A friend of mine recently took me to a Mexican shop in Midrand called Azteca where I bought some authentic Mexican ingredients. Obviously the next date night had to have a Mexican theme and I decided on achiote chicken and ancho pork.
Continue reading Mexican Date Night – Achiote Chicken and Ancho Pork
I’ve been doing the chicken, mango and pasta potjie and various versions of it for quite a while, but never documented the recipe. So here goes. It is a very simple potjie that can be done in 2 hours’ time. It is delicious, but definitely not a banting option.
Sosatie (pl sosaties) is a traditional South African dish of meat (usually lamb or mutton) cooked on skewers. The term derives from sate (“skewered meat”) and saus (spicy sauce). It is of Cape Malay origin, used in Afrikaans, the primary language of the Cape Malays, and the word has gained greater circulation in South Africa. Marinated, cubed meat (usually lamb) is skewered and braaied (barbecued) shish-kebab style. Sosatie recipes vary, but commonly the ingredients can include cubes of lamb, beef, chicken, dried apricots, red onions and mixed peppers. Source: Wikipedia
I think most South Africans will agree that sosaties are an essential ingredient for any traditional South African braai. I decided to make four types of different sosaties using different marinades and different meats for date night.
I decided to make a bolognese sauce with some handmade pasta for date night. Probably not something Tim Noakes will be proud of, but there are only a few things better than homemade pasta and a good pasta sauce.
Continue reading Date night handmade pasta with bolognese sauce
To celebrate the month of October I decided to have a German date night. German cuisine is renowned for their Wurst (sausages), Kartofelln (potatoes) and Sauerkraut (sour cabbage).
I thought I would try my hand at charcuterie and start with something simple like bacon. I got a book from a friend of mine called Charcuterie – The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, written by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. In this book the necessary steps in making homemade bacon are clearly explained.
As a starter for my date night gourmet burgers, I decided to make some chicken, pesto and coconut cream pies.
Continue reading Date night chicken, pesto and coconut cream pies
So for date night I decided to pull out all the stops and make some gourmet burgers. With the burgers I wanted to try the jalapeño and pistachio sauce I made here, but I decided to revamp it a bit.
My date night dish last week was inspired by a meal I had at Arugula Bistro & Bread. I decided to change it a little bit and make Cider Pork Ribs with a Jalapeño and Pistachio sauce.
Continue reading Date Night – Cider Pork Ribs with a Jalapeño and Pistachio sauce
Decided to make an old favourite of mine for date night with a little bit of a twist.
