This is the creamiest hummus you will ever taste and I love it for its versatility!! Keep it in the refrigerator and use as a spread on crackers on sandwiches, as a dip with veg or thin it down and use it as a salad dressing.
1 x 400g can butter beans
30ml tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
the juice of one lemon (30ml)
30ml olive oil
5ml salt
Add all the ingredients to a liquidiser and blitz together until completely smooth.
Store in the refrigerator.
This is an easy soufflé, packed to the brim with flavour!
75ml flour
250ml milk
a pinch of nutmeg
5ml salt
4 eggs, separated
250ml Gruyére cheese, grated
250ml cream
5ml dried tarragon
rocket leaves
15ml olive oil
5ml lemon juice
a pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and brush 6 heatproof ramekins with sunflower oil – be generous!
Add the flour to a small saucepan but do not place it on the heat.
Drizzle in some milk to form a paste.
Place the saucepan on medium heat and slowly drizzle in the rest of the milk while whisking continuously.
Simmer the mixture while stirring for about 3 minutes – you want the mixture to be very thick.
Take the saucepan from the heat and add the nutmeg and salt and mix through.
Allow the mixture to cool until it is warm to the touch but not burning your finger.
Add the egg yolks one at a time and stir until incorporated.
Stir in the cheese and put aside.
Beat the egg whites to medium-stiff peaks and fold it into the cheese mixture.
Spoon the batter into the ramekins.
Place the ramekins in a roasting tin and fill the tin about 2-3cm deep with hot water.
Bake the soufflés for 20 minutes.
The soufflés will deflate once you take them from the oven, but do not panic!!
Turn your oven down to 180℃.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and unmould the soufflés – they are now upside down…
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the tarragon.
Bring the cream to a boil, turn off the heat and allow to stand for about 10 minutes.
Spoon the cream onto the soufflés and bake them for another 15 minutes.
Serve immediately with a side of rocket dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
More of an idea than a recipe but absolutely fabulous and delicious!!
Dressing:
45ml olive oil
15ml grape vinegar
2,5ml mustard
15ml honey
a pinch of salt
Per portion/person:
1 fresh mango, peeled and sliced
1 smoked chicken breast, sliced
a handful of rocket leaves
Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and whisk until amalgamated.
Dress the rocket leaves with half the dressing and set aside.
Layer the salad by arranging the mango slices on a plate, the chicken slices on top of that and finally top it with the rocket leaves.
Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing and serve.
This is a delicious cold soup for warm summer days. Spice it up by adding a chilli or two or add a handful of freshly chopped basil leaves. Feeds 4-6 adults.
1 large English cucumber, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 fresh tomatoes, diced
30ml olive oil
60ml grape vinegar
salt and pepper
fresh chilli or basil leaves, to serve
Dice the vegetables and add it to a large mixing bowl.
Add the garlic, olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Scoop half the mixture into a liquidiser and blitz.
Pour the liquid back into the mixing bowl and mix through with the diced vegetables.
Refrigerate the soup for at least 2 hours so that the flavours can develop.
Serve the soup with a few ice cubes and chopped chilli or basil leaves.
This is a great variation on banana bread and perfect for brunch when served with roasted peaches. Keeps for 2-3 days in an airtight container but it is very good when toasted thereafter.
150g butter
190ml caster sugar
2 eggs
30ml milk
2 ripe bananas, sliced
250ml self-raising flour
5ml bicarbonate of soda
62ml dodo powder, sifted
125ml desiccated coconut
160g De Villiers Cocoa Nut Butter Chocolate, chopped
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 11cm X 25cm X 7cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on medium-high speed until creamy.
Add the eggs, milk and sliced bananas and mix for another minute.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder together and stir into the mixture.
Take the bowl from the mixer, add the coconut and chocolate and stir through by hand.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool.
Slice to serve.
Honey-Roasted Peaches:
6 fresh peaches
15ml butter, cubed
62ml honey
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones.
Place the peach halves on an oven tray and dot the cubed butter over it.
Drizzle over the honey.
Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until caramelised and golden brown.
Serve on a toasted slice of Tropical Chocolate Bread.
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.
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.
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. )
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.
My Whisk and I 