“Eating is spiritual. And eating food with loved ones is truly communion with God. Do your best to eat the food you love with people you love :) it makes it taste better.” ~ Munachi Abii

PepperDew and Mackerel Risotto

/in , /by

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 35-40 mins

The Italians knocked it out of the park with this amazing invention because wow babes; Rice, wine and Parmesan in one dish? We are sold. This has to be the fanciest dish ever and it’s so easy to make. Always use good quality wine for this dish because if you’re gonna make risotto, please do it properly.

Ingredients:
2 Small Shallots, finely chopped
45g Butter
1 tsp Crushed Garlic
300g Risotto Rice
150g Pepperdews, chopped
150g Mackerel Fish, cooked and flaked
1L Vegetable Stock, warmed up
80ml White Wine
150g Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Method:
In a non-stick pan melt butter on medium heat, sauté shallots until soft. Add garlic and sauté for about 2-3 mins. Add the rice until well coated in butter and shallots.
Add the wine and stir, add in the Pepperdews, reserve some for garnish.
Add the vegetable stock, a little at a time. Allow the rice to absorb the liquid with every addition. Simmer for about 30 mins, keep stirring.
Add the flaked mackerel and Parmesan cheese and stir. Adjust seasoning.
Serve warm and top with Pepperdews and Parmesan cheese.

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Creamy Chicken Livers

/in , /by

Serves: 6
Prep time: 25-30 mins

I (Lebo) am not really a fan of chicken livers, so this recipe is all Tebo. When they have chicken livers for dinner at home I opt for pap and sour milk. But my sister and the rest of the family are obsessed, so enjoy.

Ingredients:
1Kg Chicken Livers
3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 Tbs Garlic and Ginger Paste
5ml Chili Flakes
2 Tbs Dried Thyme
3 Tbs Olive Oil
Zest of 1 Lemon
100ml Sherry
200g Cream
50g Cream Cheese
Grated Parmesan, optional

Method:
In a hot pan, add oil, fry the onion, garlic and ginger paste until soft, add the chili flakes, thyme and stir.
Add the chicken livers, fry until cooked, add the zest and sherry. Adjust seasoning.
Add the cream and cream cheese and cook until the sauce has reduced a little.
Meanwhile, prepare the sourdough toast, grilled on pone fire or in a toaster.
Serve the lives on toasted crusty sourdough.
Sprinkle over some Parmesan.

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Skillet Salt and Rosemary Focaccia

/in , /by

Serves: 4
Prep time: 1h 20 mins

making focaccia is very fun and very “handsy”, prepare to get a little flour all over you. Use your fingers to make dents in your bread and brush it will with the olive oil and herbs once it’s baked and …voila!!!

Ingredients:
3/4 C Warm Water
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Yeast
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 C Flour
2 tsp Rosemary, chopped

Topping:
3 Tbs Butter, melted
Rosemary Sprigs
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Sea Salt

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Mix all the dry ingredients and chopped rosemary together.
Add in yeast, mix well and create a well in the center.
Pour in the water and oil, mix and knead the dough for 10 mins, leave to rise for an hour. Grease the skillet, roll out the dough to the size of the skillet.
Make indentations in the dough with your fingers.
Brush the dough with butter, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, Rosemary sprigs and sea salt. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until golden brown.
Brush with more butter when it comes out of the oven.

 

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Smokey Chicken and Avo Quesadilla with Sundried Tomato a Mayo

/in , /by

Serves: 6

we didn’t know what a quesadilla was until about 4 years ago but we like the idea. Lots of cheese on a tortilla wrap with whatever topping you prefer? It sounds like a very good idea to us. Here’s our quesadilla, we hope you like it.

Ingredients:
6 Wraps (store bought)
6 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
100g barbecue sauce
2 Tbls liquid smoke
Salt and pepper
150g guacamole
3 avocados, sliced
Lemon juice

Sun-Dried Tomato Mayo:
100g Sundried tomatoes,sliced
200g mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
1 Tbls White wine vinegar

Method:
Warm up the wraps in the oven or on the stove-top until just heated.
Mix the barbecue and liquid smoke together. Coat the chicken breasts. Season with salt and vinegar.
Grill chicken in the oven for 14-20 minutes at 180 degrees celcius.
Slice avocados and drizzle with lemon juice so it doesn’t brown.
To make mayo: mix all the ingredients together
To serve: slice chicken breast. Spread guacamole onto the wrap. Top with chicken and avocado slices. Season and serve with mayo on the side

Pork and Taco Pizza

/in , /by

Serves: 6
Prep time: 25-30 mins

it’s Taco Tuesday!! … Or pizza Tuesday!! Or both maybe? Serve it any day of the week actually, it’s fantastic. Imagine a big crunch on your pizza (if you guys think it’s ok to add pineapple to pizza then it’s definitely ok to make a pork and taco pizza, just saying).

