An Actual Recipe? Be Still My Beating Heart...

Ok, so Miss Twinset wanted to know if there was anything that I actually knew how to cook and of course, my repertoire is fairly large. No, I'm not bragging... I'm stating a fact. What? Ok... I'm kinda bragging, but it's a good thing :-) Now here is something that will surprise a lot of you. If you are a science geek, then cooking is going to be "just your thing". Why? Well, it's because cooking is just like conducting a science experiment with all the fun of the varied ingredients and all the unpredictability of the reaction and result! No... your kitchen is not going to blow up. If it does, then you most definitely did something wrong. No, the steak did not blow itself up. I'm sure.

So, today I thought I would tell you about one of my favourite, easy mince dishes. It's a great tasting dish and quick and easy to prepare. The tricky part is going to be to try to figure out for you what goes into it because to be honest, I tend to cook by instinct, but here goes...

Introducing a new section..... The Dish of the Day!!

Our "Non Chili - Chili Con Carne"

Ingredients:

500g beef mince (although it may work just as well with other kinds)
2 large onions
1 large (450g) tin of baked beans in chili flavoured sauce
1 small tin of regular baked beans
1 small / medium green pepper
1 packet or small tin of Tomato paste
10 - 15ml Beef stock powder
30ml Chutney (optional)
15ml - 25ml Sugar (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Garlic (to taste)

Method:

• Chop the onions and fry them until soft. Add salt, pepper and garlic to taste
• Add the mince and cook until brown, ensuring that mince is broken up fine
• While the meet is cooking, chop the pepper into small chunks and put to one side
• Add the tomato paste and stir well
• Add all the beans and stir well
• Add water if required and turn down to a low heat
• Add beef stock and chutney and stir. Taste. Add sugar if required
• At this point you may well need to add more salt
• Add the peppers and stir well. Leave to simmer for 10 - 15min. Taste and add seasoning as required.

The dish should have a pleasant savoury flavour with a warm 'kick' to it. This is a dish best prepared in Winter and served either with rice or a nice chunk of fresh bread.

As you experiment with this dish, you will come up with other ingredients that you want to add and those that you don't. Slowly - as it evolves - it will become your recipe, your own science experiment!

So, until next time...

It is NOT a hat!

So it's been a busy week and I haven't had a chance to be back here to chat and I come back to find that you've not only opened the cupboards, but you've decided that the pots make good headgear... No, no-one wears pots as hats. The Faraway Tree is a fairytale and a literary character doesn't count! Ok. Now that miss twinset has finished snorting into her martini glass, if I could have your attention? By all means... take your time. I have all evening. Ready?

Right, now... that thing that you had on your head a moment ago is called a "pot". It's used to cook food in. Yes, you put the raw ingredients into the pot and then you put the pot on top of the stove, turn on the plates... sigh... (yes, the bongo drum things) and then you follow the instructions until the food is ready. Yes, we will cover cooking later. Twinset over there is ahead of you - and I don't just mean in martini's! Why are the pots different colours? Excellent question! You see, you often need different size pots depending on what you're planning to cook. For example, something like a stew may need a far bigger pot than making a sauce or just boiling some vegetables for dinner. That is why some of them are smaller in diameter and height. Um... that would be smaller across and up. The very tall pot you see in the back of that cupboard would be great for making stock (no, not the kind you trade) or for cooking pasta. Then there are various sizes until you get to that small gravy pot.

No, the flatter ones aren't pots. Those are pans. No. Their first names aren't Peter! For heaven's sake... where did we find you? They are usually used for frying things. Like bacon or onions or eggs. Basically, anything that can be fried. Yes, even bread. Plain or as French Toast. Don't panic, you don't need a Frenchman in order to make it... After all, you don't need a Frenchman to French kiss do you? Oh....... you only date Frenchmen for that very reason? 'nuff said. Back to the pans... You will find that there are a number of uses for them and they often have lids, just like the pots. This will help you to cook your food more efficiently and even quicker.

