Tag: easy lunch

Mongolian Beef

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Mongolian Beef
Mongolian Beef

500g beef, sliced in strips
45ml cornstarch
15ml + 15ml vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml ground ginger
80ml soy sauce
60ml water
60ml brown sugar
15ml sesame seeds, toasted

Add the beef strips to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the cornstarch over and toss together so that the steak is coated in a thin layer.
Place a large pan on medium-high heat and pour in 15ml of vegetable oil.
Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the soy sauce, water and sugar and cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the sauce into a jug and set aside.
Pour the remaining 15ml vegetable oil into the pan and turn the heat to medium-high.
Add the steak in batches and cook until it is browned.
Add all the steak back into the pan and pour in the sauce.
Simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon evenly.
Serve the beef on steamed rice, scatter over the sesame seeds and serve.

Potato-Cheese Flatbread

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Potato-Cheese Flatbread
Potato-Cheese Flatbread

Yields two flatbreads

3 potatoes, cooked (about 250 – 350ml cooked potato)
60ml butter
250ml cheese, grated (I use parmesan and cheddar)
5ml salt
5ml garlic salt
15ml chives, chopped
250ml yoghurt
375ml self-raising flour
butter

Mash the cooked potato while it is still warm and mix in the butter, cheese, salt, garlic salt and chives. Set aside to cool.
Add the yoghurt and flour to a bowl and combine.
Knead until you have a smooth ball of dough – add a small amount of flour if the dough is too sticky.
Divide the dough in two balls.
Roll out into a circle of 1cm thickness.
Add half the potato mixture, flatten into a smaller circle and gather the edges of the dough around the filling. Pinch together the dough to seal the potato filling.
Flip the filled dough and gently roll it out to a disk shape that will fit your pan.
Pan-fry on both sides on medium heat, until golden, brushing with melted butter.
Serve the bread warm.

Orzotto Alla Norma

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Orzotto Alla Norma
Orzotto Alla Norma

2 aubergines
olive oil
250g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
15ml fresh thyme, chopped
300g orzo
100g parmesan cheese, grated
a handful of fresh basil
1 Burrata

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Slice the aubergine into discs, spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and generously drizzle with olive oil.
Scatter the cherry tomatoes over the aubergine and bake for 30 minutes.
Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add some olive oil.
Fry the onion and garlic until soft.
Add the chopped tomato and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Cook the orzo according to packet instructions.
Drain the orzo and add it to the tomato sauce.
Add the grated parmesan and stir through.
Spoon the orzo into a serving dish and top with the aubergine, roasted tomato and burrata.
Serve with fresh basil leaves scattered on top.

Pasta with Peanut Butter Sauce

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Pasta with Peanut Butter Sauce
Pasta with Peanut Butter Sauce

You may serve any pasta with this peanut butter sauce but it does coat spaghetti rather well. This is enough sauce for about 250g dry weight, spaghetti.

125ml peanut butter
30ml soy sauce
30ml brown sugar
15ml lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
90ml very warm water
100ml peanuts, chopped

Cook the pasta of your choice while making the sauce/keep your pasta warm.
Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and garlic to a LARGE mixing bowl and whisk together to blend. The mixture will be extremely thick but keep stirring and mixing with the whisk until blended.
Add about 15ml of the warm water to the mixture and stir/blend/whisk until the water has been incorporated.
Keep adding a small amount of water and whisking until all the water is incorporated and you are left with a smooth, thick sauce.
Add the hot pasta to the sauce and toss through until the pasta is covered in the sauce.
Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle the chopped peanuts over to serve.

Beer Chicken

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Beer Chicken
Beer Chicken

This chicken is terribly easy and quick to make and deliciously soft and moist. Yields 6 portions.

6 chicken breasts, skin removed
45mll butter
30ml vegetable oil
125ml chicken stock
125ml stout or any other beer
10ml dried tarragon
125ml cream

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place an ovenproof frying pan onto medium-heat and add the butter and vegetable oil to it.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place it in the hot pan to fry.
Cook the breasts for 4 minutes before turning and cooking the other side for another 4 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the frying pan and keep on the side while you make the sauce.
Pour the chicken stock into the frying pan and simmer for 3 minutes before adding the stout/beer.
Bring the liquids back to a simmer, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the caramelised bits of chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the tarragon and cream and stir through.
Place the chicken breasts back in the sauce and place the pan in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes.
Serve the chicken on couscous and spoon over some extra sauce.

Traybake Gnocchi

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Traybake Gnocchi
Traybake Gnocchi

400g gnocchi
2 sweet peppers, sliced
100g black olives
100g green olives
400g cocktail/rosa tomatoes
150-200g feta cheese
125ml olive oil

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Place the gnocchi on one half of the tray in a flat layer.
Add the sweet peppers, black and green olives and tomatoes to the other side of the tray.
Place the feta in the middle of the tray and drizzle the olive oil over all the ingredients making sure the gnocchi is “well drizzled”.
Place the tray in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Spoon onto a serving dish and drizzle the gnocchi with the oil in the pan before serving.

Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Salad

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Salad
Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Salad

30ml butter, melted
15ml olive oil
83ml balsamic vinegar
30ml water
15ml sugar
1,2ml salt
about 12 small/medium beetroot
baby spinach
5 fresh peaches, stoned and quartered
100g goats cheese
30ml honey

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the melted butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a small bowl and whisk everything together. Set aside.
Wash and scrub the beetroot and cut off the hairy parts at the root. Half or quarter each, depending on its size and place them in an oven tray.
Pour the balsamic mixture over and cover the pan with aluminium foil.
Bake the beetroot for 30 minutes, remove the foil, turn the beets and bake for a further 30 minutes or until fully cooked and beautifully glazed.
Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool. Reserve the pan juices.
Arrange the baby spinach, cooled beetroot and peach quarters on a serving platter and break the goats cheese over it.
Mix together 45ml of the reserved pan juices and the honey and drizzle over the salad.
Serve as a side or with a fresh crusty bread as a lunch.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad
Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad

450g sweet peppers/bell peppers
30ml + 15ml olive oil
30ml white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
12 basil leaves, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
5ml sugar
2,5ml salt
45ml pine nuts, toasted
125ml crumbed feta cheese
125ml olives, pitted

Turn your oven on the grill setting and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
Drizzle the 15ml olive oil on the peppers and spread evenly over each pepper with your hands. Place the peppers on the lined baking sheet and grill for about 15 minutes, until their skins are black. DO NOT take the peppers out too soon….they can not be too blackened!
Immediately place the charred peppers in a mixing bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside until the peppers are cool enough to handle.
Break open the peppers, remove the core and seeds and pull the skin from each. It is easiest to use your hands to scrape the seeds out and it is quite all right for the peppers to tear into strips!
Add the peppers, oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, thyme, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
Arrange the marinated peppers on a serving plate and top with pine nuts, feta and olives.