My easy cooking by Nina Timm.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Mon, 28 May 2012 07:16:00 +0000

The idea of a vegetarian Spagetthi Carbonara will surely send shivers down the spines of those who love this classic Italian dish. I know of one person in particular who will most probably put a ban on this post and that is Fritz from Real Men can Cook. After all he made a perfect Spaghetti Carbonara at the Cheese Festival this year....why would I want to mess with such a divine dish?
Simple reason actually, after tasting Fritz' version made with Guangiale, which is an unsmoked bacon made from the pig's cheeks, ordinary bacon was simply not going to cut it for me... Furthermore, after watching the ever-so-sexy Giorgio Locatelli in action at this year's Good Food and Wine Show I realized again that any dish made with top quality ingredients (even if only two or three) is better than adding ingredients just for the sake of adding it.... So because I did not have Guangiale, I decided to go virgin......meatless......... vegetarian! Can a pasta dish with just three ingredients taste good? Oh yes, I bet you it can, give it a go!!!

Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara
serves 4-6

500 g spaghetti or fettuccine
375 ml grated Parmesan cheese (Pecorino can also work here)
6 eggs
salt/pepper

Cook the pasta according to the instruction on the packet, taking caution not to over cook the pasta. "Al dente" is what we are looking for.
In the meantime, whisk the 6 eggs and the finely grated cheese together in a bowl.Season with salt and pepper. Once the paste is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately add it to the egg mixture . Toss the pasta, so that every strand of pasta is coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with more grated Parmesan and a few grindings of pepper.

Cook's Notes - If you want to add some bacon, 250 g bacon, chopped and fried until crispy, can be added to the pasta once all the sauce is on the pasta. 250 g mushrooms, sauteed in butter can also be added, but we loved the simplicity of this dish!

More Vegetarian Dishes

Thai Chickpea Curry

Curry Beans

Mexican Bean Crumble

Tangy Chicken Kebabs with creamy orange mayonnaise

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:24:00 +0000

Making chicken kebabs in the middle of winter when it is cold and Cape Town is showing you her cold shoulder, seems like such a crazy idea, but enjoyed around a cosy fire with warm pitas and maybe even a light vegetable soup simmering somewhere, it could work..... oh, alright, soppy story doesn't work for you? Ok, the truth, I have a teenager son, he eats all the time and he is constantly hungry......I love it, but what do I feed him when he comes home from school? Chicken Kebabs.......
My children love chicken kebabs, I would love to think it is for the taste, but sadly I think the convenience factor wins here. Wrapped in a warm pita or a tortilla, it is good grub, healthy, affordable and kid-friendly...
I do however have a gripe about tough, dry chicken kebabs. Sometimes, when the man behind the braai (or woman.....let's not get personal he-he) over cook the kebabs, those nuggets get stuck in my throat, not a good feeling at all. I have a few tips to ensure soft, moist chicken kebabs every time.

Do not cut the chicken pieces too small, I like biggish nuggets - the size of an un-shelled walnut
Always marinade your chicken
It is a good idea to alternate the chicken pieces with something like a small tomato or dried fruit to help keep it moist.
Grill on low to moderate heat....
Baste while grilling

Tangy Kebabs with Creamy Orange Mayonnaise
serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts - skin and boneless
2 cloves garlic
juice and zest of one big orange
3 T vegetable oil
salt and pepper
2 cm piece ginger - grated

Cut the chicken pieces in nuggets ( size indicated above). Place in a plastic bag and add all the other ingredients. Marinade in the bag for at least 1 hour , overnight is better.
Place meat on 4 skewers and grill on griddle pan or on the open fire. Baste with the marinading liquid while grilling.
Serve in a warm pitta or tortilla with lots of fresh lettuce, a little coleslaw and the creamy orange mayonnaise

Creamy Orange Mayonnaise

125ml good quality mayonnaise
juice and zest of 1 orange
1 T chopped parsley

Mix all the ingredients together and serve with kebabs.

Grab one while you can!

More Teenage grub recipes

Beef Tacos

Mexican Spud Skins

Beer-battered Onion Rings

Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken on RSG

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:41:00 +0000

Lemon and thyme were by far the dominate flavors when I asked readers what their secrets are to the perfect roast chicken. Lemon juice in various forms......drizzled, stuffed up the bum of the poor chicken or simple added to the stock. With thyme there was a slight dispute, some prefer the herb and others swear by "time" as in "take your time with a roast chicken. Thank you all for all the emails and messages, we will continue this discussion on RSG tomorrow morning, just after 9.......
So you want to know my secret...... once again, my ancestors beat me to it. Yes indeed, my mom and grandma had method to their madness and I figured it out this week while making roast chicken for my family. You see, for as long as I can remember, my mother always rinsed her meat and chicken in a bowl of salted water. I was always told that it was to wash off all possible germs and impurities and maybe in their minds that was the only reason, but they also always produced the most incredible crispy and sticky chicken and braised meat. How? Why? I have tried so many methods, but nothing was quite the same..........until now...
Brining of meat before roasting has become quite a trend lately and with my mother's age-old method and this new technique, things were beginning to make a whole lot of sense to me.....brining before grilling.....that's the secret to moist, succulent meat and crispy sticky skin.... I will try and make it as simple as possible.

Lemon and Thyme Roast chicken
enough for two chickens

Ingredients

For the brine

2 liters water
60 ml salt
a few sprigs of thyme

Pour the water and all other ingredients in a stainless steel or glass bowl and leave the chickens to brine for at least 1 hour, but not more than 4 hours. Remove chickens from the brine, rinse under clean water and pat dry with kitchen toweling.

For the herb butter

125gr butter - room temperature
1 tbsp fresh thyme - use only the leaves, remove it from the woody stems
zest of l lemon - keep lemon and place one half in each chicken's cavity.
1 clove garlic - crushed
salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients and stuff underneath the chicken's skin, especially over the dry breast and leg areas.

Roasting
Preheat oven to 170 C. Place the chickens on a roasting rack inside a roasting tray and roast chickens for about 90 minutes or until the leg feels lose and comes away from the body of the chicken when you pull it. For the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time, sprinkle a little Maldon salt over the chickens and roast again. Some people adds stock to their roasting try, I don't and the meat is fall-off-the-bone-tender... In fact there is enough roasting liquid left in the pan to use as base for the gravy...

Tune in to RSG tomorrow (100-104FM) morning (Thursday)just after 9 when I share a different easy recipe from My Easy Cooking. You can also listen online here!

More Chicken Recipes

Gordon Ramsay's Chicken

Fruity Chicken Bake

Crumbed Chicken

Greek Honey Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:11:00 +0000

I had these Greek Honey Cakes in my mind the minute I woke up yesterday morning. For a change we had no sport, no birthday parties and no shopping to do....just a chilaxing Saturday with my own little family. I also like to do a few recipes on Saturday mornings just to get ahead with my posts for the week. Hubby and the children normally watches a movie together and I get to spend a quiet morning in my kitchen......
My husband only laughs when I tell him this, but I swear, I "saw" these Greek Honey Cakes. In my mind they were this deep golden brown color with a honeycomb texture, absolutely drenched in butter and honey... I searched a bit for a recipe, but to no avail......it was then that I remembered my mom's vanilla cake recipe with the light honeycomb texture. I decided to go with that recipe and just added the "Greek" elements which was the lemon and honey....
The end result was everything I had hoped it would be. While busy styling and shooting(still in my pajamas), the doorbell rang and friends came over for a cup of coffee. Imagine how special they felt when they were treated to these delightful Greek Honey Cakes. (The truth is that they had to help me finish the shoot before we could devour these cakes)

Greek Honey Cakes
makes 8 small cakes

Ingredients
250 ml flour
125 ml sugar
20 ml baking powder
pinch of salt
125 ml milk
3 T butter (no margarine)
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon

For the syrup

3 T honey
2 T butter
juice of 1 lemon
lemon zest for serving
250 ml Greek Yogurt
2 T confectioner sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C and spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Heat the milk and butter so that the butter melts completely. Add the egg and whisk with a fork or ball whisk. Mix the egg mixture and the dry ingredients together. Add the lemon zest and spoon into 8 muffin moulds. I only filled each mould halfway to allow the cakes to rise. Bake for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, make the syrup, by melting the honey, butter and lemon juice together. When the cakes are done baking, remove from the muffin pan, turn upside down on a serving plate and pour the honey/butter mixture over the cakes.
Serve with Greek yogurt that has been sweetened with the 2 T of confectioner's sugar.
Enjoy with strong black coffee or an espresso or two.

