Succulent Meatloaf with Delicious Barbecue Sauce

This is another one of those recipes that I have clung onto for many years! This one is from one of my cooking gurus. Before trying this recipe I was never interested in trying meatloaf  because of the way it has been portrayed in movies. It seemed that it was always a dry, tasteless lump of meat that always went hand in hand with very upset family members! Well this recipe definitely changed my perspective! This meatloaf  is full of incredible flavour, and your senses  will go crazy when the aromas start to fill your home! Because it is cooked with this thick, rich sauce, the meatloaf comes out beautifully moistened and bursting with flavour! Leftovers are amazing the next day on freshly buttered rolls. Enjoy! 🙂

500g pork mince (you can squeeze the meat out of pork sausages)

500g lean minced meat

500ml (2 cups) white bread crumbs

2 onions – finely chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)

1 clove garlic

1 big chilli (optional) – chopped

10ml curry powder

Salt and pepper to taste

15ml chopped parsley

1 egg

For the Sauce:

250 ml chutney

250 ml tomato sauce

100 ml apricot jam

60 ml Worcestershire sauce

60 ml vinegar

60 ml brown sugar

20 ml instant coffee powder

– Preheat oven to 180.

– Mix loaf ingredients very well and fill a foil lined loaf tin with the meat mixture.

– Bring all the sauce ingredients to the boil in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour over the meat loaf. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

– Transfer to a warm serving platter.

– Thicken gravy with a little flour.

– Check seasoning and pour over the loaf or offer separately.

– Serve with basmati rice and some garden veggies.

Serves 6

Recipe by Carol Elliott

Homemade Gnocchi with Amazing Bolognese Sauce

I’ve been making bolognese sauce for years, its always different! When I saw this recipe and read the ingredients in the bolognese I was curious about the olives and the sage  and the use of white wine as opposed to red. Oh and the mixture of pork mince and beef mince. I know that mixture works well with meatloaf, but I never thought of that combination for a bolognese!  I had to try it! And man I am thrilled that I did! This is one of the best recipes I have come across for bolognese. It goes beautifully with the gnocchi but you could use it with any pasta! The secret to this sauce is TIME, you can’t rush it and it has to cook for the 1 1/2 hours. So don’t do it if you don’t have time. But trust me…. make the time! 🙂 I’m totally in love with this one!

For the Bolognese Sauce

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 small handful sage leaves, chopped

1 small handful rosemary leaves, chopped

1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dry bay leaves

1 red onion, chopped

250g beef mince

250g pork mince (I bought pork sausages and squeezed the insides out of the skin)

3 leeks, finely chopped

100g drained, pitted, chopped black olives

1 Cup dry white wine

2 cups tomato pasata

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup beef stock

1 Tbsp sugar

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

160g freshly grated parmesan

For the Gnocchi

6 floury potatoes

3 free range egg yolks

t teaspoon sea salt

180g cake flour

–       Preheat your oven to 180C. Prick the potatoes once and place on a baking tray. When the oven is heated, put the potatoes in and bake them for 1 hour. (or until cooked through)

–       Meanwhile, heat the butter and the oil in a pan and add the herbs and stir for a few seconds. Then add the onion and sauté with the herbs until soft.

–       Once they have softened, you can add the pork mince and the beef mince and brown it.

–       Add the leeks, black olives and white wine and simmer for a few minutes until the wine has reduced by about half. Then add the tomato pasata, tomato paste, beef stock and sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1 ½ hours.  Stirring every 20 minutes or so.  Cover the bolognaise for the first hour of cooking and then remove the lid for the last half an hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

–       Once your potatoes are cooked, Take then out and let them cool. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them and then put them through a potato ricer or you can grate it with the fine side of a grater.

–       Put the grated (or riced) potato into a bowl, add the egg yolks, salt and sift in half the flour. Mix and knead to combine. Then sift in the rest of the flour. Mix and knead again.

–       Bring a large sauce pan of salted water to the boil. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a clean surface, sprinkle a bit of flour and then roll out the dough into a thin sausage and then cut it into 1.5cm pieces. You can indent each piece with your finger if you would like to give it a bit of character.

–       In batches, put the gnocchi in the boiling water for about 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to over cook!  They will come up to the surface and you can scoop them out with a slotted spoon and place them in a warm dish and sprinkle with a touch of olive oil to prevent them sticking together.

–       Place them in individual bowls, top with the bolognese sauce and grated parmesan.

Serves 4

Recipe inspired from the Woolies Taste Mag

Soy-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stir Fry Veggies

I love the way you can spruce up chicken with some gorgeous texture and flavours. The chicken part of this recipe is from the Fresh living Mag, but the stir fry veggies are my quick and easy stir fry veggies. You can add some chopped chilli if you want some heat!

