Meatloaf Sausage Roll

While on a bit if a British Pub Grub roll, I made this tasty Meatloaf meets Beef Wellington meets Sausage Roll combo.

https://flip.it/ffGmA0

When we lived in England in the West Sussex countryside we had lots of pubs in our area. Our locals, both in easy walking distance of our house were The Mucky Duck and the 16th century The Ship. We loved heading out to the pub on foot or on our bikes for the Sunday Roast Dinner.

Ragu and Spag Bol

Spag Bol- who doesn't love it? I'm not one for cooking the same menu week after week but Spaghetti Bolognaise is probably the supper I make most often. We love it! 

The best we've ever had is in Piedmont, Italy and not just at one restuarant but everywhere you go.

First the sauce.

Here's the Ragu recipe from Tommy.

https://www.caldesi.com/the-best-ragu-youll-ever-taste/?fbclid=IwAR3ghLUFU11mq0_AJo47hwcDU8T1b9HqjguetfQHPsYv-7Qsmt36yC0CjgA

I'm happy to see that the 'Ragu' recipe that's been in my head for decades is almost identical. Although I always thought real Ragu in Italy is made from well stewed and shreaded beef meat not mince.

I always like to make a big batch of this before a camping or safari trip and freeze it in zip lock bags and store in our camping freezer. On the trip it's handy for so many different meals. Defrost in your cooler box  while driving and it's a quick and easy meal with pasta when you arrive late at your destination and you're rushing to set up camp before dark.

Many chefs will tell you that hearty, meaty dishes like ragu are best with dried pasta, not fresh and I prefer spirals or elbows to actual spaghetti.

In Homer, the Campervan, I always make Spag Bol in one pot, so here's a recipe for that too. Saves on washing up!

https://www.notquitenigella.com/2017/06/23/one-pot-pasta/ 

UPMA

https://www.bawarchi.com/recipe/corn-polenta-upma-oetuniacabhbi.html

The first time we ate Upma we were on holiday in Kerala in 2007. All food in India is spiced. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Upma is a breakfast dish made of maizemeal. Polenta in Italy. Pap in South Africa. Think of it as curried pap. It could also be delicious as a side dish.

I added more vegetables than this recipe called for and it could be a good way of using up veggies you have to hand. It's also fine to use frozen vegetables if that's what you have. The spices will overcome any blandness. Also a good vegan recipe.

Toad in the Hole

 If you like Yorkshire pudding and good British pork sausages you will love this dish. It's a great pub food favourite. I served ours with onion gravy, butternut and beans.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/toad_in_the_hole_with_86283

British  food, perhaps like most things British, is hearty but not glamorous. Aha! The difference between London and Paris. Two of my favourite cities.

Chocolate Salami

Chocolate Salami is a decadent no-bake chocolate dessert or treat to have with a cup of coffee in Italy. I love it!

My mum used to make a Chocolate Fridge Cake which is reminiscent of this. That recipe used castor sugar, cocoa and butter but no melted chocolate. I combined a few recipes to get the texture I like using this recipe below but adding sugar and cocoa too. I used mixed nuts and tennis biscuits becuase that's what we had in the pantry.  Orange zest and coffee licquer were Neil's additions. It worked out well.

 https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chocolate-dessert-salami-recipe-2107416

As you probably have realised by now, I'm not one to follow a recipe to a tee which makes having a recipe blog a bit tricky. I'm also cooking real meals not food styling so the pics are just quick snaps before we eat. I think the travel stories will have to make up for these limitations.


 http://www.bakers.co.za/chocolate-fridge-cake/


https://www.sugarsaltmagic.com/no-bake-chocolate-fridge-cake/

Egg Curry

So here's a great recipe suitable for breakfast or lunch that is so quick and easy. We've just had it. I did saute the boiled eggs in butter as per recipe but we decided it's not a flavour enhancing step. It's a quick meal for camping and for a crowd, especially if you boil the eggs the night before and use leftover rice.

It would be nice served in enamel mugs too.

https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/punjabi-egg-curry-anda-curry-dhaba-style/

When Neil was working in India I travelled with him a few times.The pics are from Mumbai 2006. 

