dinner ideas – Page 3 – My Whisk and I

Pear, Date and Walnut Salad

March 24, 2024March 23, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

3-4 pears
6-8 dates
50g walnuts
100g gorgonzola/blue cheese, broken up into chunks
150g rocket leaves

Dressing:
half a red onion, very finely chopped
15ml red wine vinegar
15ml Dijon mustard
15ml cold water
45ml olive oil

Slice the pears into 3-4mm thick slices and arrange them on a serving platter, overlapping slightly.
Cut the dates into quarters and scatter evenly over the pears.
Scatter the walnuts over as well as the blue cheese.
Top the salad with the rocket leaves.

For the dressing:
Add the onion, vinegar, mustard and water to a small bowl and whisk together.
Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously until all is incorporated and the dressing is amalgamated.

Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and serve.

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Tandoori Chicken

March 19, 2024March 18, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Marinade:
250ml greek yoghurt
3 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml ground ginger
15ml smoked paprika
15ml garam masala
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
5ml salt
15ml lemon juice

6 chicken breasts

Add all the ingredients for the marinade to a large mixing bowl and mix together.
Add the chicken pieces and cover them in the marinade.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat your oven to 240℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
Place a metal wire rack on the tray and arrange the chicken pieces on it.
Cook in the oven for 25 minutes until blistered.
Remove the chicken from the oven and serve with a fresh side or salad.

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Green Beans/Haricot Verts with Lemon Vinaigrette

March 17, 2024March 16, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Vinaigrette:
45ml lemon juice
5ml sesame oil
40ml olive oil
a pinch of salt
15ml thyme leaves, chopped

350-400g green beans
10ml sesame seeds, roasted
1 lemon, zest cut into fine strips

Rinse the beans under running water and trim off the ends.
Place a large saucepan on the heat, fill it with water and bring to a boil.
Add the trimmed beans and cook for exactly 3 minutes.
Drain the beans and once again run cold water over it to stop the cooking process.
Shake the beans dry and pat with a clean dish towel. Arrange on a serving platter.

For the vinaigrette:
Add the lemon juice, sesame oil, olive oil, salt and thyme leaves to a bowl and whisk together.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the beans and garnish with lemon zest, lemon slices and a sprinkling of the sesame seeds.

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Orzo Carbonara with Mushroom

March 14, 2024March 13, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g mushrooms, sliced
200g smoked bacon, cut into pieces
30ml + 30ml butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
500ml orzo
1 litre chicken stock
15ml chopped parsley
30ml thyme leaves
125ml cream
125ml grated parmesan cheese

Place a large pan on medium-high heat, add 30ml butter, a dash of cooking and the mushrooms.
Cook until golden, spoon into a bowl and set aside.
Add the bacon pieces to the same pan and cook until crispy on the edges. Spoon into a bowl and set aside.
Add the other 30ml butter and onion to the pan and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Pour the orzo and stock into the pan, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You want a cooked orzo that has absorbed most of the water.
Add the parsley, thyme and cream and stir through.
Now add the mushroom and bacon back into the pan and warm through while stirring.
Sprinkle over the parmesan, add a few grindings of black pepper and serve immediately.

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Aubergine Frikadelle/”Meatballs”

March 12, 2024March 11, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml uncooked lentils
1 onion, chopped
2 large aubergines, cut into small dice
4 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml chopped parsley
200g white bread (about 5 slices)
30g parmesan cheese, grated
10ml salt
2 x 400g tins chopped tomato
5ml salt
45ml sugar
30ml Worcestershire sauce
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

Cook the lentils according to packet instructions, drain and set aside to cool.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place a saucepan on medium heat and add some olive oil to it.
Add the chopped onion and cook until soft.
Add the diced aubergine, a pinch of salt and another drizzle of olive and stir-fry until really soft.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Take the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Break the bread into chunks and add it to a food processor. Whizz to crumbs.
Remove 125ml of the crumbs and set aside. Pour the rest of the crumbs into a large mixing bowl.
Add the aubergine mixture, lentils, parmesan, parsley, salt and a few grindings of black pepper to the food processor and whizz to a paste.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning.
Roll into 18-22 balls, place on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until crisp.
Add the chopped tomato to a saucepan and add the salt, sugar and Worcestershire sauce.
Simmer until reduced – about 15 minutes.
Turn your oven onto the grill setting.
Pour the tomato sauce into an ovenproof dish, place the aubergine balls on top and sprinkle over the reserved bread crumbs.
Drizzle with olive oil and grill in the oven for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle over the chopped basil and serve on steamed rice.

