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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Mediterranean Prawns

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Mediterranean Prawns

This recipe is proof once more of how the simplest ingredients often produces the best taste. Serve the prawns on fragrant rice or with your favourite pasta.

50g butter
15ml olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2kg prawns, peeled and de-veined
2 cans chopped tomato
30ml sugar
15ml salt
a handful of fresh thyme
two handfuls of fresh basil, roughly chopped

Put a large saucepan on to a high heat and add the butter and olive oil.
Add the garlic once the butter has melted and stir around for a minute.
Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes until pink and done.
Remove the prawns from the saucepan and keep on the side.
Add the canned tomato, sugar, salt and thyme to the same saucepan, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
Pour the sauce into a liquidiser and blitz until smooth. (You can use a stick blender as well)
Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and add the cooked prawns.
Simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the chopped basil.
Serve the prawns with fragrant rice.

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Quinoa Peach Salad

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Quinoa Peach Salad

This salad is literally a complete protein meal, can be made in advance (only get better) and is fabulous for picnics or lunch boxes!

250ml uncooked quinoa
250ml pickled sweet peppers (store bought or homemade)
125ml feta cheese, crumbed
5 peaches, cubed
2 handful of basil leaves, chopped

Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions and allow to cool completely.
Dice the sweet peppers, feta and peaches and chop the basil leaves.
Mix everything together.
Drizzle the pickling liquid from the sweet pepper over the salad or make the Lemon Dressing (search on this blog)

Serve as a side or a complete meal.

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Chocolate Calzone

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Chocolate Calzone

We made this chocolate calzone one Saturday afternoon when we had leftover pizza dough and it has been a firm favourite from then on. Serve it warm with fresh strawberries and a few basil leaves on the side. This recipe yields 6 – 8 pizzas.

Pizza dough:
15g dry yeast
10ml sugar
800g bread flour
2,5ml salt
60ml olive oil
400ml tepid water

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in a jug with the lukewarm water and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Set aside.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Add the oil to the flour.
Turn the machine on to its lowest speed and add the yeast mixture. Knead for 2 minutes.
Turn the machine to medium speed and knead for another 6 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave to stand in a warm place for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

If you are not baking your pizza in a pizza oven, preheat your oven to 220℃ and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Take the dough from the bowl and release the air from it by gently kneading it by hand for one minute.
Cut the dough into 6 – 8 portions.
Roll each dough ball to a thickness of 5mm and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Assembly of one calzone:
2 x 80g slabs of De Villiers Coco Nut, Nut Butter Chocolate
a handful of cashew nuts

Place the two slabs of chocolate, one atop of the other, on one half of the dough circle and sprinkle over the cashew nuts.
Gently fold the other half of the dough circle over the chocolate and pinch the edges together with your fingers.
Now fold the edge back by 1cm and pinch tightly together.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until done.

Serve the calzone with fresh strawberries and basil leaves.

(The calzone on the photographs was cooked in a pizza oven. )

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Halloumi Skewers

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Halloumi Skewers

These skewers make for a great canapé especially during an evening of outdoor cooking.

500-600g halloumi cheese
1 fresh pineapple
3 red chillies
45ml lemon juice
wooden skewers

Cut the halloumi into 1,5cm blocks.
Peel the pineapple and cube it into blocks the size of the cheese.
Skewer the cheese and pineapple and put aside.
Chop the chillies very fine and add it to the lemon juice.
Grill the skewers on a medium-hot fire until the cheese starts to melt and it is slightly charred.
Remove from the grill and immediately brush with the chilli-lemon dressing.
Serve while warm.

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BBQ Thyme Fillet

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BBQ Thyme Fillet

1 whole beef fillet
125ml thyme leaves
4 cloves of garlic
10ml onion salt or sea salt
60ml vegetable oil
30ml red wine vinegar

Blitz together the thyme, garlic, onion salt, vegetable oil and vinegar with a stick blender. You are looking for a very thick paste. Set aside.
Dry the beef fillet and tie it up.
Rub the herb paste over the fillet.
Cook on a rotisserie over medium-warm coals for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Cover the cooked fillet with aluminium foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Slice into portions and serve.

