Accompaniments
African Spinach
(serves 4-6 as side dish)Ingredients 1 large onion, chopped 1 green capsicum, chopped 2 tablespoons peanut oil 500g fresh spinach, washed and trimmed 1 large tomato, chopped Salt and pepper to taste ¼ cup peanut butter MethodCook onion and green capsicum in peanut oil in a frypan for about 3-5 minutes, or until tender. Add spinach and tomato .Cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, or until spinach is tender. Stir in all remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve with hot jollof rice.
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Jollof Rice (Fragrant African Rice)
(serves 8-10)Ingredients 2 cups long grain rice 60ml peanut oil ½ tbsp butter 2 tbsp fresh thyme 1 onion, sliced 1 stick celery, diced 1 green pepper, diced 3 garlic cloves crushed ½ inch piece ginger, peeled and grated 1 tbsp smoked paprika 2 tbsp cayenne pepper 3 tbsp tomato paste (1x50g sachet) 2 large tomatoes, chopped finely 1 carrot, diced 3 bay leaves 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup of peas Salt to taste Coriander to garnish MethodHeat oil and butter in a large sauté pan, and saute onion, celery, green pepper, carrot garlic and ginger. Saute for about 3 minutes, add paprika, cayenne, bay and thyme. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaf & thyme. Cook until tomatoes get slightly soft. Add the rice and saute for another minute. Add the stock and season with salt, cover with a lid and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. Add the peas and if the rice is still firm, add a little more stock or water and cover and allow it to steam through. Garnish with coriander or parsley and serve.
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Green/Red Mojo Sauce & Olive Mayonnaise
IngredientsFor the Green Mojo Sauce 1 large green peppers 1/2 bunch fresh coriander or parsley 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 green chilli 1 teaspoons sea salt 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon dried cumin 1 slice bread, torn into small pieces For the Red Mojo Sauce 1 large red peppers 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small chillies, chopped 1 teaspoons sea salt 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons oil 1 teaspoon dried cumin 1 slice bread, torn into smaller pieces For the Olive Mayonnaise 15-20 black olives, pitted 100ml olive oil 150ml vegetable oil 1 egg 1 lime, juiced Salt to taste Worcestershire sauce to taste MethodFor the Mojo SaucesTo make the green or red mojo sauce, place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until you've got a thick sauce. Taste it and add more herbs or spices to your liking. Store in the fridge.For the Olive MayonnaiseCombine the egg and lime juice in a small blender, and then with the motor running, drizzle in as much oil as you need until you have a mayonnaise. Add the olives and blend until smooth, season to taste with Worcestershire sauce and salt.
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Quinoa Salad
Ingredients 200g tricolour quinoa cooked, rinsed and drained 150g fetta, lightly crumbled 100g sprouted mung beans 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, sliced roughly 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 small cumber, cut into cubes 1 cob of corn, cooked and kernels sliced off 2 spring onions sliced ½ bunch parsley chopped ½ bunch coriander chopped 1 red chilli chopped ½ red capsicum diced 1 tsp cumin seeds roasted and ground Salt and pepper to taste Juice 1-2 limes 2 tbsp Olive oil MethodCombine all ingredients together and season to taste with olive oil, salt, pepper and lime juice, and toss carefully.
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Pumpkin Dip with Roasted Cauliflower
(makes 1 large platter)Ingredients For the Pumpkin 1 butternut pumpkin, peeled & cut into chunks 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp coriander, ground Olive oil 1-2 lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tbsp tahini 100g natural yoghurt For the Cauliflower 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets 2 tsp cumin seeds lightly crushed 2 tsp coriander seeds lightly crushed 1 chilli finely sliced ½ lemon juiced Pomegranate seeds to garnish Coriander leaf to garnish 10g roasted pepito & sunflower seeds to garnish MethodFor the PumpkinToss the pumpkin in a bowl with a little olive oil and the spices. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a lined oven tray and roast in the oven until tender. Place the roasted pumpkin in a food processor with garlic and puree. Add lemon juice tahini and yoghurt.For the CaulifowerCombine all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Place on a lined baking tray and roast in a hot oven until tender and slightly browned. On a serving plate spoon on the pumpkin dip and top with roasted cauliflower. Top with toasted sunflower and peptito seeds, pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with toasted Turkish bread.
