Roasted Spiced Cauliflower

Tonight my daughter got adventurous with cauliflower. 

She surprised us all, including herself, 

as it was amazingly delicious! 

So here's the recipe!

Roasted Spiced Cauliflower

Ingredients:
15ml olive oil
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
5ml dried chilli flakes
10ml crushed garlic
2ml turmeric
a small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced.
Combine oil, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes, garlic and turmeric in a large bowl.
Add cauliflower. Toss to coat. Spoon cauliflower and spice mixture onto a roasting tray. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 30 minutes or until browned and tender, tossing cauliflower mixture halfway during cooking. Serve as a main dish or as an accompaniment to grilled lamb chops or chicken.

Inspired by a recipe from Taste.com.au 

Chakalaka Bread

Made with a tin of chakalaka this has got to be an amazing braai bread. 

It couldn't be simpler to make and is delicious without being over spicy.

Holiday Braai Bread or Chakalaka Bread

Ingredients:
4 Eggs
1 x 410 g tin of Mild and Spicy Chakalaka
500 g Self Raising Flour
10 ml Robertsons Mixed Herbs
10 ml Robertsons Chicken Spice

Instructions:
1. Beat eggs together in a mixing bowl until fluffy.
2. Stir in the Chakalaka, flour, Robertsons Mixed Herbs and Robertsons Chicken Spice, stirring with a metal spoon until ingredients are just combined.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 35 minutes at 180°C or until cooked through.
This bread is best when eaten warm on the same day it is made.

This recipe came from Beverley Ann Swanepoel via Bon Appetit met Rita

Crumbed Chicken

This fried chicken is an explosion of flavour to the taste buds. The chicken is first simmered until cooked through before being pan fried in a minimal amount of oil.

The chicken pieces can be prepared skinless, or with skins on. I prefer to leave the skins on as they supply nutrients with benefits that outweigh the fats of the skin, and I, for one, am far from being afraid the fats are going to clog up my arteries. The culprit responsible for Low Density Lipids (LDL cholesterol, the bad guy) blocking the arteries is not saturated fats, but altered and damaged fats, like margarine and oils that have been produced or extracted with heat and chemicals. The moral of the story is: eat the chicken skin!

Ingredients:

1.5kg chicken drumsticks and thighs, skinned if you prefer

7.5ml salt

7.5ml Red Freezer Masala

5ml turmeric

5ml garam masala

2.5ml chilli powder

7.5ml sunflower oil

10ml lemon juice

30ml ghee

30ml sunflower oil for frying

2 large eggs

125ml dried breadcrumbs

Pan Spices:

2 cardamom pods

3-4 whole cloves

4-5 pieces Indian cinnamon

To Garnish:

30ml roughly chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Prepare the marinade for the chicken:

Mix 5ml salt, the Red Freezer Masala, turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, 7.5ml oil and the lemon juice to a thick paste. Rub well into the chicken and set aside for 5 minutes or more.

Heat the ghee in a wide, deep pot on medium. When hot, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, stir and allow to sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken pieces, stir, cover and simmer in their own juices for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When the juices have cooked away, remove from the pot and drain on absorbent kitchen paper.

While the chicken is cooking, beat the eggs, mixing in 2.5ml salt. Pour the breadcrumbs into a wide, shallow bowl.

Heat 30ml oil in a wide, non-stick pan on high. Dip the chicken in egg and roll in the breadcrumbs until completely coated. Place the pieces in the pan and fry for 1 minute per side, turning twice for a total cooking time of about 3 minutes per piece. Remove as soon as the chicken browns slightly.

Drain on absorbent kitchen paper, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with plain rice.

Spicy Braised Lamb Chops

This one of the best ‘dry’ meat curries. 

Prepared with succulent strips of cabbage, 

the lamb chops are served dressed in a rich array of spices. 

This is a dish you will be proud to serve your friends.

Ingredients:

500g lamb chops

2,5ml salt

5ml Red Freezer Masala

5ml turmeric

5ml oil

45ml oil

½ onion finely chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks

300ml water

½ tomato finely chopped

1/8 head of cabbage, shredded (100g)

Pan Spices:

2 cardamom pods

3-4 whole cloves

5-6 pieces Indian cinnamon

To Garnish:

2.5ml garam masala

30ml finely chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Put the chops in a bowl, sprinkle with 2.5ml salt and add sufficient water to cover them; soak for 2-3 minutes. Drin, rinse and drain again. Open each chop by slicing from one bone end into the main part of the meat, creating a flap. Score the meat in several places.

