Christmas last year was so nice you told your people you are going host the following year. Now 12 months have rolled on by and you still have not come up with a menu for what to make this year.
Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
Drum chats to award-winning chef, Zanele van Zyl and she shares recipes that are truly hard to mess up and the best part is that the ingredients are already in your pantry and fridge. Zanele’s latest cookbook, Senidlile Kodwa? is available at local book stores and online.
STARTER
Stuffed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 large potatoes
125ml cream cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
15ml vegetable seasoning
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
Handful grated cheddar cheese
15ml cooking oil
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180 C
Boil potatoes until tender.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell.
In a pan, heat oil, fry onion, garlic and green pepper. Add pulp and mix together. Sprinkle vegetable seasoning. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese, mix together.
Spoon into potato shells. Sprinkle cheddar cheese onto potatoes, and bake until cheddar cheese is melted.
MAIN COURSE
Mustard and Herbs Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
1 large leg of lamb
15ml fresh finely chopped thyme
15ml fresh finely chopped rosemary
15ml fresh finely chopped mint
60ml of english mustard
60ml of whole grain mustard
100ml of lemon juice
15ml of babercue spice
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C
Combine all the ingredients, marinate the leg of lamb. Cover with foil, and roast in oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove foil, and brown for 15 minutes.
If you are catering for non-meat eaters, you have an option for them too.
Whole Fish
Ingredients
2 talapia fish
125g butter, melted
15ml spice for fish
60ml lemon juice
15ml fresh dill, finely chopped
1 cup peppers, diced
15ml ground coriander
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Method
Preheat oven to180 C
Make the fish marinate by mixing everything together. Pour oven the fish. Put the fish in the in the oven. Cover with foil. Grill for 15 minutes. Remove foil and grill for a further 5 minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.
DESSERT
Crème Brule
Ingredients
5 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided
750ml fresh cream
pinch salt
15ml vanilla essence
Method
Pre-heat oven to 200 C.
Whisk egg yolks, vanilla essence and ½ cup sugar. Set aside.
In a pot, heat cream with pinch of salt. As soon as it starts to simmer, remove from heat and temper (pour in slowly) the egg yolks. Place ramekins in a large baking pan. The pan must be filled half way with hot water. Now pour the mixture into the ramekins, almost filled to the top. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool it down first and place in freezer for at least 4 hours. Using the remaining sugar, sprinkle a thin surface on top of the custard. Caramelise the sugar using a kitchen torch. Store it immediately in the freezer for an hour.
