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

Asparagus Pea Salad

March 11, 2022March 10, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

1bunch asparagus, blanched and cooled
250ml frozen peas, blanched and cooled
1 punnet sugar snap peas, blanched and cooled

For the dressing:
1 egg yolk
5ml dijon mustard
250ml olive oil
50 grated parmesan cheese
15ml lemon juice

Add the yolk and mustard to a medium mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add a few drops of the olive oil and whisk to incorporate – repeat, adding only a few drops of oil at a time, until you have about half of the oil left.
Slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture while whisking continuously. Keep going until all the oil is incorporated.
Add the parmesan and lemon juice and whisk to combine. Season will salt.
Arrange the asparagus, peas and sugar snaps on a serving plate and add a few dollops of the dressing to serve.

Uncategorized

Breakfast Tray Bake

March 10, 2022March 10, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Breakfast sausages
Bacon
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
eggs

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray.
Place the sausages on the tray, place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the bacon, mushrooms and tomato to a bowl and drizzle with some vegetable oil. Rub the oil over all the ingredients.
Take the tray from the oven and add the bacon, mushroom and tomato.
Cook for another 10 minutes.
Take the tray from the oven, push the ingredients to the side and break the eggs in the centre of the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
Return the tray to the oven for another 4 minutes.
Serve with a good sourdough bread.

Uncategorized

Fried Aubergine (Eggplant/Brinjal)

March 9, 2022March 7, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe is enough for one large aubergine – adjust according to how many people you need to feed.

1 egg
2,5ml salt
80ml cornstarch
1 aubergine, cut into 1cm thick slices
250ml panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
lemon wedges

Beat/whisk the egg and salt together in a small, shallow bowl and set aside.
Measure the cornstarch into a shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another.
Dredge each slice of aubergine in cornstarch, then in egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing down onto the crumbed slices to help the breadcrumbs stick.
Place the coated aubergine slices on a wire rack for 20 minutes so that the coating can dry out and set.
Pour about 0,5cm of vegetable oil into a shallow saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Fry the slices in batches for 2 minutes per side.
Transfer to kitchen paper to drain and season with salt and pepper while warm.
Serve the fried aubergine with a squeeze of lemon and a dipping sauce if you like.

Uncategorized

Classic Potato Salad

March 8, 2022March 7, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1kg potatoes
15ml wine vinegar
125ml sour cream
62ml mayonnaise
15ml wholegrain mustard
half an onion, very finely chopped
2 dill cucumber pickles, finely chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
62ml parsley, chopped

Cook and peel the potatoes.
Chop the potato into bite sized chunks and add it to a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle over the wine vinegar and season with salt.
Mix the sour cream, mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard together and pour over the potato.
Add the onion, pickles, eggs and parsley and mix through.
Taste and season the salad.

Uncategorized

Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

March 7, 2022March 6, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

110g butter, room temperature
175g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
110g almond meal/ground almonds
110g dark chocolate, very finely chopped or grated
150ml milk
175g self-raising flour

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line two 12-hole muffin tins with paper cups.
Add the butter and caster sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until very pale and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks to a bowls and whisk together.
Run the mixer on low speed and add a spoonful of the yolks at a time. Beat well after each addition.
Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and fold in the chopped chocolate, almond meal and milk.
Add the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until soft peak stage.
Gently fold the whites into the almond mixture.
Now add the flour and gently fold it in with a spatula.
Spoon the mixture into the 24 paper cases and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack before icing/decorating.

Chocolate Ganache:
160g chocolate
125ml heavy cream

Chop the chocolate into pieces and place it in a heatproof mixing bowl.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan on medium heat. Take the cream from the heat as soon as small bubbles appear at the edges of the saucepan.
Pour the cream onto the chopped chocolate and allow to stand for 2 minutes.
Now stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted and it is completely smooth and silky.
Cool completely before whipping for 4 minutes.
Use to decorate.

