light lunch – Page 2 – My Whisk and I

Whipped Feta Salad

September 9, 2023August 29, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g + 50g feta, crumbled
100ml milk
350g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small cucumber, diced
a handful of basil, chopped
half an onion, finely chopped
30ml balsamic vinegar
30ml olive oil
20g pine nuts, toasted

Crumble the feta into a blender’s cup and add half the milk.
Blitz with an immersion blender until it becomes emulsified – add the rest of the milk a little at a time, aiming for a creamy consistency that will sit on a plate.
Crumb the 50g feta into the whipped feta and spread on a serving plate.
Add the halved tomatoes, cucumber, basil and onion to a mixing bowl and pour over the balsamic, olive oil and salt and pepper.
Mix together and spoon on to the whipped feta.
Scatter over the toasted pine nuts and a few extra basil leaves.

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Onion Pie

August 28, 2023August 14, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

1 packet frozen puff pastry
30ml olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
5 eggs
125ml milk
125ml cream
5ml salt
15ml onion seeds
250ml grated mature cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and spray a deep pie dish (or a loose-bottom cake tin) with cooking spray.
Line the pie dish with the pastry. The sides should come up 4cm.
Pour the olive oil into a saucepan set over medium-high heat and add the onions.
Cook until soft, remove from the saucepan and set aside to cool.
Add the eggs, milk, cream, salt and onion seeds to a large jug and whisk together.
Add the grated cheddar to the cooled onions and mix through.
Spoon the onion mixture into the pastry lined baking tin.
Pour the egg mixture over and bake for one hour.
Serve the pie warm with a salad on the side.

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Baked Burrata

August 18, 2023August 2, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml passata sauce, store bought
200g pickled sweet peppers, in olive oil
2 burrata cheese

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Pour the passata sauce and peppers into a small ovenproof dish.
Place the cheese in the sauce and pour over the olive oil from the sweet peppers.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve the burrata and sauce with crostini or fresh, crusty bread as a delicious warm starter.

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Biltong and Fig Camembert Ring

August 12, 2023July 29, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125g cream cheese, room temperature
2 preserved green figs, finely chopped
45ml syrup from the preserved figs
1 x 400g roll of puffed pastry
200g thinly sliced biltong
250g camembert cheese, top rind removed
egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the cream cheese, chopped figs and the syrup to a bowl and mix to distribute the fig evenly.
Lay the pastry flat on a work surface and halve it in its length – you want to shorter pieces.
Divide the cream cheese mixture between the pastry and spread it out evenly.
Now arrange the biltong on top of the cream cheese.
Cut each piece of pastry into 8 even strips.
Twist each strip like you would when making cheese straws.
Place a saucer/heatproof bowl, more or less the size of the camembert, on the lined baking sheet.
Arrange the twisted pastry around the saucer until you have an entire ring of pastry around it.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes.
Take the baking sheet from the oven, remove the saucer and replace it with the camembert. (the top with its rind removed, should face up)
Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 8 minutes or so – the cheese should be melted and runny.
Serve warm with fresh herbs scattered over.

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Breakfast Pide

July 20, 2023May 17, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Bread:
330ml warm water
5ml salt
5ml sugar
10ml instant yeast
750ml bread flour

Filling:
blanched spinach
red onion, sliced
tomato, chopped
grated mozzarella cheese
poached egg
sesame seeds

For the bread:
Add the water, salt, sugar and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Add the bread flour and mix on low speed to form a dough.
Turn the speed up to medium and mix/knead for 5 minutes. You will be left with a soft but slightly sticky dough.
Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 240℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Dust a work surface with flour and divide the dough into 6 equal portions.
Roll the dough into a 10cm diameter circle with a rolling pin.
Place the dough rounds on the baking sheet and brush all over with olive oil.
Top the dough with some of the spinach, mozzarella, tomato and red onion, leaving a 1cm border on the outside edge.
Scatter the border of the dough round with sesame seeds and break an egg in the centre.
Bake in the oven for 13 minutes.
Serve warm.

