Orange and Red Onion Salad

Cumin and mint give this refreshing salad a very Middle Eastern flavour. 

Small, seedless oranges are most suitable, if available.

Ingredients:

6 small oranges

2 red onions

15ml cumin seeds

5ml coarsely ground black pepper

15ml chopped fresh mint

90ml olive oil

Sea salt

Fresh mint sprigs and black olives, to serve

Method:

Slice the oranges thinly, working over a bowl to catch any juice. Holding each orange slice over the bowl, cut around with scissors to remove the peel and pith. Reserve the juice. Slice the onion thinly and separate into rings.

Arrange the orange and onion slices in layers in a shallow dish, sprinkling each layer with cumin seeds, black pepper, chopped mint, olive oil and salt to taste. Pour over the reserved orange juice.

Leave the salad to marinate in a cool place for about 2 hours. Scatter over the mint sprigs and black olives just before serving.

Mint and Almond Tabbouleh

This salad is also great made with couscous or orzo (rice pasta)

 instead of crushed wheat.

Ingredients:

250ml crushed wheat

3 spring onions

60ml fresh parsley, chopped

30ml fresh mint, chopped

2 hardboiled eggs

60ml toasted slivered almonds

30 ml snipped chives

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:

60ml olive oil

60ml lemon juice

Method:

Place the crushed wheat in a bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside to soak for 15 minutes. Drain well, dry in a tea towel or kitchen paper and tip into a serving bowl.

Trim and finely slice the spring onions and mix into the crushed wheat with the parsley and mint.

Shell the eggs, chop finely and add to the salad with the almonds.

To make the dressing, mix together the olive oil and the lemon juice, pour over the salad and toss to mix thoroughly.

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.

Minted Beetroot Salad

Ingredients:

4-6 cooked beetroot

15-30ml balsamic vinegar

30ml olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh mint, leaves stripped and finely shredded

Method:

Cut the beetroot into even-sized dice and put in a bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and toss to combine.

Add half of the shredded mint to the beetroot and toss to combine. Place the salad in the fridge for about an hour and serve, garnished with the remaining shredded mint leaves.

Mint Jelly

This summer I have a mountain of mint in my garden, taking over about a quarter of the space I have! I planted a sprig left from a supermarket pot a couple of years ago and it has thrived so that it's now about 100 times the size it was to start with. It is luscious and fragrant and just begging me to use it, so I made it into a jelly that I can store and use all year through.

Mint jelly is just to die for if spread on lamb chops before grilling them. The flavour permeates the meat, tenderising it as it cooks so the result is not just flavoursome, but succulent and tender at the same time.

When making mint jelly, use tart apples like Granny Smiths or Bramleys. The tarter the apple, the more pectin it has. If you are using home picked apples, picking early in the season is best, and smaller apples will have proportionately more pectin as well. Don’t peel or core the apples as most of the pectin is found in the core, and almost all the rest is found in the peel.

Ingredients:
1.8-2 kg tart apples, unpeeled, chopped into big pieces, including the cores.
375-400ml fresh mint leaves, chopped and lightly packed.
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
500ml water
500ml white wine vinegar
875-1000ml sugar ( about 220ml for each 250ml of juice).

Method:
Combine the apple pieces with lemon zest, lemon juice, water and mint in a large pan. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Add the vinegar and return to the boil. Simmer covered for another 5 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash the apple pieces to the consistency of thin apple sauce.

Spoon the apple flesh into a clean tea towel in a colander or large strainer over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours. Most cooks say not to squeeze, but I do squeeze very carefully to get the last of the juice out of the apple mash without getting any of the pulp in the syrup. Note, if your apple mash is too thick you can add about 100-125ml more water to it. You should have between 1000-1250ml of resulting juice.

Measure the juice, then pour into a large pot. Add the sugar ( about 220ml for each 250ml of juice) and heat gently, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves and does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Bring to the boil and continue to boil for about 10-15 minutes, using a metal spoon to skim off the surface scum. Continue to boil until a jam thermometer shows that the temperature has reached 105°C or 220-222°F, not quite at the thread stage. Additional time needed for cooking can be anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour or longer, depending on the amount of water, sugar, and apple pectin in the mix.

