Thursday 21 October 2010

Rocking The Daisies...




As we made our way to Darling in convoy, birds-a tweeting, I wondered if we might have been ever so slightly hasty in our cunning quest to be first in the line for Rocking The Daisies. We had officially excelled ourselves and possibly even the event organisers, as we pulled up onto a vast empty field at 6 am, oh good, only four more hours until the gates were due to open. “Rather safe than sorry’” was squealed enthusiastically from the other car, filled with keeno’s- for lack of a better description, armed with their trilby hat’s and gladiator sandals, not to mention air pumps and energy bars.



After chatting for a little while about who we were most / least looking forward to seeing we find ourselves cheering for the ‘wheelbarrow boys’ as they pull up onto our vacant car-park. These nice (topless) young men pack all your gear into their wheelbarrows and manoeuvre these dodgy old contraptions around the tents to your chosen spot for the next few days, for a couple of bucks, we figured it was well worth it to conserve our energy for other, more appropriate endeavours!

Eventually, after twenty minutes or so of our best Bear Grylls/Ray Mears impersonations our tents were pitched and we gathered rather smugly around our architectural masterpieces and had a celebratory drink or two whilst we watched ‘men’ resembling lost sheep um and ah over their tent manuals – possibly shouting a friendly jibe here and there.



Faced with so many options, main stage, electro tent, comedy tent and even a ‘daisy den’ complete with manicurists and hair straightener’s there was much debauchery to be had. Although in theory, manicured nails and a sleekly styled hairdo are usually pretty high up there on a ladies list of priorities, this weekend had other things in store for us.

When in Rome…you do as the Romans do. When in Darling for rocking the daisies however, you get messy and dirty, learn to perfect the art of weeing in the bush and wake up the next morning with lumo stickers and flowers all over you that you have never seen in your life, laugh and then get ready to do it all over again!




Waking up on Saturday morning in what was once a tent and now our personal sauna, we dragged our sunburned bods and weary minds to the watering hole – a large dam swarming with beautiful people.

Soon, day turned into night and we found ourselves jamming at our trusty spot around the main stage, singing and dancing the night away – ‘making the circle beega’ before clambering through what felt like a sea of booby traps or an episode of Takeshi’s Castle aka tent pegs and ropes until we found our long lost campsite and boy were we glad to be home!

Sunday morning called for ‘hair of the dog’ as we marched on like soldiers through the wind and rain to the comedy tent where we stayed put apart from the odd trip to the food court and laughed our hangovers away.



Dismantling the tents was an absolute shambles to say the least and our ‘faithful’ wheelbarrow boys had scarpered. Let’s just say I almost took flight on the back of my tent. Nevertheless, we managed to pack our sorry selves, pegs and all back into the cars for a somewhat solemn journey home to Cape Town.

Rocking the Daisies will NOT be missed next year that is for sure!

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Gaaarlic Bread!

What could be better than the smell of freshly baked bread?
Nothing!

So that is when I decided to take it upon myself to learn to knead. I really needed to knead. They say talk is cheap, well, bread – my friend is even cheaper, which is one of the many reasons we all buy it ready made and sliced for us, how convenient. Possibly a little too convenient for me and so I was determined to gather a couple of simple, staple but really good bread recipes which I can conjure up in little time with little effort.

On my quest for finding this handful of staple recipes I was also going to teach myself to knead. As you can imagine, my enthusiasm laced with sheer ignorance to the world of yeast and its fickle, unforgiving ways led to one (or two) complete disasters.
One particular disaster i recall was for a brown 'health' bread, which ended up being more of a health hazard and could cleverly double up as a weapon, should you so need one. I somehow managed to refrain from using my new weapon to sabotage any innocent passers by - curious as to my culinary efforts and gave it to these two greedy little piglets ...




One of my guinea pig/friends comforted me suggesting ‘we can still eat it…just as toast!’ this innovative idea was accepted as making the best of a bad situation, but not exactly one for your repertoire and so my quest continued.
I did not want a bread which was only edible in the form of toast, oh no, I wanted soft, fresh, hot bread straight from the oven that needs nothing but a lick of butter, - if that.

You know what they say, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try again! (And hide all the evidence).