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Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprints

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Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprints

125g butter
160ml sugar
1 egg, separated
30ml milk
5ml vanilla
250ml flour
83ml cocoa powder, sifted
1,2ml salt
250ml pistachio, finely chopped
80g nut butter chocolate, chopped
15ml cocoa butter

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together.
Add the egg yolk, milk and vanilla and mix together.
Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Add the egg white to a small bowl and whisk until frothy.
Chop the pistachio finely (I do mine in a food processor) and place it in a shallow bowl.
Scoop up about 15ml of dough and roll it into small balls.
Now roll each ball in the egg white and then in the chopped pistachio.
Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.
Use the back of a 2,5ml measuring spoon to make an indentation in the centre of each dough ball.
Bake the biscuits for 12 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately re-press the indentations you made. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the chocolate and cocoa butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Stir every now and then until smooth and glossy.
Remove from the heat and stand the bowl for about 30 minutes.
Spoon the chocolate into the indent in each biscuit and set aside to allow the chocolate to set – preferably overnight.
Makes about 25 biscuits.

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Layered Custard Pots

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Layered Custard Pots

These custard pots are easy to make and can be kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 12.

2 packets finger biscuits
1 can condensed milk
125ml lemon juice
90ml sugar
135ml custard powder
200ml + 800ml milk

Line up 12 ramekins or serving glasses.
Break/cut the finger biscuits in half and place 2 halves in each ramekin, “lining” the bottoms. Set aside.
Add the condensed milk and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and stir together until the mixture amalgamates. Set aside.
Add the sugar and custard powder to a mixing bowl and make a slurry by slowly pouring in the 200ml milk, while whisking.
Pour the 800ml milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Pour in the the custard and sugar slurry and whisk vigorously. Whisk until the custard is thick and smooth and starts to bubble.
Remove from the heat.
Scoop about 60ml of the very hot custard on top of the finger biscuits in the ramekins.
Now scoop about 60ml of the condensed milk mixture on top of the custard layer and shake the ramekins slightly so that the mixture spreads and covers the custard layer.
Repeat the finger biscuit, custard and condensed milk layers.
Bash 12 finger biscuits until very fine and divide equally among the ramekins.
Place the custard pots in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

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Whoopy Peach Salad

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Whoopy Peach Salad

This is without doubt one of the craziest ideas to READ about, but surprisingly satisfying and pleasing in a very old fashioned way. That statement in its own is somewhat out of the ordinary but please try this idea for a quick delicious side dish to smoked and salty meat dishes … you may just have a new favourite recipe!

1 large tin/can of peach halves
100g mature cheddar cheese, grated
60ml mayonnaise
60ml sour cream
125ml feta cheese, crumbed
a handful of basil leaves, chopped
a handful of pistachio or pine nuts
fresh lettuce to serve

Drain the peaches from the syrup.
Hold the peach in your hand with the rounded side facing upwards and make a shallow horizontal slice so that the peach can sit on it – cut away as little as possible.
Arrange some fresh lettuce on a serving plate and place the peach halves randomly, with the hollow facing upwards.
Fill each peach cavity loosely with grated cheddar cheese.
Add the yoghurt, sour cream, finely crumbed feta and chopped basil to a small bowl and stir together.
Spoon a generous dollop of the dressing onto the cheese in the peach cavity.
Scatter the pistachios/pine nuts over the salad and serve with the extra dressing on the side.

This salad goes surprisingly well with any smoked, cured or salty meat dishes that need that boost of natural sweetness.

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Greek Calamari Pita

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Greek Calamari Pita

These calamari filled pita breads are the perfect casual weekend food for entertaining friends and family!! Serve them with a crisp, cold chardonnay and kick back Greek style!!

Lemon-Yoghurt Sauce:
125ml yoghurt
1 clove garlic, minced
5ml dijon mustard
45ml lemon juice
a handful of basil leaves, torn

1 kg calamari rings, washed and dried
45ml sunflower oil
1 lemon
salt and pepper

about 2 cos lettuce, shredded

Pita Bread – If you want to bake your own fresh pita bread you can go to the SEARCH goggle on this block to find the recipe

For the Sauce:
Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to infuse at room temperature.

Place a heavy-bottom pan over high heat and wait 2-3 minutes for the pan to get hot.
Turn the heat down slightly, more high than medium-high, add the oil to the pan and then the calamari rings.
Stir the calamari around for 2 minutes, NO MORE!, and immediately remove the pan from the heat.
Squeeze the lemon onto the calamari while it is still sizzling and season generously with salt and pepper.

Hold the pita bread upright (on the seam) and make an incision about a third of its circumference.
Lightly push two fingers in and wiggle them around to separate and open the inside of the bread, so that you have a large pocket.
Scoop a spoonful of the lemon sauce into the cavity and smear it around with the back of the spoon.
Place a thin layer of the shredded lettuce on the bottom of the pocket, then a layer of calamari and then a layer of the sauce.
Push all of this down with the back of the spoon so that you will have enough space for a repeat of layers.

Serve the calamari pitas with the leftover sauce on the side.