Have a look.  It’s pretty cool, and  the kitchen looks pretty cool too!

knife skills at The Food Room is the link!

We're on holiday until the 23rd of July!

Hi Foodie Friends

The Food Room is taking a little bit of a break over the next 2 weeks and we are closing until the 23rd of July.  The cooking classes will resume on the 24th of July with PIES (because everybody keeps asking me to do it again)!!!  The schedule for August and September will be up in the next few days – I promise!

Even though this picture suggests a sun-drenched, tropical beach, I’m afraid it’s just a little trip to Knysna and some serious oyster eating.  I may attempt that rather picturesque half marathon too, as long as it doesn’t interfere too much with the oyster eating and white wine drinking.

Should you feel the need to contact me during this time, drop me a mail, as I will have some form of interweb device with me on my travels.

See you at the end of the month for some serious winter cooking!

xxx

Kate

moroccan infused lamb!

slow roasted Moroccan infused leg of lamb with couscous

serves 6

ingredients
1 whole leg of lamb (about 2kg)
for the marinade
1 cup Greek yoghurt
4 tablespoons NOMU Moroccan rub
½ cup honey
juice of 1 lemon
½ cup chopped coriander
½ cup olive oil
salt and pepper
for the couscous
1 onion chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped mint and coriander
salt and pepper
2 cups couscous
2 cups boiling hot chicken stock

special equipment
1 deep roasting tray
1 deep frying pan

method

• Preheat the oven to 160̊C.
• Mix together the ingredients for the lamb marinade in a bowl.
• Place the lamb in a deep roasting tray and cover completely with all the marinade.
• Cover the tray with tin foil and place in the oven.  Cook for 3 – 4 hours, until the lamb is falling off the bone and is soft.
• To make the couscous, heat a frying pan with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft.  Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the couscous and the chopped mint and coriander.  Add a little salt and pepper.  Cover with cling wrap and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, use a fork to separate the couscous.  Place it in a bowl or a platter and flake the roast lamb over it.  Pour any juices from the roasting tray over the dish.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

wild rice moussaka

wild rice and aubergine moussaka with feta and a hint of cinnamon

Serves 8

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 onions, sliced
400g button mushrooms, quartered
3 cups cooked brown and wild rice
2 tins (400g) whole peeled tomatoes, blended
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup white wine
1 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 aubergines, finely sliced
a little extra olive oil
3 rounds of feta cheese
for the white sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon mustard
½  cup grated cheese

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200̊C.
• Place a pot on the stove and heat up the olive oil.  Add the garlic, mushrooms and onions and fry until soft.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, stock and cinnamon and cook on a medium heat for about half an hour until thickened.  Add the rice and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Finally stir in the chopped herbs.
• While that is cooking, lay the aubergines on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 15 minutes until soft.
• While everything else is cooking, place the butter for the white sauce in a pot and melt over a medium heat.
• When the butter is melted, mix the flour in to make a smooth paste.  Cook it for 1 minute.  Take off the heat.
• Mix in the milk, a little bit at a time, to make sure there are no lumps.
• Put the pot back on the stove and heat it up to boiling.  Stir it all the time.  Let it boil for 5 minutes and take it off the heat.  Add the salt, pepper and mustard and mix it together
• Place one third of the rice mixture in the lasagne dish, sprinkle with half the feta cheese and lay half of the aubergine slices over it.  Spoon some more rice over that and sprinkle some more feta.  Lay another layer of aubergines and some more rice.
• Cover the top with the white sauce and the grated cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown, the cheese has melted and it is starting to bubble on the sides.

I am a firm believer in carefully considering the flavours, colours and textures of the ingredients in a salad.  This one is a new winter favourite.  The harissa adds a fabulous depth of flavour and the mustard seeds “pop” in your mouth.  It could have a bit of goat’s cheese or feta over it too, but I served it with a cheesy moussaka and didn’t want to over do it.

harrissa roasted sweet potato salad with coriander

serves 6 – 8

ingredients
2 tablespoons harissa paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt, pepper and olive oil
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
200g baby carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
100g wild rocket
a handful of fresh coriander leaves
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
2 avocados, sliced

method

• Preheat the oven to 200̊C
• Lay the sweet potatoes and carrots on a roasting tray and coat in the harissa, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle over the sugar and the mustard seeds.  Roast for 35 minutes until the vegetables are soft and caramelized.  Allow the vegetables to cool.
• Lay the wild rocket in a salad bowl and top with the roasted vegetables.  Squeeze the lemon and orange juice into the roasting tray and mix it up with all the left over bits in the tray.
• Top the roasted veg with fresh coriander leaves and slices of avocado.  Finally pour the lemon and orange juice mixture over the salad.  Serve immediately.

I learned to make bread back in the day when everything tasted a little like Government White.  You know what I mean, slightly sweet with an almost cakey texture.  Exciting bread then was adding a bit of cheese and some poppy seeds.  With the move in Cape Town towards artisanal breads made with stone ground, unbleached flour, I decided it was time I ditched the old and made an attempt at the new.

