Tag: weekday dinner

Green Quiche

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Green Quiche
Green Quiche

Pastry:
360g flour
150g butter, cubed
1 egg
100g cheddar cheese, grated

Filling:
45ml vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of Kale, chopped
125ml chicken stock
6 eggs
125ml cream
5ml salt

For the pastry:
Add the flour and butter to a mixing bowl and rub together with your fingers until the lumps are the size of peas.
Add the egg and cheddar and mix to bring together.
Knead the pastry by hand. It is very flaky and falls apart but push it together as best you can.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a loose-bottom cake tin or pie tin with cooking spray.
Roll the pastry into a rough circle shape even if it breaks apart and transfer (even if it is pieces) to the pie tin. Gently push the pastry out on the base and sides of the baking tin. It is okay to “patch” the pastry as long as there are no gaps for the filling to leak out.
Line the pastry with baking paper and dried beans.
Bake for 7 minutes, remove the paper and beans and bake a further 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the filling:
Add the vegetable oil to a saucepan set over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook until translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the kale and stir-fry until slightly softened and bright green.
Spoon the mixture into a blender, add the stock and blitz until smooth.
Add the eggs and cream to a mixing bowl and whisk to blend.
Add the kale mixture to the eggs and whisk to combine.
Pour the mixture into the pastry shell and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the quiche to rest for 15 minutes before serving with whipped goats cheese.

Prawn and Basil Salad

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Prawn and Basil Salad
Prawn and Basil Salad

500g pasta of your choice
1 x 245g sachet pickled peppers, diced and liquid reserved
500g prawns, deveined
250ml salad cream/creamy mayonnaise
250ml yoghurt
2 big handfuls of basil leaves
half an English cucumber, diced

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain.
Take the pickled peppers from the sachet and chop. Set the peppers aside.
Drizzle the pickling liquid over the warm pasta and stir through. Set aside to cool.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add the prawns and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
Add the salad cream, yoghurt and basil leaves to a blender and process until you have a light green dressing.
Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
Add the pasta, prawns, cucumber, peppers and basil dressing to a large bowl and mix through.
Scatter some basil leaves on top and serve.


Cauliflower Cake

by Karen Claassen1 Comment on Cauliflower Cake
Cauliflower Cake

1,3kg cauliflower (about 2 heads)
80g parmesan cheese, finely grated
90g cornstarch
2 eggs
200g smoked bacon, cut into 1cm pieces
200g mozzarella cheese, grated
60ml dried breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and prepare a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin by spraying it with cooking spray and sprinkling the bottom and sides with breadcrumbs.
Set a large saucepan with salted water over high heat and add the cauliflower florets. Cook until very soft.
Drain the cauliflower, making sure that you get rid of as much moisture as possible and add it to a mixing bowl.
Add the parmesan cheese, cornstarch and eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Fry the bacon pieces until slightly crispy on the edges.
Now spoon half the cauliflower mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread it evenly.
Add half the grated mozzarella, the bacon and the other half of the mozzarella.
Spoon in the rest of the cauliflower mixture and even it out.
Sprinkle the top with the dried breadcrumbs and drizzle some olive oil over the cake.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Stand the cauliflower cake for 15 minutes before unmoulding it to serve.

Honey Glazed Pork Chops

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Honey Glazed Pork Chops
Honey Glazed Pork Chops

6 pork chops
22,5ml soy sauce
30ml oyster sauce
5ml ground ginger
30ml honey
25ml five-spice powder
45ml wine (or water or stock)

Add all the ingredients, except the pork chops, to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Place the chops in a shallow baking dish and pour the mixture over.
Leave to marinate for one hour, turning the chops once.

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place a cast-iron pan (or any other oven-friendly pan) on high heat, and pour in some vegetable oil.
Scrape most of the marinade off the meat and fry for 2 minutes before turning and frying another 2 minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium and pour in the marinade sauce.
Stir and cook for about 3-4 minutes and then place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve the chops with fragrant rice or couscous.

