Author: Karen Claassen

Hi and welcome to my blog! My name is Karen and I love cooking simple, uncomplicated, flavourful food. My cooking is inspired by seasonal ingredients, punchy flavours, an awareness of sustainability and of course by the likes and dislikes of my family and friends that sit around my table as well as you, the virtual guests around my table! I am a chef, recipe developer and food stylist and generate my own content. I am also completely addicted to recipe books, of which I have an extremely large collection but the essence of my food is about celebrating life and all the fabulousness that we can add by creating good food. Thank you for reading my blog. Please keep on giving me feedback and may your kitchen, as mine, be filled with joy and the best tasting food!
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“Souttert”

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“Souttert”

2 medium onions, finely chopped
250ml finely chopped sweet pepper
500ml chopped smoked chicken viennas (about 7)
500ml grated mature cheddar cheese
a handful of soft herbs (chives, basil, coriander), chopped
6 eggs
60ml cream
2,5ml salt
black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 30cm x 20cm ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Add the onion, sweet pepper, Viennas, cheese and herbs to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Add the eggs, cream, salt and a few grindings of pepper to another bowl and whisk together.
Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix.
Spoon into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Peppermint Crisp Tart

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Peppermint Crisp Tart

2 x 200g packets Tennis biscuits
125ml milk
1 x 250ml container Orley Whip
250ml fresh whipping cream
1 x 360g can caramel treat
300g Peppermint Crisp chocolate, grated

Dip enough biscuits into the milk to make a double layer in the base of a tart dish. Set aside.
Pour the Worley whip into a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until you have firm/stiff peaks. Set aside.
Pour the cream into a clean mixing bowl and whisk to stiff peaks.
Spoon the cream into the Orley whip, add the caramel and mix well with an electric whisk.
Fold 150g of the peppermint crisp chocolate into the mixture, using a spatula.
Spoon the mixture over the biscuit layer and even it out.
Sprinkle the remaining 150g chocolate over the top of the tart and refrigerate for 6 hours.
Slice and serve.

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Whipped Feta with Nastergaal Jam

by Karen Claassen1 Comment on Whipped Feta with Nastergaal Jam
Whipped Feta with Nastergaal Jam

200g + 50g feta
100ml milk
60ml Heerlijk Nastergaal Jam

Crumble 200g of feta into the cup of a blender and add half the milk.
Process until the mixture becomes emulsified.
Add the rest of the milk a little at a time, aiming for a creamy consistency.
Crumble the 50g feta into this mixture and stir through.
Drizzle the Nastergaal jam over the whipped feta and spread onto a slice of freshly baked bread.

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Zingy Shoulder of Lamb

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Zingy Shoulder of Lamb

2kg shoulder of lamb
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
15ml smoked paprika
10ml salt
5ml peppercorns
15ml grated lemon rind
15ml thyme leaves
15ml rosemary
15ml green chilli, chopped
62ml olive oil
62ml lemon juice
2 lemons, quartered

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Add the garlic, paprika, salt, peppercorns, lemon rind, thyme, rosemary, chilli, olive oil and lemon juice to a blender and blitz until you have a relatively smooth paste.
Place the lamb in a roasting tin and brush the paste over it, covering it completely.
Pour about 500ml of boiling water AROUND the meat and cover with aluminium foil.
Roast in the oven for 3 hours.
Remove the meat from the oven and place it on a serving plate with the quartered lemons.

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Potato Profiteroles

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Potato Profiteroles

500g potato, peeled and chopped
5 sprigs of rosemary and thyme
1 clove of garlic
125g + 125g smoked bacon
1 wheel camembert cheese
125ml milk
60ml butter
5ml salt
125ml flour
1 egg
3 egg yolks

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the potato, rosemary, thyme, garlic and enough salted water to cover it. Cook until the potatoes are very soft.
Drain and remove the herbs and garlic.
Pass the potato through a ricer or sieve for a smooth texture and set aside.
Fry 125g of the bacon until crispy and chop into very small pieces. Set aside.
Cut the camembert in half.
Cut one halve into 1cm slices.
Remove the rind from the other halve and chop it into pieces. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Add the milk, butter and salt to a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the flour and stir vigorously with a spatula until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. Remove from the heat.
Add half of the mashed potato, the rindless, chopped camembert, chopped bacon and the whole egg. Stir/beat until very well incorporated.
Add the remaining potato and egg yolks and beat by hand until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle.
Pipe 2cm rounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
Cut the remaining bacon into 1cm pieces. Top the profiteroles with a slice of bacon or camembert.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Serve warm.