Make a paste of 2.5ml salt, Red Freezer Masala, turmeric and 5ml oil. Rub this paste thoroughly into the meat. Heat 45ml oil in a wide pot on medium heat. When hot, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon; stir and allow to sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and braise for 3-5 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat and add the lamb chops. Brown the chops on all sides for about 5 minutes, then cover and braise for about 20 minutes, allowing the meat juices to reduce to a thick brown gravy, turning the chops once during cooking.

Add the potatoes and 250ml water, stir and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring carefully every 5 minutes. Add water, about 50ml at a time, if necessary to prevent scorching.

Sprinkle the tomato over the lamb, followed by the shredded cabbage. Add about 50ml water, cover and simmer for 5 minutes until the tomatoes melt into the dish and the cabbage wilts.

Turn the chops and potatoes. Garnish with garam masala and coriander and continue to cook undisturbed until all the excess water has steamed off. The dish should be very moist, but with very little or no gravy.

Serve warm with rice.

Serves 4

Fragrant Chicken Curry

In this curry, instead of starting with onions fried in ghee, 
which thicken the gravy, lentils are used as thickening. 

This fragrant curry can be served with basmati rice or with Indian flat bread.

Ingredients:

125ml red lentils

30ml mild curry powder

10ml ground coriander

5ml cumin seeds

500ml chicken stock

8 chicken thighs, skinned

225g fresh or frozen shredded spinach, thawed and well drained

15ml chopped fresh coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh coriander sprigs to garnish

Method:

Rinse the lentils under cold running water. Put into a large pan with the curry powder, ground coriander, cumin seeds and stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken and spinach. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the chopped coriander and season to taste.

Serve garnished with coriander sprigs and accompanied by rice or Indian flat bread.

Serves 4

Brinjal and Courgette Chilli Bites

These chilli bites, also known as Bhajias or Pakoras, are simple to make and simply delicious as a snack or served as a vegetable dish with a curry. The aroma when cooking the vegetables in the oven is enough to draw crowds and it’s hard to wait for the little morsels to be fried in their batter. Golden and crispy, they crunch with every bite and everyone comes back for more.

Ingredients:

500g baby finger brinjals, stems removed and cut lengthways.

500g baby courgettes, topped and tailed and cut in half lengthways

*** If the brinjals or courgettes are longer than 3 inches, cut them into 2-3 inch lengths.

45-60ml olive oil (or sunflower oil)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hanneica’s Steak and Chops seasoning

Cayenne pepper or red chilli powder

1 packet Chilli Bite Mix

Oil for frying

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Soak the brinjal in salted water for 20-30 minutes to remove any bitterness. Rinse and dry on absorbent kitchen paper or on a clean tea towel.

Place the brinjal with the prepared courgettes in a large mixing bowl and pour over the oil. Mix them around to ensure all the pieces are covered with oil. Spread the vegetables over a baking tray and season with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle over steak and chops seasoning and cayenne pepper or red chilli powder. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes; the vegetables will be just cooked, but not too golden. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile make up your chilli bite mix by adding sufficient water to create a batter of the consistency of pancake batter, whisking to ensure the batter is not lumpy. When the vegetables have cooled, add them to the batter and mix through gently so as not to break up the pieces. With a spoon, select pieces one by one and drop them in hot oil to fry. This will need to be done in batches; don’t be tempted to add to many at once as this will drop the temperature of the oil and the bhajias will sauté, rather than fry crispy. Once the chilli bites are golden and crispy, remove them from the oil to a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to drain. Repeat the frying with consecutive batches in the oil until all the vegetable pieces have been made into chilli bites.

Serve hot and crispy as a snack with a dipping sauce or chutney, or as a side dish to a curry.

Punjabi Chana Masala Powder

This delicate masala is used for chickpea curry or for spicing up other dhal or lentil dishes.