More Sweet treats

Mini Butterscotch and Banana Pavlovas

Oatmeal and Almond Strawberry Crumble

Bread and Butter Pudding with Berries

Smoked Snoek Tartlets and Soup for a quick supper!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:19:00 +0000

A dozen of these Smoked Snoek Tartlets and some chunky vegetable soup, saved my behind last night for supper. I don't know about you, but my days are definitely a few hours too short and at the end of each day I have too many items that I need to move onto tomorrow's schedule. Having two children preparing for exams and sport and choir practices, does not make this any easier. I suppose this is why my blog was started in the first place...to show mums in my situation it can be done.....
We are in the process of building our brand new website( yes, it is time to grow up!), I am embarking on a few trips around the country with a brand new client of which I will tell you all about in the near future and then there is a million other things to do, so time for elaborate recipes and integrate meals, is limited to say the least. I have to be very creative and innovative.
I feel somewhat embarrassed to even call this a recipe, but I suppose this is how new recipes are invented every day.....out of necessity and what is available in my fridge.....so here goes!

Smoked Snoek Tartlets
makes 12 tartlets

Ingredients

For the crust
125 gr butter - cut in blocks
250 ml flour
250 ml grated cheese
1 tsp curry powder
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until it just comes together. Place a piece of dough (the size of a walnut) in the bottoms of a 12 serving muffin pan and flatten to form the crust.

For the filling
500 g smoked snoek or angelfish - deboned and flaked
500 ml Greek yogurt
125 ml chopped parsley
3 eggs

Mix all the filling ingredients and spoon into all the muffin holes. Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve with a steaming cup of chunky vegetable soup....

Chunky Vegetable Soup

1 packet (700g) Woolworths Soup Mix: Fresh Low Gi Lentil & Barley
1 onion
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 T olive oil
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1 sachet Red pepper pesto - Soup it up
1 T sugar

Heat the oil in a soup pot and saute the onions. Add all other ingredients and allow soup to cook for about 30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some delicious Smoked Snoek tartlets.
salt and pepper to taste

If you are making a proper meal out of the Smoked Snoek recipe you can make individual tarts and serve with vegetables of even simple salad.

More easy supper ideas

Sloppy Joes

Honey and Mustard Pork sausages

Potato and Onion Fritata

Meraai se Chicken Pie (Paai) on RSG

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Meraai se Chicken Pie will feature on my radio slot tomorrow morning on RSG. I do not know who Meraai was or where this pie comes from, but it certainly is the best Chicken Pie I have EVER had. I must have known that a pie of this caliber can only come from Bloemfontein........hearty, comforting, unforgettable .....just like the people from Bloemfontein.
Yes, I warned you about getting tired of my Bloemfontein ravings, but what can I say, I'm hooked. Last Tuesday night, while I was there, my friend Retha Cronje invited me to supper. On arrival at her house she told me that she made a pie .... Meraai se Chicken Pie! The aromas coming from her kitchen should have been warning enough that his was going to be legendary. The pie she took from the oven, was a thing of beauty......huge too! Need I say more...the pie was so delicious, the company as warm and heartfelt as the pie and as we sunk into our chairs to watch Masterchef South Africa..... great was our amusement when the challenge for the night was......you guessed it....Meraai se Pie! If only the contestants had this recipe! I am sure you could easily feed 8-10 people on it and have a little leftover for a lunchbox the next day.

To just set the record straight, I can make a chicken pie, a darn good one at that and I make it often, heck I've even sold a few in my lifetime...... ( Nina, drops head in shame!) Sadly, my pies will have to take a back seat for a while....this is the new Chicken Pie....Meraai se Chicken Pie.
In Bloemfontein, I really understood what it means to celebrate food rather than the individuals who make it. Sharing this recipe, was just the most natural thing to do and no one is threatened by the fact that someone else's pie will taste better than theirs....it is just important that this recipe will pass on to the next generation. I hope by sharing this recipe on RSG and posting it here on my blog, it really will become a heritage that will be passed on from one generation to the next.
BE WARNED! This recipe is not for someone who counts calories, certainly not, although I hope if you fall into this category, you will take the allowed teaspoon of pie and see the error of your ways!( jokes)

Here it is then, courtesy of Retha and all the other beautiful ladies of Bloemfontein. I applaud you and miss you more than you will ever know!

Meraai se Chicken Pie (Paai)
serves 8-10 people

Ingredients
2 kg chicken fillets - skin and boneless
250 ml chicken stock
250 ml cup white wine
30 ml chopped garlic
5 ml salt
5 ml pepper
200 g ham - I used Bergdale Gypsy Ham ( light smokey taste - bacon too overpowering)
2 medium onions - finely chopped
250 g button mushrooms - quartered
250 ml chopped parsley

Sauce
250 g butter ( yes, this is correct!)
250 ml flour
500 ml chicken stock (the stock you kept from cooking the chicken)
250 ml sour cream
500 ml milk

400 puff pastry
1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Preheat oven to 200 C.
Heat the chicken stock, wine, garlic, salt and pepper in a pot and add the chicken breasts to the stock. Poach for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
Remove chicken from the pot, pour the stock in a jug, but keep it for the sauce.
Cut chicken into smaller pieces and mix with ham, onions, mushrooms and parsley take note that the mushrooms, onions and parsley must be raw)in a mixing bowl.
In the same pot that you have used for the chicken, melt the butter over medium heat and add all the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, the milk and the sour cream and sir until you have a rich creamy sauce. Add the chicken and other ingredients to the sauce and mix through. Transfer mixture to a big pie dish and cool slightly. Roll out the pastry and cut a "lid" big enough to cover the pie. Place on the pie, make a little steam hole in the middle of the pie and brush with egg wash.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pie is golden brown.
Serve with steamed broccoli, some boiled potatoes or s simple green salad.

More tasty pies to chose from

Retha's Favorite Fish Pie

Shepperd's Pie

Potato and Spinach Pie

Tune in to RSG tomorrow (100-104FM) morning (Thursday)just after 9 when I share a different easy recipe from My Easy Cooking. You can also listen online here!

Food4Kidz - get involved, please!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:28:00 +0000

Food4Kidz is a registered well-fare organization and I had the honor and privilege to work with them during my stay in the beautiful Bloemfontein. You will still hear a lot about my trip up north, maybe even get a bit tired of my rantings and ravings, but it was life-altering so I just have to share it. Food4Kidz made me think about my purpose here on earth, I hope it does the same to you....
Willie van Deventer started the Food4Kidz organization last year and may I just say, I have not seen such passion and dedication in a while. His goal is to provide school children with a healthy nutritious meal every day. At the moment he is able to feed 55 children in the Bloemfontein area with more than 100 children on the waiting list that has been identified by the teachers and principal.

Helping hands!

I spent a morning with Willie and with just one helper, he manages to do this each and every day, even during school holidays when he takes the food to the children's homes. On Thursday morning he even organized 3 hairdressers to come and give free haircuts to those children who so desperately also need to look and feel good.

Social Skills are important too!

Willie will inform me of his latest project where you will pay R400 ($49 or 38 Eur) per month on a debit order and that will feed 1 child for 1 month. I will pass this on to you as soon as I have it. In the meantime, he welcomes all food donations and he literally makes magic with whatever resources he has at his disposal. While cooking with the Fynproewersgulde ( will share in near future), we did a Can Drive and in no time collected loads of food with very little effort.

Warm tummies - happy children!

Thank you Father for our Food!

