Boeuf Bourguignon and The Wonderbag

 

Julia Child described it as "certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man."

The movie Julie and Julia resurrected this "peasant" dish into something of a fashion statement - if you hadn't heard of Boeuf Bourgignon; if you hadn't made it; if you hadn't eaten it - where had you been??

Well maybe I had been living under a rock because although I had eaten this fabulously rich and powerfully robust dish on numerous occasions - I hadn't made it, ever! That is, until this weekend...

When winter comes a-calling, my summer mind disappears and is replaced by a very one-track one that only wants comfort food! Slow cooked, delicious smelling, belly warming, toe curling yumminess - eaten close to a fireplace, preferably, while savouring a glass of red wine.

Boeuf Bourgignon sums up winter in one dish.

A few weeks ago, I was approached by a company called Natural Balance to review their product The Wonderbag, which is a heat retention/insulation cooker that looks like a hollowed out bean bag with a separate bean bag lid and a draw string.

When I first received my Wonderbag, I wondered how this bean bag, with its expanded polystyrene (EPS) balls, would retain enough heat to cook the food in the pot. I decided to put the bag to the test, with what was going to be the best stew I had ever made. EVER!!

Boy, was I impressed, The Wonderbag really works, hence the name - it is a wonder!

All that is needed to be done is to bring the pot of food to the boil, a stew requires about 30 minutes on the stove or in the oven, and then to transfer the pot to the Wonderbag; sealing in everything tightly, so that the heat does not escape, until the dish is ready to be eaten. (Do not open the bag until the food is cooked as the Wonderbag will not be able to do its job correctly.)

Not only does this amazing product save electricity, which is a huge benefit during winter in South Africa, (not forgetting the ever escalating electricity prices), but each one is manufactured by a previously unemployed skilled seamstress living in the Riebeek Valley. Every Wonderbag gives someone an income to feed and educate a family. It also saves energy, saves money and reduces the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. Wonderbag is registered with the UNFCCC (United Nations Climate Change) as a CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) and is in a carbon trading relationship with Nedbank.

By using a Wonderbag two to three times a week you can save:

•1.6 litres of paraffin a week

•13kWh of electricity a week

•500 kg of carbon per year

To find out more about this product, please visit their websites: Natural Balance and Goedgedacht.

Saturday seemed like the perfect day to make my Boeuf Bourgignon - I wanted to cook is slowly for many, many hours so that the meat would fall apart and the gravy would be intensely flavoursome.

*WARNING* Do not attempt to make this if you are planning on entertaining the same night - the best bet would be to make it the night before serving.

The recipe I used is from Simply Recipes and is based on Julia Child's recipe.

Boeuf Bourguignon
(Serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients:

• 170g bacon (I used 2 deboned pork rashers)
• 2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil (if required)
• 1.8kgs beef cubes (I used goulash), patted dry with paper towels
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups sliced onions
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 bottle of red wine (pinot noir, shiraz)*
• 2 cups beef stock (I used Nomu)
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or tanned (I used 2 Tbsp tomato paste)
• 1 medium bouquet garni: 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves and 3 large lightly crushed cloves of garlic (I used 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, bay leaves, cloves and lightly crushed garlic all placed in separately)
•  Beurre manié: 3 Tbsp flour blended to a paste with 2 Tbsp butter (I used corn starch and you may also use dairy free margarine such as Blossom instead of the butter)
• 24 pearl onions
• Chicken stock or water
• Butter/ margarine
• 680g button or porcini mushrooms

*Contains yeast

Method:

1. Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste. Drop bacon slices into 2 litres of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels.
2. Remove the rind from the rashers and cut the rest into cubes. In a large frying pan, sauté the rind and cubes of bacon/ rasher to brown slightly (I didn't use oil here, I found the rashers had enough fat). Set aside.
3. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and put them into a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or casserole dish. Add the bacon to the beef.
4. Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them, and add to the meat.
5. Deglaze the pan with wine (Here I heated the entire bottle of wine in the pan to burn off most of the alcohol, after deglazing), pouring it into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly on the lowest heat possible, either on the stove or in a preheated 160°C oven, until the meat is tender, about 1 to 2 hours. (Here I put the casserole dish in the oven on about 180°C for half an hour and then transferred it to my Wonderbag to cook over night +/- 8 hours)
7. While the stew is cooking (or the next day), prepare the onions. Blanch the onions in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Slice the end tips off of the onions, peel the onions and score the root end with 1/4 cm cuts. Sauté onions in a single layer in a tablespoon or two of butter until lightly browned. Add chicken stock or water half way up the sides of the onions. Add a teaspoon of sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes or until tender. The onions should absorb most of the water. If there is water remaining after cooking, drain the excess. Set aside.
8. Prepare the mushrooms a few minutes before serving the stew. Sauté quartered mushrooms in a few tablespoons of butter and olive oil until browned and cooked through.
9. When the stew meat has cooked sufficiently, remove all solids from the sauce (except the beef) by draining through a colander set over a saucepan. Return the beef to the casserole. Press juices out of the residue into the cooking liquid, then remove any visible fat and boil down the liquid to 3 cups. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manié, then simmer for 2 minutes as the sauce thickens lightly. Correct seasoning and pour over the meat, folding in the onions and mushrooms. To serve, bring to a simmer, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce for several minutes until hot throughout.
10. Traditionally served with boiled baby potatoes, but can be served with rice or mash too

Finally after about 18 hours of preparation and cooking I was able to taste the fruits of my labour. Trumpets began to sound and violins began to play as I slowly lifted the spoon to my mouth, breathing in the heady aromas, and took my first mouthful of the velvety, intoxicating gravy and bit into a tender piece of meat (my mouth is watering as I write this).

Now, I see what the fuss is all about, Julia!! I am officially a self-cook Boeuf Bourguignon fan... for life.

I will be trying out a different recipe soon - I can't seem to get enough and want everyone to experience this unique dish for themselves. It is well worth the effort!!

Please cook this for the special people in your life; I can guarantee that they will love you forever :)

Gooey Chocolate Brownies

The Craving: Brownies, warm out of the oven, dripping with gooey chocolate and studded with walnut pieces
The Challenge: To make said brownies free from gluten, dairy and eggs
The Answer: Cookbook "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

I am the type of person who thinks about food A LOT - I dream about it, day dream about it, Google it, ramble about it, stare at it, convince others to try it and devour it.

If you have been following my blog recently you will have noticed that there haven't been many recipes this year and that is because this passion dimmed a bit, what with everything happening in my life... I haven't been waking up in the middle of the night with cold sweats and wildly beating heart as inspiration suddenly engulfed me.

{I was seriously beginning to think there was something wrong with me!}

Until...

THE CRAVING hit me, BAM, right in the taste buds!

It was an ordinary day at work; I was innocently minding my own business, when suddenly this tidal wave of a craving sent my taste buds salivating, my heart racing, my palms sweating, my brain whizzing... I had to have a brownie and I had to have it NOW!

Well I couldn't have it then and there, I had to be patient and wait until the end of the day... Tick, tock, tick, tock - it seemed to be one of the longest days EVER!

TOOOCCCKKKK... home time! I jumped in my car, raced home, clambered up the stairs, bashed through the front door and pounced on the cookbook - there had to be a brownie recipe, there just had to be!

Victory... "Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes"

I scoured the list of ingredients, yanked open the cupboards to see what I had and with cookbook in hand, raced out of the door again and hot-footed it to the shops.

Now, breathless and drooling slightly at the thought of the brownie that was within my grasp at last, I started to make the batter:

*Calming breaths everyone*

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes about 10 - 12 brownies or 15 cupcakes)

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Lindt Piccoli Couverture 70% dark chocolate discs)*
1/4 cup soya yoghurt (I used the chunky cherry soya yoghurt from Woolies)
1/2 cup black cherry preserve (I used Morello cherry jam)
1/2 cup soya milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons bourbon or any whiskey
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used Glutagon Cake Flour)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

