handfood – My Whisk and I

Potato Flatbread / Schiacciata di Patate

December 15, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

5-6 large potatoes
410ml flour
310ml cold water
30ml olive oil
2,5ml salt
160ml grated parmesan cheese
15ml chopped rosemary

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Slice the potato thinly and set aside.
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and whisk in the water, olive oil, salt and grated parmesan.
Whisk the batter by hand for a minute or two, until smooth.
Add the sliced potato to the batter and mix it through by hand, making sure that the slices are coated with batter.
Place hand-full potato slices on the prepared baking sheet and spread it out in an evenly layer with the potato overlapping.
Scatter over the chopped rosemary and some extra grated parmesan cheese.
Bake the flatbread for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven, slice into pieces and serve hot.

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Prawn Croquettes

June 19, 2024June 18, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
500g prawns, shelled and cleaned
375g mashed potato
125ml grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs
about 500ml panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil to fry

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add a splash of oil and the onion to it and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the prawns and cook until pink – about 3 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into a food processor, add 5ml salt and pulse until roughly chopped.
Add the mashed potato and cheddar cheese and pulse until the mixture is incorporated.
Taste and season according to your liking.
Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl.
Scoop 30ml of the prawn mixture into your hands and shape into a log.
Dip the log into the egg and then roll it in the breadcrumbs to cover.
Refrigerate the shaped croquettes for 30 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil and fry the croquettes in batches for 3-4 minutes at a time.
Serve warm with a tartar sauce on the side.

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Mini Aubergine Schnitzels

March 23, 2024March 22, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

about 9 small aubergines
125ml flour
5ml salt and a few groundings of black pepper
125ml water
100g all bran breakfast cereal

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
Place the aubergine on the prepared baking sheet and prick the skin and flesh all over with a fork.
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, remove and allow to cool completely.
Carefully peel off the skins and place the aubergines back on the tray.
Squash the flesh with a fork so that the flesh spreads out to an even thickness. Set aside.
Add the flour, salt, black pepper and water to a bowl and stir to make a thin batter.
Add the all bran flakes to a food processor and blitz to rough crumbs.
Pour the cereal in a shallow bowl.
Now dip an aubergine in the batter, covering both sides and allow the excess batter to drip off.
Place the aubergine in the cereal and coat on both sides.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and add some vegetable oil to it.
Wait for the oil to heat up and fry the aubergine for 2 minutes per side until golden and crispy.
Serve warm.

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Sweet Goat Cheese Puffs

December 3, 2023December 2, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Makes about 36 bite-sized puffs

1 packet store-bought puff pastry, thawed and at room temperature
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water, whisked together
45ml sesame seeds
180g cream cheese, softened
60g goat cheese, softened
15ml lemon juice
1ml salt
30ml chopped chives
60ml sweet chilli sauce

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lay the pastry on a work surface and cut out 5cm rounds with a biscuit cutter.
Transfer the pastry rounds to the baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
Now score each round with a 2,5cm biscuit cutter, but do not cut through.
Brush the borders/rims of the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake the rounds for 12 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and press down the centres of each puff with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon juice, salt and chopped chives to a bowl and beat together by hand until creamy.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into the centre of each pastry puff.
Drizzle over the sweet chilli sauce and serve.

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Prawn Croquettes / Hollandse Kroketten

June 18, 2023June 12, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
500g prawns, cleaned
375ml mashed potato
125ml grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs
about 500ml panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil to fry

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add a splash of cooking oil and the onion and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the prawns and cook until pink – about 3 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
Add the mashed potato and cheddar and pulse until the mixture is evenly incorporated.
Season with salt.
Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl.
Scoop 30ml of the prawn mixture into you hands and shape it into a log.
Dit into the egg and then roll to cover in the breadcrumbs.
Refrigerate the shaped croquettes for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil and fry in batches for 3-4 minutes.
Serve warm with a tartar sauce on the side.

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Jan’s Balsamic Toffee Tomatoes

May 7, 2023April 28, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe is not mine to give out as it belongs to the South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen BUT you should make these for your next drinks party …. delicious just got so much better!

These tomatoes are incredibly tasty and the balsamic toffee perfectly balances with the toasty sesame brittle on which it sits. Easy and quick to make EXCEPT on a rainy day! The moisture in the air prevents the toffee from “sitting” on the tomato…

You can find this recipe in Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s book The French Affair (Struik; 2013) (p. 19).

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Feta-Filled Flatbreads

May 3, 2023April 22, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g self-raising flour
170g greek yoghurt
Filling:
50g baby spinach
50g feta cheese, crumbed
30ml cream cheese, room temperature
1 clove of garlic, minced
a few grindings of black pepper
40ml frozen peas, defrosted
a handful of mint leaves, chopped

Add the flour and yoghurt to a mixing bowl and bring together.
Knead the dough by hand for 5 minutes – you want a soft, bouncy dough. (Add more flour if you have to, but the dough becomes less sticky as you knead it).
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Place the spinach in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Stand for 1 minutes, drain and squeeze the spinach as dry as you can get it, in a tea towel.
Chop it up and add it to a bowl.
Add the feta, cream cheese, garlic, pepper, peas and mint and mix together.
Unwrap the dough and divide it into 4 equal portions.
Make a ball from each portion and then press it into a circle with your fingers.
Spoon a tablespoon full of filling in the centre and then bring in the edges and seal by squeezing it together.
Turn the filled disc over and flatten out with your fingers until about 1,5cm thick.
Set aside and repeat the process with the rest of the dough and filling.
Place a non-stick pan on medium-low heat and add a small knob of butter.
Place the flatbreads in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes PER SIDE.
Serve warm.

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Whipped Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta

October 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 sourdough loaf, cut into 1cm slices
60ml olive oil
600g cherry tomatoes, halved
half a red onion, finely chopped
200g goat’s cheese/chevin
100g sour cream
juice of 1 lemon (about 30ml)
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush them with the olive oil.
Toast the bread in the oven for 10 min. Set aside.
Add the halved tomatoes and red onion to a mixing bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add the goat cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and basil leaves to a bowl and whisk together with an electric whisk.
Spread the cheese mixture on the bruschetta, top with the tomato and serve immediately.

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Chocolate-Biscuit Meringue

December 3, 2021December 3, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The recipe makes about 18 meringue biscuits.

4 egg whites, room temperature
220g caster sugar
5ml white vinegar
250ml ladies finger biscuits, chopped (or any other plain biscuit)
250ml almond slivers
160g chocolate of your choice; I used De Villiers Nut Butter with no added sugar

Preheat your oven to 150℃ and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form.
Add one tablespoon of sugar at a time, with the mixer running. Wait 30 seconds before adding the next tablespoon of sugar and continue until all the sugar has been added.
Whisk on high speed for 2 more minutes.
Add the vinegar and whisk 2 minutes more.
Take the bowl from the mixer and add the biscuits and almonds. Fold through.
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt completely.
Spoon a tablespoon of the meringue mixture onto the prepared tray and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate on the meringue and swirl it into the top.
Now reduce your oven temperature to 120℃ and place the trays in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
Turn off the oven, without opening the door and leave the meringue inside for another 30 minutes.
Remove the trays from the oven and leave the meringue on it until completely cold – another hour or so.

Store the meringue biscuits in an airtight container.