Spiced Chicken Liver Taco’s and Churro’s

I was so glad to finally get the opportunity to make Churro’s, otherwise known as Spanish Doughnuts, they have been on my list of things to try for ages and I never got around to it. While researching my next holiday it seemed fitting to start putting things out there, showing the universe that maybe I must go to Spain soon! They went really well with these Spicy chicken liver taco's.

Spiced Chicken Liver Taco’s

250g PnP Chicken Livers

125ml Cake Flour

2-3ml Robertson’s cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

100ml sunflower oil

1 avocado

5ml white vinegar

20ml olive oil

1 tomato

1 tbsp coriander pesto

20g English spinach

3 tortilla wraps cut into smaller discs 6cm in diameter

Clean the livers by cutting off any unwanted bits and cut in half then rinse the livers in water and place on paper towel to dry.

Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Coat in flour and fry in sunflower oil.

Cube the avocado and season, add olive oil and vinegar. Cube the tomatoes and fold through the avocado.

Toast the tortilla discs in a pan, top with spinach, cooked livers, avocado salsa and coriander pesto.

Churro’s with cinnamon and white chocolate Ganache

50g butter

150ml water

190ml cake flour

20ml castor sugar

2ml baking powder

1 egg

500ml sunflower oil

20ml Icing sugar

6ml Robertson’s cinnamon

80g white chocolate

150ml cream

Bring the water and butter to the boil.

Sift flour, baking powder and castor sugar. Add to boiled water and butter, place back on the heat and cook until the paste comes away from the sides.

Allow to cool then beat in the egg.

Allow the oil to heat in a shallow pan. Pipe the mixture into the hot oil using a star nozzle and cut off with scissors when they are about 5cm long.

Fry slowly until golden. Mix the icing sugar and cinnamon together, sieve over the warm Churro’s.

Bring the cream to the boil, add the white chocolate blocks and stir until smooth. Serve with Churro’s as a dip.

Recipe and pictures Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Dixie American BBQ

I have been to the Market on the Wharf a few times now and every time there are new stalls or the older ones have changed position which keeps the market interesting and keeps you walking around. We started with a huge cup of Origin Coffee which was perfectly made with friendly service, another happy moment is that the bar upstairs now has their Liquor license which allows you to purchase beers to take home and you are now allowed to drink outside on the benches in the sun.

A great accompaniment to the array of beers is Dixie's Pulled BBQ Pork bun, it's a new stall specializing in smoked meats American style, Buffalo wings and Chili Dogs all accompanied by Chili Cheese fries.

We went for the Pulled Pork, a true American Classic and it was delicious, BBQ sauce, smokey pork, tangy coleslaw and spicy jalapenos, so good we went back twice.

Dixie sells bulk order smoked meats pre-ordered to go by the kilo, bottled sauces which may be couriered and a great alternative to the spit braai, just call them and they will smoke a whole Pig on site with their mobile smokers.

Go to the beer bar for great suggestions and plenty of different varieties of beer, they also do beer and food pairings and you may also hire them to set up bars at your events.

Great relaxed vibe with great food, V and A Market on the Wharf

Dixie American BBQ
email: orders@dixiebrands.co.za
Phone: 0826722218

Keg King
Steve : 0825514015

Article and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Spicy Spanish Rice

I make a version of this dish at least once a week, I got the idea from a friend of mine, definitely my inspiration behind this dish, he too makes Spanish rice but called it “Wild” rice, I was surprised thinking he uses real Wild Rice but it’s actually named after the “Wild” things he puts in his dish… so funny as there is nothing really wild about it except his imagination I guess. So be wild as he says and add anything you like, mince, chicken, prawns, vegetables, the list is endless and create your very own Wild Spanish Rice. 

Spicy Spanish Rice

 Ingredients:

1 onion peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 carrot grated

150g Chorizo sausage, remove the skin and slice

1 butternut, peeled, seeds removed and cubed

40ml sunflower oil

1 tin PnP chopped tomatoes

1.5 cups basmati rice

few thyme sprigs

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Parmesan shavings

15ml extra virgin olive oil

Fry the leeks and chorizo in 10ml sunflower oil in a pot that has a lid.

When softened add the tin of chopped tomatoes, a few thyme sprigs and a little seasoning, allow to cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile steam the butternut for 6 minutes until it starts to soften, place it in an oven tray, coat in oil and season.

Toss with a few prigs of thyme and roast for 20 – 25 minutes on 200˚ C until golden brown.

Season the tomato and chorizo sauce, add the Spekko Rice and on a slow simmer with the lid on allow to cook for 12 minutes.

Stir occasionally so it does not stick.

Remove from the heat, add the roasted butternut cubes and allow to sit for 4 minutes.