Ingredients:
30ml Cumin Seeds
15ml Caraway Seeds
5 Dry Red Chilli
5ml Turmeric powder
15ml Coriander Seeds
7.5ml Ground Black Pepper
5ml Ground Cloves
15ml White Sesame Seeds
10 Green Cardamom

4 Black Cardamom
7.5ml Dry ground Ginger
15ml Dry Mango Powder - Amchur

10ml Ground Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
1 Star Anise
2.5ml Ground Nutmeg
15ml Rock Salt


Method:
Dry roast all the whole spices one by one and allow to cool.

Cool all the ingredients and grind into smooth powder using spice mill. Cool powdered masala, and store in air tight container.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin is a popular vegetable all over Africa and the Easter Mediterranean.

It is so easy to grow, providing not only the fruit, but the leaves as well, which are popular in African cooking. 

This soup uses the fruit, which is spiced with ginger and cumin to give it a bit of a bite. 

Ingredients:

900g pumpkin

10ml olive oil

2 leeks, trimmed and sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

5ml ground ginger

5ml ground cumin

900ml vegetable stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

60ml natural yoghurt to serve

Method:

Carefully peel the pumpkin with a sharp knife. Remove the seeds and cut the pumpkin flesh into 1 inch chunks.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the leeks and garlic. Cook gently until softened.

Add the ginger and cumin and cook, stirring, for a further minute. Add the pumpkin chunks, the stock and seasoning. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender.

Allow to cool slightly, then blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Reheat the soup before serving in individual warmed bowls, with a swirl of yoghurt and a garnish of coriander leaves.

Serves 4

Achar Masala

Achar masala - Indian pickle masala - A blend of aromatic spices roasted and blended together to make a rich and spicy masala that can be used to dress many vegetables to transform them into instant pickles.This Achar masala can be used to pickle mangoes, carrots, green beans, cabbage, or what ever vegetable you like to pickle. Achar masala should be dry and crumbly. Extra oil is added as required when making the pickle.

Ingredients :

125ml red hot chilli powder
2.5ml turmeric powder
125ml fenugreek (methi )seeds
12 black peppercorns
2.5ml mustard seeds
1ml asafetida
60ml salt
30ml olive oil, sunflower or peanut oil

2 red dried chillies

Method :

Dry roast the fenugreek seeds in a frying pan and dry grind them coarsely and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan, and add the mustard seeds,black peppercorns, red chillies and asafetida . Keep aside to cool slightly.(I f you add hot oil to chilli powder it will burn it and discolour)

To the ground fenugreek add the chilli powder and salt and turmeric mix well.

Add the warmed oil to the fenugreek mixture and mix well. Leave to cool.

Transfer the achar masala to sterilised jar and use as required. 

Braaied Spice Rubbed Pork Fillets with Chilli Peach Braai Sauce

It might be winter here now, but we never put our Weber away; it's used all year round. 

Pork fillet is a wonderful cut of pork to cook on the braai, especially done with a great sauce or spicy rub. 

The rub used for this grilled pork fillet is not a dry rub, but a paste in texture. It's robust in its combination of flavours, and goes well with a braai sauce such as a chilli-peach sauce with a sweet and spicy bite. 

Ingredients:
2 pork fillets

For the rub paste :
2.5ml chilli powder

2.5m mustard powder

2.5ml paprika

2.5ml cocoa powder
5ml salt

5ml onion powder
7.5ml garlic powder
5ml oregano

5ml chopped dried chillies
5-10ml lime or lemon juice
10ml olive oil
15ml brown sugar
a few turns of black pepper

Method:

Place all of the rub ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Mix to form the paste.

Rub on all sides of the pork fillet, then cover with plastic wrap, and place into the refrigerator. Marinate the fillet in the rub for at least 4-6 hours or overnight.

Remove from the fridge around 20 minutes prior to grilling to allow the meat to warm to room temperature. Seer the fillet over the hot coals of a prepared braai fire for 2 minutes on all 4 sides. Continue to cook on the widest sides for 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet. 

Adjust the cooking time based on how thick the fillets are that you're cooking. The fillets pictured were approximately 6-7cm at their thickest. The general recommendation is to cook whole pork [not mince] to an internal temperature of at least 63-64°C. 

Brush on the grilling sauce during the last few minutes of cooking to char slightly.