Now... we've covered that cupboard. If you open that one over there, you'll find that it has all the plates and bowls and things in it. You don't need any help with those? Well thank heavens for that! Hey, you with the shaker... pass me a martini. Ok, now that I've had something to wet my throat, let us move over to that cupboard over there. Open it up please. WHAT? Why are you screaming? There's nothing scary in there. I promise. Open the door again please. What scared you the most? Oh, that? It's a grater. No, it doesn't increase the size of your bank balance, so take your credit card out of it. It's for reducing food in size through the repetitive motion of moving food over those little blades. Like cheese or vegetables or onions. Not fingers. Fingers are bad! If you reach fingers... stop! What else was scary in there? The holey bowl? It's a colander. It's not an alien mind reading device, it's for straining food. Sigh. No, not putting food under strain, it's for removing the fluid from food by tipping the food into the colander and allowing the liquid to drain away. I'm sure you're familiar with the rest of the bowls and such? Yes, they are quite large. No, I'm not expecting giants 'round for cereal. They're for mixing food in or for backing or for serving. Exactly, just like the small bowls except bigger.

I'm not sure I'm up for covering utensils today. Twinset has passed out in the breakfast nook, but I think there may be 1 last martini in that shaker of yours. Why don't you go find something to do while I recover. Manicure? Great idea... you go off and do that and in the meantime, Twinset and I will get on with other kitchen relevant things.

Phew. Until next time...

Let's Start At The Very Beginning...

.... a very good place to start!

A suggestion was made. A question was asked. A plot hole was discovered. I assumed that you all knew what a kitchen was :-) Silly me.

It has been brought to my attention that some people wouldn't know one end of the kitchen from the other... in fact, some people would be hard pressed to find it in their homes. No... I'm not kidding. No... I don't know these people personally. Please... you cooked in a twinset and pearls. You're in no position to judge! Now, back to the business at hand. Finding the kitchen. Ok, you already know where your bedroom is and you're well acquainted with the bathroom (especially the mirror), even the lounge and dining room are familiar. It's that "other" room that's causing you confusion. No, your house didn't come with an extra 1/2 bathroom that comprised loads of toiletry storage, cold storage for your nail polish (yes, it lasts longer in the fridge. No idea) and only 1 sink. This room with the odd appliances and no mirrors - well, usually - is actually the kitchen.

Now, remember, this is where food is prepared. Not just unpacked, unwrapped, pierced, microwaved, sliced or stored. Ok, so you figured that much at some point or maybe it was your husband or housekeeper. Oi... you... stop laughing. Not all women cook for themselves. That's part of why we're doing this :-) Now... you need to go into that room and get yourself orientated in the space. That odd square thing ... the one with the glass window in the front? Yes, the one with the bongo drum design on top. That is the stove. Yes... the thing you use for cooking. The bongo drums? They're the plates that you cook on. I know that plates are what you eat off of, but stove's have plates too. No I don't know why... google it. ANYWAY. If you open the door on the front, you'll discover a space inside. That part is the oven. You use this area for baking or roasting amongst other things. Sigh. What do you mean "how"? It heats up when you switch it on.

Ok, now that you've found the stove, let's see what else we have in here. Ok... that large rectangular appliance. Yes - the one with the two doors. If you open that one, you'll see that a light goes on. What. Are. You. Doing? Why is your eye up to the crack in the door? No, the light is not on when the door is closed. It's not magic, it's a switch. Stop playing with the door and pay attention. You can go back to that later. Yes, I promise. That appliance is the fridge. It's where you would keep anything that you want cold or to last longer. Like milk. No, not ice-cream. That would be in the other part of the appliance. No, there isn't usually a light bulb in that part. It's the freezer. No - the Arnold Schwarzenegger character in the Batman movie is called Mr Freeze - not the same thing at all. As I was saying... this is where you would keep things like ice-cream, frozen vegetables and - well, yes - ice.

