Pea, Bacon and Yolk Ravioli with B-well oil pesto

A friend of mine joked saying what am I going to say about an oil in a post, well chefs love any new product and this was a gift from B-well, it is a new range of oils endorsed by CANSA and the Heart and stroke foundation. I can by no means guarantee its health benefits but what I do know is that you should not fry pure extra virgin olive oil and I myself cook with a blend daily.

This oil has a very high ratio of olive oil in the blend and uses best quality olives and canola seeds, adding the other oils raises the smoke point of the oil allowing for use while frying and with a high enough olive ratio it can be drizzled on salads and used in marinades too.

They running a competition on their website and Facebook page where you can upload a recipe using the product with great prizes to win. Below is my B-well recipe.

Pea, Bacon and Yolk Ravioli with B-well oil pesto

serves 2

I chose this recipe as it uses the oil raw and cooked and as a flavour agent in the pesto, it did a great job, the bottle is made with an easy pour top and the olive taste was not too overpowering. I have also had a ravioli craving for ages now so today was a good time to try the oil and cure my craving. Enjoy my dish with a nice woody Chardonnay on this wintry day.

Pasta dough

Serves 2

200g 00flour or cake flour

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tsp B-well Extra Virgin Olive and Canola oil

Place the flour in a bowl, mix in the salt, make a well in the centre, add the eggs and the oil.

Mix together starting in the centre until combined, knead until smooth only adding flour if necessary.

Cover and allow to rest while the filling is being made.

Once rested , roll out using a pasta machine going from the thickest setting to the second last setting.

lay on a floured surface.

Using the filling below, place teaspoons full along the bottom half of the pasta sheet with 2.5cm intervals in between, brush between with egg and fold the top half down over the fillings. Use your hands to gently work the air bubble out from around each mound of filling, cut square or round, rest.

I made one with an egg yolk resting in the pea puree which was delicious but optional and expensive.

Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer and blanch the ravioli for 4-5 minutes. Strain.

Serve with your choice of sauce or try my pesto below.

Pea and Parmesan filling

Serves 2

1/2 onion finely chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

10ml B-well Extra Virgin Olive and Canola oil

1.5 cups of frozen peas

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

salt and pepper

squeeze of lemon juice

1/2 packet streaky bacon

Fry the garlic and onion gently in a pan with the oil until softened.

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the peas, when soft strain and cool with icy water to keep the green colour, strain.

Blend everything together with a hand blender and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready.

Fry the pieces of bacon until crisp and use when plating.

Herb Pesto with sunflower seeds

Serves 2

1 big handful of mixed herbs, I used mainly parsley and basil with a little dill and mint

15ml sunflower seeds toasted

20ml grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 piece of garlic

35ml B-well Extra Virgin Olive and Canola oil

Salt and pepper

Squeeze of lemon

Blend with a hand blender adding the oil slowly while mixing, adjust seasoning.

To Assemble

Place on a plate, top with pesto, plain blanched peas, Parmesan shavings, crispy bacon and baby fine herbs. Drizzle with B-well Extra Virgin Olive and Canola oil.

This recipe may be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon and I would add danish feta for a salty taste.

Recipe and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells

WIN Tickets to Cape Town Festival of Beer with Olivia's Kitchen

There are some Cape Town events that are just not to be missed and the Festival of Beer is one I always attend and would love tickets to this festival. Held at the Hamilton's Rugby Club in Green Point on the 22nd -24th November 2013 for the fourth year running you can join to sample 200 of our Local, International, Artisan, Craft and Mega Brewer's, collect stamps on your "Beer Passport" along the way to win prizes.

Plenty of activities will keep you drinking, Food Stalls, Demonstrations, Best Beer awards, Food Pairings, Guided Beer tours and for the first time a GIANT Beer pong Tournament where Giant balls will be thrown into GIANT cups, teams may be entered already.

There will also be live entertainment and a selection of wines for the non beer drinkers.

