Pumpkin fritters

Pumpkin fritters can be very tricky to make sometimes. They bring back very fond memories of afternoon tea on a Sunday afternoon after the compulsory nap.

You see, it all depends on the pumpkin. Some are super watery and that just creates problems.

Today I had the perfect piece of pumpkin and decided with the cooler weather, it was time to make some for after dinner.

Steamed  until it was soft then kept it over a dry heat to get rid of any extra moisture. Mashed it. Infact used the blitzer on it to get it super smooth.

This is where I believe a recipe doesnt work because due to the moisture content , you have to add more or less flour.

To the pulp I had today which was about 2 cups,  I added 1 egg, 3 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and mix up. Then I add flour by the tablespoon together with a teaspoon of baking powder until a soft dropping consistency is reached.

Heat 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil in a pan and when hot, drop in a few spoonfuls at a time. The secret to successful pumpkin fritters is simple. A good pan and dry pumpkin.

Fry until golden the gently flip over and cook until golden on the other side.

I always drain them on paper towel before placing them onto a bed of cinnamon sugar, sprinkling a bit more on top.

Perfect to end off a cold evening.

A beautiful evening starts with a beautiful morning.

A beautiful summers evening starts with a stunning summers morning.

Mom in the gardens of Cape Towns Premier, Helen Zille.

I woke up and decided I needed to get to my favourite market ever. Apped a few friends but no one was available so caught mom having breakfast in the morning sunshine and asked if she would like to go with me.

Now my dear mom, inspite of her health , is still game for a bit of fun.

123 she got changed and in 15mins we were off. Off to spend some time in the beautiful grounds of our Premier, Helen Zille. What this lady and her team have done for Cape Town is amazing. What she did for this market, is just over the top.

Oranjezicht market was located in a stunning part of the mother city but then the wind caused a bit of havoc ( long story ) , and they were asked to close.  Absolutely outrageous !!!! To cut a long story short, the Premier came to the rescue and within 24hours the market had a new venue and an even more stunning one.

Table Mountain being our famous landmark here in the Cape, forms the backdrop. Magical is not quite the word as our beautiful mountain exceeds all words. So the market relocated and I visited there on that day with a dear friend.

Majestic Table Mountain

Today was one of those flawless days here. Helen opened her grounds to the public. Anyone know any goverment  official who has done that?????

Today the rugby field was transformed into a car park as parking can be an absolute nightmare in the city and the market took place in her garden. The tennis courts and pool was open the public and the rolling lawns were soon filled with people. Families with small children, people with dogs and all in all, people just looking for good food and a bit of beauty. I cannot describe the peace and tranquility I felt. Truly soul feeding stuff for me.

The vendors are all very special people selling their delicious wares from artisan breads to farm fresh vegetable grown just down the road in the original garden started by Chery Ozinsky and her team. A large part of them just being volunteers who enjoy planting and reaping.

I always make a bee line for the breads as that sells out very quickly. Once I have my bread, I wonder around and just take in all the tastes , smells and love.

So all good things must come to an end. A beautiful summers evening without wind is perfect for a braai. Got a fire started and then promptly impaled a chicken on a can of local Hansa beer and stuck it  onto the coals. The result a  slightly smokey, crisp skinned chicken. Threw a bit of sausage on as well. While the chicken was cooking, mixed a batch of olive oil laden dough and then cooked flat breads over the coals.

A stunning summer evening.

 

Impaled chicken

A simple end to a beautiful day.

Absolute delicious and the perfect  end to a summers day.

Falling off the wagon…………..

Yep , I fell off the wagon.

I succumbed to a cold glass of coca cola.

It was the day I took on Home Affairs.

People who have been through this process will know my frustrations. Both sons passports needed renewing. My eldest needed to apply for his first Identity document and I had to apply for unabridged birth certificates as well. So all in all, there was quite a bit of paperwork to get done.

This department is a dreaded place. A place of long queues, no air con., goverment employees and the likes.

Number 51 in the queue and that at 6 30 in the morning. They only process 200 per day per branch and there are only 3 in Cape town. So in a country of 55 million that works out to ………….per day ????? Crazy!!!

So after 4 hours in queues etc , we decided to do a bit of back to school shopping and headed for Claremont. Cavendish square to be more precise. A lovely shopping mall but since we dont like malls, quite a feat after home affairs.

And this is where I fell off the wagon. Popped into Mac donalds inspite of there being other healthier options and because I was ordering burger and chips I kinda had to have the coke. My self discipline clearly was at an all time low. Thing is, I didnt even enjoy it but the damage had been done.

