Friday 25 July 2014

Antipasto Italiano ,Pizza sauce and Pasta Meat Sauce


 Otto Say’s 
Pasta sanza vino e come il cuore sanza amore
Pasta without wine is like a heart without love

Antipasto Italiano
Ingredients
250 ml. olive oil
6 cloves garlic chopped
500 gr chopped Spanish onions
1 stalk of celery chopped
250 gr chopped carrots
700 gr chopped fresh tomatoes
1 kg chopped fresh jalapenos
500 ml tomato juice
100 gr chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat olive oil and sauté all vegetable less the parsley for about 20 minutes not soft until very crispy.
2. Add tomato juice bring to a boil and add parsley season with salt and pepper and let cool down
3. Best served cold

Pizza sauce

Ingredients
 1 kg ripe plum tomatoes
125 gr olive oil
12 fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil and the garlic in pot and stir in the tomato before the oil, Garlic begins to crackle.
2. Season with salt and pepper, simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes,
3. Stir in the basil leaves, simmer for five more minutes, and it's done. 
4. Puree through a china cap
5. Ready to serve keep in cooler when cold

Pasta Meat Sauce

750 g lean ground beef
60 g chopped onion
1 kg crushed tomatoes
250 ml tomato juice
7 g dried basil or fresh
10 g garlic powder
7 g dried oregano or fresh

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook ground beef with onion until brown. Stir tomatoes paste, tomato juice basil, garlic powder and oregano into beef mixture.
2 .Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer one hour or so.

3. Serve over hot pasta.

Smile and Be Sweet
“The best way to win a friend is to listen and
Smile it only takes a minute” – Otto


















Saturday 19 July 2014

Summer Dinner Caesar Salad,Gnocchi and Chocolate Cheese Cake

Summer Dinner

Otto Say’s 
Pasta sanza vino e come il cuore sanza amore
Pasta without wine is like a heart without love

Caesar Salad
Gnocchi
No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Caesar Salad (serves 10)

Ingredients

1 head romaine, lettuce depends on size
500 mL croutons 
50 mL grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing
: 

50 mL vegetable oil
25 mL grated Parmesan cheese
15 mL white, wine, vinegar
10 mL Dijon mustard
10 mL anchovy paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 mL each salt and pepper
2 mL  Worcestershire sauce
50 mL light mayonnaise

Method

1. Dressing: In bowl, whisk together oil, cheese, vinegar, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in mayonnaise until smooth. 
 2. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces to make about 5 Lt in large bowl. Add dressing, croutons and cheese; toss to combine.
3 In a wooden bowl if availed and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese
Or you may add the following
Chicken Caesar Salad: Place 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( or other cooked meats)
On greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and cook, turning once, for about 12 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Slice into thin strips; add to salad.

Smoked Salmon: Place a few slices of smoked salmon over top of each salad.


Gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)

1 Kg Potatoes
1 Large
75 ml Vegetable oil
750 ml A & P flour
Pinch of salt
Method
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot.
2. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.
3. Combine mashed potato, most of the flour, salt and egg in a large bowl. Knead until dough (might need more flour) forms a ball.
4. Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes". On a floured surface, cut snakes into 1 cm pieces.
4. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
5. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.

Serve with Meat Sauce, Alfredo Sauce of pesto or sauce of your choice

No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies (makes 2 dozen)

750 ml quick cooking oats
250 ml sweetened flaked coconut
500 ml sugar
125 ml unsweetened cocoa powder
125 ml milk
125 ml butter or margarine


Method
1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
2. Mix oats and coconut in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
3. Stir sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and margarine (or butter) together in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is smooth.
4. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Pour over the oats and coconut and quickly mix to coat. Drop by tablespoon onto prepared baking sheet; let cookies cool and harden.
Smile and Be Sweet
“The best way to win a friend is to listen and
Smile it only takes a minute” – Otto


Thursday 10 July 2014

Summer Special Apple Butter Ribs and

Otto Say’s 

Pasta sanza vino e come il cuore sanza amore
Pasta without wine is like a heart without love

Apple Butter Ribs (Serves 8)

Ingredients

3 kg pork back ribs or pork side ribs

Apple Butter Marinade:

250 mL apple butter
120 mL apple cider or apple juice
60 mL cider vinegar
30 ml Dijon mustard
10 mL crumbled dried sage
5 mL salt

Method

Pour enough water into shallow roasting pan to come scant 2 cm up side. Cut ribs into 2-rib portions; place, meaty side up, in single layer in water. Cover and steam-roast 160°C oven until meat is tender, 75 to 90 minutes. Transfer to large glass baking dish, discarding cooking liquid.

