to Friday 08:30 – 17:30 & Saturday 9:00 – 17:30
Free wi-fi
www.facebook.com/daleahs
@daleahseatery
daleahs.eatery@gmail.com
(An edited version of this review appeared here)
Restaurant Review: The Wolfpack
The original review appeared on The Food Blog Joburg
In our house, Thursday is burger night. We love making homemade burgers and each of us has a secret recipe. While we can appreciate the simple burger, we also seek perfection, ie. The Burger Holy Grail. When we heard about The Wolfpack in Parkhurst we had high hopes.
We stopped by one Thursday night in January, only to be told that they were fully booked… for two weeks. So we made a reservation to find out what the fuss was about.
We arrived to a nearly full restaurant. A friendly waiter presented us with menus for a variety of burgers, craft beers and wine. The crowd was a mix of young and old, small groups and intimate tables. The upstairs area* is popular for parties and a few tables outside for those who love people watching.
The burger selection is extensive and includes an ostrich, a lamb, chicken and a few vegetarian options.
We tried the Harissa Lamb Burger (R93.00) and the Good Ol’ Cheese burger (R72.00). Along with each burger you can choose “Fresh or Fried” sides. As tempted as I was by the healthy sounding Asian salad or the tomato, red onion and oregano salad, I decided on the shoe lace fries with garlic aioli. My burger partner ordered the sweet potato chips with hummus, although the crispy wasabi onion rings were a close second.
Feeling like a MasterChef judge, I cut my burger in half and found it to be perfectly medium – just as I’d ordered. The toppings were generous and the combinations were great. The fries were crunchy, the garlic not too overwhelming. Knives and forks down, we joined the rest of the crowd and ate with our hands – the only way to enjoy a juicy burger. There was enough crunch, enough sauce and more than enough flavour.
The lamb burger was slightly spicy but softened by the minty pesto, black peppered tomatoes and baby spinach. And the good ol’ cheese? Exactly what you expected from a classic burger – melted cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and gherkins. You don’t need to change a classic, you just need to do it well.
The dessert menu is limited to weird and wonderful homemade ice-creams. Not ideal for my burger partner, Mr. Lactose Intolerant. I tried the olive oil and smoked sea salt flavour – it was the perfect way to end the meal.
The Wolfpack offers a relaxed setting with good, honest burgers. The staff are friendly and the chefs know what they’re doing. Whether it is the best burger joint in Joburg, well, we have a few places still to try, but it’s definitely a major contender.
Thursday Night is Burger Night - Homemade Fish Burgers
Let's catch up on TGIBN "Thank Goodness it's Burger Night"
Thursday night is burger night. It's a thing started by MrB's family and now it's a regular this at our house. Every Thursday we have burgers - homemade, take out or store bought.
It's almost gone viral amongst our friends.
Thursday we receive messages from friends around the world sharing their burgers, the recipes, the stories. It's kinda awesome!
We wanted to make fish burgers - homemade of course - but we also wanted something tasty and healthy. So we ended up with affordable and tasty.
They were easy to make and tastier than I had hoped. I am still craving these!
Homemade Tinned Salmon Burgers
Yields 4 good size patties
1 tin (200g) tinned salmon
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/2 green pepper, chopped fine (you can use carrots, celery or get creative with a combo of capers, olives etc)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1 egg
oil for frying
rolls, lettuce, mayonaise and fresh herbs
lemon wedges
Drain the liquid from the salmon. Carefully remove any bones.
Flake the salmon into a bowl and add the onion, pepper etc. Add the breadcrumbs, egg, lemon juice and mix well. Shape your mixture to burger patties.
You can cook these straight away or leave them to set and cook when needed.
In a heavy based pan, heat the oil to a medium heat.
Place the patties in the oil and cover the pan. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes or until firm.
Chop some herbs and mix in with your mayo (we used coriander).
Assemble your burger:
cut the rolls
place some lettuce on the bottom roll
place your salmon patty
Add some of the herb mayo mix and squueze a bit of lemon juice to taste
Enjoy!!
July Recipe a Week Challenge: Week 6
The last week of the July Recipe Challenge and it ends
with dessert. A little sweetness to finish off the challenge. Once again I gave
MrB the choice of which dish he wanted me to make (let’s be real, it’s for him
anyway). I had my fingers crossed that he would select Tiramisu which is my
favourite dessert. I just love the richy creaminess and the coffee/chocolate
combination. But so few places do it right and often all you taste is alcohol
and gelatine.