Uncategorized

Japanese Beef Fillet

March 3, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

one beef fillet

Marinade:
80ml soy sauce
80ml brown sugar
4 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml fresh ginger, minced
30ml sesame oil
30ml wasabi paste
5ml fish sauce

Place the fillet in the smallest container that it fits into comfortably.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over the fillet.
Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
Take the beef from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking it.
* Turn the beef throughout its marinating time so that the entire fillet is covered with marinade.
Cook the fillet on a rotisserie over a medium-warm fire for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Wrap the meat in 2 layers of aluminium foil and rest it for 15 minutes.
Slice the fillet into very thin slices and spoon over the leftover marinade.

Uncategorized

Aubergine and Halloumi Vegetable Bake

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4 aubergines
1 onion, chopped
8 celery sticks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
600-800g halloumi cheese
250ml olives, pitted
a bunch of thyme
a bunch of basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and grease a 18cm x 28cm baking dish.
Cut the aubergine lengthwise into 3mm thick slices.
Pour some vegetable oil into a saucepan set over medium-high heat and fry the aubergine on both side, until golden.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add the onion, celery and garlic to the same saucepan and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tomato and cook the sauce for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Cut the halloumi into sticks that are more or less 8cm x 1,5cm. You need the same amount of cheese sticks and aubergine slices.
Place a cheese stick on an aubergine slice, roll it up like a pancake and place in the prepared baking dish.
Pour the tomato sauce over the aubergine rolls and scatter the olives and thyme leaves over.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Scatter the basil leaves over the baked dish and serve warm or at room temperature.

Uncategorized

Fried Rice

March 1, 2022March 1, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

One of the secrets to perfect fried rice is the temperature: cold rice fries brilliantly and thus this is the perfect dish for those leftovers in the refrigerator! The other secret? Butter!

45ml butter
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut into small cubes
about 750ml of cooked, cold rice
250ml frozen peas
1 x 400g tin of corn kernels
15ml sesame oil
15ml soy sauce
15ml fish sauce (optional)

Add the butter to a large non-stick pan set over medium heat and allow to melt.
Add the onion, garlic and carrot and stir-fry until the onion starts to catch a little.
Add the rice, peas, corn, sesame oil, soy and fish sauce and turn the heat up to high.
Fry the mixture and stir it around every now and then for 3-4 minutes. The high heat will crisp up and caramelise the rice.
Take the pan from the heat and taste the fried rice. Drizzle with some more soy sauce if it needs it.
Serve warm.

Uncategorized

Blueberry Quickbread

February 28, 2022February 27, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml wholewheat flour
250ml cake flour
250ml blueberries
125ml sugar
7,5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml salt
250ml buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
62ml vegetable oil
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 23cm x 13cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the two flours to a mixing bowl and stir to mix with a spatula.
Place the blueberries in a separate bowl and sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the flour over the fruit. Mix through so that the blueberries are coated with flour. Set aside.
Add the sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to the flours and stir through.
Add the buttermilk, lemon zest, egg, oil and vanilla to a wide-mouthed jug and whisk together.
Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and stir together until all the flour has been incorporated and you are left with a shaggy, wet batter.
Add the blueberries and stir through.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and pat it into the corners.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the bread, comes out clean.
Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Remove the bread from the tin and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Slice to serve.

Uncategorized

Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

February 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is without doubt my favourite salad! If you are a fan of tomato, this is a must-try.

4 x 2cm thick slices of sourdough bread
6-8 fresh, ripe tomatoes at room temperature
half a cucumber
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
125ml olive oil
60ml balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
a bunch of fresh basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Cut the sourdough slices into cubes of 1,5 – 2cm.
Spread the bread cubes on the prepared baking sheet and liberally drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the bread is golden and crisp.
Remove from the baking sheet and set aside to cool.

Dressing:
Chop 3-4 tomatoes into very small pieces. The chopping is best done in a shallow bowl so that you preserve all of the tomato’s juice.
Add the tomato and the juice to a small mixing bowl.
Chop the onion as finely as you can, mince the garlic and add to the tomato.
Now add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.
Mix these ingredients together and seasonal with salt and pepper. Make adjustments according to your liking.

Slice the remaining 3-4 tomatoes into chunks and place in a large mixing bowl.
Cut the cucumber into chunks and add that as well.
Pour the dressing over the tomato and cucumber and mix through.
Scatter the croutons and basil on top of the salad and mix through.
Transfer to a serving platter.