treat – Page 41 – My Whisk and I

Stuffed Flatbread (Aloo Paratha)

March 22, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Aloo Paratha is a traditional Indian breakfast flatbread that is stuffed with spiced potato. My take on it includes corn kernels to add some crunch and can be eaten as an appetiser, side dish, breakfast, lunch or dinner, although tradition dictates that it is a breakfast dish.

300g flour
5ml salt
15ml oil
150-200ml water

Filling:
3 potatoes, cooked
2,5ml salt
5ml ground cumin
5ml dried chilli flakes
45ml parsley and chives, chopped
125ml corn kernels

Add the flour, salt and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Turn the mixer on low speed and add 150ml water. Add a little more water until the mixture comes together as a dough.
Knead/mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until you have a smooth, soft dough.
Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

Filling:
Grate the cooked potato into a mixing bowl.
Add the salt, cumin, chilli, parsley and corn kernels and mix well.

Divide the dough in four equal pieces.
Roll each portion into a circle of about 20 cm in diameter.
Spoon a quarter of the potato filling onto one half of the dough circle and spread it evenly.
Fold the other half of the dough over the filling and press the edges together.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and add a dash of vegetable oil.
Fry the flatbread for 3-4 minutes per side. Regulate the heat so that the bread cooks slower rather than burn.
Cut the flatbread into three portions and serve with yoghurt and fresh lemon to dip into.

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Chocolate Cap Sauce

March 17, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

180g chocolate
45ml coconut oil

Break the chocolate into pieces and add it to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water.
Add the coconut oil and melt the ingredients over a low heat, until smooth.
Remove from the heat and set aside for 5-10 minutes to cool slightly.
Pour the sauce over ice cold ice cream and wait for it to set!!
Voila!!!

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Frittata with Potato Crisps

March 16, 2022March 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

8 eggs
62ml sour cream
200g roasted red peppers (store bought or home made)
45ml thyme leaves
140 potato crisps (chacalaka/tomato sauce/cheese and onion)
30ml butter
50-100g goats cheese

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Crack the eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the sour cream, season the mixture with salt and pepper and whisk again.
Chop the roasted peppers into chunks and add to the egg mixture.
Add the thyme leaves and all of the potato chips.
Mix everything together with a spatula.
Place an ovenproof frying pan on medium heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt.
Add the frittata mixture to the pan and stir around for a few minutes, lightly scraping the bottom of the pan.
Spread the ingredients evenly with the spatula and place the pan in the oven.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the frittata is set.
Dot the goats cheese on the frittata’s surface and serve warm with a side salad.

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Kunafa ala Nawal

March 14, 2022March 15, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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Asparagus Pea Salad

March 11, 2022March 10, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

1bunch asparagus, blanched and cooled
250ml frozen peas, blanched and cooled
1 punnet sugar snap peas, blanched and cooled

For the dressing:
1 egg yolk
5ml dijon mustard
250ml olive oil
50 grated parmesan cheese
15ml lemon juice

Add the yolk and mustard to a medium mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add a few drops of the olive oil and whisk to incorporate – repeat, adding only a few drops of oil at a time, until you have about half of the oil left.
Slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture while whisking continuously. Keep going until all the oil is incorporated.
Add the parmesan and lemon juice and whisk to combine. Season will salt.
Arrange the asparagus, peas and sugar snaps on a serving plate and add a few dollops of the dressing to serve.

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Fried Aubergine (Eggplant/Brinjal)

March 9, 2022March 7, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe is enough for one large aubergine – adjust according to how many people you need to feed.

1 egg
2,5ml salt
80ml cornstarch
1 aubergine, cut into 1cm thick slices
250ml panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
lemon wedges

Beat/whisk the egg and salt together in a small, shallow bowl and set aside.
Measure the cornstarch into a shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another.
Dredge each slice of aubergine in cornstarch, then in egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing down onto the crumbed slices to help the breadcrumbs stick.
Place the coated aubergine slices on a wire rack for 20 minutes so that the coating can dry out and set.
Pour about 0,5cm of vegetable oil into a shallow saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Fry the slices in batches for 2 minutes per side.
Transfer to kitchen paper to drain and season with salt and pepper while warm.
Serve the fried aubergine with a squeeze of lemon and a dipping sauce if you like.

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Classic Potato Salad

March 8, 2022March 7, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1kg potatoes
15ml wine vinegar
125ml sour cream
62ml mayonnaise
15ml wholegrain mustard
half an onion, very finely chopped
2 dill cucumber pickles, finely chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
62ml parsley, chopped

Cook and peel the potatoes.
Chop the potato into bite sized chunks and add it to a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle over the wine vinegar and season with salt.
Mix the sour cream, mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard together and pour over the potato.
Add the onion, pickles, eggs and parsley and mix through.
Taste and season the salad.

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Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

March 7, 2022March 6, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

110g butter, room temperature
175g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
110g almond meal/ground almonds
110g dark chocolate, very finely chopped or grated
150ml milk
175g self-raising flour

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and line two 12-hole muffin tins with paper cups.
Add the butter and caster sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until very pale and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks to a bowls and whisk together.
Run the mixer on low speed and add a spoonful of the yolks at a time. Beat well after each addition.
Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and fold in the chopped chocolate, almond meal and milk.
Add the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until soft peak stage.
Gently fold the whites into the almond mixture.
Now add the flour and gently fold it in with a spatula.
Spoon the mixture into the 24 paper cases and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack before icing/decorating.

Chocolate Ganache:
160g chocolate
125ml heavy cream

Chop the chocolate into pieces and place it in a heatproof mixing bowl.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan on medium heat. Take the cream from the heat as soon as small bubbles appear at the edges of the saucepan.
Pour the cream onto the chopped chocolate and allow to stand for 2 minutes.
Now stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted and it is completely smooth and silky.
Cool completely before whipping for 4 minutes.
Use to decorate.

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Fried Rice

March 1, 2022March 1, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

One of the secrets to perfect fried rice is the temperature: cold rice fries brilliantly and thus this is the perfect dish for those leftovers in the refrigerator! The other secret? Butter!

45ml butter
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut into small cubes
about 750ml of cooked, cold rice
250ml frozen peas
1 x 400g tin of corn kernels
15ml sesame oil
15ml soy sauce
15ml fish sauce (optional)

Add the butter to a large non-stick pan set over medium heat and allow to melt.
Add the onion, garlic and carrot and stir-fry until the onion starts to catch a little.
Add the rice, peas, corn, sesame oil, soy and fish sauce and turn the heat up to high.
Fry the mixture and stir it around every now and then for 3-4 minutes. The high heat will crisp up and caramelise the rice.
Take the pan from the heat and taste the fried rice. Drizzle with some more soy sauce if it needs it.
Serve warm.

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Blueberry Quickbread

February 28, 2022February 27, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml wholewheat flour
250ml cake flour
250ml blueberries
125ml sugar
7,5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml salt
250ml buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
62ml vegetable oil
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 23cm x 13cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the two flours to a mixing bowl and stir to mix with a spatula.
Place the blueberries in a separate bowl and sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the flour over the fruit. Mix through so that the blueberries are coated with flour. Set aside.
Add the sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to the flours and stir through.
Add the buttermilk, lemon zest, egg, oil and vanilla to a wide-mouthed jug and whisk together.
Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and stir together until all the flour has been incorporated and you are left with a shaggy, wet batter.
Add the blueberries and stir through.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and pat it into the corners.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the bread, comes out clean.
Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Remove the bread from the tin and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Slice to serve.