Recipe room

2 medium to large aubergines
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green chilli, finely sliced
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 rosemary sprigs
15 ml coarse salt
freshly grounded black pepper
30 ml olive oil
125 ml crème Fraiche
1 lemon, juice and zest
30 ml coriander leaves chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Slice the aubergines lengthways and score a criss-cross pattern into the flesh of the aubergines with the sharp point of your knife. Divide the garlic, chilli, thyme leaves and rosemary leaves amongst the fleshy cut sides of the aubergines. Season with the coarse salt, pepper and olive oil. Sandwich the aubergines together (cut sides in), wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before scraping out the flesh and herbs. Mash with a fork and drain any excess juice. Stir in the chopped coriander and crème fraiche. Garnish with coriander and serve with herb toast.

Extracted from Plum, Issue 10, 2010 (Plum Food Publications cc). For more detail or subscription to the magazine go to plumsubs@mweb.co.za.

(Submitted 14 August 2010)

500g broccoli (frozen)
1 large onion chopped
25 ml cake flour
1 cube chicken stock
3 eggs
250 g chopped bacon
30 ml butter
250 ml cream
100 ml boiling water
85 g grated cheddar cheese

Place broccoli in just enough boiling water to cover. Bring back to boil & boil for 5 minutes. Drain.

Heat butter in large frying pan, add onion & bacon, fry until cooked. Sprinkle with flour.

Add cream & stock dissolved in boiling water. Remove from heat. Add eggs & cheese.

Place broccoli in a buttered ovenproof dish. Pour sauce over & bake at 200 degrees for approx 45 minutes.

We use a great bread recipe as we're not all too crazy about the white baguettes. It's a recipe that's moved from Bryony to Tam and then to me and been adjusted every time.
Preheat oven to 180C

No1
1 cup oats
1 cup muesli / granola
1 cup wholewheat flour
handful of raisins or seeds
pinch of salt

No2
500ml plain yoghurt
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
3tsp honey

I mix No2 first so that the bicarb has time to bubble. Then add No2 to No1 (not the other way around or it will flop) Pour into greased loaf tin and bake for 1hour.

Trust me, if I'm doing it it's easy and flop-proof!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):)

Gail xxx

8 – 10 chicken pieces
1 cup chutney
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk

Place chicken in a casserole dish. Mix all ingredients together & pour over chicken.

Bake at 180 degrees for +-1½ hours.

Serve with rice and veggies or a salad.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
Pinch of sea salt
2 tsp clean pure water
Juice of one lemon
2/3 cup of extra-virgin oil

Pour balsamic vinegar into a glass salad dressing cruet. Add the remaining ingredients in order listed. Refrigerate. Makes 1 cup. Let the salad dressing reach room temperature before serving.

(D Colbert MD (2009) Eat this and live! p.60.)

180 g plain flour
120 g butter
60 g caster sugar

1. Rub the butter into the flour.
2. Add the sugar.
3. Mix and knead all together until is it a soft ball.
4. Grease a baking tray.
5. Roll the ball out onto the baking tray until it is a thin layer.
6. Bake at 150 degrees for 30 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, cut into squares and dust with icing sugar.

This is really nice in winter. Don't tell your guests it's tuna from the tin, tell them it's fish soup, they won't notice anything!

1 tin tuna (200g Princes Tuna Steak in brine)
1 packet Cream of Tomato Soup (Knorr)
2 tablespoons tomato purée
2 onions thinly chopped
4 cups of water
2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 green pepper
oil, garlic, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper
grated Cheddar cheese

Drain tuna. Flake tuna. Heat oil in large frying pan, add tuna, onions, garlic, thyme, parsley.

Add tomato purée. Stir until it thickens. Add the packet of soup mixed in 4 cups of water.

Add the green pepper thinly sliced. Cook until the green pepper is completely soft.

When it has cool down, put the soup in the blender.

Heat it up again, add butter, cheese & milk.

Serve with garlic bread.

You can also add a packet of prawns that you cook in some butter & garlic beforehand.

30 g shallots or onions, chopped
250 g frozen peas
320 g fresh tuna
20 g parsley, chopped
40 ml olive oil
30 g spring onions, finely sliced lengthwise to garnish

Firstly make the pea puree: sauté half of the shallots/onion with the frozen peas. Deglaze with water, bring to boil then immediately cool down in an ice bath. Blend to a smooth, thick puree and season with salt and pepper to taste before refrigerating. Dice the tuna. Add the chopped parsley, remaining shallots/onion and a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve: Spoon the chilled pea puree on a glass plate. Mould the tuna in a rectangular mould then place it over the sauce. Garnish the plate with sliced spring onion, whole green peas and mint.

Reference
Avocado: food in colour. March/April 2010. For more detail or subscription to the magazine go to subscriptions@avokado.co.za

2 chickens
500 g onions
2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 1/2 glass of water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon saffron, salt, pepper
1 packet butter cut in small squares
4 cinnamon sticks
1 packet seedless prunes
1/2 packet flaked almonds & sesame seeds that you must roast in a frying pan.

Joint the chickens into pieces & season with salt & pepper. Cook chicken quickly until browned.

Slice the onions. Take a big pan and place the ingredients in the following order:

Onions; chicken pieces placed one next to the other; cinnamon; butter; sugar; stock; saffron.

Cover & cook over low heat for 1hr 30. Shake the pan occasionally.

Cut prunes into small pieces & place them into warm water so that they swell. Add to the chicken when it's nearly ready.

Spread with almond flakes & sesame seeds just before serving.

I usually serve this dish with a saffron rice and green vegetables (either green beans or broccoli).

• Arrange sliced orange melon on a platter
• Drop a little sweet chilli sauce over the melon
• Scatter chopped coriander over it
• Add parma ham around the edges if you wish.