Recipe Index

This post has been paid for by JAZZ™ Apples. A homemade focaccia is such an easy way to add some flair to a get together with friends. And I am convinced this JAZZ™ Apple and Camembert Focaccia will add a whole lot of glam to that get together with minimal effort. The focaccia dough is decorated with JAZZ™ apple slices, a wheel or two camembert cheese placed in the dough, then baked until golden and the cheese melting and bubbling. Sprinkle with a homemade spiced sesame “dukkah”, a drizzle or two of honey, cut into wedges and drinks are served! I think the combination works so well and it looks pretty spectacular. The warm crusty dough, the sweetness of the JAZZ™ apples, the oozy, creamy cheese marrying with the earthy spices and crunchy sesame dukkah.  Fabulous with drinks but just as good with a ham and pea soup as winter has definitely arrived in South Africa. The recipe is for a yeasted dough made with instant yeast. If your lockdown sourdough starter is still surviving, you can follow this popular sourdough focaccia recipe I posted a while back. It really is a forgiving bread that any first-time baker can bake with ease. But if you can not be bothered with proving dough, ask your local baker for some dough and all you have to do is decorate and bake. “Grown with passion in sun-drenched orchards, enjoy the crunchy tangy-sweet, juicy invigoration only JAZZ™ apples can deliver. The collision of delightful flavours that combine into an overwhelming sensorial explosion is the result of natural breeding between the Royal Gala and Braeburn varieties. This is an apple that is a refreshing taste sensation! Originating in the beautiful orchards of New Zealand, JAZZ™ apples are now also grown in premium apple-growing countries in South Africa, the UK, Europe, USA, Chile and Australia. Look out for the distinctive bright blue label on every delicious JAZZ™ apple pack at any Checkers.” I hope you enjoy this recipe for JAZZ™ Apple and Camembert Focaccia.  If you’ve made the recipe do share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed.

These should in all honesty be called “Clean Out the Fridge Pies” but Vegetable Pies sound so much better. And if truth be told they really are just collapsed veggie souffles but so tasty that making them, waiting for them to collapse and packing them for your lunch box or picnic makes perfect sense. After the two weeks of eating like a king while we were shooting in France I am trying to make a concerted effort to eat a bit cleaner. But I have gone straight on to another project where we are shooting food 4 days of the week, so dinner is left overs from the day’s shoot. Which meant I have had a head of cauliflower, pack of baby marrows and half a packet of baby spinach giving me the evil eye every time I open the fridge. I wanted to put my own spin on a souffle I had before which by the time I wanted to eat it, had already cooled down and sunk, so I tipped it out of the ramekin and ate it as a pie. It stuck with me that souffles are always this mad rush to make and serve but they taste really good at room temperature as a light meal. These will be a hit with the vegetarians, the LCHF followers and the gluten frees. But I can guarantee you that those of us who do not follow any of these regimens will be very happy too. Even the most ardent meat eaters will feel satisfied. Pack them for lunch, take them with on your next picnic, have them for breakfast or serve them as a light dinner with a cup of soup for the autumn chill. A reminder that we have set a second date for our Food Photography Workshop. You can join us on 14 June for a fun filled creative day with your camera. Click here for more details. Print Yum Vegetable Pies Ingredientsbutter for ramekins 1 tbsp butter 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 350g baby marrows/zucchini, grated 100g baby spinach pinch of paprika pinch of grated nutmeg 400g cooked cauliflower, mashed 6 eggs, separated 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese salt and freshly ground black pepperInstructionsGenerously butter 4 one and half cup ramekins. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Melt the butter and gently fry the garlic until soft. Add the grated baby marrows/zucchini and spinach and cook for about 10 minutes, while stirring occasionally until soft. Mix in the paprika, nutmeg and mashed cauliflower. Beat the egg yolks with the cheese and mix in the vegetables. Beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff. Add a third of the egg whites to the vegetable mixture and mix well. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites until just combined. Pour the mixture into the ramekins and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until puffed up and golden. Serve immediately or let it cool down for 10 minutes or so, gently tip out of the ramekins and eat at room temperature as a pie.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/vegetable-pies/ More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook    

This post has been sponsored by Pink Lady® Apples I knew this ice cream would be good but I ended up so happy with this Brandy Roasted Pink Lady® Apple Crumble Ice Cream. Chunks of Pink Lady® apples roasted in brandy and spices and a nutty oat crumble mixed in with the best vanilla ice cream you can get. Part pudding, part ice cream and completely delicious. The 2019 season of everyone’s favourite apple, Pink Lady® is here and what better way to welcome the new season with a delicious dessert that is sure to make all the apple lovers and ice cream lovers happy at the same time. I wanted to take a dessert as classic as an apple crumble and give it a bit of makeover. The ice cream is great eaten on its own or end your next dinner party or Sunday lunch with a stack of freshly made waffles and big scoops of the Brandy Roasted Pink Lady® Apple Crumble Ice Cream slowly melting over the hot waffles. Bonus, of course, is that you use shop bought ice cream for the base so all you need to worry about is roasting the apple and making the crumble. Apples and brandy is such a wonderful combination and the brandy adds a deep layer of flavour while the apples roast. (The alcohol will be cooked off by the time you make the ice cream.) Stir the apples a few times while they roast, mashing it with a veggie masher to break down the pieces. But do not mash too fine, you want apple chunks in the ice cream. Bake the crumble to a dark golden brown to maximise flavour. Remember that freezing mutes flavour so you want to maximise the apple and crumble flavour as much as possible. I kept adding additional sugar to the minimum. The apples are sweet and the ice cream as well so the crumble and roasted apples do not have to be too sweet on top of that. And keep a quarter of the oat crumble aside so that you can sprinkle it on top of the ice cream for more texture and flavour. Born of good earth, pure water and clear skies a crisp Pink Lady® apple represents life at its natural green best. Raised with love, Pink Lady® apples are allowed to linger longer on their trees to absorb more of nature’s goodness and develop their characteristic radiance and sweet refreshing taste. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Brandy Roasted Pink Lady® Apple Crumble Ice Cream. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred Print Yum Brandy Roasted Pink Lady® Apple Crumble Ice Cream IngredientsFor the roasted apples: 700g Pink Lady® apples 60ml brandy 45ml light brown sugar 1 tsp sea salt flakes 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg For the crumble: 125ml flour 80ml oats 60ml light brown sugar 1 tsp sea salt flakes 1 tsp ground cinnamon 60ml butter, diced 50g pecans, chopped For the ice cream:  1l best quality vanilla ice cream 1 tsp sea salt flakes zest of 1 lemonInstructionsRoast the apples: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C Peel and core the apples and cut in chunks Place in a baking dish and toss with the brandy, sugar, salt and spices Roast for 60 minutes, stirring and mashing with a veggie masher every 15 minutes or so You do not want a sauce but rather chunks of roasted apple Let it cool while the crumble bakes Make the crumble:  Combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl Add the butter pieces and work with your fingertips until the mixture forms large clumps then lightly mix in the pecans Scoop the mix on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, spreading it evenly Reduce the oven temperature once the apples are done and bake the crumble for 15 minutes or so until dark golden, giving it a stir halfway through Let the crumble cool completely and keep about a quarter of the crumble aside for serving Assemble: Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it soften a bit Mix in the salt, lemon zest and apples Spread a third of the mixture in a small metal dish Sprinkle with a third of the crumble and repeat twice more Wrap the pan with cling wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight Serve with more crumble sprinkled on topSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/brandy-roasted-pink-lady-apple-crumble-ice-cream/ A few more of my favourite apple recipes : Apple Phyllo Tart Cider Cooked Apple, Onion and Cheddar Galette Pink Lady® Apple Galettes with Spelt Crusts and Tahini Butterscotch Sauce