It has been incredibly hot here and for me, there is nothing nicer than an ice cold glass of the stuff. However since my fall off the wagon, I have stayed on the straight and narrow. Drinking lots more water with plenty of ice.

My mom who now lives on the property has green fingers so she is responsible for bring plants back to life once I have almost killed them. I dont have green fingers at all……… So the mint almost died but she saved it. Perfect for a cordial.

Mint is such a refreshing herb and I love it in salads as well. Lots of it.

So my cordial recipe goes like this:

125ml sugar, 250ml water, 60gr fresh mint, juice of half a lemon.

Dissolve sugar in water over medium heat. Remove from heat and add the mint together with the lemon juice. Leave the mixture to infuse for 30 minutes then blend. I like to leave the mint in the syrup but if you prefer, you can strain it.

Pour 45ml of the cordial into a glass, fill with ice and then top with water or sparkling water and enjoy.

Cool and refreshing.

 

ADDICTIONS

Hello
My name is Althea and I am an addict.
A coke addict.
Coco cola for all of you that were going into shock.
Yes I have a problem. Coke is what quenches my thirst on a hot , cold, moderate, any kinda day.  It has become such a bad habit.
Thing is ………..I know it is so bad for me but……….

When I fell pregnant with my first baby, I was consuming enormous amounts of the stuff and a very wise, older friend said to me that instead of going cold turkey I should just change my glass size.

My coca cola glass. All 30ml of it. I always had a full glass.

It worked! I went from drinking almost 2 litres a day to just 125ml a day. And that is how it stayed for a long time. Then I slipped up and went 10 steps back.

When I fell pregnant with my second baby, I applied the same rule and once again it worked.

So it got me thinking and realising just how strong a tool the mind is.

Sadly , bad habits are hard to break but I am determined this time. Try harder I tell myself and I am constantly having to remind myself.

Ofcourse I had to figure out a way of doing this without causing too much unhappiness, grumpiness and all those experiences that go with any addiction.

So……………to myself, from myself, this xmas, I decided that a soda stream was the way to go. I am trying to figure out what it is exactly that I like in coca cola. Is it the fizz, is it the sugar, is it , is it, is it???

Summer is here and there is no better time than now to create new cordial recipes.  Sparkling water on its own just isnt doing it for me right now and I am thinking its the sugar that is the problem. I enjoy a glass of ice water but …………….

We all know sugar is a killer………………

Everything in moderation however so I am cooking up a storm in the cordial department. Trying to use herbs, seasonal fruit etc.

Today it is all about raspberry cordial. I am a sucker for anything berry and if I have to choose it will always be the berry flavour. However some of the “berry” flavours” out there are bad, very bad. Artificial doesnt begin to describe it!

I buy packs of raspberry crumble which is really just the broken bits of the fruit but can be used in a million ways and this was the start to a great cordial.

I do start with a light sugar syrup ( everything in moderation , remember) and then add the berry crumble.

The recipe goes like this:

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

1 cup raspberry crumble or whole berries

Dissolve the sugar in water over a meduim heat stirring from time to time. Boil for 5 minutes then add the berries and cook for a further 2 minutes. Leave to cool then using a handheld blender, whizz until the berries are broken down

At this stage you can strain it but I like to leave bits in and its not wasteful, so you decide.

Full of bits which I like.

This is where my freshly made fizzy water comes into play. I use 30 ml of my cordial over ice  and then fill the glass with sparkling water. Give it a good stir and enjoy.

Refreshing. A bit of sugar and the fizz to go with it.

Tomorrow is a new recipe so stay tuned.

Its hard finding a good samoosa…………..but I think I finally have

Its been a while, I know. Life just becomes hectic sometimes and time runs away.  The school holidays are over and the third term has started.  Boys are back at school and before we know it, the end of the year will be upon us.

Yesterday I popped into the city centre as I was in the area and decided to visit my favourite spice shop, Atlas Trading.  It was over lunch time and parking was a nightmare.  Normally I get parking right infront of the shop but it was not to be yesterday.  So I just kept on driving up the hill and am embarassed to say, I have not been up here in many many years.  As a child , we would walk up to watch the start of the Cape to Rio boat race as my dad loved to see this event.  We would walk up Longmarket street which believe me is steep in many areas.  We would be laden with food and drink as we would spend many hours up there watching the goings on down in the harbour.  It was a days outing and we loved it.

The oh so colourful Bo Kaap

So when I eventually found parking, it was at the base of Signal Hill.  I had my mom with me and I could tell she was wondering just how she was going to get back up the hill as it was steep but I assured her, we would take it one step at a time.  So down we headed to Atlas.  A bit trecherous on cobbled streets.  This just tells you how old this part of Cape Town is.  On reaching Atlas, we wondered around the spice shop taking in all the wonderful smells which set me off on a sneezing session. Clearly something had irritated me but it helped clear my brain.

