family meals – My Whisk and I

Lemon Chicken Orzo

September 28, 2025by Karen Claassen1 Comment

5ml salt
2,5ml black pepper
5ml turmeric
5ml smoked paprika

8 skinless chicken breasts
30ml olive oil

1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5ml Dijon mustard
125ml white wine
250ml orzo
500ml chicken stock
grated zest of one lemon
30ml lemon juice
2,5ml salt
15ml oregano, chopped
15ml parsley, chopped
190ml feta cheese, crumbed
lemon slices

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 26cm oven dish with cooking spray.
Add the salt, pepper, turmeric and smoked paprika to a small bowl and mix together.
Season the chicken with the spice mix.
Place a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and then the chicken and cook until browned on both sides.
Remove the chicken and set aside.
Keep the pan on the heat but reduce the heat to medium.
Add the onion and garlic and cook for two minutes.
Add the mustard and wine and scrape up any brown bits from the pan. Reduce by half.
Pour the liquid into the prepared oven dish.
Add the orzo, chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice and crumbed feta and stir to mix.
Now lay the chicken pieces on the orzo and push them in slightly.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove and scatter over the oregano and parsley and garnish with lemon slices.
Serve warm.

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Glazed Sweet Potato

December 22, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

300g butter, cubed
250ml brown sugar
30ml flour
2,5ml ground cinnamon
250ml orange juice
grated zest of one orange
1 orange sliced into wedges
1kg sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 1,5-2cm thick slices

Place a large shallow saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the butter and brown sugar and allow to melt.
Scatter the flour over and stir until thickened and smooth.
Add the cinnamon.
Drizzle in the orange juice while whisking and then add the zest and the wedges.
Now add the sweet potato chunks, cover with a lid, turn the heat down to medium and cook without stirring for about 40 minutes.
Remove the lid once the sweet potato is cooked and allow the extra moisture to cook off.
Serve warm.

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Biltong Paptert

November 9, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,250ml beef stock
310ml maize meal
1 onion, sliced
1 bunch leeks, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
30ml thyme leaves
60ml balsamic vinegar
30ml brown sugar
a bunch spinach, destalked and chopped
200g parmesan/pecorino cheese, grated
150g sliced biltong
500ml cream

Line a 29cm x 39cm shallow baking tray (as you would use for a swiss roll) with baking paper and give it a spray with cooking spray.
Place a medium saucepan on high heat, pour in the stock and bring to a boil.
Gradually add the maize meal while whisking, until smooth.
Place a lid on the saucepan and reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Place a large pan over medium heat and add some oil and the onion to it.
Sprinkle over 1ml salt and cook until caramelised – about 15 minutes.
Add the leeks and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the thyme leaves, balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook another 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and stir-fry until just wilted.
Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add half the cheese to the maize and stir through.
Pour the maize mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread it out evenly.
Spread the caramelised onion mixture, remaining cheese and biltong over the warm pap and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
With the long side facing you, roll the pap into a log, using the paper to lift and roll.
Cover the log and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Grease a 28cm ovenproof saucepan or baking tin.
Cut the log into six even pieces and place each piece cut side up in the saucepan.
Drizzle the cream over and bake in the oven for one hour.
Serve directly from the oven.

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Mexican Bowls

November 7, 2024November 6, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomato
1kg minced/ground beef
250ml beef stock
1 x 400g tin of red/black beans
1 chilli, finely chopped

avocado pear, sliced
baby corn
tomato, diced
cos lettuce, quartered

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add some olive oil and fry the onions until soft.
Add the garlic and sweet pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chopped tomato, minced beef and stock to the pan and stir through.
Season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Drain the beans and add it to the saucepan with the chilli. Cook for another 5 minutes or so while stirring.
Remove from the heat.

Put your bowls together by incorporating:
* the fried minced beef mixture
* avocado pear
*baby corn
* chopped tomato
* lettuce

Serve while the beef is still warm.

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Bacon and Asparagus Potato Salad

November 2, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This salad may be served warm or at room temperature.

Dressing:
half a red onion, finely diced
15ml red wine vinegar
15ml dijon mustard
15ml cold water
45ml olive oil

1kg baby potatoes
200g smoked bacon, chopped into pieces
one small bunch of green asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths
1 red onion, sliced
a handful of soft herbs (basil, parsley, sage, chives)

For the dressing:
Add the diced onion, vinegar, mustard and water to a small bowl and mix together.
Gradually add the olive oil, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens.
Taste the dressing and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the potatoes until soft. Drain the water and place in a large mixing bowl.
Cook the bacon in a pan until crispy and then add the asparagus pieces.
Stir-fry on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the bacon, asparagus and pan juices over the potato and mix through.
Add the sliced onion and herbs.
Pour the dressing over while the salad is still warm and mix to serve.