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Coconut Chutney
Ingredients 200g grated coconut 30g green chillies 3 sprigs Mint chopped 350g natural yoghurt Salt ½ lime juice 2 sprigs Curry leaf 2 small dried chillies 1 tsp mustard seeds Oil MethodCombine the grated coconut, mint, yoghurt and salt together in a bowl. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, chilli and curry leaves until they pop. Pour over the yoghurt mix and season to taste with lime juice.
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Saffron Rice
Serves 8 Ingredients 400g basmati 8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 dried chillies 1 tsp turmeric ½ tsp saffron 3 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick Salt 600ml water 50g peas Method Heat a little oil in a pan and saute cardamom, chillies, cinnamon and cumin seeds. Add the turmeric, rice and salt. Add the water and cover and allow to steam over a low heat. Sprinkle over the peas and allow to heat through. Place in a serving bowl and serve as part of an Indian dinner.
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Polenta Chips
Ingredients 1 litre stock vegetable or chicken 250g polenta 40g parmesan 40g grated asiago 20g butter Smoked paprika (optional) Salt & pepper to taste Chopped rosemary, sage or dried Oregano to taste Oil to fry MethodBring the stock to the boil and slowly add the polenta stirring as it is added. Continue to stir the polenta approximately 8 minutes & then add the butter & the parmesan & asiago cheese. Continue stirring continuously until the polenta starts to come away from the edges of the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and paprika if using. Line an oven tray with baking paper and pour on the polenta smoothing with a spatula to evenly flatten the mix. Place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour. Once cooled & set, remove from the tray & slice into strips of the desired size to make chips. Cook the chips in hot oil until golden or bake at 200 degrees on a lined baking tray until golden.For the SeasoningCombine the fresh sage, salt, and chopped herbs and mix well in deep plate. Roll the chips in the seasoning and serve hot.
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Corn
Ingredientscornsalt and peppersmoked paprikaparmesan cheese MethodBoil the corn for about 5 minutes. Drain and season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of smoked paprika, and serve in a terracotta bowl and sprinkle over grated parmesan cheese (or manchego).
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Cuban Style Rice
Serves 8-10Ingredients 300g long grain rice 2 tins black beans rinsed and drained 1 cup quinoa 1 onion finely diced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 4 bay leaves 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried oregano 1 green chilli, chopped 900g-1L chicken or turkey stock Salt and pepper to taste 2 limes, juiced ½ bunch parsley chopped ½ bunch coriander chopped 3 spring onions finely sliced Olive oil MethodHeat a little olive oil in a pan and saute the onion, garlic chilli and bay leaf until soft. Add the rice and quinoa. Add the oregano and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Add the stock and lime juice and cover with a lid. Allow to steam for about 15-20 minutes. Add the beans, toss through fresh herbs and spring onion and season to taste.
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Fruit and Nut Salami
Ingredients 400g dried figs, roughly chopped 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 orange zest Juice of ½ a lemon 120g dried dates, finely chopped 80g lightly toasted hazelnut, very roughly chopped MethodPlace the figs, dates, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a food processor and process to a paste but keep some texture. Add hazelnuts and divide the mixture in half and place each half along the center of a sheet of baking paper in a log shape. Roll up each log in baking paper to form a neatly packed cylinder. Squeeze firmly to make sure each roll is tightly packed, and twist the ends. Chill for a few hours before slicing. Serve with your favourite cheese and crackers.
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Coriander Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients 200g plain yogurt or coconut yoghurt ½ bunch coriander ¼ cup raw cashew nuts soaked in warm water for 1 hour 1 spring onion sliced 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp grated ginger 1 small green chilli ½ lime zest and juice Salt to taste MethodBlend the coriander, cashews, spring onion, garlic, lime, and chilli until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and more lime juice if needed. Place in a bowl and chill until ready to serve. Serve as a zesty accompaniment to a curry.
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