Apple Butter Marinade: In bowl, whisk together apple butter, apple cider, vinegar, and mustard, sage and salt. Remove 100 mL and reserve for basting on grill. Brush remaining marinade all over ribs. Cover and refrigerate ribs and reserved marinade for 4 hours, turning and brushing ribs with marinade in dish at least once. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Place ribs on greased grill over medium-high heat; brush with any marinade left in dish. Close lid and grill, turning at least once and basting with reserved marinade, until browned and glossy, 10 to 15 minutes


Chile Carne (Flank Steak) Asada


Ingredients:

6 -7 Dried Red Chiles
40 ml lime juice
3 ml cumin
1 to 11/2 Kg flank steak (Strip loin) maybe used

Method

1. Rehydrate and  puree the dried chilies which will take about 30 minutes.
2. Whisk the Chile puree, the lime juice and cumin together.
3. Rub the mixture on the meat, cover and let it marinate for at least 2 hours, or so
4.  Bring to room temperature and cook on a medium hot grill to desired doneness.

Smile and Be Sweet
“The best way to win a friend is to listen and
Smile it only takes a minute” – Otto

Friday 4 July 2014

Conversions made easy

Successful cooking date

      Otto Say’s 

Pasta sanza vino e come il cuore sanza amore
Pasta without wine is like a heart without love        

    Do you want to have a successful cooking date?


   Follow these instructions when making dinner
Most important avoid the possibility of a mess (Barbecued ribs)
Avoid any food that might cause unpleasant ordours later (cabbage)Do not let them chase food around the plate (sloppy Joe or sushi)
Chunk of food to large to handle (large roast in one piece)

These are just a few menu ideas the objective is to make your date as comfortable as possible.
Appetizers -Chesses balls or Bacon cheddar devilled eggs
Roast proktenderloin
Roasted russet Potatoes
Grilled Asparagus
Butter tart


 Chesses balls   
                
Ingredients (6 servings)

350 gr cream cheese
250 gr golden raisins
60 gr sour cream
5 slices crispy cooked
1 bunch of green onions chopped
 200 ml of mango chutney

Method

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, raisins, bacon, green onions and sour cream. Form into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap.
 2. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
3. To serve, place the cheese ball on a serving tray, and pour the mango chutney over it. Surround with crackers for dipping.


Bacon cheddar devilled eggs

Ingredients (24 d egg)

12 eggs
150 ml mayonnaise
4 slices of bacon
15 ml mustard
50 ml finely chopped shredded cheddar cheese

Method

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
2. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly crispy.  Crumble and set aside.
3. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.
4 Sprinkle with paprika
Pork loin roast,
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Pork loin roast, boneless about 2 kg
75 ml. finely chopped fresh herbs, mixture, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram, savory
5 ml. crushed garlic
75 ml fine dry bread crumbs
3 ml. teaspoon salt
3 ml.  Freshly ground black pepper

Roast Potatoes

1.5 kg russet potatoes cut in chunks
50 ml. olive oil
5 ml. crushed garlic
2 ml. salt
1 ml. freshly ground black pepper
Method

Heat oven to 200 c. Combine the herbs, garlic, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Put everything in the food processor to chop finely and save time.

Put the roast in a lightly oiled roasting pan. Pat the herb and bread crumb mixture all over the roast. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 190 c. and roast for another 45 minutes.
Toss the potatoes with oil, the garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the potatoes around the pork and continue roasting until the

Grilled Asparagus

Serves 4
500 gr. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
25 ml olive oil
Salt and peppers to taste

Method

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Butter tart filling 24 depends on the size of tarts

225 ml  butter
1 kg  brown sugar
12 eggs
25 ml Vanilla
15 ml vinegar
Pinch salt

Method

Mix at low speed for about 10 to 15 minutes rest for about 15 minutes and our into unbaked tarts shells
Butter Crust 24 tarts Shells

Ingredients

800 mL all-purpose flour
2 ml salt
120 ml cold butter, cubed
120 ml) lard or butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp (5 mL) vinegar
Ice water
1. Mix same as you would pie crust
2. Flour, butter and lard when it looks like nuggets blend in the cold water
3. Rest for at least 20 minutes before using 

Smile and Be Sweet
“The best way to win a friend is to listen and
Smile it only takes a minute” – Otto