I re-watched the movie “Julie and Julia” on Netflix the other day and it inspired me to finally try a Julia Child recipe. Julia Child is famous for bringing French cuisine to America with her cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. As her famous Beef Bourguignon features in the movie I decided to try out this recipe.
It’s a well know fact that we South Africans will braai anything. Point in case – braai pie. Braai pie is a pie cooked over the coals – perfect for when you feel like something a bit different from chops and wors. It’s a popular dish to make during camping weekends away and usually prepared as a starter (anything made with pastry should really be prepared before the second bottle of wine is opened). Everyone contributes to the filling and the end result is shared. Adrienne and I like making this at home when it’s only the two of us so that we don’t have to share a single morsel of our braai pie.
I was thrilled to find Gochujang in my local Asian grocer recently. This fermented red chilli paste is made from chilli powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder, barley malt powder and salt. It has a spicy, savory, sweet flavour and is an essential ingredient in various Korean dishes. I decided use it in a spicy Korean marinade for pork belly.
I’ve been wanting to make ossobuco for ages but have not been able to source veal. Then I read that Anna del Conte uses pork when she can’t source veal in the UK. If the doyenne of Italian cooking says it’s OK who am I to argue.
Vila Nova de Gaia (or simply Gaia) is a city across the river from Porto. All the cellars (locally known as “caves”) where the port is stored and aged are there. This was our base for our last week in Portugal.
Continue reading Portugal – Eating and drinking in Vila Nova de Gaia
After spending a couple of days in Porto (which you can read about here) we wanted to explore a bit more of northern Portugal. Viana do Castelo looked like the perfect place. This beautiful city with its stunning architecture and old world charm is 75km north of Porto.
Continue reading Our trip to Portugal – Eating and drinking in Viana do Castelo
We went to Portugal in February and it was the most incredible holiday. We loved the country – the beautiful landscapes, beaches, architecture, people and of course the glorious food !
Continue reading Our trip to Portugal – Eating and drinking in Porto
I was unusually uninspired when it came to creating a menu for last week’s date night. I asked Adrienne what he wanted to eat and it took him 2 seconds to say “Eisbein”.
Continue reading Eisbein with a whiskey-and-honey sauce over barley risotto
The Breede River Valley region is known for its breathtaking scenery, hospitable people and of course wonderful wines. We were there in October for the Wine on the River festival (which I wrote about here) and decided to take a few days off to do a wine road trip.
Continue reading Our wine road trip in the Breede River Valley – where we went and what we bought.
This dish almost seems Arabic instead of European with the use of sultanas and pine nuts. This is not surprising as Sicily was under Arab rule from 827 to 1061 and Sicilian cuisine was strongly influenced by the Arabs.
