easy recipes – Page 6 – My Whisk and I

Chorizo and Spinach Carbonara

October 4, 2022October 3, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a cheat’s version of carbonara and makes a perfect weekday dinner. Feeds 4 adults.

300g dried pappardelle pasta (or spaghetti)
150g chorizo sausage, sliced
15ml thyme, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml lemon juice
45ml yoghurt
1 egg
100g baby spinach
50g parmesan cheese, grated

Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions.
Add the chorizo to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and fry for 3 minutes.
Add the thyme and garlic and stir-fry for another minutes or so.
Add the lemon juice, yoghurt and egg to a small bowl and whisk together with a fork.
Take the saucepan from the heat and add the yoghurt mixture while stirring.
Add the spinach to the saucepan and place it back onto the heat while stirring until the spinach is wilted.
Remove from the heat and sprinkle the parmesan over.
Mix through before serving.

Uncategorized

Chocolate Swirl Brownies

September 25, 2022September 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

150g butter, melted
250ml sugar
45ml espresso
2 eggs
5ml vanilla
80g dark chocolate, melted
190ml flour
60ml cocoa powder, sifted
2,5ml salt
80g dark chocolate, chopped

Cheesecake Swirl:
125g cream cheese, room temperature
80ml sugar
1 egg yolk
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
Add the melted butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the espresso, eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate and whisk to combine.
Now add the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
Fold the ingredients together until you have a smooth batter.
Add the chopped chocolate and fold through.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin and set aside.

For the cheesecake swirl:
Add the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Spoon dollops of the cheesecake batter across the surface of the brownie mixture.
Swirl the cheesecake mixture through the brownie batter with a small knife.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Cool the brownies in the baking tin before removing and slicing.

Uncategorized

15-Minutes Gnocchi

September 21, 2022September 17, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g gnocchi
15ml olive oil
30ml butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml mixed Italian herbs
1 x 400g tin of diced tomato
125ml tomato sauce (ketchup)
125ml vegetable stock
80ml cream
5ml salt
a few grindings of black pepper
a few sprigs of thyme
parmesan cheese, to serve

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
Add the gnocchi, cook for 2-3 minutes (they should start floating) and drain.
Drizzle with some olive oil and mix through so that the gnocchi doesn’t stick – set aside.
Place a saucepan or large pan on medium-high heat and add the butter.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the gnocchi to the pan and sprinkle the herbs on top. Stir to coat.
Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Spoon the gnocchi into a bowl and keep warm on the side.
Now add the tin of tomatoes, tomato sauce and vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Pour in the cream, add the salt and a few grindings of black pepper.
Add the gnocchi back into the pan and heat through.
Scatter some fresh thyme over and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.

Uncategorized

Honey Mustard Chicken

September 1, 2022August 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
30ml vegetable oil
5ml salt
2,5ml garlic powder
2,5ml onion powder
2,5ml dried thyme
2,5ml onion seeds
2,5ml smoked paprika

Sauce:
125ml honey
60ml butter, melted
60ml wholegrain mustard
20ml hot sauce
5ml apple cider vinegar

Pat the chicken breasts dry and brush them with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, onion seeds and paprika in a small bowl.
Season both sides of each chicken breast with the seasoning – rub it all over. Set aside.
Add the honey, butter, mustard, hot sauce and vinegar to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Place a cast iron pan/skillet onto medium heat and wait for it to heat up.
Add the breasts to the hot pan and cook for 3 minutes without moving the meat around.
Flip the breasts over and pour the sauce over.
Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes, basting the chicken once or twice as it cooks.
Remove the lid and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
Serve the chicken on couscous or rice.

Uncategorized

Chewy Breakfast Bars

August 31, 2022August 30, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

625ml rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
125ml almonds, chopped
83ml honey
56g butter, cubed
62ml brown sugar
2,5ml vanilla
1,2ml salt
125ml dried cranberries, chopped
80ml chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
Add the oats and chopped almonds to a baking sheet, spread it out evenly and bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture around and bake for another 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Spoon into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Add the honey, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt to a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
Stir the mixture until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Allow it to bubble for 30 seconds and remove from the heat.
Pour the honey mixture into the bowl with the oats and almonds and mix well.
Add the cranberries and the chocolate chips and stir again.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin and firmly press into the tin. Wet your fingers with water and press some more – this is really important for the mixture to stick together.
Cover the tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Remove from the tin and cut into 12x bars.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
I like to wrap the individual bars in baking paper so that they are ready to be taken on-the-go!!