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Zucchini Cheese Pie

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

500g zucchini, grated
200g feta cheese, crumbed
100g mozzarella, grated
25ml dill, chopped
15ml sliced spring onions
2 eggs
5-6 sheets filo pastry
50g butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Grate the zucchini into a bowl, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 min.
Scoop the zucchini into a clean dish towel and twist it as though you are wringing it out, to get rid of the water/moisture.
Add the zucchini, feta and mozzarella to a bowl and mix together.
Add the dill, spring onion and egg and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Melt the butter and brush a 23cm diameter pie dish on the bottom and sides.
Lay a sheet of filo in the pie dish, allowing it to hang over the sides and brush that with butter as well.
Lay another 4-5 sheets of filo over the first one, overlapping them at different angles and brushing each with the butter.
Spoon the zucchini and cheese mixture into the filo.
Fold the pastry in and around the filling and once brush with the butter.
Bake the pie in the oven for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Serve the pie warm or at room temperature.

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Spinach-Ricotta Cannelloni

July 6, 2024July 5, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
400g baby spinach
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
450g ricotta cheese
150-200g cannelloni pasta (about 16 tubes)
a handful of basil leaves
250g mozzarella cheese, sliced

Preheat your oven to 180℃

Place a large pan on a medium-high heat and add a splash of olive oil to it.
Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the baby spinach and cook until just wilted.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Chop the mixture and add it to a mixing bowl with the ricotta cheese.
Season with salt and pepper and scoop it all into a piping bag.
Add the tomato to a small saucepan and gently cook it down to get rid of the moisture – about 15 minutes on medium heat.
Now fill each cannelloni tube with the spinach mixture. Pipe it in as tight as you can get it and arrange it tightly in a 28cm x 18cm ceramic dish.
Spoon the tomato mixture over and spread it out evenly so that it covers all of the pasta.
Now sprinkle the basil leaves over and lay the mozzarella slices on top.
Bake the cannelloni for 35 minutes until golden.

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Pea and Bacon Soup

June 30, 2024June 28, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g smoked streaky bacon
15ml olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
650g frozen peas
750ml vegetable/chicken stock
15ml butter

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil.
Cook the bacon until crispy. Set aside.
Add the onion to the same saucepan and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add about three quarters of the peas and all of the stock.
Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a low simmer for 15 minutes.
Blitz the soup with a plunge blender until smooth.
Now add the peas that you kept aside, break the bacon into pieces and add those and the butter.
Gently simmer the soup for 5 minutes.
Serve with bacon and cheese toasties.

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Chicken-Potato Bake

June 25, 2024June 24, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
100g butter, cubed
125ml milk
15ml olive oil
30g butter
1kg chicken breasts, cut into 3cm pieces
2 onions, chopped
200g bacon, chopped
125ml dry white wine
80ml flour
190ml chicken stock
190 ml cream
250ml frozen peas

Place the potato chunks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook until the potato is tender.
Drain and return the potato to the saucepan.
Add the 100g butter and milk to the saucepan and mash the potato until smooth.
Season the mash with salt and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and 30g butter to it.
Cook the chicken chunks in batches until caramelised and brown.
Spoon the chicken into a ceramic oven dish and set aside.
Now add the onion and bacon to the same pan and cook on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and deglaze the pan by pouring in the white wine while stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over and while stirring for 1-2 minutes.
Add the stock a little at a time and then drizzle in the cream.
Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Add the peas, stir through and pour the mixture over the chicken.
Top the chicken with the mashed potato and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

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French Onion Soup

June 16, 2024June 16, 2024by Karen Claassen1 Comment

100g butter
1,2kg onions, sliced
5ml salt
125ml white wine
30ml flour
1,5litres of chicken stock
5 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and black pepper
baguette, sliced
150g gruyere cheese (or cheddar or mozzarella cheese)

Place a large pan on medium heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt and to start foaming.
Add the onions and stir so that it is coated in the butter.
Turn the heat down to medium low and cook the onions for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Sprinkle the salt over and turn the heat back up to medium high. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes until the onions are a deep golden colour.
Pour in the wine and scrape the pan until it is deglazed.
Transfer the onion to a large saucepan also set over medium high heat.
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the onions and stir to cook.
Pour in the stock, thyme and bay leaves and bring the mixture to a low simmer.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook for 30 minutes.
Taste and season the soup.
Preheat your oven to 240℃.
Top the slices of baguette with the cheese and grill in the oven until the cheese is bubbly.
Ladle the soup into bowls and place a slice of cheesy toast on top.
Serve piping hot!