Now... we've covered two of the most important appliances in your kitchen experience. Now do me a favour and look around some more... is there a smaller rectangular appliance with a glass door? Are there buttons on the front? Perhaps a picture of a chicken with a time next to it? No matter, this is a microwave. It can be used to defrost food, heat food back up, cook food, make popcorn, melt better and many more things.... It's a versatile appliance, but not to be used as a food storage unit! How does it work? Well... it's.... umm... you see.... aaaa.... oh sod it! Google it. No, I don't need to know "how" it works in order to use it. Yes, that means you don't need to know either. Why're you dancing around the room now? (Oh heavens. They've re-discovered the fridge light *slap of hand on forehead*)

Alright, there is one more thing we need to cover today.... the sink. Yes, that would be the thing that looks like the bathroom basin, but is actually more like the Cinderella of ablution facilities. It's not usually fancy, but it's totally functional! This is where you rinse vegetables, drain tins and wash dishes. Well, of course they'll need to be washed after they've been used. No, you can't just replace them with new ones. No. Not even if you can afford it. Sigh :-) Yes, I know there are "things" in the cupboards, but I think we've covered enough for now. We can cover utensils later.

So now that you've discovered the kitchen, go back and read from blog 1 and catch up with me and twinset over here...

Until next time!

Thus Spake the Recipe Book

Ok, now that I've got you to page through that recipe book of yours (no, it's NOT meant to be used as a doorstop), you may be surprised by what I'm going to tell you next... No, you don't need to sit down, I said surprised, not devastated. Drama queen. Now... where was I? Oh yes. The surprise. A recipe is a guideline, not set in stone. I'll wait while you breathe into a paper bag.
...
....
.....
......

Finished hyperventilating? Good. Then I'll continue :-) You heard me right. I said that a recipe can be considered a guideline rather than a directive from a higher power. You have "free will" and every right in the world to add or change or remove ingredients provided it doesn't undermine the recipe entirely... What do you mean "What do I mean"? Sigh... For example, you cannot leave the flour out of a cake unless it's a flourless cake... Oh dear, that's just going to confuse you. Forget about the flour and the cake. There IS NO CAKE. Here is a better example. You cannot do a roast chicken without chicken. You can however substitute the stuffing ingredients or change the glaze or even play with the vegetables, but you still need a chicken. Yes, unless you're making roast pork, in which case you need a pig. Oh dear - where did you think pork came from? Moving on...?

You should feel free to experiment with the recipes that you find interesting. Don't go crazy... pickled ginger may not be the best addition to a chocolate brownie, in the same way that tomato sauce isn't a great ice-cream topping. NO! Don't try it... yuck! If you find a recipe for a tarte tatin (a French upside down tart normally made with apples), but you don't eat apples, don't be afraid to substitute banana's or pears. No, you don't need to know French in order to cook. I'm sorry if I confused you... An example for this would be a change to one of my favourites. Yes, I'm actually going to tell you one of my favourite dishes to prepare, but I promise this is the first of many times you'll hear what I like to cook and bake.

One of my favourite things to cook or eat is braised steak (steak cooked in the oven in a rich brown gravy with plenty of onions)... There is no rule to say that that's all that goes into the dish, but we usually don't add anything. So - and here is the exciting part - tonight I added mixed stew vegetables to the dish before I stuck it in the oven and it was totally delicious!! I know... I'm living dangerously aren't I :-)

Ok - so here is my challenge to you. PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! No, you don't need to ask your Mom if it's ok. No, I don't mean that you should build castles with it. Oh... you were kidding? You got me :-)

Until next time....

Cheque Please!

We are a culture dedicated to convenience. We thrive on it. No need to look so personally affronted, you know it's true! How many times a week do you grab a ready-made sandwich in a store? Order a take-out salad? Eat at a restaurant? Still trying to add it up? That's not a good sign is it? No... it's not! Sure, it's easier to do that, but it's not cheaper or better for you. Apart from that, it's also entirely possible for you to make food that is just as interesting in your own home for a fraction of the cost. Ok. Stop laughing... It's true! No, you don't need to be a professional cook to do it either, all it takes is a little investment of time and energy on your part.