Rest loosely covered with aluminium foil for about 5 minutes before carving. Serve with chilli-peach braai sauce or your favourite sauce.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Chilli Peach Braai Sauce

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet onion, diced
60g butter
4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
1 large peach, peeled and diced
1 x 410g tomato purée
325ml peach nectar
1 x 175g can tomato paste
180ml molasses
125ml apple cider vinegar
125ml brown sugar
30ml Dijon mustard
30ml honey
3 red chillies, roughly chopped
5ml white pepper
5ml sea salt
5ml ground cumin
2.5ml powdered pickling chilli mix
2.5ml cayenne pepper

2.5ml paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
In a medium size stove top saucepan, heat the butter together with the onions over medium-high heat. Cook until the onions are translucent. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Next, add the garlic and diced peach. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes to cook the garlic.

Lower the heat and add the peach nectar, tomato purée, tomato paste, molasses, honey, Dijon mustard, red chillies, brown sugar and all of the spices and seasoning. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour to allow the sauce to thicken and reduce.

Using a stick blender, purée until smooth. If you don't have a stick blender, puréeing the sauce can be done in a liquidiser.

Use immediately or store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Yield: approximately 4 cups.

Moroccan Braised Brinjal and Chickpea Salad

I LOVE EXPERIMENTING!

On Sunday evening we smoked some chicken on the Weber Kettle Braai. 

Needing a vegetable dish to compliment the chicken I looked for something to do with chickpeas,

Something Mediterranean that would be a bit spicy and warm for a winter evening.

I came up with this idea with finger brinjals (small long aubergines) and carrots with Moroccan spicing,

Not too hot but with a bit of a kick...

It's a meal on it's own, but if you prefer a vegetarian option,

 then use vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock I have used.

Normally I'd have used apricots, which are commonly used in Moroccan cuisine, but didn't have any, so I left them out and just used raisins. 

It was absolutely delicious and definitely worth repeating!

Give it a try.

As for the chicken, we will have to make that again also;

when we do I'll take photos and share the way to do it with you all.

Ingredients:

30ml olive oil

2 onions, each cut into 8 wedges

6-8 finger brinjals, cut in 1cm thick slices

5ml ground cumin

2.5ml turmeric

2.5ml cayenne pepper or ground chillies

7.5ml ground coriander

5ml ground cinnamon

300ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option) 

2 carrots, sliced

125ml raisins

125ml dried apricots, chunky chopped (optional)

60ml flaked almonds

I x 410g can chickpeas, drained

60ml couscous

60ml chopped fresh coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onions and brinjals and fry over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened and the brinjal has taken a bit of colour. 

Add the spices and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir in the stock, carrots, apricots (if using), raisins and almonds and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Wash and drain the chickpeas and add them to the vegetables, stirring to mix the chickpeas through. Cover and return the pot to the boil and allow to cook for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle in the couscous, fold it in and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Season with salt and pepper and fold in half the coriander. Serve sprinkled with the remainder of the coriander.

Spicy Beetroot Salad

Beautiful beets are cooked, sliced and marinated in a sweet and spicy dressing; a salad that is always popular.

When selecting beetroots, don’t buy limp leaved beets; choose instead undamaged vegetables that won’t lose moisture and flavour when they are cooked. Furthermore, when cooking the beets, leave the whiskery roots and a little of the leaf stalks intact. From a cooking point of view, it’s good to have beets of an even size.

Ingredients:

1kg fresh, firm beetroots

15ml salt

Dressing:

80ml tarragon vinegar

80ml dark vinegar

375ml water reserved from the cooked beetroots

45ml brown sugar

5ml mustard seeds

6 whole cloves

6 black peppercorns

Stick cinnamon

Bay leaf

1 medium onion, sliced into rings

Method:

Wash beetroot to remove any sand. Place in a large saucepan with salt and enough cold water to cover. Bring to the boil over a medium to high heat, reduce to low heat and simmer, with lid on the saucepan, for 40-60 minutes until cooked.  Avoid piercing while cooking; rather test if they are cooked by wrinkling the skin – when cooked to perfection the skin should easily come away from the beets.

