Monday, May 31st

I was surprised at how accessible The Ilium was. Wish I had read it years ago.

Rice bake

500ml Cooked rice
100g Gorgonzola, grated
1 small Onion, grated
350g Black Mushrooms, grated or chopped
2 Free Range Eggs, whisked
5ml Salt

Mix all, pour into buttered Pyrex, bake for 20 minutes at 180C.

Friday, May 28th

Chocolate Tart

125g Butter, melted
125g Sugar
50g Cocoa powder
150g Flour
5ml Whiskey
Mix together and press into tart Pyrex. Refrigerate.

100g Butter, melted
100g Cocoa powder
250ml Cream
250g Cream cheese
75g Tapioca flour
Mix together in pot on low heat. Remove from heat before adding eggs.

3 Free Range eggs
250ml Hazelnut flavoured syrup
Whisk together and add to cream mixture. Pour into pastry case.

30g Pine nuts
Sprinkle on tart. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes. Not very sweet.

Thursday, May 27th

Changed to E.V. Rieu's translation of The Iliad after book 4.

Macaroni Cheese Update

500g Penne, cook as per packet instructions, use lemon salt, leave in colander

250ml Cream, put in empty pasta pot on low heat
200g Cumin cheese, grated, add to cream and stir until melted
5ml Cumin, add
30g Pine nuts, add

Mix well, return pasta to pot, stir through, serve with greens.

Wednesday, May 26th

Having read about Homer's Iliad my entire life, I am now reading Richard Lattimore's translation.

Potato & Veg Bake

700g New Potatoes, boiled
180g Baby Spinach, blanched
500g Cauliflower, steamed
400g Mushrooms, fried in butter
250ml Sour cream
7ml Lemon salt, add to cream
100g Cheese, grated (optional)

Place vegetables together in Pyrex, pour salted cream over, sprinkle with cheese, bake at 180C for 20 minutes.

Tuesday, May 25th

Had fun evening with Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Scary to realise how much one does not know!

Layered Cake

Made this for myself last night, have already eaten more than a third. Not difficult to make.

125g Butter, melted
60ml Cream, stir into butter
100g Sugar, add to mixture
15ml Whiskey OR Frangelico, add
4 Free Range Eggs, separated. Set whites aside and stir yolks into mixture
180g Flour, sieve onto mixture with baking powder and stir well
5ml Baking Powder

Mix well, divide into 2 cake tins, lined with baking paper, set aside.

4 Free Range Egg Whites, whisked until firm
100g Sugar, whisk into whites
5ml Cinnamon, whisk into meringue

Divide in two, spread on top of mixture in cake tins.

50g Pecans, chopped

Sprinkle on top of meringue layer in cake tins and bake for 20 minutes at 180C. Cool in tins.

50g Butter
100g White chocolate, melt with butter in microwave for 1-2 minutes
250ml Cream cheese, stir into melted chocolate
250ml Cream, add to mixture
25ml Hazelnut flavoured syrup OR any sweetener to taste, add to mixture.

Divide creamy topping and spread on cool cake as filling and topping.

Monday, May 24th

Heroes was a great read. Not one of the characters fit my idea of heroism, but then I do not think that anyone could. Of the men in the book, Francis Drake is to me the most loathsome and Wallenstein the most intelligent and interesting.

Melkkos
for 2, takes 15-20 minutes to make

500ml Milk, put to boil in small pot
50ml Butter, melted in cup
50ml Tapioca flour, mix with butter and add to milk, stirring well

3 Free Range eggs, separated, whisk whites until firm and set aside.
50ml Sugar
50ml Maizena (corn starch)
Mix yolks, sugar and Maizena and whisk into milk mixture on stove.

3ml Vanilla paste
7ml Cinnamon
Fold into milk mixture along with whisked egg whites, remove from heat and serve.

Pomegranate goes very well with this.

Friday, May 21st

Now reading about Wallenstein in Heroes.

Salted Lemon

This is my most essential flavouring agent. I use the minced lemon in most savoury dishes and the salt when boiling pasta, rice and potatoes. It is an ancient way of preserving lemons and variations on the recipe abounds.

It is impossible to give exact amounts as much would depend on the size of the lemons and the size of your bottles.

Unwaxed lemons, quartered
1kg Coarse salt
26g Pickling spice
1 Cinnamon stick
2 Fresh Bay leaves
Other whole spices that you might have a lot of, I often add mustard seeds.