Hard on the feet walking on these cobbles

After my purchase, I asked for a good place to buy samoosas as it was lunch time and we were a bit peckish.  The gentleman in his traditional overalls suggested the shop next door.  Now mom and I had a good giggle when we first appraoched the shop as on the outside, it advertises pigeon food for sale together with koesusters and samoosas.  We thought it funny and thought only in Cape town can this happen.

Just like way back when

The samoosas were stored in a glass cabinet, just like way back when.  I remember going to school with a girl called Atika Brey.  Her parents had obviously come out from India and her mom and granny  made the best ever samoosas.  That smell and taste has stayed with me and for as long as I can remember, I have been on the hunt for a replica.

So I ordered 4 and as we took our first bite, I was taken right back to Atika Breys parents shop.  The pastry was crisy, the filling flavoursome as opposed to just being a spicy mixture.  Oh it was so good I had to go back in and purchase some more.  Made good lunch box material this morning and it was still crispy a day later.

 

The perfect samoosa had been found so when you are next in the area, pop into Rose Corner Cafe and get a few.  You wont be disappointed.  Buy some pigeon food if you need to as well.

Biltong, wors and hunting

What I am passionate about doesnt mean that other members of my family feel the same way.

Thats why holidays can be a bit difficult at times.  We all enjoy the outdoors but I only need so much, then I want something different. My husband, Antonio ,is happy to spend every waking moment in the mountains irrespective of the weather.  Miguel is like his dad, happy to spend hours up there and Joshua is like me to some degree.

I am passionate about food but the rest of the family just need it to survive, or that is what I think sometimes.

This winter holidays saw us take off to a beautiful part of our country known as the little Karoo. Its not as baren or cold as the Karoo and is only 4 hours away from Cape Town.

I managed to find a beautiful cottage up in the Touws Mountains.  It was stuck away with no electricity and quiet.  I think we all need a bit of this sometimes.

Danie Brits greeted us in our arrival and pointed us in the direction of our home for the next few days.  Tucked away in the mountains there was the cottage.

Danie is a hunter amoungst other things and since we arrived just after a weekend he was busy working his produce.  He had had some hunters there and they caught kudu, eland, springbok and a gemsbok.  He uses the cross bow as a hunting tool. 

Hunting is a very controversial topic.  I believe it should only be done for survival  and what you kill, you eat.  I also want to know that you eat all of the animal and not waste anything.  He explained that they bleed and gut the animal in the veld.  I suppose this gives the other wild life living in the area an opportunity to feed.

Tuesday brought another day and we headed down to the farm buildings and my luck, one of the carcasses was being stripped.  He explained that once the choice cuts were removed, the carcasses were stripped and this was used for sausage and mince.  I am not a fan of droewors as I really dont like the fattiness of it but his was something else. It was beautiful.  He also said that once they had removed all they could, the carcass was then given to the many farm workers in the area.  It is a very poor area.  I was pleased to hear this as I was thinking what a lovely stock all these bones would make and I hope that the people who received it, would do the same and more.

Springbok ribcage

Look at all the meat still on the bones

Taking off meat for sausage and mince

Ofcourse the boys eyes lit up when they saw all the biltong and sausage hanging up to dry. His biltong had a minimum amount of salt which is brilliant for me as I need to watch my sodium intake and was full of flavour.  Since game is so lean, you avoid all that fattiness which is brilliant.

Biltong and wors hanging to dry

The week was spent walking in the mountains ,eating and relaxing.  It was good to get away albeit short but………………..

3 ingredients………….and retro.

Retro seems to be the thing at the moment.  

Going back in time, then creating some of the funny things we used to feel so proud about back then, can  only bring a smile to ones face. 

Take the tennis biscuit fridge cake.  It was a huge hit at family gatherings.  Thinking about it now, it involves one of my most favourite ingredients. CARAMEL.  Back in the day, you couldnt buy it in the shops but instead found the largest pot you had then crammed in as many tins of condensmilk as you could , filled it to the brim with water and boiled it for 3 hours, topping up with water as needed.  Then someone cottoned on and realised they could make money out of this and then it became available on the shelves. 

So it involves a packet of tennis biscuits, a tin of caramel and a bit of desiccated coconut.  Its simple.  The biscuits gets layered with lashings of the caramel to form a stack then spread on all 4 sides with a thin spreading of caramel and sprinkled with the coconut.  The loaf is then wrapped up in foil and put into the fridge overnight.

