Lifestyle
Domestic Goddesses provides a holistic life style management service. We strive to assist you in creating a harmonious well balanced life though healthy eating habits, movements, home management, home décor and refurbishments.
We will consult with you about all your personal health and home needs and set out a program to relieve the stress of the admin responsibilities of creating a home environment that gives you respite from the stresses of living a highly functioning life.
Rustic scones with raspberry preserve and chantilly cream, hold me back…
I have grown up with my Mom’s scones (which she learned from her granny) and it has spoiled most other scones for me. Her scones are light and fluffy on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside with no hint of that horrible baking powder taste which so many other scones have. My feeling is that the biggest mistake made with ‘other’ scone recipes is that they are over handled (with the effort of getting them into shapes) and then to compensate for this they add too much baking powder which leaves a horrible after taste and feeling in your mouth.
My Mom’s recipe uses very similar ingredients to other recipes, but it is lighter in as much as it doesn’t use cream or as much butter and the baking powder is at least half as much as other recipes. The secret is in the handling of the ingredients and the fact she doesn’t manipulate the dough into shapes but rather lightly flattens all the dough and scores it so that once baked, you break off pieces of scone before slathering them with butter, jam and cream.
Since I haven’t had my Mom’s scones in years now, this was my special request when visiting them on Tuesday. I was to bring the jam and went hunting for Chaloner’s Raspberry and Vanilla jam but alas couldn’t find any (tried three shops – they don’t know what they are missing). I did however find Bonne Maman’s raspberry preserve which was fabulous too. So much so that between the three of us we finished about four fifths of the bottle (shame faced gluttons that we are).
Naturally we gobbled down the lot with much finger licking and big smiles.
Colleen’s Scones
Serves 3 gluttons
2 cups of flour (bread or cake), sifted
1 Tbsp of sugar
½ tsp of salt
2 tsp of baking powder
75g of butter, cold and cut into very small cubes
1 large egg
½ a cup of milk (or butter milk or yoghurt)
2 tsp of lemon juice
Pre heat your oven to 190C˚ and place the wrack in the middle. Grease and flour a baking sheet.
Ensure that all the wet ingredients are as cold as possible and get everything ready before you start. Sift together your dry ingredients. Add your butter and lightly work it into the flour by rubbing it between your fingers. Lift the mixture in your hand high above the bowl letting the crumbs fall down as you rub them between your fingers (this adds air into the mixture). Don’t over rub the mixture, the butter should not melt but rather just be in very small crumbs covered with flour.
Whisk together the milk, egg and lemon and add this to the mixture. Combine the ingredients with a regular dinner knife, cutting and mixing until the ingredients are just combined.
Scrape the mixture onto the baking sheet and using a floured spatula or your finger tips, lightly flatten the mixture to about 2 cm thick. Then score (cut) the mixture half way through (1cm) from the top using a knife to form squares of about 3 – 4cm.
Bake this for 15 – 20 minutes until just baked through and golden brown on top. Check the done’ness with a skewer or small knife.
Serve immediately if possible with your favourite jam and lightly whipped cream with a dash of vanilla and sugar added.
The unsung hero!
There are many foods which have a bad reputation for various reasons. Either we were forced to eat them as children or when cooked incorrectly taste like sulphur, sometime the texture isn’t appealing or we have some cultural hang up on them. I am sure there are many reasons why the lowly cabbage has such a bad rep for many people. I can and will attempt to give you a few reasons why cabbage is actually one of the great vegetables and should not just be hidden in stir fries or disguised with lashing of mayonnaise but should be exulted and celebrated as a food of true deliciousness and delicacy.
On the health side cabbage is practically a super food – it is rich in vitamin C (more than oranges!), iodine (improves brain and nervous system function), sulphur (helps fight infections), high in roughage and is a great detoxifier. The benefits of cabbage include treatmenssssst stomach ulcers, headache, excess weight, skin disorders, eczema, jaundice, scurvy, constipation, rheumatism, arthritis, gout, eye disorders, heart diseases, ageing, and Alzheimer’s disease. Enough said.
