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!
Uncategorized

Orzotto Alla Norma

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Orzotto Alla Norma
Orzotto Alla Norma

This is my take on this classic Italian dish….!

2 aubergine
olive oil
250g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
15ml thyme, chopped
300g orzo pasta
100g parmesan cheese, grated
1 burrata cheese or a few small mozzarella balls

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Slice the aubergine into discs about 5mm thick, spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil.
Scatter the cherry tomatoes over the aubergine slices and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add some olive oil.
Fry the onion and garlic until soft.
Add the chopped tomato and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Cook the orzo according to packet instructions.
Drain and add it to the tomato sauce.
Add the grated parmesan and stir through.
Spoon the orzo into a serving dish and top with the aubergine, roasted tomato and burrata.

Uncategorized

Honey Glazed Pork Chops

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Honey Glazed Pork Chops
Honey Glazed Pork Chops

6 pork chops
22,5ml soy sauce
30ml oyster sauce
5ml ground ginger
30ml honey
25ml five-spice powder
45ml wine (or water or stock)

Add all the ingredients, except the pork chops, to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Place the chops in a shallow baking dish and pour the mixture over.
Leave to marinate for one hour, turning the chops once.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place a cast-iron pan (or any other oven-friendly pan) on high heat, and pour in some vegetable oil.
Scrape most of the marinade off the meat and fry for 2 minutes before turning and frying another 2 minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium and pour in the marinade sauce.
Stir and cook for about 3-4 minutes and then place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve the chops with fragrant rice or couscous.

Uncategorized

Wine Jellies

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Wine Jellies
Wine Jellies

Edible flowers (or fruits like berries)
45ml water
10ml powdered gelatine
45ml sugar
150ml hot water
75ml sparkling wine

Prepare your moulds/cups by lining them with plastic wrap.
Place the flowers inside the moulds and set aside.
Pour 45ml cold water into a small mixing bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over. Set aside to bloom for 5 minutes.
Add the sugar to the gelatine and pour in the hot water. Stir to dissolve.
Add the sparkling wine and mix well.
Allow the liquid to cool to the point where it is cold but still completely runny.
Pour into the moulds and refrigerate until set.

Uncategorized

Warm Oatmeal with Spiced Pears

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Warm Oatmeal with Spiced Pears
Warm Oatmeal with Spiced Pears

2 pears
30ml lemon juice
60ml brown sugar
2,5ml ground cinnamon
30g butter, cubed

For the oatmeal:
250ml rolled oats
250ml water
250ml milk
a pinch of salt
1,2ml ground cinnamon
honey
a handful (or two) of almonds

For the pears:
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a small baking tray with baking paper or aluminium foil.
Halve the pears and remove the core. (I use a melon scoop for this)
Place the pears, cut-side up, on the prepared baking tray and drizzle with the lemon juice.
Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on the fruit and place a piece of cubed butter on each.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes.

For the oatmeal:
Pour the oats, water, milk, salt and cinnamon into a saucepan and place on medium-high heat.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, while stirring often.

Spoon the porridge into 2 bowls and place 2 pear half on top of each bowl.
Drizzle the oatmeal with honey and a generous scattering of almonds and serve warm.

Uncategorized

Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh)

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh)
Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh)

1,5kg lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 2cm cubes
vegetable oil
10 whole cardamom pods
15ml mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
1 stick cinnamon
2 onions, finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml ground coriander
10ml ground cumin
20ml paprika
15ml ground ginger
5ml crushed dried chillies
5ml salt
2 red chillies, chopped
120ml yoghurt
2,5ml garam masala

Place a heavy-bottom saucepan on a medium-high heat and cover the base with vegetable oil.
Brown the meat in batches and set aside in a bowl.
Add the cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon and stir the mixture for about 1 minute.
Add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Now add the coriander, cumin, paprika, crushed chillies, salt and fresh chillies and stir-fry for another 30 seconds or so.
Add the meat and stir through to cover with the spices.
Add a spoonful of yoghurt and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the remaining yoghurt in the same way, so that the sauce does not split.
Pour in 375ml of water and bring the curry to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a slow simmer and cover the saucepan with a lid. Cook for 1 hour or until the lamb is tender, stirring frequently.
Remove the lid and cook the curry for another 30 minutes, stirring and waiting for the sauce to become beautifully thick.
Sprinkle over the garam masala, mix through and serve with fragrant rice.

Uncategorized

Glühwein

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Glühwein
Glühwein

3 cardamom pods
750ml red wine
1 orange, sliced
2,5ml allspice berries
2,5ml whole cloves
2 star anise
2 cinnamon quills/sticks
62ml brown sugar

Bruise the cardamom pods by placing them on a work surface. Place a saucepan on top and press down onto it to crack the pods.
Add the pods, wine, orange, allspice, cloves, star anise and cinnamon to a saucepan set over medium heat.
Heat the mixture but do not allow it to boil – you want the wine warm to the point before boiling.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
Allow the wine and spices to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature so that it can infuse.
Strain the Glühwein and serve warm with fresh orange slices.

