comfort food by the ladle

Bean and pasta soup

Ingredients
1 strip bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cans beans such as cannellini, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup short tubular pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. In a pot, cook bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp.
2. Add onion and carrots; cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary, cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Stir in tomato paste, beans, stock and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered until soup has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
4. With a potato masher, mash some of the beans (still in pot) to thicken soup. Add pasta; cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
5. To serve, ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with parsley.

May is the month of FOOD!!!!!!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the April date for the Taste of Cape Town Show was postponed. They have reset their date to the 5th-8th May!

"If you love eating out, this is an opportunity too good to miss!"

and then....the delightful good food and wine show from the 26th-29th May! Come and enjoy the finer things in life...you won't be disappointed!

fun food cartoons :)

Best Restaurant in the World!

Noma in Denmark has, again, won the Best Restaurant in the World!

René Redzepi has been widely credited with re-inventing Nordic cuisine. His Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, was recognized as the best in the world by the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards in 2010 and received the unique ‘Chef’s Choice’ award at the same ceremony in 2009. Redzepi operates at the cutting edge of gourmet cuisine, combining an unrelenting creativity and a remarkable level of craftsmanship with an inimitable and innate knowledge of the produce of his Nordic terroir.

Noma ousted Spain's El Bulli in 2010 from four consecutive years of dominance, a feat which Redzepi said prompted 100,000 overnight booking requests!

Read full article here

Meatless Monday

Passover friendly Flourless Chocolate & Orange Cake

Ingredients

250g dark chocolate

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

6 eggs, 2 whole, 4 separated

1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons Cointreau (optional)

grated zest of 1 orange (optional)

Springform cake pan (9-inch)

Cream topping

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon Cointreau (optional)

1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line the bottom of the cake pan with baking paper. Melt the chocolate & butter either in a double boiler or a microwave.

Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of the sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau and the orange zest.

In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar and whisk until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff. Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly.

Cook the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.

When you are ready to eat, place the still pan-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its pan. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here.

Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and Cointreau and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff. Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently toward the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea strainer.

Easter Cute

By who else? Martha, of course.

breakfast in bed anyone???

can you believe the weekend has come around so fast again!

we think it's time to spoil your loved ones with breakfast in bed....

this classic bacon, egg and cheese sandwich is a simple and scrumptious way to start the day and is guaranteed to earn you serious brownie points!

ingredients

1 bagel of choice

1 tablespoon butter plus more for buttering

2 large eggs

1 thin slice cheddar cheese

2 to 3 slices cooked bacon

tomato sauce for serving

directions

1. slice bagel in half. butter cut sides of each half and toast in a toaster.

2. meanwhile, heat a pan and add butter. crack both eggs into the pan. when whites begin to set, immediately puncture yolks.

3. top one egg with cheese and bacon. place remaining egg, yolks-side down on top of bacon.

4. transfer egg onto one toasted half of the bagel and top with the remaining bagel half and lightly press together.

serve...with love!

Mom's Lunch ban

Children at a school in Chicago have been banned from bringing in lunch from home. This caused quite an uproar at the school yesterday with the children protesting bringing out revolutionaries in 7th Graders!

"Who thinks the lunch is not good enough?" the seventh-grader shouted to his lunch mates in Spanish and English.

Dozens of hands flew in the air and fellow students shouted along: "We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch!"

Fernando waved his hand over the crowd and asked a visiting reporter: "Do you see the situation?"

The principal, Mrs Carmona, says she has enforce this rule to protect children from their unhealthful choices.

"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," Carmona said. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception."

What do you guys think about this?

Read full article from Chicago Tribune here

calling all cheese heads!!!

the irresistible south african cheese festival is back to tantalize your taste buds! friday 29th april - monday 2nd may.

you will be spoilt for choice with an enormous selection of mouth-watering delicacies such as wine, nuts, olives AND cheese of course, just to name a few. be sure not to miss out! get your tickets at computicket...quickly!

Friday's Cake Day

Classic New York Cheesecake

Crust:

5 Tbs butter, melted

12 digestive biscuits

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Filling:

1,25kg cream cheese

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 Tbs lemon juice

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

To make the crust: pulse the digestive biscuits until crumbly, add the butter, sugar and salt and mix to combine. Press this mixture into the bottom of the cake pan and up the sides of the pan slightly. Bake until set for about 10 minutes.

Put a full kettle onto boil.

Using an electric beater, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar slowly and continue beating until incorporated. Beat in the lemon zest, juice and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Fold in the sour cream.

If you are using a springform tin: place the cake tin on a sheet of foil. Lift the sides of the foil up to cover the outside of cake tin. Place the tin in a oven tray. Pour the filling mixture onto the pressed biscuits in the cake tin. Pour the boiled kettle water into the oven tray, about half way up the sides of the cake tin.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours until just set in the centre. Remove pan from water. Let cool for 20 minutes. Chill overnight before serving.

Tortilla Soup

Our Meatless Monday Fuss-Free easy tasty Meal for Tequila Tuesday (we're a day late, we know!)

Ingredients

• • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped chilli
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes in juice
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (kidney beans also taste good and can be substituted)
  • 250ml chicken stock
  • 125g frozen corn kernels
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for serving (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), beans, stock, corn, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper.
2. Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Add tortilla chips; cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve soup with lime wedges and, if desired, more chips.

again, Martha's inspiration with a little twist of C3!