one-pot meals – My Whisk and I

Shitake Chicken in Mustard Sauce

August 16, 2023August 2, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

June 29, 2023June 17, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a nutritious soup and is perfect to make with cooked, left-over chicken.

2 chicken breast fillets
1,5l chicken stock
10ml sesame oil
2,5ml ground ginger
1 x 375g can of sweet corn
30ml cornflour
2 eggs
a handful of chopped chives
one packet baby corn

Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan set over medium-high heat and cover with 1 litres of the stock. Add a pinch of salt and cook until the chicken is done.
Remove the meat, but keep the stock.
Shred the chicken into large strips by pulling it apart with two forks.
Top up the chicken stock so that you have 1 litre again.
Add the sesame oil, ginger powder and sweet corn and bring to a boil.
Add the shredded chicken and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Add the cornflour to a small bowl and pour in about 60ml of the stock from the saucepan.
Stir to make a runny paste.
Drizzle the cornflour into the saucepan in a thin stream while stirring continuously.
Add the eggs to a small bowl and whisk together.
Add a spoonful of the stock in the saucepan to the eggs and whisk again.
Now, slowly drizzle in the egg while stirring.
Remove the soup from the heat, add the corn and chives and serve immediately.

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Mushroom Bourguignon

June 25, 2023June 17, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 onions, roughly chopped
1 carrot, cut into small chunks
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Portobello mushrooms
120g shitake mushrooms
200g mixed mushrooms
6 sprigs of thyme
150ml red wine
200ml vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
15ml tomato purée
15ml cornflour

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and the onion and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the carrot and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Now add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for another 7 minutes.
Pour in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the stock, bay leaves and tomato purée.
Turn the heat down and sift the cornflour over the mixture.
Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the mushroom bourguignon on mashed potato.

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Thick Chicken Soup

May 1, 2023April 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

If you need to speed things up in the kitchen you may make this soup with store-bought stock and rotisserie chicken.

45ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
a small bunch of salad onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1l chicken stock
2 eggs
60ml fresh lemon juice
375ml cooked rice
500ml cooked chicken breast, shredded

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the oil, onion and salad onion.
Cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.
Bring the mixture to the boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer.
Add the eggs, lemon juice and 60ml of the rice to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Keep the blender running and slowly pour in 250ml of the hot stock.
Now pour this mixture into the stock mixture in the saucepan while stirring.
Add the rest of the rice and the shredded chicken.
Simmer the soup for 10 minutes, on a low heat (do not let it boil) until thick.
Spoon into bowls and serve immediately.

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Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh)

August 17, 2022August 14, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5kg lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 2cm cubes
vegetable oil
10 whole cardamom pods
15ml mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
1 stick cinnamon
2 onions, finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml ground coriander
10ml ground cumin
20ml paprika
15ml ground ginger
5ml crushed dried chillies
5ml salt
2 red chillies, chopped
120ml yoghurt
2,5ml garam masala

Place a heavy-bottom saucepan on a medium-high heat and cover the base with vegetable oil.
Brown the meat in batches and set aside in a bowl.
Add the cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon and stir the mixture for about 1 minute.
Add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Now add the coriander, cumin, paprika, crushed chillies, salt and fresh chillies and stir-fry for another 30 seconds or so.
Add the meat and stir through to cover with the spices.
Add a spoonful of yoghurt and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the remaining yoghurt in the same way, so that the sauce does not split.
Pour in 375ml of water and bring the curry to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a slow simmer and cover the saucepan with a lid. Cook for 1 hour or until the lamb is tender, stirring frequently.
Remove the lid and cook the curry for another 30 minutes, stirring and waiting for the sauce to become beautifully thick.
Sprinkle over the garam masala, mix through and serve with fragrant rice.

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Green Soup

June 20, 2022June 14, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5litre vegetable stock
750g frozen peas
250g broccoli
300g baby spinach
60g almond meal
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
a small handful of mint leaves
plain yoghurt, to serve

Pour the stock into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add the peas and broccoli and simmer until the broccoli is tender – about 5 minutes.
Add the spinach leaves, almond meal, lemon zest and juice and mint and simmer for another 2 minutes.
Season the soup with salt and pepper. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Blend the mixture with a stick blender until smooth.
Simmer the soup for another 2 minutes, spoon into serving bowls and serve with a dollop of yoghurt.