This recipe is sponsored by Rugani Juice. It’s back to work and school for most of us and what to take for lunch is back on the agenda. And after the festive season, keeping it a bit healthier will be top of mind for most of us as we start the year. The idea behind this recipe was to create a lunch box meal that is nutritious and interesting yet still easy and uncomplicated. And by using the Rugani Juice range I think this recipe for Baby Marrow Muffins with Roasted Pumpkin and Chèvre Spread ticks all those boxes. Rugani Juice one of the richest sources of beta-carotene on the South African market to date and the world-first Rugani extraction process ruptures 95% of veggie cells, optimising the nutritional content of the juice. Extraction and pasteurisation convert trans-beta-carotene into cis-beta-carotene, making the extracted juice the richest source of this rare, sought-after goodness. The process, along with the unparalleled freshness, makes Rugani Juice a nutritionally superior product and a true nutraceutical. What I like about these recipes is that you can “chop and change” ingredients to make it work for you. Instead of using milk in the Baby Marrow Muffins recipe I used the Rugani Carrot Juice, yielding a light, tasty muffin. You can omit the cheese to make it a dairy-free muffin or use another cheese if cheddar is not your favourite. The muffins make a great lunchbox item or a snack all on their own but I think making the spreads using more of the juices take them into next level territory. I ended up making two spreads, a Roasted Pumpkin and Chèvre Spread and a White Bean and Beetroot Hummus with Za,atar. Both the spreads are healthy and packed with nutrients. And both are equally good with the muffins or spread thickly on crackers, warm toasted bread or some hot naan bread. If that does not take your fancy, it will make delicious dips for raw veggies or some crisps (perhaps not the best way to start the new year.) Or add some extra flavour to roasted veggies with big dollops of either spread spooned on top. I used the Beetroot Juice to give the white bean hummus that amazing pink colour and the add an earthy beetroot flavour that does not overpower. Topped with za’atar it is so good. For the roasted pumpkin spread, I roasted the pumpkin in the Carrot Infused with Ginger juice, adding more juice when blitzing to get the right consistency and for more flavour. Again you can amend the recipes by replacing the white beans with chickpeas (you will probably need to use more beetroot juice) and you can replace the chèvre with cream cheese or fresh ricotta. I love that no sugar, water or preservatives are added to the juices. On the day of harvest, veggies are transferred on a conveyer belt from farm to the production facility, extracted and packaged as a 100% natural juice. Currently, the Rugani Juice range consists of five products, available in 330ml and 750ml packaging, sold at Food Lover’s Market, Dischem, and selected Spar outlets. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Baby Marrow Muffins with Roasted Pumpkin and Chèvre Spread. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. Print Yum Baby Marrow Muffins with Roasted Pumpkin and Chèvre Spread IngredientsMuffins: 360g self raising flour 100g baby marrow, coarsely grated 100g strong, mature cheese 1 spring onion, finely sliced 2 tsp garlic salt pinch of cayene pepper (optional) 200ml Rugani Carrot Juice 1 large egg, beaten 50ml olive oil Pumpkin Spread: 2 fat cloves garlic, skin on 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 4 tbsp Rugani Ginger Infused Carrot Juice 500g butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks 5 sprigs of thyme 2 tsp sea salt flakes freshly ground black pepper 100g goat’s milk chèvre 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp Rugani Ginger Infused Carrot Juice pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional) toasted pumpkin seeds to serve White Bean Hummus: 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 x 400g can cannelini beans, drained 4 tbsp tahini 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp Rugani Beetroot Juice ½ tbsp lemon juice grated zest of ½ lemon ½ tsp cumin sea salt flaked and black pepper to season za’atar to serve InstructionsMuffins: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C Grease 12 cavity muffin tray Mix the flour, baby marrow, cheese, spring onion and salts in a bowl In a separate bowl, whisk the juice, egg and olive oil together until well combined Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined Divide the mixture among the muffin cavities and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until risen and golden-brown Let the muffins cool in the tray for 15 minutes before removing Pumpkin Spread: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C Mix the olive oil and carrot juice and coat the butternut chunks with the dressing Place the butternut on a baking sheet and season with salt and black pepper Add the garlic and thyme sprigs to the sheet and roast the veggies for about 40 minutes until cooked through and starting to caramelise Let it cool to room temperature and remove the thyme Place the roasted butternut and all the caramelised bits in a bowl Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and add with chèvre to the bowl Mix with a fork until you have a rough spread Add the lemon juice and carrot juice and mix Check the seasoning (can add a pinch of chilli flakes) Spoon into a bowl and refrigerate till needed To serve, spoon into a sealable container and top with some toasted pumpkin seeds White Bean Hummus: Place the garlic, beans, tahini, and olive oil in a food processor and pulse for a minute, scraping down the sides a few times Add the beetroot juice, lemon juice, zest, cumin, salt, and black pepper and blend until you have a smooth texture Spoon into bowl and refrigerate till needed To serve, spoon into a sealable container and top with some za’atar Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/baby-marrow-muffins/ A few more healthy and easy lunchbox ideas : Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Protein Balls Quinoa Veggie Burgers with Avo Tahini Dip Tofu Balls with a Herbed Bulgur Salad          

Just over a week ago the lovely people at Cobb dropped off their “Kitchen in a Box”  Premier Cooking System. A nifty outdoor cooker that can roast, fry, grill and bake. It even has a roasting rack to roast a chicken! I could not wait to use it and immediately knew what recipe I want to try first. This Naan Breakfast Pizza that crossed my path a while back. Up until now I have just not been able to make a good pizza at home. I am not nearly efficient enough to whip up pizza dough and those days that I actually am, I can never get the base thin enough for a crisp pizza. And frozen pizza bases are terrible! I have tried using pita breads but can never halve a pita bread without tearing it into pieces. But using naan bread is such a great idea. It is thin enough to crisp nicely while baking and has a lot more flavour than any pita bread or frozen base will ever have. The naan bread retains that chewiness without drying out and the edges become deliciously crisp. Here is a video I have made showing how incredibly easy it is to make a Naan Breakfast Pizza : The options really are endless in terms of toppings. It all depends what you like or not. You could pile on the bacon, sausage and left over grilled meats or make a veggie version with mushrooms, roasted peppers and baby tomatoes. These are so easy to make in a conventional oven too. Just preheat the grill and pop them under the grill until the egg is cooked. And since they do not take too long every person can make their pizza with their own choice of toppings. The toughest part of this recipe is going out to get the Naan! Do enjoy! More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook Print Yum Naan Breakfast Pizza IngredientsAs with any pizza, the toppings are really endless. For this breakfast version and I used a spicy tomato sauce, some fried bacon, sliced Spanish sausage, halved rosa tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. And since it was breakfast, I made a slight dent in the middle of all the ingredients and cracked a fresh egg. Sauce: 390g crushed tomatoes generous glug of olive oil 2 crushed cloves of garlic 1 fresh chilli, chopped 1 -2 tablespoons sugar salt and pepper for seasoningInstructionsFry the garlic and chilli in the olive oil until soft. Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes until it has reduced a bit. Spoon a thin layer of sauce on top of the naan and top with the remaining pizza ingredients If you do not have a fabulous Cobb system, heat the grill and place the pizzas about 15 cm below. Grill until the cheese is just melted and egg white just set (it will cook some more once you remove it from the heat). Sprinkle with some chopped chives and serveSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/naan-breakfast-pizza/

It is so easy to find a recipe online these days but there remains a certain joy to paging through a recipe book and there are always a few  books I reach for (hand written notes of recipes flying out as I open them) when I am looking for something a bit more old school. And then I find myself changing the recipe completely! I am by no means a master baker and misunderstood science at school too much to even attempt to change a baking recipe but I always tell myself I can make a trifle if it does not work. My first instinct is always to cut the sugar – I find too sweet masks other flavours and in this recipe the bananas adds a lot of their own sweetness plus the streusel on top packs a sweet punch. I wanted to cut the butter and thought peanut butter would add a good flavour. The peanut butter does not overwhelm and adds some depth to the banana flavour. I think adding the streusel on top works really well. It carries the peanut flavour and adds a wonderful sweet crunchy texture which elevates the humble banana bread. Print Yum Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Peanut Streusel IngredientsBread 2 eggs ¾ cup sugar ½ cup peanut butter 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoon salt 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup Greek style yoghurt Streusel ¼ cup peanuts roughly ground ¼ cup flour ¼ cup soft brown sugar ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoon butterInstructionsPreheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 2l loaf pan and line the base with baking paper. Combined all the streusel ingredients and rub between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs and set aside. Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined. Mix in the bananas, vanilla extract and yoghurt. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the streusel on to the batter and press it lightly down. Bake for 50- 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Let it cool a bit and turn out onto a wire rack. Remove the baking paper and let the loaf cool completely. Makes 1 medium loaf. The bread freezes very well. Slice it once cooled down and freeze in small batches. It does not take long to defrost and is still wonderfully moist.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/peanut-butter-banana-bread-with-peanut-streusel/

Summer eating has to be easy, colourful and with as little fuss as possible. And as much as the eating must be so must the cooking. And I think this Pea Hummus fits the bill perfectly. The colour is gorgeous, the sweetness of the peas works well with the slight hit from the garlic and the tahini gives it a bit of a earthy base. Pile it on top of some toasted bread and you have a perfect marriage of textures, tastes and colours.   As I had some of the homemade fresh curd cheese left I made that the first layer before topping it with the pea hummus. It looked so pretty and added an extra creaminess to the bruschetta. Not only does the lemon zest add another splash of colour but it adds a little bit of zestiness which I think the hummus needs. If you do not want to use cheese, some roasted baby tomatoes would work really well. And it would look beautiful. The recipe can not be any simpler or quicker. It really is a case of putting it all in a blender and pulsing for a few seconds to the right consistency. If you do not have a blender you can easily make it in a pestle and mortar or mashing it all with a fork will be just as easy. It will make no difference whether you use fresh or frozen peas but I would not use tinned. I think it will be too mushy and the colour quite bland and you want a vibrant green colour. Just a note regarding the garlic. I added quite a large clove of garlic to the mix and the mild creaminess of the cheese balanced it well. It really depends how garlicky you want to go. The sweet flavour of the peas can be overpowered by raw garlic and if you are not that keen on raw garlic, use a smaller clove or half a clove. You can always add more but once you added you can not make it less! Print Yum Pea Hummus Ingredients1 cup fresh or frozen peas and extra for garnish 2 tbsp tahini 1 clove garlic, chopped juice from half a lemon 2 tbsp olive oil 6 mint leaves ½ tsp cumin salt and pepper to taste zest of one lemon olive oil to drizzle mint to garnishInstructionsIf you are using frozen peas, place in boiling water for a few minutes, drain and refresh under cold water. Place all ingredients except salt, pepper and lemon rind in food processor and pulse until smooth. If the mixture is too dry add a splash of lemon juice and olive oil. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Make 10 slices of toasted bread. Ciabatta or sourdough. Spread ricotta thickly on the toasted slices of bread (if used). Top with pea hummus. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper and lemon rind. Drizzle some olive oil over each slice and garnish with mint leaves and the extra peasSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/pea-hummus/        