When cooked correctly cabbage is sweet, tender and delicate in flavour. It is a great base or accompaniment for stronger flavours but it also delicious when eaten on its own with a knob of butter and some nutmeg. When you over cook cabbage the sulphur is released and it will smell and taste like fart and old socks which makes it easy to explain why so many people can’t stand the thought of eating cabbage. Now, if you are one of those people it’s time to grow up and write that off to bad cooking and give cabbage another chance.
Yesterday I was with my parents and my step Dad made a dish of steamed cabbage leaves topped with a slightly curried mushroom and crème fraiche sauce served with parsley potatoes… it was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Between the three of us we finished the entire platter in which a whole cabbage had been used. This is a dish as well as being easy and quick to make is a celebration worthy meal and could easily stand up to being served at a special occasion. It looks magnificent and tastes spectacular.
I have written the guidelines to my Dad’s recipe below. I didn’t do exact measurements as I normally do at home but used me eye, so you need to take it in that light.
Deconstructed stuffed cabbage(said with tongue placed in cheek)
1 cabbage
2 tbsp of butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
250g – 500g button mushrooms, washed and halved
1 tsp of mild or medium curry powder
½ tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of salt or to taste
½ tsp of Ina Paarman’s Italian cheese sprinkle
¼ cup of finely grated parmesan
250g crème fraiche
A little extra butter (if desired)
Freshly grated nutmeg
For the cabbage
Peel off the tough outer leaves and thoroughly wash your cabbage. Cut out with a small sharp knife the cone shaped stem at the bottom of the cabbage and then start loosening the leaves with your hands separating the leaves. A steamer is ideal to cook the leaves or a large pot with the a steamer insert or simply with about 2 cms of water in the bottom.
Loosely fold up the individual leaves and place them into your steamer or pot and set aside until ready to use. They should take about 20 minutes in a steamer and 10 minutes in a pot (once the water has started to boil).
Please keep an eye on the leaves as they will continue to cook after they are removed from the pot. You want to stop cooking once the leaves are just barely cooked through and have just started to release their natural sugars. Taste and feel the leaves they should be sweet and almost (but not) crispy.
For the sauce
Melt the butter in a medium sized pan on medium heat. Fry your onions and mushrooms for a few minutes. Add the spices, salt and parmesan and fry again for a few minutes. Add the crème fraiche and combine. Taste and adjust flavours if necessary. Set aside until ready for use.
Once the cabbage has steamed place the leaves in pockets on a large platter. Add a few extra knobs of butter (if desired) and liberally grate a dusting of nutmeg over the hot cabbage. Top the cabbage with the hot mushroom sauce and serve immediately.
This dish is best accompanied by boiled potatoes tossed with a little butter or oil and a few handful of very finely chopped parsley.
Pasta making memories!
I will post my full blog in a bit but I came across these pictures and just couldn’t resist. These pictures were taken about 8 or 9 years ago in my Mom’s kitchen and reminded me that making pasta with kids can be really fun. There is lots of kneading and the rolling is very rewarding, whether they actually feed the pasta into the machine or if they just turn the handle it’s all very interactive and great to get them involved.
Take a look at my post about making your own pasta at home if you are curious and write me if you want any more detail.
Oats so delicious!
It’s been a fabulous weekend of fine food, friends, lots and lots of wine and some more fine food. This means that I need to be a little more frugal with the calories this week. I know oats isn’t really a diet breakfast but it is a breakfast which fills me up and keeps me that way for most of a busy day. This is important to me as I am a grazer and if I’m even a little out of kilter, I will standing in front of the fridge every hour or picking up a packet of Niknaks on my next errand. Niknaks are one of my most favourite things!
Okay, so starting with oats certainly helps me quell the grazing urges but I would feel far too deprived if it was just a bowl of gruel I had to be faced with first thing in the morning. I added light coconut milk to my oats, maka powder, vanilla essence, stevia, two blobs of cashew nut paste, toasted omega mix seeds, sliced banana and a drizzle of honey. It was so good it tasted like dessert and I was so full I couldn’t finish the bowl. Smaller portion next time.