Minestrone Soup

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Minestrone Soup
Minestrone Soup

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.

Fried Rice

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Fried Rice
Fried Rice

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.

Savoury Fig Galette

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Savoury Fig Galette
Savoury Fig Galette

When it comes to a galette the success thereof is often determined by the pastry! But then again, if you do not have the time to make the pastry it can be equally successful if you replace the homemade pastry with a store bought short crust pastry. I include the recipe for a classic flaky pastry and would highly recommend that you try it when the time is right…..

Classic Flaky Pastry

65g bread flour
150g cake flour
3,5ml salt
105g butter, cubed
35g shortening, cubed (you may replace this with butter)
70ml ice cold water

Add the bread flour, cake flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix.
Add the cubed butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture forms tiny clumps, the size of lentils.
Keep the engine running and slowly drizzle in half of the water. Now keep adding very small amounts of water until the pastry JUST comes together.
Wrap the pastry in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the galette:

1 batch Classic Flaky Pastry or short crust pastry
250g cream cheese
1 batch Caramelised Onions (search the recipe on this blog)
12 fresh figs
12 bocconcini balls or other soft cheese
olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
thyme
1 egg yolk

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
Roll the pastry to a 30cm circle and mark a 5cm border on the outside edges.
Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheet.
Spread the cream cheese evenly on the pastry, keeping the border clear.
Spoon the caramelised onion on the cream cheese and spread it evenly.
Cut 2 slits down the centre of each fig (or half/quarter each) and arrange onto the caramelised onion.
Now arrange the bocconcini on and between the figs, drizzle the galette with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and scatter over the thyme.
Fold the clear border of the pastry up/over the figs.
Whisk the egg yolk and 15ml water together and evenly brush a thin layer onto the pastry.
Bake the galette in the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with more balsamic vinegar before setting aside to cool down slightly.
Serve the fig galette at room temperature.


Beer Chicken

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Beer Chicken
Beer Chicken

This chicken is terribly easy and quick to make and deliciously soft and moist. Yields 6 portions.

6 chicken breasts, skin removed
45mll butter
30ml vegetable oil
125ml chicken stock
125ml stout or any other beer
10ml dried tarragon
125ml cream

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place an ovenproof frying pan onto medium-heat and add the butter and vegetable oil to it.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place it in the hot pan to fry.
Cook the breasts for 4 minutes before turning and cooking the other side for another 4 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the frying pan and keep on the side while you make the sauce.
Pour the chicken stock into the frying pan and simmer for 3 minutes before adding the stout/beer.
Bring the liquids back to a simmer, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the caramelised bits of chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the tarragon and cream and stir through.
Place the chicken breasts back in the sauce and place the pan in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes.
Serve the chicken on couscous and spoon over some extra sauce.

Sweet-and-Sour Pork Chops

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Sweet-and-Sour Pork Chops
Sweet-and-Sour Pork Chops

These pork chops are so easy to make and really delivers on taste! Serve them on noodles, rice or mashed potato.

83ml sugar
83ml apple cider vinegar
45ml pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple)
45ml tomato sauce (ketchup)
5ml Worcestershire sauce
15ml soy sauce
20ml cornstarch
125ml water

1 onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml fresh ginger, grated
half each of a red, green and yellow bell/sweet pepper, sliced
1 tin of pineapple pieces

6 pork chops

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soy and cornstarch to a mixing bowl and stir to mix together.
Add the water, stir through and set aside.

Put a cast-iron pan (skillet) on medium heat and add a dash of vegetable oil.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger and sweet pepper and fry for 4 -5 minutes.
Add the pineapple pieces and pour the sauce into the pan with the onion mixture.
Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Warm another pan on medium-high heat and brown the chops, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Immediately place the fried pork chops in the sauce. Keep going until you have browned all the chops.
Cover the pan with the chops and the sauce and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Scatter some sesame seeds and coriander leaves over before serving on rice, noodles or mashed potato.