250ml flour 5ml baking powder 1,2ml salt 45ml butter, cubed 2 eggs 15ml sugar 2,5ml salt 2,5ml ground cinnamon 125ml butter, melted ground cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle over
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Add the eggs and 15ml sugar to another bowl and whisk together. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix together. Fill a large saucepan at least 7-8cm deep with hot, simmering water. Add 2,5ml salt and 2,5ml cinnamon to the water. Spoon a teaspoonful of batter into the water. Add another 4 dumplings – do not crowd the saucepan- and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a heatproof dish. Drizzle with the melted butter and some cinnamon-sugar. Keep the dumplings warm while you cook the rest. Serve warm with extra cinnamon-sugar.
The difference between bitterballen and kroketten is the shape and only the shape. These Dutch delicacies are delicious as a snack, light lunch or eaten whenever the craving takes hold of you. Homemade bitterballen/kroketten are a mission to make BUT it is worth every ounce of energy that goes into the making!
1kg beef shin (beef shank), bone in 3 onions, sliced into quarters 45ml beef stock powder salt and pepper 10ml parsley, chopped 250g butter 90ml flour 500ml panko/dried breadcrumbs 2 eggs vegetable oil for frying
Place the beef shin (with the bone) and onions in a large saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover the meat. Add 10ml salt and bring to a low simmer. Cook the meat for about 4 hours – it should literally fall from the bone. The shin benefits from being cooked low and slow in order to break down all the fibres and turn it into unctuous, gelatinous meat which in turn thickens the sauce in which it is cooked. Take the meat from the saucepan and set aside. Pour the broth through a fine sieve, season to taste with salt and pepper and then add the stock powder so that you have a salty broth. Add the chopped parsley and set aside. Pull the beef into very fine shreds and cut into small pieces necessary. Now add the butter to a clean saucepan set over high heat. Add the flour a little at a time while stirring constantly. Cook the mixture for 1 minute. Pour the beef stock into the saucepan in a very thin stream, while whisking, JUST until you have a very thick sauce. Take the sauce from the heat, stir in the meat and mix through. Pour the mixture into a large roasting tin and allow it to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and break the eggs in another. Whisk the egg together. Shape about 80ml of the beef mixture into cylinder/round shapes, dredge each one in the breadcrumbs, egg and breadcrumbs again. Fry the kroketten in 180℃ oil, until golden. Serve with a good mustard.
5 eggs, separated 135g sugar 4 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and grated 80g almond meal 80ml flaked almonds icing sugar to dust
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spay a 22cm ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Add the egg yolks and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together until light in colour. Scoop the apple into a clean tea towel and squeeze the juice from it. Add the apple to the creamed mixture and mix through. Add the almond meal and mix on medium speed until incorporated into the batter. Set aside. Add the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the flaked almonds over. Place the pudding in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Dust the apple pudding with icing sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
Kunafa is a Middle Eastern dessert made with spun pastry and drizzled with rosewater and sugar syrup. This is my adapted version of Kunafa, inspired by my favourite tennis “tweeter”! Thanks Nawal!!
250ml sugar 125ml water 5ml rose water 450g vermicelli noodles, cooked and cooled 140g butter, melted 300g mozzarella cheese, grated a handful of pistachio nuts icing sugar to dust
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and butter a 25cm loose bottom cake tin. Place the cake tin on a large baking sheet and set aside. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium high heat. Stir the mixture until all the sugar granules are dissolved and then bring it to a simmer for 1 minute. Take the saucepan from the heat, add the rosewater and set aside. Place the cooked noodles in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with the melted butter and mix with your hands to spread the butter over the noodles. Place half of the noodles in the prepare cake tin, in an even layer. Spread the mozzarella over the noodles and top the cheese with the remaining noodles. Press the layers down into the tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden. Remove the cake tin (still on the baking sheet) from the oven and immediately drizzle the kunafa with the rosewater syrup. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Take off the ring of the tin and sprinkle the kunafa with pistachio nuts. Sieve over some icing sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
This is without doubt my favourite salad! If you are a fan of tomato, this is a must-try.
4 x 2cm thick slices of sourdough bread 6-8 fresh, ripe tomatoes at room temperature half a cucumber 1 small red onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 125ml olive oil 60ml balsamic vinegar juice of 1 lemon a bunch of fresh basil leaves
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Cut the sourdough slices into cubes of 1,5 – 2cm. Spread the bread cubes on the prepared baking sheet and liberally drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the bread is golden and crisp. Remove from the baking sheet and set aside to cool.
Dressing: Chop 3-4 tomatoes into very small pieces. The chopping is best done in a shallow bowl so that you preserve all of the tomato’s juice. Add the tomato and the juice to a small 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 these ingredients together and seasonal with salt and pepper. Make adjustments according to your liking.
Slice the remaining 3-4 tomatoes into chunks and place in a large mixing bowl. Cut the cucumber into chunks and add that as well. Pour the dressing over the tomato and cucumber and mix through. Scatter the croutons and basil on top of the salad and mix through. Transfer to a serving platter.
This is such an easy filled bread to make and is guaranteed to transport you straight back to that Greek Taverna on the beach and all its wonderful aromas and tastes!! It is crispy, subtly flavoured and makes a great addition to mezze. Yields four flatbreads.