Mix salt, spices and leaves, layer salt and lemons in clean bottles. Check on the bottles for the first week or so, level of salt will fall and must be topped up. Leave to stand for at least a month before use.

Thursday, May 20th

Still reading about Drake.

Dark & White Delight

This dessert is very rich. You need 750g Mascarpone in total. Makes 16 small servings.

50g Butter, melted
200g White chocolate, melted
375g Mascarpone
25ml Breakfast seeds (optional)
3ml Vanilla paste
Mix together, pour into loaf Pyrex lined with cling wrap.

50g Butter, melted
200g Dark chocolate, melted
375g Mascarpone
25ml Raw Cacao nibs (optional)
15ml Amarula or other liqueur

Mix together, pour on top of white layer. Cover with cling wrap, refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve with acidic fruit, like granadilla pulp.

Wednesday, May 19th

Now reading about Francis Drake in Heroes. He sounds no better or worse than the common criminals holding South Africans indoors, behind bars, fearful for their goods and their lives.

Party Punch

Party drinks are at their best icy cold. Make this directly in a good cooler like a Coleman. Serving punch from a cooler is not stylish, but neither is warm punch. If you refill glasses in the kitchen, no one will know that your punch is not in a pretty bowl. Put all the ingredients in the freezer for several hours and mix at the last minute.

5l Dry white wine
250ml Gin
250ml Archers Peach Scnapps
8l Juice
4l Sparkling water or lemonade
1kg Grapes & Strawberries, frozen hard.

Mix all. The frozen fruit helps to keep the temperature down. And keep the cooler closed.

Tuesday, May 18th

Now reading Heroes by Lucy Hughes-Hallet. Big fat book, only 8 characters, two of whom I had never heard of. Fabulous, easy read so far.

Mushroom Penne

500g Penne, cooked according to packet instructions & drained

20ml Olive oil
650g Mixed mushrooms, chopped.
Fry mushroom in oil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue until all fluid has evaporated. Turn heat off.

20g Salted lemon, minced
5g Ginger, peeled and minced
5ml Garlic, minced
Add to mushrooms and stir through.

350ml Cream
2 Free Range Eggs, whisked
150g Flavoured cream cheese or any other cheese
Add to mushrooms and stir through.

300g Gruyere, grated

Add penne to mushroom mixture, stir well, place into buttered Pyrex, sprinkle with some of the cheese and bake at 180C for 30 minutes. Serve with extra cheese and salad.

Monday, May 17th

Finished Herodotus at last! Loved reading about the whipping of the Hellespont.

White Food

500g Corallini pasta, boiled according to packet instructions, drained.
400g Canned lentils, washed and drained, now only 240g
400g Canned , cannellini beans, washed and drained, now only 240g
200g Baby spinach, blanched, chopped and drained.

15ml Olive oil, warmed in pot
5ml Garlic, minced, added to oil
50ml Basil pesto, add to oil
100g Asiago, pecorino or parmesan

Add all ingredients to pot, stir through, serve with extra cheese if preferred.

Friday, May 14th

Still on Herodotus, finding war stories rather confusing and somewhat tedious.

Green Vegetables

Best for green beans, broccoli or brussel sprouts.

Clean vegetables as needed, boil or steam until al dente. Drain and add one of the following to the hot vegetables, still in the hot pot. Put lid on and leave for 10 minutes. Serve hot or at room temerature or cold.

* salad dressing mixed with pesto or
* salad dressing, crumbled feta and pitted olives.

Thursday, May 13th

Paged through an old favourite, The Print from Life Library of Photography last night. Have been meaning to try solar prints and pinhole photography for years, but have not got round to it yet.

Chicken pie

Use the May 11th fast pastry for the crust, divide dough into two bags for crust top & bottom. I used some vegetables for colour and I love onion with chicken but keep in mind that the main ingredient in any successful chicken pie should be chicken.

1 Onion, chopped and fried
2 Paprikas, chopped and fried
500g Chicken (weighed without skin and bones) Seal in hot pan.
250ml Strong stock, add to chicken pieces in pan, put lid on and cook on high heat for 10 minutes. Leave to cool, chop chicken and add onion and paprika.

50ml Pesto
60ml Yogurt
100g Asiago, grated
Add all to chicken mixture, put on top of pastry (if using pastry on bottom as well), top mixture with pastry and bake at 180C for 1 hour.

Wednesday, May 12th

Visited Jhb yesterday. Diane Victor's show at the Goodman fabulous, she never disappoints. Also new gallery, 2nd Gallery on Jan Smuts.