Remove the beets from the cooking water, reserving 375ml for use in the dressing. When cool enough to handle, skin and slice the beetroots, arranging them in a serving dish.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small saucepan, cover and simmer for 5 minutes; the onions should be crisp and tender. Pour dressing over sliced beets, cool then cover and store in the fridge for at least a day or two before serving to allow the beets to marinate.

This salad keeps well for a couple of weeks stored in a Mason Jar in the fridge.

Spicy Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

12 large chicken wings

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

50ml white wine vinegar

100ml soy sauce

15ml tomato purée

5ml English mustard

15ml brown sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Combine the garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, tomato purée, mustard and sugar in a small bowl.

Pu the wings in a roasting pan and pour over the sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve warm.

Chicken Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves

This delicious curry comes from Nyonya cuisine, which is a blend of Chinese ingredients with the spices used by the Malay community. The Baba-Nyonyas are descendants of the early Chinese immigrants to Malasia, Singaporre and Indonesia, who came from Fujian, China, to seek their fortunes in the spice trade. n the 15th century, wherre they became known as the Straits Chinese. While the early Chinese settlers intermarried with the Malays, they retained their ethnic origins, but their food developed into a unique cuisine, influenced by all the surrounding peoples. Their food is aromatic, spicy, tangy, often sweet and rich in coconut milk. 

This Nyonya chicken curry is rich and creamy, yet spicy and tangy. The addition of the highly aromatic kaffir lime leaves gives it an amazing aroma. 

Ingredients:
+/- 600g boneless, skinned chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
5 kaffir lime leaves
250ml coconut milk
30ml lemon juice
50ml sunflower or peanut oil
sea salt to taste

For the Spice Paste:
5 fresh red chillies, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 stalk of lemon grass, the bottom 1/3 cut into rings
3-4cm galangal (or root ginger if you can't get it)
2.5ml turmeric powder

Method:

Put all the ingredients for the spice paste in a blender or food processor with 30ml water and blitz to a paste.

Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan and stir fry the paste for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken and stir for 3-4 minutes until the chicken turns opaque. 

Pour in the coconut milk and add the kaffir lime leaves and bring the resultant mixture to the boil. Season with salt, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice and allow the curry to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Middle Eastern Meatballs

Ingredients:

500g finely minced lean lamb or beef
pinch of salt
1 onion, finely chopped
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground allspice
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped coriander leaves
olive oil

Method:

Blend all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor until smooth and pasty.

Wet your hands to stop the mixture from sticking, and form small balls.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs. Test the tiny meatballs after 5 minutes; larger ones may take 10 minutes.

Drain well on kitchen paper.

The meatballs can also be partially cooked and finished in the oven.

Make smaller meatballs if serving with drinks. The mixture will yield about 40 cocktail-sized meatballs and about 25 larger ones to serve as part of a meal.

Baharat Spice Blend

Ingredients:
50ml ground black pepper
25ml ground coriander
25ml ground cinnamon
25ml ground cloves
30ml ground cumin
5ml ground cardamom
15ml ground nutmeg
50ml paprika

Method:
Combine all the ingredients till homogeneously mixed.
Store in an airtight glass jar in a cool dark place.

Lamb Kofta with Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
For sauce:
1 cup plain yoghurt, preferably whole-milk
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Sea salt

For kofta:

2 slices firm white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
500g ground lamb
1 small red onion, grated
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
15ml baharat spice blend
15ml chilli flakes
10ml sea salt

Optional accompaniment:
16 soft lettuce leaves for wrapping

Special equipment:
16x10-inch-long wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Charcoal or gas grill
Method:
For the sauce:

Stir yoghurt together with garlic and salt to taste in a small bowl.

For the kofta:
Cover bread with water in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill: If using a charcoal grill, open vents in bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Fire is hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for just 1 to 2 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat on high, covered, for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high.

Squeeze bread to remove as much moisture as possible. Put in a large bowl, add remaining ingredients, and mix with your hands until thoroughly blended. 

Divide lamb mixture into 16 portions and form each into a ball. Roll each ball into a 7- to 8-inch-long cigar, rolling it first between your hands and then on a work surface (be sure the kofta are uniformly thin for even cooking.) Slide a skewer lengthwise through centre of each kofta.

Oil grill rack and grill kofta, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil, and serve warm with yoghurt sauce, wrapping them in lettuce leaves, if using.