MrB chose the Lamington Slice. To be honest, I wasn’t
very happy or excited when this was the result. I have never been a big fan of
these cake and coconut combo. This is part of the challenge though, right? To
step out of the comfort zone and to try something new. And if Lauren was
willing to try anchovies, I could make this cake.
I decided to make it as a dessert for the family Sunday
lunch after everyone completed Walk the Talk (some treats after the 8km walk
sounded like a great plan!). It was really easy to make and it didn’t take long
at all. Everyone said they really enjoyed it (although I do suspect they are
just being nice). I must confess I was a little annoyed that the recipe is all
in weight measurements. We don’t have a kitchen scale. I ended up guessing my
way through it.
On Monday the leftovers were sent to MrB’s work for his
team to enjoy. He shared some photos of the Lamington’s on site.
See the original recipe here
Donna Hay’s Lamington Slice
250g butter at room temperature
2 ¾ cups caster sugar2tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
250ml milk
2 cups icing sugar
80ml cocoa powder150ml boiling water
50g butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Grease and line a 30cm
rectangular cake pan with baking paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, caster sugar
and vanilla extract. Beat well until light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one and mix well after each addition
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.
Add a little bit of flour to the butter and egg mixture. Mix well. Then add a little bit milk and mix well. Continue adding the flour and milk, alternating between the two. Mix well after each addition.
Spoon the batter into the cake tin and smooth over.
Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes
Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool
For the icing, mix all the ingredients together.
When the cake is cool, pour the icing over the cake. Sprinkle with coconut.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes and serve.
Enjoy!
Go ahead and see what the other ladies made this week
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| Some sweetness during MrB's work day |
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| Adding some life to the site "kitchen" |
July Recipe a Week Challenge: Week 5
Cold weather and an injury had me craving comfort food. The kind of food I didn't have much of as a child growing up but still made me feel like a kid. I wanted the taste of real Mac & Cheese. Not the tasteless almost cheeseless macaroni we buy readymade in the shops.
MrB and I try to eat vegetarian at least once a week. I was excited to try a few more vegetarian options to add our monthly menu.
This mac & cheese was delicious. Creamy, cheesy, comforting.
Eaten as leftovers the next day was just as delicious. The dish in the pictures looks big but it's really shallow so please don't think we had large portions. Ah, who am I kidding, we had genrous helpings!
I do need to go to gym or take a run to make up for my indulgence. If only my knee would get better faster!
You can use any three cheeses with mozarella as the 4th for the topping. We used a milky gouda, a mature cheddar for strong flavour and a lite Danish feta to balance the yellow cheese. If we could find a goat's milk gouda I was going to use that along with haloumi but our local store was out of stock and I wasn't keen to drive all over the city. This is a great way to use up your left over cheeses.
Serve as is or with a side salad. View the original recipe here
3-Cheese Mac 'n Cheese
Serves 4 or 2 plus leftovers
500g Macaroni
100g margarine
1 cup flour
100ml milk
400ml chicken stock
2 cups grated cheese
1/2 tsp paprika (not too much - just enough to enhance the cheese flavour)
1tsp Dijon mustard (you can use any mustard)
Salt & pepper to taste (not really needed with our feta cheese)
1 cup grated mozarella cheese
I put some water on to boil, added loads of salt and got my macaroni on the go. It needs to be pre-cooked but I decided to make it as i made the cheese sauce. Set the oven to 180 degrees.
Now to make the basic white sauce. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and mix with the butter to create a thick paste. Allow to cook for a minute. Add a bit of the milk. Mix it with the paste so that it forms a thicker paste. Add more milk and repeat. Once the milk has been added, ad the chicken stock in stages. If the sauce looks a little runny, don't worry too much.
Take off the heat and add the cheese and the spices. The cheese will thicken the sauce. I used a salty feta so I didn't need to add salt.
Mix the macaroni and the cheese sauce and pour into your baking dish. Sprinkle the mozarella cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese is golden.
Allow to stand for 5 minutes and serve.
A winter's day dreaming - freshly baked bread
I don't bake, that I have said many many times before. I try to bake and sometimes I pull it off but mostly, I have no natural affinity for this art.
MrB - the scientist - is much better at baking.
He is precise and methodical - qualities that are important when baking.
When I showed MrB the baking options for the July Recipe a Week Challenge, he eagerly offered to make the bread option.
