Delicious Shrimp Mousse

This recipe is super easy and absolutely fabulous.  You are guaranteed "Wow" comments.  I have been making it for years, and it never fails to impress!

Shrimp mousse ready for spreading onto biscuits - Yum!

Boerewors and Bean Soup

I often do this recipe with left over boerewors from a braai.   Boerewors is a typical South African spicy sausage directly translated "boere" (Farmers) "wors" (Sausage).  A braai is just not quite a braai without boerewors sizzling over the fire.

Stuffed Calamari Tubes

STUFFED CALAMARI TUBES with SWEET CHILLI

Ingredients for the stuffing

2 Tbls (15ml) oil

1 Onion

1 tsp (5ml) crushed garlic

1 small red chilli pepper, chopped finely
1 cup rice

1 cup white wine

1 cup vegetable stock
1 Tbls (15ml) tomato paste

1 tin (400g) diced tomato

1 tsp (5ml) mixed dried herbs

Pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp (2.5ml) Turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the tubes

1kg small calamari tubes

Olive oil
60ml sweet chilli sauce

Method for stuffing
- Fry onions in oil until translucent,
- add garlic and chilli
- Stir in rice
- slowly add the white wine, and vegetable stock, stirring gradually from time to time for about 10 minutes.
- add in the rest of the ingredients.
- cook over low heat until the moisture has been absorbed by the rice. (about another 10 minutes)
- allow to cool
Putting it all together
- Carefully spoon the rice mixture into the calamari tubes (I find a knife works well for this)
- Close the top of the calamari tube by 'threading'a toothpick through the tube.
- pour over a healthy amount of sweet chilli sauce
- heat some olive in a frying pan
- fry in small batches over a hot pan for a few minutes at a time (about 5 minutes), until the calamari is cooked (no longer translucent)

Tips:
- Just add the broken tubes and tentacles to the mix, they can get fried up with the rest of the "perfect'tubes.
- Wonderful as a classy finger snack at a braai - done on a flat plate over the coals.

This Post links to:
Fab Savoury Recipes pinterest
Adventures of a DIY Mom
Setting for Four
Flour me with Love
This Gal Cooks
Love bakes Good cakes
Anyonita Nibbles

Stuffed pimento peppers

STUFFED PIMENTO PEPPERS
I bought some beautiful huge pimento peppers the other day, mainly because I want to try and see if I can get the seeds to grow.  I decided on stuffing these beautiful peppers with a stuffing and baking them in the oven - they were delicious.  Here's the recipe.

Ingredients
2 large pimento Peppers, halved longways down the center
3 Tbls (45ml) Thick Plain yoghurt
4 sliced brown bread (wholewheat is great), crumbled
1/2 cup (125ml) grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp (5ml) capers
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) yellow mustard seeds, grinded
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) aniseed, grinded
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) cumin, grinded
1/2 tsp (5ml) dried sage
1/2 tsp (5ml) fresh mint leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
- heat oven to 190 degrees C.
- Cut the pimento peppers in half longways, remove seeds and pith
- Cut off crusts of bread and crumble with your fingers.
- Add, bread, yoghurt, cheese, and capers to a bowl, stir by hand altogether.
- Grind together the mustard seeds, aniseed and cumin, add to the bread mixture
- Add in remaining ingredients and mix
- Spoon into the peppers
- Baked in a greased pan for about 25 minutes until golden brown on top
- Serve with a lovely fresh garden salad for a light meal or as a side dish to a main meal.

This post Links to:
Fab Savoury Recipes pinterest
This Chick Cooks

Spinach Quiche

SPINACH QUICHE - The best ever!

This is one of the most fabulous spinach quiche recipes ever.  Not the quickest but oh-so-worth-it!  

My brother had a photo of a scrap piece of paper with this recipe scribbled down on it, and he very kindly

whipped it up for us for lunch using fresh spinach out my veggie garden.  

Pastry Ingredients:

250g Flour

Pinch Salt

5ml Castor Sugar        

2.5ml Lemon juice         

125g Butter

1 Egg yolk

20ml Iced water

Method: 

- Sift Flour, salt and sugar into a bowl.

- Add lemon juice.

- Rub butter with fingers into the flour.

- Beat egg yolk with 15ml of the iced water.

- Make a well in the flour and add liquid.  Mix. Then Knead.  Add more water if necessary.

- Wrap in plastic and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

- Pat into a dish (22cm).  

- Prick with a fork and bake at 220°C for 15 minutes.

Filling Ingredients:

500g Frozen spinach (or 400g fresh)

35g butter

4 eggs

Salt & pepper to taste

250g creamed cottage cheese

250g chunky cottage cheese (or feta)

70g parmesan cheese

125ml cream

Nutmeg

Fresh sage

Method:

- Cook spinach with butter until all the liquid has evaporated.  Season to taste.  Allow to cool.

- Lightly beat eggs and add together with cheeses and cream. 

- Add nutmeg.  Decorate with fresh sage.

- Pour into pastry case and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes or until the crust is brown and filling set.

Prawn mousse

Please Refer to updated and improved recipe HERE

Curried Butternut Soup

SPICY BUTTERNUT SOUP
Notes:
This is by far one of the best (and easiest) butternut recipes I have ever made.  The addition of the curry powder enhances the flavour of the soup.  Just divine!  You could also substitute pumpkin for the butternut.

Ingredients:
1 Tbls Spoon Olive oil
20g Butter
2 Onions,  Sliced and chopped
1 kg (or so) Butternut, skinned, pips removed, and cubed 
2 Apples, cored, peeled and cubed
1/2 Tbls (7.5ml) Curry Powder
1 and 1/2 litres vegetable Stock
Salt and Black Pepper to taste.
Method:
- Cut the butternut into 3cm cubes.
- Fry the onions in the oil and butter in a large saucepan until translucent.
- Add the curry powder, apple and the butternut.
- Add the chicken stock and simmer covered for about 30 minutes until tender.
- Puree with a food processor, or stick blender
- Season to taste.
Serves 8-10

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