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!