I urge you to get involved, we have no idea what impact this organization has on these children. It is his desire that Food4Kidz grow and maybe in the not-so-distant-future, many towns, schools and children will benefit from this project.

A Grateful Heart!

Please phone Willie at 0729870001 and get involved......

Oven Baked Prawn Risotto on RSG

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Oven baked risotto is my go-to-recipe that I haul out whenever I have to feed a crowd quickly and in an affordable way. I often use this recipe on youth camps and even when I entertain, oven baked risotto finds its way to my table. I can dress it down or up, but either way, I am guaranteed of a great meal.

Those of you who follow me on Facebook will know that I am on my way to Bloemfontein to cook with the Fynproewers Gulde. This fine-dining gild has been going for just on 25 years and I think it is incredible how a passion for food has kept this organization going for so long. We will be preparing and cooking a Thai feast. I wanted to use my time in Bloemfontein for something more than just cooking and when I read an article about Food4kids, I knew I would love to be involved in something so worthy. In short Food4Kids provide meals for about 55 children in the Bloemfontein area and they have almost double the amount of children on a waiting list. For most of those children, it is the only food they get in a day and that makes me rather sad and desperate to help. Tomorrow morning on RSG, just after 9, we will be talking to Willie van Deventer who is the founder of this organization and he will tell you more about his work and where you could send donationsshould you wish to. Our theme tomorrow morning is budget recipes or recipes that can feed a crowd, hence my oven baked risotto. You might say that the prawns are a bit over the top, but I did say you can dress it up or down. We had some celebrating to do, so dressing up was in order.

Oven Baked Risotto
6-8 servings

Ingredients
1 large onion - finely chopped
1 of each red, green and yellow peppers - chopped in small cubes (optional)
2 T vegetable oil
1 heaped tsp smoked paprika - optional
a few of thyme
2 cups Arborio or normal rice
125 ml white wine
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
125 ml cream
125 ml freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
24 prawns - veined and cleaned (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 180C

Heat the oil in a oven-proof pot and saute the onions and thyme and if you are using it, also the peppers and paprika. Saute until the onion is soft and creamy and then add the rice. Stir and make sure that every rice kernel is covered with oil. Add the wine and allow to cook away completely. Add the stock, cover the pot and place in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove pot from the oven and test to see if all liquid has evaporated. If the risotto is too dry, add a little stock. If using the prawns, add them all to your oven-proof pot, put the lid back on and place back in the oven for 5 minutes to cook the prawns. Remove the risotto from the oven and add the cream and grated Parmesan and serve immediately.
As you may have noticed, you can choose to make a plain creamy risotto or add the peppers and the paprika for a spicy twist. the choice is yours....

Tomorrow morning just after 9, tune into RSG and listen how you can make a difference in somebody's life.

Gnocchi with Tomato and Basil

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:30:00 +0000

There is something so comforting about gnocchi, I am not sure if it is the sense of accomplishment for trying to make them rather than buy them, or whether it is the comfort of wrapping your hands around a bowl of something so moreish and belly-warming. It might be both, but I love making gnocchi and once you have the hang of it, not difficult at all. Come on, you try it......

The thing with making gnocchi is that you must get the ratio of potato to flour just right and also choose your potatoes wisely. Another important issue is to not get too much water in the potatoes when you cook them. One way of doing this is to cook the potatoes with their skins on and peel them afterwards, but my favorite and most successful way of doing this is to bake the potatoes in their jackets. With electricity costs rising almost every month, this can become quite a costly exercise so I roast my potatoes whenever I have to switch the oven on for something else. For instance tonight, we are having tuna bake so while this casserole is in the oven, I will roast a few potatoes and make my gnocchi, so tomorrow night's supper is halfway done.
The best potatoes to use for gnocchi is a floury potato with very little water content, which in South Africa means.... Up-to-date potatoes!

Gnocchi with Tomato and Basil
serves 4 people

Ingredients
800gr Up-to-date potatoes - about 5 potatoes
200gr flour + more flour for rolling of gnocchi
salt
1 extra large egg

Method

Bake the potatoes in a 180C oven until fork tender. As the potatoes come out the oven, halve them and scoop out the flesh and push through a food ricer. Allow to cool a little and then add 1 cup of the flour and salt, work it through, add the egg and then if it needs more flour, add the rest of the flour. Take care not to over-process the dough as your gnocchi will be tough and dense rather than pillow-like.
Divide the dough into "ropes", about 2,5 cm thick. With a floured knife, cut the "ropes" into small gnocchi (1,5cm)and roll over the back of a fork to make the grooves. The grooves are just so that the sauce will cling better to the gnocchi.
Heat a big pot of water on the stove, add some salt and cook the gnocchi in batches, making sure the water always stays at boiling temperature. Once the gnocchi floats to the top, it is cooked and can be scooped out and drained on kitchen towels. Serve with a rich tomato and basil sauce.

Tomato and basil sauce
Ingredients
1 small onion- finely chopped
1 clove of garlic - crushed
2 T vegetable oil
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
80 gr tomato paste
100ml white wine
15ml sugar
juice and zest of a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
a big handful of basil

Method
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft, but not brown. Add all other ingredients and allow to slowly cook and reduce until you have a really intense tomato sauce.

To serve the gnocchi, you can do it two ways:
- when your sauce is perfectly reduced and you are happy with the taste, place the gnocchi in the sauce and tossed the gnocchi so that each gnocchi gets a lovely red coat.... bring to the table with lots of chunky ciabatta.
- for a slightly more civilized and refined meal, when you have to impress hubby's boss, serve the gnocchi in individual plates with a spoon full of tomato sauce over it.

In both cases, serve with freshly grated Parmesan and some fresh basil.

More pasta dishes

Making Paneer on RSG in anticipation of a weekend at the Cheese Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:52:00 +0000

Make your way to the Cheese Festival near Stellenbosch this weekend, otherwise you will be missing out big time. If you are a cheese-o-holic like me, this is the place for you! You can sample the best cheeses SA has to offer and watch demonstrations and even learn to make cheese yourself at one of the many hands-on workshops.
I will be in the Checkers Emporium every day at 10.30 cooking up a storm with the illustrious Nataniel and the ever-so funny Jenny Morris. Must say, I am a wee bit nervous.....

In the meantime, I will share an old post with you on how to make your own paneer. That's if you don't make it to the cheese festival. It is the easiest thing to do and there is something so rewarding in making your own cheese just like there is in baking your own bread.
You can enjoy the cheese as is, or flavor it with a whole array of spices and herbs or even use it in vegetarian dishes such as curries.

Paneer

Ingredients

2 liter full cream milk
90ml fresh lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Method
Pour milk in a sauce pan and heat gently. Add lemon juice and bring the milk up to the boil. The milk will coagulate as the curd separates from the whey.( if you are making a herb cheese, now add the herbs of choice) Remove from the heat and pour the milk through a muslin cloth. Tie the cloth at the corners and place in a strainer and leave to drain overnight in the fridge. The next day, you can remove the cloth and serve.
For herb cheese, add pepper and 100g fresh herbs, chopped.
For olive cheese, add 100gr pitted and chopped black olives.

Scrumptious Moroccan Chicken Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 04:14:00 +0000

This Moroccan Chicken Pie was so delicious and if this is the kind of quality tried and tested recipes I can expect to find in Jane-Anne"s new cookbook, I certainly cannot wait for its arrival on our shelves mid 2012. I have yet to meet another cook, who is more meticulous with measurements and writing down a recipe.....
I met Jane-Anne at the first Foodbloggers Indaba where she was a co-speaker and I remember her talk as if it was yesterday and then already she emphasized the importance of testing and testing a recipe to make sure it is correct. After all, people trust your recipe when they go out and buy the ingredients, so we as bloggers, authors and recipe developers have a responsibility not to break that trust.
Enough preaching.....Jane made this delightfully different chicken pie when she came to cook in my kitchen with two other bloggers, The Foodfox and Food and the Fabulous.
I was fascinated by the way she cooked the chicken, but all the trouble and effort was so worth it, the pie was so scrumptious with hints of the Middle East with the last sprinkling of cinnamon on the top. So next time you want to try something special for dinner, give this Moroccan Chicken Pie a go!