1.5kg Chicken thighs (skin and bone still attached)

Olive oil

1/4 Cup (60ml) soy sauce

2 Tbsp (30ml) oyster sauce

Salt and milled pepper

Stir fry veggies:

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1  x 2cm piece fresh ginger (grated)

1 carrot – sliced lengthways

3 baby marrows – sliced lengthways

1 baby cabbage, sliced thinly

1 baby leek, sliced thinly

1 red pepper, sliced julienne

Sliced mushroooms

A handful of cashew nuts

a glug of soy sauce

– Preheat your oven to 200 C

– Toss chicken in a little oil

– Heat a pan until hot and fry the chicken pieces until golden brown on all sides

– Whisk together soy and oyster sauces

– Place chicken onto a foil-lined baking tray, coat with soy sauce mixture and season.

– Roast for 15 minutes until chicken is sticky and caramelised

– Fry garlic and ginger in some olive oil and add the vegetables, cashew nuts and soy sauce and stir fry until cooked to your liking.

Serve with steamed basmati rice or noodles.

Serves 4

Pasticcio Macaronia (Baked Macaroni and Mince)

A gorgeous layered dish of macaroni, mince and creamy sauce similar to lasagne. Serve in squares with greek salad and crusty bread!

For the meat sauce: 

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

500g beef mince

Salt, pepper,

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup red wine

1 can tomato pure’e

Chopped parsley

For the Cheese Sauce:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

4 cups milk (warmed)

salt and nutmeg

1 cup cheese

2 eggs, beaten

For the topping:

Grated cheddar cheese

Breadcrumbs

Slivers of butter

250g Macaroni  – cooked according to packet instructions.

– Fry the onion in the garlic and butter. Once the onions are soft, add the mince and stir until the colour has changed.

– Add the salt, pepper, and cinnamon  and stir to combine.

– Add the wine and cook for a minute and then add the tomato puree. Cook for 30 – 40  minutes on a low heat. Add the parsley at the end.

– For the cheese sauce, melt the butter and then add the flour. Stir until you get a paste. Slowly add warm milk and stir until thickened. Add salt and nutmeg. Remove from heat and add the cheese and stir in the beaten eggs.

– Grease a baking dish with butter and cover the base with half the cooked macaroni. Spread meat sauce over evenly and then pour half the cheese over the top. Top with the remaining macaroni and then pour the rest of the cheese sauce over it.

– To make the topping, mix the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the mince and macaroni and dot with butter.

– Bake uncovered at 170 C for 50 minutes until golden brown.

– Turn off the oven and leave to settle for 15 minutes and serve!

Recipe by Adele Koninis

Crispy Yoghurt Chicken

Let’s face it, chicken can get boring and needs a little bit of help sometimes. This is a great recipe as you get fantastic flavour as well as some great crunchy texture. The kids will love this one! You could experiment with doing Chicken nuggets too (just cut the breasts up into blocks and cook for less time (about 20 minutes).

4- 6 Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut in half, lengthways

125ml (1/2 cup) lemon juice

45 mls (3 Tbsp) honey

1 clove garlic, crushed

Freshly ground black pepper

60mls plain yoghurt

3mls salt

250mls (1 cup) dried breadcrumbs

250mls (1 cup) crushed cornflakes

30mls grated parmesan cheese

Garnish with lemon wedges

– Combine the lemon juice, honey, garlic and black pepper in a glass bowl

– Add the chicken and make sure that its coated well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

– Remove the chicken from the marinade, drain well and pat dry with paper towel.

– Brush each piece with yoghurt and season with salt.

– Combine breadcrumbs, cornflakes and cheese in a bowl; coat each chicken breast in this mixture.

– Line a baking  tray with baking paper and place the crumbed chicken breasts on the paper.

– Bake at 180 C for about 35 minutes or until tender. Turn after 15 minutes.

Serve hot with salad and roast potatoes.

Gorgeous Butternut Soup

This recipe was given to me about 10 years ago by a friend of mine and I have never used anything else! Sometimes I have popped in some sweet potatoes for a difference and that works so well. But this is honestly the nicest butternut soup recipe!  Serve topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of paprika and enjoy!

500g peeled butternut – cubed

25ml oil

10mls butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 heaped tbs sugar

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 carrots, diced

5ml ground ginger

5ml ground cinnamon

1 litre chicken stock

250ml milk

5ml honey

2ml paprika

salt to taste

FOR A DIFFERENT TASTE, ADD 1tsp CURRY POWDER (optional)

– Add butternut to oil and butter, together with onion, potatoes, carrots, ginger and cinnamon. Toss together over low heat for about 5 mins, then add stock, milk honey, sugar paprika and salt to taste.

– Bring to the boil, half cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, cool a little and then puree until smooth.

– Adjust seasoning, then reheat over low heat, stirring and serve with either chopped spring onions or parsley and paprika on top.

Hint: Add a little more salt and then put in a generous amount of cream into the soup itself – delicious!

Recipe by Carol Elliott

Chicken and Mushroom Pie

One of the big favorites in our home. This takes a while to make but the oven does most of the work. It’s absolutely delicious!! Good homey, comfort food!

