Dec 2, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
Beetroot Cured Salmon
Yield: 10 as a main dish accompanied by sides
Ingredients:
1.5kg side of Norwegian Salmon, boned & skin removed
4 Beetroots, grated
400g Caster Sugar
315g Coarse Sea Salt
2 Handfuls of fresh Dill, chopped
Zest of 3 Oranges
75g capers, chopped
Method:
Combine the beetroot, sugar, salt, dill, orange zest and capers in a bowl and stir to combine well. Line a baking dish or other dish suitable of holding your salmon comfortably, with cling wrap (but don’t tear off the cling wrap). Spread half of the beetroot mixture across the cling wrap, in the shape of the salmon, place the salmon on top of the mixture & cover with the remaining mixture, pressing it up against the sides to ensure all of the salmon is covered. Wrap tightly in the cling wrap a few times over to ensure its snug. Place a heavy pan or board on top of the salmon and place in the fridge for between 8 – 12 hours. Remove the cling wrap, rinse under cold running water, pat dry with carlton towel and either serve or refrigerate until required.
Cooks Notes: Don’t worry if your mixture becomes runny – just wrap up in the clingfilm as snug as possible. Be aware that over curing will result in a hard leathery exterior on your fish and it may become too salty so do not exceed the recommended curing hours.
Here’s the link to our Lunch Celebration Table, as featured on The Pretty Blog
Dec 1, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
Yield: 30
Ingredients:
1 stale baguette
Approximately 250g Beef Fillet, cooked rare
2 heaped tsp Horseradish Cream from a jar
200ml Creme Fraiche
Handful Rocket Micro herbs
30 Thin slices of red onion
200ml Oil (Canola or Olive Oil)
Salt & Black Pepper
Olive Oil for drizzling
Method:
In a small bowl, combine the horseradish & creme fraiche and set aside. Cut the baguette into thin rounds. Heat a griddle pan until hot, pour the 200ml oil into a bowl and dip the bread in until both sides are covered in oil, pop onto the griddle pan and turn once crispy and marked by the grill pan, repeat on the other side. Remove from the heat and place on a cooling rack until cool. Thinly slice the beef. To assemble, dollop the horseradish cream onto each bread round, top with a piece of beef, micro herbs and slice of red onion. Grind over some salt & black pepper, drizzle with olive oil & enjoy!
Nov 11, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
You say Pea soup and I’m immediately transported back in time… I’m in my family kitchen, I’m a child, my Mom is standing over one of her trusty AMC pots (pots which are now in my kitchen some 30 years on – Talk about quality!), the radio is on and the aroma of pea soup is filling the air ! Yummy, my favourite of all her soup recipes.
My Mom’s version, is actually Split Pea Soup, made with dry split peas & no-one will ever be able to make it quite like Mom, well not in my eyes anyway 🙂 So when the craving for Mom’s Pea soup hit the other day, I wasn’t about to attempt to recreate her winning recipe, because for me, half the comfort is knowing that my Mom made it for me, but with mom not around to see to this craving, I decided to experiment with a different kind of pea soup. Feeling inspired by the recent sunny weather we had during our Cape Town winter, I felt like a lighter, fresher pea soup and so opted to use whole peas instead of split peas, I added some bacon because well, its bacon and any opportunity to add bacon to a recipe, I do 🙂 and then a sprinkle of mint to heighten the lightness and freshness of the soup.
The result? Quick, easy and tasty! Suitable for a deliciously healthy light lunch or dinner starter. The beautiful green is so vibrant that it brings colour to any dining table, while conjuring up feelings of excitement and anticipation that Spring is finally, once again, knocking at our door …
Pea, Bacon and Mint Soup
Yield: 4
500ml Fresh or Frozen Peas
250g Streaky Bacon, diced
1 Large Potato, chopped
1 Litre Chicken or Veggie Stock (I use the organic liquid stock from Woolies)
Handful of Mint, finely chopped
Method:
Fry the bacon for 5 or so minutes until crisp (keep some aside for garnish), add the potato and stock and cook until the potato is soft, approximately 20 minutes. Add the peas and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt & pepper and stir in the mint. Use a food processor or hand blender to puree. Pour into serving dishes and garnish with a drizzle of fresh cream and a sprinkle of crispy bacon.
Cooks Note: If you don’t have cream at hand, drizzle with a dash of olive oil instead. The soup can thicken on refrigeration , if this happens just add a little stock or boiling water when reheating to achieve the preferred consistency.
This recipe was featured on The Pretty Blog: Martha Who’s Pea, Bacon & Mint Soup
Oct 15, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
Anyone who ever had the Mushroom & Cauliflower soup at Sinn’s Restaurant in Wembley Square, Cape Town will know what I was trying to achieve here ! That soup was one of those meals … You know the ones, where you think about it for days, weeks or in this case, years afterwards. So I had no choice, but to try and recreate it … Is it as good as the original? In my eyes … sadly No, but its a close second and did bring me some comfort 🙂
Yield: 6
For the Mushroom Soup:
1 Onion, chopped
4 Sprigs of Thyme, chopped finely
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed to a paste
400 grms Mixed mushroom selection, chopped
50grms Dried porcini mushrooms soaked in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes
50 grms Butter
250ml Vegetable Stock
250ml Cream
Salt & Black Pepper for seasoning
Method:
Sweat the onion in a little olive oil for 2 minutes before adding the garlic, thyme and butter. Cook until the butter has melted and the garlic is no longer raw (approximately 2 – 3 minutes). Add the fresh mushrooms & dried mushrooms along with the water the mushrooms were soaking in and the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to food processor and blend, while slowly adding the cream. Season with salt & pepper, taste and adjust seasoning until you are happy.
