Tag: weeknight dinner

Thick Chicken Soup

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Thick Chicken Soup
Thick Chicken Soup

If you need to speed things up in the kitchen you may make this soup with store-bought stock and rotisserie chicken.

45ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
a small bunch of salad onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1l chicken stock
2 eggs
60ml fresh lemon juice
375ml cooked rice
500ml cooked chicken breast, shredded

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the oil, onion and salad onion.
Cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.
Bring the mixture to the boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer.
Add the eggs, lemon juice and 60ml of the rice to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Keep the blender running and slowly pour in 250ml of the hot stock.
Now pour this mixture into the stock mixture in the saucepan while stirring.
Add the rest of the rice and the shredded chicken.
Simmer the soup for 10 minutes, on a low heat (do not let it boil) until thick.
Spoon into bowls and serve immediately.

Pulled Brisket with gnocchi and gremolata

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Pulled Brisket with gnocchi and gremolata
Pulled Brisket with gnocchi and gremolata

1kg brisket, fat on
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 x 400g tin of diced tomatoes
240g tomato purée
60ml Worcestershire sauce
60ml apple cider vinegar
20ml wholegrain mustard
30ml brown sugar
10ml smoked paprika
store bought gnocchi

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Add the onion, garlic, carrot and tinned tomato to a food processor and blitz until it is a thick saucy mixture.
Pour in the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, sugar and paprika and blitz again.
Add 5ml salt and stir through.
Decant the sauce into an ovenproof saucepan.
Place the brisket on top of the sauce and then spoon enough of the mixture over to cover the meat.
Place a lid on the saucepan and bake in the oven for 4 hours.
Remove the brisket from the oven, take off the lid and leave to cool for 15 minutes or so.
Pull the meat and fat apart with two forks and add it to a saucepan.

Cook your gnocchi according to packet instructions.
Place the saucepan with the meat over a low heat, add the gnocchi and stir through.
Serve warm with gremolata.

Chorizo and Paprika Quiche

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chorizo and Paprika Quiche
Chorizo and Paprika Quiche

200g chorizo, casing removed and sliced
45ml butter
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced in discs
2 onions, sliced
1 x 400g frozen puff pastry
4 eggs
125g sour cream
50g parmesan cheese, grated
15ml flour
5ml smoked paprika

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray a 22cm diameter loose-bottom pie tin with baking spray.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and add the butter.
Add the chorizo, leeks and onion and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry into a 25cm diameter disc.
Line the prepared pie tin (base and sides) 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/rice 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 temperature to 180℃.
Add the eggs, sour cream, parmesan, flour and paprika to a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Spoon the chorizo mixture into the pastry shell and spread it evenly over the base.
Pour the egg mixture over and bake the quiche for 40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Apple-Pork

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Apple-Pork
Apple-Pork

This dish may look dull in all its beige-browny colours but it certainly delivers on flavour, easy of preparation and of course, it is made in one saucepan!

6 pork chops
45ml oil
45ml butter
3 onions, sliced
30ml sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
45ml honey
15ml lemon juice
200ml chicken stock
1 x 380g can of pie apples

Set a heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat, add some vegetable oil to it and brown the chops. Remove from the saucepan and keep aside.
Add the oil and butter to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium.
Add the onions and sugar and stir-fry for at least 15 minutes until soft and starting to brown.
Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Now add the honey, lemon juice and chicken stock. Stir to mix for one minute or so.
Add the apples and spread it out evenly before arranging the pork chops on top.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and spoon the apples and sauce over the chops.
Cook for a further 10 minutes.
Serve the pork with a crispy coleslaw salad.


Sweet Potato Gratin

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Sweet Potato Gratin
Sweet Potato Gratin

1kg sweet potatoes, peeled
250ml grated Gruyére cheese
250ml grated cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
375ml cream
15ml thyme leaves, chopped
1ml ground nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a ceramic dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Slice the sweet potatoes into very thin slices – not thicker than 2mm.
Arrange the slices in a single layer overlapping slightly, in the oven dish.
Mix the two cheeses together and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese on the sweet potato. Keep going with the layers until you have a quarter of the cheese left. Set aside.
Add some vegetable oil to a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook while stirring, for about 1 minute.
Pour in the cream, thyme and nutmeg and simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes. It should thicken slightly.
Add the last quarter of the cheese to the saucepan and stir through until melted.
Season the cream with salt and pepper and pour it over the sweet potatoes.
Place the dish in the oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly – about 45minutes. Check that it is fully cooked by inserting a sharp knife in the centre.
Remove the gratin from the oven, rest for 15 minutes and serve.