If you don’t have a jam thermometer, test by putting a small amount of jelly (half a teaspoon) on a chilled plate (chill the plate in the freezer in preparation for testing). Allow the jelly to cool a few seconds, then push it with your fingertip. If it wrinkles, it’s ready.

Pour the jelly into sterilised jars almost to the top of the jar and seal. This makes about 8 x 100ml jars.

Spiced Chicken Kebabs

Whether for a quick supper, for party food or for a braai or barbecue, meat on a stick always goes down well. These chicken skewers are easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients:
For the Chicken Kebabs:
2 eggs
10ml ground cumin
10ml chilli powder
5ml white pepper
5ml garum masala
60g coriander leaves, finely chopped
20ml grated root ginger
12 cashew nuts, ground
1 onion, finely chopped
30ml vegetable oil
1kg chicken breasts, minced
2ml salt

For the minted mango yoghurt:
150ml natural yoghurt
30-50ml mango chutney
20-30ml mint sauce

Method:
To make the Kebabs:
Soak 6 wooden skewers in cold water for about an hour. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl then add the remaining ingredients. Mix well, blending with the fingers to bring the meat together like sausage meat. Divide into 6 equal portions, then with wet hand, shape each portion around one of the wet wooden skewers to form a smooth long sausage. Put in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
Cook the chicken skewers over a medium-high heat on a flat griddle plate or a ridged griddle pan, turning over or twice until the meat is browned at the edges and cooked through.
Serve with minted mango yoghurt.

To make the Minted Mango Yoghurt:
Mix the three ingredients together and serve with the chicken skewers in a separate bowl.

Cucumber Sambal

Sambals, or Kachoomers as they are also known, are like little salads that are served with curries and rice dishes. They are quick and easy to make and are normally served in little dishes for diners to help themselves as they require. They may be made from cucumber, onion, radish, carrot, lettuce or tomato, but cucumber and onion is a particular favourite in our family.

Ingredients:
2 inch piece of cucumber
half an onion
30ml malt vinegar
30ml basic dhunia chutney

Method:
Dice the cucumber into 1/2 cm cubes and set aside in a small mixing bowl.
Finely chop the onion and add to the cucumber.
Add the vinegar to the onion and cucumber.
Mix in the basic dhunia chutney.

Basic Dhunia Chutney
2 whole peppercorns
1 bunch of coriander leaves (dhunia)
2 long thin green chillies
2 cloves of garlic
2ml cumin seeds
2ml salt
Juice of 1 lemon

Put all the ingredients in a mini blender and blend to a smooth paste. Make up as required or store in quantity in an airtight container in the fridge until required. Keeps for a week or more in the fridge. For a variation, mint can also be added to this chutney.

Warm Puy Lentil and Mint Salad

The lentil is a type of pulse of the legume family, believed to have originated in the Near East and has been part of the human diet since Neolithic times. It was one of the first crops to be domesticated. With more than a quarter of their nutritious value coming from protein, lentils today make up an important part of the diet being essential sources of inexpensive protein in many parts of the world, especially in areas that are predominantly vegetarian. These nutritious little pulses also provide plenty of dietary fibre, some B vitamins and are a good source of iron. There are many different colour lentils, ranging through yellow, orange, red, green, brown and black. Here we are using the common Puy, green or continental lentil, which is easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
300g dried Puy lentils

2 large handfuls of mint leaves

50g pine nuts

1 garlic clove, chopped

50ml extra virgin olive oil

5ml chilli flakes

zest and juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

30g butter

Method:

Put the lentils in a pan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring the pan to the boil and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until tender but still retaining their shape.

Meanwhile process the mint leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and lemon zest into a rough pesto. Retain a little texture; you don't want your pesto too smooth. Add the chilli flakes and lemon juice. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drain the lentils well and return to the pan. Stir the pesto through the lentils, adding the butter and warming over a low heat to melt it through the lentils. Serve immediately.

Sweet Lamb Sausages

It might appear strange to combine red meat with a sweet flavour,

but lamb, mint, honey and mustard are a marriage made in heaven.

.

