XOXO

It seems like I haven't been in the kitchen much but the past week has been taken up with (overseeing) Simon not only building a deck but also a table so that amazing feat deserves an in-depth "how to" post. Watch this space. Deck building recipes included.

MORE FAVOURITE FRIENDS

Baseeeeel & Betty Buckland-Hills

SPECTACULAR

last night's sunset was just incredible.

ANOTHER PERFECT EVENING

VALENTINES DAY TREATS

Valentine's Day treats .......







any day is a good day for icecream

I've never been much of a fan of Valentine's Day but this year has definitely brought on a change of heart! Family lunch with crayfish, oysters and champagne topped off with Siana's decadent berry + chocolate Pavlova heart. What a treat!
We get our oysters from Island Deli in Kommetjie which are really delicious. The crayfish was caught in Kommetjie by Michael. Another little treat is the Beyerskloof sparkling pinot noir which is the perfect oyster partner. As my grandfather adamantly puts it, "champagne is the only drink to have with oysters" Simon thinks Guinness is the answer, the jury is still out on this one!
Brucey you definitely win the "how to extract the most out of your crayfish" prize but I have a feeling that is a Kohler trait that has come with years of practise!
Thank you gran for the beautiful red rose bush, will post a "how to plant roses" as soon as I've found the perfect spot for it (and done a little research. Darvy?)

CRISPY SALT + PEPPER SQUID

I've always loved the salt + pepper squid at Wakame and have been dying to try + make something similar. Lucky for us we were given a bag of fresh squid yesterday so it was the perfect opportunity to put together our own version. It was deeeeelicious!

1 kg Baby squid, cleaned
2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper Corns
2 tsp Szechuan Pepper
1/2 tsp Five Spice Powder
65g Cornflour
Vegetable / Groundnut Oil (we used peanut oil) for deep frying

To serve:
6 Spring Onions
Handful Coriander
1 Red Chilli
Limes
2 Cloves Garlic

White Rice (1 cup / 2 cups water)

Cook the rice.
Pat the squid dry.
Toast the peppercorns in a frying pan.
Crush in pestle + mortar with the salt.
Combine in a bowl with the cornflour.
Put the squid in the bowl of flour mixture, mix + shake off excess flour.
Heat the oil on high and make sure its very very hot.
Fry the squid for 1 minute. No longer.
Drain on paper towel.
Flash fry the spring onions, garlic and chilli.
Serve the rice, add the spring onions, garlic, chilli.
Place the squid on the rice with chopped coriander and wedges of lime.
* Its really good without the rice if you want to make it as a starter*
Serves 4

MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS

NOORDHOEK ROAD SIGNS

ITS THE WEEKEND!

I love Fridays. Its the day the farmer sells his produce at the little abandoned house on the main rd. Walking in and being confronted with the intoxicating scent of freshly grown fruit + veg reminds me of the original Old Cape Farm Stall maybe its because I was small and everything seemed bigger and the smells were stronger but there really is something very nostalgic and comforting about it. I try and get there early and spend ages choosing fruit + veg for the week usually while picking up farming tips and a few recipes from some of the locals that pop in.
Today's basket: (pic featured) spring onions, squash, eggs, lettuce, bananas, oranges, apples, nectarines, sweet potato, garlic, ginger, pineapple, melon, cucumber + honey.

FREDDY

our resident chameleon + Ben's BFF

FIRST BUTTERNUT + POTATO CROP

digging in the dirt and finding these beautiful potatoes is definitely my most rewarding growing experience to date. next time Im going to plant them in tyres, will get my resident illustrator to do a step by step diagram as this does seem to be the way forward and certainly the way to find them all! will post a few butternut + potato recipes shortly.

GOATS CHEESE SOUFFLE

I love souffles! Here is a recipe for a simple cheese souffle. I didn't make enough mixture for the dish which is why there isnt a huge beautiful puffy souffle featured but it was delicious. Its such a quick and easy meal to make during the week and love the fact that you can just make up your own combinations, more to follow with the seasons.