50g butter
1 large onion – peeled and chopped
1 punnet button mushrooms, sliced
1 large carrot – peeled and chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
50g plain flour, plus extra to dust
500ml chicken stock
250ml single cream (Dew fresh)
Sea Salt and black
1 whole cooked chicken, stripped of all flesh
300g good quality ready made puff pastry
1 medium egg with 1 tbsp water (egg wash) to glaze

1. Preheat the oven to 200 (180 – fan assisted)

2. Melt the butter in a large, wide pan and add the onion, mushrooms, carrot and potato. Saute gently for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add the flour and stir well. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes to cook out the flour.

4. Pour in the stock and cream and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for about 5 – 10 minutes until thickened.

5. Add the shredded chicken meat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool slightly.

6. Spoon the chicken filling into one large or 4 small pie dishes to fill or just below the rim(s). Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a large round enough to form pie lid(s).

7. re-roll the trimmings and cut long strips to fit around the rim of the dish(es). Brush the rim(s) with water. Position the pastry strips and brush these with egg wash. Lift the pastry lid on top and crimp the edges to seal. If you wish, decorate the top of the pie with leaves cut from the pastry trimmings. Brush the pastry with egg wash to glaze.

8. Bake the pie in the oven for 40 – 50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Tagliatelle Alla Carbonara

I love how quick and easy pasta can be!  This recipe makes 2 large portions, so you can double or triple if making for more.

300g dried egg tagliatelle

6 slices proscuitto

100ml butter

100ml white wine

4 egg yolks

50g parmesan cheese, grated

50g pecorino cheese, freshly grated

Freshly ground black pepper

– Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, as per the package instructions

– Meanwhile, tear the proscuitto into strips and fry in the butter until crispy. Add the wine and cook for a minute to form a sauce.

-Mix the grated parmesan and the grated pecorino cheese together and then divide the amount in half.

– Mix the 4 egg yolks with half the cheese, add a dash of black pepper and set aside.

– Mix the cooked, drained pasta (reserve a little bit of the water) into the sauce.

– Remove the pan from the stove and stir the egg mixture through. The heat of the pasta will cook the eggs. If you want to thin the sauce out a bit you can add a touch of that pasta water that you saved.

– Dish onto plates and divide the rest of the cheese between the portions and serve immediately.

– If you like you can add another egg yolk at the end, but thats up to you and your taste. I don’t do it 🙂

Steak and Risoni Salad

This is a great way to make a steak stretch in our home! It’s also a really healthy meal and because there is yummy steak in it, the boys in your home won’t moan and groan because they are getting salad for dinner!  It’s a super quick and easy meal too!

400g rump steak

olive oil

1 punnet snow peas or green beans

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

100g feta, crumbled

2 big handfuls baby spinach or rocket, or a combination of both

60ml basil pesto

30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice

250g risoni pasta (pasta rice) cooked and drained

 

– Season the meat with some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper and fry in a hot pan or braai or griddle pan until done to your liking. Set aside to rest.

– Blanch the snow peas or green beans for 1 – 2 minutes, then place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Mix together with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

– Slice the steak against the grain and gently stir into  the salad. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil if you like and serve.

 

Recipe from the Ideas Magazine

Creamy Steak, Mushroom and Sundried Tomato Pasta

 

If I say the words “left over steak” in my home, my husband and son both shout with excitement “STEAK SANDWICHES!!”.  *sigh*… So I decided to switch it up a bit over the weekend with some left over steak that I had. It worked brilliantly and I think I may have opened their minds to being able to do more with leftover steak! You can OBVIOUSLY make the steak fresh if you are making this meal. (I would recommend it) but this also worked perfectly well with leftovers and it was done in 20 minutes!

 

400g Steak

1 punnet brown mushrooms, sliced

1 Tub Creme fraiche

1 tsp dijon mustard

5 or 6 sundried tomatoes in oil (drained and chopped up into small bits)

1 tbsp butter

1 garlic clove, crushed

half tsp (2.5ml) paprika

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Fresh parmesan for sprinkling

2 sprigs thyme, leaves striped

500g pasta – cooked according to package instructions (Penne works well, or shells, or farfalle)

 

– Bring a pot of water to the boil with 1 tsp salt and add your pasta

– If using fresh steak, cook your steak to your liking with some salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside

– Add the butter to the pan with the garlic and paprika, thyme leaves and mushroom slices and cook until almost soft.

– Add the sundried tomatoes and stir.

– Add the Creme fraiche and the mustard  and stir to combine.

– Slice the steak up and add to the pan. Stir and season to taste.

– Drain the pasta, keep a little bit of the pasta water and put the drained pasta back in the pot you cooked it in. Pour about 2 Tbsp of the pasta water into your cream mixture and then add all of that mixture into the pasta and stir until its all combined well.

– Divide into serving bowls and sprinkle with some freshly ground pepper and freshly grated parmesan.

Serves 4