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Garden Pea Pie

March 3, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 x 400g rolls of puff pastry
250ml grated Ementhal cheese
310ml cream
4 eggs
250ml frozen peas, defrosted
5ml salt
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water beaten together

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 26cm diameter pie dish with cooking spray.
Line the bottom and sides of the dish with one of the sheets of pastry. Trim the sides to make it neat and prick the bottom with a fork.
Line the pastry with baking paper, weigh it down with rice/beans and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
Turn your oven down to 180℃.
Add the cheese, cream, eggs, peas, salt and a few grindings of black pepper to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Pour the mixture into the baked pastry shell.
Place the second roll of puff pastry on a work surface and cut a 27cm diameter circle from it to form the pie’s lid. Decorate the lid with cut-outs from the scrap pastry if you like.
Place the pastry lid on the pie and lightly brush with the egg wash.
Place the pie in the oven and bake for 50minutes. Start watching the colour of the pastry after 25 minutes or so and place a piece of aluminium foil on top of the pie if it is browning too quickly.
Take the pie from the oven, let it stand for 10minutes and serve.

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Easy Potato and Bacon Pie

March 2, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5kg potato, peeled and diced
2 onions, sliced
250g bacon, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
250ml grated cheddar cheese
250ml cream
125ml chicken stock
5ml salt
5ml smoked paprika
1 x 400g roll puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 200℃.

Place the diced potato in a large saucepan with water and cook until just soft. Drain and set aside.
Add some vegetable oil to a pan set over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the bacon and cook until the onion is soft and the bacon is cooked.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Take from the heat and set aside to cool.
Add the cheese to a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the cream and stock and add the salt, paprika and bacon and onion mix.
Stir to mix and spoon into a 28cm x 20cm ovenproof dish.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and cut shapes from it with a biscuit cutter.
Place the pastry pieces side-by-side on the pie filling and brush with the egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 25minutes or until golden.
Serve the potato pie straight from the oven.

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Udon and Dumplings

February 29, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

15ml tahini paste
15ml sesame oil
15ml miso
15ml soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
5ml grated ginger
500ml chicken stock
250ml milk
200g udon noodles
frozen dumplings, defrosted
30ml black sesame seeds
45ml chopped chives
chilli oil

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the tahini, sesame, miso, soy, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for one minute or so.
Add the chicken stock a little at a time, stirring continuously. Keep going until all the stock has been added.
Pour in the milk and bring the mixture to a slow simmer.
Add the udon noodles, cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the dumplings, place the lid back on and cook on a low heat until warmed through.
Scatter over the sesame seeds and chives and drizzle with chilli oil to serve.

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Bacon-Zucchini Fritters

February 15, 2024February 14, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

300 – 350g zucchini
15ml salt
375ml grated cheddar cheese
250ml chopped bacon, uncooked
6 eggs, whisked together
375ml flour
7,5ml baking powder
vegetable oil, for frying

Wash the zucchini under running water and dry them.
Grate into a bowl, sprinkle over the salt and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Place the zucchini in a clean tea towel and twist and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can.
Add the dry zucchini to a mixing bowl.
Fry the bacon bits until cooked and crispy, drain and add it to the zucchini.
Add the cheese and eggs and stir everything together.
Now add the flour and baking powder and stir to combine.
The batter should be thick enough so that it won’t spread in the pan – if it is too runny, add some more flour and if it is too stiff, add a few drops of water.
Place a frying pan over medium heat and add about 15ml of vegetable oil. Wait for the pan and oil to heat up.
Place about 30ml of batter into the pan and press down on it with the back of a spoon so that it is more or less even. You should get 3-4 fritters in an average frying pan – do not overcrowd them!
Fry the fritter for 3 minutes on the one side, flip it over and fry for another 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Keep going until there is no batter left.
Serve the bacon-zucchini fritters warm as a snack or a side, or pack them at room temperature for a picnic or lunchbox.

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Kale and Quinoa Salad

February 8, 2024February 7, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125ml uncooked quinoa, prepared according to the packet instructions and cooled down
250ml thinly sliced kale
250ml thinly sliced baby spinach
2 red apples, cut into sticks/julienned
100g goat cheese, crumbled
60ml flaked almonds

Dressing:
60ml apple cider vinegar
30ml honey
15ml Dijon mustard
60ml olive oil

Add the quinoa, kale, spinach, apple, goat cheese and almonds to a large salad bowl and set aside.
Add the apple cider vinegar, honey and mustard to a small bowl and drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix through to serve.