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.
500g fussily pasta, cooked and cooled
350g cocktail tomatoes, halved
60ml chopped parsley
60ml chopped basil
300g bocconcini cheese balls, halved
1 red onion, finely chopped
Dressing:
125g basil pesto
60ml olive oil
45ml red wine vinegar
15ml granulated mustard
Add the cooled pasta, tomatoes, parsley, basil, bocconcini and red onion to a large bowl and toss through.
For the dressing:
Blitz together the basil pesto, olive oil, red wine vinegar and mustard.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss again.
Season with salt and pepper to serve.
4 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
20ml chicken spice
30g + 50g butter, cubed
30ml olive oil
5ml chopped rosemary
500g shitake mushrooms, halved
15ml thyme leaves, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
125ml dry, white wine
125ml chicken stock
15ml wholegrain mustard
60ml cream
Place the chicken on a cutting board and halve each breast horizontally.
Pat dry and season with salt, pepper and the chicken spice.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Add the 30g butter, 30ml olive oil and the chopped rosemary.
Lay the chicken cutlets in the pan and cook for 4 minutes before flipping them over and cooking for another 4 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Set aside.
Add the 50g butter to the pan and wait for it to melt.
Now add the mushroom and thy and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Pour in the white wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and stir in the mustard.
Add the chicken cutlets back into the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Pour in the cream and stir through.
Serve the chicken on mashed potato, rice or pasta.
Tagliata which simply means to cut in Italian, is one of Italy’s most popular steak dishes. I use store bought quartered sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe. The dressing adds a punchy freshness to the meat and is one of the quickest meals you will prepare..
Dressing:
10 quarters of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, finely chopped
60ml olive oil from the packet of tomatoes
60ml soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
60ml finely chopped basil leaves
beef fillet/tenderloin
parmesan shavings
a handful of peppery herbs
For the dressing:
Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature to develop its flavours. (about 40 minutes)
Cook your steaks in a pan or on the braai/bbq.
Cover with aluminium foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Slice the cooked meat into strips and arrange it on a serving platter.
Drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle over some parmesan shavings and herbs.
Serve the steak with the rest of the dressing on the side.
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.
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
200g ementhal cheese, sliced into 20 slices
250g smoked bacon, cut into 20 strips
12 bay leaves
125ml cream
1 egg
Preheat your oven to 190℃.
Place the chicken on a chopping board and season with salt.
Cut 5 slits at a slight angle into each chicken breast, making sure not to cut all the way through.
Place a slice of cheese into each slit.
Now insert a pice of bacon into each slit.
Randomly insert 3 bay leaves per breast.
Place the stuffed chicken in a casserole dish and grind over some black pepper.
Add the cream and the egg to a jug and whisk together.
Pour the mixture over the chicken and bake for 35 minutes.
Serve warm.
15g butter
15ml olive oil
1 large/2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, finely diced
50g curry paste (I used Rogan Josh paste – use a milder paste if you are not a fan of heat!!)
30ml tomato paste
500ml cooked rice
45ml soy sauce
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil.
Add the onion and fry until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the carrots and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the curry and tomato paste and stir to mix through.
Add the cooked rice and stir until the rice is evenly coated.
Pour in the soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes, until the soy has been absorbed.
Serve warm.
2kg lamb shoulder
6 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml ground cumin
15ml ground coriander
5ml chilli flakes
10ml smoked paprika
10ml salt
5ml black peppercorns, crushed
62ml olive oil
62ml lemon juice
125ml pomegranate seeds
60ml pine kernels, roasted
Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Place the lamb shoulder in a roasting dish with the fat side up.
Add the cumin, coriander, chilli, paprika, salt, peppercorns, olive oil and lemon juice to a small bowl and mix together.
Smear the paste all over the meat.
Pour 500ml of water around the lamb and tightly cover the roasting dish with aluminium foil.
Roast the lamb for an hour, open up the foil and spoon the liquid in the pan over the meat.
Cover again and roast further. Open the lamb once more after another hour.
The total roasting time should be 3 hours, with the foil covering.
Remove the foil after 3 hours of roasting and place the meat back in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the meat from the roasting tin but reserve the juices.
Slice or shred the lamb in a serving dish and drizzle with the pan juices.
Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and pine kernels over the shredded meat and serve.
500ml cooked bulgur wheat
250ml parsley, chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
80ml chopped pickled cucumber
125ml roasted red peppers, chopped
250ml pomegranate seeds
80ml raisins
Dressing:
60ml olive oil
60ml lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
2,5ml granulated mustard
5ml sugar
2,5ml salt
Add the cooked bulgur wheat, parsley, onion, pickled cucumber, red peppers, pomegranate seeds and raisins to a large mixing bowl and toss together.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together until amalgamated and drizzle over the salad.
12 skewers
2kg beef, cut into 2cm cubes
60ml soy sauce
125ml teriyaki sauce
15ml steak seasoning
250ml red wine
1 green bell pepper, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares
1 red onion, cut into 2cm x 2cm squares`
Sauce:
250ml greek yoghurt
80ml parsley, finely chopped
60ml mint leaves, finely chopped
2,5ml salt
15ml lemon juice
Add the beef cubes to a mixing bowl and pour over the soy sauce, teriyaki, steak seasoning and red wine.
Toss the beef with your hands and ensure that it is covered with the marinating ingredients.
Set aside for 1 hour or longer.
Thread the beef, bell pepper and onion on to a skewer – you should have 12 kebabs.
For the sauce:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix through.
Grill the kebabs on an open fire – 3 minutes per side x 4, until beautifully charred.
Serve the kebabs with the yoghurt sauce.
My Whisk and I 