Soup is one of my favourite comfort foods and something I love eating all year round but especially in winter. Tomato soup, is my ultimate when it comes to comfort, feel-good foodI Making tomato soup is also a great way to use up excess tomatoes.
[Read more…]Recipes
Delicious easy to prepare recipes to inspire the chef in you! "Cooking is love made visible"
Coriander Pesto with Chilli & Lime
I love fresh coriander, especially sprinkled over a hot curry! Coriander or cilantro (as it is known in the US) leaves are so versatile and are delicious as salad leaves. Coriander contains antioxidants and has been found to have significant antibacterial properties! I thought I would try my hand at making a Coriander Pesto, as an alternative to Basil Pesto. [Read more…]
Simple Tomato Salad with Red Onion & Mint
One of my favourite things about summer is eating delicious fresh salads, like this Simple Tomato Salad with Red Onion & Mint! I love creating new recipes when I have time and trying different flavour combinations. Inspiration hit after we returned from our holiday to find a tomato plant gone wild! I decided to use some of our homegrown bounties and create this Tomato Salad. [Read more…]
Delicious Sweet Potato Salad with Hartlief Salami
I recently received a delicious hamper from Hartlief, containing a fantastic selection of their premium meat products. One of my favourite ways of serving cold meats, is on a mezze style platter, with a chilled glass of wine. That said, I thought I would try something a bit different, with the German Salami from the hamper. [Read more…]
Tomato and Feta Tart with Rocket | Today Pastry
I was recently sent a “Mystery Box” from Today pastry, with the challenge of creating a culinary masterpiece. My “Mystery Box” contained tomatoes, feta, rocket, balsamic vinegar, as well as the essential Today Puff Pastry!
My masterpiece took the form of a Tomato and Feta Tart with Rocket. It is an incredibly simple dish to make but is oh so delicious! This dish is perfect as part of a brunch or lunch menu. It will also work well, as smaller individual tarts for a dinner-party.
Tomato and Feta Tart with Rocket
Ingredients:
- 1 Roll Today Puff Pastry
- 400g Rosa Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Feta
- 1 Tbsp Balsalmic Vinager
- 100g Fresh Rocket Leaves
- 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Lemon
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil
Method
Preheat your oven to 200ºc and grease a none-stick baking tray. Make sure your pastry is completely defrosted and ready to roll out.
Slice the tomatoes in half and drizzle over 1 Tbsp of Balsalmic Vinegar, season with sea salt and black pepper, mix and set aside.
To the grated Parmesan Cheese, add a handful of finely chop of Rocket Leaves. Crumble the Feta Cheese and add to the Parmesan and Rocket.
Roll the Today Puff Pastry out onto a cool surface. Cut the pastry in half – into two equal size rectangles. Lightly score the pastry all the way around with a sharp knife, approximately 2cm from the edge. Doing this will allow the edges to rise. Then gently pierce or dock, inside the scored area with a fork. These small holes in pastry, allow steam to escape during baking, which helps the dough remain flat and even, while baking.
Place the feta mixture on the pastry, inside the scored area. Top the feta mixture with your marinated tomatoes. Egg wash the edge of the pastry and place in a preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown and the tomatoes are wonderfully roasted.
As a dressing I made simple Rocket Vinaigrette. Blend together a handful of rocket leaves, 2 Tbsp olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and salt and pepper to taste.
Once you have removed the Tart from the oven, drizzle over the Rocket Vinaigrette and sprinkle over rocket leaves. Et violá you are ready to serve!
Serves 4
For more info on Today products please visit them on Facebook or Twitter.
Disclosure Ranking:2
Bacon Mushroom Pasta Recipe
I absolutely love the salty smokey flavour of bacon – add mushrooms, garlic and cream I am in heaven! If these are flavours you like then this Bacon Mushroom Pasta Recipe, is just for you! It is definitely not a low-carb meal but everything in moderation is acceptable.
[Read more…]New Peppadew® Pasta Sauces
The Peppadew® brand, famous for their piquanté peppers and more recently their pickled jalapenos and pickled onions, invited us to attend a launch, where they would reveal a new addition to their family. I must admit I was excited to see what was next on their agenda!
After much deliberating among ourselves, it was finally revealed that the new-comer to the Peppadew® family is a range of pasta sauces! I am not sure about you but I love peppadews, the hotter the better, so I was eager to taste the New Peppadew® Pasta Sauces!
It became clear to us, that consumers trust the Peppadew® brand name as a sign of quality. They see it as a brand that implies great food with great flavour, conveniently packaged to add an edge to their cooking experience. This has strengthened our belief that we can grow the Peppadew® brand name into one of South Africa’s leading quality food brands.” ~ Peppadew® brand manager Laurian Ovens
After a brief introduction to the new range, we were then treated to a cooking demonstration and were given the opportunity to sample a few of the sauces, which were used in different pasta dishes.
The Peppadew® pasta sauce range flavours includes: Tomato and Basil (the traditional classic), Piquanté Pepper and Garlic, Piquanté Pepper and Olive, Green Pepper and Garlic and Tomato and Jalapeno Chilli.
My favourite sauce was definitely the Tomato and Jalapeno Chilli, as I said I like it hot!
We were all given the full range of Peppadew® pasta sauces to take home and try for ourselves. So last week I decided to give them a bash – it was a particularly busy week so the convenience of being able to add the sauce to a few ingredients was so handy!
I sauteed a few prawns with garlic and a splash of white wine, then I simply added the Peppadew® Tomato and Chilli sauce. I let it heat through and finished it off with a bit of fresh cream. Serve with shaved parmesan and a few rockets leaves.
Also tried the Piquanté Pepper and Garlic sauce and simply added it to sauteed mushrooms, with a dash of fresh cream. Both meals were delish and my family loved them!
As with most of the products under the Peppadew® brand name, the pasta sauces contain no artificial colourants or preservatives. The Peppadew® Pasta sauce range has a year shelf life and must be stored in the fridge once opened.
You can find the at Peppadew® Pasta sauces at Pick n Pay and Spar nationally and at Shoprite Checkers, in Gauteng and KZN. RRP R25.99
Disclosure Ranking: 2
Chicken and Leek Pie Recipe
My Chicken and Leek Pie is one of our family’s favourite meals. The recipe started out as a casserole and evolved into a Chicken and Leek Pie! [Read more…]