Cutting to the chase, this recipe for garlic rolls is foolproof and the garlic can be omitted leaving you with nice white baps…

You will need:
4 cups plain (cake) flour (560g)
10 ml each of Salt and Sugar
1 sachet (10g) instant yeast
About 375 ml lukewarm water
30 ml oil
30 ml melted butter
4 cloves freshly chopped garlic



Sift your flour and salt into a large bowl, add sugar and mix. Chop your garlic as finely as you can, add to your bowl along with your sachet of yeast and mix again.
Mix your oil with your lukewarm water and gradually add to your bowl of flour until you start to see it coming together as a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead, yes – knead. For those of you who think this is a little intimidating – as I did and were NOT taught how to knead by your mother (thanks mum!) or in home economics, its really simple.
You basically gently bring the far edges of the dough forward -towards you and fold it over. With the heel of your hand (or your clenched fist) push the dough away from you. Give the t a quarter turn and repeat.
Repeat these movements until your dough changes and starts to feel smooth and elastic.
You can tell if your dough has been kneaded sufficiently when the impression of a finger springs back.
Once your dough is smooth and elastic, pop it into a greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (about 20 minutes).












Once doubled in size, take out the bowl and back onto your work surface and knead it again until it is roughly back to its original size. Divide into 10 rolls and arrange on your baking tray and brush with melted butter. Leave to rise again in a warm place for a further 15 minutes.




Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees or Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes.

So there you have it, yummy homemade garlic rolls.

Monday 9 August 2010

PadKos

I’m not sure why making a meal consisting entirely of left-overs, (that would have otherwise been thrown out) is so satisfying, but, it is.




So this- I reckon is a pretty simple and yummy way to use up left-over cooked pasta, or you can just go wild and cook some pasta especially for this, well worth it as this can be eaten hot or cold in the same way you would eat a fritatta.
Padkos – means quite literally ‘road food’ in Afrikaans, this would make for some good and practical road food, I would imagine- but every time I have made it, it hasn’t quite made it to the car.

There are two non-negotiable ingredients in this recipe and they are – pasta and eggs. All the others you can chop and change as you wish to suit whatever is in your fridge or cupboards at the time or just to whatever you fancy.
For every cup of cooked pasta you want one egg. For a medium sized saucepan I use 3 cups of cooked pasta and 3 eggs.

3 Cups cooked pasta
3 Eggs
Peas
2 Rounds of Feta
Handful of chopped mint
Handful of grated cheese ie Parmesan or Cheddar
1 Tablespoon of Mrs Balls Chutney

Salt, pepper and dried chilli flakes

Whisk your eggs in a bowl and season, add all other ingredients to bowl and mix, saving a little cheese to sprinkle on top.
Heat some olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and pour in your eggy past, cook on a medium heat for a few minutes then pop under the grill to get all golden on top.

J-Bay





So it was good ol’ Captain Jeffrey who stumbled upon this diamond in the 1840’s, which has since been nicknamed J-Bay.
Captain Jeffrey was forced to anchor up his vessel in this secluded spot after a bad case of Scurvy settled on board his ship, so he took it upon himself to build a small but efficient port on what is now the main beach. He went on to build the first house, “The White House” it was aptly named, it is said that much of the building material used to construct the foundations of this grand house came from Jeffrey’s infamous ship.
So now you now why Jeffrey’s Bay is called Jeffrey’s Bay I suppose you want to know what’s so special about this little cove? Well, O.K.

So we all know that ‘when in Rome, you do as the Romans do…’
Well in J-Bay, you do as the surfers do, whether you actually own a surfboard or not . . . the latter in my case!
Through the 60’s and 70’s J-Bay locals witnessed their quiet little fishing village evolve into the surfers sanctuary that it is today. Jeffrey’s is one of the top five most renowned surfing hotspots in the world so it’s no surprise that is hosts the legendary Billabong Pro ASP World Tour Surfing Event every July at Super Tubes.














So, I could take the easy route and boast about one of the best right hand point breaks in the world, with Super Tubes breaking for over 300 meters and waves that have been known to reach up to 12 feet to lure you in to visit this little spot, but I reckon that is just selling J-Bay short.

