Tag: casual food

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Salmon Rillettes

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Salmon Rillettes
Salmon Rillettes

1 onion, chopped
250ml dry white wine
750ml water
5ml whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 lemon, zested and juiced
250g fresh salmon, skin removed
125g smoked salmon, chopped
30ml + 30ml butter, cubed and at room temperature
30ml sour cream
45ml dill/parsley, chopped
15ml capers, finely chopped
15ml olive oil

Add half of the chopped onion, all of the white wine, water and peppercorns to a saucepan.
Add the bay leaf and lemon juice and bring the mixture to the boil.
Add the fresh salmon to the liquid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the salmon from the liquid and allow it to cool. You may discard the poaching liquid.
Gently flake the salmon with your fingers and add it to a bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
Add 30ml of the butter to a pan set over medium heat.
Add the remaining onion and cook until soft.
Now add the lemon zest, smoked salmon, sour cream, dill, capers, olive oil, the remaining 30ml butter and the cooked onion to the flaked salmon.
Stir the mixture together to combine evenly but be careful not to mush the salmon.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Take the salmon from the fridge and allow 30 minutes for it to come back to room temperature.
Serve on crostini or crackers.

The salmon can be kept in the refrigerator for three days. Spoon it into a glass jar, melt about 50g of butter and pour over before sealing with the lid.


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Sweet Goat Cheese Puffs

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Sweet Goat Cheese Puffs
Sweet Goat Cheese Puffs

Makes about 36 bite-sized puffs

1 packet store-bought puff pastry, thawed and at room temperature
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water, whisked together
45ml sesame seeds
180g cream cheese, softened
60g goat cheese, softened
15ml lemon juice
1ml salt
30ml chopped chives
60ml sweet chilli sauce

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lay the pastry on a work surface and cut out 5cm rounds with a biscuit cutter.
Transfer the pastry rounds to the baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
Now score each round with a 2,5cm biscuit cutter, but do not cut through.
Brush the borders/rims of the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake the rounds for 12 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and press down the centres of each puff with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon juice, salt and chopped chives to a bowl and beat together by hand until creamy.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into the centre of each pastry puff.
Drizzle over the sweet chilli sauce and serve.

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Chickpea Salad

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chickpea Salad
Chickpea Salad

Dressing:
15ml wholegrain mustard
15ml red wine vinegar
45ml olive oil
30ml honey
a pinch of salt

2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, finely chopped
200g feta cheese, cut into small cubes
1 large English cucumber, cut into small cubes
40g parsley, chopped

For the dressing:
Add the mustard and red wine vinegar to a small bowl.
Drizzle in the olive a little at a time while whisking. Keep going until the olive oil is incorporated.
Add the honey and a pinch of salt and whisk again. Set aside.

Add the chickpeas, chopped onion, feta, cucumber and parsley to a salad bowl and mix together.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and give it another good mix before serving.

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Meatballs on Green Peanut Hummus

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Meatballs on Green Peanut Hummus
Meatballs on Green Peanut Hummus

Meatballs:
1 kg beef mince
100g panko breadcrumbs
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml ground cumin
10ml salt
1 egg
150ml olive oil

Hummus:
1 x 400g can chickpeas
60ml smooth peanut butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
30ml lemon juice
2,5ml salt

Green paste:
75g kale, white stalks removed
75g baby spinach
75ml olive oil

100g salted peanuts

For the meatballs:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix through with your hands.
Shape into 50 meatballs and place them evenly spaced on an oiled baking tray.
Refrigerate for one hour.

For the hummus:
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and blitz with an emersion blender until smooth.

For the green paste:
Blanche the kale and spinach in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes.
Drain and rinse under cold running water until cooled down.
Squeeze out the liquid and place in a small bowl.
Blitz with an immersion blender until you have a paste.

Preheat your oven to 220℃.
Remove the meatballs from the refrigerator and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, giving it a turn/shake half-way through baking time.
Spoon the green paste into the hummus and mix through.
Spread the green hummus on a serving platter, arrange the meatballs on top and sprinkle with the peanuts.
Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

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Slow-Cooked Saucy Curry

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Slow-Cooked Saucy Curry
Slow-Cooked Saucy Curry

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml salt
15ml ground ginger
15ml curry powder
15ml turmeric
15ml sumac
15ml sugar
30ml lemon juice
2kg stewing lamb
2 x 400g tins of coconut milk
750ml + 250ml vegetable stock
5 carrots, peeled and cubed
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in enough oil to cover the base.
Add the onion and cook until soft.
Add the garlic, salt, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, sumac, sugar and lemon juice and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add the lamb and stir to cover the meat in the spices.
Pour 1 can of coconut milk and 750ml stock into the saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for an hour.
Add the carrots and potato and pour in the 250ml stock.
Simmer for another hour.
Now add the last can of coconut milk and crusty some of the potato against the sides of the saucepan to thicken the sauce.
Cook for 5 minutes and serve on steamed rice.

