Mangia! Mangia!

I always thought if I were to be reincarnated I'd either like to come back as the wife of an Afrikaans Boer or an Italian Mafioso. Either way I'm picturing a vineyard in the mountains with tables groaning under the weight of my food and wine while my family and friends get royally fed and ridiculously wasted.

Being proudly South African I'm a bit of a sucker for a Big Burly Boer as long as there's no safari suits or long socks involved. And I can quite happily fill a table with bobotie and pap and bredie and melktert. But when I picture the Boer sidling up to me by the potato salad and saying:

"Hoe lykit hoe lykit ek en djy naked" 

....I kind of lose my appetite.

Rather pass me that Sexy Scary Sicilian. In the first place - the table will overflow, I can cook Italian till Venice sinks. And in the second place - when I picture my Mafioso grabbing me by my hair and throwing me on the table (red wine glasses shattering and terrified families scattering) and saying:

"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse"

.....MAMA MIA!!

As I start reciting all the names of all the Catholic Saints I think about the lush vine-ripened tomatoes, the juicy olives, the glistening olive oils, the silky anchovies, the rotten cheese, the bulging sausages... oh yes, and my Sicilian of course... and all I can think is:

"You better make it good Guido, or I'm yelling Forget About It and I'm off to the market!!"

xx

J

ZITI AL FORNO

This is my version of Tony Soprano's favourite dish, Baked Ziti, from the Sopranos Family Cookbook. Sadly I didn't have Ziti because I'm not living in Sicily with Guido. But I don't think Fabs and Emily minded that I replaced it with Diatoni Lisi. Or any other pasta for that matter. Fabs came for some seriously needed and deserved TLC and I suspect any pasta with any meat and any cheese was going to put the smile back on her face. And Emily eats like a locust on crack so she was going to be happy too. Of course, that just left me, and you know me, I have to go all out. So I made Sunday Gravy - an Italian tradition which warms my soul for the sheer love of cooking it requires...

Sunday Gravy

1kg Beef stewing meat (previously I've made it with half pork/half veal - great but richer)

1/2kg Pork sausages

4 Garlic cloves crushed

1/4c Tomato paste

6 Tins chopped tomatoes

1t Dried chilli

1t Dried fennel

Meatballs

500g Mince

1/2c Breadcrumbs

2 Eggs

2 Garlic cloves crushed

1/2c Grated parmesan

2T Parsley chopped

Pasta

500g Pasta (preferably a smooth tubular one)
1c Grated parmesan
1c Ricotta
150g Mozzarella diced

Fry the beef until nicely browned and remove. Fry the pork sausages with the fennel and chilli until browned. (You're supposed to use Italian sausages which I don't have, but since Italian sausages are spiced with fennel and chilli - voila). Drain most of the fat from the pan. Add the garlic, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, 2c water and s&p. Add the meats and bring the sauce to a simmer. Leave the pot uncovered and simmer slowly for 2 - 3 hours until the meat falls off the bone. Remove the meats and set aside for a separate dish. (I'd serve it with just crusty bread). To make the meatballs combine everything but the oil then make little meatballs the size of grapes. Fry them until nicely browned. Add them to the sauce and allow to simmer for another half an hour. Cook the pasta until al dente. Add the pasta and 1/2c parmesan to the gravy and meatballs. Spoon half the mixture into a baking dish. Spread the ricotta on top and sprinkle with half the mozzarella and 1/4c parmesan. Spoon on the remaining mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil and bake at 180C for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

MALVA PUDDING WITH HOMEMADE CUSTARD

Being TLC night Fabs gets what Fabs wants so I had to channel my Afrikaans Boer for dessert. Emily wanted to bring Woolworths malva pudding as a backup in case mine was horrible. I love her but she's swimming with the fishes...

Pudding
2T Butter
1c Sugar
2T Apricot jam
2t White vinegar
2c Flour
2c Milk
2 Eggs
2t Baking soda

Syrup
1c Sugar

3/4c Butter

1t Vanilla extract

Custard

1t Vanilla extract
500ml Milk
5 Egg yolks and 1 whole egg
1T Maizena
120g Caster sugar
250ml Double cream

For the custard I didn't bother with vanilla pods - you'd hardly notice on a rich tasting pudding like malva. Add vanilla extract to the milk and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and allow to infuse. Whisk eggs together with sugar and maizena until pale and thick. Add the milk in slowly over low heat and stir until thickened. Add the cream. For the malva melt the butter, sugar, apricot jam and vinegar together until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Alternate sifting the flour with the milk until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, then the baking soda and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 180C for 40 minutes. For the syrup mix the ingredients with 1/2c boiling water and heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the cooked pudding and allow to stand for 10 minutes to soak.