shop Woolworths biltong

The post How to assemble a biltong cake appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Find the recipe for Chamoy sauce here.  

Now to get started:

The post How to make DIY Mexican candy appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

This spiky Pokémon-like, fractal flower is a mesmerisingly beautiful heirloom vegetable with Italian origins. This is cauliflower and broccoli’s flamboyant sibling – firmer and crunchier than cauliflower but similar in flavour. Chartreuse in colour, it’s so much more than just a pretty face. Romanesco is that otherworldly green veggie that begs to be taken home and explored, making it one of the most impulsively purchased vegetables of all time. Probably.

Sometimes, I just toss it into my trolley with no clear idea what I’ll do with it other than knowing I want to at the very least admire it whenever I open the fridge.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Khanya Mzongwana (@____khanya)

Identifying Romanesco

Romanesco grows best in cool weather in full sun and sprouts into a large head about 16 cm in diameter, much like cauliflower, with a thick central stalk and large, dark green leaves. How to choose a Romanesco? Look for sharp points, a vivid green colour, with no discoloration or brown spots, and make sure the head is sturdy and not rubbery and soft.

What does Romanesco taste like?

Its flavour is often described as nutty, mild and sweet. When cooked, it acquires an earthy flavour but it may turn bland and slightly bitter if overcooked. It can wear a myriad outfits and look spectacular in all of them. It lends itself to all manner of flavour and maintains its main character status on a plate.

Cooking with Romanesco

Romanesco is a dynamic veggie and there are so many ways to prepare it – your safest bet is to treat it as you would broccoli or cauliflower. Finely chop it into a frittata; roast the florets and toss them with a dressing of lemon, olive oil and herbs; boil the whole head and roast in a mixture of oil, spices and yoghurt; or cut into steaks and throw on the braai as in my recipe below. You could also tempura the florets to make a crunchy snack and dip it into a citrusy aioli. Maintain those attractive fractals by not cutting the florets too small, but if you’re keeping it raw, it’s best to slice it into thin, delicate slices and toss into a coleslaw.

Shop Romanesco at Woolies today.

If you have some on hand right now, make the very best of it with these recipes:

Organic baby leaf salad with pickled Romanesco, spelt and walnuts

Find the recipe for organic baby leaf salad with pickled Romanesco, spelt and walnuts here. 

Braaied veggies with curried onions

Find the recipe for Braaied veggies with curried onions here. 

The post How to cook romanesco appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR EGG RECIPE GUIDE

The post How to poach eggs perfectly appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Preparing the calamari

When coating the calamari, make sure all the pieces are individually coated, making sure to shake off any excess flour. If you’re using small calamari, this will be light work, but if you’re using larger pieces, cut it into thick rings and soak in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. Season your flour well – this is the crucial step in flavouring your calamari.

Tips when frying calamari

Heat an adequate amount of oil to fry the calamari, rather have a lot than a little. And be sure not to overcrowd the pan when frying, as that may cause the oil to cool, which means the calamari won’t crisp up. When the calamari is cooked, drain on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil, there’s nothing worse than oily calamari!

How to avoid tough calamari

To prevent your calamari from becoming tough and chewy, take care not to cook it for longer than the allocated time. Remove it from the hot oil as soon as it crisps up and turns light golden brown. As a rule, fry tentacles for 1 minute, and 2-and-a-half minutes for the tubes, and no longer.

Step-by-step fried calamari

Ingredients: 

180 g flour
80 g cornflour
1 t baking powder
2 t salt
1 t black pepper
1 t smoked paprika
500 g calamari, cleaned
canola oil, for frying
½ cup mayonnaise
2 T gochujang paste
lime wedges, for serving

The post How to fry calamari appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Tempering chocolate refers to the controlled heating and cooling of chocolate to give it a shiny appearance and a crisp snap. Tempered chocolate not only looks impressive, it also adds a ‘preserving’ element to the finished product. Tempered chocolate won’t melt as quickly as regular chocolate and acts as a secure shell for whatever soft filling is inside. There are a couple methods of tempering, which are seeding, tabling and a process of heating and cooling the chocolate to a specific temperature (using a thermometer) depending on the type of couverture you’re using.

What do I need to know about tempering chocolate?

There’s no two ways about this, tempering chocolate is a rather fiddly process, one that requires patience and specific tools. In classic French patisseries, you might find an automatic tempering machine, but failing that, you’ll get by with a thermometer, a metal spatula and a non-stick silicone baking sheet or wax paper. Once you’ve got your kit sorted, you’ll also need somewhere to melt the chocolate – either in a microwave or in a double-boiler, which you can make by setting a glass bowl over a bowl of barely simmering water.

What can I do with tempered chocolate?

Tempered chocolate is mostly used to cover filled chocolates and other friandises, but it can also make an impressive garnish for desserts or cakes.