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Pie
From Scrumptious South Africa

12 skinless, deboned chicken breasts
5 sheets of fresh phyllo pastry
melted butter for brushing
a little ground cinnamon for dusting

For the marinade:
1 cup (250 ml) plain white yogurt
the juice of 2 lemons
2 tsp (10 ml) finely grated lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 tsp (20 ml) powdered cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) chili powder
a pinch of saffron threads

For the sauce:
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 T (30 ml) sunflower oil
one 8-cm stick cinnamon
8 large, ripe tomatoes
80 ml ground almonds
2 tsp (10 ml) ground ginger
2 tsp (10 ml) ground coriander
3 tsp (15 ml) mild paprika
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
salt and freshly milled black pepper
75g cold butter, cubed [optional]
24 green olives, pitted
3 T (45 ml) preserved lemon peel, finely chopped
½ cup (125 ml) chopped fresh coriander (loosely packed)
½ cup (125 ml) chopped fresh parsley (loosely packed)

Cut the chicken into strips as big as your little finger (or into large cubes, if you prefer). Place all the marinade ingredients into a large plastic or glass bowl and mix well. Stir in the chicken strips. Cover and set aside in the fridge for two hours.

Heat the olive oil in a large, shallow pan and add the chopped onion and cinnamon stick. Cook, over a medium flame, until the onions have softened. In the meantime, quarter the tomatoes and put them in a liquidizer or a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process at high speed until you have a pale pink, mushy liquid. Pour this into the pan containing the onions and add the almonds, ginger, coriander, paprika and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook at a fairly brisk bubble for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. To check whether it's ready, draw a wooden spoon across the base of the pan. If the channel created by the spoon closes reluctantly, the sauce is thick enough.

Turn the heat to its lowest setting. Tip the chicken and its marinade into the pan and stir. Cook very gently (the mixture should barely bubble) for 10 or so minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Add the butter and toss gently. Stir in the olives, preserved lemon, coriander and parsley, and set aside to cool. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. (At this point, the mixture can go into the fridge overnight, but add the coriander and parsley only just before you assemble the pie).

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Unroll the phyllo pastry and remove five sheets. Place a sheet of pastry on a piece of greaseproof paper or a clean tea towel (cover the remaining sheets with a damp cloth) and brush all over with melted butter. Place another sheet on top, and brush with butter again. Continue until you've used up all five sheets.

Grease a rectangular pie dish that's a little smaller than the phyllo pastry. Remove the cinnamon stick from the chicken mixture. Pile the filling into the dish and carefully place the layered phyllo on top. Tuck the excess pastry down along the edges, or crimp it neatly, as shown in the photograph below. Brush melted butter over the top of the pie and dust with a little ground cinnamon.

More of Jane-Anne's Scrumptious recipes

Mini Meatloaves

Rum and Raisin Chocolate Truffles

Scrumptious Rum and Raisin Chocolate Truffles on RSG

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:39:00 +0000

These Rum and raisin truffles had to be locked away in my cupboard for two reasons, The one being that hubby wanted to eat them all, the other was that these truffles are definitely not child-friendly, Wow, they are delicious, but be warned, they come with an age-restricting and after too many, you might even feel a bit wobbly at the knees.
The culprit behind these delicious morsels are none other than our own Jane-Anne from Scrumptious South Africa. I was privileged to have her cook in my kitchen with Ilse van der Merwe and Ishay Govender a while ago when we worked with dried fruits and nuts. Jane-Anne is such an inspiration to me and at the moment she not only blogs for herself on Scrumptious South Africa, but she also blogs for Woolworths as one of their Master Chef bloggers. She is also busy with her first Cookbook, that will be launched early July 2012. Knowing Jane and her work, this will be a success, no doubt about that...Jane-Anne also made a delicious Moroccan Chicken Pie that I will feature in the next few days, but today we will tuck into these Rum and Raisin Chocolate Truffles. So let's make truffles..

Rum and Raisin Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins or currants

4 Tbsp (60 ml) dark rum

350 g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids)

1/2 cup (125 ml) cream

3/4 cup (180 ml) icing sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) cocoa powder, sifted, for coating

Put the raisins in a bowl, pour over the rum and set aside to soak for at least an hour, preferably two. Place the chocolate, broken into pieces, in a glass bowl and melt in a microwave oven or over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth, then beat in the cream, the soaked raisins and any rum left in the bowl. Sift the icing sugar into the chocolate and mix until smooth. Press a piece of clingfilm onto the surface of the mixture and place it in the fridge for about an hour, or until firm enough to handle.

Tip the cocoa powder onto a plate. Dig out spoonsful (each about the sized of a large marble) of chocolate paste and roll quickly between your palms to form rough balls resembling real truffles. Place the balls on the plate of cocoa powder and roll them about so that they are well coated. When you've made all the balls, place them in a sieve or colander and shake gently to remove any excess cocoa powder. Cover and place in the fridge for two hours, or until firm. These freeze very well.

Makes about 35 truffles.

Note: The basic truffle recipe is adapted from Phillippa Cheifitz's The Cosmopolitan Cookbook (1986)

Tune into RSG this morning to hear us make these truffles. 100-104FM or listen online.

Fruity Chicken Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:32:00 +0000

Lip smacking, rib sticking, finger-licking fruity chicken bake. Sorry folks, got a bit carried away, but be prepared to write this recipe down quite a few times. You can of course just send them to My Easy Cooking and save yourself the trouble. Unless of course you want me to be your closet chef...I don't mind at all, just make the fruity chicken, you'll be so glad you did.
This has been such a fantastic week. So many amazing things have happened for which I am so grateful. I have learned that persistence and dedication pays off and that every dark cloud does indeed have a silver lining. I will reveal all these wonderful new things to you in days to come, but for now all I can say is...."stick around!"
Talking about "Stick(y)" around....this Fruity Chicken Bake is just that..... sweet and sticky and utterly delicious! Before I get to the recipe, just a little thought......
On Friday night I had the honor of cooking alongside the amazing Sonia Cabano and what a fun experience it was too. The function was in the form of a Black Tie dinner and dance at Nelson's Creek and Sonia and I had to each prepare a Steak and Sauce for which the guests then had to vote. I think the winner of the evening was the Chere Botha School! I was humbled by the dedication and passion of all involved with this school and I have not only been reminded of all my many blessings but also remembered my years teaching children with special needs and what an enriching journey it has been.
If you feel the need to donate some time or money, I am sure they will appreciate every bit of assistance they can get. You can contact:

Marty Loubser

FUNDRAISER

Cheré Botha School

Direct Tel: 021-949 3339

Reception: 021-948 9134

Fax: 021-948 9693

Cell: 084 9266150

funding@cherebotha.co.za

Fruity Chicken Bake
serves 4

Ingredients
8 free-range chicken pieces, I use drumsticks and thighs
125 ml flour
salt/pepper
200 ml good quality mayonnaise
200 ml chutney - Mrs Balls or Wellingtons - you want a chunky one
125 ml golden sultanas
8 small onions - the ones they use for pickling
100 ml sweet wine - I used Muskadel

Method
Preheat oven to 170C
Clean chicken and season with salt and pepper. Place all the chicken pieces in a plastic bag and add the flour. Toss the chicken pieces in the bag until all the pieces are evenly coated with flour. Place chicken in an oven-proof casserole. Mix the chutney, mayo and sweet wine and pour over the chicken. Place onions in a glass bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for a few minutes, it helps to remove the skin without cutting the bottom part of the onions.( the onions must stay whole during baking) Place the peeled onions in between the chicken pieces. Scatter the sultanas over the top and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for about 1 hour. If you feel your oven is too hot and the sauce is burning, turn down the heat and just bake for a while longer. Serve on rice or mashed potatoes with some sweet baby peas or a salad if you prefer.