Let's look at your breakfast habits. If you're grabbing some fresh fruit or yoghurt on the way out the door, then you're doing ok. However, if - like so many people - you're grabbing a muffin or a bagel at your local coffee shop, then we have a problem. These items are usually overpriced, under flavoured and often unhealthy. When you make them yourself, you can control how much sugar, fat and salt goes into the product. When you buy them it's like playing the lottery. Only not in a good way. There are plenty of easy to follow recipes for muffins and hundreds of varieties for you to choose from. You can even master bagels, but for now, start with muffins. Bake a batch the night before and if there's only you in the house, adjust the recipe so that you only make 6 at a time instead of 12, although they can also be frozen. If you'd like them with jam or cheese, it's easy enough to pack some in some of those small Tupperware containers and take it with you. Ok, you're shaking your head. What? You're thinking about your coffee aren't you? Dear heart, I know that your java is as important to you as blood, but you can do that at home too. Invest in a decent plunge pot, a thermos mug and a supply of your favourite coffee's and you're good to go. You shouldn't be having coffee with a name so long that it has it's own post code and more ingredients than a supermarket.

Now... let's look at lunch. I bet you either call out for a takeaway or you go to a supermarket and grab a ready made sandwich? Am I right? Sometimes you may even go and sit down for lunch. Now I know that you're going to argue that you don't know what you're going to feel like for lunch when you leave home in the morning so you can't pack it for yourself, but I promise you that you can teach yourself to look forward to a meal that you've packed for yourself. Take a look at something as simple as a sandwich. When you buy them, they can be under filled, soggy, tasteless or even stale. The fillings may be uninspired or even over-filled with lettuce to make up the weight. Take the time to invest in the ingredients of your favourite sandwich and some great bread and make them for yourself.

Something else that you could do (something quite logical really) is buy a whole roast chicken from your supermarket or deli (yes, I know it's a convenience food, but this one has more uses than most), use some of the chicken for a meal, then use the rest of the chicken as lunch. Some of it will make a great sandwich filling with some fresh salad leaves, tomato and maybe a light seasoning or dressing, the rest can be used to make a chicken salad for another day and the carcass can be used to make stock for use in preparing other meals.

Ok, you're making a valid point... What about meals such as favourites from your local Mexican place or the fish & chips you've been craving. They're ok as a treat, but you should not be doing that every day. Besides, with a little time, effort and a cookbook, you'll be surprised how easy it is to make many of these for yourself and it can be a lot of fun to come up with new lunches and see if you can copy your restaurant favourites.

Dinners are another important link in this chain of convenience. It's too simple for us to grab something from KFC or order a pizza or perhaps Wednesday is Chinese night. Then there are all those ready meals that have popped up in shops everywhere. I'm not saying they're bad for you, but they're certainly enabling us to be lazy and indifferent cooks. Yes, I know you just mastered a new dish, but it's still not enough. Recipes exist for all of your favourite take-outs and while you may not be able to replicate the Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices, I promise that you can make a chicken burger at home - from scratch - that kicks butt.

So, by all means go out to dinner with your friends, enjoy a lunch with the girls, but get back into the kitchen and infuse some enthusiasm, flavour and fun into your meals. You'll save yourself some money and feel a lot better too. Yes, it may mean getting up 15min earlier each morning, but I can promise you that knowing what went into each of your meals and preparing them exactly the way you want them will soon become addictive.

Now... go bake yourself some muffins. Tomorrow's Monday after all :-)

Until next time...

Mastering the New Dish... Part 2

When I said it was time to get ready to cook, I didn't mean set your hair and fish out your pearls. We do not cook in a twinset and heels. I don't care if that's how your Grandma did it. Yes, that means that the martini has to go too. The drain, not your throat. Ok. I guess we can work around your Stepford get-up and get down to the real business of making this meal. Where is the recipe? Yes, we'll need the recipe. This isn't Ready Steady Cook. You're not quite ready for that yet. Right. You have the recipe and you have the ingredients. What do you do first?