150g Goats cheese
2Tbsp Butter
3Tbsp Flour
400ml Milk
4 Egg Yolks
5 Egg Whites whisked to form stiff peaks


Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees.
Melt butter in a saucepan then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk stirring regularly until you have a thick bechamel sauce.
Remove from heat, add goats cheese, stir, add egg yolks, salt & pepper.
Fold the egg whites into the mixture with a metal spoon.
Pour mixture into souffle dish and bake for 30 minutes if you're cooking the souffle in individual ramekins then bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with green salad or a tomato & basil salad is a great combination

DOG FOOD

Alot of us are now making our own dog food. Here is a rough idea of what ours are on at the moment but as Im sure you all know each dog is different in their dietary requirements so it does take alot of trial and error to get your recipe right. Celia has done extensive research into the topic so I will also post some of her findings. I do believe that 100% raw is the way to go but our dogs still aren't so keen on the raw meat so Im still doing some cooking although most of my veggies are now raw (must be finely chopped / blended so ensure good digestion) I do still use ready made natural meals in between and have found the quality to be really good - Vondis, K9, Dog Matters & Barf.

Mornings: Oats soaked in warm water, plain joghurt, grated apple, milk + honey
Evenings: Boil 5 chickens and remove all bones when cooked, keep the water as stock to boil brown rice, sweet potato, beans, carrots, spinach, parsley, butternut, broccoli, peas, sweetcorn, cauliflower, garlic, cabbage. I work on a ratio of 70% protein, 20% veg and 10% carbs (rice or pasta). Omega oils. I freeze in 500g containers and this usually lasts 8 - 10 days but that will also depend on the quantity that your dogs require.
One starve day per week. Raw bones 2x per week.
I also add an egg each 2x per week and 1x week give them fish.

A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITE NOORDHOEK FRIENDS

GREEN FINGERS

I started the veggie garden the day we moved in to Sea Cottage. I was fascinated by the whole permaculture/companion planting concept and knew this was the way forward. As long as everything could be planted in neat rows and look perfectly symmetrical how difficult could it be! Its been 6 months and my three huge beds filled with perfectly straight (colour coded) rows have today been replaced by a bed the size of a parking space and a collage of seedlings that seem to blend together so simply and so naturally (ok maybe there is still a slight colour code). Clearly the result of a learning curve that all my knowledgable permaculturists knew I would have to go through.

I have never been particularly interested in gardening, I prefer hobbies with quicker results but I am quite set on eating organically and only cook with fresh ingredients so it made perfect sense to have my own vegetable and herb garden especially now that we have so much space. Its been a rocky road of trial and error, frustration, irritation and despondency. Dont get me wrong, I did get some amazing results and some bizarrly gigantic produce but when you start out and you realise that you don't actually know how to plant, when to plant, how prune, should you prune, what to grow, what not to grow, how to irrigate, how to fertilize, how to mulch, what the hell is mulch, how to make compost, the list is neverending. Luckily thanks to lots of experienced advise and to Simon for holding me back from pulling everything out and starting again (now I just pull things out one at a time when he's out!) I think I am starting to make progress, whether its progress with gardening or whether its progress with the art of patience I'm not sure but I have learnt alot and I think this new little patch is going to be a treasure chest of delicious ingredients for future recipes.
Thanks also to Herbie (Herbert) who has been helping me in the blazing sun today which has been very entertaining, he's been listening to my Ipod, jiving, whistling and singing away while he weeds and plants. I better make him his own playlist!
And, thank you to Si, the creative half, for the layout of the garden x see below

