Women's Day - What it is all about.

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Women's Day on the 9th August 

in South Africa? 

It has nothing to do with honouring women just because we need another “Mother’s Day”, this day commemorates the 9 August 1956 when women from all walks of life participated in a National March to petition against *pass laws …

On the 9^th August 1956, over 20 000 women of all races and ages from every corner of South Africa marched together towards the Union Buildings in Pretoria.  These brave women were marching in protest against the pass laws that proposed even further restrictions on the movements of women.

Organised by the Federation of South African Women (FSAW), the March was led by four brave women who came from the Indian, Coloured, Black and White communities. These women; Rahima Moosa, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and Sophie Williams delivered the petitions to Prime Minister JG Strijdom’s office within the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Women throughout South Africa had put their names to these petitions indicating their anger and frustration at having their freedom of movement restricted by the hated official passes.

To conclude the Women’s March, the women sang freedom songs such as Nkosi sikeleli Afrika, however, the song that became the anthem of the March was “Wathint’ abafazi, Strijdom!”

wathint’abafazi,

wathint’imbokodo,

uza kufa!

when you strike the women

you strike a rock

you will be crushed!

(From left) Rahima Moosa, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and Sophie Williams

The March was a resounding success and proved that the stereotype of women as politically inept and immature, tied to the home, was outdated and inaccurate. South Africa recognises the bravery of these women who risked arrest, detention and banning by declaring 9 August National Women’s Day.

*Pass Laws

Legislation that required African persons to carry a document on them to “prove” that they were allowed to enter a “white area” during the Apartheid regime.

Weekend warmer

It would seem that the winter chill is back with a vengeance.

So why not warm up with this deliciously fragrant glühwein recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 oranges

1 lemon

200 ml water

200 g caster sugar or honey

6 whole cloves

2 pieces stick cinnamon

5 cardamom pods

1 whole nutmeg, to grate

2 star anise

3 fresh or dried bay leaves

1 vanilla pod (optional)

2 bottles red wine (remember the better the wine the more delicious the glühwein will be)

                                   For an extra kick you can add a 1/2 cup of Brandy

METHOD:

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1. Use a vegetable peeler, to thinly remove the zest (peel) from the oranges and lemon. You don’t want any of the bitter pith (the white part), only the fragrant peel.

2. Juice the oranges and lemon, strain and pour the juice into a large saucepan.

3. Add the water, orange and lemon peel, sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, 10-12 gratings of nutmeg, star anise, bay leaves and vanilla pod, and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

3. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about a third.

4. Add the red wine, stir to combine, and to a simmer. Don’t boil the wine as it will cause the wine to evaporate. Strain through a fine sieve.

5. Ladle the warm wine into heatproof glasses, or cups, and serve immediately. Garnish with a slice of orange and a whole cinnamon stick.

Cape Town Winter Restaurant Specials

We know how hard it is to entice Capetonians our during the chilly winter months, that's why we have chosen a few of our favourite Winter Warmer Restaurant Specials.

These delicious specials are sure to warm you up from the inside out!

Aubergine 

Two course winter bistro menu for R235 per person or a three course winter bistro menu for R315 per person.

Balducci's

Lunchtime special of 23 piece bento sushi box with a free miso soup at R119 per person.

All pasta's and pizzas only R55 and a 250g sirloin steak at R80 per person.

Bistro Sixteen82

Two Tapas dishes and a glass of Klein Steenberg wine for R120 per person.

CinCin

Seafood platter for two every Wednesday for R119. (platter includes mussels, prawns, crumbed calamari and the line fish of the day, served with rice, grilled veggies, chips, tartar & zingy lemon butter sauces).

The Foodbarn

50% off the a la carte lunch menu.

The "Vondeling" menu at R205 per person for three courses with wine or four courses with wine at R275 per person.

Jackal and Hide

Wednesday winter warmer special and two main course dishes for the price of one (R140).

La Boheme Wine Bar and Bistro

Two course meal R110 per person or a three course meal at R135 per person.

La Mouette

Six course menu R195 per person, include wine R325 per person.

Spiro's

Warm up to: A 500g rump steak, flame-grilled with a choice of mushroom or pepper sauce, served with homemade oregano chips and a Greek salad for R80.

Feel free to share any of your favourite winter restaurant specials with us!

End of the month salticrax, not with this budget friendly recipe!