For the Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients:
A few glugs of olive oil
2 Onions, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed to a paste
125mls Dry White Wine
1 Large head cauliflower, stalks removed & chopped
1 Litre Chicken Stock
Salt & White Pepper for seasoning
Method:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the onions and sweat gently until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the garlic and wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Stir in the cauliflower and chicken stock and raise heat to bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 20 or so minutes until the cauliflower is soft. Transfer to food processor and blend until very smooth, should take a few minutes. You might have to do the soup in batches if your processor is not big enough. Transfer back to the pot and stir in salt & pepper, taste and adjust seasoning until you are happy !
Plating Up :
Now for the Yin and the Yang … Its actually easier than it looks … get two cups / mugs of equal size and fill one with Mushroom Soup and the other with Cauliflower Soup, pour them into a soup bowl, from either side simultaneously, then simply place your hands on either side of the bowl and give the bowl a quick swirl and Voila!
Garnish ideas: I kept a few of the more exotic looking mushrooms aside and sautéed in some butter. I cut a few cauliflower florets very thinly and did the same thing. Also chopped up some chives really finely with some parsley and mixed with olive oil and then drizzled this over the soup.
Oct 5, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
Maybe it’s because Easter is around the corner and I always associate Easter with seafood (after chocolate of course), or perhaps it’s the desire to indulge in one last al fresco lunch under the sun, before winter arrives in the Southern Hemisphere, or maybe it’s that case of ‘you want what you can’t have’, due to the baby boy currently growing in my belly and shellfish therefore being taboo… but for whatever reason, the desire to cook prawns, was one I finally gave into this past Sunday !
I made something quick and easy …toasted baguette with garlic & chili prawns and a fresh guacamole salsa for hubby and some friends (I ate mine minus the prawns). So quick and easy, yet so tasty and moreish. Something you could serve at a party as a canapé, as a starter or perhaps, like we did, as a lovely al fresco snack… Minimum effort for maximum results – just look how beautifully these pretty pink babies plate up … a quick and easy way to impress your guests. 
Recipe Yield: Makes 10
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
30 prawns (deveined & peeled) (you could get away with 20 – 2 per slice of baguette)
2 clove garlic
2 fresh red chilli’s
For the salsa:
1 red onion finely diced
2 salad tomatoes finely diced
4 tablespoons coriander chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Avocados
10 Baguette slices – slightly toasted
Method: For the salsa – combine the chopped tomato, red onion, coriander, lime juice and seasoning and set aside. Mash your avocado and add seasoning and a squirt of lime juice. Toast your baguette slices either in a pan, coating lightly with some oil or in the oven for 5 minutes. In a pan, heat olive oil, fry your prawns for a minute before adding the garlic and the chili, fry for another 3 minutes or until your prawns are pink and cooked through. Dollop a good amount of avocado onto each baguette slice, followed by a dollop of salsa and top with the prawns and there you have it… a fancy little treat in no time! 
Darren Bester of Darren Bester Photography and Ashton Van Graan of The Sweetest Things and I, had fun styling this & Darren took all the mouth watering photographs! The first of many joint food styled shoots to come …
Mar 14, 2014
Photography by Darren Bester
Yield: 4
Ingredients
8 Quail eggs
8 slices Parma Ham
Baby Gem Lettuce or Crisp Lettuce or Cos Lettuce
8 Ciabatta Bread Slices
Parmesan Cheese for garnishing
For the dressing:
1 egg
1 clove garlic
2tsp Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 anchovy fillets
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup vegetable oil
Method:
Cut the ciabatta bread as thinly as possible, place on a baking tray and bake at 100 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, until crisp and golden, remove from the oven and set aside. Soft boil the quail eggs (2 minutes) and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Peel the eggs carefully and set aside. Place the Parma Ham on a baking sheet and bake at 140 degrees for 5 – 8 minutes, until crisp, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Shred your lettuce and place on the centre of each plate. For the dressing – place the egg, garlic, dijon mustard, anchovy, lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese in a food processor and blend to combine, slowly add the oil, drop by drop until it emulsifies and forms a mayonnaise consistency, season to taste.
Drizzle sauce over your salad leaves generously, top the leaves with the ham and your home made ciabatta croutons, drop your quail eggs into hot water to heat through for 30 seconds, drain, season and plate. Garnish with parmesan shavings & enjoy, with a nice glass of wine !
Notes: If living in Cape Town, you can buy quail eggs and anchovies from Giovanni’s in Green Point. Soft boiled quail eggs are so tricky to peel, so buy a few extra as you are bound to have a few ‘casualty’s’ like I did. If making this salad for dinner at home, opt for normal eggs, they provide more sauce for your salad, they easier to peel and more affordable. You can make your croutons a few days ahead of time and bake your Parma Ham a few hours in advance. The dressing can also be made a day or 2 in advance. The dressing was a big hit at my dinner party, the recipe for the dressing was taken from one of my Donna Hay cookbooks. A great dinner party starter as all the prep is done ahead of time so all you have to do is plate up and serve!
