3 onions, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 6-8 chicken breast, cut into small pieces 15ml chicken spice 15ml turmeric 10ml salt 375ml cooked rice 250ml frozen peas
Place a large pan on medium-high heat and add some oil to it. Add the onions and fry until translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add the chicken pieces and sprinkle over the chicken spice, turmeric, salt and a few grindings of pepper. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring every now and then for another 10 minutes. Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes or so until warm. Serve a fresh tomato salad.
Polenta Baby Dutch Pancake: 45ml butter 3 eggs 150ml cake flour 30ml polenta a pinch of salt
For the ragout: Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and carrot. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add the tomato paste, chopped tomato, Worcestershire sauce and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and bring the beef to a low simmer. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and you have beautifully tender beef covered in a thick sauce.
For the Baby Dutch: Preheat your oven to 220℃. Add the butter to a cast iron frying pan of about 24cm diameter and place the pan in the oven to heat up. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or a suitable container for a stick blender and blend until the batter is completely smooth. Open the oven door, swirl the hot butter around and up the sides of the pan and immediately pour the batter into the pan. Close the door and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Do not open the door before 20 minutes, the pancake won’t rise!! Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a serving plate.
Spoon the ragout into the pancake and add some tomato and fresh spinach leaves on top. Serve with a glass of crisp white wine.
250ml uncooked sorghum 250ml black olives, pips taken out and quartered 250ml cubed feta cheese 500ml cubed tomato a bunch of basil, shredded 125ml mayonnaise 30ml chilli oil (or regular olive oil) 15ml lemon juice
Cook the sorghum according to the packet instructions and allow to cool completely. Add the sorghum, olives, feta, tomato and basil to a bowl and mix together. Add the mayonnaise, chilli oil and lemon juice to a small bowl and whisk together until amalgamated. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix to serve.
8 eggs 60ml vegetable oil 10ml mustard seeds 7 cardamom pods, cracked 5ml fennel seeds 4 cloves of garlic, minced 10ml minced ginger 1 red chilli, finely sliced 2 red onions, chopped 12 curry leaves 30ml ground coriander 10ml chilli powder 5ml turmeric 30ml sugar 15ml salt 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomato 300ml coconut milk chilli oil, to garnish coriander leaves
Fill a saucepan with water and place it over high heat. Add the eggs once the water boils and cook for 6 minutes. Plunge the eggs into cold water. Peel and keep on the side. Pour the vegetable oil into a pan set over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds. Wait for the seeds to start spluttering. Add the cardamom, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, chilli, onions and curry leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Now add the coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, sugar and salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Pour in the coconut milk and taste the sauce – adjust the seasoning to your taste. Place the eggs in the sauce and heat through. Serve the eggs on rice with lashings of sauce, a drizzle of chilli oil and fresh coriander leaves.
Place a heavy-base saucepan on medium-high heat and add some oil to it. Add the onion and chorizo and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sweet pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add the rice, sprinkle over the paprika and stir to cover. Add a pinch of saffron to the chicken stock and pour the stock into the saucepan. Add the prawns, stir through and place a lid on. Cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just tender. Add the peas and cook for another 6-7 minutes without covering. Season the paella with salt and lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the paella with fresh lemon slices.
Place the chicken on a work surface and dust both sides with the flour and some salt. Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add some vegetable oil and brown the breasts to golden brown. Work in batches and keep the browned breasts on the side. Add the butter and wait for it to melt. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir while cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine, milk and chicken stock and stir the mixture until smooth and thickened. Place the chicken breasts in the sauce, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove the lid and sprinkle the parmesan over. Stir the sauce for another 4 minutes before taking it from the heat. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Remove the leaves and cut down the stem of the cauliflower so that it sits without rolling around. Place the trimmed head on a roasting tray and brush a third of the melted butter onto the bottom section, allowing the butter to run through. Turn the head upright and brush it all over with the rest of the butter. Sprinkle with the salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Now cover the roasting tray with aluminium foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and brown the cauliflower – about 15 minutes.
For the cheese sauce: Add the butter to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and allow it to melt. Sprinkle over the flour and a pinch of salt and stir to make a paste. Cook the butter and flour for 2 minutes while stirring, until it reaches a golden colour. Add the milk and whisk until blended and the sauce has thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until melted. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower to serve.
5ml salt 10ml smoked paprika a few grindings of black pepper 2 pork fillets/tenderloin 30ml butter 15ml vegetable oil 4 cloves of garlic, minced 45ml apple cider vinegar 25ml soy sauce 125ml honey
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the salt, paprika and black pepper to a small bowl and mix together. Lay the fillets on a board and sprinkle the mix over, rubbing all over. Add the butter and vegetable oil to a heavy, oven-proof pan, place over high heat and wait for it to heat up. Add the fillets and sear until golden. Turn off the heat, add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, soy and honey to the pan and stir to mix. Turn the fillets over and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the fillets to a plate. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and set aside. Place the pan back on a medium-heat and simmer the sauce for 3 minutes or so, until syrupy. Turn off the heat and place the fillets in the sauce, turning to cover the meat completely. Slice the pork and serve with mashed potato and extra sauce.
45ml vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped 5 cloves of garlic, minced 1 x 400g tin of diced tomatoes 250ml panko breadcrumbs 2,5ml salt 250ml + 250ml finely grated parmesan cheese 190ml flour 2 eggs 6 chicken breasts 250ml vegetable oil 250ml grated mozzarella cheese
Turn your oven on to grill and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place a small saucepan over medium heat and pour in the 45ml oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add the diced tomato, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir every now and then. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly. Add the breadcrumbs, salt and 250ml parmesan to a shallow bowl. Add the flower to another bowl. Add the eggs and 15ml water to a third bowl and whisk together. Place one chicken breast between two layers of plastic wrap and gently thin it out by pounding it with a meat mallet or rolling pin. The chicken should be no thicker than 1cm. Season with salt and dip it into the flour. Shake off the excess and dip it into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Keep the breaded chicken on a baking sheet until all of the chicken is done. How place a pan on medium-high heat, add the 250ml oil and wait for it to heat up. Fry the chicken in batches for about 1 minute before flipping it over for another minute or until it is golden brown. Arrange the fried chicken on the prepared baking sheet and spoon the cooled tomato sauce over. Mix the mozzarella and remaining 250ml parmesan and sprinkle over the chicken. Grill the chicken for about 2 minutes – it is important to watch the chicken as it can easily burn but you want the cheese melted and browned. Serve the parmesan chicken with any of the remaining tomato sauce.
30ml vegetable oil 1kg steak, cubed 60g butter, cubed 5 cloves of garlic, minced a handful of parsley, chopped
Place a cast iron pan over high heat, pour in the oil and wait for it to heat up. Season the steak cubes with salt and pepper and add it to the hot pan in a single layer. If it doesn’t fit, work in batches. Cook the steak for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned all over. Take it from the pan and keep on the side while you repeat the process with the rest of the cubes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter. Add the garlic to the pan and stir-fry for one minute. Spoon the meat back into the pan and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat the meat in the garlic butter. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve as a main alongside a salad/veg or on a platter with tiny wooden skewers as a canapé.
My Whisk and I 