Kale Chips

Yesterday's weather was pretty strange. It started out very windy, not too cold, and the sky and clouds were shades of grey. After a few hours the sound of thunder began. My son remembered the story I've told him about the thunder. My sweet boy said "Mummy they're bowling up in the sky"! You would remember reading the story about the thunder from a post a while ago. In case you haven't read it, when I was a little girl my grandparents would tell me that the sound of thunder were the gods bowling. The sound I hear was the bowling ball rolling down the lane and the pins being hit and falling. The first time I told my son this story there were lightning as well. He said to me "Mummy they have a camera too"! It started to rain which made me happy. There's just something about the rain that soothes me. I guess I long for it more because we don't get much of it in the desert really. It was a short rain, the sky cleared up, and dried up all the rain (the itsy bitsy spider....)lol. It got very hot again and my allergies started to bother me. Now, I'm awake typing this blog with my left eye shut from the swelling red and burning. The right eye is the same but not as bad as the left.

My sissy and niece came by for a visit yesterday. We just had some smoked brauts and I made some Kale chips. They are so good! My sweet boy and daughter loves them. They are very easy to make as well.

I'll tell you more about that green drink on the left on my next post.

Ingredients

3 stalks of fresh Kale
3 tablespoon olive oil
sprinkle of seasoned salt or any seasoning you like

Method

Set oven to 350F
Wash kale, cut the the leaves from its stalk and pat it dry or use a salad spinner if you have one. Place parchment paper on baking tray. Lay them flat on the baking tray and drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and bake in hot oven for 10 minutes. You want it to be crispy not burned. Then enjoy with your favourite drink!

Canelés

I saw these handsome little beauties a few months ago from another blog. When he described it to be a crème brulée in a cake form, I immediately fell in love. Crème Brulée is my first love and always will be but to entice me with such as this! I felt as if I was unfaithful. I've attempted to recreate his recipe and I just can't get the baking time right or maybe my oven temperature or both. None the less, I am in love with them.

(photos were taken from my phone)

I began with boiling the sauce together.

..mixed the flour, eggs, sugar, sauce and rum to create the batter..

..poured it in the mould..

..naturally my sweet boy was in the kitchen with me, watching them bake just as excited as I am..

..it was as if we were watching a symphony, they were bubbling and rising rapidly from every mould..

..they started to slow down a bit towards the end..

..our first batch is done and they are beautiful..

..this was baked at 210C as suggested which I converted to 410F for 35 minutes. It didn't caramalized all around and some didn't at all..

..I tried again with a second batch..

..this one I had baked a little longer 45 minutes. I was afraid of burning them I got some caramalized  about 5 pieces..

..they were one of the best treats I have ever tasted. It was as if I bit into a love spell. It was just like how he said it would be, a Crème Brulée in a cake form. Sigh.......

For the complete history and recipe of these little magical treats please visit Phil in the Kitchen at As Strong As Soup he is the one I thank for this new love. I shall keep on trying and get the temp and timing perfectly.

Mustard Pork Chops With Gnocchi

In the past, one of my post was asking for advice on potato ricer. I was asking if it was necessary for one to have the gadget to use to make gnocchi. After reading my cookery books and having watched chefs use their potato ricer for gnocchi and mashed potatoes, I picked one up for myself. I didn't have to purchase it. I've exchanged a gift which I'll never use for the ricer. Fortunately, it was of equal value so I didn't have to pay more.

This past weekend my son and I were in the kitchen testing it out.  We put the potatoes in and as I squeezed  the gadget, strands of potatoes came out of the other end. I then added all the ingredients we needed to make the dough. My son's favourite part was to roll it down the back of the fork to get the gnocchi shape. He did an amazing job and was having fun doing so.

While he was shaping them I was throwing them in boiling water and on another burner we had the pork chops frying at the same time. After everything was finished, kiddies and I were excited for dinner. Hubs came home and dinner was ready for him. This recipe was inspired by Nigella's Mustard Pork Chops. I made some minor change in one of the ingredients. The family enjoyed it so much! They told me how much they loved it and it really made me feel great inside.

