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Sweet 'n Sour Sauce | Recipes

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Hello Friends!

 Here is the promised recipe for my amazing (if I may say so myself?!) sweet and sour sauce. This recipe is the culmination of the ingredients in it and a lot of frustration over not finding a decent bottled sweet 'n sour sauce variant. The recipe is my own and is open for your use. I think it's best served over chicken stir-fry, but also works with a beef or veg stir-fry. If you find any other great combinations, drop a comment! Also, it takes approximately 10 minutes to prepare which is a bonus when you don't have much time on your hands! x

 Ingredients - [serves 4 comfortably]
6 Tablespoons of white vinegar
5 heaped teaspoons of sugar
A finger width slice of butter/margarine/marge spread
A grinding of black pepper
1 Egg

 Method - 
1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the EGG in a small sauce pan and stir until the sugar and butter melt. 
2. Once melted and disolved, bring just about to the boil.
3. Get a french whisk ready in hand and Crack the egg into the cup, beating it with a fork until the yellow and yolk are completely mixed.
4. Add the egg mixture and mix with the whisk everything in the sauce pan.
The mixture will start to thicken immediately so take care to beat the egg well aforehand and work quickly once it is added.

 This sauce can be made up to an hour ahead and left to stand and reheated slightly before serving it as a side or over your stir-fry. 

 You will love it! Promise!


All the ingredients added together! 
What your sauce should look like once complete.

How we enjoyed it over our beef stir fry last week! Yum! *Stomach growls!

Spaghetti & Meatballs | Recipes

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Hello Friends!


Today I'd like to share a really simple recipe that I've managed to perfect after a few attempts. As a child, I remember my gran kneading meatballs expertly between her palms and getting them to stay in one piece served with a variety of delicious sauces and vegetables. Needless to say, she never lived long enough to pass the recipe down to me and to be honest although they were wonderful I don't like the idea of bread to bond the meat. 

So...I embarked on a little adventure to make the perfect meatball and I'll be honest...I ended up with bolognese sauce instead of meatballs and sauce. Sigh...

Here is a short recipe tutorial that explains how to make fail proof meatballs and combine it into a lovely, hearty family meal.



Seperate some rosemary from the wooden stalk and chop it roughly.  Rosemary is a winner with any red meat.
For approximately 300g of minced meat I like to crush 5 cream crackers in a bag until very fine.
Mix the rosemary with the crushed crackers and add the minced meat.
Add salt and black pepper to taste and then add one egg.
Mix the mixture with your hands and then wash them. Wet them with cold water and roll small balls that fit in your palm and put them on a clean plate.
Place the plate with meatballs in the fridge as you prepare the pan. Chop half an onion (dice) and add some fresh, chopped garlic. Add these to a saucepan with some olive oil and brown slightly. Place some pasta of your choice (spaghetti) in a pan and fill with water and prepare as usual.  
Place the meatballs one by one into the saucepan with onion mix and brown slightly. Next you can either use a pre-made napoletana sauce or you can make your own. I opted for a pre-made option here as I was short on time. Napoletana sauce is best made with chopped and peeled tomatoes as well as fresh basil when it has cooked to a sauce.
Add the sauce to the meatballs and cook them completely for the remainder of the time IN the sauce.
Serve the meatballs and sauce with spaghetti or a pasta of your choice.

 
I hope this recipe will be one that you can use with ease to make a great favourite for your family! Enjoy!

wx

Jamie's Ministry of Food | Recommended Reads

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I am a HUGE Jamie Oliver fan...simply because he is so spontaneous in the way he presents the art of food to the world. He can go from basic to complex and back in a jiffy and make it look like a breeze. Although his 'Jamie's 30-Minute Meals' turned out being 2 hours prep and 30 minutes of concentrated cooking time, it's still a gem nonetheless.

But enough about all that - today i'm talking 'Jamie's Ministry of Food'.

The concept behind this book both fascinates and intrigues me as it's an old principal that's been brought back to life. I think the foreword of the book does the explanation the most justice so I quote:

"During and after the First World War terrible food shortages meant mane people were malnourished. So when the Second World War broke out the government knew they'd have to do something pretty clever to stop this happening again, and what they did was set up a Ministry of Food. Basically it was created for two major reasons: to make sure there was enough food to go round and also to educate the public about food and proper nutrition so they'd be healthy and fighting fit. What I find completely inspiring is that the government at that time didn't just watch and give lip service, it pulled its finger out and did something radical...and I like radical! The Ministry of Food was all about going to people, wherever they were - workplaces, factories, gentlemen's clubs or local shopping areas. And they did this by simply mobilizing thousands of women who could cook, then sending them out across the whole country to provide support and tips to the public. Because of this, people knew how to use their food rations properly and were able to eat, and live, better.

Historians say the original Ministry of Food was a saving grace of the war."

There you have it! What a profound, yet logical movement this turned out to be! The wonderful thing about this cook book is that it takes you from hesitant to commit to the "Pass it on" commitment which asks you to teach two people a recipe who will in turn teach two more people to ready to commit and organize a Jamie-Oliver themed dinner party.

But my best about this book is the fact that it fulfills my ONE requirement of a good cookbook. And this is said once again, so well by Jamie himself in the synopsis/dust cover:
"Whether you're a reluctant beginner or a good cook who just appreciates simplicity, allow me and this book to help you cook some truly delicious, crowd-pleasing meals."

Isn't that what its all about? Going back to basics instead of making food that's hardly edible? I like! In fact I love!

So whether you're buying it because it takes you to the very basics of cooking or because you want to do the "pass it on" pledge, just do it anyway! You won't regret it!

I'll let you know what I cook with a "Pass-it-on Pledge"/"Jamie's Ministry of Food" tag in future posts. Happy cooking-baking everyone!


wends x

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