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Cheese Pies

July 6, 2023May 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125ml butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten together
250ml grated mozzarella cheese
500g feta cheese, crumbed
12 phyllo pastry sheets

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter to a bowl and melt it in the microwave oven.
Add the eggs to another bowl and beat together.
Add the grated mozzarella and feta to the eggs and mix together. Set aside.
Now lay one phyllo sheet on a work surface and brush all over with the melted butter.
Lay another sheet on top and brush again.
Spoon 125ml of the cheese mixture evenly across the length of the pastry, about 2cm away from the edge.
Fold the edge over the cheese and roll the pastry into a long log.
Now roll the log into a coil.
Place the coils on your prepared baking sheet and brush with the melted butter.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Serve the cheese pies with a sweet sauce.

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Chicken Piccata Meatballs

June 4, 2023May 24, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g chicken, ground
1 egg
10ml oregano, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
a good handful of parsley, chopped
60ml + 250ml breadcrumbs
2,5ml salt

Sauce:
45ml olive oil
45ml butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
125ml white wine
60ml lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
grated rind of 1 lemon
60ml capers

Add the ground chicken, egg, oregano, garlic, parsley and 60ml breadcrumbs to a bowl and mix together.
Sprinkle over the salt, a few grindings of pepper and 15ml olive oil. Mix again.
Add the 250ml breadcrumbs to a shallow dish.
Now scoop up about 20ml ov the chicken mixture, shape it into a ball and coat it in breadcrumbs. Keep going until you have no chicken left.
Set a large pan over medium heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom.
Wait for the oil to heat up and then add the chicken balls. Space them so that they do not touch and crowd each other. Do more than one batch if necessary.
Cook for about 3 minutes, turn them over and cook another 3 minutes.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
For the sauce:
Add the 45ml olive oil and butter to the same pan, set over medium heat.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Pour in the white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest and capers.
Season with salt and bring to a simmer.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover the pan with a lid.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Serve immediately.

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Pizza Toast

May 9, 2023May 3, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4 – 8 slices of sourdough bread
250ml marinara/pizza sauce
500ml grated mozzarella cheese
salami
dried oregano
fresh basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Arrange the sourdough slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven.
Turn on the grill of your oven.
Spoon some marinara sauce on each slice of toast, followed by 60ml of grated mozzarella and a few slices of salami.
Sprinkle some dried oregano over and place under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove from the oven, top with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

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Beetroot and Ricotta Tart

November 25, 2022November 20, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g store-bought pastry
1 egg and 15ml water
500g ricotta cheese
6 large beetroot, cooked and peeled
a handful of pumpkin seeds
balsamic vinegar
a handful of basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the pastry on the baking paper and mark a 1cm border on the edges, with the blunt side of a table knife’s blade.
Whisk the egg and water together and lightly brush it all over the pastry.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Turn your oven temperature down to 180℃.
Break the ricotta up into chunks and evenly spread over the baked pastry.
Slice the beetroot into slices and arrange on the ricotta.
Scatter the pumpkin seeds over and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Bake the tart in the oven for 15 minutes.
Scatter over the basil leaves and slice into portions to serve.

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Sesame Halloumi with Honey Drizzle

November 16, 2022November 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g halloumi
75g sesame seeds
75g flour
30ml honey
10ml lemon juice
vegetable oil

Slice the halloumi into fingers
Add the sesame seeds to a shallow bowl and the flour to another.
Roll each piece of cheese in the sesame seeds, pressing down to make them stick.
Now press them into the flour to coat and place them on a plate.
Add the honey and lemon juice to a small bowl and whisk together.
Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and wait for it until it is hot.
Fry the halloumi in batches for 1 minute until golden brown, turning to colour evenly.
Drizzle the warm fingers with the honey dressing and serve.