A note on the chocolate

If you’re going to temper chocolate, you could probably make do without any tools but you won’t get very far if you’re not using the correct chocolate. If you’ve ever noticed the word ‘couverture’ on a chocolate bar, this is the chocolate you’ll want to reach for when tempering, as it literally translates to ‘covering’. This chocolate has a higher cocoa butter percentage and generally contains less additives such as vegetable oil, flavourings, milk powder or soy lecithin. For tempering success, look for chocolate with at least 32% cocoa butter as this will give the finished product that desired glossy shine. You can temper all types of chocolate, provided they have a high enough cocoa butter content. Glen Williams, owner of Foxcroft restaurant and bakery in Cape Town stressed this to us:  “Spend the extra money on proper couverture, if there are any ingredients other than cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla and lecithin (and milk solids for milk chocolate), then don’t bother trying to temper.”

Not sure what to do with your tempered chocolate? Here’s some inspiration. Find our step-by-step guide on how to temper chocolate below the recipes.

Chocolate mousse, espresso sabayon and chocolate shards

Get the recipe for chocolate mousse, espresso sabayon and chocolate shards here.

Two-ingredient magic shell

Get the recipe for two-ingredient magic shell here.

Christmas Yule log

Get the recipe for Christmas Yule log here.

Temper chocolate in 6 easy steps

The post How to temper chocolate appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

The scones are such a hit that my mom is even a member of a club of 13 women who bake them by the truckload (I’m not kidding!). Every time one of the ladies has a family event, they each contribute a bucket of scones, creating an arsenal that will hopefully get you through a week of dozens of people pouring into your home to either mourn or celebrate with you. So naturally, the festive season just isn’t complete without a container of scones and at least a two-litre bottle of ginger beer in the house – Christmas staples you should never be without.

Therefore, it’s only fitting that when I collaborated with Woolworths on a special new gifting line, the first thing I thought of was our beloved dikuku le gemere – combining two classics for a ginger beer scone recipe that will ignite memories and nostalgia for many. This one is for all you lazy makotis – it’s so easy everyone will get them right on their first try. I’m happy to say there’ll be no more worrying about whether your scones will be too dry or rock hard; the results will always be so delicious the whole family will want seconds and thirds – the ultimate compliment for any baker.

THE LAZY MAKOTI’S TOP SCONE TIPS

Perfect scones should be just a little crumbly and are best enjoyed fresh from the oven. Here’s some advice for getting them right every time.

• Use good-quality ingredients and measure them correctly.
• Don’t soften the butter. Cold butter makes scones rise higher. Cut the butter into small cubes for easier mixing into the flour.
• Mix the ingredients until just combined. Avoid overmixing the dough. Too much stirring will toughen the scones.
• Flour your surface before placing the dough on it so that it doesn’t stick. This makes it easier to lift the scones once shaped.
• If the dough is too sticky when you put it on the surface, add more flour.
• lour your cookie cutter. If you don’t have one, the rim of a glass works just as well to shape a chunk of dough into a disc. A larger disc will make a larger, moister scone. A smaller disc will make a smaller, drier scone.
• Keep the scones as cold as possible until they are ready to go into the oven. This will make them rise better.
• Preheat the oven before baking the scones.
• Brush the scones with milk or beaten egg before baking for a beautiful golden brown colour.

Making ginger beer scones

Once you have your “make your own Lazy Makoti ginger beer scones kit” you’re ready to create some magic in the kitchen. All you need is a few more ingredients and 15 minutes to prepare the recipes and you’re all set to have delicious ginger beer scones. Follow the easy method below.

The post How to make The Lazy Makoti’s ginger beer scones appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Abigail uses her nana’s sausage roll recipe to this day. She shares her top tips for making sausage rolls. Once you have the basics down, you can experiment with the fillings to create your own signature sausage roll!

Home-made sausage rolls fillings

As the name suggests, sausage rolls are filled with sausage meat. According to Abi, any sausage is good (even plant-based sausages if you don’t eat meat. You’ll need to add a little coconut oil so the filling doesn’t get too dry when baking). Abi often uses chicken sausage or wors, and even used duck sausages to make a spectacular festive appetiser. If you want to make your filling stretch, she suggests adding fresh breadcrumbs to the filling. Since sausages are already seasoned, you can use them as is, or you add more seasoning to your liking. You can even blend some vegetables and incorporate them into the filling (hidden veggies for the win!).

The type of filling you use can also determine how you serve your sausage rolls. If you’re using lamb sausages, Abi suggests serving them with a dip made with vegetable atchar and yoghurt. Her duck sausage rolls are served with apricot blatjang. These little touches will really make a difference when serving home-made sausage rolls.

Find the recipe for duck sausage rolls here. 