This recipe for Bacon Peanut Butter Banana Bread came into existence after I received a brief to produce 4 short recipe videos for the Sunday Times Food Weekly Facebook Page. The one recipe had to be an interesting flavour combination and I went back to a Peanut Butter Banana Bread recipe I did on the blog back in 2013 and decided to up date it with the addition of crispy fried bacon. And I do think it works deliciously. Here is the video : Bacon Peanut Butter Banana Bread   But before I get to the recipe please indulge me for some self promotion.  Last Tuesday saw the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2016 winners announced in London. It was the most competitive year yet with over 7000 entries from 60 countries vying for the top accolade in 17 categories as well as an overall winner of the competition. The judging panel included Jamie Oliver’s photographer David Loftus and Nigel Atherton, Group Editor, Photography, Time Inc. I am very happy to have been a finalist in two categories this year : Marks and Spencer Food Portraiture and the Food Blogger category. Both images were awarded “Highly Commended” in their respective category. And then my recipe for Freekeh Pumpkin Coffee Cake I published two weeks ago is up for a fabulous first prize against 9 other Freekeh recipes. Please go vote for it at this link by just liking the photo. And make sure you “like the page” as you could win a R1500 shopping voucher from The Really Interesting Food Company by voting for the winning recipe. Thank you! OK, back to the Bacon Peanut Butter Banana Bread   I think the combination of the sweet and salty always works really well and it was only afterwards I realised this was the same combination of the famous Elvis Presley sandwich, although it seems the bacon is not always mentioned in all accounts of his favourite sandwich . But for me personally, this bread is a better version as I don’t really like cooked banana on its own.   This loaf makes a fantastic bread to have at breakfast. One of the most important flavours in this recipe is the bacon. Try to get the best quality of bacon you can get your hands on (and afford). The smokier the better I think, as you want that flavour to carry through against the peanut butter and sweetness of the banana. Hope you enjoy! We made another video which has received a lot of attention and close to 260000 views so far. Check out our Peppermint Crisp Ice Cream Sandwiches – they are so good and so easy to make! Print Yum Bacon Peanut Butter Banana Bread Ingredients½ cup peanut butter 1/3 cup butter 2 eggs ¾ cup sugar 4 ripe medium sized bananas, mashed 250g bacon, chopped and fried to crispy (fat after frying reserved) ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt InstructionsPreheat the oven to 180 degrees C Line a 2l loaf pan with baking paper Melt the butter and peanut butter together Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick Add the melted peanut butter and butter and beat until combined Mix in the bananas, bacon and vanilla extract Sift the flour, baking powder and salt Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top Bake for 50- 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle Let it cool a bit and turn out onto a wire rack. Remove the baking paper and let the loaf cool completely Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/bacon-peanut-butter-banana-bread/ * This recipe first appeared in the Sunday Times Food Weekly More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook

Another name for these Spicy Baked Eggs could easily be Hangover Breakfast. They combine all the elements that I want in a breakfast when the night before might have been too much fun: gluten, fat and spice! And if a breakfast pizza, loaded with cheese, eggs, bacon, sausage and chilli is not in easy reach (why do so few places make breakfast pizzas?), this is a great alternative. And even if the evening before does not need to be medicated with comfort food, this is a much less stressful way of serving breakfast for a crowd. Forget about getting the timing of each one’s fried eggs right or the scrambled eggs drying out. Also known as the North African dish, Shakshouka, the orignial recipe is vegetarian in nature and does not have any cheese or meat, while in the Middle East and Spain you can find it served with spicy sausage. There is also the famous Mexican version, Huevos Rancheros, but the eggs are usually scrambled and not kept whole. I think adding the ground beef just makes preparation easier and means you have breakfast pretty much all in one dish. Adjust the chilli to your personal preference. Try to get the best bread you can to mop up all that delicious sauce. Print Yum Spicy Baked Eggs Ingredientssplash of olive oil 1 red onion, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, mashed 1-2 fresh chillies, chopped (seeds removed if prefered) or 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 500g ground beef mince 1 teaspoon beef stock (fond or powder) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Tomato Sauce splash of olive oil 1 red onion, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, mashed 1-2 fresh chillies, chopped (seeds removed if prefered) or 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 2 x 410g tinned chopped tomatoes 1 teaspoon sugar good pinch of salt and cracked black pepper Other 4 – 6 eggs 100g grated mature cheddar cheese To Serve mature cheddar cheese sliced pickled jalapeno 1 avocado, cubed chopped corianderInstructionsHeat the oil and add all the ingredients. Brown the meat over a high heat. Once browned, simmer over a medium high heat while stirring regularly until the beef is cooked and all the liquid has evaporated – about 10 minutes. Set aside. Tomato Sauce Heat the oil and add all the ingredients. Bring to a fast boil and reduce the heat to medium high and simmer the sauce, stirring regularly, until it has thickened a bit – about 10 minutes. Check the seasoning. Assembly Preheat the grill of the oven. Spoon the ground beef into an oven proof dish. Cover the meat with the tomato sauce. Make 4 – 6 (depending on the amount of eggs you are using) indents in the mixture and break an egg into each indent. Sprinkle with 2 thirds of the grated cheese and place in the middle of the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the white of the eggs have set but the yolks still runny. Serve with some more grated cheese, chopped coriander, sliced pickled jalapenos and slices of good bread.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/spicy-baked-eggs/

If truth be told, this Mumbai Cheese Toastie should be called the “I Am Not Giving You Any Of My Toastie” Toastie. It is that good. The recipe for the cheese toastie comes from Diana Henry’s new book titled Simple – Effortless Food, Big Flavours. The book is without a doubt one of my favourite books. I love the photography (I think the cover is one of the most beautiful recipe book covers) and the recipes are hassle free, yet interesting, packed with flavour and delicious. The Mumbai Cheese Toastie was one of the first recipes to catch my eye and I had to get in the kitchen and make it. Diana writes that a friend told her about these sandwiches that are sold as street food in Mumbai. She was a bit sceptical about cheese with spices but it works really well. The fresh chutney that comes with the recipes is lip smackingly delicious and I would suggest you make double the chutney so you can dip the toastie in the chutney as you eat it. Any leftover can be stored in the fridge and served with another meal the next day. I used jalapenos (that is what I had) for the chutney and think they are a good choice of fleshy chillies without being too hot. I did reduce the lemon juice a bit from the original recipe as I found the chutney a bit too wet and the bread will go soggy so just add a splash or two for that acidic flavour. This is perfect Friday night in front of the television food. Make double the quantity (I promise that you will want more) and serve with some ice cold beers. Cheese toastie and beer, a meal fit for a king in my book. Enjoy! I have partnered with Nikon South Africa and will present a Food Photography Workshop on the 16th of March 2017 in Cape Town. I will spend the morning showing how I create and style an image and then hand over to participants to style and photograph their own images. I am really looking forward to this workshop and hope to see you there. Follow this link to book your spot. Print Yum Mumbai Cheese Toastie IngredientsFor 1 Sandwich: Fresh Chutney half a jalapeno chili handful coriander 10 large mint leaves 1 garlic clove, crushed sea salt flakes ½ tsp caster sugar squeeze of lemon juice For the Sandwich 2 slices of white bread 50g strong cheddar cheese. Grated 1 tomato, sliced ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced pinch of ground cumin pinch of ground ginger pinch of ground cinnamon pinch of ground coriander butter ¼ tbsp vegetable oil InstructionsPut all the chutney ingredients in a mortar and pound it with a pestle Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and set aside Spread the chutney over both slices of bread Lay the cheese, tomato and onion on one of them and sprinkle with the slices Top with the other piece of bread Melt a knob of butter and the oil in a frying pan and cook the sandwich for about 3 minutes on each side, pressing it down a few times with an egg lifter, and cook until the cheese is melted. Careful not to burn the sandwich and serve immediately From Simple by Diana Henry Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/mumbai-cheese-toastie/ More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