My oats mission was revived by reading another food blogger with a passion for oats. Take peek at Fit Foodie Finds – if only I had been like that at varsity (if only I was like that now…)
I’m off now to visit my Mom out in Betty’s Bay and we have planned one rather unusual meal followed by a fabulously traditional afternoon tea treat! Can’t wait to report back.
Casparus – just trust me and go!
On Saturday we had the good fortune of having lunch at Casparus in Stellenbosch, a collaborative effort between two legends, Chef Etienne Bonthuys and Artist Strydom van der Merwe. The occasion for us making the trek out to Stellenbosch was twofold – the enticing blog written my step Dad and wanting to spend some quality time with my dear friends who are lucky enough to live in Stellenbosch.
The service was as service in Stellenbosch often is, a little haphazard and lacking in warmth – the weather in contrast was scorching and not much effort had been made to counteract this (a fan would have been welcome). But a jug of ice water and bottle of Secateur (an Adie Badenhorst blessing in a bottle) soon soothed the mild irritations and once the food arrived we were all smiles and the conversation lingered over flavours, textures and colours as we tasted each other’s dishes each claiming that our dish had to be the shining light of the lunch collection.
I had been a bit overwhelmed while trying to choose my lunch as we had had a rather big and late breakfast and I didn’t want to make a mistake and have buyer’s remorse, so I had asked the waiter if he could get the Chef to choose my meal for me. I had a moment or two’s anxiety over this but ultimately had to trust the Chef would want to give what was at it’s best that day rather than what he was trying to get rid of before it spoiled. Either way my meal was exceptional.
I started with a caprese salad, which was everything that an authentic caprese salad should be and then a whole lot more. For my main course I had a sirloin as tender as the best fillet with all the flavour of sirloin, topped with marrow and sauced with a dreamy jus. The accompaniments of buttery turned veg and potato dauphenoise could have been a meal on their own they were so perfect. All I could manage for dessert were a selection of sorbets which I shared with Hannah our nine month old guest. She agreed that they too were a sensation!
I have heard the name Etienne Bonthuys in my home ever since I can remember. My parents used to treat themselves when we were little to culinary extravagances with him whenever they could afford it. I however have never had the good fortune to do so. Saturdays experience in a down to earth setting with an unpretentious menu, and extremely accessible prices means that I will recommend Casparus to all my friends and followers and hope to be able to eat there on many more occasions.
I wish you every success!
The Imam fainted!
Today’s dish, an Imam Bayildi recipe (a Turkish stuffed aubergine bake recipe), was prepared at the special request of my number one follower, Annika from Midnight Blue Elephant. I have made this dish from vague guidelines received from my mother but never from an original recipe. So after Annika made her request I set about doing a little research.
This aubergine bake is one of the most famous dishes of Turkish cuisine. Imam Bayildi roughly translated means “the Imam fainted” and has been traced back right into the middle ages. Some legends say the Imam fainted at the extravagant use of olive oil (which was very expensive), others say he swooned with delight at the delicate flavor of the dish.
I’m going to go with the delightful flavor story as I have cut the olive oil used down to a third of the original quantity and added various complimentary spices which I feel improve on the original Imam Bayildi recipe.
All the recipes I have read have mentioned that the flavor of the dish improves with time and I fully support that theory. I earnestly advise you, if you plan on making this dish, to make it a day or even two in advance. The subtle flavors develop taking it from a lovely dish to extraordinary dish.
Naturally, I have changed the recipe to suit my taste (as I pretty much always do), so if you want to follow an original Imam bayildi recipe just google it as you’ll find dozens.
My Imam Bayildi recipe
Serves 4 mains, 6 sides or 8 tapas:
4 medium-sized aubergines, peeled and sliced to about 1cm thick slices
½ cup of pouring salt
3 Tbsp good quality olive oil
2 medium onions, halved and sliced
8 medium-sized cloves of garlic, chopped (trust me it’s not too much)
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of ground cumin
½ tsp of turmeric
4 large ripe tomatoes, eye removed and finely chopped
½ cup of chopped tender herbs, I used a combo of parsley, dill, and basil
1 Tbsp of brown sugar
½ tsp of salt (or to taste)
½ cup of boiling water
2 Tbsp of good quality olive oil
Rub the aubergine slices with salt and leave them for 30 mins – 1 hour (as one should for any aubergine bake recipe). Wash and drain them and lay them into a casserole dish.