In-between catching all those hectic waves a girl’s gotta eat. Although Steers, Fish Aways and Debonairs are just around the corner, we fought the fast-food temptation and took it upon ourselves to catch our own dinner.
So hunger led us down to the beach where we attempted to catch something to fill our bellies. After meeting one of the friendly locals who insisted on telling us how abundant the fishing is in Jeffrey’s, we started to doubt our dodgy old fishing tackle (and talent) and headed back to the Surfers Backpackers where we were residing (for a mere 100 Bucks a night, I might add) to get clean and make a plan.

After cruising around town and checking out some of the local spots, it was pretty clear that that is exactly what they were, local spots – if you catch my drift. Beers in hand, we wandered back to our backpackers where we soon discovered that ‘ what happens in J-Bay, stays in J-Bay’. A quiet and tranquil village from the outside, but behind closed doors is where it all goes down. With worldwide visitors from China, America and the U.K, as well as the good old Saffer’s, drunken stories were exchanged until the early hours of the morning.



After catching 40 winks, we walk the 20 meters or so down to the beach to see the local gang of friendly dogs taking themselves for a walk (my puppy in tow having the time of her life).
The waves are ‘cooking’ and the sun is shining, a perfect day for hitting the shops I think!
You can take the girl out of London but you cannot, for love nor money, take London out the girl. So I head out on my solo mission to check out the bargains. It is Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver eat your heart out, with surf shops on every corner, with a couple in between. With surf factory outlet stores, prices are unbeatable, I mean, it would be rude to leave without buying anything – wouldn’t it?
Scattered around these surfing superstores are a couple of African ornament stores and cute little cafĂ©’s where you can spot the local bare-footed bare-chested talent!
With so many things to do, from surfing, fishing, hiking, canoeing and board surfing, you’re spoilt for choice. However tanning, shopping and braaing are not such a bad way to pass the time in such a beautiful little village.

Saturday 7 August 2010

Vla Koek

‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’...



So, when your boyfriend describes his ouma – grandma’s cake as the most amazing cake he has ever eaten in his life – you’re in trouble.
The standard has been set and although you may think you can alter it or give it a modern twist … that is not what he is looking for, he is looking for that exact same taste he remembers from way back when, that nostalgia provoking mouthful that takes him right back to his ouma’s kitchen– no pressure then.
After nagging incessantly I get the old ball and chain to call his mother and get me the recipe in question. Finally, I have it in my hands; only one slight problem… its in Afrikaans. Oh good, this should be interesting.
After several hours of being lost in translation, I am now lost in something else altogether. The technique seems slightly backwards...well, we are in Africa, so go figure.
Two panic attacks and one nervous breakdown later, I am left with what could be mistaken for a recipe..hoorah!
So this holy grail of recipes is for a Custard Cake and it goes something like this…




Vla Koek – Custard Cake
Yes, koek means cake, told you it was backwards!
Below is the ingredients for the cake’s, you bake two and when cold slice each into two so you have a four layer cake. Delectable.
4 Eggs Seperated
230ml Sugar
230ml Cake Flour
50ml Cold Water
25ml Cornflour
2ml Baking Powder
Salt

Mix your egg yolks, water and sugar – thoroughly. Sieve your remaining dry ingredients and fold into egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into flour mixture.
Bake at 180 degrees or Gas Mark 4 for 15 minutes or so. Leave to cool then slice ready to ice.



So for your custard icing you will need
120g Butter
220ml Sugar
100ml Custard Powder
Dash of Vanilla
500ml Full Cream Milk
12.5ml Sugar
Heat milk until boiling, make a paste with custard powder, a drop of cold milk and the 12.5 ml of sugar, add paste to milk and boil for a few minutes. Leave to cool slightly. Beat butter and sugar well. Gradually add custard and beat constantly but lightly until smooth. Voila – Icing Made.
So start to assemble your custard tower and top off with icing and a couple of crushed ‘Tennis’ Biscuits. Good Luck trying to find these in London. They are just simple butter tea biscuits with a slight hint of coconut. I just used some coconut biscuits I found in Waitrose.



This cake was well worth the melodrama and was demolished faster than you can say vla koek.
With thanks to Reynette Fryer for this recipe I use for blackmail…often.

Monday 15 February 2010

$illionaire's $hortbread . . .

“You do know that you can buy that already made for you Pops…”

I reckon that if you’re going to get wet then you may as well go swimming.

Time consuming? Yes.

