Recipe(tried): Weekend Fare in Sunny S.Africa - Chicken with Mango and Ginger Mayonnaise, Oriental Spinach Salad, Tomato-Rosemary Salad, Basil Breakfast Potatoes, Polenta Cheese Bread, Mango Bread

Hello everyone,

From a very warm South Africa. It was a wonderful week end spent by the pool My sons had there friends over, we swam, watched movies in the evening and I even got my nose into a book!!!! (I'm reading Kathy Reich's Deja Dead, a thriller I'm been wanting to read for some time. On Sunday I even baked several batches of biscuits (shortbread again, Crunchies and Romany creams! they did, t last long as I had lots of testers!!!!!!

Here is a selection of the food I served over the weekend

Chicken with Mango and Ginger Mayonnaise
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6 Chicken Breasts, skinned and boned
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
1 Tsp black peppercorns
A few celery leaves
2 sticks of celery
1 1/2 Tbls, parsley finely chopped
A tin of Medium (410g) mangoes or fresh when available

Ginger Mayonnaise
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1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
Grated rind of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp runny honey
1 inch (2.5cm) piece of ginger, peeled and grated (can add more if liked)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place chicken, wine and water in a saucepan, adding more water to cover if needed. Add peppercorns and celery leaves. Bring to boil, reduce heat and poach gently until the chicken is cooked, about 15 mins (but check after 10)

Remove chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Place in a bowl with the celery and Parsley. Add mango pieces to the chicken mixture.

Ginger Mayonnaise

Blend together the mayonnaise, or cream, lemon rind, lemon juice and honey. Add ginger. Season with the salt and pepper.

Dress the salad with the mayonnaise and serve at room temp.

Ideas:
Add a handful of halved seedless grapes to the mixture.

A few finely chopped dates make a nice addition too.

Oriental Spinach Salad
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1 Tbls sesame oil
4 baby onions (red or white) peeled and cut into Quarters
3/4 Lb (about 350g) Pork Fillet, cut into thin strips
8 ozs/200g baby spinach leaves, rinsed
8 baby corn, sliced lengthways
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger grated finely
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbls sesame seeds

Heat oil in a Wok. Add onions, ginger and garlic and stir-fry at a high heat for 1 minute then reduce heat and cook gently until the onions are just about tender.

Increase heat again and add the pork and corn, cook for about 2 minutes.

Add spinach and place a lid on the wok. Steam for 1 minute.

Add remaining ingredients, heat through and serve immediately.

I doubled the following recipe .

Tomato-Rosemary Salad
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3 Tomatoes
1 Red onion
2 tsp Fine chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup Chopped Italian parsley
Salt
Virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch dice. Chop red onion into 1/4-inch pieces. Combine tomatoes, onion, rosemary, parsley and salt to taste. Toss with vinaigrette dressing composed of 3 parts olive oil and 1 part Balsamic vinegar.

This is Caprial Pence's recipe and Is Wonderful

Basil Breakfast Potatoes
Prepare these potatoes the night before then pop them in the oven the next morning. Try other fresh herbs such as thyme and oregano.

5 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. Place the sliced potatoes in water to cover until needed. Heat oil in a medium saut pan until very hot. Add garlic, shallots, and onions and saut 2 to 3 minutes, until you can smell the aroma. Add sherry and boil over high heat to reduce until about 1/4 cup of liquid remains. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Lightly oil a 9 by 5-inch baking dish. Cover the bottom with about a third of the potatoes. Sprinkle with about a third of the onion mixture, then sprinkle with about a third of the cheese and the basil. Drizzle about 1/3 cup cream over the potato mixture and season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with another layer of potatoes and repeat the process. Top with one final layer of potatoes and repeat the process. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the cheese is golden brown.

Polenta Cheese Bread
Mix and knead this full-flavored bread in your food processor. Don't process for more than 60 seconds or the dough will overheat.
Makes 1 loaf (about 2 pounds)

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into small chunks
About 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

Preparation and rising time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours
Baking time: About 35 minutes

Combine yeast, water, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl; let stand until softened (about 5 minutes).

Combine cheese, 3 1/4 cups of the flour, polenta, salt, and remaining 1 2/3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor; whirl until cheese is finely chopped. Add egg. With motor running, add yeast mixture in a slow, steady stream. Whirl for 45 seconds to knead (dough should be slightly sticky; if too wet, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, using short on-off bursts).

Shape dough into a smooth ball. Turn over in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (1 to 1 1/2 hours).

Punch dough down and knead briefly on a floured surface. Shape into a smooth ball. Place on a greased baking sheet; flatten to a 7-inch round. Lightly cover and let rise until about 2 1/2 inches high (about 1 hour).

Sprinkle with 1 to 2 teaspoons more all-purpose flour. Bake in a 375 degree oven until well browned (about 35 minutes). Let cool.

MANGO BREAD
Servings 2 loaves

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups diced mangos
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs. Stir in dry ingredients, mangos and lemon juice. Pour into 2 8" loaf pans. Bake at 350' for 1 hour or until loaf tests done. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly. For best results, wrap in foil and serve the following day.

I wish you all a Wonderful Monday

Love Julie