We've always loved Indian food and we are always keen to try anything new or different. We don't eat street food and we sometimes avoid uncooked vegetables like tomato salad and meat if most locals are eating vegetarian.

Chick Pea Salad

This is a recipe from Rick Stein's series "From Venice to Istanbul."
You could eat it as a light lunch or as a side dish to a braai as we did or with Mediterranean style grilled meat or chicken.

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chopped_salad_41277

I always love visiting fresh vegetable markets in Italy. These pictures are from one of our trips to Venice; with Carol and Jane in 2011.

Oxtail Stew

Here's another South African favourite that we've been cooking for years. I used to make it in a slow cooker and it's also great braised in the oven. It needs hours of cooking time so it's great in a potjie on a fire if you've got all afternoon to ' kuier.'

I got this recipe from Leonie about a week into Lockdown. The addition of mustard and a pinch of dried chilli adds a little zing. I didn't use mushrooms but added potatoes and butternut towards the end of the cooking time. I served it with pap.

Braised oxtail with mustard and mash
This is not a liquid stew, but one where the lumps of meat and bone are coated in a sticky, glossy gravy. Piles of creamy mashed potato are an essential part of this. If you are making this in an Aga, put it in the roasting oven for about 40 minutes, then in the simmering oven for a good 2 hours. Serves 2-3.
a large oxtail, cut into joints
a little flour for dusting
1 tsp ground chilli
1 heaped tsp dry mustard powder
a thick slice butter
a little oil, fat or dripping
2 large onions
2 large winter carrots
2 ribs celery
4 large cloves garlic
5 large mushrooms
2 tsp tomato puree
4 bay leaves
a few bushy sprigs thyme
1 bottle of ballsy red wine, such as a Rioja
1 tbsp grain mustard
1 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
a little parsley
Set the oven at 150C/gas mark 2. Put the oxtail in a plastic or zip-lock bag with the flour, the ground chilli, dry mustard powder and a good grinding of black pepper. Seal it and shake it gently until the oxtail is covered.Warm the butter and a little fat, oil or dripping in a heavy-based casserole. Lower in the pieces of oxtail and let them colour on each side, turning them as they take on a nice, tasty bronze colour.
While the meat is browning, peel the onions and carrots and roughly chop them, then cut the celery into similar-sized pieces. Lift out the meat and set aside, then put the vegetables in the pot and let them colour lightly. Peel the garlic, slice it thinly, then add it to the vegetables, along with the mushrooms, each cut into six or eight pieces. Squeeze in the tomato puree.
Continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened and lost some of their bulk. Return the oxtail and any escaped juices to the pan, tuck in the bay and thyme, then pour in the red wine. Bring briefly to the boil, season lightly with salt and cover with a tight lid. Transfer the dish to the oven. Now leave the whole thing alone for a good two hours. I'm not even sure you need to give it a stir. After an hour, check the meat for tenderness. I don't think it should be actually falling off the bones, but it certainly should come away from the bone easily when tugged.
Depending on the oxtail, it could take as long as two or three hours in total. Set the oxtail aside to cool, then refrigerate, preferably overnight. Scrape off the fat that has set on the surface, then reheat slowly on the hot plate, stirring form time to time, then stir in the mustards. Once the mustard is in, you should cook the stew for no longer than 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve with the mash.

This is Tommy trending the pots at Zebula.

Durban Lamb/Beef Curry

I grew up in Durban so it seems recipes for a good solid curry have always been in our family. As a young child I remember parties at Granny and Grandpa Short's farmhouse when curry was ordered in from the local Indian community in mild, medium and a small pot of extra hot. My uncles, dad and grandpa sweating and drinking copious amounts of beer, pretending to each other that they were enjoying the super hot stuff.
In the Indian Market, our eyes watering from the chilli powder in the air, you could buy fresh
ly ground spices, masala mixes and greasy paper bags of hot samoosas.
Beware the hot " Mother-in Law's Tounge" masala mix.

Traditionally, the meat was always mutton on the bone - the Hindus don't eat beef - but I do like a beef version too.

