45 ml olive oil
8 chicken thighs
salt and pepper
45 ml butter
2 onions finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
200 g baby carrots, halved
125 g white button mushrooms
250 ml dry white wine
250 ml chicken stock
250 ml cream
30 ml green pepper corns
6 sprigs thyme, + extra for serving
15 ml cornflour
cooked rice

Preheat oven to 180°C
Heat half of the oil in a large oven proof pan and brown the chicken well.
Season, remove from pan and set aside.
Heat remaining oil and butter in the same pan.
Saute onions until translucent.
Add garlic, carrots and mushrooms and fry until browned.
Add wine, stock, cream, peppercorns and thyme.
Mix cornflour with a little water to form a paste and stir into sauce.
Return chicken to pan, cover and bake for 15 minutes.
Uncover, spoon some sauce over the chicken and bake for a further 15 minutes.
Serve with thyme and rice.

Peel 2 onions and 4 cloves of garlic, then finely slice with 1 to 2 fresh
red chillies and the stalks from 1 bunch of fresh coriander (reserving the
leaves for later).

Put it all into a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with a lug of
olive oil and cook for around 20 minutes, or until golden, stirring
regularly.

Add 1 level tablespoon of ground coriander, 2 level teaspoons of turmeric
and 1 heaped teaspoon each of paprika and garam masala. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add and toast 6 tablespoons of ground almonds.

Pour in 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes, crumble in 1 organic chicken stock
cube and add 300ml of boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in 2 x 400g tins of light coconut milk and simmer for a final 40
minutes, stirring occasionally, then season to perfection.

Now jazz it up however you like. Add grilled chicken, fish or vegetables, if
you like, then swirl through some natural yoghurt, sprinkle with your
reserved coriander leaves, and serve. Delicious with parathas or fluffy
basmati rice.

Jansson’s Temptation

Ingredients

2-3 large onions
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
6 russet baking potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthways (matchsticks)
1 (2 ounce) can anchovy fillets, drained, reserving the oil and chopped
1 ½ cups heavy cream
salt and pepper

Directions

In a large skillet cook the onions in 2 tsp of the butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden.

Preheat oven to 400.

In a buttered 2 ½ to 3 quart shallow baking dish (13×9 worls well), layer 1/3 of the potatoes, ½ of the onions, ½ of the chopped anchovies, salt and pepper to taste, 1/3 potatoes, ½ onions, ½ of the chopped anchovies, salt and pepper to taste and the last third of the potatoes.

Drizzle the top of the potatoes with the reserved oil from the anchovy can (about 2 tsp) and dot them with the remaining 1 Tbsp butter cut into bits.

Bake the casserole on the middle rack for 10 minutes.

Pour ¾ cup of the cream over the potatoes and bake casserole for 20 minutes more.

Pour the remaining cream over the casserole, reduce heat to 300, and abke for 30 minutes more, or until the potatoes are tender.

Great served with anything that goes with a potato side dish.  For instance, aquavit!  Skol!

2    kg    lamb braai chops, bone in and fat trimmed
3    Tbs    oil
2    medium onions
1    Tbs    garlic, crushed
2    Tbs    ginger, peeled and grated
2    fresh green chillies, finely chopped
1    Tbs    coriander powder
2    tsp    cumin powder
2    tsp    chilli powder
1    tsp    turmeric
1    tsp    garam masala
1    tsp    salt
4    medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped / 1 tin peeled and chopped tomatoes
water, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh coriander, roughly chopped
lemon, wedges

 
Method
00:45
 
Light a fire with wood or coals. With the fire still hot secure the grid in
place, scour it clean.

Briefly sear the trimmed lamb fat until well coloured. Using an old pan /
pot, place it on the grid above the hot coals. Add the oil, when hot add the
chopped onions. Fry until they start to go lightly brown.

Add the seared lamb fat, garlic, ginger and fresh chillies. Continue to fry
until the mixture is well browned. If the fire is too hot move the pot
further from the flame. Remove any large pieces of fat that haven't become
part of the mixture.

Add the coriander, cumin, chilli powder, turmeric and garam masala stirring
constantly for one minute to cook the spices.
Add the chopped / tinned tomatoes and stir to combine.  Cook until the curry
is thick and dark red in colour. Add a little water if the curry sauce
becomes to dry.

