141 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion.

Just shows you how popular and commercial this day has become.  A day not only featuring love, or making love, but equally starring the money honey!

“Money, money, money… must be funny, in a rich man’s world”, Abba contemplating the fact.

We, the working class citizen, in a more subtle approach, want some fun with the less is more factors.  We had an assignment lined up for the boys……

 

Assignment:

Show us your cooking skills, baby!!

To use recipes of one of our favourite chefs, Jamie Oliver, to guide you in creating a valentines feast for the girls.  We do not want to know what you’re dishing up, “capisce”!

PS:  The girls will sort the pre-drinks!

 Ready for love, rock & roll and feast….

Abri to start the filling for the porchetta, he is the leader of the pack, the rough diamond, and the only single between the married tribe…

Adding Zonquasdrift olive oil, a drop of brilliance by sous chef Nikki…

Abri….#HeadChef#Menskitchen#Metal#Vuilgedagtes#Hehe!!

Porchetta you beauty!!

‘The man’ helping other men looking good since….

 …1999 his BBC show The Naked Chef debuted, and his cookbook became a #1 bestseller in the UK.

 Dishes calling, always a sober and important job…, sober? Schalk? For sure, why all the questions?

The Cork , Marcia freeing the bubbles, long pop to freedom…

Altan and Paul, seems to share the same thought…

Pieter Cruythoff Brut with a spoonful of berry sorbet…

Need we say more…the naked chef…arrive alive

The kitchen cannibals…from Parow with love…

Vodka jelly

Now you see me…

Now you don’t…

Sous chef Paul taking bruschetta to heart, mind, body and soul…

Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with its 1986 release Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands

Like they say in afrikaans on a langarm boere jol, “gooi die meel!”

Marcia and Lula, when the accordion comes to town…

 

Andre

 

Whala!!! or whoop there it is!!!

 Bruschetta with Tamato & Basil

 Ingredients:

 2 handful nice mixed ripe tomatoes.

1 small bunch fresh picked basil, leaves picked

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

olive oil

good quality white wine or herb vinegar

method:

 The bread is best sliced 1cm thick and toasted on barbecue, but can also be grilled in the oven.

After that it should be lightly rubbed a couple of times with a cut clove of garlic.

Then drizzled with some good extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

The toppings can be as humble or as luxurious as you like.  From chopped herb or a squashed tomato with basil, to marinated vegetables or beautiful cheeses, to lovely flaked crab meat. The only rule is that whatever goes on top of a bruschetta should be nice and fresh and cooked with care.

 Make sure your tomatoes are really ripe when making this topping.  Give them a wash, remove their cores and carefully squeeze out there seeds.  Place in a bowl, tear in the basil, season with salt and pepper, then toss with a good glug of olive oil and a good swig of vinegar to balance the flavours to your taste.

You can serve the tomatoes chunky or finely chopped or you can scrunch them between your fingers before putting them on your basic bruschetta, really tasty!

Recipe by Jamie Oliver

‘Tulpen uit Amsterdam’

Exercising that serving muscles…

Prosciutto & Rocket forks

 ingredients:

 6 slices quality prosciutto, halved

1 handful wild rocket, washed and dried

extra virgin oil

balsamic vinegar

method:

 Carefully crumble a piece of prosciutto up and skewer it on a fork.  Push a small clump of rocket on to the fork and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining forks.

When you are ready to serve, drizzle some olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar on a serving plate.  Place the prosciutto fork on top of it so each guest can swirl a fork in the oil and vinegar before eating

Recipe by Jamie Oliver

Olivea

Christina

Beautiful stuffed Porchetta

(as per Head Chef Abri guided by Jamie)

 

Ingredients:

 3-4 kg deboned pork belly & loin with skin on for crackling effect, serves 8-10

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

wholegrain mustard

3 apples

sourdough bread – crust removed and toasted

rosemary

celery

lemon zest

garlic

olive oil

onions

chicken stock

flour

½ glass of excellent unwooded white wine

Method:

 Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius. Place the pork on a board with the skin side down.  Coat the inside with whole grain mustard.

The Stuffing – finely slice the onions, rosemary, celery and apples.  Heat the olive oil in large pan over medium heat and add the onions, garlic, apples, lemon zest, rosemary, celery with salt & pepper.  Fry for 20 – 30 min or until soft and light gold in colour, stirring occasionally.  Add some white wine and chicken stock.  Rub garlic and rosemary on the sourdough bread and toast in oven.  Cut bread after toasting finished into small pieces and add it to mixture.  Put it aside to cool down.  Once cooled, scrunch to soften mix and place that on the inside of the prepared pork belly & loin.  Roll the pork with mixture inside and tie up the pork with rope.  Rub the salt, pepper & olive oil on the outside and place on roasting tray.  Stove for 30-40 minutes to get crackling crisp & crackled.  Add baby potatoes(dashed with olive oil), celery and carrots in tray.  Reduce heat to 180 degrees celsius and cook for further 1h30min until tender.  Remove the pork and vegetables and use some of the stock/wine/flour into the remaining scraping bits to create a lovely gravy.  Remove string from the porchetta and carve to portions.  Use the gravy to pour over the porchetta and serve with the potatoes/celery and side dishes prepared.

Based on recipe by Jamie Oliver

 Jamie would be proud, for sure, his legacy is a great tool for lovemaking, with food that is, mmmm, ha ha!

Porchetta, baked potatoes, pumpkin tart, an onion ring and some garnish, the girls were impressed, mission accomplished!!

The end was near…but not without sous chef Altan’s Raspberry Syllabub…unfortunately at this time the drinks had the better of us, we were not suitable for any action of any kind, sad but true.

But if you are a believer, and the truth is what you seek, and every one attending could testify, then this was for real the ‘cherry on top’!

Raspberry Syllabub

 Ingredients:

2 punnets raspberries

4 tablespoons caster sugar

50 ml sweet red wine or sweet dessert wine

284 ml double cream

284 ml fat-free natural yoghurt

a few sprigs fresh mint, to serve

1 pack langues de chat biscuits or any thin, all-butter biscuits

Method:

Place the raspberries in a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and wine and set aside for a few minutes to macerate.

Whip the cream to very soft peaks in a separate bowl and stir in the yoghurt. Fold half the cream and yoghurt mix into the raspberry mixture to get a bright pink cream. Now gently fold in the remaining cream and yoghurt mix to give a ripple effect. Divide between 6 glasses or tumblers.

Top each with a mint sprig and a few langues de chat biscuits poked in the top.

 Amen