While the aubergines are salting heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions, garlic, and spices until they turn glassy, then add the tomatoes. My mother adds a handful of currents at this point too which makes a nice addition.
Simmer the tomatoes on medium heat until they turn into a thick sauce (about 10 minutes) then add the sugar, salt, and herbs and simmer for a few more minutes before setting aside until ready to use.
Preheat your oven to 180C˚ and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Pour the boiling water over the aubergines in the casserole dish, top them with the tomato sauce and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the aubergines are soft and the water has cooked away (about 30 minutes). I took the foil off the dish and baked it for about 10 minutes longer until the tomato had caramelized a little on top.
I couldn’t resist eating some right away but the dish improved remarkably the next day and we ate it reheated as a main course with steamed rice. I imagine though that it would be an amazing side for roast lamb or to add cold to a mezze selection. On its own it is a great aubergine bake for vegans too!
Try this rice pilaf with the Imam Bayildi
Pin for later!
I love the Pioneer Woman
I have a long standing love affair with Western movies and Ree Drumond’s life on a ranch in Oklahoma with a chap wearing husband, massive farm kitchen, four unruly kids and lots of great cooking make me feel all gushy with a weird kind of envy (the kind where I’m not really sure I would want it for myself but she makes it look so cool and fun I wish I could be her – part time).
She is a food and life style blogger whose recipes are awe inspiring (if not just because of how rich they are), her photographs are sublime her writing style personal and real. And I love it. I have referred some friends to it and I have gotten mixed feedback and some feel it’s overwhelming but it makes me HAPPY.
Tell me what you think?
PS – You have to watch True Grit
I went on a seafood buying mission
I went on a seafood buying mission yesterday to Breco’s Factory Shop, with my aunt and fellow foodie and came home with a bag of prawns, calamari, smoked salmon trout, butter fish, haddock and tuna all for R200! So I set to work immediately and made a low fat low GI fish pie for lunch.
I poached an assortment of fish and prawns in low fat milk, thickened the sauce with corn flour and made mash with half sweet potato half regular potato and didn’t add butter to the mash. I added lots of fresh steamed veggies and chopped herbs to the fish and voila I had a healthy tasty comfort food lunch.
In my opinion nothing ever tastes better than when you have added cream and butter to it. But all considered it was a very satisfying pie which I think would be a winner with kids too. I also felt full for the rest of the day and didn’t have any mid afternoon cravings (which usually plague me).
My kittens were beside themselves from the sea food smells so I had to share a little bit with them once I finished taking the pictures. They loved it too!
If you have any sensational low fat sea food recipes to send me, that would be great – am on sea food mission now!
Low fat low GI fish and veggie pie
Serves 4 – 6
For the potato topping
300g regular potato, peeled and diced
300g sweet potato, peeled and diced
½ – 1 cup of skim or low fat milk
Salt to taste
¼ tsp of mild curry powder (optional)
1 Tbsp of grated parmesan (optional)
For the fish filling
1 Tbsp of oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp of ginger, finely chopped
600g of assorted fish and sea food – I used a combination of haddock, butterfish, smoked salmon trout and shelled prawns
1 cup of fat free or low fat milk
Salt to taste
¼ tsp of lemon pepper
Zest of half a lemon or lime
1 tsp of whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp of butter
1 Tbsp of corn flour
1 cups of steamed veggies – I used butternut, baby marrow and sweet corn
1 Tbsp of fresh herbs – dill, mint, parsley, coriander would be good
1 Tbsp of lemon or lime juice
Set your potatoes boiling in a pot of salted water. While the potatoes are boiling fry the onions, garlic and ginger for a few minutes. Add the fish and fry for a few minutes. Add the milk and spices and poach for a few minutes and set aside.
