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The turn in weather, especially the disappearance of the sun, which always makes autumn seem more gloomy, evoked cravings of something warm and hearty for lunch, instead of the cold protein shake I have been having every day.
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The flavour of a simple butternut soup can be completely transformed by a few ingredients and two different takes on pesto.

Both the Italian pesto cream and unusual Thai inspired coconut and sesame pesto enhance the flavour and texture and add a glamorous “soupçon” to the menu

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There are two reasons why I don’t eat corn fritters as often as I would like to: Because they are fried and they have to be served immediately.

So oil aside, this is why, in my opinion, food establishments should refrain from adding fritters to their menu unless they are prepared to cook them on order.

There is nothing worse than a sloppy fritter-especially one that has been re-heated in the microwave.

If you need to prepare these in advance, then try not to serve them with a salsa and crispy rocket. Salsa type toppings, with onions, should be paired with a fresh crispy fritter only.

Pre-made sloppy fritters, I discovered, can be  instantly lifted by a smothering of crème fraîche and some sweet onion marmalade or tomato jam.

So if the fat content was not an issue, I would happily consume these all day long.

Pair the fritters with a halloumi and roasted peppers salad. See recipes…
Corn fritters
3 Mealies *
½ cup self raising flour
½ cup milk
½ cup grated parmesan *
A handful of chopped coriander
2 eggs
1 tsp salt and ½ tsp course black pepper
Oil to fry

1. Sift flour into a bowl, add parmesan, combine the milk and egg and add to the flour.
2. Remove the corn from the cob and add to the mixture
3. Heat a pan and add the oil and then add dollops of the batter and fry on each side
4. Serve with crème fraîche and a dollop of onion marmalade, or sweet tomato jam or an avocado salsa made with chopped onions, pickled peppers, coriander, avocado and squeeze of sweet chilli sauce.
5. Smoked Salmon, cream cheese and Woolies spicy guacamole makes a great topping.

COOK’S Notes
Use Woolies mealies, they are sweeter and juicy than other varieties and require no cooking, otherwise substitute with a can of corn (not sweetcorn)

The parmesan cheese I used is Cremona, from the cheese factory in Carrera shopping centre. If you are grating your own parmesan then do not add the milk-wait till everything is combined and add milk if necessary. Grating your own parmesan makes a light and airy serving of cheese which needs less moisture.

Oh dear..

I could not possibly post such decadence straight after Lisa Raleigh’s healthy tips and so I decided to make a low fat, free range roast vegetable lasagne to sandwich between the good and the evil.

Burnt butter is so easy and simple, yielding both a subtle and robust flavour.

I love the combination of something sweet with burnt butter, (ok I actually like sugar with everything) and so I add butternut ravioli, or in this case Woolworth’s Pansotti.

This makes a perfect dinner party starter for 4 or light lunch for 2. It’s way too rich and almost bland to eat alone in large quantities and just wrong to eat with a side salad. You need to wrap your tongue around the velvety pasta and take in the nutty butter with no other distracting textures or tastes.

DELIZIOSO!

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I have two Lisa’s to thank for this yummy recipe:

Lisa Brink (Delicious!) who came up with the easy concept of Mediterranean style lasagne without having to make a white sauce

Lisa Raleigh who is a low-fat, free range, organic vegetarian and wrote my last guest blog without scaring off my customers ( I anticipated suggestions of 500 squats after each Italian class).

With easy –to- shop- for ingredients, this recipe is simple enough for your domestic worker to make and ALL the ingredients are used leaving no wastage and NO pots!

Add a small ready roasted free range chicken, flaked, for a mid-week meal or halve the recipe and only add chicken to your husband’s portion if you must.

It’s also painless to halve the entire recipe as it’s only the lasagne that cannot be halved without waste

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Potato soup, while hearty and delicious, is quite understated and simple and I felt the need to accessorise it for my first course of the year.

And so began a few days of trying out every possible soup accompaniment.

From pesto bruschetta to parmesan croutons, toasted nuts and seeds to herbed butters, I was unable to find (more…)

If you are going to host a sassy La Dolce Vita- style dinner party, standing about in your stilettos and red lipstick stirring over a pot just won’t do!

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 The classic Tarte Tatin is an upside down caramelised apple tart which was accidentally created by Stéphanie Tatin, who served the “mistake” to her guests at her hotel and a signature dish was born!
This recipe combines 2 popular variations of the classic: Firstly, it uses savoury tomatoes and secondly it is made into bite size canapés instead of a whole tart.

The basic recipe requires nothing but a sprig of fresh thyme and can be served as a canapé, alongside a roast chicken for dinner or instead of a salad for a braai (just use a bigger muffin pan)
Here, I have transformed these little gems once again with the addition of parmesan cheese and Kloovenberg olive jam. They are absurdly easy to make and can also be topped with some torn buffalo mozzarella or crumbled feta cheese.

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There is nothing worse than a sloppy fritter-especially one that has been re-heated in the microwave, and this is why I avoid ordering corn fritters from most establishments.

If you need to prepare these in advance, then try not to serve them with a salsa and crispy rocket. In my opinion, salsa type toppings, with onions, should be paired with a fresh crispy fritter only.

Pre-made sloppy fritters, I discovered, can be instantly lifted by a smothering of crème fraîche and some sweet onion marmalade or tomato jam.

(more…)