Chilli Harvest!

Even though it's winter, our 4 small chilli bushes have been working overtime to produce some wonderfully spicy treats!

Miso Soup

My husband and I made some Miso soup for supper and although it wasn't truly authentic, it was truly delicious!

We fried 3 leeks, 500g brown mushrooms and a touch of garlic and then added in
2 tbspn of chicken stock powder dissolved in 1.5L of water. We struggled to find dashi stock in our area of the world, so chicken stock had to do. We simmered this for about 10 min before stiring in about 2 tbspn of Mitoku Hatcho Miso paste (which lasts a long time btw!).

Just before serving (once off the heat) we added some chopped fresh coriander, half a sheet of torn nori, diced spring onions and if we had had tofu, we would have added it at this point.

Hatcho miso had many apparent health benefits, whcih you can read more about here:
http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/japan_guide_06.html

Tuna Wraps with a Japanese Vinaigrette

For supper today, we got the tortillas out the fridge and ate them cold with tuna and a Japanese viniagrette. I would suggest warming the tortillas on the stove in a dry pan before eating them once cold - or else they go brittle and a bit bready.

This is how I made the Japanese viniagrette:

3 tbspn canola oil

2 tbspn vinegar

1 tbspn sesame seed oil

1 tbspn soy sauce

1 tspn lemon juice

pinch of suagr

sesame seeds (we didn't have these so I improvised with spring onion).

Mayan Tortillas

For supper today we had Mayan themed tortillas from scratch. Mayans used to use a farming system called "Three Sisters", in which they plant beans, squash and maize together. The beans climb up the maize stalks and provide nitrogen to the soil while the squash prevents the growth of weeds and it's leaves act as a compost and it's hairs are uninviting to insects. When beans and maize is eaten together, they compliment each other nutritionally.*

I made the tortillas first. They can be frozen in plastic for a couple of weeks, so I made a double batch. These are plain flour tortillas (kind of like wraps) as it is very difficult to find lime soaked flour, the kind used to make Nachos in South Africa. Below is what you would do for a single batch, which should make 8:

Tortillas

Sift 2 c cake flour with tsp salt and 1.5 tsp baking powder. Mix in 3/4c lukewarm milk, 2 tsp vegetable oil and knead. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before dividing into 8 balls. The resting is important as it prevents the dough from stretching together again, as far as I understand. Then fry these, once rolled out as thinly as possible, on a high heat in a dry pan and flip over when they start blistering.

My double batch only made about 13 tortillas, but they were ok to use (not too thick, brittle or crispy). I also ad-libbed a bit by adding some dried oregano, thyme, Chipotle Tabasco, cayenne pepper and a dash of sesame seed oil to the mixture for extra flavour.

Topping

For the topping, cut up an avocado and pour a bit of lemon juice over it.

Next scoop out the fleshy insides of a well-cooked gem squash.

Defrost some frozen mielies/corn.

If you have some sour cream and/or refried black beans at hand, those will go nicely.

For extra spice, finely chop up a Habernero. I grow some in my garden, and one was enough for 4 tortillas!

This was a very filling and tasty and healthy meal! We already had the beans, and the vegetables where easy to prepare!

If you're interested in Mayan cuisine, here's a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_cuisine

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)

Black Bean and Gammon Soup

Origional recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/black_bean_soup/

Adaption:

2 cups dry black beans soaked and drained makes 4/5 cups of soaked beans.

*Buy black beans at a Spice Emporium or Wellness Warehouse (it's cheaper at the Wellness Warehouse)

450g gammon

1 large yellow onion, chopped fine

1 medium sweet potato, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (can substitute 2 large carrots)

1/2 carrot, chopped fine

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 teaspoon chile powder

2 bay leaves

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp molasses

3 to 4 Tbsp lime juice (can substitute lemon juice)

For garnishing:

Chopped fresh cilantro

Sour cream

Avocado, peeled and chopped

Method

Fry onion and gammon in your pressure cooker.

Add all other ingredients except lemon juice and toppings. Cook for 30 minutes.

Serve with lemon juice and garnishes.