He cooked his potatoes and began mixing the dough. He mixed the potatoes, the cheese and the herbs
The house smelled like a rosemary bush. It felt like I was in heaven. And this was only the dough.
When the bread was in the oven, the aromas filling our home was just incredible. I couldn't wait to break into the warm delicious loaves.
There is something heart-warming about a house filled with freshly baked bread.
We tucked in. Between 6 of us we finished two loaves of this incredible bread.
We sat outside in the winter sun, eating this bread, drinking wine and laughing at good memories.
Large chunks of bread was dipped into balsamic vinegar and olive oil - a classic combination that compliments the pecorino cheese and rosemary of the bread.
MrB had selected a few cheeses to enjoy with the bread.
What a feast!
If anyone does want to to bake the bread - here is the recipe
Have a wonderful weekend!
July Recipe a Week Challenge: Week 4
A celebration calls for a special dessert. And when I realised we were having the lunch for my grandpa I just knew that this Chocolate Truffle Tart would be ideal. I would also have a few people to help us eat it which is always a bonus.
I must admit that I was a little nervous for this week's July Recipe a Week Challenge. I am not a great baker. I do bake occassionally when required but I get bored with the precision of it. I don't do so well on exact measurements. And this tart was no exception. I estimated cups and grams.
I think I got lucky!
While MrB was man down with an ear infection, I took on my challenge.
It was really easy to make and definitely "reluctant hostess" friendly. I did have a panic attack when the tart was still wobbly after being in the fridge for an hour.
Luckily I could leave this until the next day and cross my fingers. The back up plan was ice cream with the wobbly mess swirled through it. This would teach me to follow a frikkin recipe
My stress was for nothing!
The next afternoon out came this lovely firm chocolate deliciousness. It was very richy but oh so tasty and a big hit with the guests.
Chocolate
Truffle Tart
Serves 8 - 12 depending on your chocolate craving
Crust:
350g (2 packets - 1 for tasting) Oreo biscuits
50g butter, melted
Filling
375ml cream (I used Orley Whip - dairy free cream
substitute as MrB is lactose intolerant)
300g dark chocolate (chopped) or 200g dark chocolate and
100g milk chocolate
5ml vanilla extract
2 eggs
Glaze:
100g dark chocolate
30ml cream
30ml honey
30ml boiling water
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease one large
tart dish (I did forget to grease it and it was ok).
To make the crust, crush the oreo biscuits in a food
processor (I used my hand blender) until they are very fine (and try not to cry
as the biscuits become crumbs).
Add the melted butter and blend until the crumbs resemble
damp sand. I try to pat a a bit together and if it's firm and sticks then I
think it's done. Otherwise I add more butter.
Press the crumbs into the dish to form the crust.
Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
To make the filling, bring the cream to a simmer in a
saucepan. You're supposed to pour the cream over the chocolate but I wasn't
keen on more dishes to I added the chocolate to the cream and removed it from
the heat. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then stor until the chocolate is
completely melted.
Add the vanilla extract and stir
Beat the eggs and add in. Mix well
Pour the filling into the tart case (Alida recommends
pouring it through a sieve - it makes sense and luckily MrB helped). Place the
tart in the oven and allow to bake for 7 - 10 minutes. The edges will be firm
but the centre will still be wobbly - do not panic as this will set as it cool.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool
To make the glaze, heat the chocolate and cream together
and stir until the chocolate is melted.
Add the honey and the boiling water and stir until
combined.
Pour the glaze over the tarts ensuring it is evenly
coated
Place the tart in the fridge for an hour or more before
serving (I left it overnight).
Serve with fresh berries
July Recipe a Week Challenge: Week 3
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| Lasagne Cups - too delicious! |
I was very tempted by the Fried Gnocchi dish as it sounded so good. When I read the recipe I realised how easy it would be. MrB decided it wasn't enough of a challenge and demanded the Lasagne Cups. I must admit, he was right, this was the best choice and so yummy!
If you want the original recipe with beef lasagne, please go to Alida's Simply Delicious page and view it here Alternatively, scroll down for our Chicken Lasagne Cups.
Chicken Lasagne CupsThis recipe makes 6 cups using ramekins. You can use muffin tins too.
