plant-based meals – My Whisk and I

Panzanella Salad with Burrata

February 15, 2023February 14, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Traditionally panzanella/Italian bread salad is not served with cheese but the creaminess of the burrata adds a deliciousness beyond words!

4 x 2cm thick slices of sourdough bread
6-8 ripe tomatoes, room temperature
half a cucumber
1 burrata cheese
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
125ml olive oil
60ml balsamic vinegar
juice of one lemon

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Cut the sourdough slices into cubes of 1,5-2cm – they should look like chunky croutons.
Spread the bread on the prepared baking sheet and liberally drizzle with olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the croutons are golden and crisp.
Remove from the baking sheet and set aside.
For the dressing:
Chop 3-4 tomatoes into very small pieces. The chopping is best done in a shallow bowl so that you can preserve all of the tomatoes’ juice.
Add the tomato and its juice to a mixing bowl.
Chop the onion as finely as you can, mince the garlic and add to the tomato.
Now add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.
Mix the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.

Slice the remaining 3-4 tomatoes into chunks and place in a large bowl.
Slice the cucumber into chunks and add to the tomato.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix through.
Scatter the croutons and basil over and mix again.
Spoon the salad onto a serving plate and place the burrata on top.
Serve with a cold Babylonstoren Rosé.

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Minestrone Soup

August 8, 2022July 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 carrots, chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin of butter beans (or any other white bean, cooked)
4 x 250ml vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
5ml dried thyme
250ml small pasta, e.g. elbows, shells, vermicelli
125ml fresh parsley, chopped
salt and black pepper

Add some olive oil to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and fry the onion until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Now add the carrots, tomato, beans, stock, bay leaves and thyme. Cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the pasta and cook uncovered until done – about 10 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the soup and serve piping hot.

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Stuffed Tomatoes/Tomatakia Gemista

July 12, 2022June 17, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

12 large tomatoes
2,5ml sugar
200ml olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 onions, finely chopped
200g rice/orzo pasta
400ml chicken stock
50g pine nuts, toasted
half a batch of Greek Pesto (Search this blog for the recipe)
50g black olives, pitted and chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Cut a 2cm slice off the top of each tomato and scoop out the pulp – keep the pulp.
Sprinkle the inside of the tomato with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.
Pack the tomatoes close together into a shallow ovenproof dish.
Heat 100ml olive oil, add the onion and garlic and stir-fry until the onion is soft – about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato pulp and simmer until reduced and concentrated in flavour.
Add the rice/pasta, stock and 10ml salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
Add the pine nuts, greek pesto, feta and olives and stir through.
Spoon the rice mixture into the tomatoes and pour over the remaining olive oil.
Bake for one hour.
Serve the stuffed tomatoes at room temperature with an extra dollop of the Greek Pesto.

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Mushroom Polenta with Gremolata

May 24, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Gremolata:
62ml pine nuts (you may replace with sunflower seeds)
a big bunch of parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled
the zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt
the juice of 1 lemon
45ml olive oil

Polenta:
750ml vegetable/chicken stock
5ml salt
250ml quick cooking polenta
62ml butter

Mushrooms:
45ml butter
30ml sunflower oil
500g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
15ml thyme leaves
salt and pepper

For the Gremolata:
Place a large frying pan on medium heat and add the pine nuts to it.
Shake the pan over the heat or stir the seeds around with a spoon, until it starts to toast and change colour.
Remove the seeds from the pan and set aside.
Place the garlic, parsley and half the pine nuts on a chopping board and mince together until finely chopped.
Add the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and chop the ingredients together.
Scrape the chopped ingredients into a small bowl and add the rest of the pine nuts to it.
Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir together. Set aside.

For the Polenta:
Add the stock and salt to a saucepan set over high heat and bring the stock to a boil.
Add the polenta and whisk the mixture together until it has thickened.
Take the saucepan from the heat, add the butter and whisk well. Set aside.

For the Mushrooms:
Add the butter and oil to a frying pan set over high heat.
Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat.

Spoon the polenta into bowls and top with mushrooms and a spoonful of gremolata.

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Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Salad

November 15, 2021November 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml butter, melted
15ml olive oil
83ml balsamic vinegar
30ml water
15ml sugar
1,2ml salt
about 12 small/medium beetroot
baby spinach
5 fresh peaches, stoned and quartered
100g goats cheese
30ml honey

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the melted butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a small bowl and whisk everything together. Set aside.
Wash and scrub the beetroot and cut off the hairy parts at the root. Half or quarter each, depending on its size and place them in an oven tray.
Pour the balsamic mixture over and cover the pan with aluminium foil.
Bake the beetroot for 30 minutes, remove the foil, turn the beets and bake for a further 30 minutes or until fully cooked and beautifully glazed.
Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool. Reserve the pan juices.
Arrange the baby spinach, cooled beetroot and peach quarters on a serving platter and break the goats cheese over it.
Mix together 45ml of the reserved pan juices and the honey and drizzle over the salad.
Serve as a side or with a fresh crusty bread as a lunch.