This recipe for Olive Oil Flatbreads with Fried Aubergine, Boiled Eggs and Harissa Mayo is my own twist on a stunning image I saw on Instagram shot by Gareth Morgan for Tesco Magazine.  It looked so good and the flavour combinations so up my alley, I immediately set out to find the recipe. The recipe was a pita filled with boiled eggs, fried aubergine, red onion and the spicy, herby middle eastern sauce called zhoug. Zhoug is from Yemenite origin and a popular sauce in Syria and Israel. I think the first I tasted the sauce was in Beirut at Tawlet. I felt like baking bread so skipped buying the the pita breads and made my own olive oil flatbreads. Granted, a bit more effort than store bought pita bread but nothing beats freshly baked bread and these are ridiculously easy to make. The recipe for the flatbreads come from one of my favourite blogs, Milk and Honey I did not make my own zhoug but opted to make a harissa mayo that I knew would work well with the boiled eggs and the aubergine. There are many recipes out there for harissa if you want to make your own but I opted for a shortcut and used the harissa paste made by Pesto Princess. I always have a bottle of their harissa in the fridge and another one in the freezer as backup. It is such a great sauce to jazz up a meal. Liberally brush some sliced chicken breasts with the harissa, let it marinade, then flash fry and serve on top of a salad. Quick, easy and so good. These olive oil flatbreads make a fabulous vegetarian breakfast, lunch or dinner and you can get creative as you like with the toppings. The recipe is for 8 flatbreads and the toppings are for 4 so you will have some flatbreads left over for the quantity of toppings mentioned so just pop them in the freezer. Or double the quantity of the toppings. Enjoy! I hope you enjoy this recipe for Olive Oil Flatbreads with Fried Aubergine, Boiled Eggs and Harissa Mayo. If you’ve made the recipe share your dish with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. Print Yum Olive Oil Flatbreads with Fried Aubergine, Boiled Eggs and Harissa Mayo IngredientsOlive Oil Flatbreads (makes about 8) 330ml warm water 1 tsp active dry yeast 400g flour, plus more for kneading and rolling out 2 tsp sea salt 2 tbsp Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for the bowl Seasonings for flatbreads: Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil sesame seeds chilli flakes sea salt flakes Toppings for 4 flatbreads : 2 aubergines, sliced into 4-5mm slices 3 tbsp Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4 eggs, at room temperature ¼ red onion, very thinly sliced 3 tbsp harissa (depending on strength of the paste) ½ cup mayo fresh coriander to garnish InstructionsFlatbreads : Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre Add the yeast and olive oil to the water then pour it into the well in the dry ingredients, stir to bring it together The dough will be sticky and wet Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth and quite elastic, incorporating extra flour as required Oil a large bowl (about half a tablespoon of olive oil should do) and place the dough in it, turning to coat Cover with cling film and let it sit in a warm spot until it’s doubled in size Preheat a griddle pan over high heat Divide the dough into golf ball sized pieces (about 8) and on a floured surface roll each out to form a small oval shape, of about 5mm thickness Cook the flatbreads for about 1½ minutes on one side until charred in spots While the flatbread is cooking brush the exposed side with some olive oil and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and chilli flakes Turn the flatbread over and cook it briefly for about another minute or so until the bread is cooked through Remove them from the heat, brush with more olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Repeat until all the flatbreads are cooked Wrap them in foil while your prepare the toppings Heat some olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the aubergine in batches for about 4 mins on each side until cooked, covering the pan to keep the heat in and to help soften the flesh (add more oil as needed). Transfer to a piece of greaseproof paper, season and set aside while cooking the remaining aubergine Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil and add the eggs Boil for 8 mins for medium hard-boiled or 9 mins for hard-boiled Drain and refill the pan with cold water Add the cooked eggs and set aside Mix the harissa and mayo and spoon some of the mayo on the base of 4 flatbreads, then divide the aubergine and sliced onion between the flatbreads Peel and thickly slice the eggs and add them on top Finish with the remaining mayo and garnish with some fresh coriander Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/olive-oil-flatbreads/ ** Olive Oil provided by Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I am proud to be associated with Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil and use it whenever a recipe requires Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The South African cold press extra virgin Olive Oil is produced in the Riversdale area, has a whiff of fresh cut grass and aromas of green tomatoes, almonds artichokes and green apples. More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook A few more of my favourite bread recipes Ukrainian Garlic Bread Cheese and Onion Tray Bread  

I have to admit this post only exists because the first image I saw on the day was of buckwheat pancakes on Instagram. That led to me wanting to just have fun with the camera and shoot my own version. But with honey oozing down the sides. (And I have always wanted to try buckwheat.) I looked at some recipes but none really grabbed me, so decided to adapt the recipe I posted before of Bill Granger’s Banana Sour Cream Hotcakes. I was worried that the flavour might be a bit bland, so for some texture I added desiccated coconut I had blitzed in the food processor. I swapped out the flour with the buckwheat and replaced the sour cream with full fat plain yoghurt as I did not have any sour cream. Buckwheat is not a grain but a fruit seed closely related to the rhubarb (sometimes referred to as a pseudo-cereal) and is suitable for gluten free baking. I picked up a 500g packet at Wellness Warehouse. The result is not bad at all (for gluten free). They are a bit heavier than when using plain flour and I think you need to “tart them up” with some fruit, berries or a syrup/honey of some sort. But overall I think the pancakes make a nice change at the breakfast table. (Always remember to check that the baking powder you are using are gluten free if you need to bake gluten free.) Print Yum Buckwheat Pancakes Ingredients2 bananas 2 teaspoons lemon juice 125g buckwheat flour 50g desiccated coconut (blitzed for a few minutes until fine) 2 teaspoons baking powder pinch of salt half a teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 eggs, separated 125ml full fat plain yoghurt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract grated zest of 1 lemon melted butter for fryingInstructionsMash 1 banana with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Thinly slice the other banana and toss with the rest of the lemon juice. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a bowl and add the sugar and coconut. Mix together the mashed banana, egg yolks, yoghurt and lemon zest and add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites till soft peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined, then fold in the banana slices. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and brush with some of the melted butter. For each pancake drop about a 1/4 cupful of the batter into the pan and bake for 2 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip the hotcake and cook for another 1 minute. Keep warm while you cook the rest and serve. Adapted from Bill GrangerSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/buckwheat-pancakes/

If I can’t get to Venice for New Year then Venice will just have to come to me. And I think Sgroppino is one of the most delicious ways to make that happen.  I came across the drink in Diana Henry’s new book titled Simple – effortless food, big flavours. I love Diana’s recipes and have made a few for the blog, namely Sumac Roast Tomatoes, Lentils and Dukkah Eggs and the delicious Whole Roast Masala Chicken that also appears in Simple. The book’s cover is so incredibly beautiful that I just could not resist buying it as a Christmas gift for myself . Sgroppino is a famous Vinetian cocktail consisting of lemon sorbet, vodka and prosecco. It is so refreshing and perfectly suited for our summery New Year’s celebrations. I have unknowingly made my own version of the cocktail with the Fabulously Festive Cocktail, which is a spoonful of frozen berry juice, topped with vodka and bubbly. I felt that store bought lemon sorbet would be too sweet so made my own sorbet in order to manage the right amount of acidity and citrus from the lemon. I used David Lebovitz’s lemon sorbet from his book The Perfect Scoop. I added a good pinch of salt (as I always do with sweet recipes) and added extra lemon juice until I had the right acidity as I wanted the cocktail to be tangy and utterly refreshing. Sgroppino should be properly shaken and served in a foamy froth but I am of the same opinion as Diana and love the look of the sorbet floating in the glass. I also love the bits of the sorbet as you drink it. If you want to tone down the alcohol, omit the vodka since the cocktail is delicious with just the sorbet and bubbly. And of course use any bubbly of your choice, any will do not just prosecco. In fact I ran out of cold bubbly the other evening and made the cocktail with sorbet topped up with apple cider. It was really good! Enjoy! This is my last post for the year and I want to wish all my readers the most amazing and delicious 2017. I already have a few recipes made and photographed and can’t wait to share them with you in the new year. Print Yum Sgroppino IngredientsLemon Sorbet: (makes about 500ml) 320ml water 100g sugar good pinch of salt 1 lemon 125ml lemon juice more lemon juice to taste Cocktail: 6 scoops lemon sorbet 6 glasses half filled with chilled prosecco, sparkling wine or champagne 6 tbsp vodka (optional) InstructionsTo make the sorbet: In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, mix half of the water and all the sugar and salt Grate the zest of the lemon and add to the water Heat while stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved Remove from the heat, add the rest of the water and chill in the fridge Once chilled, stir in the lemon juice and taste the mix if it needs more lemon juice Freeze the mix in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions To make the cocktail: Carefully add the sorbet to the half filled glasses of prosecco or bubbly (it will froth up) When the froth has died down, top with some more prosecco Add the vodka and serve immediately Adapted from Diana Henry Sorbet adapted from David Lebovitz Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/sgroppino/ More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

I am sure I got the idea for these Christmas Milkshakes on the treadmill. And it is not the first time that has happened. In all honesty it is such a dull experience being on one, combined with watching news which is hardly ever good, that my mind usually wanders to what I am going to do for the blog. I wanted to do a festive holiday drink but am a bit of a creature of habit and my Fabulously Festive Cocktail remains the drink of choice during December and since I posted it last year, I needed to come up with something new. I then remembered Jennifer Rodda’s Spiced Caramel Milk she posted in May this year. I loved the simplicity of it and it looked so comforting, perfect for a cold winter’s evening.  But it is summer in Cape Town so  it needed to be ice cold as well. So this is the result of a delicious afternoon playing with cinnamon, milk, ice cream and a bit of alcohol. You can make the drink immediately once the milk has infused or if you want it chilled rather, pop the cinnamon milk in the fridge for a few hours to make a tasty cold milkshake. I stuck to a coffee liqueur as I had leftover from the Flourless Chocolate Fruit Cake I made a few weeks back but I think a chocolate liqueur would work well or an almond or even orange liqueur could be divine as well. You do not want to overpower the cinnamon flavour in the milk so bear that in mind. How you drink the caramel layer is up to you. You can mix it in and then drink or you can sip your drink and finish off with a fabulous caramel mouthful. Oh, and before I forget. Dear Jennifer. I know this is probably the 3rd or 4th recipe of yours I have adapted for my blog. I am not stalking you, I just love your work. OK, maybe stalking you a bit but in a good way. In a “let’s spend the day cooking together” kind of way!

