Sunday, May 22, 2011

Masala Omelette Wrap




This is a family favourite, excellent hangover fodder, good for breakfast on the run (it can be wrapped in foil to keep it hot), brunch, quick lunch, eminently suitable for a solo dinner, relatively diet worthy - all round fab!


Masala Omelette

Small non stick frying pan
Teaspoon of cooking oil
One small onion, chopped finely
½ teaspoon garam masala
Pinch of salt
Dried chilli flakes, to taste, a pinch if you’re wimp,
2 beaten eggs
Handful of fresh coriander
One flour tortilla (or a chapatti)

Heat the oil (yes, in the frying pan), add the onion, garam masala, chilli flakes and salt, fry for a couple of minutes, you want the onions to still have a bit of crunch. Add the eggs, moving the pan to make sure they cook evenly. Once set, but still a little moist slide onto your tortilla/chapatti, top with the coriander and roll up. Eat!!


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

Mercilessly stolen from A Girl, A Style blog (a must read) these are now a regular feature at Ras Mbisi, I do play around with different ingredients (e.g. lime (zest), cardamom and cashew), but this (the original) is fantastic!

CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

This is perfect with a strong mid-morning coffee, (and so much better than the stale, brittle biscotti you buy in coffee shops). Makes around 35 pieces and keeps for 1 week.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking power
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
100g good quality dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
3 large eggs
2-3 tablespoons melted butter (begin with 2, and add more if needed to moisten mixture to a firm dough)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or 1/2 cup for a darker version)

Method:

Preheat over to 180 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add pistachios, chocolate and any other filling. In a separate small bowl, mix eggs, melted butter, vanilla and cocoa. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until combined (dough will become quite hard to mix, so use hands to knead into a smooth dough).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough into two, and shape into two logs about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle each with brown sugar if you wish. Bake until risen and firm (15-20 minutes). Let logs cool completely on sheet (about 30 minutes).

Reduce oven to 150 degrees. When logs have cooled, cut crosswise (using a serrated knife) into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake until dry (15-20 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Honeymoon


Well there we go, Wills and Kate are married, but not heading off on honeymoon just yet. The official line given was that he had to apply for leave and didn’t get it. They depart on Honeymoon in two weeks to ‘a remote island in the Indian Ocean, the accommodation is set in a coconut grove and the area is known for nesting sea turtles’ had it added “and whale sharks” it could have been Mafia Island!!! Happily none of the accommodation on Mafia costs $4000 a night though!

Where do you think they are going?