Meet , Cook & Eat - Virtual Suppers

Across multiple cultures, sharing a meal has been a nurturing way to connect and come together from the beginning of time.  

Meet women in the Silver Sirens community, cook a meal together, grab a glass of wine or kombucha and enjoy the meal together. 

Come, cook, eat and connect! 

Welcome to our first meet, cook, and eat virtual supper hosted by Silver Sirens founder Faith Agugu and her swim buddy, Jaqi Coan.

Food and friendship are such a delicious combination and together with swimmer, is something that brings these two women together.

Faith will share her traditional Nigerian dish, Jollof rice and Jaqi will share her favourite dessert, Lemon Delicious pudding.

Faith Agugu

"Learning to make Jollof was a rite of passage for me and I've gone through so many iterations each time trying to streamline the process while delivering the most flavour. Jollof rice is a comfort dish that feeds the body and warms the heart. I am super excited to share this dish with you". 

Jaqi Coan

"Growing up in the country, sharing home-grown, home-cooked food was my family love language. My mum was a wonderful cook and her Lemon Delicious Pudding is my childhood favourite. Mum had a bountiful Meyer Lemon tree and the fragrance of this light and luscious pudding takes me back to my country childhood. I can't wait to share this lovely comfort dessert with you." 

Before the session

Check out the recipes below

To ensure the process is full of ease, have your ingredients and utensils at hand.

The session will run like this:

 6.30 - Meet  and introductions

6.45 PM Go over the recipes

7:00  PM Cook main course

7. 15  PM Cook dessert

8.00 PM - Eat together and socialise

MENU

Additional Items- As we will be eating after cooking, you may want to include the following to your meal

- a bowl of mixed salad

-roasted vegetable or meat

-the beverage of your choice

Jollof Rice - (this is a traditional Nigerian dish that can be adjusted by adding additional vegetables or meat)

• 1/3 cup oil (vegetable/canola/coconut, or olive oil)
• 3 medium-sized fresh plum/Roma tomatoes, chopped, OR a 400-gram tin of tomatoes
• 1 medium-sized red onions (1 sliced thinly, 2 roughly chopped), divided
• 1/2 to 1 hot pepper, or to taste 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon (Caribbean/Jamaican-style) curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 3 cups stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef) or water, divided
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter (optional), divided
• 2 cups uncooked converted long-grain rice or basmati, rinsed
• Salt, to taste
• Black and white pepper, to taste
• Extra: sliced onions, tomatoes

Prepare ingredients before the session. Cut and peel veggies

Boil rice for 10 minutes, rinse and leave to cool (you can do this before the session begins)

Blend onions, peppers, and tomatoes until smooth

Heat oil until really hot, then add the blend above. Add curry powder, bay leaves and thyme

Let the blend and oil cook for about 10 minutes. Watch and mix regularly to make sure it doesn't burn.

Add the part cooked rice to the sauce, add stock, salt and pepper to taste.

Allow to cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Mix regularly

Turn off heat and let sit.

LEMON DELICIOUS PUDDING     (Serves 6)    Recipe from Stephanie Alexander

This was my favourite pudding growing up on the farm. A light and fluffy, golden sponge top with a creamy lemon sauce that appears, as if by magic, underneath.  I like to make this in 6 individual ramekins or teacups (because it looks fancy and also so I don’t eat the whole thing at once!) but a single oven-proof dish is just fine. Serve it warm with runny cream. Mmmm…delicious!

2 juicy lemons

60g soft butter (at room temperature)

1 cup castor sugar

3 large eggs (at room temperature)

3 tablespoons Self Raising flour

1 ½ cups milk

Runny cream to serve (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan-forced).

Butter a 1-litre ovenproof basin or serving dish, or 6 ramekins (or teacups).

Zest and juice the lemons. Strain the juice to remove the seeds. Set aside.

Using a food processor, stand mixer, or handheld beaters, beat the butter and sugar with the lemon zest until thick and creamy (about 5 mins).

Separate the eggs. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Mix in some of the flour, then some milk, then some more flour, then more milk, and so on until you’ve used them both up and you have a smooth batter, finishing last with some flour.  Scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Don’t worry if it looks curdled.  Transfer the mixture to a clean basin.

Now clean the beaters thoroughly, because you don’t want even a speck of egg yolk or butter in the mix when you whisk the egg whites to firm peaks. When the egg whites are firm, use a large metal spoon to gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking basin or individual ramekins.

Boil the kettle. Stand the pudding basin/ramekins in a baking dish and pull out the oven rack. Put the baking dish with the basin in it firmly in position on the rack. Carefully pour hot water into the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the basin, then carefully slide the baking dish into the oven and close the door. Cooking like this in a hot water bath is known as “au bain-marie”.

Bake for 50 minutes (or 35 mins if using individual ramekins). The pudding should be golden brown and puffed when it is cooked.

Remove the baking dish very carefully from the oven and allow the puddings to cool a little before serving.

Serve with runny cream.