You're looking lost, but I promise that it's perfectly logical. Read through the recipe and see how long it's going to take to prepare and to cook and also, see what components are going to take the longest to work with. You're still frowning. Ok... let me simplify it slightly. Does anything need to be cooked for a long period of time? Is there anything that needs to be blanched or peeled or chopped before it can be used? Do you need to pre-heat the oven? This information will help you to plan out what you need to do and in what order and help you not to panic while you're cooking. No... you're NOT going to panic. Don't worry... most recipes will tell you in step 1 what temperature you need to turn the oven onto. In fact, most recipes will tell you step for step what you need to do and in what order, but sometimes these directions assume that you know more than they're telling you, so this is to help you over those tricky patches.

Ok. Now you've read the recipe, turned the oven on and you're facing your ingredients. It's like an unconquered mountain waiting to be hiked, but it's a whole lot easier and more fun. Start by peeling the ingredients that need to be peeled and chopping all those that need chopping. Prepare meat and make sure that you've got all your ingredients ready. Measure out and prepare everything that you can ahead of time so that you can save yourself some time when you're cooking. This will help you to feel more in control which can make all the difference in the world when you're trying something new. What do they mean by chopped? Weeeelllllll... that would be when you reduce something in size and shape from its original state through the judicious use of a sharp implement, usually a knife. Don't look at me like that, you asked the silly question. Oh. You meant HOW would they like it chopped when they just say "chopped". Ok, I'll grant you that that isn't such a silly question...

Recipes will often use descriptions like chopped, sliced, diced, cubed, etc and this leaves a lot up to us in terms of interpretation. It helps if maybe you've seen a photo of the finished dish, but if you haven't, you'll need to make an educated guess. For example, most dishes in which onions are added at the beginning and cooked for a long time would need finely chopped onions, but if you're making fried onion for burgers, you would want to chop it into chunky pieces or even slices. If a vegetable dish has a short cooking time, the chances are that smaller pieces are going to cook faster and better than larger ones and for something like a stew, larger chunks would be better so that they don't just cook away into "smoosh". Yes, "smoosh" is a real word. It's a highly technical part of chef terminology. No, I can't prove it. Yes, you'll have to take my word for it.

Ok, so by now, you've read the recipe and you've turned the oven on and you've prepared the ingredients, so now it's time to get cracking on this new dish of yours. Remember, the friend who suggested this dish is someone you care about (yes you do) and your friends are coming for dinner later, so pay attention and do your best. No. No drinking until they're here. No. Not even 1 glass :-) It's important to pay attention when you're cooking something new. To be honest, when we're cooking the dishes that we do regularly, we get into autopilot mode and tend to cook without paying much attention to the individual steps... a kind of "kitchen memory". The dish will turn out great, but you may as well have been in another room for all the focus you had on the process. With a new dish, you have to follow each step and make sure that you don't ruin ingredients, curdle sauces, burn oil or triple salt a dish. Now... the food is busy cooking and you've discovered that it's not that scary after all. Don't look shocked, I told you it would be easy and I'll bet you're having fun too? I see that smile. No, wiping it off your face isn't going to stop the fact that you smiled. You ARE having a good time.

Why? Well, I think that it's the challenge of the new dish. It's like finding a new adventure to take. There are new flavours, textures, ingredients and there is a tremendous sense of accomplishment that you can get from taking those raw elements and presenting a delicious and innovative meal at the end of it all... Now, you've hopefully been washing up the dishes as you've been going (you HAVEN'T? Oh dear...), but no matter if not. Unless you're serving dinner in your kitchen it isn't too serious. Pack away everything you didn't use or haven't finished up and wipe down the surfaces at least. Stack things neatly by the sink and then check that the oven and stove are under control and go and get yourself ready for your guests. Yes... now would be the time to fish out the twinset, but really, I think jeans and a blouse would be ok for your friends.

So... go and freshen up, open that bottle of red (the one you didn't drink already) and soon enough you'll be able to serve up your newly mastered dish to your suitably impressed friends!

Until next time...