Some of the brewers you will find at the festival are:
Lakeside Beerworks
Triggerfish
Devil's Peak Brewing
Robson's Beer

Award Winning Belgian Beers:
Celis White and Carolus Gouden Classic.

Pre Sale Tickets will be R120 with a beer glass, R100 for students at Webtickets, you can also book a table for R500 which seats 10 or contact info@capetownfestivalofbeer.co.za

I have a set of double tickets to GIVEAWAY for the Friday or Sunday!!!
Send me your Name, telephone number, email address and the day you would like to go along with the heading win tickets to beer fest to:
tamsyn.olivia@gmail.com

It will be a lucky draw and Entries will close on the 10th November 2013

Good Luck
Article Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Pulled Beef and Suet Pastry Empanadas

Freshly Blogged Competition 2: Meaty Moments
Vote here : Freshly Blogged

Being a chef everybody always asks me what my favorite dish is to make or my favorite section in the kitchen, well it’s definitely making canapés as it’s the closest to my favorite way of eating, sharing small plates of food bringing everybody together and of course getting to taste a wide variety of foods, at least this way I don’t need to beg people to try a bite of whatever they ordered.

Pulled Beef and Suet Pastry Empanadas

Makes 20

Suet Pastry

300g self raising flour

pinch of salt

100g beef suet

70g butter

Ice water

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, shred the suet and chop up the butter.

Rub the flour with the fats between your hands until well mixed. Add ice water one teaspoon at a time until the pastry comes together, don’t knead as it will make the pastry tough. Cover and rest in the fridge until needed.

Pulled beef shin

500g beef shin

15ml sunflower oil

1 pnt PnP soup mix or (1 potato, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk)

1 Knorr beef stock pot

10ml white wine vinegar

2 tomatoes

1 avocado

few sprigs coriander

Salt and pepper

30ml olive oil

1 egg

Season the beef shin, brown on both sides in a pot in a little oil, add roughly chopped carrot and celery stalk and brown. Cover with water, add 1 Knorr beef stock pot and bring to the simmer.

Peel the potato, cut in half and allow to cook in the liquid but remove when cooked through and use in the empanada mix.

Simmer the beef until very tender, skimming the water often.

Meanwhile make a tomato and coriander salsa by cutting the tomato into cubes and dress with 10ml white wine vinegar and 15ml olive oil, season and toss with freshly chopped coriander.

Make a rough guacamole by chopping the avocado and adding 6ml white wine vinegar and 10ml olive oil, season to taste.

When the shin is tender, remove from the liquid and shred into a bowl, cube the cooked potato and add to the beef, season and add chopped coriander.

Roll out the suet pastry until 0.5mm thick, cut 5cm rounds with a cutter, place 5ml beef mixture in the centre, egg wash the edges and fold in half closing it along the top, crimp with your fingers gently and place on a greased tray.

Bake in the oven on 180˚ for 15 – 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with tomato salsa (pico de gallo) and guacamole.

This may also be made with leftover stew or curry, revamped the family will never know.

Recipe and Picture Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Win R300 from Spar for October fest

So it's spring, the summer sun is starting to shine, it's October which means lots of beer, food and social gathering's for October fest.
Spar has contacted me to give away a R300 voucher to use in any of their stores which is so exciting as it's my first give away on my blog.

Anybody may enter who frequents Spar stores nationwide, use your favorite Freshline ingredients to create a dish that you love to eat with an ice cold beer from your local Tops at Spar of course, for October fest. It may be a starter, main, dessert, Braai dish, snacks or tapas, the easier the better.  First "like" the Spar Facebook page and mine Olivia's Kitchen then just send the recipe to tamsyn.olivia@gmail.com

I will announce the winner on World Food Day which is the 16th October 2012. I will also recreate the winning dish and provide the recipe on my blog.

Final entries must be in by the 12th October 2012 and you may enter as often as you wish.
Good Luck.