Today is the 23^rd of the month. Automatically, you know what that means.  The petrol gauge is flirting with the wrong side of the half way mark and the improvised wine collection is running dry. 

And then of course, there is that box of salticrax that just happens to be lurking at the back of the cupboard looking awfully austere and not the least bit tempting.

Don’t despair we have a fabulous and budget friendly cauliflower risotto recipe for you to try out. 

At the risk of rambling I am not going to get into just how delicious and completely satisfying this recipe is.

This meal cost in the region of R50.00 and is more than enough for two people.

Ingredients 

·         1 x medium sized onion

·         A head of cauliflower 

·         A punnet of button mushrooms

·         A clove of garlic

·         A fresh chilli

·         Parmesan cheese

·         2 cups of chicken stock

·         Dried rosemary

·         Olive oil

·         Butter 

Extras – If you have leftover bits of cold meat in your fridge why not slice these up and add to your risotto for a slightly more luxurious taste. 

Directions

1.      Thinly slice your onion, brown it in some olive oil or butter.

2.      Add your chopped garlic clove and chilli.

3.      Slice the mushrooms, smear some butter on a baking tray, lay your mushrooms on it, season with black pepper, salt and dried rosemary, bake at 170 degrees Celsius for around 10 minutes.

4.      Use a grater or a food processor and make rice out of your (washed) cauliflower.

5.      Put your pan (with the onion mix) on a medium to high heat, add the cauliflower rice to the pan and cook for a minute. Start adding in your chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time. Stirring all the time, when the liquid has reduced, add the next little bit, do this until it is finished.

6.       Turn your pan onto a low heat, add your baked mushrooms pieces to the pan and simmer for a bit. Expect your risotto to become nice and creamy.

7.       Top it off with some Parmesan.

Easy, cheap, TASTY and filling. 

Everything you want in a budget meal.

Father's Day - Our top 10 worst gifts

Father's Day is looming. 

And alongside with the pressure of having to try and arrange the perfect day 

for dad, there is also the added stress of finding him that perfect gift!

In today's blog post we highlight The Top 10 Worst Father's Day Gifts! 

The Top 10 Father's Day Gifts to Avoid

 Nose hair trimmer

 The dreaded soap-on-a-rope 

A boring old tie. 

This just screams "I was short of time and couldn't really think of anything else"

 World's best dad certificate. 

The height of laziness not to mention cheap...

The AB enhancer. 

I kid you not people have actually bought these!

BBQ pork flavoured cologne - now that is truly inspired!!

This is a particularly thoughtful gift, 

a portable breathalyzer.

For the balding man in your life, 

how about a tattoo toupee?

For dad's who love beer, this very stylish beer belt. 

 Now dad will never have to get up off the couch for a refill.

World's Best Dad T-shirt... 

DON'T DO IT, this is just tacky.

It's finally here...The Good Food & Wine Show

It's that time of year again when the Good Food & Wine Show rolls into Cape Town and the office is buzzing with excitement.

Our team of passionate foodies can't wait to head on over and taste all of the culinary delights on offer! 

Be sure not to miss out 

Cape Town 29th May - 1st June 2014

Winter Warmer

Yes indeed it’s that time of year already, when the food on your table needs to be just that little bit more warming and comforting.

What better way to welcome in the colder months then by re-creating this lovely melt in your mouth beef shin stew.

Ingredients

·      olive oil

·      2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped

·      3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

·      3 sticks celery, trimmed and roughly chopped

·      4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

·      a few sprigs fresh rosemary

·      2 bay leaves

·      1 stick cinnamon

·      1 kg quality shin of beef, bone removed, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces

·      sea salt

·      freshly ground black pepper

·      1 tablespoon flour

·      2 x 400 g good-quality tinned plum tomatoes

·      ⅔ bottle Cabernet Sauvignon

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180ºC. In a heavy-bottomed ovenproof saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil and gently fry the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, herbs and cinnamon for 5 minutes until softened slightly.

Meanwhile, toss the pieces of beef in a little seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Add the meat to the pan and stir everything together, then add the tomatoes, wine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently bring to the boil, cover with a double-thickness piece of tinfoil and a lid and place in your preheated oven for 3 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender and can be broken up with a spoon.

Taste and check the seasoning, remove the cinnamon stick and rosemary sprigs and serve.