Tag: Toppings & Fillings

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Poor Man’s Caviar (Aubergine Paté)

A paté or dip made from the flesh of roasted aubergines with ingredients such as garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley. The paté looks similar to caviar, but does not have the same price tag.  Pickled mustard seeds (pictured below) are also known as poor man’s caviar due to its texture which is similar to that of caviar.   It is a tongue in the cheek expression for having a rich man’s taste but a poor man’s budget.

500 g aubergine/eggplant/brinjal
4 dried apricot halves (optional)
30 ml coriander, finely chopped
5 ml ground cumin medium
10 ml lemon juice
10 ml olive oil
10 ml crushed garlic
15 ml peanut butter
60 ml plain yoghurt (optional)
2 ml salt
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 º C and line a baking tray with a Wizbake baking sheet.
  2. Prick the aubergines all over with a utility knife and place them on the baking tray.
  3. Roast the aubergines until it is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Larger aubergines will take longer to roast than smaller ones.
  4. In the meantime, soak the apricots for 10 to 15 minutes in a bowl of boiling water. 
  5. Transfer the apricots to a food processor and reserve the water.  You might need to add it to the pate if the paté is too thick.
  6. Chop the coriander finely and add it to the food processor.
  7. Cut each aubergine in half on a chopping board with a cook’s knife and scoop out the flesh with a table spoon. Discard the skin.
  8. Add the cooked aubergine flesh to the food processor.
  9. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and puree the mixture using a pulse action until it is smooth.
  10. Add a little of the soaking water if the pate is too thick.
  11. Transfer the paté to a serving dish or container and serve immediately with crackers or fresh bread or use as a spread on a sandwich.

Notes
Store leftover paté in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

6 servings.

Adapted from Gabi Steenkamp’s recipe.

poor-man-caviar

PickeldMustardSeeds

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Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce is based on either mayonnaise (made from egg yolk, mustard or vinegar, oil) or aioli (made from egg yolk, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice), with certain other ingredients added. In the UK, ingredients such as capers, gherkins, lemon juice and dill are added. US recipes may include chopped pickles, capers, chives and fresh parsley.Chopped hard-boiled eggs or olives are sometimes added, as may be Dijon mustard and cocktail onions.  The sauce can be served withBatter-fried Calamari Rings, Best-ever Batter-fried Fish, Prawn Tempura (Batter-fried Prawns), Tuna Fish Cakes, etc.

125 ml mayonnaise
15 ml fresh parsley, finely chopped
15 ml onion or spring onion, finely chopped
15 ml chives, finely chopped
15 ml gherkins, finely chopped
15 ml capers, finely chopped (optional)
5 ml salt

  1. Combine the ingredients for the tartar sauce in a mixing bowl.
  2. Transfer the sauce to a serving dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Photo credit: https://saucerecipe.net

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Mexican Mince In Tortillas

Another version of Mexican Enchilada‘s to try!  This recipe is from Heleen Meyer’s Make five/Maak vyf recipe book. Heleen writes: “Mexican food typically contains red peppers, paprika and corn. Bake this in filled tortillas for a delicious weekend meal and serve with coriander leaves and avocado. A spoonful of yoghurt or sour cream rounds it off beautifully.”

Continue reading Mexican Mince In Tortillas
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Home-made Tomato Salsa

This is a simple and delicious sauce to compliment any egg, meat or fish dish that is lacking in flavour.  It can also be used as a topping or a dip, e.g. with nacho’s. 

250 g ripe tomatoes
1 large onion
10 ml crushed garlic
1 green or red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
50 ml oil, e.g. coconut or seed oil
30 ml fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  1. Cover the tomatoes with boiling water, allow to stand for a while, drain, peel and chop coarsely.
  2. Saute the onion, garlic and chilli very gently in the oil until softened but not at all browned. Add the tomato and bring to the boil, stirring.  Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the parsley or coriander, season to taste and simmer for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into clean glass jars, seal, cool and refrigerate until required.

Makes about 375 ml salsa.

Notes
The salsa can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Recipe by Carolié de Koster from Art Of Cooking p. 486.

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Tomato & Onion Sauce

tomato sauce

This sauce is very versatile and will not last long, so you might want to double the recipe!

5 ml canola oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium red apples, grated
5 ml crushed garlic
3 medium tomatoes, finely diced
125 ml tomato sauce
250 ml water
5 ml salt
20 ml treacle or Demerara sugar
20 ml Worcestershire sauce
20 ml mild mustard sauce

Garnish
flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and stir-fry the onion, apple, garlic and tomato until cooked – about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on a low heat until reduced.
  3. Serve with braaied meat, pasta, etc.

Variations
Add 250 g sliced mushrooms.

Recipe adapted from Gabi Steenkamp’s Barbeque Sauce.

 

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Greek Yoghurt & Cucumber Dip (Tzatziki)

Serve as a dip with crusty bread, fresh vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower broken into florets or carrot and celery cut into julienne strips.  For special appeal, spoon the Tzatziki into a hollowed bread roll and serve with the raw prepared vegetables!

1 large cucumber peeled and finely grated
500 ml Greek or full cream yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and white pepper

To serve and garnish (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
a little crumbled Feta cheese
fennel sprigs or mint to garnish

  1. Place the cucumber into a fine sieve over a bowl to drain well. Line a colander with a double layer of porous kitchen cloth and pour the yoghurt into the colander.
  2. Drain for about 10 – 15 minutes or until a good thick consistency is obtained.
  3. Add the yoghurt and garlic to the cucumber and mix well.
  4. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, cover and chill well.
  5. Sprinkle with black pepper before serving and garnish with fennel sprigs or mint .
  6. Refrigerate up to 4 days.

Makes 500 ml dip or 10 to 12 servings.

Tzatziki

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Ricotta & Smoked Salmon/Ham Topping

A tasty and nourishing topping or filling for sandwiches.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: –
Serves: 1½ cups (375 ml) topping or dip

1 cup (250 ml) Ricotta cheese
½ cup (125 ml) coarsely chopped smoked salmon or ham
1 Tbsp (15 ml) tomato sauce or topping (or a little more if preferred)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) mild or hot sweet chilli sauce
paprika and finely snipped chives or spring onion to flavour or garnish

  1. Mix the ingredients together – the paprika and spring onion can either be used as garnish on top or mixed into the topping for flavour and colour.

Recipy by Carolié de Koster.

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Spicy Ricotta & Almond/Chickpea Topping

A dip or topping filled with flavour and nourishment for high days and holidays! Serve on pikelets, crackers, toast or with vegetable sticks. OR serve as is typical in the southern American regions, spooned into a bowl and surrounded by fruit such as grapes, sliced pears, apples or bananas on cocktail sticks.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: –
Serves: 2 cups (500 ml) topping or dip

1 cup (250 ml) Ricotta cheese
½ cup (125 ml) slivered almonds or drained canned chickpeas
1/3 cup (75 ml) fruit chutney such as Mrs. Ball’s or peach or mango
2 tsp (10 ml) curry powder (mild or hot as preferred)

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Scatter the almonds or chickpeas onto a baking tray and bake 6 – 8 minutes until toasted to a light golden brown colour. Take great care not too brown them too much.
  2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Use as a topping or once refrigerated the mixture will become firm enough to shape into a dome on a serving platter. Very elegant sprinkled with more flaked and toasted almonds and surrounded by the crackers and fruit.

Carolié de Koster.