More Chicken Bake recipes

Roast Chicken Pasta Bake

Chicken Bake with Sun-dried Tomato Scones

Sticky Chicken - only 3 ingredients

Creamy, dreamy mushroom sauce!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:59:00 +0000

This is the mushroom sauce you have always been dreaming of. Ser-i-aasssss, (Serious) people, you have to trust me on this one. My "critics" voted this the best sauce I have ever made and after literally sitting with the pot and a spoon, I have to believe them.The sauce is so versatile, not only can you enjoy it on fish, baked potatoes, chicken or steak, but.....
with very little effort it can easily be converted into a soup or even a delightful souffle. Before I get to the recipe, I want to just share some news...
Tonight I will be doing a charity cook-off with celebrity chef Sonia Cabano at the Chere Botha Special School Fundraising event at the Nelsons Creek Wine Estate.
Schools with special needs are very dear to my heart and I don't know how many of you know this, but in my former life, I have taught children with special needs for about 15 years. Sadly, these schools often stand in the back of the line when it comes to government funding etc. so I am happy to do my little bit tonight to help them raise much needed funds.
I do hope the theory "never trust a skinny chef" works, otherwise I do not stand a chance against the most talented and accomplished chef, Sonia Cabano!
This mushroom sauce is the one I will be making tonight and I hope ( hold thumbs) the guests will also like it as much as my family did.

Creamy Dreamy Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients

30 ml olive oil
50 g butter
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 onion - chopped or grated
500 - 600 g mushrooms - use different varieties and sizes
50 ml brandy
250 ml cream or Simonsberg Cream Cheese
a little milk of needed
salt and pepper
1 lemon
chopped herbs (optional)
freshly grated nutmeg

Method
Wipe your mushrooms clean with a damp cloth and cut them into even sized pieces. the small mushrooms can be left whole. If using shiitake, just remove the woody stems and use just the caps. Heat the oil and butter in a big skillet or pan and saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms have browned and slightly caramelized. Add the brandy and flambe the mushrooms until all the liquid has evaporated. Now add the cream or cream cheese and allow to gently cook/melt to make the most divine sauce. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Lastly, but most importantly, add some freshly grated nutmeg and chopped herbs of your choice.

More Mushroomy goodness

Portabello Mushroom Pate

Red wine Risotto with Pan-fried Shiitakes

Fettucini Alfredo

Food and the Fabulous Chicken Tagine on RSG

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:03:00 +0000

This Chicken Tagine by Ishay from Food and the Fabulous is a welcome belly warmer after all the Easter Buns, Chocolate treats and other sweet temptations like my first batch of Easter Macarons with White Chocolate and Passion fruit Ganache. I don't know about you, but I can only eat so many sweet things and then my body goes in food-alert mode. This Chicken Tagine definitely stilled my cravings for proper food....
I tasted this dish for the first time when Ishay, Jane-Anne and Ilse van der Merwe visited My Easy Cooking to cook with some dried fruit. The first thing I spotted was the beautiful jar of preserved lemons, which Ishay assured me, is dead-easy to make. However, when I looked at Ishay's recipe, I gasped at the list of ingredients and asked if we could simplify and shorten the list of spices. The answer was short and sweet: "NO!" I am so glad I lost that argument, because the aroma in my kitchen was something too intoxicating to describe and the taste....simply sublime. If you read the recipe, it may seem too long, but it really is quite simple, brown onions in a pan, brown chicken, add together with everything else and pop in the oven, easy as pie! Here goes.

Chicken Tagine (Adapted for radio, original recipe here)

Ingredients

1 medium onion, sliced

20 ml olive oil, plus extra

500 g free range chicken fillet, cut into cubes 4 cm cubes (or pieces)

1 T ginger and garlic paste

1 large red chili chopped

1 cinnamon stick

1 t saffron, soaked in 1/3 cup water

3 t garam masala

4 cardamom pods, bashed

1 t paprika (hot or sweet)

250 ml chicken stock

1 ½ cans (410 g each) chopped, peeled tomatoes

4 medium carrots, chopped

1 t sugar

120 ml dried apricot halves

2 slices preserved lemon, chopped finely

Honey, to serve

Method

Heat a large saucepan, add oil and fry onions and cinnamon sticks till onions just start to brown. Remove from pan.

Add ginger, garlic and chili to the chicken, coat well, add some oil to the same pan that you have fried the onions and brown the chicken on all sides. Turn heat up a little if you have to and add a little more oil.

Once browned, sprinkle with a little salt Preheat oven to 180 C.

Place the chicken and all other ingredients, except apricots and preserved lemons in a cast iron pot or tagine and cook for about 1 hour.

Remove from oven. Add apricots and lemons and bake for further 25 -30 minutes.

The apricots will mellow and add a tangy profile to the dish, the lemons will relax and become aromatic.

I add a generous swirl of honey, mix well and serve over couscous with pomegranate studded yogurt or mint and cucumber salad.

To listen to Ishay and I doing this recipe tomorrow morning just

after 9 on RSG, tune in to 100-104FM or listen online here!

My Easy Chicken Pot Pies to celebrate the arrival of Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:30:00 +0000

I made Chicken Pot pies...finally! My family has been nagging me for ever to make chicken pies again, but frankly, it was just too hot to even bother, so when Easter weekend arrived and brought with it the lovely rainy weather, I made pot pies, while the rest of the the Christendom made roast lamb. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Weekend, I was surrounded by family, friends, good food and lots of love to go around.....
Before you start wondering what the difference is between a pot pie and a normal chicken pie..... I wondered too! I always that it was a pie, made in a small cup or small ramekin. Well, the mighty Wiki says that a pot pie has a "top and bottom completely encrusted by flaky pastry and baked inside a pie tin to hold its shape".
The other important part of a chicken pie, is of course the filling and trust me, there are so many varieties and recipes for delicious fillings, but like in many households, a mother has to settle on a recipe that satisfies "the critics!" My family will gladly have sweet peas and baby carrots as side dishes to their pie, but inside, they want a filling that is creamy, simple and full of chicken flavor. To cut a long story short, after trying many recipes, this recipe is the one my family loves and apparently all the guests I had at my house on Friday too.

My Easy Chicken Pot Pies
makes 1 huge pie( serves 8) or 8 individual pot pies

Ingredients
10 chicken breasts - I buy with skin and bone
1 large onion - roughly chopped
4 cloves
4 sprigs of thyme of 2 t dry thyme
salt/pepper
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
1 x 250 ml sour cream
1 bunch of leeks
2 T butter
1 t smoked paprika ( optional)
2 heaped T Ina Paarman Roast Onion Soup/Gravy Powder
a little boiling water or pan juices if needed - about ½ cup
2 rolls of puff pastry when making 1 big pie and 3 rolls when making individual pies.

Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Place the chopped onion in the bottom of a roasting pan. Clean and wipe chicken breasts with paper towel and place on top of the onions. Drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chicken and place uncovered in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the juices run clear when a knife is inserted in the thickest part of the breast. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and use two forks and remove all bones from the chicken. Keep for stock. NB. If you have issues with chicken skin, remove, but if your chicken is cooked properly and the skin is nice and crispy, cut it into smaller pieces and add to the chicken. It imparts a lovely flavor to your chicken pie.
Clean and chop the leeks, I use the white parts and about halfway up the green part. Heat a pot on the stove and add the butter and smoked paprika. Once the butter has melted, add the leeks and saute until soft and buttery. Add the chopped up chicken and the water or pan juices just to get the chicken going. Add the sour cream and mix the soup powder with a little cold water and stir it into the chicken. The sauce should now be creamy and delicious, but not too runny. Taste and adjust accordingly. Cool the filling completely.
When the filling is cold, roll out the pastry and make pies in whatever size you wish. One tip though, when lining your baking dish with pastry, brush the pastry with egg wash, it makes almost a barrier between filling and pastry and prevents soggy pastry.
Serve with sweet garden peas and baby carrots and maybe a serving of creamy mash on the side.

