HUMMUS

Ingredients:

1 tin of Chick Peas
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Clove of Garlic
Juice of 3/4 Lemon, keep zest for garnish
1/2 -1 teaspoon Tahini
Salt and Pepper
Pita bread/crudites to serve

Method:

Place chick peas, olive oil. garlic, lemon juice and tahini in a blender and process till smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Scoop into a serving bowl and drizzle with a little extra olive oil, the top with the reserved zest.

Serve with toasted pita breads or crudites- I LOVE carrot sticks!

LAMB POITJIE

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

2.5kg Lamb, cut into chunks

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

10ml paprika

5ml cayenne pepper

15ml dried rosemary

Salt and Pepper

30ml Olive oil

15l sunflower oil

2 large onions, chopped

800g Carrots, sliced

250g button mushrooms, quartered

1 cup red wine

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

1.2kg potatoes, cubed

400g courgettes, sliced

Water to cover

Cooked rice

Braai Rolls(optional)

Method:

Place the cubed lamb in a large mixing bowl, and add the garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried rosemary, plenty salt and pepper and the olive oil, and mix thoroughly. Allow flavours to infuse for +/- an hour while you get the fire going.

Build your fire, and allow it to burn down to create a good set of coals.  We lit a second fire next to it for extra coals. Once your coals are glowing, place your oiled poitjie pot directly onto them and allow it to heat up.

Heat the sunflower oil and add your lamb. Allow the lamb to brown well while stirring it, then add the onions, half of the carrots, and half of the mushrooms. Allow to cook to a golden brown colour, then deglaze with the red wine.

Add the tinned tomatoes, and stir well. This will be the last time you stir your poitjie.

Layer the potatoes ontop on the lamb mixture, followed by the remaining carrots, then the mushrooms, and lastly the courgettes.

Add water to cover the ingredients, and leave uncovered until it comes to a boil.

Once boiling, cover the pot with it’s lid and allow poitjie to cook for 3-4 hours. Regulate the heat by adding and removing coals as necessary.

Once the poitjie is done, stir the ingredients together and season well with salt, pepper and sugar.

Serve with cooked rice, and braai rolls!

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SOUP

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 large butternuts, cubed

2 onions, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

500ml vegetable stock

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

250ml cream

Roasted pumpkin seeds(optional)

Rustic bread to serve

Method:

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Drizzle the butternut with olive oil and roast it until cooked and dark on edges.

In the meantime, heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot, and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the butternut and the stock and bring to the boil. 

Remove from heat and blend until smooth with a stick blender. Depending on the size of your butternuts you may need to add extra stock/water at this stage to get the desired consistency.

Add the cream, and bring to the boil, and season well with salt and pepper, and add cayenne pepper to taste(I like to add lots to make it spicy). Garnish with pumpkin seeds(if using) and serve with fresh, crusty bread.

African Eggs/ Shakshura

Serves 2

Ingredients:

125g chorizo, sliced

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 red pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

Chilli powder, to taste- depending on the heat of your chorizo

2 TBS tomato paste

1 Tin chopped tomato

150g Rosa tomatoes, halved

1 cup chicken stock/water

1 TBS sugar

Salt and Pepper

4 eggs

Basil

Ciabata/baguette to serve

Method:

Heat a large oven proof pan/ casserole dish, and fry the chorizo until crispy.

Remove the chorizo from the pan, and sauté the onions in the chorizo oil until soft and translucent. Add the red peppers and garlic and cook till golden brown.

Add the paprika, cumin and chilli powder and cook until fragrant before adding the tomato paste and cooking for a further 2 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, Rosa tomatoes and water. Season well with salt and pepper and add the sugar. Cover the pan/ casserole with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if necessary, for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes are sweet and well cooked.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C.

Remove the lid, and return the chorizo to the pan. Allow all the liquid to reduce, until you are left with a thick, tomatoey mass.

Using the back of a spoon, make 4 indentations into the tomato, and crack an egg into each.  Place the dish into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still a little runny(if you don’t like runny yolks, just leave them in a little longer).

Remove from the oven, top with basil and serve with chunks of fresh ciabata or baguette.

This is also really delicious topped with a chopped avocado salsa, with loads of coriander and lime juice!

Hidden Centre Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Makes 12-16

Ingredients:

250g butter

330g self raising flour

500ml sugar

4 eggs

Zest of 1 lemon

250ml milk

Lemon curd:

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 cup lemon juice

Zest of 3 lemons

½ cup butter

Icing:

3 egg whites

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then gradually add the egg, beating well in between each addition.

Sift the flour into the butter mixture and fold together. When almost completely incorporated, add the milk.

Fill the cupcake cases 2/3 of the way. Place in the oven and turn down to 180 C. Bake for 15 minutes or until ever so slightly golden.

Lemon Curd:

In the meantime, whisk the sugar and eggs together until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter.

Cook in the microwave in one minute intervals, whisking after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the microwave, and allow to cool.

Icing:

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Place on the heat and boil until the sugar to 121°C.

In the meantime beat the egg whites until stiff. Then slowly beat in the hot sugar syrup.

Spoon out a cavity in the centre of the cupcakes and fill it with lemon curd. Spoon the icing on top and burn it with a blow torch.