Easter weekend is upon us and no matter how you celebrate it is usually a weekend of  an indulgence or two and this Creme Egg Easter Latte is a sweet and delicious addition to the long weekend. Best of all it is made with ingredients you will most probably have in the house already. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hein van Tonder (@heinstirred) Whether it’s a slow morning wake up treat or to end a special meal with family this Easter Latte is a quick and easy sweet coffee treat. Place some Creme Eggs in the bottom of a glass and if you are making it for the grown ups add a splash or two of your favourite liqueur. Amarula or Cape Velvet will fit the bill, or double up on the coffee flavour with some Tia Maria. If you feel like a touch of citrus, a big splash of Cointreau with be a delicious option too. Top it with hot, foamy milk, dairy or plant based will work just fine, but you want lots of airy, foamy milk. Finish with a freshly brewed espresso and watch those layers form. Let the Easter Latte stand for a few seconds and dive in with a copper of glass straw, reaching down to the bottom of the glass to mix the melted chocolate with the rest of latte. If you can’t find Creme Eggs, any filled chocolate will do so follow you tastebuds and have fun! I hope you enjoy this recipe for a Creme Egg Easter Latte. Remember to always share your photos with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed. For more Easter inspiration, have a look at the following recipes : Easter Cakesicles Spiced Roast Lamb and Potatoes Dutch Baby with Hot Cross Bun Croutons and Smashed Easter Eggs Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Roasted Onions and Chimichurri   Roasted Figs With Ricotta and Parma Ham

Perhaps not champagne but rather good South African Methode Cap Classique or as we call it “bubbly”. But I am sure you will agree with me that Passion Fruit Champagne sounds much more glamorous and festive as a title for a recipe than Passion Fruit Methode Cap Classique. Few fruit can make you think about hot summery days like a passion fruit (or granadilla as we call it in South Africa). Their season does not take us into summer, it is usually over by the start of spring but when the fruit is in abundance I make a point of saving all the pulp and freezing it to use during spring and summer. The acidic sweetness of passion fruit makes the most wonderful drinks and desserts. Making the cordial is super easy and I wanted to elevate the drink by using bubbly as the mixer rather than water. It goes without saying that it was a huge hit. If you do not want to add alcohol, mix the cordial with some sparkling or soda water. The cordial and bubbly mix makes the most divine sorbet. All I did was pop it in an ice cream maker and froze it once churned. Due to the alcohol it does not freeze rock hard and I served the sorbet as a palate cleanser for a dinner the other evening and it was the perfect tastebud “pick me up”. Whether you keep the seeds or not is up to you. I kept them in the cordial but did pass the cordial through a sieve to remove the pips when I made the sorbet. Enjoy! If you are looking for more quick, easy delicious meal ideas, my new cookbook, EVERYDAY TRAYBAKES is available as an instant digital download. Traybakes exemplifies the art of easy, everyday cooking. Minimal preparation, easily adaptable to your own taste and a lot less washing up. The 18 recipes in EVERYDAY TRAYBAKES will spark fresh cooking inspiration with new ideas and interesting flavour combinations. From Asia to the Middle East and Mediterranean, while firmly remaining within the realm of easy cooking, the book is proof that delicious, wholesome meals do not need hours of prep. The recipes range from unpretentious weeknight family dinners, spur of the moment entertaining, easy breakfasts for a crowd and modern ideas with vegetables. No book of mine will be complete with a sweet ending and there are 4 sweet baking recipes that require no special baking skills, in fact the pudding is mixed in the baking dish. Purchase the book by clicking on this link I hope you enjoy this recipe for Passion Fruit Champagne. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. Click here for many more festive recipe ideas More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

I’ve tried to bake with coconut flour a few times but have not had much success until these delicious Almond Tahini Choc Chip Cookies crossed my path. I found the recipe on Minimalist Baker, a blog I regularly look at for vegetarian and plant based recipe inspiration. The cookies are gluten free and not too sweet. Coconut flour is tricky to work with as it takes up much more liquid than a standard wheat flour and I find it can be quite a heavy in texture when baked. But it does another alternative for people who prefer to bake gluten free. I sprinkled a bit of sugar on top before baking to counter balance the bitterness of the chocolate and for some added texture. The batter did get a bit oily when I worked with it but the final result was a delicious cookie.  Some of the chocolate chips will fall out of the batter as you roll the cookies but just push them back onto each cookie. I prefered to use a 70% bitter chocolate so that the cookies have a good chocolate taste and added a bit of instant espresso powder into the mix since coffee, vanilla and chocolate is a fantastic combo. This recipe will yield about 18 – 24 cookies depending on the size you roll them. I have to say these Almond Tahini Choc Chip Cookies are so good eaten frozen. So  store them in the freezer once they have cooled down and eat them straight from the freezer. Enjoy!   Print Yum Almond Tahini Choc Chip Cookies Ingredients200ml almond butter 50ml tahini 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp espresso powder 50g soft brown sugar 2 eggs ½ tsp sea salt 1 tsp baking powder 4 tbsp Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil 60g coconut flour 100g dark chocolate chips extra brown sugar to sprinkle InstructionsPlace all the ingredients except for the coconut flour and chocolate chips in a large bowl and stir to combine Add the coconut flour and mix well Stir in chocolate chips, cover, and refrigerate for an hour Preheat oven to 180 degrees C Scoop out tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls the size of quail eggs Place them a few cm apart on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and press the balls down to flatten slightly Press any chocolate chips that have fallen off on top of each cookie Sprinkle with a pinch of brown sugar Bake for about 15 minutes a light golden brown and the tops of the cookies are dry Remove from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack Store in an airtight container up to 3 days or in the freezer up to 1 month I store them in the freezer and eat them straight from the freezer – they are delicious that way Adapted from The Minimalist Baker Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/almond-tahini-choc-chip-cookies/ ** Disclaimer: Olive oil provided by Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil I am proud to be associated with Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil and use it whenever a recipe requires Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The South African cold press extra virgin Olive Oil is produced in the Riversdale area, has a whiff of fresh cut grass and aromas of green tomatoes, almonds artichokes and green apples. A few more of my favourite chocolate recipes : Raw Chocolate Pudding with Sweet Dukkah   Gourmet S’mores 2 Ingredient Chocolate Cake More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube  

I am a sucker for any combination that involves cream, eggs and butter as I am sure many regular readers of this blog can attest to. But I am similarly fascinated with vegan baking and baking with alternative ingredients so I jumped at the chance to make this Vegan Choc Mint Tart when a friend showed me the recipe on enrichnutrition’s instagram feed. The tart is a crust of almonds and dates, topped with a cashew and coconut cream chocolate mousse with a layer of cashew and coconut cream mint mousse and a layer of melted dark chocolate on top as the grand finale. To me the tart is a vegan version of the classic Peppermint Crisp Tart that we South Africans are so obsessed with. I did tweak the recipe a bit and used half an avo in each of the mousse layers. Since I did not have rice malt syrup I used maple syrup but then discovered that the recipe would still be classified as vegan but can not be called raw as maple syrup is made from cooking down the sap collected from maple trees. (I have subsequently found this Rice Syrup on Faithful to Nature and does seem to be the same as Rice Malt Syrup). You could also use honey if it is suitable to your eating lifestyle. You might find the almond crust to be slightly on the thick side compared the mousses so you could reduce the quantity by about 30 – 40g but I quite liked the thick layer. The chocolate topping is a 70% bitter chocolate so the tart is rich so only a small slice of the tart with satisfy all sweet cravings. You could use a milk chocolate or a combination of milk and dark if you prefer. This Vegan Choc Mint Tart is great for a party where you want to serve something vegan. I am convinced all the non vegans will enjoy this as well. Serve it sliced in bars and it is best eaten within a day or two. I stored left over tart in the freezer. Enjoy! Print Yum Vegan Choc Mint Tart (Raw) IngredientsAlmond cookie base: 270g raw almonds 6 dates 1 tbsp coconut oil Chocolate layer: 75g raw cashews, soaked overnight ½ avocado 2 tbsp raw cacao 2 tbsp rice syrup or maple syrup or honey 2 tbsp solid coconut milk (the top part of a can of coconut milk that has been chilled overnight) 1 tbsp coconut water (from the water underneath the solid coconut milk from a can of coconut milk that has been chilled overnight pinch of salt Mint layer: 75g raw cashews, soaked overnight ½ avocado 2 tbsp solid coconut milk (the top part of a can of coconut milk that has been chilled overnight) 1 tbsp coconut water (from the water underneath the solid coconut milk from a can of coconut milk that has been chilled overnight 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (more to taste) pinch of salt Choc topping: 150g dark or milk (or combo of both) vegan chocolate, melted InstructionsLine a 20cm x 20cm square baking tin with cling wrap Pit the dates and soak them in water Blend almonds in a food processor until they resemble a fine flour-like texture Add the soaked dates and coconut oil and blend until sticky and crumbly Spoon into the tin, firmly press down and place in freezer for 30 minutes Combine all the ingredients for the chocolate layer in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy Spread on top of the base and place back in the freezer for 15 minutes Combine all the ingredients for the mint layer in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy Spread on top of the chocolate layer and place back in the freezer for at least 2 hours Remove from the freezer and spread the melted chocolate on top Place in the freezer for at least another 30 minutes Remove from the freezer, carefully take the frozen layers out of the tin and slice into small bars Adapted from enrichnutrition (instagram)Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/vegan-choc-mint-tart-raw/ A few of my other favourite vegan recipes : Vegan Caramel Vegan No Bake Granola Bars Cauliflower Kofta with Vegan Mayo How To Make Almond Milk More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook

