CABBAGE AND POTATO BAKE

CABBAGE  AND  POTATO  BAKE:

INGREDIENTS:         (serve 4-6)

1  large  cabbage
Juice of 1 lemon
1  tbsp olive oil
1  packet beef bacon, chopped
2  onions, finely chopped
2  cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste
4  tbsp grated parmesan cheese
700  g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Fresh thyme, a few sprigs
125  ml chicken stock
100  ml milk
50  ml butter

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180C and butter a fairly large ovenproof dish. Slice the cabbage and sprinkle with some of the lemon juice.
• Heat olive oil in a pan, fry the bacon until crisp and remove with a slooted spoon. Fry onion and garlic in the same pan until soft.
• Arrange half the cabbage in the ovenproof dish and season. Sprinkle with half the cheese, then half the bacon, followed by half the onion and garlic mixture.
• Arrange half the potatoes on top. Repeat the layers (except cheese). Sprinkle with the remaining lemon juice, season and insert sprigs of thyme.
• Mix the stock and milk and pour over. Dot with butter, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cover with aluminium foil. Bake for an hour or until the potatoes are done.
• Remove the foil, increase the heat to 200C and bake for another 15 minutes or until the edges of the top potato layer turn golden.

BAKED BABY POTATOES

BAKED  BABY  POTATOES:

INGREDIENTS:               (serves 4-6)

750  g baby potatoes

85  g butter

30  ml  chopped mixed nuts

1  tbsp  chilli flakes

Salt, to taste

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 170C. Scrub potatoes and place in a presoaked clay pot.
• Mix butter, nuts ,salt and chilli flakes.  Add to potatoes and mix.
• Cover and place in the oven. Bake for about 45-60 minutes until the potatoes are tender inside and crisp outside.

CAULIFLOWER BAKE

CAULIFLOWER  BAKE:

INGREDIENTS:         (serves 4 )

1  large cauliflower, broken into florets

4  extra-large eggs, beaten

200  ml  sour cream

6  tbsp  freshly-grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180C and butter four small ovenproof ramekins. Steam cauliflower in the microwave oven until tender.
• Arrange in the ramekins. Beat eggs and sour cream until just blended.  Add four tablespoon of the cheese and pour over the cauliflower.
• Season well with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden and the sauce has set.

MUSHROOM, LEEK AND ALMOND PIE

MUSHROOM,  LEEK  AND  ALMOND  PIE:

INGREDIENTS:                (serves 6 )

750  g leeks, washed, green parts removed, and white
                          parts thinly sliced and washed
50  g butter
300  g mixed mushrooms, sliced portabellini, brown and
                                  button mushrooms
2  garlic cloves, crushed
30  ml  fresh parsley, chopped
10  ml   fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and fresh pepper (ground black pepper) to taste
1  packet (400g) shortcrust pastry
1/4  cup  sour cream
150  ml almonds, blanced, and roughly chopped
3  eggs, whisked

METHOD:

• To prepare filling, melt butter in a saucepan and saute leeks for 10 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, parsley and thyme, and stir -fry.Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
•  For the tartlets, roll out 2/3 of the pastry on a floured surface.
• Line the bottom and sides of a greased cake tin with the dough. Add sour cream and almonds to the cold mushroom mixture.
• Reserve 15 ml whisked eggs and add the rest to mushroom mixture. Spoon filling into pastry crust. Roll out remaining pastry and cut out a circle out a circle to cover the top of the tart.
• Brush crust top with egg, and seal filling with pastry lid, brushing it with egg. Prick with a fork and bake in an oven at 180C for 1 hour. Cover with foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

MALAI KOFTA

MALAI  KOFTA:

INGREDIENTS:            (serves 4)

650  g  boiled and mashed potato
150  g  cottage cheese, crumbled
20  g  coriander powder
20  g  cumin powder
10  g  chopped ginger
110  g cream
50  g nuts ( almonds, and cashew nuts), soaked
                                                    and chopped
200  g onions, quartered
15  g raisins, chopped
20  g garlic paste
10  g ginger paste
60  g nut paste (blend almonds, cashewnuts

                            and 2 tbsp milk)

Oil, for cooking

5  g kasuri methi powder
3  g ginger juliennes, for garnishing

Salt, to taste

METHOD:

• Mix together potato, cottage cheese, half the coriander and cumin powder, chopped ginger, 10g cream and salt to make a dough.
• Make lemon-sized dumplings, stuffing the centre with chopped nuts and raisins.
• Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry koftas until golden. In another saucepan, heat 50g oil and deep-fry onions until light brown.
• Add ginger and garlic paste and remaining coriander and cumin powder and saute for 2 minutes. Add 75  g cream, nut paste, 1 cup water, kasuri methi and salt.
• Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes.  Add koftas, let them simmer in the sauce for 7 minutes. Garnish with cream and ginger juliennes and serve hot.