08/12/2010

I ate a bucket of meat

African Brai, Street party style : Mzoli's (Gugulethu, Capetown)

Any person who knows about Mzoli's glows about it. I didn't quite know what to expect but from the instant buzz people get when they talk about this place my tastebuds were tickled just thinking about it.

Sitsuated in the heart of Gugulethu township in surrounding Capetown - on first glance - totally missable, it looks dingy and totally confusing to see the ques of people spilling out onto the street. There is a haze of smoke crawling out from behind a giant tin roof - and then you smell wood burning meat - and your totalz swept up in the humy buzz of smokey energy.
  

This place has got the art of Braii perfected. In the midst of a township it's easy to feel out of place or a sense of trespassing - but this place welcomes everyone - even a kinda of awkward middle aged women doing the moonwalk. It's an all day street party where you BYO booze / salads / ice boxes and you buy your meat at their butchers. Line up in the first building with dusty glass and choose any meat you could dream off, fillet, sausages, lamb chops (totally mouthwatering) ribs - get it weighed and pay - then follow your nose out the back to the floor to ceiling wood burning fires - where all your meaty goodness is cooked to perfection and seeped in woody smokey greatness.


Hell Yeah!!
 

03/12/2010

I eat humus by the tablespoon

Humus with freshly baked pita pockets

2 months without an oven has caused serious food day dreams of all the uncookable things that linger just out of reach – until yesterday. Pita bread time – well a version of pita, more like flat bread - and oh holy moly you can't have pita without humus.


Humus
8 tblsp Tahini (the tahini I used was runny and real pale in colour)
2 tins of chickpeas
1 ½ cans of liquid from the tin of chickpeas
2 ½ tsp chopped garlic
juice of 1 ½ lemon
½ tsp salt
4-5 tblsp olive oil


This recipe is my current version - but always worth playing with. Add the two tins of chickpeas to a pan – heat on a low temperature for 2-3 mins. Add all other ingredients to the chickpeas. Continue to heat on a low temperature for about 5 mins and use a potato masher to much it up. Turn off the heat and mash or blend until smooth.

Pitta Pockets

3 cups of flour (1 of white 2 of brown bread flour)
1 ½ tsp salt
1 packet of yeast (15g)
1 ¼ – 1 ½ cups of luke warm water
2 tblsp olive oil

Mix yeast with flour and salt – add the olive oil and 1 ¼ cup of water and stir. The ingredients should come together to form a ball (if the flour won't stick add some more water / if too wet add some more flour). Place ball on a floured work surface and kneed for 10 mins. Then place ball in a bowl that is lightly coated in olive oil- coat ball in oil by rolling it around the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm until it has doubled in size (90 mins). When doubled, punch down to release trapped gas and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with cling film. Let it rest for 20 mins. Pre- heat oven to it's hottest – spread flour on a baking sheet. Roll out balls to 1/8 inch thick – cook for 5 mins. Then whats real nice is to toast them to give them a lovely golden brown colour. They should keep for a few dayz.