The next day it is then cut on the diagonal, starting at one corner, so that one obtains these beautiful slices. 

Any lover of caramel should try this as it will satisfy that craving.  It is sweet, very sweet but oh so yummy.

Some things should not be spoken about but………………..

I am angry. I am very angry.

Somethings should not be spoken about as it just causes bigger problems but …………………..

This morning the president is visiting our town of Houtbay.  Why I ask? 

He needs to live here for a while in a shack with none of his croonies around and experience life, first hand. After dropping Josh at school, turning out of Llandudno, I was met by the speeding anc truck which was driving at high speed and not keeping in its lane.  What gives the driver the right to drive like this ???  I was in a little borrowed car as mine is in hospital and he looked as if he was going to crush me. 

The helicopters are flying backwards and forwards.  Can we not have these helicopters when the criminals are out terrorising us??

Ok so its now over 6 hours since my intense anger.  I have managed to calm down and have used cooking as therapy.  Cooking is meant to happen with lots of love involved but I turned it into a healing session this morning.  Its Joshuas 12th birthday this coming Monday but we are celebrating on Sunday so I thought I would get a head start.

So in a space of just over 3 hours, I cooked up a storm.  Baked cheesecake, sponge for a chocolate mousse cake, then the chocolate mousse and assembling it with generous drizzles of amarula , pears poached in champagne, 2 kg of puff pastry, a chicken and leek pie filling and an old fashioned tennis biscuit and caramel fridge cake.  Yes I was on a roll all thanks to ……………….

Pale salmon with asian flavours

Salmon is a beautiful fish.  Beautiful on the eye because of its colour, beautiful because of its moist flesh, beautiful because………….

When I worked up in Iceland, oneday a few of us were rounded up and asked to leave the tables we were working on and head over to the building adjacent to where we were. Tons of salmon needed to be worked and worked ASAP.  So we were all put into a production line, shown what to do.  The salmon were big and very lively.  I cant remember my exact job but I know there were various tasks to be done in very cold conditions and they had to be done fast.  Because of its high fat content, it spoils fast hence the hurry. 

I love its  striking silver colour on the  outside and bright pink on the inside.  They were eventually packed into white polystryrene boxes and sent off to fly around the world to various destinations.  Once the salmon had landed , you could easily work for 16- 18 hours straight.  Hard work !!

So the other day Antonio mentioned he had some salmon which was rather pale.  I decided to get some.  I am not a frozen fish fan as I still believe fresh is best but…………..

I believe the best way to defrost is slowly in the fridge so thats what got done.  I then seasoned the fillets with  freshly ground black pepper and a tiny amount of salt. I then made a paste of grated garlic, ginger and chilli and spread that over then topped it with slices of lime.  Did a tiny dollop of butter ( for the decadent flavour only butter gives ) and popped it under the grill for only 8 minutes as they were thin fillets.  It was moist and aromatic.  Although it didnt have the vibrant colour salmon is known for, it was absolutely delicious.  A green salad with leaves picked from the garden and a few potatoes and we had a decadent dinner.

Priorities…………..and wontons

Sometimes there are things to do which one delays because they are just plain boring but……………….

Priority means to take precedence over others but sometimes I just dont get them in the right order.  This morning was a prime example.  I needed to give the bathroom ceiling a second coat of paint but have been putting it off since Monday and with each passing day, the job looked more challenging.

So I made a deal with myself.  I could test a recipe cause that would make me happy , then I would have to deal with the said job.  I bought some beautiful won ton skins 2 days ago and needed to use them.  So I decided to transform them into prawn and salmon won tons.

My filling consisted of raw prawns, cooked salmon fillet, fresh ginger, garlic, spring onion and chilli.  I really dont think proportions are that important here.  I also didnt add any salt to my filling as I am on a low salt diet and wanted to have a dipping sauce which would contain more than enough salt for me.  I put all the ingredients in my food processor to speed things up, ( remember I had a ceiling to paint ) .  I wanted a filling with texture so didnt make it very fine at all which was nice as when you bit into the wonton, you could see the pink bits of prawns.

The skins were laid out and a little pile of filling dolloped into the centre.  The edges were then brushed with water and they were then folded up to form a bundle.

All neatly bundled.   The white stuff is cornflour to prevent the skins sticking. 

A small pot was then heated with oil and when hot , the tiny bundles were lowered into the oil and cooked until golden and crispy. 

I made a dipping sauce of a bit of soya, sesame oil and sweet chilli sauce.  On biting into the wonton, they were juicy, crunchy and perfect.  Well thats what I thought anyway.

So my priority today was wontons first then painting and I am pleased to say, the job got done.