*May contain small traces of gluten and dairy

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Spray a loaf tin or any other rectangular baking dish with spray 'n cook (unless you would like to make cupcakes, in which case, line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and spray each line with spray 'n cook)
3. At this point the recipe tells you to melt the chocolate, I didn't, I left the discs whole and put them in at the end
4. Mix the yoghurt, jam, soya milk, sugar, oil, vanilla, almond extract and whiskey in a large bowl
5. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt
6. Mix thoroughly - I just used a spatula
7. Pour in the Lindt discs and crumble in some walnut pieces
8. Mix again, but do not over mix
9. Pour into the loaf tin
10. Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes
11. Tip out of the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares

THE RESULT: My brownie craving was sated! This recipe is so delicious, exactly what I was looking for; I couldn't even tell that the brownie didn't contain eggs, dairy or gluten. It was light and fluffy and somewhat cakey, but the gooeyness from the chocolate, made my day! I have been devouring my way through these brownies with glee and have even managed to freeze some. I will most definitely make this recipe again. A huge thumbs up from me!

Review: The Roundhouse

When the weather is miserable there is nothing better to do than eat! And this is exactly what we did last Sunday.

Felchin Chocolate Fondant with Seville Orange Ice Cream and Creme Anglaise

(The Creme Anglaise is ceremoniously poured at the table by the waiter)

The road to The Roundhouse in Camps Bay is long and winding (I feel a song coming on), but this road does nothing to deter you, in fact with each turn and twist, edged with age-old trees, I felt my excitement mounting and on arriving at this tucked away gem, the view, simply, took my breath away.

I was in awe as history seemed to unfold before my mind's eye.

Then

(Taken from the web)

Now

(Taken from the web)

In fact, while walking into the restaurant, I could imagine myself in a black and white movie - so transported to a bygone era was I.

Our friends were tucked away in an alcove, which immediately gave a sense of privacy, almost as if I was visiting a friend's home for lunch (A very rich friend with a well-oiled contingent of staff).

The Maitre d' was superb - explaining the intricacies of each dish and providing recommendations. We all decided to go with the "Express Lunch Menu", which consisted of three courses, with two choices for each.

Menu R180 or Menu with Pairing R345.

Most of us opted for the recommendations:

STARTER: Lezena Free Range Chicken Terrine and Parfait with Nasturtium Berry Tapenade, Eve Figs and Pine

The chicken was unbelievably tender and moist and the accompanying flavours and textures took my taste buds on a journey, with each mouthful being a new avenue to explore and savour.

MAIN: 24 Hour Lamb Shoulder with Charred Aubergine, Radish and Fennel

The charred aubergine and strong flavours of radish and fennel complimented this robust dish excellently. The lamb was melt in the mouth and the gravy unctuous.

DESSERT: Almond Frangipane with Vanilla Creme, Marzipan and Chocolate Croquant

The flavours struck an individual cord, yet harmonized brilliantly. I adored the tiny balls of marzipan, the crunchy shards of dark chocolate and the delicate almond frangipane.

Each dish was accompanied by heavenly wines, (chosen by one of my learned dining companions); a wooded, almost syrupy, chardonnay for the starter and a deep, powerful red blend for the main.

If this is what it feels like to be royalty, bring it on!

...
Prince Harry, where are you? ;-)

Mother's Day Picnic @ Groot Constantia (Jonkershuis)

What a day for a picnic - sunny, crisp blue skies with only a hint of wind (it picked up later, but hey this is Cape Town we're talking about).

I was euphoric at spending Mother's Day with my mom - I had only been away from Joburg for about 2 or 3 weeks, but I was missing her a lot. The gods were smiling on us as the timing worked out perfectly (she had booked her trip before I had even decided to move to Cape Town) and the weather also played along, gamely.

Jonkershuis puts on an amazing picnic spread; when I saw our baskets, I did a little imaginary back flip and had evil thoughts of grabbing a basket, running away, hiding behind a tree and devouring everything all on my own.

I LOVE Picnics.

All the rules of eating go out the window - picnics are about getting back to the essence of food: savouring the flavours, sharing, mixing and matching and eating with your fingers!