In medium pot on medium high heat whisk together the butter and cornflower and fry for a minute or two. Add the liquid from the fish and whisk until it has thickened. Turn down the heat and add the fish, steamed veggies and herbs and finish with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Combine and heat through. Spoon into a casserole dish or individual ramekins.
Pre heat your oven on grill.
Once the potato has cooked through, drain and mash. Add milk until you get a stiff but creamy mash, add the spices and cheese if using. Spoon the mash over the fish filling and grill in the oven until the potato is golden brown.
Okay, I’ve gained a few kilos
Okay, I’ve gained a few kilos over the last few months and they have been well deserved kilos. I’ve always eaten allot and gratefully have a steam train of a metabolism as a result. But I have been breaking my own rules and am bearing the consequences. So I am apologising in advance, I am going to be on a bit of health mission for the next few months. That said there is no reason to eat sadly when watching what you eat. There are so many fabulous tricks and substitutions and only a few bad habits one needs to watch.
Knowing yourself is key, in my opinion, and how I start my day is the key for me. If I can steer clear of sugar and bread and rather start my day with a glass of fresh fruit and veggie juice and a bowl of oats my day is set.
I have been holding off talking about juicing as it is such a love it or hate it topic. But it’s something I do every day and it’s what keeps me eating whatever I want for the rest of the day. I have been juicing for about 4 years now and it has revolutionised my weight control. I am not really hungry first thing in the morning and would often skip breakfast or eat toast with cheese which is a big weakness of mine. If I start my day eating sugar or bready foods by 10h00 my cravings start and I just can’t stop eating for the rest of the day.
When I started juicing I would drink about 300 – 400mls of fresh vegetable and fruit juice in the morning and bam, no cravings. The boost of super nutrients seem to give my body all it needs and the rest of the day I seem to be topping up rather than feeding the furnace.
Adam loves toast though and it is sooooo hard for me to say no to a slice of my own home baked bread with melting butter, mature cheddar and sundried tomatoes in favour of butternut, carrot, beetroot and pear juice first thing in the morning. But it has to be done, I have to pull myself together and return to my tried and tested formula!
The key to successful juicing is your juicer. There are two brands of juicer I would highly recommend and they are Oscar and Kempo. There is much debate between centrifugal and macerating juicers. I am in the macerating camp. Okay, okay – I can go on for ages on juicers… if you are interested in knowing more, contact me, don’t want to bore all of you who couldn’t care less!
I promise not to bore you in the next few weeks but will be making seriously yummy albeit healthy meals.
For some interesting reading on juicing take a look at these links:
http://www.juicing-for-health.com/green-power-juicer.html
http://www.healingdaily.com/juicing-for-health.htm
One plus one equals – mushroom soup
I love mushrooms, I love soup – one plus one equals – mushroom soup. I have been making a particular mushroom soup for at least a decade and a half but haven’t looked at the original recipe in at least as long.
A few things I know I’ve changed are the seasoning, which are flavours I personally enjoy. I also substituted the bread which the recipe used to thicken the soup with white beans as they are way more nutritious. If you hate beans (and you really don’t taste them in the recipe) substitute them with about 5 slices of white bread.
What sets this recipe apart for me is that it is reasonably light and nutritious. Whereas most mushrooms soups recipes are basically mushroom flavoured cream and should be eaten sparingly if one is to avoid looking like the Michelin man half way through winter.
Mushroom soup
Makes 2 litres
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
500g of mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp soya sauce
1 ½ tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground coriander
½ tsp of mixed spice
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 ½ cups of haricot, cannellini or butter beans, tinned or pre cooked if dry
2 Tbsp chopped basil or parsley
125ml of cream (totally optional)
Heat the oil in a large pot. Fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms until they reduce in size to about half. Add a little water if they start to stick. Add the soya and spice and fry a little until the flavours have released. Add the stock and allow this to simmer for 5 minutes. Gently blend with a stick blender but don’t over blend, some texture is nice. Add the herbs and cream if using and serve.
This soup freezes beautifully, so make extra and keep it for a quick meal.