Mastering the New Dish... Part 1

Ok, so you learnt to cook. You have your own little repertoire of favourites - spag bol, roast chicken, veg soup, perhaps meatloaf... you get the picture - now, the time has come to try something that will push you far outside your cooking comfort zone. Put DOWN the wine glass and breathe. There's no need to inhale the whole bottle :-) I promise that this won't hurt you! Much *shrug* :-) Ok, so to be honest, this could be the scariest thing you try in the kitchen for a while (no, cleaning the drain or the oven doesn't count. Sorry). So let's get this experiment on the road. How? Easy...

Here's how you get this challenge on the road... If you can't push yourself out of that cushy cooking rut (and let's be honest, if you could we wouldn't be having this conversation), invite some friends or family to dinner and ask them to write down their favourite dishes on bits of paper. Draw one of these out of a hat (or cup. No need to buy a hat specially) and that's the meal that will be your challenge. I'm not completely irrational... if you don't eat lobster or have an emotional issue with sticking live lobsters into a pot, simply draw another bit of paper. No, you can't carry on with this in the hope that someone wrote down "meatloaf"... But moving along...

Once you have your meal picked out, you'll need your recipe. Take a look around your kitchen for any books. If you don't see any, go through the rest of your home and examine all your bookshelves until you find what we're looking for. If we're lucky, someone, somewhere has given you one of those heavy, beautifully illustrated cookbooks which contain not only recipes, but everything from weight comparisons to a glossary of kitchen tools. You'll know you've found it because chances are it still smells like "new book" and hasn't been opened since you flipped through the pages and "oohed and aahed". If you hunt high and low and you don't find this book... well, then I'm sure that someone will get around to giving it to you eventually! Right now though, we need a recipe... so boot up your pc and head off to that indispensible tool that is "Google". Either way, you need to look up the dish in question (the one your dinner guest requested... keep up) and start by making a list of the ingredients that you'll need for this dish. Yes, all of them. What have I told you about the wine? Put. The. Glass. Down.

Ok, now that you have the recipe and the list, you need to check through your store cupboard, fridge and freezer to see what you already have in the house. This is important so that you don't end up buying unnecessary items or forgetting vital ones when you head for the store. You need only really do this the day before or the day of the dinner. Pay attention, because it is entirely possible that this recipe may contain ingredients that you've never heard of, let alone seen or used! Don't guess if you have them or not. Check. When you're done, head to the store. Not the corner cafe, you're going to need real supplies and fresh ingredients, so go to the main supermarket and get started. You're shaking your head. Sigh. I bet I can guess why. You're wondering how you're supposed to know where to find all these never before used ingredients right? (No need to look so surprised, I've done this before). You're not going to know where they are, so do yourself a huge favour and ASK someone! No, you will NOT look like an idiot. It will look far stranger if you spend 4 hours aisle surfing looking lost. Trust me!

Once you have your basket or trolley full of all the ingredients on the list, including the ones that look like they were delivered by extra's from a Star Wars movie or the ones that smell like old feet, I want you to channel your inner Santa and check it twice. Go item for item in the basket (or trolley) against the list until you're sure that you have it all (and in the right quantities) and then proceed immediately to the checkout point, pay for the items and head home. Do not pass shoes or bags, do not collect a pricey, unnecessary manicure! Once you get home, you're going to unpack the newly purchased groceries in the kitchen and get yourself ready ....

... to cook!

Coming in Part 2, "I've got the recipe and the ingredients... now what?!?!"

Welcome

For a long time now I've been working at learning the skills that my Gran was taught as a girl. Some are simple things like baking or cooking (although not all recipes are created equal), others - like making jams and chutney's are a fair bit more complicated! I'm hoping to be able to inspire more men and women in their 20's and 30's to return to our roots. I'm going to be trying to grow my own food, fruit and flowers and making my own jams and preserves. I'm exploring the joy of cooking and trying my hand at traditional recipes both from my own South Africa and also from around the world. I'm broadening my baking horizons and being far more adventurous these days. Pastry made from scratch is far more satisfying than store bought after all :-) There are also the old crafts - knitting, sewing, crochet - which need to be kept alive to be passed on to our kids.

Let's see if we can't become an empowered generation ... we may even find a way to add a modern twist to it all.

Chat soon,

Jo

PS - all suggestions welcome :-)