Here's a good base recipe -

https://www.curryrecipe.co.za/durban-mutton-curry-recipe/

As with many of my favourite recipes, I cook this curry from my head and it may vary from time to time.
Tips
-I like to use whole spices - Cinnamon sticks, Cassis Bark, Cardomum Pods, Cumin ( Jeera Seeds ), curry leaves and fish them out before serving.
-Freshly chopped Garlic, Ginger and Chilli.
-Extra onions because they cook down and help to thicken the gravy.
-Favourite Masala mix but if you can only get store bought curry powder, it's fine. South African brands - Cartwright's or Rajah!
- Both tomato paste and tinned tomatoes (or fresh chopped).
-Simmer low and slow.
- I cut the potatoes into bite sized chunks and add them about 40 towards the end.
-Make a lot, it always tastes better on the second day.

- Garnish with Fresh Coriander ( Dhania )
-Serve with rice or roti or as a Bunny Chow.
- Sides
  Cucumber Raita
  Sliced banana and dessicated cocnut
  Mrs. Balls Chutney
  Sambal of chopped tomato, green      pepper and onion
  Atchar

There's also a YouTube video of the recipe from the Durban institution, The Britannia Hotel in the link above. 

And we'll have to do another bunny chow post too...

Sweet Potato, Apple and Onion Gratin

 https://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-potato-apple-and-onion-gratin-73968

I know this sounds like a bit if a weird combination, but it was actually very tasty and very easy. I made it the night before our grocery delivery so Neil was tasked with finding a recipe using what we had.I just put all the ingredients in a casserole dish and bunged it in the oven. I didn't worry about measuring or anything and I didn't even pre-saute the onions. I just added the topping ( no bacon) at the end and popped it under the grill. It was surprisingly good with braaied lamb chops.

Soufflé Omlette and Cheese

Soufflé Omlette and Cheese

https://www.incredibleegg.org/recipe/basic-souffle-omelet/

4 eggs

Whites whisked stiff

Yolks mixed with cream, milk,salt, pepper

Fold yolks into whites.

Butter in the pan ( that great French one you gave me Tommy )

Low heat.

Cook until bottom is golden brown.

Sprinkle cheese.

Under grill in oven till top is cooked and cheese is brown.

Tip cover pan handle with foil if it's not oven proof.

Delicious.

Here we are at a Parisian Bistro in 2017. 

Welsh Cakes

Welsh Cakes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/welshcakes_67264

I have been wanting to try these for years because they cook on a griddle not in an oven and that makes them ideal for camping. I used a cast iron pot on the gas hob; medium to low heat.

Kerry, my Welsh friend sent me her recipe.

We love going to Cardiff to visit Nick and Kerry and especially to watch Rugby Internationals at the Millennium Stadium; possibly the rugby venue with the best vibe in the world. 

Egg and Bacon Muffins

These are delicious. A great breakfast. Just click the link below and browse for the recipe.

https://www.recipetineats.com/bacon-egg-breakfast-muffins/. 

I tried soft boiling the eggs and adding them to try and keep the yolk soft when you cut it open. We had them at a market in San Fran a few years ago with Andrea. Here's a picture of the original.

We did get it right once at the farm at Dullstroom with Paulet. It was a mission because peeling a soft boiled egg is tricky. You will have to YouTube this. Probably not worth the hassle, just follow the recipe in the link.

Japanese Souffle Pancakes

https://www.justonecookbook.com/souffle-japanese-cheesecake/

We used this recipe the last time we tried these and got good results.Generally her tips are good too, like the stiffness of the merangue and the drop of water in the pan. It's slow and tricky. 

We got the best height when we used a tin with both ends cut out and covered the tin with a pot lid, not just foil. Our tin is too tall, so if you have something like a tuna tin size it will work better.You can probably get cooking rings at an online specialist baking shop.

Spray tube with cooking spray, use knife around edges to loosen it do the tin slips off easily, then turn the pancake to cook the other side with the lid on the pan.

This was our first attempt. Not as tall or as light.

We had this one with Chestnut Cream at Hoshino Coffee in Tokyo during Rugby World Cup 2019.

But the best so far are from Picnic in Wisma Atria in Singapore.

Neil used to work in Japan and remembered these pancakes from those times. We went to Japan for 3 weeks in 2019 for the Rugby World Cup. We really enjoyed the food and Neil got to try out the pancakes once again.