PANZANELLA SALAD
Serves 6-8
Dressing
60ml olive oil
5ml grated lemon rind
30ml lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
30ml honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
a few slices of ciabatta bread
30ml olive oil
1 packet of baby gem lettuce, roughly torn
mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
half a cucumber, sliced
1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange pepper, sliced in rings
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
60ml black olives, pitted
2 discs of feta, cubed
salt and pepper
DRESSING: Place the olive oil, lemon rind and juice, crushed garlic and honey into a bowl and whisk together to combine.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Set aside in the fridge.
SALAD: Place ciabatta slices on an oven tray, brush with olive oil and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes, until crisp. Break into chunks.
Arrange the lettuce leaves in a suitable serving dish, followed by the tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, avocado, olives and feta and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Scatter over the bread.
Just before serving, pour the dressing over and toss together to coat.
BEST-EVER POTATO SALAD
Serves 6-8
1kg potatoes
250g bacon, diced
125ml chopped gherkins
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
30ml fresh dill, chopped
250ml creamy mayonnaise
125ml Greek yoghurt
10ml wholegrain mustard
15ml lemon juice
salt and pepper
Place the unpeeled potatoes in salted water and boil for 20-30 minutes until tender. Remove, drain and cool before peeling. Cut into cubes and place in a bowl.
Fry the bacon until just crisp.
Drain on absorbent paper and add to the potatoes with the gherkins, onion, celery and dill.
Mix together the mayonnaise, yoghurt, mustard and lemon juice.
Pour over the potatoes and mix to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.
FRUIT AND WHITE CHOCOLATE KEBABS
Makes 8-10
1 pineapple, cut into chunks
200g fresh strawberries, washed
bought brownie bites
wooden skewers
White chocolate sauce
200g white chocolate
125ml cream
10ml orange liqueur, optional
Skewer the prepared fruit and brownies on to the wooden skewers.
Place on a suitable serving dish and drizzle with some of the chocolate sauce.
Pour the rest of the chocolate sauce in a bowl to serve.
CHOCOLATE SAUCE: Combine all the ingredients into a glass bowl and melt in the microwave on high for 1 minute.
Remove and stir until smooth. Cool slightly in the refrigerator.
FINGER-LICKING CHICKEN
Serves 4-6
1kg chicken pieces
30g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
250ml tomato sauce
200ml apple juice
60ml white wine vinegar
60ml brown sugar
10ml paprika
15ml dried mustard powder
30ml Worcestershire sauce
salt to taste
Place the chicken pieces in a container with a lid.
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onions and garlic until translucent.
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Cool and pour half the sauce over the chicken pieces. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on an oven tray lined with aluminium foil.
Roast for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through.
Arrange on a serving platter and serve with the rest of the barbeque sauce.
SALTED CARAMEL MARBLE CAKE
250g butter, softened
375ml castor sugar
6 eggs
10ml vanilla extract
4x250ml cake flour
25ml baking powder
5ml salt
250ml milk
150g dark chocolate, melted
385g tin of caramelised condensed milk
5-10ml salt flakes
strawberries for decoration
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Beat in the vanilla.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Divide the mixture in half.
Stir the melted chocolate into one half.
Place alternate spoonfuls of white and chocolate mixture into a well-greased ring cake tin. Swirl through the mixture with a knife to create a marbled effect.
Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a rack.
Mix the caramel in a bowl with enough salt to taste. Spread on top of the cooled cake. Decorate with strawberries if desired.
JELLY MOULD PICNIC SANDWICH
4 eggs, hard boiled
30-40ml mayonnaise
30ml chopped chives
salt and pepper
1-2 loaves of sliced white bread, crusts removed
butter for spreading
100g sliced cheddar cheese
Dijon mustard
100g sliced ham
about 500ml shredded crisp lettuce
250ml grated cheddar cheese
extra mayonnaise
Mash the eggs and combine with the mayonnaise, chives and seasoning to taste. Set aside.
Use a rolling pin to lightly flatten the slices of bread. Butter each slice lightly.
Spray a jelly mould with cooking spray. Line it with bread slices overlapping at an angle. Add slices of cheese. Spread a little mustard onto the slices of ham and place them on the cheese slices.
Add another layer of the bread. Spread over the egg mayonnaise mixture. Cut a few slices of bread in half and cover the egg mayonnaise mixture.
Combine the lettuce and cheese and spread over the bread. Drizzle with a little extra mayonnaise.
Cover with a final layer of sliced bread, pressing the mixture down to compact it. The mould will seem very full but it must be so that when you turn it out, it won’t fall to pieces.
Seal with the lid of the mould and refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the lid and turn it out on to a plate.
Cut into slices to serve.
The Star