We found a cosy spot under a giant tree, secluding us from most of the wind, spread out our blankets, removed our shoes, ordered our drinks and proceeded to eagerly unpack the baskets.

We ordered a vegetarian and a vineyard basket - some of the memorable items for me were the spinach and feta quiche - I was quite tempted to eat this all on my own (maybe I should have been an only child... hmmmm??)



The snoek pate with its creamy smokiness, offset by the sweetness from the orange marmalade, and the roasted butternut pate with its delicate honey and cinnamon flavours, both came in a close second. The pleasure didn't stop there, however, as we tucked into a variety of mini cheeses paired with a sweet and tart grape relish and a selection of pickles. The artisan french baguette made the picnic authentic for me - there is something rustic and comforting about breaking off a piece and lathering it until pate oozes off the edges. Don't you think? A creamy, wobbly milk tart with its tangy, rooibos dunked raisins was the pinnacle to this lazy feast. And in my view, the delicately yeasty Groot Constantia Cap Classique, was the perfect accompaniment; making the day extra special.

Road trippin'

"Road trippin' with my two favourite allies; fully loaded we got snacks and supplies; it's time to leave this town; it's time to steal away..."

Excitement, sadness, suspense, drama, indecision.

Mist blanketed our way to the first toll plaza, where we converged like sheep with the rest of the early morning travellers.

As dawn broke, placing the nightmare of the mist behind us, 51kms of roadworks stretched before us.

The Garmin told us of a detour on a dirt road, which we decided to take, along with the rest of the sheep - a lonely beacon in the form of a tree with brilliant orange leaves, grinned at us from the sidelines as if it knew that we were to be greeted on the other end by another stop and go, which would last an hour and a half!

Singing along to road trip songs and playing eye spy and other mind games helped pass the time, until 14 hours after departing, we arrived in Beaufort West; slightly wilted - keen for a relaxing bath, a drink and some warm food!

The following day we rose with much excitement, eager to complete our journey. The scenery was magnificent, the tunnel an excellent experience. At last we made it to my new home by the sea with its view of the "mountain", strange roads and speed limits.

In the first week, finding my way around was a challenge – I got lost in the Waterfront, (I knew I would laugh about it later, but it wasn't funny at the time as the drizzle turned me into a drowned rat) going to and from the airport and pretty much anywhere else I decided to go. I've since put the Garmin away and am using the mountain as my guide.

Now I am finding joy in the unknown – embracing the challenge.

Before long I will be a Capetonian!

P.S. My article in the CLEO Magazine is out now (June issue)

Life and its Changes

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

You might be wondering where I have got to and why I am suddenly not blogging as much as I used to.

In one of my previous posts, I alluded to changes happening in my life – the biggest change being that my boyfriend and I broke up after 5 and a half years and I landed up moving back home. I am not one for change, so this has been a rather large adjustment and blogging seems to remind me too much of my “previous life” that I have been finding it hard to get back into.

"Everything in life happens for a reason.”

The Food Bloggers Indaba has probably had the most profound effect on me this year and these are a few memorable moments for me from the day: (Colleen outshone by creating an excellent day for us all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!)

• Nerves almost got the better of me at the thought of meeting the people behind the blogs that I had held in the utmost regard. This was until I saw Tandy’s face beaming at me from behind the registration desk and I knew everything was going to be ok.

• As I sat at a my chosen table I was amazed to notice that it was filled with such highly esteemed people including Abigail Donnelly, Editor of Eat Out Magazine, Anelde Greeff, Eat In Magazine, Bernadette le Roux, writer and Linda Harding from the blog Squashed Tomato. Fate had brought me to this table, to be close to the people that I aspire most to be like in the food world.

• Jeanne Horak-Druiff from Cooksister proved to be a witty and thoroughly entertaining MC and her talk entitled “Getting started, keeping going, getting good – 10 tips for bloggers” was beneficial and inspiring on so many levels. One of the points that stuck in my mind was the question, “Are you a cook who writes or a writer who cooks” – I have come to realize that I am definitely a writer who cooks.

• Jane Anne Hobbs’ talk on recipe development and writing was thought provoking and interspersed with quirky comments and side splitting laughs.

