vegetarian recipe – My Whisk and I

Chunky Vegetable Soup

May 21, 2023May 18, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The garnish for this vegetable soup was made by horizontally slicing a hotdog roll, drizzling it with olive oil and toasting it in the oven. The garnish on the crouton is homemade mayonnaise with cherry tomatoes and fresh soft herbs.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 sticks of celery, leaves included, washed and chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, chopped
400g potato, peeled and cubed

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add some vegetable oil.
Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the tinned tomato and cook for another 10 minutes.
Pour in the stock, add the bay leave, carrot and potato and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Mash or liquidise half of the soup, cook another 5 minutes and serve with a fresh, crusty bread.

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Gnocchi-Noodle Mushrooms

May 6, 2023April 24, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Not quite gnocchi but also not quite noodle…. You will need a clean wine or beer bottle to shape the noodles into a mushroom shape. The top must be clean and dry.

400g potato, peeled and cubed
120g cornflour (or potato flour)
5ml salt
80ml chives, very finely chopped
30ml butter
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
45ml salad onion, finely chopped
15ml thyme leaves

Cook the potato in salted water until very soft.
Drain, add the potato back into the hot saucepan and place over a medium-high heat. Stir around for a minute or two until the potato is dry and there are no trace of water.
Take off the heat and mash to a fine texture.
Add the cornflour, salt and chives and mix through.
Knead/squeesh the ingredients together until it forms a dough. If you REALLY can’t bring it together, add a few drops of water and knead again.
Scoop up about 15ml of the dough and squeeze/roll into a ball shape.
Press the dough balls into the top of a dry wine bottle and carefully lift it off. Put aside and continue shaping the rest of the dough.
Fill a saucepan with water, bring to the boil and then turn it down to a simmer.
Add the gnocchi to the water and simmer for 4 minutes – they will float once they are done.
Remove and drain. Set aside.
Add the butter to a pan set over medium-high heat.
Add the mushroom, onion and salad onion and cook for about 5 minutes.
Scatter in the thyme leaves and add the gnocchi-noodles.
Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry for 3 minutes until the noodles are warmed through.
Serve immediately.

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Fresh Summer Tart

November 30, 2022November 29, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g pastry
5 eggs
185ml cream
100g baby spinach, chopped
250ml frozen peas
100g ricotta cheese
100g feta cheese, crumbed
80g rocket leaves
125g sugar snap peas
3 zucchini, shaved into ribbons

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray.
Roll the pastry to a 3mm thickness and line the bottom and side of the cake tin. Set aside.
Add the eggs and cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the chopped spinach, peas and cheeses and mix through. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 30 minutes.
Cool the tart for 30 minutes.
Top the tart with the rocket leaves, sugar snaps and zucchini shavings.
Drizzle over some olive oil to serve.

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Miso Cauliflower

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

1 large cauliflower
olive oil and spices of your choice
2 cans black beans
2 cloves garlic, minced

Miso-Cheese Sauce:
15ml butter
15ml flour
15ml miso paste
500ml milk
15 ml sirachia sauce
50g cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Cut the cauliflower into steaks and place on the prepared tray.
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and spices of your choice and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Drain the black beans in a small saucepan, add the garlic and place over a medium-low heat until warm.
Blitz the mixture to a smooth pureé.
Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Miso-Cheese Sauce:
Set a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the butter and flour.
Stir until the butter has melted and you have a paste.
Add the miso paste and stir to mix.
Drizzle in the milk while whisking and cook for 3 minutes while stirring.
Turn the heat down to low and add the sirachia sauce and grated cheese.
Stir until the cheese has melted.

Spoon the black bean pureé on to a serving plate and arrange the roasted cauliflower on top.
Drizzle the miso sauce over and add a few micro greens to serve.

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Beetroot and Ricotta Tart

November 25, 2022November 20, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g store-bought pastry
1 egg and 15ml water
500g ricotta cheese
6 large beetroot, cooked and peeled
a handful of pumpkin seeds
balsamic vinegar
a handful of basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place the pastry on the baking paper and mark a 1cm border on the edges, with the blunt side of a table knife’s blade.
Whisk the egg and water together and lightly brush it all over the pastry.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Turn your oven temperature down to 180℃.
Break the ricotta up into chunks and evenly spread over the baked pastry.
Slice the beetroot into slices and arrange on the ricotta.
Scatter the pumpkin seeds over and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Bake the tart in the oven for 15 minutes.
Scatter over the basil leaves and slice into portions to serve.

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Banana Flower Curry

November 23, 2022November 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
10ml ginger powder
15ml garam masala
10ml curry powder
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
5ml smoked paprika
2,5ml turmeric
5ml salt
15ml sugar
250ml vegetable stock
1 x 400g can coconut milk
2 x 400g cans chopped tomato
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
2 x cans Banana Blossoms

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil and onion.
Stir-fry until the onion is soft, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the ginger, garam masala, curry powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt and sugar and stir-fry for a minute or so.
Now add the stock and the coconut milk and stir together.
Add the chopped tomato and turn the heat down slightly. Allow the curry sauce to simmer for 5 minutes or so – you want it to become slightly thicker.
Add the banana blossoms and baby spinach and stir.
Simmer lightly for 10 minutes.
Serve on a fragrant rice.

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Egg and Veg Muffins

October 2, 2022October 1, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

These are the easiest and quickest muffins you will ever put together. Have them for breakfast, brunch or as a lunchbox snack. Yields 12 muffins.

6 eggs
125g cream cheese, room temperature
250ml milk
5ml salt and a few grindings of black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
Add the eggs, cream cheese and milk to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Pour the mixture three-quarter-full in the prepared tin and then fill each with your choice of vegetable.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Suggested fillings:
broccoli
cubed cheese like feta or mozzarella
tomato
red onion
baby marrow
baby spinach
leftover chicken or other meat
herbs
asparagus