Uncategorized

Honey Glazed Pork Chops

August 22, 2022August 14, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6 pork chops
22,5ml soy sauce
30ml oyster sauce
5ml ground ginger
30ml honey
25ml five-spice powder
45ml wine (or water or stock)

Add all the ingredients, except the pork chops, to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Place the chops in a shallow baking dish and pour the mixture over.
Leave to marinate for one hour, turning the chops once.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place a cast-iron pan (or any other oven-friendly pan) on high heat, and pour in some vegetable oil.
Scrape most of the marinade off the meat and fry for 2 minutes before turning and frying another 2 minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium and pour in the marinade sauce.
Stir and cook for about 3-4 minutes and then place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve the chops with fragrant rice or couscous.

Uncategorized

Fruity Weet-Bix Slice

August 10, 2022August 4, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

180g butter, melted
170g sugar
3 weet-bix bars, crushed or about 150g of crumbs/broken pieces
150g self-raising flour
85g desiccated coconut
2 x 395g cans condensed milk
310ml lemon juice (strained if using fresh)
about 150g raspberries and blueberries

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line a 20cm x 30cm oven tray with baking paper, allowing an overhang so that you can easily remove the fruit slices when set.
Add the butter, sugar, weet-bix, flour and coconut to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and smooth it out.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Add the condensed milk and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
Scatter the raspberries and blueberries over the cooled base.
Gently pour the condensed milk mixture over the fruit and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight before slicing into squares to serve.
Keep refrigerated.

Uncategorized

Minestrone Soup

August 8, 2022July 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 carrots, chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin of butter beans (or any other white bean, cooked)
4 x 250ml vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
5ml dried thyme
250ml small pasta, e.g. elbows, shells, vermicelli
125ml fresh parsley, chopped
salt and black pepper

Add some olive oil to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and fry the onion until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Now add the carrots, tomato, beans, stock, bay leaves and thyme. Cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the pasta and cook uncovered until done – about 10 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the soup and serve piping hot.

Uncategorized

Cheat’s Milktart

August 5, 2022August 4, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Biscuit base:
250g dry biscuits
100g butter, melted
1 egg white

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the biscuits to the bowl of a food processor and process to crumbs.
Whisk the egg white just until frothy and add it to the crumbs with the melted butter.
Mix well until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Tip the crumb-mixture into a loose-bottom tart tin and level it out. Use a glass with a flat bottom to press the crumb down firmly all over and up the sides of the tin. Keep pressing until the base comes together.
Place the tart tin on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Set aside to cool.

Filling:
60ml cornstarch
120ml water
2 egg yolks
500ml ready-made custard
ground cinnamon

Add the cornstarch to a large mixing bowl and pour the water over. Mix to a smooth slurry.
Add the egg yolks and whisk through.
Pour the custard into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and slowly and in a very thin stream, add it to the slurry while whisking continuously.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it on medium heat while whisking until it thickens.
Pour the filling into the cooled base and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
Refrigerate the milk tart for 3-4 hours before serving.

Uncategorized

Meatball Soup / Groentesoep met Balletjes

April 22, 2022April 2, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The base of this soup is a delicious vegetable broth and therefore it is very important to either make your own stock or buy the best quality you can lay your hands on. In the traditional recipe the meatballs are cooked in the broth. In my version the meatballs are first roasted in the oven to add another layer of flavour before adding it to the broth.
This recipe feeds 6-8 people – you may half the ingredients when preparing the soup or alternatively freeze one half.

Meatballs:
1kg ground beef
20ml salt
1 egg

Soup:
3 litres vegetable stock
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into discs
220g vermicelli pasta, broken into small pieces
125ml fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

For the meatballs:
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and lightly spray 2 roasting tins with cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine the ground beef, salt and egg in a mixing bowl and mix through.
Scoop a teaspoonful of the mixture into your hands and shape into mini balls by rolling between your palms. Place the meatballs in the prepared tins.
Bake the mini meatballs in the oven for 10 minutes.

For the broth:
Pour the stock into a large saucepan, add 10ml salt and bring to a simmer.
Add the carrots and vermicelli and simmer until the carrots are fork-tender.
Now add the mini meatballs and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the parsley to the soup and taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve the soup piping hot with fresh, crusty bread.