Serve with Parmesan shavings, freshly ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe and picture Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

National Braai Team to be chosen

Recently Borries won the Bring and Braai competition on KykNET together with DSTV. He is joining up with BraaiBoy to head up the SA team when they go off to USA to represent us in the International Braai Competition in Lynchburg Tennessee.

Well my thoughts are definitely typical South African and what's up with the Superhero suit but I must admit I have watched some American Tailgate Braai competitions on DSTV and they go all out themselves, Guy Fieri with his blond Spikes hyping the crowd up to a smoke house frenzy of Pulled pork and BBQ Briskets.

The guy on the left AKA "BraaiBoy" has a Guinness World record behind his name for holding the worlds longest Continuous Braai and has documented, online his own challenge to Braai everyday since the 17th April 2009!! I do believe he is qualified for this competition. He is Co - Captain with Borries and together they have mastered the Smokey Mountain Weber.

They will be a team of eight with a few spaces left to fill they will pick them from cook offs held at Chesanyama Stores  during the month of August, the top three contestants of each region will go into a final with the winner joining the SA Team. I wish them the best of luck as they will need to prepare an American Style BBQ with smoked cuts like ribs, brisket and pork.

Click the Chesanyama link here for venues and dates if you would like to enter the Braai offs and join Borries and BraaiBoy show the world that South Africans really can Braai even if we dress funny.

Follow them on their Facebook Page here.

Article Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Pizza Challenge Live winner with Col’Cacchio’s pizzeria

I almost entered this Col’Cacchio’s pizzeria competition when I saw it advertised but since I was already in a voting competition with Fresh Living Magazine I did not want to confuse everyone with votes but the Lucky winner was Jade Fairbrother who has won a years supply of Pizza !!!

So it worked like this, it was an online competition where you made your own virtual pizza on their website and accumulated votes via tweets and on the site. She is an actress and model from Cape Town and aptly called her pizza The Hollywood Scene, topped with all her favorite pizza toppings, tomato base, mozzarella, bacon, oven roasted red onion, garlic, avocado, fresh thyme leaves and crispy onions with an option to add banana, it looks delicious.

For the whole month of August you can order Jade's Hollywood Scene pizza for R82 with R5 going to The Children's Hospital fund, a really good cause and a really great idea from Col’Cacchio’s. She is joining the list of all the great celebrity chef Pizza's created this year  as part of her prize and hers will also be the last one of 2013 to eat well and do good.

Join Jade and myself help Col’Cacchio’s pizzeria reach the R200 000 mark for the Children's Hospital Trust, fundraiser for the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and Paediatric Health care in the Western Cape for the year 2013.

Thanks to Megan Jacobs from KL PR and Events for the images and info.

Article Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Amarula and salted caramel ice cream sandwich

Creamy Capers recipe for the #FreshlyBlogged Challenge, please vote for my recipe here: Freshly Blogged.

This one was touch and go from the start, not only was I not entirely sure this recipe would work, in my mind it seemed it should but also the fact that I am not a food photographer and I was going to attempt the all dreaded ice cream shot! If it did not set hard enough and if I took too long to photograph I was going to end up with a salted caramel puddle, see below how it went. Besides shooting it the recipe is really easy to make and was delicious

Biscuit crumb

120g PnP cream crackers

50g PnP blanched almonds

40g Albany dark chocolate, grated

Pinch of salt

100g butter, melted

Toast the almonds until golden in a dry pan on high. Place in a food processor with the cream crackers, salt and chocolate, process until fine crumbs.

Add melted butter and process again.

Line a 25 by 20cm square container with greaseproof paper.

Place half the crumb mix in the base and press down firmly, allow to set.

Salted caramel crumbs

100g light brown sugar

Coarse salt grind to taste

In a clean pan on high heat, place the sugar in the pan, don’t stir just jiggle the pan until the sugar is melted, pour it onto greaseproof paper and grind coarse salt on top. Allow setting then place in a packet and hammer or mortar and pestle it until it is a coarse dust.

Amarula and salted caramel custard filling

300ml Amarula

160ml milk / coconut milk

2 egg yolks

1 egg white

40g cake flour

1 tin condensed milk

Bring the Amarula to the boil and reduce by half (150ml), add the 160 ml milk or coconut milk and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile separate the eggs.

Add the flour to the egg yolks and mix as well as you can, it will be thick, add the hot Amarula mix little by little until smooth, pour through a sieve back into the pot and cook slowly mixing all the time until boiling and thick.

Remove from heat and add the condensed milk, stir through and if there are still lumps strain again.

Whip the egg white until stiff and fold through the custard.

Pour over the biscuit base, top with salted caramel crumbs and the other half of the biscuit crumb.

Place in the freezer until set. Cut as desired and serve with caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.

Best eaten the same day its made otherwise allow about 8 minutes at room temperature before eating.

Recipe and picture Copyright by Tamsyn Wells