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Banana-Meatball Bake

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Banana-Meatball Bake
Banana-Meatball Bake

This recipe makes about 30 medium sized meatballs.

Meatballs:
4 slices white bread, crusts cut off
500ml water
1kg minced/ground beef
2 eggs
15ml salt
2,5ml ground coriander
2,5ml ground cumin
5ml white pepper
10ml ground ginger
125ml flour
vegetable oil

Banana and Onion Sauce:
3 onions, sliced
10ml ground turmeric
20ml curry powder
20ml sugar
25ml flour
30ml apricot jam
50ml vinegar
500ml water
4 bananas, sliced
125ml desiccated coconut

For the meatballs:
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a large ceramic dish with cooking spray.
Place the bread in a bowl and pour over the water.
Stand for 1 minute. Drain the water and squeeze out any excess.
Add the bread to a large mixing bowl and break it up.
Add the minced meat, eggs, salt coriander, cumin, ginger and white pepper.
Mix together with your hands, squeezing it through your fingers.
Roll medium sized meatballs (about 15ml scoop) and place them on a baking sheet.
Add the flour to a shallow bowl and lightly roll each meatball in it.
Place a large pan on medium-high heat, add enough oil to cover the surface and fry the meatballs in batches until brown.
Place the meatballs in the prepared baking dish and set aside.

For the banana and onion sauce:
Place the same pan in which you browned the meatballs over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook until soft.
Add the turmeric, curry powder, sugar and flour and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the jam, vinegar and water and stir while cooking, until you have a thickened sauce.
Season with salt.
Add the banana and stir through.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs, sprinkle over the coconut and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Serve the meatballs and sauce on fluffy steamed rice.

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Baked Burrata

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Baked Burrata
Baked Burrata

250ml passata sauce, store bought
200g pickled sweet peppers, in olive oil
2 burrata cheese

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Pour the passata sauce and peppers into a small ovenproof dish.
Place the cheese in the sauce and pour over the olive oil from the sweet peppers.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve the burrata and sauce with crostini or fresh, crusty bread as a delicious warm starter.

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Beef Tagliata

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Beef Tagliata
Beef Tagliata

Tagliata which simply means to cut in Italian, is one of Italy’s most popular steak dishes. I use store bought quartered sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe. The dressing adds a punchy freshness to the meat and is one of the quickest meals you will prepare..

Dressing:
10 quarters of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, finely chopped
60ml olive oil from the packet of tomatoes
60ml soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
60ml finely chopped basil leaves

beef fillet/tenderloin
parmesan shavings
a handful of peppery herbs

For the dressing:
Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature to develop its flavours. (about 40 minutes)
Cook your steaks in a pan or on the braai/bbq.
Cover with aluminium foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Slice the cooked meat into strips and arrange it on a serving platter.
Drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle over some parmesan shavings and herbs.
Serve the steak with the rest of the dressing on the side.

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Biltong and Fig Camembert Ring

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Biltong and Fig Camembert Ring
Biltong and Fig Camembert Ring

125g cream cheese, room temperature
2 preserved green figs, finely chopped
45ml syrup from the preserved figs
1 x 400g roll of puffed pastry
200g thinly sliced biltong
250g camembert cheese, top rind removed
egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the cream cheese, chopped figs and the syrup to a bowl and mix to distribute the fig evenly.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and halve it in its length – you want to shorter pieces.
Divide the cream cheese mixture between the pastry and spread it out evenly.
Now arrange the biltong on top of the cream cheese.
Cut each piece of pastry into 8 even strips.
Twist each strip like you would when making cheese straws.
Place a saucer/heatproof bowl, more or less the size of the camembert, on the lined baking sheet.
Arrange the twisted pastry around the saucer until you have an entire ring of pastry around it.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes.
Take the baking sheet from the oven, remove the saucer and replace it with the camembert. (the top with its rind removed, should face up)
Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 8 minutes or so – the cheese should be melted and runny.
Serve warm with fresh herbs scattered over.