Ingredients:

500g lamb mince

20-30 ml honey

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 slice of white bread, made into crumbs

50ml chopped fresh mint

5ml Dijon mustard

1 egg

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

.

Method:

Place all the ingredients except the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Knead and massage together to blend. Mix in the breadcrumbs and continue to knead until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Divide the mixture into 8 and shape each piece into a sausage.

In a wide frying pan heat a little oil and gently fry the sausages for 6-8 minutes until cooked through, turning to brown on all sides.

Lime and Mint Panna Cotta

Panna cotta comes from the Italian and means 'cooked cream'.

This desert is believed to have originated in the Piemonte region of northern Italy.

Normally cream and milk are simmered together and mixed with gelatine.

The mixture is then put into molds and allowed to set before serving,

topped with fruit, caramel, chocolate or nuts and served chilled.

.

Ingredients:
60ml cold water
15ml powdered gelatine
250ml boiling water
125ml sugar
15 fresh mint leaves
grated zest of 1 lime
30ml lime juice
500ml cream
5ml vanilla extract
Fruit compote of your choice

Method:

Combine cold water and gelatine in a small saucepan and allow the gelatine to soak. Add boiling water, sugar, mint, lime zest and juice. Bring just to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and gelatine. Remove from heat and stand for 10 minutes to allow flavours to infuse.

Strain the liquid into a bowl and discard any solids. Whisk in the cream and vanilla. Divide between 6 serving glasses or cup moulds. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 4 hours until set, or chill overnight until required. Panna cotta can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Serve topped with a fruit compote of your choice.

Crispy Rack of Lamb with Mascarponi Sauce

One of the things I love about living in Wales is sheep in the fields.

In the Spring they are joined by frisky little lambs.

Some people see them as cute and cuddly,

but having come from farming stock,

I see them as food - delicious food!

Perhaps the queen of delicious is

"Rack of Lamb".

.

Many years ago in Durban, Natal,

there was a 'French' restaurant called,

"La Popote".

They made the most fantastic rack of lamb.

I have tried my best to emulate their dish,

but I saw the sauce on an Italian food program -

I thought it would go very well with succulent lamb.

Ingredients:
2 racks of lamb
Olive oil to drizzle over and rub
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
"French Herb Mix" - to be found in my e-book, "Herbs and Spices", coming soon.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Drizzle the racks with olive oil on both sides, rubbing the oil over the meat to ensure it is all covered. Season all over with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a good covering of "French Herb Mix".
Put the meat on a very hot grill, curved side down first and brown. Turn the meat over and brown on the underside as well.
Transfer to a baking tray with the curved side up and bake in a hot oven for about 25 minutes.

To Make the Sauce:
Ingredients:
125ml creme fraiche
handful of fresh mint, chopped
Sea salt to season
50ml honey
10ml ground cumin
125ml Mascarponi

Method:
In a glass bowl, whisk together the creme fraiche, mint, salt, and honey.
Add the cumin and mascarponi and mix well to a smooth paste.

Serve chops accompanied by the sauce, French fries and vegetables of choice.

Cheese and Mint Balls

These make a great snack or finger-food party dish.

Serve on their own, with salad or a dip.

Ingredients:
50g breadcrumbs
150g feta cheese, crumbled
50ml fresh mint, chopped
2 egg whites
salt and pepper to season

Method:
Mix together the breadcrumbs, feta and mint.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff anf fold in the cheese mixture and season.
Divide the mixture into 12 and, using wet hands, roll the portions into balls.
Put in the fridge for and hour to firm.
Heat enough vegetable oil inot a pan to just cover the balls and deep fry them for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and serve warm.

Courgette Salad with Capers Feta and Mint

Ingredients:
1 Medium sized Courgette - about 300g
45ml olive oil
30ml balsamic vinegar
15ml clear honey
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
3 shallots, peeled, halved and sliced
30ml capers,drained
15 mint leaves, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
80g feta cheese, cubed

Method:
Top and tail the courgette and shred into ribbons using a potato peeler.
Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, honey and garlic.
Toss the courgette in the dressing and leave it to marinade far half an hour.
Mix in the shallots, capers and mint, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with Feta.