dinner inspiration – Page 5

Shitake Chicken in Mustard Sauce

August 16, 2023August 2, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
20ml chicken spice
30g + 50g butter, cubed
30ml olive oil
5ml chopped rosemary
500g shitake mushrooms, halved
15ml thyme leaves, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
125ml dry, white wine
125ml chicken stock
15ml wholegrain mustard
60ml cream

Place the chicken on a cutting board and halve each breast horizontally.
Pat dry and season with salt, pepper and the chicken spice.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Add the 30g butter, 30ml olive oil and the chopped rosemary.
Lay the chicken cutlets in the pan and cook for 4 minutes before flipping them over and cooking for another 4 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Set aside.
Add the 50g butter to the pan and wait for it to melt.
Now add the mushroom and thy and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Pour in the white wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and stir in the mustard.
Add the chicken cutlets back into the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Pour in the cream and stir through.
Serve the chicken on mashed potato, rice or pasta.

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Hasselback Chicken

August 10, 2023July 31, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
200g ementhal cheese, sliced into 20 slices
250g smoked bacon, cut into 20 strips
12 bay leaves
125ml cream
1 egg

Preheat your oven to 190℃.
Place the chicken on a chopping board and season with salt.
Cut 5 slits at a slight angle into each chicken breast, making sure not to cut all the way through.
Place a slice of cheese into each slit.
Now insert a pice of bacon into each slit.
Randomly insert 3 bay leaves per breast.
Place the stuffed chicken in a casserole dish and grind over some black pepper.
Add the cream and the egg to a jug and whisk together.
Pour the mixture over the chicken and bake for 35 minutes.
Serve warm.

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Cock-a-Leekie Soup

August 8, 2023July 27, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

4 large leeks, sliced into coins
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 litre chicken stock
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
250ml cooked chicken, finely shredded
2 bay leaves
125ml cream

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add some olive oil to it.
Add the leeks and stir-fry until it is really soft.
Take about 2 spoonfuls of the leak out of the saucepan and keep aside as garnish.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for another minute.
Pour in the chicken stock, add the potato, chicken and bay leave and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and mash the potato against the side of the saucepan. I like my soup to have uneven bits of potato to add texture but you may blitz it at this stage if you prefer.
Pour in the cream and season the soup with salt and black pepper.
Cook for a minute or two before serving with a fresh loaf of bread.

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Spicy Fried Rice

August 7, 2023July 31, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

15g butter
15ml olive oil
1 large/2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, finely diced
50g curry paste (I used Rogan Josh paste – use a milder paste if you are not a fan of heat!!)
30ml tomato paste
500ml cooked rice
45ml soy sauce

Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil.
Add the onion and fry until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the carrots and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the curry and tomato paste and stir to mix through.
Add the cooked rice and stir until the rice is evenly coated.
Pour in the soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes, until the soy has been absorbed.
Serve warm.

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Shoulder of Lamb

July 30, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2kg lamb shoulder
6 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml ground cumin
15ml ground coriander
5ml chilli flakes
10ml smoked paprika
10ml salt
5ml black peppercorns, crushed
62ml olive oil
62ml lemon juice

125ml pomegranate seeds
60ml pine kernels, roasted

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Place the lamb shoulder in a roasting dish with the fat side up.
Add the cumin, coriander, chilli, paprika, salt, peppercorns, olive oil and lemon juice to a small bowl and mix together.
Smear the paste all over the meat.
Pour 500ml of water around the lamb and tightly cover the roasting dish with aluminium foil.
Roast the lamb for an hour, open up the foil and spoon the liquid in the pan over the meat.
Cover again and roast further. Open the lamb once more after another hour.
The total roasting time should be 3 hours, with the foil covering.
Remove the foil after 3 hours of roasting and place the meat back in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the meat from the roasting tin but reserve the juices.
Slice or shred the lamb in a serving dish and drizzle with the pan juices.
Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and pine kernels over the shredded meat and serve.

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Bulgur Wheat Salad

July 27, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500ml cooked bulgur wheat
250ml parsley, chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
80ml chopped pickled cucumber
125ml roasted red peppers, chopped
250ml pomegranate seeds
80ml raisins
Dressing:
60ml olive oil
60ml lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
2,5ml granulated mustard
5ml sugar
2,5ml salt

Add the cooked bulgur wheat, parsley, onion, pickled cucumber, red peppers, pomegranate seeds and raisins to a large mixing bowl and toss together.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together until amalgamated and drizzle over the salad.