While the sauce is cooking add the trimmed lamb to the grid and cook until
medium rare, roughly 2 minutes on each side.
Add the cooked lamb to the sauce. Taste and season accordingly with salt and
pepper.

Serve with freshly chopped coriander and a lemon wedge with rice and / or
naan bread.

Total Time
Prep: 10 min. Bake: 55 min.
Makes 27 cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, cream and extract. Combine the remaining ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture (batter will be thick).
Spoon into three greased 5-3/4x3x2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 180° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes.

Remove to a cutting board; cut each loaf into nine slices with a serrated knife. Place cut side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices; bake 10 minutes longer or until crisp and golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts
2 each: 305 calories, 15g fat (9g saturated fat), 72mg cholesterol, 287mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate (16g sugars, 1g fiber), 4g protein.

Oh La Vache!

Lavosh is a thin, crunchy Middle Eastern bread that’s delicious as a picnic or pre-dinner nibble.  Flavour it with sesame and oregano or you can use parmesan, fennel seeds or chillies.

Prep time 15 mins
Cook time 15 – 18 mins
Makes about 40

160 grams plain flour
80 grams wholemeal flour
20 grams each black and white sesame seeds (or 40 of just one kind)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
55 grams cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
115 grams of water

To finish:

extra virgin olive oil
flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 165°C and line an oven tray with baking paper.  In a mixing bowl stir together the flours, sesame seeds, oregano and salt.  Mix the oils and water together and add to the dry ingredients, stirring to form a soft, pliable dough.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each out on a lightly floured board as thinly as possible.  Each piece of dough should yield a rectangle about 34 x 16 cm.  Cut each rectangle into strips measuring about 4 x 17 cm and roll again.  They need to be virtually see through.

Carefully transfer the strips to a baking tray, brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.  Bake until crisp and pale golden. About 15 minutes.  Allow to cool fully then store in an airtight container.

Makes 24
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 – 15 minutes
Oven Temperature: 180 C

250g butter
500 (280g) cake flour
2.5ml salt
2.5ml baking powder
600ml (250g) Chedar cheese finely grated
creamed honey

Cream the butter and add the flour, slat and baking powder.  Mix thoroughly.  Add the cheese and mix to form a dough.  Roll the dough into balls and place them on greased baking trays.  Make a hole in the middle of each ball with a wooden spoon but don’t go all the way or honey will run out.  Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until light brown.

Allow to cool and fill each hole with creamed honey before serving.

2 large spare rib or chump chops, about 1 cm thick
25 grams butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 glass white wine
150 ml double or whipping cream
1 ½ tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard (smooth)
8 cornichons, chopped

Rub the chops all over with salt and pepper.  Put the butter and oil in a shallow pan set over a moderate to high heat and, when they start to froth a little, add the crushed garlic and seasoned chops.  Leave to brown, then turn and brown on the other side.  Lower the heat and continue cooking until the chops are no longer pink when cut into.

Lift out the chops, transfer to a warm serving dish and keep warm.  Pour off most of the oil from the pan leaving the sediment behind, then turn up the heat and add the wine.  Let it boil for a minute or so, scraping the sticky sediment in the pan and letting it dissolve.  Pour in the cream, swirl the pan about a bit, then let it bubble up a bit before adding the mustards and the chopped cornichons.

Taste for seasoning; you may need a little salt and possibly black pepper.  The sauce should be piquant and creamy.  If you want, you can garnish the sauce with a few drops of liquor from the cornichon jar to sharpen it up.  Pour the sauce over the chops and serve.  Enough for two with mashed or unbuttered potatoes.

8 pork chops
2 onions
1 green pepper
brown sugar
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 apples
sage
salt & pepper
flour
chicken stock

Brown the chops.  Lay in a casserole.  Sprinkle with sage, salt and pepper.  In a pan fry onions and green peppers.  Add chicken stock to make a gravy, sufficient to cover.  Thicken with flour.  Peel core and slice the apples.  Lay the slices on top of the chops and add raisins.  Sprinkle with vinegar and brown sugar.  Pour the gravy over the chops. Bake for 1 hour at 180°C.

500 grams chicken livers
20 ml olive oil
5 grams ground cumin
5 grams paprika
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
3 grams ground peri peri spice
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

Fry the livers in the olive oil until brown.  Add the spices and seasonings and stir well.  Add the chopped onion and garlic.  Fry for 5 minutes more.  Add the lemon juice and simmer gently until cooked.