1 egg 200ml water a pinch of salt 450g flour 400g feta cheese, crumbed 60ml thyme leaves 60ml chives, chopped 50ml olive oil plus extra for brushing the breads
Add the egg, water and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed for a minute or so. Add the flour a few tablespoons at a time with the engine running. Mix/knead the dough until it comes together and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. About 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Flour a work surface and roll a piece of dough out as thin as you can, aiming to end up with a rough square of 25cm x 25cm. Brush the square with some olive oil. Sprinkle a little less than a quarter of the crumbed feta onto the top half of the square. Now sprinkle some thyme and chives over the feta. Fold the bottom half of the dough over the half with the cheese and lightly press it down with the palms of your hands. Brush the folded half of dough with olive oil and sprinkle the rest of the quarter of feta over one half. Repeat with some herbs. Fold the one half over the other and lightly press together. You will now have a 4-layer piece of dough with filling. Repeat the process with the rest of the pieces of dough and filling. Heat 50ml olive oil in a large frying pan set over medium-low heat. Fry the breads for 3 minutes on each side, lowering/regulating the heat if you see them catching. Serve warm with other mezze.
This is a traditional South African food that is popular as a quick meal and often eaten as is, filled with minced meat or with cheese and syrup. Vetkoek literally means “fat cakes” as it is basically a deep-fried bread. Magwinya is simply shaped differently, smaller than tennis balls and often found in Townships or sold as a on-the-go breakfast at taxi ranks.
10g dried yeast 900g cake flour 10ml salt 10ml sugar vegetable oil for frying
Pour 250ml of warm water (tepid) into a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir to dissolve the yeast and set aside. Add the flour, salt and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Run the mixer on low speed and add the yeast mixture. Now add some more lukewarm water (about 400ml) until the mixture comes together in a soft dough. Knead on medium speed for 6 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and set aside for 90 minutes. Knock back the dough by kneading it by hand for 1 minute. Pour about 2 litres of vegetable oil into a saucepan over medium-high heat. If you are making Magwinya, pinch off some dough and shape it into a ball, about the size of a golf ball. If you are making vetkoek, pinch off twice the amount of dough, roll into a ball and then press it flat between your hands. Place the shaped dough on an oiled tray until you have shaped all the dough and the oil is warm. Test the oil with a small piece of dough: if the dough starts bubbling and rises when dropped into the oil, it is hot enough. Deep-fry the magwinya/vetkoek in the oil, turning them often for about 3 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown. Scoop out and drain on kitchen paper. Serve warm with mince/ragou or grated cheddar cheese and golden syrup.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray two 22cm tart tins with cooking spray. Dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry to 3mm thickness. Line the tart tins – the pastry should be about 1cm larger that the tins to allow for shrinkage during baking. Place the prepared tart tins in the refrigerator until needed.
Pour 1 litre milk into a saucepan and add the sugar and cinnamon quill. Turn the heat on medium-high and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Heat the milk mixture until it starts forming tiny bubbles around the edges of the saucepan. Remove from the heat and take out the quill. Set aside. Add the flour, custard powder and cornflour to a mixing bowl. Drizzle in the remaining 250ml milk while whisking, to make a slurry. Add the egg yolks to the slurry and whisk together. Slowly pour the warm milk-mixture into the slurry while whisking continuously. Remember: pour slowly, whisk quickly! Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to a low heat. Stir the mixture until it thickens and starts to bubble. Take off the heat, add the butter and vanilla, stir through and set aside. Add the baking powder to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the custard and divide the mixture between the two prepared tart tins. Bake the tarts in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sift some ground cinnamon on the surface. Serve with your favourite brew of coffee.
For the pasta: Cook the pasta, drain and return to the saucepan in which it was cooked. Crumble the feta over the pasta and mix together. Add the egg whites and mix through. Set aside.
For the meat sauce: Place a heavy bottom saucepan on medium-high heat and add the olive oil and onion. Fry for 2-3 minutes and then add the garlic, tomato paste and minced beef. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up the beef while browning it. Add the red wine, tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thick. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon quill and take the mixture from the heat. Allow to cool slightly.
For the Béchamel Sauce: Place a saucepan on medium heat and add the butter to melt. Add the flour and stir the paste around for 2 minutes while cooking. Add the milk and whisk until the sauce has no lumps and has thickened. Remove from the heat and add the nutmeg, salt and half the cheese. Whisk until smooth. Cool the sauce for 5 minutes and then whisk in the egg yolks.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray an oven dish of 23cm X 26cm with cooking spray. Spoon the pasta into the dish and spread it into an even layer. Spoon the meat sauce on top and then top it with the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top in an even layer. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. The Pastitsio can be served at room temperature.
This recipe provides a quick method for a rye bread with loads of flavour. The addition of buttermilk gives the typical tangy taste that one associates with a traditional rye and adds to a really good texture. This recipe makes two medium-sized, oblong breads.
Add the flours and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the yeast, water, sugar, buttermilk and melted butter to a separate bowl and whisk together to dissolve the sugar and yeast. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and add the liquids. Mix/knead for 7 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double the volume. Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Knead the dough down by hand for 2 minutes. Divide the dough in half and shape two oblong loaves. Place the shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet, cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to proof until almost doubled in size. Brush the bread with egg white or water for a shiny crust. Make 4 diagonal, shallow cuts in the top of the bread. Bake the breads for 30 minutes. Cool on wire racks until completely cold.
My Whisk and I 