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Greetings everyone!
And a special welcome to all the new subscribers!
Whenever we go down to
Durban, I make a point of enjoying the local curry dishes. I always have
to remember that "mild" in Durban is "hot" in Johannesburg. A while ago I
received some Indian recipes from a friend in Durban, I am placing some of
them in the recipe section, just scroll down
Impress
'sophisticated' friends with your instant wine buffery
Sometimes people are so snooty about wine, it gives you the fear when you
have to serve it at a dinner party, or order it at a posh restaurant.
If you're like me, you enjoy wine but don't obsess about it. In fact,
you'd rather bluff your way through a fancy dinner than read twenty books
in the subject.
To help you, here's a cheeky guide to serving wine like a connoisseur...
Even if you're not!
* For cheesy foods like quiche, pasta dishes and pizzas, try to avoid
white wines. Try Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
* If you're going for something spicy like chilli con carne or curry and
don't want to serve beer, then go for light, non-oaked wines. Try a
Riesling or Chenin Blanc. If you fancy red red, try something light like
Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.
* For seafood, crisp, dry white wine is best. But for oysters, why not
bring out the champagne? You may as well go the whole way!
* Roast lamb, pork and beef go great with a red Bordeaux or Beaujolais.
Red Burgundy is the traditional match for beef Bourguignon.
* With beef burgers, try a simple, southern French red.
* Smoked salmon - or any smoky foods, in fact - goes well with a strong
wine like a Zinfandel or Australian Shiraz,
* For sushi, try a German Riesling Kabinett.
* For fruity desserts, try Muscat variety wine.
And finally, here's a top tip from a wine-buff I know here in the
office...
Always match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine. Heavy
stuff like stew needs a full-bodied wine. Normally people reach
immediately
for the red - but this is the wrong approach. It's actually the weight of
the wine, not the colour or flavour, which you should think about. So,
despite what your sophisticated friends might say, a full-bodied white
wine
would match a rich meal better than a light red wine.
Secrets Of A
Happy Marriage
It is important to find a man who works around the house, cooks, cleans,
helps care for the kids, and makes good money.
It is important to find a man who loves to spend money on you, and show
you a good time.
It is important to find a man who's good in bed and who loves to have sex
with you.
It is important that these three men never meet!
Sent to me by
Felicity:
Goodbye to Caffeine?
Don't panic. You can still have your coffee as long as you limit yourself
to a cup or two per day. Why? Because caffeine stimulates the pancreas to
produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. When too much
insulin is released at once, the body's blood sugar level plunges rapidly,
resulting in cravings. Decaf doesn't have the same effect, so you might
consider switching, or at least mixing ½ caf and ½ decaf. If you do choose
a full-strength cup, be mindful of how you feel an hour or two later. If
you're craving a snack, chances are your blood sugar has dropped due to
that cup of joe. That definitely isn't helpful if you're trying to lose
weight. One more thing if you don't drink your coffee black, be sure to
use only low- or non-fat milk and sugar substitute.
Looking for
property to buy or rent in the Pretoria area? Click
here , or
email
65 Year Old
Mother
With all the new technology regarding fertility,
a 65-year-old woman was able to give birth to a baby recently.
When she was discharged from the hospital
and went home, the relatives came to visit.
"May we see the new baby?" one asked.
"Not yet," said the mother.
"I'll make coffee and we can visit for awhile first."
Thirty minutes had passed, and another relative asked,
"May we see the new baby now"?
"No, not yet," said the mother.
After another few minutes had elapsed, they asked again
"May we see the baby now?"
"Not yet," replied the mother.
Growing very impatient, they asked,
"Well, when CAN we see the baby?"
"WHEN HE CRIES!" she told them.
"WHEN HE CRIES??" they demanded.
"Why do we have to wait until he CRIES??"
"BECAUSE, I forgot where I put him..................."
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Search my website,
type in any key word and if that word is on my site you will see it in
the results, search for recipes, ingredients, place names etc |
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Barclaycard credit card  is the only selection for the smart financial services client.
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click here and apply online for your Barclaycard or Manchester
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The
Herb Section - Sorrell |
The indigenous
yellow or wood sorrel is the one generally used in cooking. The
herb has triangular, lobed leaves with yellow flowers. Sorrel
likes a fairly rich, moist soil, and a sunny position, though it
will grow in semi shade. Sow seeds in early spring. Cut back the
flowering plant to keep the plant perennial. Leaves should be
picked for cooking when still young.
The sorrel's yellow flowers give a wonderful show in spring, but
try to plant it near marigolds to keep insects away from it. Old
leaves make good compost, as they are excellent compost
decomposers.
DOMESTIC USES
The leaf can be used to bleach rust and ink stains from linen,
silver and wicker. Crush and pound the leaves and spread onto the
area, leaving for 20 minutes. Wash off with a mild detergent.
COSMETIC USES
Use sorrel leaves for acne and skin disorders. This must be
applied as a poltice. The Tswana people apply indigenous sorrel to
sores and pimples.
MEDICINAL USES
Sorrel is used to treat abscesses.
The root of the sorrel plant has a diuretic and tonic effect.
The leaves, infused as a tea, is used to treat kidney and liver
ailments, but in small doses. A cup of boiling water poured over
1/4 cup of fresh, chopped leaves, left to stand for 5 minutes,
then strained. Take one cup daily, but for no longer than three
days.
CULINARY USES
Fresh, young sorrel leaves are delicious when added to salads,
omelettes and scrambled eggs.
Cook a few leaves with your spinach and cabbage.
The leaves can be cooked as a vegetable, but change the water
during cooking, to reduce acidity.
Sorrel soup, made with chicken stock, lovage, celery and onions
with a sorrel base, is a gourmet's treat.