Uncategorized

Gnocchi Pomodoro

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Gnocchi Pomodoro
Gnocchi Pomodoro

Pomodoro is a simple tomato sauce that is smooth, thick and concentrated. Cook it in a wide sauté pan as it will help the moisture from the tomato to evaporate. Pomodoro can be served with pasta and chicken and may be kept in the refrigerator for one week.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 400g cans chopped tomato
30ml sugar
2 x 500g packs of gnocchi
a handful of basil
parmesan cheese

Set a large, wide sauté pan over medium-low heat and add 45ml of vegetable oil to it.
Add the onion and garlic to the saucepan and gently cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Add the tomato to a liquidiser and blitz until smooth.
Pour the tomato into the saucepan and add the sugar. Stir through.
Simmer the sauce on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes. You want the liquid from the sauce to evaporate so that you are left with a thick, concentrated tomato sauce.
Cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions. Drain and add it to the sauce.
Tear up the basil leaves, stir it through and remove the saucepan from the heat.
Serve the gnocchi with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Uncategorized

Jodetert/Custard Cake

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Jodetert/Custard Cake
Jodetert/Custard Cake

Jodetert is a traditional South African bake of years gone by. It is a wonderful concoction of light and buttery biscuit discs, layered with a soft custard and literally melts in one’s mouth. Without doubt, one of my all-time favourite eats – do try it!

Biscuit:
250g butter, softened
300g flour
240g sugar
10ml baking powder
1ml salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Filling:
80g flour
250g sugar
4 egg yolks
1 litre milk
5ml vanilla

For the biscuit:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Cut 8 pieces of baking paper the size of a large baking tray. Spray each paper sheet with cooking spray.
Add the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse to mix.
Add the beaten egg in a thin stream while the engine is running, until the mixture comes together in a dough ball.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough in to 7 equal portions.
Place one piece of dough on a sprayed piece of baking paper and dust with flour. Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll the dough to a thickness of 5 mm and a 20cm diameter circle.
Remove the baking paper on top and place the dough circle on the baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.
Repeat with the other 6 pieces of dough.

For the filling:
Add the flour, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Drizzle the milk onto the flour mixture in a thin stream while whisking continuously.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir with a whisk until it thickens.
Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the custard into a clean bowl and place some plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Allow to cool completely.

Assembly:
Spoon the custard into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle.
Place the first biscuit disc on a serving plate, pipe a spiral of custard onto it and place the second biscuit circle on top of it. Repeat the process of piping custard and stacking the biscuit discs until you have none left.
Dust the Jodetert with some icing sugar and serve with a good cup of coffee.

Uncategorized

Roasted Tomato Pasta

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Roasted Tomato Pasta
Roasted Tomato Pasta

400g vine tomatoes/cherry tomatoes
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
20ml capers, roughly chopped
2 leeks, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
30ml sugar
10ml salt
a handful of basil leaves, chopped
200g mixed mushrooms
300g penne pasta
parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Spread the tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of salt.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until the skins burst open.
Remove the tray and sprinkle the capers over the hot tomato. Set aside.
Add the leeks and a splash of oil to a saucepan and cook on medium heat until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Now add the tinned tomato, sugar, salt and basil leaves and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Blitz the mixture with a hand blender until you are left a with a thick, chunky sauce. Set aside.
Place a frying on high heat and allow to become hot. Add some butter to the pan and then the mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are caramelised.
Cook the penne according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and pour the pasta into a serving bowl.
Spoon the roasted tomato, capers and all of the juices onto the warm pasta.
Add the blended tomato sauce and the mushroom and stir everything together to coat the pasta.
Grate a generous amount of parmesan cheese over the pasta and sprinkle with extra basil leaves to serve.

Uncategorized

Fruity Weet-Bix Slice

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Fruity Weet-Bix Slice
Fruity Weet-Bix Slice

180g butter, melted
170g sugar
3 weet-bix bars, crushed or about 150g of crumbs/broken pieces
150g self-raising flour
85g desiccated coconut
2 x 395g cans condensed milk
310ml lemon juice (strained if using fresh)
about 150g raspberries and blueberries

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a 20cm x 30cm oven tray with baking paper, allowing an overhang so that you can easily remove the fruit slices when set.
Add the butter, sugar, weet-bix, flour and coconut to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and smooth it out.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Add the condensed milk and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
Scatter the raspberries and blueberries over the cooled base.
Gently pour the condensed milk mixture over the fruit and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight before slicing into squares to serve.
Keep refrigerated.