Cook's Note:
You can make your own puff pastry, with this easy recipe, this is what readers had to say about it:

Nina hierdie is n ONGELOOFLIKE RESEP!!!!! SAl NOOIT WEER IETS ANDERS PROBEER!!! was altyd bang vir die maak van puff pastry..MAAR DANKSY JOU..IS DIT NOU MAKLIK EN OHhhh so nice!!!!:-)

More Pie Recipes

Beef and Vegetable Pies

Beef Stout Pie

Venison Pie

Lastly, I wish to ask forgiveness for my poor photography in this post. When 35 people are watching you do a photoshoot and complaining about how hungry they are..... it is tough!

Easter Macarons with White Chocolate and Passionfruit Ganache

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:47:00 +0000

Easter Macarons with White Chocolate and Passion fruit Ganache...... You haven't seen such a long post title on My Easy Cooking in ages, right? Well, I think it is ok to every now and then put your fancy jacket on and do something special, something extraordinary, something you would not normally do. Making macarons is something I have put off for too long, it was time I put my fears to rest and give it a go... Oh, I so wish I still had my blanky, my safety blanket......
I looked through my old Taste Magazines and found my safety blanket......In the November 2011 issue of this fine magazine, my foodie idol Abigail Donnely had a step by step tutorial on how to make these delicate French fancies and her claim was that she will remove the myth that making macarons should be left to the professionals. I am certainly no professional, so I reckoned her theory should work for me... I placed my hand firmly in hers and took it step my step.....and guess what? It worked, oh wow, I was so proud that I took the plunge and tried something new and exciting. It is time you do to.......

Easter Macarons with White Chocolate and Passion fruit Ganache

click on link to go to Abigail's Recipe

White Chocolate and Passion fruit Ganache
100ml cream
220 g white chocolate - I used buttons
pulp of two granadillas

Break chocolate in smaller pieces or place buttons in a glass bowl. Heat the cream in a small pot and just before it starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Allow to stand until chocolate is melted and mix until it has a smooth consistency. If all the chocolate has not melted, place the bowl in the microwave for a few seconds until it has. Mix in the pulp and cool the mixture until it has the desire consistency.
Sandwich two macarons with some of the filling and place in your prettiest bowl. You have conquered!

Malva pudding with dates and pecan nuts

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 06:17:00 +0000

Do I love Malva Pudding? You be the judge, because after this post, I will have 4 varieties of this South African classic in my recipe arsenal. Just when I think, now I have the winning recipe, someone kicks it up a notch. Today, this someone is the feisty, bubbly and very organized Ilse van der Merwe or as we know her here in blogland as The Foodfox.
Now if you haven't been to Ilse's site, hop on over, because here recipes are delicious and with a professional photographer, Tasha Seccombe, to capture her moreish plates of food, your taste buds are sure to do a tumble or two.
Ilse came to my house two weeks ago to participate in a Safari Cookoff, where 4 bloggers were asked to develop 8 recipes, using dried fruits and nuts. Her Bobotie with dried Apricots and Cashew nuts were absolutely divine, listeners to RSG where this recipe was featured, already reported back on how they enjoyed it. I have already made this malva pudding twice. Although the list of ingredients is long, make the effort, you will not be disappointed.

Malva pudding with dates and pecan nuts
serves 6

Ingredients

250 ml finely chopped dried dates

5 ml (1 t) baking soda

200 ml boiling water

20 ml (4 t) butter at room temperature

250 ml (1 cup) caster sugar

2 eggs

15 ml (1 T) fine apricot jam

125 ml (1/2 cup) milk

5 ml (1 t) brown vinegar

250 ml (1 cup) flour

pinch of salt

100 g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

For the sauce

250 ml (1 cup) cream

180 ml (3/4 cup) sugar

125 g butter

125 ml (1/2 cup) boiling water

5 ml (1 t) vanilla essence

Method

Add chopped dates and baking soda to a glass bowl, then pour boiling water over and leave to soften for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one and beat until pale yellow.

Add apricot jam and mix well.

Add vinegar to milk, then add to the sugar/butter/egg mixture and mix well.

Sieve flour and salt together, then add to the wet mixture and mix well.

Add dates and half of the chopped pecans, and stir through with a metal spoon. Spoon into a buttered ovenproof dish, then bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.

While the pudding is baking, add all the ingredient for the sauce to a small saucepan, and bring to the boil just before the pudding comes from the oven.

Remove the sauce from the heat as it comes to the boil (the butter should be melted by then), then carefully pour over the hot pudding. The sauce will seep into the pudding on standing – it takes at least 15 minutes for it to settle. Sprinkle with the other half of the pecan nuts, then serve warm with custard and vanilla ice cream.

More recipes for Easter

Easy Easter Breakfast Buns

Easy Chocolate Eclairs

Nutty Chicken Schnitzels with dried fruit chutney

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:43:00 +0000

My family loves chicken schnitzels, but because it is a bit of a labor-of-love with-thing with the stages of egg wash, flour, egg wash again and then the crumbing, I very seldom make them. I was playing around with ideas to make this simpler, but not lose any of the taste. Simpler by removing one or two of the stages.I think I might have succeeded, what do you think?
I remember many years ago, we traveled through Namibia and stayed in the Minen Hotel in Tsumeb for a few days. During the day we would take day trips through the Etosha Game Reserve, but supper time we were back at the hotel for Eisbein and their legendary veal or chicken schnitzels. Those chicken schnitzels were so big their they filled an entire steak plate and all the side dishes had to come in separate bowls. I have to say that my aim here was not to replicate the size of the meal, but rather the delicious crispy outside and the soft juicy inside of the chicken.
As I've said earlier, I have made chicken schnitzels and pork schnitzels the proper way and yes it is delicious, but the aim here is to reduce effort and time spent in the kitchen, after all you are on a site called My Easy Cooking....
We are also still cooking with Safari Dried Fruits and Nuts and I wanted to incorporate some of their amazing products. The end result was a little fusion between the Austrian Schnitzel and classic South African flavors such as curry, star anise, cinnamon and coriander. I hope you like it.

Nutty Chicken Schnitzels
serves 4

Ingredients
4 de-boned chicken breasts
4 slices of white bread
1x 100 g packet Safari Salted Cashew Nuts
125 ml chopped herbs - I used coriander and parsley
salt and pepper
3 eggs - beaten or vegetable oil ( read method for explanation)
vegetable oil for frying if this method is used.

Method

Place the bread, cashews, herbs, salt and pepper in the food processor and blitz until you have fine crumbs and pour out on a plate. Slice all 4 chicken breasts open on the one side and butterfly them. If you are making burgers, you can halve the breasts at this stage. Take a meat mallet and lightly flatten the meat without breaking it up. Now, here are two ways of cooking your schnitzels.
Method 1 - Brush each chicken schnitzels lavishly with vegetable oil and dip into the breadcrumbs, making sure the schnitzel is coated completely. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before baking them in a preheated oven (180C) for about 20-25 minutes or until they are crispy and brown.
Method 2 - Dip each chicken schnitzel in egg wash and then into the bread crumbs. Place on a plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat some oil in a skillet and fry each schnitzel on both sides until golden brown and yummee.

Dried fruit chutney

250 g Safari Choice Fruit Salad
125 g Safari Golden Sultanas
1 tsp curry powder
500ml water
125 g sugar
1 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
about 2T white wine vinegar

Place all the ingredients for the chutney in a pot and simmer on low heat until the fruit is soft and the chutney has a thick consistency. Serve with the schnitzels or spoon into a sterilized glass jar and keep for sandwiches or to enjoy with cold meats.

More recipes with Safari Dried Fruit and Nuts

Bobotie with Cashews and Coconut milk

Easy Easter Breakfast Buns

Easy Easter Breakfast Buns or Roll on RSG

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:08:00 +0000

If you see the recipe for this my Easy Easter Breakfast Buns you will kick yourself and say: "Now, why did I not think of that?" Maybe you have and if so, drop me a line, I am eager to try new things. With Easter around the corner, long weekends ahead and all my children at home, I love spoiling them for breakfast. There is something to be said for coffee brewing and something sweet baking in the oven. what a way to wake up?
I have to admit that my children are not too keen on eating dried fruit. They love the fruit rolls and fruit sticks , but dried peaches, pears and raisins are not on their Top 10 list, but if I sneak raisins into their muesli, muffins and favorite sticky buns, they cannot resist. In my house dried fruit find its way into chutneys, relishes, stews and even the odd chicken pie, but for those delicious recipes you will have to wait.

