Scrambled Eggs

Wow! This morning I ate the best scrambled eggs that I have ever tasted or contrived, They were so good that I had to share the recipe with you. For one serving you will need:

2 Jumbo Eggs
1 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp butter

Whip the eggs together with the heavy cream until they are fully mixed, and meanwhile melt the butter in a (non-stick) saucepan - I never went hotter than no. 6 on my electric stove, so keep the heat fairly low.

Pour the egg/cream mixture into the butter once it has melted, then stir continuously until the eggs have reached your desired consistency - you should be able to pour them out of the saucepan.

Serve on buttered toast and season according to your taste.

Enjoy.

Bolognaise Sauce

It has been 41°C (105°F) in the shade here in Martindale today. Many of the immigrants from out of province who have been here during the silly season have left and are making their ways home. I thought that it was about time that I published another of my recipes. Last week my good friend from Bologna in Italy (is there another one?) was staying with me and treated us to his version of this well known sauce. However, the following recipe is my own, and you will find it is delicious. Obviously the sauce is best served with pasta, however I have to admit that I am not a pasta aficionado, so although I will happily make this and serve with pasta, I personally use the sauce with mashed potatoes and green beans or Brussels sprouts.

This pic is to cool you down - Liz took it yesterday

The Ingredients

450g Lean Beef Mince
1 medium to large onion
3 large cloves of garlic (actually I use more as I love the sauce to be garlicky)
2 - 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tin (410g) Tomato Puree
½ tin chopped peeled tomatoes
1 tsp each of dried Basil, Marjoram, Thyme (fresh is better if available)
3 Bay leaves
Ground black pepper
½ Cup red wine
salt to taste.

Optional: 4 or 5 mushrooms sliced and cooked in butter.


Method

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan until nearly smoking. Remove from the heat.
Chop the onion finely, crush the garlic and add to the oil. Return the pan to a medium/low heat and cook the onions until nearly transparent. Add the herbs and black pepper, stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the beef mince, stirring and breaking up any lumps. Cook until the mince is browned right through.
Add the wine, tomato puree and tomatoes, bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for ¾ hour.
At this stage I frequently add the cooked mushrooms and stir in.
Add salt to taste

As a variation you can also add a little Cayenne Pepper or Chilli Powder with the herbs.

Tip. The above will easily serve four, but if you happen to be single or living alone, divide the sauce up into containers (I use old plastic margarine containers) and freeze. The sauce will keep well and can be defrosted and used at a later date.

Hungarian Goulash

It's now the Saturday after Christmas, and time for me to introduce my readers to another of my personal recipes. This is an extremely tasty dish and is my version of Hungarian Goulash.

Ingredients

750 g Rump steak
1 Large onion – chopped finely
2 Large cloves of garlic – crushed & chopped
1 tin chopped peeled tomatoes
2 green peppers, cut into quarters with seeds removed
½ cup red wine
2– 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 generous knob of butter
1 tablespoon thick cream mixed with 2 teaspoons cornflour
1 heaped tablespoon of Paprika
salt to taste

Method

Remove the fat from the steak and discard
Cut the steak into one inch cubes

Heat oil and butter

Add onion and garlic and cook until onion turns clear

Remove from heat. Add paprika and stir in.

Return to a low heat and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes

Add steak pieces and stir/cook until sealed (if necessary add a little more olive oil)
Add tomatoes, green peppers and wine, bring to a simmer, and cook for about an hour.

About 5 minutes before dish is cooked, stir in cream mix to thicken

Add salt to taste


Serve with boiled potatoes, cut into pieces, or baby potatoes, and lightly cooked cabbage

Serves 4

Enjoy

Notes.

You can use other stewing steak but I have always found that Rump gives the best Goulash.
Caution = I once mistakenly used Cayenne Pepper instead of Paprika, much to my chagrin.
Discarded fat can be rendered down into lard and tidbits for the dog.

This dish always tastes better if cooked the day before and reheated before serving.


© Michael J. Mason 2012


This recipe may be downloaded as required but may not be reproduced without the express permission of the copyright owner, who may be contacted at rnaviator@gmail.com

Fine Food? Hogwash!

I have decided to start a campaign - a campaign against Fine Food, and have found a suitable acronym for it - OFFAL, but am looking for suggestions for the three empty words, perhaps someone could help me there. Here in South Africa (hopefully I won't be here much longer, but will be winging my way across the Pond to join Liz) there is currently one of those ghastly television series for Top Chef. The judges appear almost as phony as the food. I am probably biased in my opinion, but am equally sure that there are others that hold a similar one.

Fine Food - those dishes where there is more plate than food, dishes that are meant to look good and are priced way beyond the pocket of the average man in the street. To me, food is food, and I believe that there is nothing better than a good, tasty plate of food at the end of the day.  I pride myself in being something of a cook, and can produce a good sit-down meal for a table of eight that I guarantee will be enjoyed by all and sundry. I'm talking about Sunday Lunch, about that special dinner for a group of convivial friends. In my personal opinion any good cook should be able to produce a meal where the diners get to help themselves to its various constituents. I'm talking about dishes such as:

• A whole poached River Spey salmon served with new potatoes, young peas and carrots with a green parsley sauce
• Hungarian Goulash
• Beef Stroganoff
• Spaghetti Bolognaise
• Poached Chicken in parsley sauce
• Roast Rack of Lamb served with a freshly made mint sauce
• Roast Sirloin of Beef  - of course with Yorkshire Pudding
• Roast Suckling Pig

The list could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. If I wanted to impress someone (which I wouldn't - I'm far beyond such desires), the last place I would take them would be to a Fine Food restaurant or a Sushi Bar. I would rather cook them a meal to remember and serve it with a good wine.

I have another gripe. I have visited and eaten in more countries than the fingers and toes on my hands and feet. I have even eaten with royalty, but I have to assert categorically that I have never found Brussels Sprouts that taste and look as good as mine. I would stake my life on that. Yes, I have a secret little recipe, and it will probably go with me to my grave.

What ever happened to the family restaurant? Fine Food? Pigswill!

© Michael J. Mason 2012