Here is a basic vegetable companion planting list for all the beginners out there like me:
Asparagus: Parsley, Capsicum, Basil, Lettuce + Tomato
Basil: Tomato + Most Vegetables & Herbs
Beans: Potato, Corn, Lettuce, Brinjal, Cucumber, Strawberry, Celery, Carrots, Cauliflower, Spinach
Beetroot: Onion, Lettuce, Spinach
Broccolli: Onions, Leeks, Celery
Brussel Sprouts: Potato
Cabbage: Onion
Carrot: Peas, Leeks, Lettuce + Chives
Cauliflower: Onions + Leeks
Celery: Tomato, Leeks + Beans
Corn: Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber, Beans + Peas
Cucumber: Radish, Lettuce, Beans, Peas + Artichokes
Eggplant: Beans, Peppers + Lettuce
Lettuce: Beetroot, Strawberry, Radish + Corn
Mint: Cabbage + Tomato
Onion: Lettuce, Cabbage + Carrots
Parsley: Tomato, Asparagus, Carrot + Peppermint
Parsnip: Shallots, Chives + Lettuce
Peas: Cucumber, Radish, Turnips, Corn, Carrots + Beans
Potato: Tomato, Cucumber, Sunflower, Green Beans, Peas + Broad Beans
Pumpkin: Corn
Radish: Peas, Lettuce + Nasturtium
Shallots: Carrots, Beetroot + Mint
Spinach: Strawberry + Most plants
Strawberry: Lettuce + Bush Beans
Tomato: Asparagus, Basil + Peppers
Zucchini: Parsley, Tomato, Spinach, Corn + Squash

THE COMMON FEBRUARY

once a month Im going to take a picture of the common from the same place. I love the way it changes through the seasons.

CHERYL'S CREAM CHEESE

This is a recipe from "Celia + Jen's Kitchen" but its really from their friend Cheryl. Thank you Cheryl. We are lucky enough to have a local farm that grows amazing veg and also has a few dairy cows so Simon popped in to see if we could get some milk for our cheese making. Needless to say Simon came home a couple of hours later with a new best friend and has been looking forward to going back to the farm and have more long chats about life and farming (Dairy Zen?). Even the simplest things like making cheese become memorable moments here in Noordhoek and even better when you get to experience it with friends, old + new.

INGREDIENTS
4 Litres of milk
400ml Joghurt (100ml of joghurt per 1 litre milk)

Pour milk into saucepan / double boiler and heat until it starts to bubble and rise "Don't burn it Celia!"
Turn off the heat and allow to cool. When you can run your finger around the saucepan 4x its ready to add the joghurt.
Add the joghurt and stir.
Cover the pot with a lid and either place in a hot box (see pic or www.thehotboxco.co.za) or into the oven (preheat oven to 150 Degrees then turn off, put the pot into the oven) overnight +/- 8 hrs.
Pour into muslin bag and tie the neck hang over a bowl for +/- 24 hrs for the whey to drip out (keep the whey for the dogs).
Sprinkle with coarse salt and place in glass container, seal. Cover with olive oil if you want it to last longer, seal. Refrigerate.

RUNNING IN THE HOEK

This morning was perfect running weather. Misty + fresh. Today was a short one, from the beach parking lot to the dunes my Ipod tells me it's 2.5kms so a total of 5kms there and back. I usually run along the dunes on the left then down to the water, when I reach the dunes (quick stop to check out the surf) and run back along the water. When you reach the corner its the perfect place to do your post run "ritual" whether its meditating, stretching, sit ups or your crouching tortoise salute to the sun hidden meerkat backward bend (there must be a Noordhoek yoga position that features an alpaca?) its a great way to end your run even if you just sit there for a few minutes and watch the surf.

