Myself and three girlfriends decided on starting our very own cook club. The idea is for us to have a proper excuse to catch up once a month and to exchange awesome recipes and also to learn a few tips here and there.
Each month one friend gets a chance to host cook club and have to provide a proper meal for the other 3 girls. The other three make sure there's enough wine and so the party begins :)
Our first round of cook club was super successful. Santie was the first to host and made delicious homemade burgers. What a great way to start cook club?
I was next up and made bobotie from the legendary Kook en Geniet. The recipe is as follows:
Ingredients:
- 2 x onions
- Oil or butter
- 1kg x mince
- 1 x slice of bread
- 250ml of milk
- 2 x eggs
- 15ml Curry powder
- 22.5ml sugar
- 10ml salt
- pepper
- 30ml vinegar or juice from 1 lemon
- 7.5ml tumeric
- 125ml raisins
- 4 x bay leaves
- 45ml chutney
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Chop onions, and brown in the oil. Add meat.
3. Soak bread in milk and squeeze milk out - you want to work the bread into the mixture
4. Mix all the ingredients, except for 125ml of the milk, 1 egg and the bay leaves
5. Dish mixture into a sprayed oven bowl
6. Bake for one hour.
7. Beat the one left over egg and milk and pour over meat mixture an half hour before taking out of the oven.
8. Serve with yellow rice and chutney
Next in line was Lyall who made Paella. I'm not a fan of Paella, but couldn't get enough of Lyall's. It was delicious and a great night with the girls. We even had cook club cupcakes from charly's bakery.
Last but not least was Tessa. Tessa made a delicious lasagne with the best chocolate mousse for dessert.
Here's the recipes:
Beef Lasagne: (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
- 250 g packet instant lasagna sheets
- 1.5 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- 1.5 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 1.5 cup thickened or pouring cream
- 1.25 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Ingredients for the Cheese sauce:
- 60g butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the meat sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 x onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 500g beef mince
- 2 x 425g cans tomatoes
- 1.25 cup red wine
- 1.5 tsp ground oregano
- 1.5 tsp ground basil
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Brush a shallow overproof dish with melted butter or oil, line with lasagna sheets - breaking them to fill any gaps. Set aside. To make cheese sauce, melt butter in a medium pan. Add flour and sit for one minute. Remove from heat. Gradually add milk, stirring until mixture is smooth. Return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sauce boils and thickens. Reduce heat, simmer for three minutes. Remove from heat, add cheese, salt and pepper. Stir well until combined and set aside.
To make meat sauce, heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and garlic and stir over low heat until onion is tender. Add mince. Brown well - breaking up with a fork as it cooks. Stir in undrained, crushed tomatoes, wine, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
Spoon one-third of the meat sauce over lasagna sheets. Top with one-third of the cheese sauce. Arrange a layer of lasagna sheets on top.
Continue layering, finishing with lasagna sheets. Sprinkle with combined mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
Pour cream over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until bubbling and golden.
The Choclate mousse:
Stay tuned for more from the cook club. Important to remember that we have rules:
1. You cannot prepare anything the day before. It has to be prepared after work
2. You have to make it from scratch
3. We have to eat before 21h30
Will post more soon x
Each month one friend gets a chance to host cook club and have to provide a proper meal for the other 3 girls. The other three make sure there's enough wine and so the party begins :)
Our first round of cook club was super successful. Santie was the first to host and made delicious homemade burgers. What a great way to start cook club?
I was next up and made bobotie from the legendary Kook en Geniet. The recipe is as follows:
Ingredients:
- 2 x onions
- Oil or butter
- 1kg x mince
- 1 x slice of bread
- 250ml of milk
- 2 x eggs
- 15ml Curry powder
- 22.5ml sugar
- 10ml salt
- pepper
- 30ml vinegar or juice from 1 lemon
- 7.5ml tumeric
- 125ml raisins
- 4 x bay leaves
- 45ml chutney
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Chop onions, and brown in the oil. Add meat.
3. Soak bread in milk and squeeze milk out - you want to work the bread into the mixture
4. Mix all the ingredients, except for 125ml of the milk, 1 egg and the bay leaves
5. Dish mixture into a sprayed oven bowl
6. Bake for one hour.
7. Beat the one left over egg and milk and pour over meat mixture an half hour before taking out of the oven.
8. Serve with yellow rice and chutney
Next in line was Lyall who made Paella. I'm not a fan of Paella, but couldn't get enough of Lyall's. It was delicious and a great night with the girls. We even had cook club cupcakes from charly's bakery.
Here's the recipes:
Beef Lasagne: (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
- 250 g packet instant lasagna sheets
- 1.5 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- 1.5 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 1.5 cup thickened or pouring cream
- 1.25 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Ingredients for the Cheese sauce:
- 60g butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the meat sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 x onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 500g beef mince
- 2 x 425g cans tomatoes
- 1.25 cup red wine
- 1.5 tsp ground oregano
- 1.5 tsp ground basil
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Brush a shallow overproof dish with melted butter or oil, line with lasagna sheets - breaking them to fill any gaps. Set aside. To make cheese sauce, melt butter in a medium pan. Add flour and sit for one minute. Remove from heat. Gradually add milk, stirring until mixture is smooth. Return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sauce boils and thickens. Reduce heat, simmer for three minutes. Remove from heat, add cheese, salt and pepper. Stir well until combined and set aside.
To make meat sauce, heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and garlic and stir over low heat until onion is tender. Add mince. Brown well - breaking up with a fork as it cooks. Stir in undrained, crushed tomatoes, wine, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
Spoon one-third of the meat sauce over lasagna sheets. Top with one-third of the cheese sauce. Arrange a layer of lasagna sheets on top.
Continue layering, finishing with lasagna sheets. Sprinkle with combined mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
Pour cream over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until bubbling and golden.
The Choclate mousse:
Stay tuned for more from the cook club. Important to remember that we have rules:
1. You cannot prepare anything the day before. It has to be prepared after work
2. You have to make it from scratch
3. We have to eat before 21h30
