' When Coca-Cola isn't Coca-Cola...' The BUMPER Issue!

‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ #50      When Coca-Cola ISN'T Coca-Cola!

  

We  are so privileged to live on the doorstep of some amazing scenery and sights….

Cape Town  must easily be one of the most beautiful cities I  know.

With over 100 beaches, an assortment of glorious mountains in touching distance,  and the far-reaching lush winelands of Stellenbosch and surrounds, just 30 minutes away….

STELLENBOSCH
WINELANDS,
TEXTURES & LAYERS

But it takes a friend from Paris to get us going… to incentivize the turning of the ignition, to energize complacent us, who take our surroundings fore-granted….for us to explore and discover new epicurean havens and live the scenery of Cape Town’s out-lying region of Stellenbosch!

Gosh!  To travel to the winelands just for lunch!

It all began in the lobby of ‘ Her’ hotel, a glimpse at a small advert in a glossy tourist publication, eulogizing about Sunday lunch beneath the old oak trees…and a seed was sown in the tourist thoughts of “Friend-from- Paris” …after all, us Locals , why NOT also enjoy a leisurely Sunday out, in the countryside –just 30 minutes from Suburbia! And so it was to be – a Sunday jaunt for 4 friends…

We  turned off the N1 highway at ‘Klapmuts’…a farming community en-route to our destination, and couldn’t resist to stop and take some photos showing ‘when-Coca-Cola-is-just-NOT- Coca-Cola!’

 When-Coca-Cola-is-just-NOT- Coca-Cola! 

Who would have ever guessed what other wonderful sights we came upon: a winelands safari  – yes!, the “Big Five”  …….and-some!

The “Big Five”  …….and-some!

RAINBOW HYENA

PART OF THE SAFARI..." THE ODD COUPLE "

OH DEAR!...WE'RE RUNNING A LITTLE LATE!

PREY...W-W-WAIT FOR ME...

" THANK YOU    FOR   VISITING "

It was mid-Summer.  We’d made our restaurant reservation for lunch well in advance, instruction-specific:

“Outside, shade or dappled sunlight, not too hot, and definitely in a wind-free spot”…..and  that’s what we got!  

                

OUR  LUNCHEON VENUE

FROM THE WINELANDS OF STELLENBOSCH - 
SEE CAPE TOWN'S TABLE MOUNTAIN IN 
THE MID-DISTANT HORIZON... 
FLOATING IN THE CLOUDS

STELLENBOSCH WINELANDS -
HILLS & DALES

WHAT WE SAW IN STELLENBOSCH WINELANDS
 - JUST 30 MINUTES FROM CAPE TOWN!

STELLENBOSCH MOUNTAINS...LIKE NO OTHER!

And so to recipes…

   Mujaddarah

       …A Modern Take!

 For Gillian

  

For   ‘ Her ’ , a fond memory of my restaurant …

This scrumptious aromatic, simple dish was one of my most popular on ‘ Menu Past ’  –  as we made it , so we sold it!

I suppose because of the marrrrrvellous aromas wafting from our kitchen.  A whole meal it is!

Here I have a modern take on an ancient Middle-Eastern dish , origins of Syria and Egypt , comprising brown lentils and long-grain white rice, seasoned with turmeric and cumin, and generously garnished with caramelized onions, toasted sunflower seeds, a smidgeon of chopped parsley, and accompanied by thick Greek yoghurt.

    

Pronounced:  “Moo-JUHH-da-ra!”

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups long-grain white rice

1 cup brown lentils

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

3 large onions

2 Tablespoons oil (to sauté  the rice and lentils), plus

2 Tablespoons oil + 2 Tablespoons butter (to sauté the onions)
3½ cups boiling water  

½ cup raw sunflower seeds - toasted

½ cup chopped parsley

1 litre fullcream thick Greek yoghurt to serve, (this is my preference), but you could use low-fat Bulgarian plain yoghurt instead.

BASICS FOR MUJADDARAH :

WATER + OIL + ONIONS +
SEEDS + LENTILS + RICE +
CUMIN + TURMERIC + SALT    

THE SHAPE TO SLICE THE ONIONS

 METHOD

1) Sift through the lentils carefully, in case there are any tiny stones, to discard (you don’t want broken teeth!)

2) Peel the onions, and slice in half, then slice each into thin wedges.

3) Brown the onions in a heavy-based frying pan with 2 Tablespoons butter + 2 Tablespoons oil, on medium-high heat, then turn the heat low as they change colour…sauté  till they are dark golden brown (careful not to burn them).

4) In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil, then add the raw rice and lentils, and reduce the heat to medium, stirring this regularly, turning until the rice begins to go a light golden and should give off a nutty aroma.(about 5 minutes)

5) Turn the heat down , and add the turmeric, cumin and salt, and quickly stir this to mix with the rice & lentils.

6) Carefully add 3½ cups boiling water (be careful of the steam), and switch the heat off - leave to cook 15 minutes WITH the lid ON, till all the water is absorbed.

7) Test the rice/lentils  – they should still be soft, but ‘chewy’…not over-cooked. You might need to add another ½ cup boiling water and let cook another 7 minutes with the lid on. No liquid to remain!

8) While the rice is cooking, put the raw sunflower seeds into a dry frying pan, and heat on medium constantly turning for about 10 minutes, until the seeds begin the change colour, and become golden , and toasted.  Set aside to use later.

9) When the rice is cooked, add the browned onions, toasted sunflower seeds, and chopped parsley. You may prefer to rather use these to garnish on top of each portion, instead of mixing into the rice.

Serve warm, with the yoghurt as an accompaniment to the Mujaddarah.

Note:

Do not put this into the fridge when warm , nor seal in a plastic container when warm as the rice will turn sour!

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

TOASTED SUNFLOWER SEEDS

CHOPPED PARSLEY

FULLCREAM GREEK YOGHURT

MUJADDARAH

Last week, I promised some WHEAT-FREE  recipes...

The wheat-free results :

1 ) Try making crepes:

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1¼ cups full-cream milk (can use low-fat)

2 Tablespoons sugar

½ cup my gluten-free flour mix

1 tablespoon melted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

¼ teaspoon almond essence

Pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons butter – used in small bits to grease the pan

Method:

Make as you would usually do crepes, but the pan should not be as hot…a slightly less-than-medium heat is best, will take a little longer, and due to this mixture, the crepes will fry to a darker golden brown , rather than creamy yellow colour.

* For savoury (not sweet) crepes, omit the sugar, vanilla + almond essence.

2 ) See blog #27  how to make the crepes, and to make salmon blintzes.*

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3 ) AND….

To make my amazing wheat-free  Nutmeg Spice Cake … use that same recipe in (blog# 46) , just substitute for the flour mix and baking powder,  those wheat-free recipe mixes given in previous blog(#49)!

    

                

So as usual - ‘til next week,

    ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’

HEY!...D-DONT FORGET ME....