Trout Quiche

Use yesterday's fast crust for this and use a large, deep dish.

15ml Sesame oil
1 Onion, chopped, fry in oil

4 Free Range Eggs
500ml Sour Cream, whisk with eggs

10g Lemon grass, minced
30g Salted lemon, minced
30g Capers, minced
20g Fresh ginger, peeled & minced
100g Pecorino, grated
200g Smoked trout ribbons, shredded
100g Fresh rocket, chopped

Add all to egg mixture, as well as fried onion. Pour onto pastry, bake for 1 hour at 180C.

Tuesday, May 11th

Narcissus and other Stories by Ahmed Essop is South African stories, set in Lenasia.

Recipe is for a fast savoury pastry for quiche or pie.

Fast Pastry

200g Butter, melted
200g Flour, from freezer
5ml Salt
12ml Whiskey
1 Ice cube

Mix all together, put mixture into plastic bag the size you need your pastry to be, flatten evenly and place in bag, in dish, in freezer for 30 minutes. Remove, take plastic bag off and use.

Monday, May 10th

Still reading Herodotus....

The recipe is fabulous for a large breakfast party. The quantity is for one serving. Use cups if you don't have ramekins.

Individual eggs

Spray ramekin with olive oil

1 Slice cold meat or fish or large mushroom, line ramekin
15ml Cream, pour on top of lining
5ml Pesto, on top of cream
1 Free Range Egg, break into ramekin
10g Cheese, grated, sprinkle over egg

Place ramekin(s) into deep dish, fill with boiling water, to reach not more than half way up sides
of ramekin. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Friday, May 7th

Now reading Discovering the World of the ancient Greeks by Zofia Archibald to help me understand what Herodotus is talking about.

Bean Lasagna
Serves 3

250g Fresh Lasagna
300g Leeks, fried
350g Green beans, cooked or steamed
150g Cheese balls (See April 15th recipe or use any strongly flavoured soft cheese)

Mix cheese with beans and leeks. Spray lasagna Pyrex with olive oil and layer with bean mixture, using all the lasagna.

50g Tom Yum paste or strong stock cube if you want a vegetarian dish
Mix with 500ml boiling water, pour over lasagna, fill dish with boiling water. Place dish on baking sheet in oven and bake at 180C for an hour.

250g Parmesan, Pecorino or Asiago, grated, to serve.

Thursday, May 6th

Herodotus is fabulous, I am reading about flying snakes, ants the size of jackals and more...

Gorgonzola Spinach
side dish for 2

200g Baby spinach leaves
70g Gorgonzola, crumbled
50ml Cream
Wash spinach, place in pot with lid on, on high heat, watch carefully, remove from heat as soon as water is gone. Stir cheese & cream in and serve.

Wednesday, May 5th

Granadilla Cream

250ml Fruit flavoured syrup (make your own by boiling water and sugar with citrus peel)
120ml Lemon juice
120ml Granadilla pulp
100ml Maizena
Heat together for 15 minutes.

750ml Cream
Add to other ingredients. Pour into glass bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours before use.

Tuesday, May 4th

Saw Seraphine last night. Quite beautiful. Rushed home to see if I had any info on her in my library, but no. Women artists really aren't well represented in print.

Aubergine Dip

1.5kg Aubergines, wash, bake at 180C for 1 hour, cool & peel
80ml Fresh lemon juice
100ml Olive oil
3ml Smoked Spanish Paprika
10ml Garlic
15ml Salted lemon
Puree together. Check flavourings and adjust if necessary.

Monday, May 3rd

The Book of General Ignorance has made me aware of how much disinformation I have read and assimilated since starting this blog. Griffiths' Eskimo/Inuit information in Wild fared particularly badly.

A kind friend has lent me Herodotus' The Histories. It begins with many of the stories I recently read in The Road to Delphi.

Bacon & Cumin Souffle

250g Bacon, cut finely and fried until crisp
100ml Onion, grated and fried

50ml Butter (or bacon fat) melted
50ml Flour, stir into butter
250ml Milk, hot, add to mixture to make a roux.
5 Free Range egg yolks, add to roux one at a time and mix well.
120ml Cumin cheese, grated, stir into mixture
5ml Cumin seed, stir into mixture
5ml Thai curry paste, stir into mixture

Add onion and bacon.

5 Free Range egg whites, whisk until stiff.

Mix into roux, pour into buttered souffle dish, bake at 190C for an hour. Serves 4 as starter.