Sorrel combines well with thyme, marjoram, chives, onions and
lovage.
The indigenous variety is delicious in waterblommetjiebredie.
Courtesy
Glenacres Spar Newsletter. To subscribe send blank email to
b2cmail@yebo.co.za |
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Thanks to everyone who has mailed us fridge magnets depicting your
State, City or Country.
If you collect fridge magnets, I will gladly swop with you!
Please
email me and we can make arrangements. Thanx a lot! |
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My website highlights:
Add your sarmie to my
Wacky Sarmies page
Check out the
Animal Facts page
I have a
Gallery and Photo
Album
Elephant Stew - add to the recipe
Add to my
Cocktails collection
Visit my
Afrikaans pages
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Why not post a message on the
Discussion Forum. The topic can be food, wildlife, travel or
photography related, or anything else of interest. Let's see if we can
get some interesting discussions going |
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CHILLI BITES
500ml (2 cups) self-raising flour
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 green chillies, chopped
125ml fresh coriander (dhania), chopped
10ml (2 tsp) cumin (jeera)
salt to taste (+/- 2½ tsp)
oil for deep-frying
Heat oil for frying
Combine the rest of the ingredients
Mix well into a batter
Drop teaspoonsful into hot oil
Fry until well puffed and golden
Drain from oil onto absorbent paper
MALAAI CHICKEN
TIKKA
1.5kg filleted chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
2 tbs lemon juice
½ cup cream
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp fennel powder
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tbs chilli paste
4 tbs ground mint
½ cup melted butter
Cut the fillets in even-size pieces, rinse and drain well
Add salt and lemon juice, toss and leave aside for 15-20 minutes
Squeeze out excess moisture and place in another container
Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix with the chicken pieces
Leave aside to marinate for about two hours
Thread onto a skewer, place on grill, baste with marinade and cook until
done (± 10 minutes)
Serve with salads and naan
TANDOORI CHICKEN
12 chicken pieces
1 cup plain yogurt
1½ tablespoons chilli powder
2 tablespoons dhania powder
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cumin powder
½ tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoons salt
Take a bowl wide and deep enough to hold all the chicken pieces. Add the
yogurt plus one cup water into the bowl. Add all the spices from numbers 3
to 8 into the bowl and stir to form a homogenous mixture. Now add the
chicken pieces into to the mixture, so that they are all covered with the
paste/mixture.
Cover the bowl with a lid and let stand for 6 hours or 12 15 hours in
the fridge.
When you are ready to grill the chicken, apply melted butter to the
chicken pieces with a brush or spoon all over. Turn over when they look
brownish red in colour or darker if you prefer it well done.
Lemon juice can be sprinkled on the cooked pieces to add flavour.
CHICKEN BIRYANI
One large chicken chopped into portions; six chicken thighs or breasts,
halved, or six to eight skinless fillets of breast, halved.
The chicken must go into a marinade, so lets do that first. You will
need:
1 green or red chilli, finely chopped, seeds and all
Ό cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric
a good sprinkling of salt
2 teaspoons crushed fresh ginger
2 teaspoons crushed fresh garlic
300ml buttermilk
In a large bowl mix the chicken and all the ingredients and leave to
marinate for three to five hours, or
overnight in the refrigerator
For the rest you will need:
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
6 potatoes, quartered
5 cinnamon sticks
8 cardamom pods
4 onions, thinly sliced and fried to a golden brown and set aside
2 cups of lentils (wash them, then boil them in unsalted water for about
20 minutes until they are just starting to go soft)
1 cup ghee or melted butter, mixed with ½ cup oil
700g Basmati rice (rinse the rice, then parboil until soft but firm, rinse
again. Place the rice in a dish,
sprinkle with salt and pour over ½ cup melted butter or ghee)
Ύ cup warm water
½ teaspoon saffron (Mix water and saffron and put aside)
Fry the potato pieces in a little oil or butter until they start browning
and are virtually done.
Now you start putting the dish together
Take a large ovenproof dish and pour remaining ghee in the bottom
Add cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods
Spread 1/3 of the rice across the bottom of the dish
Sprinkle one third of the cooked lentils over the rice
Add the chicken and marinade
Spread one third of rice over chicken
Then add all the onion
Then the potatoes
Top with remaining lentils
Arrange eggs on top and cover with remaining rice
Pour over the saffron water
Cover dish very well and place in oven pre-heated to 180 for 90-120
minutes
Serve with Indian bread
It is not traditional, but a chopped onion, tomato, cucumber and lettuce
sprinkled with a little olive oil and vinegar goes well with this dish.
DEEP-FRIED FLAT
BREAD
4 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 sachet instant dry yeast
Ό cup oil
1 egg
+/- 1½ cups lukewarm water to make a soft dough
oil for deep frying
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl
Make a well in the centre and add oil
Beat egg lightly and add
Add water and make into a soft dough
Knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth
Cover and leave in a warm place for one hour
Knead again lightly
Divide into 12 portions
Pat into a ball, then roll out the size of a saucer
Allow to rest on a floured surface for 20 minutes
Deep-fry in moderately hot oil until both sides are crisp and golden
LEMON AND CHILLI
PICKLE
1 x 750ml oil
2 x 750ml vinegar
24 lemons
salt as needed
½ cup sugar
1kg green chillies (stemmed)
3 cups pickle masala
½ cup crushed garlic
Wash lemons and boil for 15 mins
Allow to cool, then cut into pieces and remove pips
Place in large container and add salt and sugar
Stir in one bottle (750ml) vinegar
Cover and leave for four days
Soak chillies in another bottle of vinegar for two days
Remove lemon and chillies and dry well for up to three days
Mix everything well and bottle
Add oil and cover and leave for a few days |
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