• While Michael Olivier’s useful wine tasting was an amazing journey into the flavours of wine.

• And Nina Timm and Sam Linsell’s photography workshop helped me immensely in improving my camera technique.

As I stood on the deck of the photography workshop looking out to the sea, with the breeze in my hair and the happy chatter of the other participants behind me; something stirred within me – Cape Town was where I was meant to be.

The excitement that I felt for this blogger’s conference and the fact that I saw it as a step closer to my destiny (A cliché maybe, but all clichés are based on truth) culminated in my decision to move to Cape Town.

I will start my new journey on the 22 April 2011.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

While I was making all the plans for my big move to Cape Town, I received an e-mail from CLEO Magazine asking if they could do a feature on my blog for their June edition. I was over the moon! My photo shoot was yesterday and I loved every moment of it! I could definitely get used to this :-)

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart… pursue those.”

Writing and food are my passions – nothing brings me as much joy as when I am writing and cooking. A calm comes over me and I feel like I am home – no matter where I am.

I hope Cape Town provides me with the platform that I have been searching for and I look forward to getting to know all of my fellow bloggers on a much more personal level. I’d love nothing more than to have you all over for dinner sometime. :-)

“The best things in life are free.”

I know that the friendships I make along the way will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

So here is to the new chapter in my journey of life – I hope it is filled with many occasions to be celebrated!

Photos were taken at the Indaba

The Foodbarn

A whitewashed barn, glowing from within, welcomed me as I surrendered to a magical evening of intoxicating food and wine at The Foodbarn in Noordhoek.

This was the start of my journey at the Food and Wine Bloggers Indaba, to be held at Monkey Valley Beach Nature Resort, the following day and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

We were greeted with smiles and were whisked up to our table in the eaves of the barn – the table elegantly set with white linen and complimented with an eloquent arrangement of flowers.

Our waitress reminded me intensely of Vanessa from Gossip Girl, which I mentioned to her and we both laughed, setting the tone for the evening – animated elegance.

The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that all the wine on the menu could be ordered in carafes – 10 points scored already!

There were three food menus to choose from, the a’la Carte, Bistro and Degustation Menu. I chose to order from the Bistro Menu and my dining companion chose the a’la Carte.

After much deliberation as everything sounded temptingly scrumptious – I settled on “Fresh tuna tartare with lemon and chives, served on avo pulp with aioli, finished with minute fried prawns and pickled ginger.”

This may seem a mouthful, but in fact it was light and buzzed with clean flavours. The prawns were melt-in-the-mouth, smokey deliciousness – I couldn’t begin to give their magnificence justice. The tuna was paper thin, with the subtle flavours of the lemon, chives, avo and aioli complimenting its freshness. The surprising finale was the little red fish balls popping in my mouth, while the ginger left a refreshing aftertaste.

My friend’s starter was a duck extravaganza entitled, “My way around a free-range duck”: Homemade duck breast ham served with ripe melon and baby mesclun (assorted young salad leaves), Duck parfait brulee, Duck confit spring roll, finished with Port and citrus vinaigrette.

This can only be described as art on the palate.

And speaking of the palate, our palate cleanser was a boozy mango drinking sorbet – a brilliant idea and delicious.

My main was “spicy pork belly and chitterling sausage, wrapped in a crispy spring roll, served with roasted plum tomato, potato fritter and finished with a cream of mustard and fresh herbs” The unusualness of this dish caught my attention and didn’t disappoint as all the flavours worked in unison. I especially enjoyed the Christmassy spice of the pork belly encased in the crunchy spring roll.

The other main was “grilled free-range Namibian beef fillet served with potato fondant with cep (a type of mushroom) tapenade and fresh rocket, finished with a cream of cep and morel”

Although I couldn’t eat another bite; the selection of cheeses proved too much of a temptation and I just had to squeeze in a few cheesey biscuits, topped with tangy preserve.

Gluttonous bliss!

It was a lovely evening, made all the more amazing by the polished and friendly service, great company and of course excellent food.

I was now ready to embrace the Indaba!