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Pearl Barley Salad

November 9, 2021November 8, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

375ml uncooked pearl barley
45ml sherry vinegar
2,5ml dijon mustard
2,5ml salt
30ml olive oil
50g blue cheese, crumbled
50 – 100g baby spinach
half a red onion, sliced
80ml pecan nuts

Cook the pearl barley according to the packet instructions – usually it is 1:3 (pearl barley : water). Allow to cool completely.
Add the vinegar, mustard, salt and olive oil to a cup and whisk everything together. Set aside.
Add the cooked and cooled pearl barley, baby spinach, blue cheese and red onion to a large bowl and mix together.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and give it another quick mix.
Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the pecan nuts before serving.

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Butternut Risotto

September 8, 2021September 8, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

about 1,8 litre chicken or vegetable stock
15ml + 30ml butter
10ml vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 x 250ml butternut, cubed
500ml arborio rice
125ml white wine
125ml parmesan cheese, grated
30 sage leaves, chopped

Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low.
Put another saucepan on medium heat and add 15ml butter and the vegetable oil.
Add the onion and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cubed butternut and cook until the butternut begins to colour around the edges – about 7 minutes.
Add the 30ml butter and the rice and stir through to coat the rice for about 2 minutes.
Add the white wine and cook until most of it is absorbed by the rice.
Add about 250ml (a cup) of the hot stock to the rice and stir continuously until most of the stock is absorbed.
Add the remaining stok 250ml at a time but allow the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more.
Stir the risotto often and cook until the butternut is tender – about 25 minutes.
Stir in the parmesan and sage and season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot!

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Baked Aubergine with Pesto and Pear

August 10, 2021August 10, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is such a simple dish but it truly delivers on taste!! Delicious as a light meal or as a side to meat.

1 aubergine per person
2 pears
250ml of fresh soft herbs like parsley, basil, thyme, chives and sage
2 cloves of garlic, minced
83ml pine kernels, toasted
1 lemon
60ml olive oil

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Slice the aubergine lengthwise into 1,5cm thick sliced, but DO NOT cut the slices loose.
Place the aubergine flat onto a surface, cover with you hand and gently push down on it so that the “slices” fan out. Place onto the baking sheet.
Drizzle the aubergine with olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and place in the oven for about 40 minutes until beautifully soft and slightly charred.
Make the pesto by adding the herbs, garlic, pine kernels, juice of one lemon and 60ml olive oil to a blender (you may use a hand blender) and blitz until it comes together. Put aside.
Peel the pears and slice it into sticks.
Spoon the pesto onto the baked aubergine as soon as you take it from the oven and pile the pear sticks on top.
Serve with a fresh bread or as a side dish to meat.

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Green-Pea Flan with Zucchini Pickle

July 29, 2021July 18, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a delicious and healthy meal based on Jamie Oliver’s avocado pastry recipe. The quick pickle elevates this plant-based dish from good to absolutely fabulous!

2 medium avocado pears
400g self-raising flour
ice water
6 eggs
5ml salt
400g frozen peas, defrosted
140g cheddar cheese, grated
200g sugarsnaps, halved

Quick Pickle:
500ml vinegar
500ml water
83ml sugar
30ml salt
10ml mustard seeds
10ml whole black peppercorns
4 cloves of garlic, cracked
2 bay leaves
12 zucchini

Start by making the pickle:
Slice the zucchini into coins/strips and place it in a glass bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients for the pickle to a saucepan. Place over high heat until tiny bubbles appear at the edges.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the pickle onto the prepared zucchini.
Set aside until cold. (The pickle may be bottled at this stage and stored in the refrigerator).

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 38cm X 25cm oven tray with cooking spray.
Scoop the flesh from the avocados into a food processor and add the flour.
Pulse at high speed until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand.
Add a very small amount of ice cold water to the mixture while the engine is running. The mixture should come together into a ball.
Line the prepared baking tray with the avocado-pastry by pushing it about 2cm up the sides of the tray as well as covering the bottom as evenly as you can. The pastry is too wet to roll – be patient in pushing/spreading it out as evenly as you can. Set aside.
Add the eggs, salt, defrosted peas and cheddar cheese to the bowl of your food processor and blitz on high speed.
Pour this mixture onto the avocado-pastry and scatter the fresh sugarsnaps on top.
Bake the flan for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately cut into portions.
Serve a portion of the flan with a generous amount of zucchini pickles on top.

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Sweet Potato with Apricot

July 20, 2021July 16, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This simple apricot sauce transforms a baked sweet potato into a well-balanced, tasty meal. Easy, quick and utterly delicious!

6 – 8 medium sweet potatoes
250g dried apricots
125ml honey
30ml apple cider vinegar
2,5ml ground ginger
2,5ml ground coriander
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
Turn your oven onto the grill setting.
Add the apricots to a mixing bowl and sprinkle lightly with olive oil. Mix through so that all of the apricots are covered in oil.
Spread out on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and grill until very lightly charred. Keep an eye on them, they burn quickly!
Add half the apricots to a liquidiser.
Add the honey, vinegar, ginger, coriander and a pinch of salt and blitz to a purée.
Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking. Adjust the thickness to your liking by adding more apricots for a thicker sauce.
Make a slit in the baked sweet potatoes and spoon the sauce over it.
Serve on rocket leaves and the rest of the whole roasted apricots.