Pastry

There are two routes you can go when it comes it comes to pastry for sausage rolls. You can use ready-made puff pastry or you can make your pastry from scratch. Abi suggests using shortcrust pastry, but if you want a puffier pastry you can also make rough puff pastry.

Find the recipe for shortcrust pastry here.

When making pastry, it’s important that the butter and water are cold.  Cold butter will result in a perfect, flaky texture. If your water is not chilled, it may melt the butter while mixing. If you’re making shortcrust pastry, add a little vinegar or lemon juice to the pastry to help soften the gluten, resulting in a flakier crust.

Find the recipe for Liam Tomlin’s rough puff pastry here

ALSO READ: Roll with it: your guide to home-made pastry

Assembling your sausage rolls

If you made your own pastry, unwrap the pastry and roll it out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3 mm. Cut in half horizontally. Cut ready-made puff pastry into 2 or 3 rectangles depending on how big you want your sausage rolls. Mould your filling and place in the middle of the pastry. Make sure the filling is evenly distributed so everyone has enough filling. Brush the ends of the pastry with beaten egg, then bring it over the sausage meat and seal using a fork. Brush the top of the sausage rolls with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden, puffed up and cooked through.

Cocktail sausages

To make cocktail sausage rolls, cut sausage rolls into even squares. When cutting, use a sawing motion with your knife, rather than pushing it straight down. This will ensure the pastry doesn’t pinch closed at the ends. You can freeze cocktail sausages unbaked for later. According to Abigail, you should bake them from frozen at 180°C for around 30 minutes.

Easy sausage roll recipe

Ready to try making home-made sausage rolls? Here are some easy recipes to test your skills on.

Find the recipe for easy home-made sausage rolls here. 

Find the recipe for Moroccan sausage rolls with minty salsa here. 

Find the recipe for quick sausage rolls here.

Step-by-step guide to making home-made sausage rolls

The post How to make home-made sausage rolls appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

First up, you’re going to need coconut butter – not to be confused with coconut oil. If you can’t find it in store, you can make it yourself, by pulsing desiccated coconut in a food processor for about 10 minutes, until a creamy liquid forms. Scrape down the sides a couple of times during the process to incorporate all the coconut. While you can attempt this in a powerful blender, a food processor works best. You’ll need around 3 cups of coconut to have enough to form a butter – more if you have a large food processor.

What does browned coconut butter taste like?

Smooth, rich, creamy, toasty and slightly nutty.

How do you eat browned coconut butter?

Slather it on toast or pancakes, spoon it over warm oats, stir into ice cream or use in baking as a vegan substitute wherever browned butter is called for. If your browned coconut butter hardens too much (it will in winter), place the jar in a bowl of warm water to loosen it up.

BTW, browned coconut butter is a great gift to share. Use our handy labels to complete your gift. Download the labels here. 

How to make browned coconut butter

Want to take that coconut butter from basic to bougie? Brown it!

The post How to make browned coconut butter appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Miso is a fermented mixture of soya beans (other grains and beans are used, too) and koji (a safe, edible type of mould that grows on rice). It is salty, funky (in a good way) and delivers an umami punch. There are many types but the most common are sweet white miso, which is lighter in colour and flavour, and red miso, which is fermented for longer to make it saltier, earthier and more intense in colour and flavour.

Use it in salad dressings, marinades and glazes, or mix it with mayonnaise, tahini or cream cheese for an instant hit of flavour. It’s also great in stir-fries and pestos and, of course, soups. And not just plain miso soups – add it to almost any kind of soup or stew at the end of cooking, just as you would season with salt.

Different types of miso

ALSO READ: 7 surprising recipes that use miso

6 tips for cooking with miso

• Miso is quite salty, so take care not to overseason food when using it.
• Never boil miso – this will destroy its flavour. When making a soup or broth, always cook the ingredients in hot vegetable or chicken stock first, without the miso. When ready to serve, turn off the heat and stir in the miso just before serving.
• Wipe off miso marinades before cooking. Because miso is primarily made from soya beans, it doesn’t melt and burns easily. Wipe marinated meat, fish or vegetables with kitchen paper, leaving a thin layer of miso behind. It shouldn’t look like a braai marinade.
• Thin it down first. Miso will be lumpy if you throw it into a jar with other salad dressing ingredients and shake. Thin the miso first by mixing it with one of the liquids in the dressing.
• Miso loves tomatoes because of its umami flavour. It works really well in tomato-based sauces, which are also naturally high in umami. Pizza toppings and pasta sauces are a hundred times better with a little miso in them, and the addition of cheese will send the umami scores off the charts.
• Spice up salad dressings: mix 1 t miso paste, 1 T rice wine vinegar, 1 t sesame oil, 1 t soya sauce and 2 T olive oil, or add it to a caramel sauce instead of salt for a salty miso caramel.

The post How to cook with miso appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

The post How to make the ultimate stir-fry appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.