IT PAYS TO SHOP AROUND

Dialanoccasion has a number of in house catering events coming up ..
So today I invited Laufa to join me on the price check round ......
As always the price varies ....but this is ridiculous ...!!!
My blog is not to name and shame but simply to encourage you to compare prices .....on one cut of meat today ..the prices varied from $9.00 kg  to $17 kg ..and ballooning out at $20.00 kg ....The cut of meat I requested ...is a cut of meat similar to brisket .......the success of this cut of meat relies on the cooking process ....not the cut ......the piece requested is lean at best .
By the way I  saw you could purchase the par cooked packaged version of the cut meat I was
price checking .....for my clients this was an expensive and taste poor outcome .
Best advice I can share with you .......shop around before  you buy !!!!!

CARROT HALWA

A halwa is a type of pudding made with vegetables , lentils , nuts and fruit .
It is cooked with sugar and ghee to a sticky consistency...
My recipe is a mix of a an Iranian recipe called halvaye shir and halwa .

Heat 2 tbs of ghee in a large frypan .
Add 1/2 kg of grated carrots and cook for 10 minutes .
Add 1 dsp of ground cardamom along with 500 ml of milk .
Stir continuously .
Bring to a gentle boil and then let simmer until the liquid is absorbed / evaporated .
Stir through 1 can 400gm of red lentils  ( drained and washed )
Slowly add 395 gm of sweetened condensed milk .
Continue to stir till  the mix has thickened ....be patient this takes time .
Now stir through 1 tbs of rose water , along with 35 gm of slivered almonds and 35 gm of chopped cashews .
Serve in 6 small ramequins ( 1 cup capacity ), top with pistachios .
Serve warm or chilled .
 

COPHA CAKE

You will need 230gm of coffee biscuits for this log , which need to be softened , best placed in a biscuit tin with the lid ajar for 12 hours ...that is called softened by exposure .

Mix 230 gm of soft icing sugar with 1 tbs of cocoa .
Add 1 beaten egg and 1 tsp of vanilla extract .
Heat 85gm of copha just to melt ..do not boil .
Spray a piece of baking paper with cooking oil .
Now arrange 4 biscuits end to end on the baking paper .
Spread a layer of the copha mixture over the biscuits .
Repeat this process till you have 5 or 6 layers in total .
Spread the remaining copha mixture over the top and sides .
Place in the refrigerator till set .
Remove and allow to stand at room temp to slice .

BAKED JAM ROLL

Preheat your oven to 180deg C.
Spray  a rectangular pan approx. 25 cm x 16cm .
Sift 1 cup of self raising flour and a pinch of salt into a medium bowl .
Add 1 tbs of butter and 1 dsp of milk .
Mix to a dough .
Shape dough into a rectangle and spread with jam of your choice , this roll is also nice spread with lemon curd .
Roll up and place in the prepared pan /dish . Set aside .
In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup of castor sugar , 1 tbs of margarine / butter and 1 cup of boiling water and continue to stir over a low heat till the sugar is dissolved .
Now pour the water over the rolled dough and bake for 30 minutes in a well preheated oven .
Serve with cream ...

COOKING CLASS TUESDAY 5TH SEPT .......GUMBO .

 Creole cookery , centred on New Orleans in the USA, is a blend of Spanish , French , Indian and African influences .
A gumbo is a soup stew which uses okra for flavouring and thickening .
The word gumbo comes from an African word for okra .
A gumbo can be made with a combination of chicken , pork , ham , seafood or with just one of the ingredients , but it always have the typical satin smooth texture which okra`s jelly like juice provides .
Tuesday we will be preparing chicken and sausage gumbo .
1. Slice your kransky sausages into rounds then halve them.
2. Place your 8 chicken pieces in a saucepan with 3 tbs of lard and brown both sides , then remove and rest on paper towelling .
3.Reuse the pot with the drippings , peel and slice 2 onions and place them in the pot with the sliced and halved kransky`s along with 3 cups of sliced okra .
4. Stir till onions are tender .
5. Now add 1 can of diced tomatoes ( 400gm )
1 bay leaf
A pinch of cayenne
1 tsp of  Cajen / Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1 dsp of hot sauce
2 tbs of crushed garlic
1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
3 cups of stock .
6. Stir till combined.
7. Place chicken pieces in the bowl of your slow cooker and pour over the wet mixture .
8. REMOVE THE BAY LEAF
9.Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on low for 5 hours .

CHICKEN FEET

The feet of chickens are not usually sold with the carcass`s.
The feet are blanched , descaled and used to add flavour and gelatine to stocks and sauces .

OKRA...

.
Okra is a seed pod of the plant , Abelmoschus esculentus, which is used when young as a vegetable .
When the pod matures it is dried and powdered and used as a flavouring .
Okra is 5 to 10 cm long , green with deep ridges and full of seeds .The seeds release a gelatinous material when cooked .
In the Middle East great care is taken not to cut the pod as the gelatinous material is not popular , and the pods are treated with lemon juice and salt prior to cooking .