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Beef Kebabs / Shish Kabob

July 23, 2023June 26, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

12 skewers
2kg beef, cut into 2cm cubes
60ml soy sauce
125ml teriyaki sauce
15ml steak seasoning
250ml red wine
1 green bell pepper, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares
1 red onion, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares`

Sauce:
250ml greek yoghurt
80ml parsley, finely chopped
60ml mint leaves, finely chopped
2,5ml salt
15ml lemon juice

Add the beef cubes to a mixing bowl and pour over the soy sauce, teriyaki, steak seasoning and red wine.
Toss the beef with your hands and ensure that it is covered with the marinating ingredients.
Set aside for 1 hour or longer.
Thread the beef, bell pepper and onion on to a skewer – you should have 12 kebabs.

For the sauce:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix through.

Grill the kebabs on an open fire – 3 minutes per side x 4, until beautifully charred.
Serve the kebabs with the yoghurt sauce.

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Falafel

July 21, 2023June 26, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
a big handful of parsley, chopped
a big handful of coriander leaves, chopped
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
2,5ml salt
45ml flour
vegetable oil for frying

Add all of the ingredients, except the vegetable oil, to a mixing bowl and blitz together with a stick blender.
Lift the blender often and stir the mixture around – you want everything mixed together but not too fine.
Wet your hands and scoop up 15ml of the mixture. Roll into a ball and place on a tray.
Keep going until you have rolled all of the mixture into balls.
Pour enough oil to come 7cm up the side of a saucepan and allow to heat up.
Fry a few of the falafel balls at a time until beautifully golden and crisp on the outside.
Serve with a dipping sauce as a starter or fill a pita bread with falafel, salad and tzatziki sauce.

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Cauliflower and Grain Salad

July 14, 2023June 26, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g cooked grains (choose from or combine barley, quinoa, brown rice)
100g raisins
1 cauliflower head, cut into small florets
10ml ground coriander
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2,5ml chilli flakes
55ml + 75ml olive oil
5ml salt
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
30g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
30g pomegranate seeds
15ml finely grated lemon zest
30ml lemon juice
a small handful of mint leaves
a small handful of parsley

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Add the raisins to a small bowl and pour 60ml boiling water over it. Set aside.
Add the cauliflower, coriander, garlic, chilli flakes, 55ml olive oil and salt to a mixing bowl and toss together to coat the cauliflower florets.
Tip the florets into a roasting tray and spread it out in a single layer.
Pour 60ml hot water into the now empty mixing bowl, swirl it around to collect any left-behind spices and then pour it around (NOT ON TOP!) the cauliflower.
Cover the tray with aluminium foil and roast for 10 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool.
Place a pan on medium-high heat, add about 30ml oil and fry the red onion for about 15 minutes, until starting to caramelise.
Add the cooled cauliflower, onion, pistachios, pomegranate, lemon zest, lemon juice, raisins and cooked grains to a mixing bowl.
Drizzle 45ml olive oil over and season with salt. Mix through.
Mix the mint and parsley together on a chopping board and chop roughly.
Add the herbs to the rest of the salad, mix through and serve.

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Perde Pilavi

July 13, 2023May 25, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Perde Pilavi is a traditional Turkish dish made of chicken and rice flavoured with nuts, fruit and spices and wrapped up in a delicious pastry, specked with flaked almonds.

1 chicken (1-1,5kg)
1 litre chicken stock
40g butter
40g flaked almonds
330g short grain rice (like Arborio)
30g raisins
5ml salt
5ml paprika
10ml mint, chopped
660ml chicken stock

Pastry:
2 eggs
60ml yoghurt
60g butter
50ml vegetable oil
5ml salt
350g flour
5ml baking powder
50g flaked almonds

Place the chicken in a large saucepan and pour in the stock.
Cook on medium heat for an hour, until done.
Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool slightly.
Reserve the stock.
Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt.
Add the almonds and stir-fry until golden.
Add the rice and cook for a minute or so, stirring all the while to coat in the butter.
Now add the raisins, salt, a few grindings of black pepper, paprika and mint.
Pour in 660ml of the reserved stock (add boiling water if you dont have enough), stir the mixture and cover with a lid.
Turn the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Shred the chicken into strips and discard the bones and skin.
Add the chicken to the rice mixture and stir through.

For the pastry:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the eggs, yoghurt, butter and vegetable oil to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Add the salt, flour and baking powder to a bowl and whisk through.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet.
Lightly knead the pastry to bring it together.
Flour a work surface and roll the pastry to a 45cm diameter circle. It should be large enough to line the dish and have enough hanging over the sides to close around the filling.
Spray a 18cm diameter x 8cm deep ceramic dish with cooking spray.
Scatter the almonds on the bottom of the dish.
Line the bottom and sides of the dish with the pastry, leaving the overhang.
Spoon the cooled rice mixture into the pastry.
Fold the overhang-pastry over the filling to enclose it completely – trim off any excess.
Bake for 40 minutes, until golden.
Take the dish from the oven and rest it for 15 minutes.
Place a serving plate over the baking dish and invert it.
Serve the pilavi with a crispy salad.