One of my favourite ice cream flavours from The Creamery – chocolate and naartjie curd swirl – served as inspiration for this tart. Since the pastry and curd is quite rich I decided to rather make a “lighter” mousse in stead of a ganache. The tart is rich but not overly sweet. The curd can be made in advance and kept in a sterilized jar for up to 3 weeks. The pastry is a recipe from Tina Bester of Queen of Tarts and aptly called “well-behaved pastry” from her book Bake. Print Yum Chocolate & Orange Curd Tart IngredientsShortcrust Pastry: 225g butter 200g castor sugar 2 large eggs 500g flour 50g dark chocolate, melted (to cover the pastry after it has been baked) Orange Curd: 60g butter 200g caster sugar 100ml fresh orange juice 30ml grated orange zest 3 large eggs, beaten pinch of salt Chocolate Mousse: 150g dark chocolate (70%) 3 eggs, separated 250ml cream 15ml brandy (optional) InstructionsGrease a 30cm loose bottomed flan dish. Make the pastry by combining the butter and sugar in a food processor and while still running, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and blend until it forms a dough. Remove from the processor, mould into a ball, cover with cling wrap and rest in the fridge for 1 hour. While the pastry is resting, make the curd. Set a metal bowl over a large saucepan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Place the sugar and zest in a food processor and blitz together until the sugar is a light orange colour. Place the sugar mixture in the bowl with the butter, juice and salt and stir over the heat until the butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Slowly whisk in the eggs and continue whisking over the heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Spoon into a bowl and place in the fridge to set. Preheat the oven the 180 degrees C. Take the pastry out of the fridge, roll out and gently line the flan dish. Let the pastry overlap the edge of the dish by a cm or so. Prick the base with a fork, place in the fridge for 30 minutes and then bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is light golden brown (no need to fill with beans etc). Once it has cooled down for a few minutes gently trim the edge of the dish with a sharp knife and remove any extra pastry. Melt the 50g chocolate in metal bowl set over a large saucepan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Once melted, spread the chocolate over the base of the pastry shell with a pallet knife of pastry brush. (Keep the bowl handy as you will need it for the mousse.) Let the pastry shell cool down in the dish and make the mousse. Set the metal bowl used for the 50g chocolate over a large saucepan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Break the 150g of chocolate into small pieces and stir until it melts. Remove from the boiling water. Whisk the egg whites till stiff and then whisk the cream till soft peak stage. Lightly beat the eggs yolks and add to the melted chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cream and brandy and beat until well combined. Add a 3rd of the egg whites and beat until combined, then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites until the mixture is well combined. Cover the base of the pastry shell with the orange curd and carefully spoon the mousse on top. Cover and place in the fridge for a about four hours until the mousse has set.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/chocolate-orange-curd-tart/   More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook 

I am a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off. It is by far my favourite cooking contest show and I am always in awe of what the contestants create while wishing I can bake as well as they do. So in a sense this is my Showstopper post of the year as I wanted the last post of 2013 to be truly special and celebratory. This cake will be fitting for any New Year’s Eve celebration or a New Year’s day lunch. I can’t think of a better way to see in 2014 than a big slice  of meringue, pistachio, lemon curd, cream and white chocolate with a glass of bone dry bubbly. But let me be frank. It is a lot of work. A whole lot more if you have a small oven and have to bake each meringue layer separately. But the end result of a towering meringue confection is so worth it. Serves at least 12 people. I want to wish all my readers the happiest of holidays, how ever you may celebrate or not. I also have an array of festive recipes to inspire and help you plan for the season ahead – click here for all the recipes Print Yum Lemon Meringue IngredientsNotes: – Make sure all the equipment is clean and dry when making meringue. – First thing to do is drain the yoghurt – drain overnight by lining a wire mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Put the yoghurt into the lined strainer, cover and leave in the fridge overnight. MERINGUE 12 egg whites 3.7ml (.75 teaspoon) cream of tartar 5ml (1 teaspoon) salt 750ml (3.17 US cups) castor sugar 90ml (6 tablespoons) corn starch 30ml (6 teaspoons) white vinegar LEMON CURD 40g (1.4110 oz) butter 130g (4.5856 oz) caster sugar 120ml (half a US cup) lemon juice 20ml (1 heaped tablespoon) grated lemon zest 2 large eggs, beaten good pinch of salt WHITE CHOCOLATE SHARDS 1 slab white chocolate – 80g to 100g (2.8219 oz – 3.5274 oz) LEMON & PISTACHIO YOGHURT 500g (17.637 oz) plain low fat yoghurt – drained as noted at beginning of recipe 1/2 of the lemon curd 100g (3.5274 oz) pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped zest of 1 lemon WHIPPED CREAM 250ml (1 US cup plus a splash) whipping creamInstructionsMERINGUE If your oven is not big enough to bake all three at the same time, make a third of the recipe at a time and bake each third individually. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 F). Place baking paper on 3 large baking trays and by using the bottom of a 22cm (8.5 – 9 inch) cake tin, draw 1 circle on each piece of paper. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until stiff peaks form. While the beater is still running add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until all the sugar has been mixed in and the meringue is thick and glossy. Sift the corn starch over the mixture, add the vinegar and mix well until combined. Scoop each third onto a drawn circle and shape the meringue within the drawn lines, keeping the top of the meringue quite even. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 150 degrees celcius (300 F) and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 120 degrees celcius (250 F) and bake for another 45 minutes. Switch the oven off and let the meringues cool inside the oven. While the meringues are baking make the curd and chocolate shards and store until required LEMON CURD Set a metal bowl over a large saucepan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Place the sugar and zest in a food processor and blitz together until the sugar is a light yellow colour. Place the sugar mixture in the bowl with the butter, juice and salt and stir over the heat until the butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Slowly whisk in the eggs and continue whisking over the heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Spoon into a bowl, cover and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. WHITE CHOCOLATE SHARDS Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a large saucepan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Once melted, spread the chocolate evenly onto a piece of greaseproof paper. Cover with another piece of paper and gently press to release any bubbles. Roll the pieces of paper into a thin tube and place in the fridge for 2 hours to set. When you are ready to assemble the cake, unroll the tube and as you unroll the chocolate will break and you will have the shards to decorate with. LEMON & PISTACHIO YOGHURT Mix all the ingredients WHIPPED CREAM Whip the cream until stiff. I prefer not to sweeten the cream as everything else in the cake is sweet enough TO ASSEMBLE Place one meringue layer on a cake stand Spoon over the other half of the lemon curd and spread evenly over the meringue Place the 2nd meringue layer carefully on top Spoon over the lemon & pistachio yoghurt and spread evenly Place the 3rd meringue on top Spoon over the whipped cream and sprinkle with the chocolate shards The cake will hold its shape so you can make it before and serve after a meal as dessert but I would not let it stand for more than 3 hours at room temperatureSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/lemon-meringue/ More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook 

I do love one pot cooking.  A delicious dinner in under two hours with minimal fuss and effort. Although it is never too hot outside to have a curry, the days are getting that bit shorter and its time for this recipe to start featuring in many incarnations on my dinner table. I use store bought curry powder mixes without any shame. I do add a bit here and there but feel that mixing a curry blend should rather be left to the masters. If I am not in the mood for a creamy curry I replace the coconut milk with a second tin of chopped tomatoes. You will have to increase the sugar a bit since I find tinned tomatoes always need some sugar. The chickpeas are optional but I like the substance and texture it adds to the dish. The heat of the curry is a personal preference so change the curry powder strength and amount as it suits you. The coconut milk does tone the heat down a bit and the quantities below delivered a mild curry. Add extra chilli to suit your palate. Or have some freshly chopped chilli as a sambal, someone will always need more heat.   Print Yum Chicken and Chickpea Coconut Curry Ingredients1 onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, mashed 1 heaped teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon oil 1½ tablespoons hot curry powder ½ tablespoon turmeric 1 heaped teaspoon dried chilli flakes 1 tin chopped tomatoes 3 bay leaves 1 whole star anise 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tin chickpeas 1 tin lite coconut milk 8 chicken pieces (a mix of thighs and drumsticks) 200g baby spinach, washed salt for seasoning Plain yoghurt and fresh coriander to serveInstructionsPreheat the oven to 180 degrees C Use an oven proof pot with a lid and gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger until soft. Add the curry powder, turmeric and chilli flakes and fry for another 2 minutes while stirring. (The mixture will become dry). Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, star anise, salt, sugar, chickpeas and coconut milk and give it all a good stir. Add the chicken pieces and gently mix with the sauce. Cook covered for 1 hour. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the baby spinach leaves. Replace the lid and let it stand for a few minutes for the spinach to wilt. Check the seasoning and serve with steamed rice and a dollop of yoghurt and freshly torn coriander.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/chicken-coconut-curry/ Wine suggestion by Conrad Louw: Curry is probably one of my favourite topics when it comes to pairing food with wine. The choice is as wide as the styles of curry itself. Curry can be hot/mild/sweet/spicy/sour/bitter/etc depending on the region the originally curry dish is from. Not to mention the various Thai curries! I personally like to base my decision on the main ingredient of the curry ie. whether it is poultry, fish, beef or lamb but then you have to take cognisance of the style of curry. Most fragrant white wines such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Viognier and Bukettraube usually works, especially if it is slightly off-dry to counter hot chillies. And no better red wine works than a well-made proudly South African Pinotage. For this particular one-pot curry which is aimed towards being milder with the softening edges of the coconut milk, one could go for a lightly wooded Chardonnay. I really enjoy Chardonnay, but for those people who still think it is in vogue to be part of the “ABC” club (Anything But Chardonnay), time to wake up – our Chardonnays are not the overtly wooded wines of decades ago. Keeping you in mind though, get yourself the Tamboerskloof Viognier from the Stellenbosch farm, Kleinood. Creamy but full-bodied, laden with white peach notes and clever usage of older wood, this wine will pair extremely well with the chicken-coconut dish. Try it – you will most unlikely be disappointed. If you enjoy super-hot chilli curry which will make most people look like glow-worms in mating season – then opt for a cold beer, it’s always a winner. More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook 