Calorific? Absolutely.





Nonetheless, the distinctions between this baked good and those that we so hastily buy from our local Starbucks are palpable.
Starbucks bakery -a.k.a - Daylight Robbery.
Perfectly symmetrical Brownies, vast swollen Muffins, identical cookie spheres. Aesthetically pleasing for the O.C.D customers.
Home made is a different kettle of fish altogether. There will be overflows, unevenness, off-cuts, and a general lack of uniform. Different colours, different textures and different shapes.
That is the beauty of it. It is not generic, free from a world of preservatives, a world where a piece of bread within your tin is your only prevention from stale or chewy goods.
So the answer is – Yes, I do know that you can buy it already made for you but I think I’m going to take the long way round, and reap the rewards.

Caramel taking two hours to make does sound a bit excessive, I know. But once it’s in the pot, you hardly touch the thing so I reckon it doesn’t even count as part of the preparation time.
Condensed milk – a thing of wonder- according to the old man anyway. Where the boys in his boarding school would fight over who got to lick the can, spoon, lid, and the lowest ranking would even check the can opener for the chance of some, even a drop of residue of this delectable nectar.

So for the transformation from these old tins of Carnation Condensed milk to a thicker, darker and more condensed, condensed milk. You simply put the tins (unopened) into a BIG pot of water, bring to the boil, cover and turn down to a low simmer and bob’s your uncle, two hours later this sickly sweet thick, well - goo – for lack of a better word.

Whilst waiting on your caramel. Make your $hortbread. You will need

3 Cups Plain Flour
1 ½ Cups Corn Flour
1 ½ Cups Icing Sugar
A Pinch of Salt
500g of Butter

Sift your flours, sugar and salt together. Work your cold cubed butter into your dry mixture until you have got a sandy dough like mixture. Press into a greased Swiss Roll pan and prick all over with a fork. Bake at Gas Mark 3 or 150 Degrees for 45 minutes, reduce heat to 140 Degrees and cook for a further 20 minutes, but check on it cos you want it lightly golden not singed (not to be pedantic or anything).




So now you’ve done two out of your three layers, the rest is pretty much assembling. Pour your condensed goo over your cooled shortbread and refrigerate, whilst you melt your chocolate.
Use whatever you fancy, milk, dark, white, combine two or even three. I normally use plain milk as its generally people’s favourite. It would be nice though to melt a little white, pour it over the milk chocolate, as your top layer and use a toothpick or something to twirl around and make a little pattern. Don’t get that at Starbucks, do ya?
So there we have it, easy as pie.

Obviously, not really the kind of thing you want to do after work, I get it, but on the weekend if you have time or it’s a gift, make them, cut them up and put them in a little tin. Better than Quality Street, well, I reckon so anyway.



















Not wanting to rear off the subject of Condensed Milk … if you’re going to give in to the mission that is making your own caramel goo. Frankly, you may as well just make a Banoffee Pie too. It WILL get eaten…you can bank on it.










So…if you can’t resist making a sneaky Banoff you will need…

2 Packs of Ginger Thins (or if your not so into the ginge you can use 1 pack of butter biscuits and one ginge or just eliminate the ginge completely and use 2 packs of diet unfriendly butter biscuits)
Around ½ Pack of Butter – melted
1 Tin Condensed Milk
1 Pint of Double Cream
A couple of Bananas, sliced and swiped with lemon juice ( brown Banoffee pie – not so pretty)
1 Bar of Flake Chocolate

Whizz up the biccie’s , and stir in the melted butter until you have what will look like wet sand – mmm.
Now line a little flan tin or shallow cake tin with some trusty cling film, using your hands, press the wet sand into the tin base and carefully up the sides until you have your base. Put this in the fridge whilst you do the rest so it hardens up a bit.
So you do the same as with the $illionaire’s $hortbread for your condensed milk and layer that on top of your biscuit base and put it back in the fridge.
Whip your cream, not until its stiff as you don’t want a hard dense topping you want it smooth but just whipped enough that it will hold its shape on the pie. Fold in your banana slices and spread this mixture onto your pie.
Bash your flake about in the wrapper and scatter some of this edible shrapnel on top – just to make it look pretty, Fanny Craddock eat your heart out.

So there we have it – a pretty easy Banoffee Pie – enjoy.