The class started at 8:30am with coffee and feather-light pastries, where we got to meet the group.  On average there are about 8 people, all trying to learn a little something new and use it as a nudge towards ditching the ubiquitous “bread maker” wedding gift. Decked in our aprons, the class began with a brief explanation into the bread, flour and basics we would need.  We then proceeded to make our own focaccia with rosemary, chunky garlic and salt flakes in the wood-fired oven, a white loaf with fennel seeds, olive tapenade rolls and a delicious seed loaf.  A very impressive spread for the amateur bread baker let me tell you.

The most fascinating thing for me is that there wasn’t any sugar used in the dough.  I was always taught that the sugar was necessary for the yeast to “grow”.  After seeing what we made, it is obviously only needed for fresh yeast and not the instant one that we used.  Another notable difference for me was that when we knocked back the dough after the first proving, instead of “moering” out all of the air bubbles, we gently folded the dough over itself twice without stretching it too much.  The result was a stunning texture with generous air bubbles and light folds.  We also didn’t immerse the dough in heaps of flour when kneading it.  George pointed out that it adds extra flour to the dough, which messes up the flour/water proportions.  So much sense!

After our morning of kneading and baking we sat down to a delicious meal in true George Jardine style.  All in all it was a really fabulous and insightful day that had as glowing with pride as we walked out the door with out beautiful bread in hand.

Here is the restaurant link.  It is definitely worth a visit.  Not only is the food exquisite, the setting is breathtaking too!

http://www.jordanwines.com/restaurant/

Tomato, goat’s cheese and caramelized onion tart

Serves 8

Ingredients
1 roll ready-made puff pastry
3 medium onions, peeled and sliced about 1 cm thick
salt, pepper and a little brown sugar
olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
8 tomatoes, quartered
salt, pepper and olive oil
300g goat’s cheese
basil leaves

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200̊C.
• Lay the onions on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt, pepper and a little sugar and roast for 30 minutes until soft and caramelized.
• Lay the tomatoes on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes until soft.
• While everything is roasting, line a quiche tine with the puff pastry and push up the sides.
• Lay the onion at the bottom of the tin, followed by the roasted tomatoes.  Top with pieces of goat’s cheese and some fresh basil leaves.
• Bake the tart for 25 – 30 minutes in the oven.
• Serve with a drizzle of balsamic reduction and some fresh basil leaves.

beef with basil and chilli and sticky jasmine rice

serves 6

beef with basil and chilli

ingredients
a little vegetable oil for frying
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 chillis, seeded and chopped
200g green beans, halved
2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1kg beef sirloin, cut into strips
1 cup basil leaves
for the sauce:
½ cup fish sauce
½ cup oyster sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar

beef with basil and chilli

special equipment
a seasoned wok

method

• Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
• Heat a wok and add some vegetable oil.
• Throw in the garlic and cook briefly until it is just about to go brown.  Add the chilli (careful it is quite strong).
• Add the vegetables and cook for a minute and then add the beef strips.
• When the beef is starting to brown slightly, add the sauce.
• Finally stir through the basil leaves and serve with jasmine rice.

To cook Jasmine Rice

Rinse 2 cups of rice in water until it is clear and place in a pot.  Cover with 4 cups of boiling water and place the pot on a medium heat with the lid on.  Simmer the rice until the water is gone (about 15minutes) and turn off the heat.  Allow the rice to stand for 10 minutes with the lid on to steam. Stir a little and serve.

prawn pad thai

serves 6

pad thai

ingredients
500g rice sticks/pad thai noodles, soaked
30 x 21/25 prawns, shelled and de-veined or 800g chicken strips
200g firm tofu, cut into cubes (optional)
3 eggs
2 handfuls of sliced garlic chives/sliced spring onions
3 handfuls of bean sprouts
for the sauce:
½ cup tamarind paste
½ cup fish sauce
½ cup palm sugar (1/3 cup brown sugar)
1 teaspoon chilli powder/ chilli flakes

prawn pad thai

for the garnish
chopped peanuts
limes, halved
dried chilli flakes

special equipment
a seasoned wok

method

• To make the sauce: melt the ingredients together in a saucepan on a low heat until completely dissolved.
• Soak the noodles in warm water until they are just softening
• 

  prawn pad thai

  Heat a large wok on a high heat and add a generous splash of oil. Add the prawns.  Add the tofu and cook for a minute.  (if you like it).

• Add two large handfuls of noodles and about ½ a cup of warm sauce, moving everything in the wok around all the time until it is hot.  If the sauce reduces down a bit, add a little water.
• Push the noodles to the one side of the wok and break the egg onto the other side.  Let it set for a moment and then toss everything together.
• Add the bean sprouts and the spring onion, cook until everything is warmed through.
• Finally stir through the coriander and mix everything together.
• Sprinkle some chopped peanuts over the top and serve with a piece of lime.