Orzotto Alla Norma

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Orzotto Alla Norma
Orzotto Alla Norma

2 aubergines
olive oil
250g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
15ml fresh thyme, chopped
300g orzo
100g parmesan cheese, grated
a handful of fresh basil
1 Burrata

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Slice the aubergine into discs, spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and generously drizzle with olive oil.
Scatter the cherry tomatoes over the aubergine and bake for 30 minutes.
Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add some olive oil.
Fry the onion and garlic until soft.
Add the chopped tomato and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Cook the orzo according to packet instructions.
Drain the orzo and add it to the tomato sauce.
Add the grated parmesan and stir through.
Spoon the orzo into a serving dish and top with the aubergine, roasted tomato and burrata.
Serve with fresh basil leaves scattered on top.

Udon Noodle Broth

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Udon Noodle Broth
Udon Noodle Broth

200g mushrooms, sliced
50g butter
750ml chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2,5ml ground ginger
20ml soy sauce
10ml sugar
20ml dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine if you can get hold of any)
2,5ml sesame oil
2 x 200g fresh udon noodles
a small handful of chives, chopped

Place a frying pan on medium-high heat. Wait for it to heat up and then add the butter and mushrooms.
Fry until golden. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add the stock, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, sherry and sesame oil to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat so that the broth can simmer.
Place a lid on the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the garlic and add the noodles to the broth.
Agitate the noodles with a fork so that they break up and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the fried mushroom and remove the saucepan from the heat.
Ladle the noodles and a good amount of broth into serving bowls and top with a sprinkling of chives.

Chinese Flatbread

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chinese Flatbread
Chinese Flatbread

Also called Scallion Flatbread or Green Onion Flatbread, these tiny breads are flaky with a crispy outside and wonderfully soft inside. Easy and very straightforward to make!

250g flour
160g HOT water
sunflower oil

30ml sunflower oil
30ml flour
2,5ml salt
40g green onion/scallion, chopped

Add the flour to a mixing bowl and pour in the hot water. Stir with a spatula/spoon until no more flour can be seen.
Combine the mixture into a rough-looking dough with your hands.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
Uncover and knead by hand until it becomes smooth.
Rub a thin layer of oil over the dough as well as on the work surface.
Roll the dough into a rectangle of about 43cm x 33cm.
Add the 30 ml sunflower oil, flour and salt tot a small mixing bowl and mix together.
Brush the mixture over the rolled dough and sprinkle the green onion over.
Roll the dough, from the short side, into a log that is not too tight.
Cut into 4 equal pieces.
Stand a piece on its cut side, press it down with your hand to flatten slightly and then roll out into a 13cm diameter circle. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
Place a frying pan over medium heat and pour a small amount of oil into it.
Wait for the pan to heat up and place the breads in the pan if you can fit all of them. You may also cook 2 breads at a time if space is a problem.
Place a lid on the pan and cook the flatbread for 3 minutes.
Flip them over and cook for another 2 minutes until done.
Serve while warm.

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.

Spicy Mexican Soup

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Spicy Mexican Soup
Spicy Mexican Soup

3 litres chicken stock
1,5kg chicken breasts, skin removed
5ml black peppercorns
5ml salt
2,5ml smoked paprika
3 x 400g tins chopped tomato
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 x 400g jars sweet jalapeño, drained
30ml + 30ml vegetable oil
120g spaghetti
fresh coriander
lime wedges

Add the stock to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Cut the chicken breasts into chunks and add it to the stock.
Add the black peppercorns, salt and smoked paprika and simmer together for 30 minutes. Set aside.
Add the tomato, onion, garlic and jalapeño to the bowl of a blender and process until smooth.
Add 30ml oil to a large saucepan set over medium-high heat and add the tomato mixture to it.
Bring to a low simmer and cook half-covered for 10 minutes.
Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the stock and finely shred the meat.
Pour the stock into the tomato mixture.
Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.
Now add the shredded chicken and cook for another 10 minutes.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning – salt, black pepper, smoked paprika.
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat, add 30ml vegetable oil and add the spaghetti to the pan.
Stir continuously while frying the spaghetti until it is a golden brown colour – about 3 minutes.
Drain the pasta on paper towel and then add it to the soup.
Simmer the soup for about 8 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.
Serve the soup immediately with fresh coriander and lime wedges.