It wasn’t easy choosing from 400 recipes we tested, but these dishes received the most compliments, writes Angela Day.
Chorizo potato salad
Serves 6
500g baby potatoes
30ml olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced
10ml chopped garlic
225g chorizo sausage, sliced
200g baby spinach leaves
4 soft-boiled eggs
Dressing
60ml olive oil
30ml lime juice
15ml honey
5ml Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and halve them.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chorizo and fry until cooked.
Add the potatoes to the pan with half the dressing.
Toss to coat and cook for a minute.
Remove and set aside.
Line a serving dish with the spinach and pour over the remaining dressing.
Top with the potato mixture and add the eggs. Serve immediately.
Dressing: Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
Butter bean and potato curry
Serves 6
30ml sunflower oil
5ml mustard seeds
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
15ml curry powder
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
10ml turmeric
a pinch of chilli flakes
5ml salt
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
3 medium potatoes,
peeled and cut into cubes
2 x 400g tins of butter beans,
drained and rinsed
250ml vegetable stock
125ml chopped coriander
rotis, to serve
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the mustard seeds and fry them until they start to pop, about 20 seconds. Add the onion and fry until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes. Add the spices and salt and fry until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute. Stir in the potatoes and coat with the tomato curry mixture. Add the beans and stock, bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
The potatoes should be soft and the curry a thick consistency.
Stir in the coriander and serve rolled in a warmed roti or wrap.
Spinach stuffed pork
Serves 6-8
30g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml chopped garlic
200g spinach, chopped
60ml finely chopped piquanté peppers
salt and pepper
250ml grated mozzarella
15ml wholegrain
mustard
15ml lemon juice
2 x 500g pork fillets
2 x 250g streaky bacon
Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the piquanté peppers, salt and pepper. Remove and cool. Add the grated mozzarella. Combine the mustard and lemon juice and set aside. Place the pork fillets on a board and cut down the side lengthways, not all the way through, to butterfly. Cover with a piece of cling wrap and pound to flatten slightly.
Spread the inside with the mustard lemon mixture. Place some spinach and mozzarella mixture in the centre and roll up. Wrap in bacon and secure with toothpicks. Place on a baking tray lined with tinfoil and roast at 180°C for 40-50 minutes. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
Haddock parcels
Makes 8
500g haddock
375ml milk
50g butter
1 onion, chopped
5ml chopped garlic
60ml flour
250ml milk
250ml frozen peas
salt and pepper
250ml grated cheddar cheese
500g roll of puff pastry
egg glaze
Put the haddock in a pot and pour over the milk. Poach on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until cooked.
Remove with a draining spoon and flake the fish.
Melt the butter in a pot and gently fry the onions until soft.
Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the flour and cook for a minute.
Add the milk while stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens.
Remove from the heat and add the haddock, peas, seasoning and grated cheese. Set aside to cool.
Unroll the pastry and roll it out a little thinner. You should try to get eight 12cm squares from the roll.
Place a generous spoonful of filling in the middle of each square.
Brush the edges with egg glaze and bring the four corners up to meet in the middle, pinching the edges to seal.
Place on a baking tray and brush the outside with egg glaze.
Bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Any excess filling can be served with rice or mashed potato or frozen to use at a later stage.
Barley, chicken and chorizo
Serves 6
60ml olive oil
200g chorizo, sliced
4 chicken breast fillets, sliced
salt and pepper
1 red onion, wedges
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
1 large red pepper, deseeded
and cut into strips
5ml turmeric
500ml cooked barley
250ml chicken stock
250ml frozen peas
125ml chopped fresh parsley
Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chorizo until golden.
Remove and set aside. In the same pan, brown the chicken.
Set aside and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining oil and fry the onion, garlic and pepper until soft but not brown.
Add the turmeric and cook for 2 minutes. Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan.
Add the cooked barley and the stock and cook until it is heated through and the liquid has been absorbed.
Stir from time to time.
Five minutes before serving, add the peas and cook until heated through. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.
Mango mousse
Serves 8-10
4 medium ripe mangoes, peeled and pitted
1 tin of evaporated milk
125ml sugar
250ml orange juice
45ml powdered gelatine
1-2 mangoes, peeled and diced, for serving
1 punnet of raspberries, for serving
Cut the mangoes into large chunks and place in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. It should make about 1 litre. Stir in the evaporated milk and sugar. Set aside. Meanwhile, place the orange juice in a small saucepan and sprinkle over the gelatine. Allow to stand for 2 minutes. Heat over low heat, stirring, until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Stir into the mango mixture. Pour the mixture into a jelly mould. Cover and refrigerate for 5-6 hours or overnight, until firm.
Un-mould and serve with fresh mango and raspberries.
* The Angela Day recipes are published in The Star, Pretoria News, Daily News and Cape Argus