It all starts with a ball of dough...

With Easter weekend in mind, I decided to share this easy recipe with you, two recipes actually, but the same ingredients... the secret here is the shortcut of buying your dough rather than making it from scratch. So the ingredients are exactly the same for both recipes, just treated in a different way, but you will get the just of it as we go along.

Easy Easter Breakfast Buns/Roll
makes 16 small buns or 1 round roll enough for 6-8 people

Ingredients

1 kg ready made bread dough - buy from your local bakery
250 ml brown sugar
125ml butter
5 ml fine cinnamon
250 ml chopped Safari pecan nuts
1 cup Safari Sultanas
1 egg

Butter, Sugar and Safari products.....

Method
Place sugar and butter in a small saucepan and melt together. When melted, add the sultanas and nuts as well as the cinnamon.

For the Easy Easter Breakfast Buns

Preheat oven to 180 C.Divide the dough into 16 balls/buns. Spray a oven proof dish ( rectangular Pyrex) with Spray n Cook and pour the butter and sugar mixture into the bottom of the dish. Place the 16 buns on top of the sauce, leaving gaps in between for the dough to rise. Preheat oven to 180 C. Allow to rise for about ½ hour and then bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes.

Golden brown and delicious - tip out on a plate

For the Easy Easter Breakfast Roll

On a floured surface, roll out the dough in a large rectangle to about 1 cm thick. Use a pastry brush or spoon and spread the butter and sugar mixture over the dough. Roll up from the long side. Once you have a long roll, brush it with egg white(to hold it together) and roll it up into a coil. At the end, just tuck the point of dough underneath the roll. Brush with egg wash and allow to rise. Preheat oven to 180 C and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and when tapped with a finger, it must sound hollow.

Roll into a coil

Bake to perfection and wow your quests at the table.

Serve with lashings of butter or drizzle with lemon glaze.

Eat In DStv Food Network Produce Awards - A memorable day!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:56:00 +0000

The Eat In DStv Food Network Produce Awards Ceremony was held at the Slowfood market at Oude Libertas in Stellenbosch on Saturday 24 March 2012 and it marked a definite highlight of my career. What an amazing event it was too. Anelde Greeff and the planning committee of this event , must have been beside themselves with excitement when they woke up to such a glorious day in Stellenboch.I have to say, it has to be one of South Africa's most beautiful venues for a market.
After a few photos and an early morning nibble here and there , we set off to the amphitheater for the award ceremony. Our own Food Network Star entertained us with her quirks and funny chirps, but soon the real stars, the small producers lined up to receive their much deserved awards. As Jenny mentioned, Eat In, should be commended for putting all the artisans on the map, it truly was remarkable to see the passion and dedication amongst them.

Eat In fun!

When Anelde started talking about the blog of the year, I had no idea who she was talking about. My money was on Colly or Sam, two phenomenal bloggers who are great sources of inspiration to me. When she said "Nina Timm from My Easy Cooking", I was overwhelmed.( to the point of nearly wetting myself). I only have a heart filled with sincere gratitude for the support I get from my family, my readers and also the listeners to my program every week. Thank you!

De Oude Bakkerij

Lots and lots to eat, yum!

For those of you who missed this event, do check out the the winners' websites and support them if and where you can!

Best new product: Karma jams

Innovation award: Earthshine's Kale chips

Organic/free-range award: Croft chicken

Heritage award: Rozendal vinegar

Best local food blog: My Easy Cooking

Best outlets

North: Braeside Butchery

East: Piggly Wiggly

South: Ocean’s Edge in Sea Point

Best markets

North: Pretoria Boeremark

East: The Food Market

South: Wild Oats

Best small producers

Confectionery: Sweet Temptations toffee

Grocery: Quality pickles

Bakery: Oude Bank Bakkerij

Earth: Boon Hill salad leaves

Dairy (cheese): Buffalo Ridge

Dairy (other): Jenny's clotted cream

Paddock: Dargle Duck

Going on a Cooking and baking Safari with The Food Fox

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:28:00 +0000

Safari dried fruits and nuts have been around for many years and, just like me, I think you also might have fond memories of some or other confectionery from your mom or grans oven, made with loving care and Safari Dried fruits. Back in the days when I was still a handful during Sunday services, raisins came in little boxes and my mom had me sitting still right through a service with those little boxes.
On Tuesday we created memories in my kitchen. I was blessed to have 3 of our top bloggers in my kitchen. For a change I could just watch and take pictures, all the cooking was done by these gorgeous ladies. They were Jane-Anne from Scrumptious South Africa, Ilse van der Merwe or better known as The Foodfox and Ishay Govender from the award winning blog Food and the Fabulous. All three ladies are excellent at blogging and social media, I wanted to put their cooking skills to the test and they had to create 1 cooked meal and 1 baking or dessert recipe, using Safari Dried Fruits and Nuts.
Traditionally we use dried fruits in sweet dishes or maybe in a oxtail potjie or cooked with venison, but not in my wildest dreams could I imagine dried apricots with green olives in a chicken pie. (For this recipe you will have to wait!

Our featured blogger on RSG this Thursday morning is Ilse van der Merwe better known as The Foodfox. Ilse has featured on our RSG show a while back with her delicious Chicken Nectarine Salad.This time she shares her two recipes:
Bobotie with dried apricots and cashew nuts and Malva pudding with dates and pecan nuts. Old classics with new twists, but they were both utterly delicious. The malva pudding was so rich and moist that I could only finish half my bowl, The bobotie was legendary.... to say the least.
Today, I share the Bobotie recipe.

Bobotie with dried apricots and cashew nuts

30 ml (2 T) vegetable oil

1 onion - chopped

2 cloves garlic - chopped

2 t freshly grated ginger root

2 t mild curry powder

½ t turmeric

½ t fine coriander

½ t fine cumin

½ t fine cinnamon

500 g lean beef mince

salt and pepper

1 T lemon juice

2 T chutney

2 T fine apricot jam

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T tomato paste

1 slice of bread, processed to fine crumbs, soaked in water

125 ml (1/2 cup) finely chopped dried apricots
100 g roasted cashew nuts - finely chopped

4 bay leaves

Top layer:

250 ml coconut milk (or use regular milk)

2 eggs

salt and pepper

Method:

In a heavy based pot over medium heat, add the oil, then fry the onion, garlic and ginger until soft and.

Add the dry spices and fry for 1 minute (the bottom of the pot will look very dry, don't worry about it)

Add the mince, then fry until it has changed color, taking care not to brown it too much. Season with salt and pepper.

Add all lemon juice, chutney, jam, Worcesterhire sauce and paste along with the soaked breadcrumbs, cashews and chopped apricots. Stir well, then cover, and let it simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes. This mixture burns very easily, so check on it every 5 minutes and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to prevent burning.

Remove from heat, then transfer to an ovenproof dish and flatten the surface. Press in the bay leaves.

In a separate bowl, lightly mix the eggs with the coconut milk and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour over mince mixture. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes, or until the top layer is set and golden brown.

Serve with rice, extra chutney, desiccated coconut, sliced bananas or any other sambals of your choice.

Tune into RSG on Thursday Mornings just after 9 for these delicious recipes.

100-104Fm or listen online!

My Easy Chocolate Eclairs

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:38:00 +0000

My easy Chocolate eclairs? What makes this recipes so special that I can claim it for myself? Trial and error and 2 batches of flop eclairs. In my family if you have learned something the hard way, we call it "paying school fees", because after all lessons are learned in school and in my case the school of life.... Now, what does life lessons and chocolate eclairs have in common......
well, I have learned that not all recipes on Google are flop proof and for me as a recipe developer and a recipe writer, I've yet again realized how crucial it is to test...and test...and test recipes before you publish them.Such an enormous responsibility!