No-yeast Pizza Crust:
2 cups of flour
1 and a half tsp of baking powder
Half tsp of salt
1/3 cup milk/lukewarm water
2 Tbls olive oil

Toppings:
300g left-overs cooked pork,cubed or shredded
150g pasta sauce
200g cheddar cheese,grated
1 mango,cubed
2 tomatoes,cubed
200g corn chips,slightly crushed
150g guacamole
Handful coriander

Method:
Mix flour,baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the milk and olive until dough forms. Kneed on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 minutes. Shape into a ball. Cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Bake crust at 200 degrees celsius for 8 minutes. Top with your favorite ingredients and bake till golden brown (15 minutes).
Spread pasta on the base of the pre-baked pizza. Top with pork. Sprinkle with crushed chips and cheese. Bake for 15 for 15 minutes till crust is golden brown.
Meanwhile, mix the mango and tomatoes together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Once pizza is out of the oven,top with mango salsa,drizzled with guacamole and fresh coriander.

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Brie, Basil and Pomegranate Crostini

/in , /by

Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 10-15 mins

this is always a fantastic starter to any meal. We always serve crostinis when we host people, it’s a great distraction for when you’re preparing the main meal. Honestly, pomegranate makes everything better, we know you might be a bit skeptical to try this but trust, you’ll love and then you can thank us later.

Ingredients:
2 Fresh Baguettes, thickly sliced
Olive Oil
400g Brie Cheese, thinly sliced
250g Basil, roughly chopped
250g Pomegranate Rubies
100ml Honey
250g Sour Cream
Black Pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
Prepare two baking sheets.
Layer the bread slices flat on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Toast in the oven for 7-10 mins or until golden brown and crispy.
Spread sour cream on the crostini, sprinkle with black pepper.
Layer slices of the Brie cheese on the crostini.
Top with basil and pomegranate.
Drizzle with a bit of honey and serve.

 

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CHINESE CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD

/in , /by

250g Egg noodles

200g Grilled chicken breast

100g Sugar peas

 

DRESSING:

1/4 cup Sesame oil

5 Tbls Soy sauce

1/4 cup Chopped pickled ginger

1 Tbls Wasabi

 

Boil the noodles till al denté.

Shred the grilled chicken.

Blanch the sugar peas.

Toss all the ingredients together.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix till well coated.

Garnish with micro herbs.

 

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SWEET & SOUR CHINESE POPCORN CHICKEN

/in , /by

500g Chicken breast, cubed

Salt and pepper

300g Buttermilk

500g Seasoned flour- (pinch of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and ginger powder)

2 Tbls Baking powder

 

SAUCE:

4 Tbls Honey

2 Tbls Soy sauce

1/2 cup Tomato sauce

 

Season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper.

Marinate chicken cubes in buttermilk for an hour or overnight.

Shake off excess buttermilk and toss into the seasoned flour.

Shake off excess flour.

Fry till golden brown. 6-8 minutes.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together.

Toss the chicken into sauce.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional)

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HOT POT CHICKEN

/in , /by

200g Hot pot stock

200g Chicken stock

1 Tbls Sichuan peppercorns

500g Chicken breast, skewered

3 Tbls Chinese spice mix

 

Cut chicken breast into strips. Skewer them.

Marinate chicken with Chinese spices over night.

Bring your chicken stock to the boil and add the hot-pot stock in.

Add extra chillies to stock of preferred **

Leave to simmer and cook your skewered chicken (in batches) in there for 5-7 minutes till completely cooked.

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Rooibos Beef Curry served with Roti

/in , , /by

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 1hr10 mins

we served this at one of our pop up restaurants, it was perfect for the occasion because it was a rainy day. We served the curry with Roti, Tzatziki and salsa, it was amazing. It’s a lovely recipe, we added the Rooibos to replace the artificial stock, we found it was easier to control the seasoning that way (stock tends to have a lot of salt).

Ingredients:
500g Beef Shoulder, cubed
2 Tbs Oil
2 Onions, finely chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and cubed
2 Potatoes, diced
2 Tbs Minced Garlic
2 Green Chilies, finely chopped
2 Tbs Minced Ginger
2 tsp Tumeric
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Coriander
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 Tbs Five Spice
Salt and Pepper
425g Canned Tomatoes
2C Strong Rooibos Tea
45ml Curry Paste
150ml Coconut Cream
Roti to serve

Method:
In a large saucepan, brown the meat on both sides. Remove from the heat and set aside. In the same pan, sauté onions until golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger, sauté for 2 mins. Stir in the spices and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the meat back in as well as the vegetables, adjust seasoning.
Stir in the curry paste and add in the tomatoes and the Rooibos tea. Simmer for 45 mins, until the meat is tender.
Just before dine, stir in the coconut cream.
Serve with Roti. Garnish with fresh herbs.

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