Pasta
12 lasagna sheets, cooked until just softened
Mince Filling
400g Chicken Mince (if you can't find chicken mince, buy chicken sausage and squeeze the filling out of the casing)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 red pepper , chopped fine
1 clove of garlic, chopped fine
400ml tomato pasta sauce (I used the tomato and chilli one. You can make your own sauce but I ust had no time)
1tsp mixed dried herbs
salt and pepper to taste
White Sauce
1 cup creme fraiche
(The recipe calls for 1/2 cup mascarpone but I left this out)
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup grated cheese (the recipe calls for pecorino but I used cheddar cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Mozarella for topping
Pre-heat the oven to 180. Grease and line (with baking paper) either a 6 giant muffin tray or 6 white ramekins (I bought mine at MrPrice Home for cheap!)
While chopping my veggies, I had a pot on the boil to cook the lasagna sheets.
Fry the chopped onion and peppers along with the garlic in a little bit of oil. Add the chicken mince and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce, mixed herbs and seasoning and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
Make the white sauce by combining the creme fraiche, lemon juice and cheese. Mix well.
Once everything is cooked and ready to go, begin assembling your lasagne.
Press two lasagne sheets into the prepared muffin tray or ramekin. I actually placed the sheets on top of each other in a cross shape and then pressed them in.
I spooned a little bit of white sauce in and then topped with a few spoonfuls of the chicken mince, followed by a bit of the white sauce on top.
Top with the grated mozzarella and place in the pre-heated oven.
BAke for 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. The exposed pasta will go crispy but this is delicious. MrB wants to make pasta "chips" based on how good this was.
Serve with salad.
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cake - World Baking Day Challenge
In May I pledged to #Bakebrave and join World Baking Day 2013.
The idea is to bake out of your comfort zone. On the website they listed different baking challenges from 1 to 100. Challenge Level 1 was Banana Muffins and Challenge 100 was a Cake Boss style creation. I was pretty confident I could hit the 60 mark.
MrB was excited when he found out I would be baking an awesome cake. To reward his enthusiasm I let him decided which cake he wants me to bake. MrB definitely took me out of my comfort zone by picking number 78.
This 6 layer creation with various levels of icings and sauce and decoration was a lot bigger than I thought I was ready for.
In the end I did it. I baked and baked and mixed and created. We invited a few friends over to help us finish this gigantic cake! Despite the friends best efforts there was enough cake left over for me to take to the office the next day and for MrB to take two slices to work.
This was delicious and I would bake this again but on a smaller scale. The cake is just a bit rich in it's 6 layer decadence. The salty popcorn was the best though!
I am not sharing the entire recipe as it will take me all day to type. Have a look at the recipe here
Enjoy the pictures from the day -
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| Fluffly batter on the go |
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| Batter in the tin, ready to be baked |
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| Success - two of the three cakes baked to golden brown |
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| Cut the layers and ice away |
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| Layers iced |
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| Gooey delicious chocolate toffee sauce |
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| Arranging the popcorn on top |
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| Challenge complete |
July Recipe a Week Challenge: Week 2
Week 2 of the July Recipe a Week Challenge and it kicked into high gear quickly. It's been such a crazy week that all I want to do is get take out or climb straight to bed and skip dinner. In my head this recipe felt like work. It's actually really easy, I am just tired and therefore lazy.
The picture of the fish had me drooling - I was so excited to tuck into this dish. The most challenging part was deciding what to make with is! Have a look at the original recipe here
Pan-friend Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce
(adapted to serve 2 people, but visit the original for a recipe for 4 people)
125ml cream
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper to taste
2 fish fillets (I sued one large fillet of hake and portioned into two)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp seasoning spice (I used a Cajun spice)
oil for frying
Start off by making the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to reduce slightly (it will thicken as you go) and stir well to combine all the ingredients.
While the sauce is on the go, combine the flour, salt, pepper and seasoning on a baking tray. Coat the fish fillets with the seasoned flour.
Heat the oil in a hot pan. Once hot, fry the fish starting with the skin side down first until gold brown. Fish cooks quickly so you should flip the fillet over after about 3 minutes depending on thickness. Fry for another 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Fish goes white and looses the translucent colour once cooked.
Serve hot. You can either pour over the sauce or serve on the side.
We served the fish with steamed baby carrots and new potatoes.
Enjoy!
Feel free to join in on the challenge at any time.
July Recipe a Week Challenge: Week 1
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| Indian Sticky Chicken |
I kicked off my first week of the July Recipe a Week Challenge with Indian sticky Chicken. I am a big fan of Gordon's Ramsay's Sticky Lemon Chicken and I have secretly been dreaming of this Indian influenced dish. I flagged it to MrB when it was first published via Simply Delicious' Facebook feed.