TODAY'S PLAYLIST
Ballad of Sacco & Vanzetti - Stephane Pompougnac
Dream Machine - Mark Farina
Relator - Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansen
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Human - The Killers
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Safe as Houses - AKing
Fairytale - Liquid Deep
No Ordinary Morning - Chicane

BUTTERMILK RUSKS

INGREDIENTS
1.5 Kg Self Raising Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs
500g Butter
500ml Buttermilk
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Cream eggs and sugar
Mix in the buttermilk and lemon juice
Melt the butter and mix in with the buttermilk mixture
Sift the dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture then mix in with your hands to form a stiff dough
Grease a baking dish (I found loaf tins worked well)
Make medium size balls with the dough (a little bigger than golf ball size)
Arrange them very close together
Bake at 180 degrees for 1 hour
Cut or break the balls into rusk size pieces
Arrange them loosely on a baking tray
Let them dry out in a oven of 50 degrees overnight
Turn them around after a few hours

A STOEP

"The space between home and the world, between the inside and outside. Where we watch the days change into night, where we listen to the flies in summer and feel the seasons pass. A place where we belong."
You dont have to sit on a stoep to feel this. If your eyes are open then you belong wherever you go, even if you ride out through the farm gate all the way to Coleskop. Dont complicate a thing. Give yourself to this world moment by moment by moment. Then you are never seperate from your true home."

I read Stoep Zen this weekend. What a beautiful book. Written by Anthony Osler, a Buddhist monk, farmer + father he contemplates life as it passes by the stoep of his Karoo farm. Its real, its funny and its a must read. While it did have a profound affect on me it also made me want to dip rusks into a mug or in my case a bowl of steaming hot tea/coffee so here is a recipe for buttermilk rusks which I made this morning and a few more exerpts from the book to read while you boil the kettle ...

" Johan brings out two cups of hot Kloof coffee, We talk about things we hear on the radio this morning, about war in Iraq, hunger in Zimbabwe, turmoil in Kashmir. Then we give up and sit on the bench feeling the wooden slats at our back. The steam from the coffee mists my glassess and the world disappears."

"A visitor comes to the farm and asks alot of questions about Buddhism so I take him for a walk up the stony road to the gate. "And what does Zen say about love?" he asks. "Watch your step," I tell him. But he doesnt hear. Thats fine too. We reach the gate and head back home."

THE PERFECT FRUIT

Picked this morning by a monkey in a tree apparently taking pot shots at everyone below ...

There is nothing better than an early morning beach walk when the race horses are being exercised. Amazing to watch them thundering past you. Sometimes they take it easy though and once or twice I've even seen one of the jockey's reading a book as he rode past me.

The pooches.

SIMON'S BANGERS + MASH

This is Simon's standard Thursday night meal and as promised this weekend will be focused on kiddie friendly meals.

SIMON'S BANGERS + MASH
5 Potatoes Peeled and quartered
3 Red Onions
Vine Tomatoes
3 Garlic cloves
1 Pack pork sausages
1 Tablespoon butter
150ml Milk
Dash of cream
Salt + Pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water
Place bangers, onion and garlic in ovenproof pan
Grill till brown and turn over
Add vine tomatoes

When potatoes are soft drain and mash. Add salt, butter and milk. Remove 2 garlic cloves from oven and add to mash. I like to give the mash a quick whisk so there arent any lumps then add a dash of cream for that little bit extra.
Serves 3

I make a point every day to put a jug of water on the table to remind us to drink a litre a day. I like to cut up slices of orange (lemon seems to get a bit bitter) ginger and mint. I doesnt always get drunk but it looks good!

OUR FIRST HOMEGROWN WATERMELON!

I cant believe that we actually grew a watermelon. When I planted them I was a little doubtful that they would take and really had no idea how to grow them but check this bad boy out! Its huge and delicious! Unfortunately I cant give you any growing tips apart from water water water.

Here are a few polaroids of pics that Simon took at the Foodbarn Deli. Our favourite local deli & morning stop over for freshly baked croissants and great coffee (dont ask me why but it always seems to taste better as a take-away). Their eggs benedict are the best but everything they make is amazing.

A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE KITCHEN ITEMS

This could possibly end up being a daily list .....