Food & Love

Clean. Tasty. Life.

Charred, Chestnut Mushroom Gnocchi in Herbs & Balsamic

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Gnocchi is centuries old and made it’s first appearance in Italy after potatoes from South America were introduced to Italian kitchens by Spanish explorers as far back as the 1500s.

This simple potato dumpling is a staple in our home and I make it with a variety of toppings and sauces. Since it’s a little on the heavy side I keep the portions smaller than with pasta, or serve it as a starter. I most often choose vegetarian ingredients when cooking a gnocchi dish and I pack it with flavor.

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Ginger, Orange & Cinnamon Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce

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The original poached pear was created in 1864 by French chef and restaurateur, Auguste Escoffier. He named the dessert Poire belle Hélène after the operette La belle Hélène by Jacques Offenbach, and there has been hundreds of variations of this classic dessert since.

I’ve always used red wine as a poaching liquid and served it with vanilla cream, but it had never occurred to me to pair the pear with ginger until I stumbled upon a post from Instagram sensation @truchocolatesnacks the other day.

The very same day (as if by grand design) my mother-in-law sent us a case of pears from Hale Groves in Florida for Christmas and with much excitement I took to our kitchen to create this interesting new twist on a classic dessert.

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Pea and Smoked Ham Soup

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It’s the time of year when all we seem to do is eat. There are year end work functions, Christmas parties, family gatherings and seeing good friends one last time before everybody scatters across the globe on vacation. So much great food is consumed and very often there are tons of left-overs that sits in the fridge. Here is a simple recipe to rework your smoked ham into an incredibly tasty soup that can be frozen for some other lazy evening, or eaten as a starter at your next dinner party.

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Charred Trout with Rosemary Potatoes and a Roasted Cherry Tomato, Crispy Red Onion and Rocket Salad

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Being from South Africa I have been raised on BBQ’d meat, fish and vegetables. That charred flavor remind me of Sunday lunches, holidays by the beach and camping trips with my family.
Later in life I learned that roasting (or caramelizing as they say in restaurants) is equally important when adding flavor to a dish. It’s when the sugars start to ‘burn’ that beautiful flavor is born and that all meals can be turned into spectacularly delicious creations when you learn the art of caramelizing.

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