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Spicy Mexican Soup

June 9, 2022May 25, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

3 litres chicken stock
1,5kg chicken breasts, skin removed
5ml black peppercorns
5ml salt
2,5ml smoked paprika
3 x 400g tins chopped tomato
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 x 400g jars sweet jalapeño, drained
30ml + 30ml vegetable oil
120g spaghetti
fresh coriander
lime wedges

Add the stock to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Cut the chicken breasts into chunks and add it to the stock.
Add the black peppercorns, salt and smoked paprika and simmer together for 30 minutes. Set aside.
Add the tomato, onion, garlic and jalapeño to the bowl of a blender and process until smooth.
Add 30ml oil to a large saucepan set over medium-high heat and add the tomato mixture to it.
Bring to a low simmer and cook half-covered for 10 minutes.
Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the stock and finely shred the meat.
Pour the stock into the tomato mixture.
Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.
Now add the shredded chicken and cook for another 10 minutes.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning – salt, black pepper, smoked paprika.
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat, add 30ml vegetable oil and add the spaghetti to the pan.
Stir continuously while frying the spaghetti until it is a golden brown colour – about 3 minutes.
Drain the pasta on paper towel and then add it to the soup.
Simmer the soup for about 8 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.
Serve the soup immediately with fresh coriander and lime wedges.

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Cottage Pie

May 26, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1kg minced beef (ground beef)
62ml flour
50g tomato paste
500ml beef stock
125ml red wine (or water)
5ml stock powder
30ml Worcestershire sauce
15ml thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
5ml salt
2,5ml ground black pepper

Topping:
1,2kg potatoes, peeled and cubed
125ml milk, warmed
100g butter, cubed
60g butter, melted
40g grated parmesan cheese

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the oil to it.
Add the garlic and onion and cook for 1 minute.
Add the carrot and cook for another 3 minutes while stirring every now and then.
Turn the heat up and add the beef. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon and stir around until loose and browned from cooking.
Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir through.
Add the tomato paste, beef stock, red wine, stock powder, Worcestershire sauce, thyme leaves, bay leaves and salt and pepper.
Stir the mixture and bring it to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You should now have a reduced, gravy consistency that isn’t watery.
Taste the beef and adjust the seasoning according to taste.
Spoon the mixture into a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish and allow it to cool. If the meat is cool when you add the mashed potato topping, the meat won’t cook through the topping.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Cook the potatoes in a saucepan with boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add them back to the saucepan.
Add the warmed milk and 100g butter and mash the potato until smooth.
Season with salt.
Spread the mash on the beef and rough up the surface with a fork.
Sprinkle the melted butter over and top with a sprinkling of the parmesan.
Bake the cottage pie for 30 minutes until it is beautifully golden on top and bubbling on the edges.
Serve piping hot.

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Mushroom Chicken

May 20, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1,5 – 2 litre chicken stock
9 chicken breasts, skin removed
700g mixed mushrooms, sliced
30ml sunflower oil
30ml butter
45ml thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
80ml cream
salt and pepper

Pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Cut the breasts into 5-6 pieces and add it to the stock.
Cook the chicken until most of the liquid has evaporated and then break up the cooked chicken pieces with a wooden spoon.
Set a frying pan over high heat and add the oil and butter to it.
Fry the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until it has caramelised and has a beautiful golden colour.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the thyme leaves and garlic. Stir around for a minute or so.
Now add the cream to the mushrooms and stir through.
Spoon the mushroom mixture into the saucepan with the cooked chicken, turn up the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
The meat should now be creamy and fragrant. If you find it has too much liquid, simmer it for a while longer so that the liquid evaporates.
Serve the chicken on couscous, rice or quinoa.

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Vegetable Korma

May 18, 2022May 15, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml sunflower oil
30ml butter (or extra oil for vegan)
1 onion, chopped
10ml ground ginger
1 stick cinnamon
5ml ground turmeric
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
5ml medium-hot curry powder
5ml dried chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
15ml sugar
2 x 400ml cans coconut cream
250ml cashew nuts, finely chopped
400g butternut, cut into 2cm cubes
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
200g baby spinach, roughly chopped
250ml frozen peas
fresh coriander to serve

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil and butter.
Add the onion and stir-fry it until translucent.
Add the ginger, cinnamon stick, turmeric, coriander, cumin, curry powder and chilli flakes and gently cook the spices for 2 minutes while stirring.
Now add the sugar, coconut cream and cashews. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then take it from the heat.
Remove the cinnamon stick and blitz the sauce with a hand blender, until smooth.
Place the saucepan back on medium heat and add the butternut and chickpeas. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the butternut is tender but do take care that the sauce doesn’t burn.
Stir in the chopped spinach and peas and stir through.
Adjust the seasoning according to taste.
Garnish the curry with fresh coriander and serve it with jasmine rice.