Being the sweet wife I decided to ask MrB which of three menu choices for this week he wanted me to cook. I did a little happy dance when he said "the sticky Indian one".
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| I loved the spices! |
The recipe calls for skinless, boneless chicken thighs but they only had the skinless ones at the shop. I think it would make a big difference but as it was just dinner for the two of use, we could survive.
The shop near my work didn't stock Garam Masala and nor did the one near MrB's work. Not to panic I googled how to make your own. Then I did panic as I didn't have the ingredients. MrB didn't panic. He just stopped at the Indian restaurant down the road and asked for some Garam Masala spice. They gave us 200g (more than enough) and we were set. So plan ahead and make sure you get the spice.
You can view the original recipe here
Sticky Indian Chicken
(The original recipe is for 4 people, we adapted it for 2 people)
4 skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 tablespoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup runny honey
juice of 1 lemon
Fresh coriander
On a baking tray (or even a plate), sprinkle the Garam Masala, paprika and salt. Rub the chicken in the spices until well covered. Get in there, use your fingers and make sure the spices are everywhere. This is the flavour base for your chicken so don't be shy!
Heat some oil in a non-stick pan (I used our awesome heavy based Le Creuset pan - it's actually the base of our tagine but I use it for so much more. I will get my buffet casserole dish soon!).
I let the oil get to a medium heat to add some good colour to my chicken pieces. Let the chicken brown on both sides and then turn the heat down slightly and allow to cook through. Turn frequently to avoid the chicken pieces burning or sticking.
Add the honey and the lemon juice and allow to caramelise (this means to go sticky and brown) for a minute.
Serve hot and garnish with fresh coriander (this adds a lovely crisp lightness to the dish)
We served our chicken with wholewheat coucous (to soak up the juicy caramelised sauce) and steamed carrots. If this was summer I would have switched the carrots for a crunchy salad
It's not too late to join in on the challenge!
Daring Cooks Challenge: Meatballs
The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice.
I decided to add a South African twist to my meatballs - Bobotie flavoured meatballs.
Bobotie is one of our traditional comfort foods. My mom used to make it for us when we were kids and it was laways one of my favourites. It's a combination of curry spice and fruity sweetness with ground beef. Traditionally bobotie has a savoury egg custard topping and is served with sambals and yellow rice.
Bobotie Meatballs
Ingredients
500g lean mince (ground beef)
1 slice of bread, crumbed
1 egg
10ml curry powder (mild, medium or hot depending on your preference)
5 ml tumeric
5ml worcestshire sauce
10ml white wine vinegar
15ml apricot jam
pinch of salt
Oil for frying
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Make sure that everything has been incorporated and that there are no clumps of bread or spices.
In a heavy based pan, heat a little oil. Shape your meat mixture into golf ball size balls. Place each one into the pan. Allow to brown on each side. Lower the heat and allow to cook through. Mine took about 15 minutes. I added a little water to avoid the meatballs burning.
We served ours with rice and some roast vegetables.
MRB - the bread winner......and baker
So my lovely husband has officially become the bread winner this year. His little increase in April means he earns a few cents more than me. It's not how much more, it's just more that is the joke between us. Being older, I have always earned more but now that he has a real qualification, he is the provider as he likes to call himself. It's all just a light-hearted joke, he doesn't mind if I was to be the main income in the relationship.
Back to the story.
MrB has discover a love for baking bread. This is his new thing!
This past weekend he decided to bake his mom baguettes as a Mother's Day gift. So while I was blogging and watching TV, MrB googled a recipe and baked away.
He mixed the ingredients together. Then patiently waited for the dough to rise.
Once the dough had risen enough, he used those guns to punch down the dough
After the dough had been punched down, he separated it into 4 parts and shaped the baguettes. The dough was then left to rise again. So time consuming this bread making business.
Finally the little lovelies were popped into the oven. MrB sat down to watch some TV but jumped up every few minutes just to see how the breads were doing
The final result. Four gorgeous loaves.
I love how the house is filled with the delicious aroma of fresly baked bread. It's decadent and comforting and makes me feel like a big blanket of warmth has been thrown over me. The bread was divine. So yummy! We ate thick slices with generous portions of butter that melted on contact.
mmmmmmmmmm, this husband of mine is welcome to keep baking. My waistline may not like it!
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