Avocado and Prawn Cocktail

Prawn cocktail was a popular starter in the 1960's and 70's. Adding avocado to it is a very South African thing but the combination of this creamy fruit and sweet juicy morsels of fruit of the sea is a marriage made in heaven. Adding chilli to the mix reflects the Mozambique influence, where prawns without chilli is a sacrilege. 

Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3-4 small gherkins, finely chopped
30ml capers, chopped
5ml tomato puree
20ml olive oil
250ml Mayonnaise
5ml chilli flakes
24 uncooked fresh or frozen prawns, drained
30ml chopped chives
6 Iceburg lettuce leaves, finely shredded
2-3 avocados, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
juice and zest of a lemon

Method:
Place the gherkins, capers, tomato purée and mayonnaise in a bowl. Mix to combine, cover with cling film and store in the fridge.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat. add the chilli flakes and prawns. Cook until the prawns have turned pink and started to brown, turning the prawns to cook on both sides. Cool slightly and toss in the chives.

Divide the lettuce between 6 serving dishes. Place a serving of the mayonnaise mixture on the lettuce and top with the prawns and avocado. Squeeze a little lemon over each serving and garnish with lemon zest. 

Cool and serve as a starter or salad.

Biltong and Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:
150g Biltong, finely chopped
3 tbsp Butter, melted
2 cups Cake flour
2 tsp Baking powder
2 tbsp Sugar
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
3tbsp Marmite or Bovril
Handful of chopped fresh chives

Method:
Heat your oven to 190° C and butter up your muffin tins.
Mix the melted butter and chives together and set aside to cool slightly.
In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix with a spoon.
In a separate large bowl add the eggs, milk and marmite and give a light whisking, then add the butter and chive mixture, the grated cheese and chopped biltong pieces. Give it a good mix to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir with a spoon in a folding motion until combined.
Fill the muffin tins to 2/3 full and bake until golden brown (about 20 minutes).
Remove them from the tins and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Spanish Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
750 g chicken cut up
1/2-1 chorizo sausage 
olive oil (for frying) 
1 red bell pepper, diced 
1 green bell pepper, diced 
1 -2 medium onion, diced 
1 -2 medium carrot, diced 
2 tablespoons tomato paste 
440 g crushed tomatoes 
2 garlic cloves 
2 cups chicken stock (to cover) 
1 bay leaf 
2 teaspoons paprika 
1 cup red wine 
Black pitted olives - about 20
Fresh parsley chopped - a couple sprigs

Method:
In a wok brown the chicken in the olive oil and remove.
Add the chorizo, garlic, capsicum, carrot and onion to the wok and stir-fry about 5 minutes (until softened).
Add the paprika and fry until fragrant (about 1 min), add the red wine and fry until the alcohol (but not the liquid) has evaporated.
Then add the tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaf and stock and cook a further 5 minutes, adding only enough liquid to almost cover the other ingredients.
Add cooked chicken and heat through.
Transfer into a really large casserole dish, add the parsley and pitted black olives and bake at 180C for 1 hour.
Delicious served with rice.

Pickled Green Beans

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, mashed
1/2 cup Pickling Spice
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 lb green beans, trimmed
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup pickling salt

Method:
Evenly distribute the garlic, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes among the prepared pint jars.
Pack the beans tightly into the jars.
In a small bot, bring the vinegar, water, and salt to a boil over medium heat.
Pour the hot brine over the beans, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Seal the jars and process for 8 to 10 minutes. Store the pickles for at least 2 weeks before opening for maximum flavor development.

Variation:
Dilly Beans: Evenly distribute 2 bunches of dill among the jars along with the pickling spice and red pepper flakes.

Storage:
Processed, these pickles will keep for up to 6 months. Once jars have been opened, store them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to 5 days.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:

500g beef mince

500g sausage meat or pork mince

250ml breadcrumbs

15ml Italian seasoning

3 eggs

3 garlic cloves, minced

5ml sea salt

5ml freshly ground black pepper

250g mozzarella cheese, cut into 1cm cubes

Olive oil

Spaghetti sauce

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the beef, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, seasoning, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper well with the hands, massaging all the ingredients together.

Form into 2 inch balls, press a cube of mozzarella in the middle and seal the meat all around it.

Heat a shallow layer of olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the meat balls until golden all over.

Set aside on a plate.

Pour the spaghetti sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer.

Add the meatballs and simmer for about 30 minutes until cooked through.

Serve with spaghetti.

Pumpkin Fritters

Ingredients:

A pinch of sea salt

2.5ml ground cinnamon

2 eggs

5ml baking powder

50ml flour

500ml cooked and mashed pumpkin, butternut or hubbard squash

Brown sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together except the sugar. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little milk.

Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in a little oil in a heavy based frying pan until golden on both sides: about 5 minutes.

Drain on paper towel, then sprinkle with extra cinnamon and brown sugar and keep warm.

Serve with chicken pieces, pork chops or grilled bacon.

Banana Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

2/3 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, smashed
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated fresh zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.

Beat butter and sugar. Add in banana, eggs and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda and cinnamon. 

Add the dry  ingredients to the wet. 

Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour into 2 large, greased loaf pans (5x9 or larger).

Bake at 180C for 1 hour or longer, until done.

You can also use for mini muffins or muffins. Mini muffins take 10 to 15 minutes. 

Dumplings Deluxe

I have often wandered, what did we eat before we had potatoes, pasta and rice?

I get tired of serving these starches and one alternative I fall back on quite often is

dumplings. 

I've tried all sorts of recipes for them, some with just flower and water, others with a range of ingredients, but I come back to this recipe over and over again.  

These can be made with butter or lard, but I must admit I do prefer them with butter. I like to use stock, usually chicken or vegetable stock, but milk or wine could also be used, what ever your preference, depending on the dish they are to be added to. 

These dumplings could also be served as a side dish, cooking them in salted water, but that's a bit boring to my way of thinking. 

Give these a try with chicken soup or stew; they make all the difference to the meal.

Ingredients:
375ml flour
10ml baking powder
2.5ml salt
50g butter
180-190ml chicken stock
30ml chopped parsley

Method:
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Rub in the butter until you achieve a bread crumb constituency.
Stir in the stock and herbs and mix together to form a loose dough.
When your stew is almost ready, drop rounded tablespoons of dough into the simmering stew. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes and a further 10 minutes covered.
Serve immediately straight from the pot!