Screenshot

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Glazed Sweet Potato

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Glazed Sweet Potato

300g butter, cubed
250ml brown sugar
30ml flour
2,5ml ground cinnamon
250ml orange juice
grated zest of one orange
1 orange sliced into wedges
1kg sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 1,5-2cm thick slices

Place a large shallow saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the butter and brown sugar and allow to melt.
Scatter the flour over and stir until thickened and smooth.
Add the cinnamon.
Drizzle in the orange juice while whisking and then add the zest and the wedges.
Now add the sweet potato chunks, cover with a lid, turn the heat down to medium and cook without stirring for about 40 minutes.
Remove the lid once the sweet potato is cooked and allow the extra moisture to cook off.
Serve warm.

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Potato Flatbread / Schiacciata di Patate

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Potato Flatbread / Schiacciata di Patate

5-6 large potatoes
410ml flour
310ml cold water
30ml olive oil
2,5ml salt
160ml grated parmesan cheese
15ml chopped rosemary

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Slice the potato thinly and set aside.
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and whisk in the water, olive oil, salt and grated parmesan.
Whisk the batter by hand for a minute or two, until smooth.
Add the sliced potato to the batter and mix it through by hand, making sure that the slices are coated with batter.
Place hand-full potato slices on the prepared baking sheet and spread it out in an evenly layer with the potato overlapping.
Scatter over the chopped rosemary and some extra grated parmesan cheese.
Bake the flatbread for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven, slice into pieces and serve hot.

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Millionaire’s Cheat Pots

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Millionaire’s Cheat Pots

10 shortbread biscuits
360g tin caramel treat
100g dark chocolate, chopped
150ml double cream

Place the biscuits in a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin until you have crumbs.
Scoop a large heaped dessert spoon of crumbs into 6 ramekins/glasses and give it a shake to level out. Set aside.
Scoop the caramel out of the tin into a mixing bowl. Stir/beat by hand until softened.
Now scoop a spoonful of caramel onto the biscuit crumb and level it out slightly with the back of a teaspoon. Set aside.
Place the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water.
Stir until the chocolate has melted completely.
Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Beat the cream and chocolate with electric beaters for about 4 minutes – it has to become airy and thick.
Divide the mixture between the ramekins and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Take the cheat pot from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving.

This dessert may be prepared two days in advance.

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Biltong Paptert

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Biltong Paptert

1,250ml beef stock
310ml maize meal
1 onion, sliced
1 bunch leeks, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
30ml thyme leaves
60ml balsamic vinegar
30ml brown sugar
a bunch spinach, destalked and chopped
200g parmesan/pecorino cheese, grated
150g sliced biltong
500ml cream

Line a 29cm x 39cm shallow baking tray (as you would use for a swiss roll) with baking paper and give it a spray with cooking spray.
Place a medium saucepan on high heat, pour in the stock and bring to a boil.
Gradually add the maize meal while whisking, until smooth.
Place a lid on the saucepan and reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Place a large pan over medium heat and add some oil and the onion to it.
Sprinkle over 1ml salt and cook until caramelised – about 15 minutes.
Add the leeks and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the thyme leaves, balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook another 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and stir-fry until just wilted.
Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add half the cheese to the maize and stir through.
Pour the maize mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread it out evenly.
Spread the caramelised onion mixture, remaining cheese and biltong over the warm pap and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
With the long side facing you, roll the pap into a log, using the paper to lift and roll.
Cover the log and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Grease a 28cm ovenproof saucepan or baking tin.
Cut the log into six even pieces and place each piece cut side up in the saucepan.
Drizzle the cream over and bake in the oven for one hour.
Serve directly from the oven.


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Mexican Bowls

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Mexican Bowls

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomato
1kg minced/ground beef
250ml beef stock
1 x 400g tin of red/black beans
1 chilli, finely chopped

avocado pear, sliced
baby corn
tomato, diced
cos lettuce, quartered

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add some olive oil and fry the onions until soft.
Add the garlic and sweet pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chopped tomato, minced beef and stock to the pan and stir through.
Season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Drain the beans and add it to the saucepan with the chilli. Cook for another 5 minutes or so while stirring.
Remove from the heat.

Put your bowls together by incorporating:
* the fried minced beef mixture
* avocado pear
*baby corn
* chopped tomato
* lettuce

Serve while the beef is still warm.