This potato ricer looks like something from a Star Trek episode.

My dear sweet boy shaping the gnocchi : ) Sissy was busy playing her video game.

Ingredients

4 pork chops
3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white grape juice (Nigella suggests hard cider, I didn't have any)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Method

Wrap the chops in cling wrap and with a meat tenderizer or with a rolling pin bash them until they are thin. This is when I usually get my stress out. Heat the oil in the pan set to a moderately high heat. Fry each side of the chops for 5 minutes. Set aside on a warm plate.

For the sauce pour the grape juice or cider in the pan to deglaze it. Let it bubble away for a minute, then add the mustard and stir in the cream.

Let the sauce continue cooking before pouring over the pork chops. After pouring the sauce, cook the gnocchi in the same pan and let it absorb the remaining juices before adding to the plate.

Here's the link where I got my gnocchi recipe from. The sauce the chef made for it looks delicious. I'm going to try it sometime.

Italian Recipes - Preparing the Potatoes for the Gnocchi

St. Patrick's Day Avocado Smoothie

When I was a little girl my grandmother would make an avocado smoothie for breakfast. You're probably thinking that's like gross, right? It actually isn't. It's sweet and filling at the same time. It keeps your tummy full and it's healthy for you. I thought that this is perfect to share for St. Patrick's Day since it's green. Give it a go you might like it.

Ingredients

1 avocado
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
ice cubes

Method

Slice the avocado in half and remove the seed from the middle. Scoop out the avocado and put it in a blender. Add the milk, sugar, and ice cubes and blitz until it forms in to a smoothie. Pour in a glass and enjoy.

Serves 2 in champagne glasses

Oxtail Stewed with White Grapes (la queue de boeuf des vignerons)

I had an early start with March Random Recipe Challenge from Belleau Kitchen. The challenge is to count our cookery books from left to right until you get to your 17th book. There you would flip open a random page and that would be the recipe challenge you will have to create. My 17th book was  At Elizabeth David's Table and the random recipe I got was OXTAIL STEWED with WHITE GRAPES la queue de boeuf des vignerons.

When I first glanced at it I thought, oxtail! Now how is this going to taste? This looks difficult, can I do this? Where can I even find this meat? I've had to call 4 different grocery stores to find them. I was quite happy when I finally found a place where I can get them.

I'm no where near the level of expertise that most of the bloggers I see entering the challenges. We've not eaten this nor have cooked anything like this before. I'm not quite sure the kiddies and hubs would eat them if they knew what it was and I wouldn't want to waste food. I was willing to go out of my comfort zone. So here it is.............

TA DA!!!!

This was so delicious that both my kiddies ate them. My son particularly liked the sauce. It was sweet from the grapes and its juices, savoury from the seasoning and meat itself. The meat falls of the bones and melts in your mouth like butter. I never thought we would ever eat oxtail but this is one recipe you will enjoy. Hubs will give it a go tonight : ) I hope he likes it.

Ingredients

2 oxtails (5-6lb) cut into 2 inch lengths,
3-4oz pancetta
2 large onions
4 large carrots
a bouquet of 2 bay leaves, parsley, thyme and two crushed cloves of garlic tied in a bunch
salt, pepper and a little mace or allspice (I've used allspice)
2lb green grapes

Method

Steep the oxtails in cold water for 2 hours, for the blood to soak out.
Chop the onions and dice the carrots. On a heavy cooking pan (I've used my cast iron dutch oven) place the pancetta with the vegetables on top. Start off on low flame or setting and cook for 10 minutes. Put the pieces of oxtail and the bouquet in the center. Season the meat with salt, pepper, allspice. Place the lid and gently cook for 20 minutes. Remove stems from the grapes and crush slightly in a bowl. Add them to the pot and cover with 2 sheets of parchment paper and the lid. Transfer to the oven at 275F and cook for a minimum of 3 1/2 hours. Once cooked transfer the oxtail and some of the pancetta bits to a serving dish. Skim off  the fat from the cooking liquid and press all the ingredients through a fine sieve. Pour the sauce over the oxtail.

Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Serves 6-8 ample helpings