quick family meals – My Whisk and I

Saucy Chicken

April 3, 2023April 1, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g bacon, diced
4 chicken breasts, skin removed
125ml flour
60ml panko breadcrumbs
5ml salt
60ml vegetable oil
60ml butter, cubed
60ml flour
625ml chicken stock
80ml milk
10ml Worcestershire sauce
5ml onion powder
5ml dried tarragon
2,5ml salt

Place a heavy-bottom saucepan on medium heat.
Add the bacon and cook until crispy and browned. Remove from the pan.
Place the chicken breasts on a flat surface and halve them horizontally so that you have 8 thin chicken portions.
Mix the flour, breadcrumbs and salt together in a shallow dish.
Coat the chicken generously with the flour mixture.
Pour the vegetable oil into the saucepan and allow it to warm up.
Fry the breasts for 3minutes per side, remove from the saucepan and set aside.
Remove the oil from the saucepan and wipe it clean with paper towel.
Now add the butter and allow to melt over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir around until it forms a paste. Cook for one minute while stirring.
Gradually pour in the chicken stock and milk and whisk continuously.
Now add the Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and tarragon.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken back into the sauce.
Sprinkle over the bacon and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
Serve the chicken and the sauce on creamy mashed potatoes.

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Enoki Quiche

October 24, 2022October 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

300g enoki mushrooms
45ml butter
1 packet puff pastry
4 eggs
250ml sour cream
250ml cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 23cm diameter loose-bottom pie tin with cooking spray.
Put a frying pan on medium-high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Add the butter, wait for it to melt and then add the mushrooms. Fry until golden.
Take the mushrooms from the heat and set aside.
Line the prepared pie tin with the pastry and prick the base all over with the tines of a fork.
Line the pastry case with baking paper and dry beans and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the beans and paper and bake the shell for another 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 180℃.
Add the eggs and sour cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Scatter the enoki mushrooms over the base of the pastry shell and pour the egg mixture over.
Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake the quiche for 40 minutes.
Serve warm (not hot!) with a salad on the side.

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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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Quick Creamy Chicken

April 12, 2022April 11, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250g bacon, cut into small pieces
45ml butter
83ml flour
6-8 chicken breasts
15ml garlic powder
250ml chicken stock
15ml lemon juice
250 ml cream

Place a frying pan on medium-high heat, add a very small amount of oil and fry the bacon pieces until just crispy on the edges.
Remove the bacon pieces from the pan but keep the fat and keep the pan on the heat.
Mix the flour and garlic powder together and dredge the chicken in the flour.
Add the butter to the warm pan and brown the chicken breasts on both sides – about 3 minutes per side.
Pour in the stock and allow the chicken to cook for about 8 minutes before turning and cooking for another 8 minutes.
Add the cooked bacon, lemon juice and cream to the pan, give it a stir and cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.
Serve the chicken breast on a starch of your choice.

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Pork Chops with Crushed Olive Dressing

November 23, 2021November 23, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

6-8 pork chops
45ml + 30ml olive oil
10ml ground turmeric
10ml salt
125ml apple cider vinegar
375ml olives, pitted and crushed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
250ml soft herbs (sage, basil, parsley, chives) chopped
30ml water

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Place the pork chops on an oven tray and drizzle the front and back with 45ml olive oil.
Sprinkle the turmeric and salt on the chops and give it a rub with your hands to spread evenly.
Put a cast iron pan on high heat and brown the chops on both sides. Place them back on the oven tray.
Mix the 30ml olive oil, vinegar, crushed olives, garlic, chopped herbs and water together and spoon over the meat.
Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Serve the chops warm or at room temperature.