Indian-Spiced Fish Pie

Ingredients:

For the filling:
30ml sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, sliced
5ml fennel seeds
2.5ml black mustard seeds
600g firm white fish, such as kingklip
100g smoked fish, such as haddock or kippers
300g prawns, tailed
30ml shredded spinach
400ml cream
15ml fennel fronds
15ml chopped coriander leaves
2.5ml chilli flakes

For the topping:
2 large potatoes, parboiled and grated
30ml ghee
2.5 ml chopped chives
A pinch of chilli flakes

Method:
Heat the oven to 200°C.
Heat the oil and temper the spices until they are crackling. Add the onions and the leeks with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic and cook to allow the onions and leeks to sweat off and soften.

Scatter the spinach and the chilli flakes over the onions and then pour in the cream.

Add the fish and herbs and simmer gently until the fish is cooked through.

Remove from the heat, season and put the mixture in a casserole dish.

Heat the ghee in a frying pan and add the potato. Sauté for 5 minutes until the potatoes begin to crisp. Mix in the chives and chilli flakes.

Top the fish with the sautéed potatoes and place the pie under the grill for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
 

Tamarind Glazed Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

For the Dry Rub:

2 racks pork spare ribs, about 1Kg each

2.5ml fennel seeds

2.5ml cumin seeds

1 dried chilli

30ml brown sugar

30ml paprika

30ml sea salt

For the Glaze:

50ml sunflower or peanut oil

2.5ml coursely ground black pepper

125ml finely chopped shallots

30ml chopped garlic

30ml grated fresh ginger

60ml whiskey

125ml water

30ml tamarind paste

50ml soy sauce

30ml tomato sauce

Method:

The day before the ribs are required, line a baking sheet with some heavy duty aluminium foil and set a cooling rack on the sheet. Wash the rib racks and pat them dry thoroughly with kitchen towel. Place the ribs on the rack.

To make the dry rub:

Set a small skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds and chilli and dry roast the spices, shaking the pan often, until the seeds begin to darken and a fragrant aroma begins to be released. Pour the seeds  and chilli into a spice grinder and grind until fine. Put the ground spices in a bowl and add the brown sugar, paprika and 30ml salt and stir to combine, smoothing out any lumps in the sugar.

Sprinkle half the rub over the ribs and massage into the meat evenly. Flip the ribs over and massage the rest of the rub into the other side. Cover the ribs tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge over night.

To make the glaze:

In a medium saucepan over a medium- high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook about 5 minutes until the shallots soften and begin to turn golden.

Remove from the heat and add the whiskey. Return to the heat and simmer until the whiskey has evaporated. Add 125ml water, the tamarind, soy sauce and tomato sauce. Stir together and reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Simmer about 10 minutes until thickened slightly. Set aside.

Whe you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180  C. Take the ribs from the fridge and leave at room temperature until the oven comes to heat. Remove the plastic wrap from the ribs. Roast the ribs for about 90 minutes until the meat is tender, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking.

Take the ribs from the oven and turn up the oven temperature to 220 C. Brush the ribs on both sides with the tamarind glaze and return them to the oven for about 10 minutes. Brush them with glaze one more time and serve. Be sure to have plenty of paper serviettes available fr sticky fingers!

Spicy Citrus Rice Salad

Ingredients:

Rice Salad:

125ml slithered almonds, toasted

750ml chicken stock

2.5ml sea salt

30ml extra virgin olive oil

375ml brown rice

125ml flat leaf parsley, chopped

zest of 1 orange

zest of 1 lemon

250ml spring onions, chopped

Half an orange, bottom remove,
     cut into 4 segments, each segment sliced in 3.

Vinaigrette:

125ml extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 orange

juice of 1 lemon

30ml soy sauce

15ml honey

5ml cumin seeds

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:

For the Rice Salad:

In a medium sauce pan, bring the chicken stock, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat and stir in the rice. Cover the pan and reduce the heat. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff up the rice and place in a large serving bowl. Add the parsley, orange zest, half the lemon zest, the spring onions and halt the almonds. Toss well.

For the Vinaigrette:

In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and almonds and place the 12 pieces of orange around the edges of the bowl to decorate.