I only recently came across the term “fakeaway”,  a homemade meal that replicates your favourite takeaway from a restaurant. And these Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles is my homemade version of the Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles served at Dahlia on Regent in Sea Point, Cape Town. A tiny Asian restaurant that manages to deliver huge flavours every single time. Biang Biang noodles are a type of noodle from China’s Shaanxi Province of which Xi’an is the ancient capital. The province was the starting point of the Silk Road, a trade route that linked the Western world with the Middle East and Asia. The noodles are hand pulled to a long wide shape, almost like a belt. The noodles are deliciously chewy and usually served with a spicy dressing. Perfect weekend takeaway food. Enter John Gregory-Smith with his fab “fakeaway” recipe using lasagne sheets to make the wide noodles. His recipe is super easy so I had to give it a try. It calls for lamb shoulder but I used ground pork as it is much cheaper than lamb shoulder. You could use ground pork, chicken, turkey, lamb or beef or crispy tofu or even fried aubergine. I tweaked the ingredients here and there and his recipe also calls for Lao Gan Ma’s famous chili crisp but I suggest you check out my chili crisp recipe I published earlier this week. I promise it’s worth it and keep the chili crisp close by, you’ll probably want an extra dollop on the noodles. And don’t stress if you can’t find fresh lasagne sheets, use dried and just cook them a bit longer. I hope you enjoy making this recipe for Biang Biang Noodles. If you’ve made it, share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoy. The images in this post has been shot on the EARL GRAY background available at shop.heinstirred.com. If you are looking for more quick, easy delicious meal ideas, my cookbook, DRUNK AND HUNGRY is available as a digital download. As the title states, the book consists of easy and flavourful recipes for when you find yourself drunk, and hungry. Savoury, sweet, vegan, vegetarian, bacon, cheese, spice, and carbs are packed into 15 easy recipes to satisfy your hunger while tantalising your tastebuds. The book has just been announced as the South African winner in the Digital Books category in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. It will now compete for Best in the World later this year at the Cookbook Fair in Paris. Purchase the book by clicking on this link

These marinated chicken kebabs are a fantastic vehicle for to play with some strong aromatic spices. One of the spice mixes I found on My Collections was the The Brazilian Gaucho mix. Packed with paprika, onion and garlic flakes, cumin, coriander, thyme and a host of other fragrant spices it is the perfect dry rub for beef steak but I wanted to try it with the humble (and rather dull) boneless chicken breasts. Marinating it in yoghurt tones down the spice flavours just a bit and ensures very tender pieces of meat. I added some apricot chutney in the mix for a bit of sweetness. The heat of the added chili and the pieces of apricot on the kebab itself adds a wonderful bit of tang.  You do not have to limit the ingredients on the kebab to just chicken and apricots but add mushrooms and some bell peppers or any other bits that takes your fancy. These kebabs will be great on the braai or pan fried in a splash of oil. Serve it with some baked potatoes and salad or take the meat off the kebab once cooked and served it on a pita or flatbread with a spoonful of plain yoghurt, some more apricot chutney and chopped herbs for freshness. If you are going to make them on the braai, remember to soak the wooden kebab sticks in water so they do not catch fire. Print Yum Marinated Chicken Kebab Ingredients4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts about 12 dried apricots Marinade ½ cup plain full fat yoghurt 2 tbsp Brazilian Gaucho mix 1 clove garlic, finely mashed 1 tbsp Boereplaas Apricot Chutney 1 fresh chilli, chopped. (Remove seeds and membrane to reduce the heat, if needed) or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes squeeze of lemonInstructionsMix all the marinade ingredients. Flatten the chicken breasts slightly and slice each breast lengthwise into 5 strips. Cover the chicken with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Remove the chicken from the marinade and scrape off any excess marinade. Skewer the strips of chicken on wooden kebab sticks alternating with a few apricots. Panfry or barbeque the kebabs for a few minutes on each side until cooked and serve immediately.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/marinated-chicken-kebab/ This is another recipe that I have developed for My Collections with products available on the site. My Collections is a treasure-trove of the best food, adventures and stories that the world has to offer. It’s the flavour of the unknown – an online wandering goods market of unique tastes, sensations and new adventures.

I must admit that making terrines are not that high up the list but after watching an Australian Masterchef challenge and dealing with a two week long pork belly craving I was quite keen to get my knife sharpened, debone and skin a chicken and get stuck in. (This post is not vegetarian friendly!) This recipe is from Maggie Beer and I am thrilled with the results. The addition of herbs and zest adds a wonderful flavour, the raisins add a bit of sweetness and even though the pork belly has quite a bit of fat this terrine is not greasy at all. There might be some of the mixture left over once you have filled the mould. Roll them into small balls and fry them while you wait for the terrine to cook. They are quite delicious. And the best way to serve the terrine? In a crispy roll, some rocket or any green leaves, a good dollop of chili mayo (is there anything that does not taste good with mayo and chili!) and some zingy cucumber pickles piled on top (from a bottle or made yourself). Print Yum Chicken and Pork Terrine Ingredients½ cup raisins ¼ cup Verjuice 1 free range chicken 120g streaky bacon rindless 525g pork belly skinless with a good amount of fat 120g free range chicken livers connective tissue removed Zest of 2 lemons Zest of 1 orange 2 tbspn lemon thyme stripped and chopped 3 tbspn flat leaf parsley roughly chopped 2 tbspn rosemary roughly chopped 100g fresh walnut bread crumbed 16g salt flakes 2 tbspn freshly ground white pepper 3 bay leavesInstructionsPreheat oven to 200C. Place the raisins and Verjuice into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once the Verjuice has come to simmering point, remove from the heat, place a lid on top of the saucepan and set aside, allowing the raisins to steep and plump up. To bone out the chicken, remove the wings at the middle joint, then cut all the way down the back bone so that the chicken is now butterflied out. Remove the back bone and rib cage, then continue your knife down to remove and cut away the breast and wish bone. Chop the knuckles from the legs, then bone out each of the legs removing as many of the tendons as possible. Feel for any bones or gristle that may be have missed and cut these out. Carefully remove all the meat from the skin, taking care not to pierce the skin. Dice the chicken breast into approximately 1cm cubes, place into a mixing bowl and set aside. Dice the chicken thigh and leg meat and pork belly into approximately 1 cm pieces and place into another mixing bowl. Cut the belly bacon into small strips and add this to the chicken and pork mix along with the livers, mix these together well and then place into a food processor and blend for 2 minutes to create a farce, remove from the food processor and place back into the mixing bowl. Add the lemon and orange zest, thyme, parsley, rosemary, walnut bread crumbs, the Verjuice steeping liquid from the raisins, sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, mix together well and set aside. Grease a 1 litre terrine and then place the three bay leaves on the base of the mould and line the mould with the skin from the chicken, place 1/3 of the farce on the base then ½ half of the chicken breast and ½ of the raisins, then another 1/3 of the farce then the remaining amount of chicken breast and raisins and finish with the remaining amount of the farce (press gently down to pack in tight). Retain any left over farce in fridge. Now fold in both ends of the chicken skin, then fold over the two sides to create a neat looking parcel. Place sheet of baking paper on top of the terrine then cover with foil and seal well. Place a cloth into the base of a high sided baking dish, place the terrine in and pour hot water two thirds up the side of the terrine mould. Put into the preheated oven and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes or more (this time will depend on your oven and the temperature of the chicken meat) or until the internal temperature has reached 60C, remove from the oven and allow the terrine to rest in the water bath for 15 minutes until the internal temperature has reached 65C or 66C. Allow to cool down in water bath. The magic temperature is 65-66C finished internal temperature. Pour off any juices from the terrine and place into fridge to chill with a weight on top for several hours.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/chicken-and-pork-terrine/

A new Ottolenghi book is always exciting news and I don’t recall a recent book everyone has been so excited to arrive as his latest offering called Sweet.  It makes sense to do a book of sweet baking and desserts (I know many of his fans are happy) and you just know there will be exotic and interesting flavour combinations on most of the pages. It really is an exquisite book, as beautiful as all his previous books and these Middle Eastern Millionaire’s Shortbread was one of those recipes with an interesting combination that immediately caught my eye. I just had to make it and after a quick trip to the shops to get some halva I got stuck in. The Middle Eastern Millionaire’s Shortbread is a layer of shortbread, spread with a mixture of halva and tahini paste and then topped with caramel layer that has a good amount of tahini paste added to it. It is rich, luxurious and very sweet but the tahini adds a welcome depth of flavour and slight bitterness to the caramel. The shortbread is made with cooled melted butter rather than softened butter that I am used to and it delivers a delicious shortbread base. I think I over baked the shortbread slightly as I could not perfectly cut the shortbreads into bars and had some pieces break off when cutting. The Middle Eastern Millionaire’s Shortbread is also topped with a sprinkle of sea salt to counteract all the sugar. The book is written with Ottolenghi’s collaborator and product developer Helen Goh. There is a wonderful story in the New York Times about how they created the recipes and you can read it here. Both recipes mentioned in the article, that chocolate cake and semolina cake look so good. But I might give the semolina cake a festive makeover for Christmas and replace the rose water with another type of syrup, maybe something citrus and boozy. Will have to give it a think. Enjoy! PS. I think if you freeze the shortbread, chop it up roughly and mix into some vanilla ice cream you will have an amazing dessert. Let me know if you try it. Print Yum Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern Millionaire’s Shortbread IngredientsFor the shortbread: 40g icing sugar 35g cornflour 40g caster sugar 175g unsalted butter, melted, and set aside to cool slightly ½ tsp vanilla extract 250g plain flour 1/8th tsp salt For the halva layer: 200g halva, roughly crumbled into small pieces 80g tahini For the tahini caramel: 200g caster sugar 120ml water 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed 80ml double cream 150g tahini paste ¼ tsp sea saltInstructionsPreheat the oven to 200 degrees C Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper, making sure that the paper rises up over the edges of the tin For the shortbread, sift the icing sugar and cornflour into the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place, then add the caster sugar and mix on a medium speed With the machine still running, slowly pour in the melted-but-cooled butter and beat until combined Add the vanilla and reduce the speed to low, then sift in the flour and salt and continue to beat until the dough comes together Tip the mixture into the tin and use your hands to pat and even out the surface Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown Remove from the oven and set aside until completely cool: this will take an hour or so, so don’t start making the caramel too soon or it will have set by the time the shortbread is cool For the halva layer, place the halva and tahini in a small bowl and mix with a wooden spoon to combine Spread the mix over the cooled shortbread and use the back of a spoon to smooth it out to an even layer To make the caramel, place the sugar and water into a small saucepan and place over a medium-low heat Stir occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat to medium-high Bring to a boil and cook – still at a boil – for about 12 minutes, until the sugar is a deep golden brown Remove from the heat and add the butter and cream: take care here, as the mixture will splutter Whisk to combine and, once the butter has melted, add the tahini and salt Whisk to combine again, then pour evenly over the halva layer in the tin, so that all of the halva is covered Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours until set, before cutting into 16 bars Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the middle of each bar and serve Tips: The shortbread layer can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container. It also freezes well. These will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge. Remove them from the fridge 20 minutes before serving, to take off the chill. Recipe from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen GohSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/ottolenghis-middle-eastern-millionaires-shortbread/ A few more of my favourite cookie and biscuit recipes : Peanut Butter Caramel Slices Olive Oil Espresso Choc Chip Cookies Flourless Almond Butter Cookies More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook  