There are so many so-called foodies out there and with food bloggers posting recipes almost everyday, the Internet is updated and loaded with new recipes on a daily basis. Sadly not all of those recipes work. Heck, I have been told one of my recipes does not work and only after much drama and testing did I see when posting the image, it cut off the 1 from 150gr of sugar, thus changing it to 50gr of sugar. These things happen, but not often, because everything that you see on my blog, I have cooked and my family has eaten, so I know the recipe works.

Which brings me back the chocolate eclairs. The first recipe I printed off the Internet, had a pretty photograph with it and based on the image, I thought the recipe had to work....WRONG! The result was flat, crumpet-like biscuits which the children would not even eat as it was not sweet enough. The second recipe left me with soft, soggy eclairs and I never even bothered to fill them with cream.

I wanted hollow choux buns, hard on the outside and golden brown in color. Then, I remembered that just like a good old Victoria sponge cake and just like my easy homemade puff pastry, there are certain formulas in baking that never change. If you know them, you are destined for success in the kitchen. I had the knowledge already, all I had to do, was to put it to the test. So next time you want a recipe, search within yourself first, try and remember what your mom or gran told you, then you can, like me also talk about "My Easy Eclairs!"

My Easy Chocolate Eclairs

makes 24 eclairs of about 10cm long

For the Choux buns
250 ml boiling water
125 ml butter
250 ml cake flour
3 jumbo eggs or 4 large

For the filling
250 ml cream - whipped
2 tbsp caster sugar
100gr dark chocolate - melted

Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with non-stick spray or lining it with baking paper. Boil the water in a small pot and add the butter and allow to melt. Add all the cake flour in at once and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pot. Remove from the heat and place the mixture in the bowl of your mixer. Beat the flour mixture for about 1 minute so that it can cool and then add the eggs one by one, beating in between each addition of eggs. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 10cm long choux buns on the baking paper. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and make a small cut on the side of each choux bun to release the steam. Place back in the oven, with heat now reduced to 160C. Bake for another 5 minutes or until choux buns have now hardened. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Keep in an airtight container until needed.

To fill: Whip the cream with the caster sugar and pipe into the choux buns. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pot of hot water and then dip each eclair into the chocolate. One the eclairs are filled they do not stay hard for long, so do not make to long in advance.

Homemade Puff Pastry on RSG

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:31:00 +0000

Homemade puff pastry is a bit of a contradiction to many home cooks, like me. You see, we all love the light, flaky pastry, but the thought of rolling out the dough, adding butter, folding, resting, adding more butter, just sounds like too much work. So we all opt for the bought version. I don't have a problem with store-bought dough, but the quality is only good if you have a good supplier, otherwise it is terrible....
Last week on RSG, I shared a "slap degie vir menige gebruik" (translated to Easy Batter for many a use). The response was overwhelming and still today, I am answering emails from people telling me what they made with this easy batter recipe. I must say someone made Lamb Shank Pie and my knees went wobbly! Well this homemade puff pastry recipe is again one of those easy, no-mess, no-fuss recipes and also a recipe I got from my mom's old tattered recipe book. Seems like there is still a lot we can learn from our moms and grannies who never thought they were good cooks, they just got on with the job of feeding their families.
I have featured this pastry recipe before, but for the sake of the RSG listeners, here it is again. Just before I get to the recipe a quick story..

We had a good friend( he passed away a few years ago) who was a policemen and maybe it was because I ask silly questions some days or maybe because I find people's eating habits fascinating, but I always ask him what they ate during their night shifts. So one day he sat me down and explained his fondness for pies. Wow, I was blown away by the passion and how descriptive he was. The pastry had to be light, buttery and flaky, yet it had to have "body" and not dissolve to a mouthful of crumbs. The filling.....oh, that had him going for such a long time. Cornish, Venison, steak and kidney and chicken pies were hot favorites with him and his fellow policemen, but he also mentioned cheese and salami, feta and spinach, even curried potatoes which I found absolutely fascinating.
This will seem like a bit of a long-winded post for this blog, because here we do things quick and easy, but once your pastry is made, the job is half done. I also plan my meals, so if I have cauliflower with Bechamel sauce on one night, I make extra white sauce and keep it for later in the week when I make pies.

This recipe is for my old friend and every policemen who have to walk the streets at night so that I can have a peaceful sleep!

Homemade Puff pastry
makes 1,2kg pastry which is enough for 1 family size pie

Ingredients

500g butter, cubed
550g plain flour
5 ml Cream of Tartar
250 ml boiling water.
pinch of salt

Mix flour, salt and Cream of Tartar.
Put butter in a separate bowl, add boiling water and let allow butter to melt completely, but it must still be lumpy.
Add butter mixture to flour mixture and mix well, without over mixing.
Pour out on a plate and leave fridge overnight.
When needed, roll out on a floured surface and then use as indicated on your own recipe. This pastry freezes exceptionally well.

Cheese and Salami Pies

For the white sauce
500 ml milk
40 g flour
40 g butter
a pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a small pot over low heat. Add the flour and mix to form a smooth paste and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add the milk slowly and little-by-little while continuously whisking with your wooden spoon. Continue to stir or whisk until the sauce starts to thicken. Reduce the heat even more and cook for 3-5 minutes. The sauce must never boil vigorously. Allow to cool.

Now add:

2 cups chopped salami - it is 1 small salami chopped up
2 cup grated mature cheddar
about 2 tablespoons chopped herbs like parsley- optional

Once you have mixed the white sauce with the cheese and salami, allow to cool off completely. You can even make this a day in advance.

To make the pies:
Preheat oven to 200 C

Break egg in a cup and keep one side.
Roll out the pastry to about 5mm and use a cookie cutter or stacking ring to cut out pastry circles. I make about 12 pies (9 cm in diameter) from this, so you will need 24 circles. Brush the edges of the pastry circles with some egg white. Spoon some of the cheese/salami filling on 12 of the pastry discs and top with the other 12 discs. Use a fork to press the edges of the pies, making sure there are no gaps. Use the rest of the egg wash to brush the pies before baking it in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Serve with salad and some tomato relish!

Do tune into RSG ( 100-104FM) tomorrow morning just after 9 when I will be making this pastry and sharing ideas of how to use it. You can also listen online

Chocolate Samosas - hardly a recipe!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Timm) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:56:00 +0000

You don't need a recipe to make these Chocolate Samosas! I know that by saying this, I am shooting myself in the foot, because this is after all a recipe blog and why would you be here if it was not for my easy do-able recipes. Good news, this IS an easy do-able recipe and you will be ever so popular at your next dinner party!
When I said at the beginning of this week that I will, on recommendation of a very dear friend and mentor, do a lot less blogging and a lot less socializing (Facebook and Twitter) I had no idea how addicted I have become and how much I will miss you lot, but I have a load of work and writing that require my attention, so I have to abstain for while at least. With all the writing and planning, time for cooking and making my children's favorite sweet treats is also limited and this recipe was born out of sheer necessity to make a quick and easy dessert snack for my darling sweet tooth son!
As I have said, there is no need for a recipe, simply an idea that works. If you master the art of making chocolate samosas, you can try different sweet fillings, such as apple, custard, caramel or even combine two ingredients such as banana and caramel. Come to think of it..... that makes it a Banofee Samosa! Brilliant idea, I think I will try it myself!

Chocolate Samosas
makes 10 samosas

1 x 100gr Lindt Chocolate - the orange flavor makes a perfect after dinner samosa
10 samosa wrappers
1 egg
vegetable oil for frying

Break the chocolate in its 10 blocks. Place 1 block at the one end of the samosa wrapper and start folding it. If you want to learn how to fold a samosa, click here!Break the egg in a cup and with a pastry brush, brush the samosa with some egg white and make sure there are no gaps where the melted chocolate can run out. Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry and when the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the samosas and fry very quickly on both sides until they are a light golden brown in color. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen toweling to get rid of excess oiliness. Serve immediately with a dusting of icing sugar and a smooth espresso!

More Chocolate Recipes

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Ice Cream