My First TIme!

My First Time!

Ola!

Most people do not quite clearly remember their first time. I will not lie, mine was very interesting. I could not really determine the mood of the party I was to provide my services for. I was scared that there would be that moment when you realise that the elephant in the room, is actually your failure to please.

My first time was in my friend's kitchen in Cape Town. The year.... Hmmm, I cannot remember. All I was certain of was that I was on point when it came to mastering the lowdown of going down.

In my nervous state, I decided that it would be in everyone's best interest if the presentation were left unwrapped. A little bareness has never hurt anybody.

So there I am, sweating, breathing heavily, feeling the heat... Oh the pressure to perform. With every five minute smoke break, came the questions 'what's going on in there... Are you alright'?. I had adopted a new sense of cockyness and simply respond with the words, Garde la peche, tienquet (Calm the f down, don't worry). After countless rounds of wondering whether or not I would one day regret this moment in my life, I pulled myself towards myself, sucked up my fear and fully engaged in serving my very first meal to a host of starving friends.

It was on this particular day that my passion for cooking was re-instilled and that I came to the realisation that my soul's happiness would entail my following one of my many dreams, of one day becoming a world renowned chef.

For those of you who do not already know me, I am a 21 year old Law student, currently living in Jozi-H. I have a secret passion for creating new ideas for new dishes and I decided to start sharing these with the world, because I am after all on the road to International status. I hope that you enjoy accompanying me on my journey to success and I can give you some food for thought and thoughts for food.

Looking forward to a lot of kitchen counter, hot plate action with you all..

Bisous tous les jours,

Queen Ipel/ GlassTableGirl x

P.S. Fly to your destiny!

Winter Solstice

Ingredients:

Fresh Garlic

Fresh Ginger

Fresh Chillies

Oregano

Mixed Herbs

Parsley

Chicken Spice

4 Deboned, Skinless, Chicken Thighs

Sundried Tomatoes (In Olive Oil Vinaigrette)

1 Aubergine/Brinjal

1 Batch of Spinach

1 Tin of Tomato Paste/2-3T of Ketchup

1 Lemon

½ Beer of Choice

Fresh Cream

Mango/Spanspek (OPTIONAL)

STEP 1: PREPARATION OF CHICKEN

Cut chicken thighs into small cubes/strips and season with chicken spice and mixed herbs

Prepare a marinade by pouring half a beer to a ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the chicken and some sundried tomatoes to the marinade

Mix the batch and let it soak for 15 minutes

STEP 2: PREPARATION OF SAUCE

 Sautee onions and mushrooms in finely chopped garlic, ginger and fresh chillies

  Season with oregano and mixed herbs

Cut aubergine/brinjal across the diameter (In semi-circles) and add to your pan

Add chopped spinach and fry until the spinach starts to wilt

Add chicken, sundried tomatoes and marinade to your sautéed vegetables and fry until the chicken is cooked through

Mix brown sugar to half a tin of diluted tomato paste and add to your pan (alternatively, one may use ketchup)

Sprinkle some parsley into your sauce

Add cream and stir until sauce starts to thicken

Allow your sauce to simmer for a 3 minutes

OPTIONAL: Add chopped mango/spanspek to your sauce and mix in until it has softened and dissolved in your sauce.

Step 3: Preparation of  Olive Oil Vinaigrette

Only for use, if sundried tomatoes do not come in a vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

White Wine Vinegar

Salt

Brown Sugar

PREPARATION:

Mix 2T of Olive Oil to 1 ½ T of white wine vinegar

Add a pinch of salt

Add ½ tsp of brown sugar

Mix together and lubricate your sundried tomatoes

I believe that this recipe is best served with Tagliatelle

I hope that these steps are simple enough to follow and that you enjoy the burst of all these different, yet captivating flavours as they explode in your mouth. 

Bom Proveito!
Khaleesi Ipel /GlassTableGirl x

Date of Creation: 21^st June 2011