I have not posted a dessert since December so it has to be rectified immediately. I came across the recipe for this Coconut Caramel Sauce recently on Viktoria’s Table and was immediately tempted to try it. In Viktoria’s recipe the sauce forms part of a pumpkin ice cream with praline pecans. How good does that sound (and look!)? Viktoria grew up in Bulgaria and lives in San Francisco. I love Viktoria’s blog so browse through it regularly. I love her style and photography. I made these delicious Fried Eggs in Garlicky Yoghurt with Feta Cheese a while back. In fact it was a photo of that recipe on pinterest that led me to Viktoria’s blog. And if you ever want to have the most delicious fried eggs, you have to try the recipe . Best ever! The caramel sauce consists of 3 ingredients, namely coconut cream, coconut sugar and some salt flakes to taste. You simmer the cream and sugar for about 15 minutes until amber in colour and thickened and then add the salt flakes to balance the sweetness. I took the caramel quite a bit further and had it on a slow boil for about 30 minutes to reduce more until I had a darker and thicker sauce. Coconut sugar  is a sugar produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm and has been used for many years in the South and South East Asia regions. If you do not have coconut sugar, use any soft brown sugar or a sugar like muscovado. Just taste to make sure you have the desired sweetness. I do find coconut sugar a bit too sweet so would start the sauce with 4 tablespoons and then add to preference. The sauce is great for any kind of dessert. Serve it drizzled over pancakes, ice cream or a slice of apple pie. Enjoy! Our first Food Photography Workshop of 2017 will take place on the 5th of February 2017. All the details can be found here. We still have a few spots available so do let me know if you would like to join us on this creative and fun day at the most beautiful location. Click here for more delicious dessert recipes Print Yum Vegan Coconut Caramel Sauce Ingredients1 tin coconut cream 6 tbsp coconut sugar (or other sugar of your choice) sea salt flakes to tasteInstructionsCombine the coconut cream and sugar in a pot Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until light amber in color while stirring occasionally Simmer longer for a thicker and darker coloured sauce Add the salt and stir Serve the sauce immediately or let it cool until needed Makes about 1 cup of sauceSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/vegan-coconut-caramel-sauce/  More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

I was given a jar of preserved guavas by Sophia Lindop a while back and it immediately reminded me of my grandmother and desserts from my childhood. Desserts of tinned fruit with a splash of evaporated milk. It was those bowls of memories that lead me to this recipe for Three Milk Panna Cotta. I wanted to capture those memories and flavours in a dessert but a bit more elegant. Yet still easy and as delicious. I used my go to panna cotta recipe,  this recipe for Buttermilk and Lime Panna Cotta. The recipe contains cream, buttermilk and fresh milk and all I did was to replace the fresh milk with evaporated milk. I kept the buttermilk as I wanted the panna cotta to still have some “tang”, especially if the dessert is topped with the very sweet preserved guavas and syrup. Evaporated milk (my mom refers to it as “Ideal milk”), also known as unsweetened condensed milk in some countries, is cow’s milk with about 60% of the water removed. It is different from condensed milk, which contains added sugar whereas evaporated milk has no sugar added. When it comes to how much gelatine to use, you need to follow the instructions of the product you purchase. I think this panna cotta recipe looks at its best served in a glass with the fruit served on top, so you can go for quite a soft set. But not too soft that the fruit sink to the bottom! So my recipe calls for 4 – 6 sheets but do check the instructions of the product you use. I find that the harder the set, the less creamy the panna cotta tends to be. Any preserved fruit will do as a topping. Spiced, stewed fruit will be delicious too. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Three Milk Panna Cotta. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made. Print Yum Three Milk Panna Cotta Ingredients4 – 6 gelatine leaves (check instructions on the brand you use, you want a soft set) 80ml water 200g white sugar 250ml cream 1 tsp sea salt 375ml buttermilk 380ml (1 tin) evaporated milk InstructionsPlace the gelatine leaves in the water and leave for 5 – 10 minutes to soften (or follow instructions on packet) Place the sugar, cream and salt in a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved Bring the cream to the boil and remove from the heat Squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves and add the softened leaves to the cream and stir until combined Stir in the buttermilk and evaporated milk Pour the mixture into 6 – 8 glasses depending on their size and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours Serve with preserved fruit on top Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/three-milk-panna-cotta/

The autumn issue of the Donna Hay magazine had some wonderful pear recipes in it and since we are in the same season as the Australians it made sense to try her recipe for Verjuice, Thyme and Cinnamon Roasted pears. From which I deviated quite a bit and ended with this recipe for Pears Roasted in Cider. (And from the images you can see I added some apples as well.) I did not have any verjuice and never have for that matter so the idea came to me that roasting apples and pears in cider could work really well. I popped into Roeland Liquors as they have an extensive selection of local craft beers and ciders. There are a quite number of local craft ciders available now which I think is great news. The craft ciders made by local producers are crisp and dry, far removed from the overly sweet stuff that has always been available. I don’t think it really matters whether you use apple or pear cider as long as it is a dry cider. I added bay leaves to the mix for an added layer of flavour. None of the herbs or spices overwhelm and with the added butter the roasting liquid becomes a delicious toffee sauce. The dessert is tangy, sweet and buttery with melt in the mouth fruit. Oh, and the house smells amazing while the fruit is roasting. Serve hot or cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy! Some good news to those readers who have asked, our next Food Photography Workshop will take place on Saturday the 23rd of September 2017. It falls on a long weekend so I hope it will make it easier to fit in with busy schedules. Our goal for the day is to create a space where we all can play, learn from each other and have a lot of fun doing it. Come be inspired, get creative, get more comfortable with your camera and most importantly play. All the details can be found here and do let me know if you would like to join us for the day at the most beautiful location. Print Yum Pears Roasted in Cider Ingredients8 pears, halved 340ml pear cider (room temperature) 200g demerera sugar 50g butter, chopped 6 sprigs of thyme 3 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped . 1 tsp sea salt InstructionsPreheat the oven to 200 degrees C Place all the ingredients in a roasting tray and toss to coat Cover with foil and roast for 25 minutes Remove the foil and roast for another 50 – 60 minutes until caramelised and golden Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/pears-roasted-cider/ Here are a few more of my favourite desserts for winters : Caramel Poached Clementines Boozy Chocolate Coffee Puddings Rooibos Roasted Pears More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Whether we are ready for it or not, we are hurtling into party season. Be it cozy festive dinners inside or lazy day barbecues around the pool I do think this Baked Camembert Focaccia with Honey and Dukkah will fit with any occasion you are preparing for. Crusty freshly baked bread with a round of oozy warm camembert in the middle, drizzled with sweet honey and topped with a sprinkle of sea salt and dukkah makes for an impressive snack to nibble on. Serve it straight from the oven for maximum flavour. If you do not have the time or inclination to bake your own focaccia get some bread from the bakery but make sure it is more of a flat bread than a usual loaf style. I love the combination of salt and sweet with the softness of the bread and the richness of the cheese. You can play with the flavours as well. Use a nutty dukkah with pistachios for instance (it will look so pretty) or replace the dukkah with a dusting of baharat or za’atar. You could replace the honey with maple syrup or add flavour by using different kinds of honey (I do think the bread works well with the added sweetness but you can serve it without). If you know your guests love their cheese, add two rounds of camembert to the bread in stead of just the one. Enjoy! On a photography note, I recently started playing with Dreams and Spark Lightroom Presets to mix up my editing workflow and force my eye out of its usual editing routine. The image below was edited with one of the Dreams and Spark Matte presets and I then added a few tweaks of my own. I must say I quite like the faded and almost smoky dark look of the image and it is definitely different from my usual style: Click here for more festive recipe ideas Print Yum Baked Camembert Focaccia with Honey and Dukkah Ingredients500g white bread flour 10g sachet dried yeast 10ml sugar 7½ ml salt 300ml lukewarm water extra virgin olive oil sea salt fresh thyme 1 wheel camembert cheese honey for drizzling dukkah for sprinkling InstructionsPlace the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl and make a small well in the middle Slowly pour the water into the well while mixing with a fork Mix until all the ingredients start coming together, and then knead for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth, soft dough that springs back to the touch Lightly oil a large bowl with some olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl Cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave to prove in a warm place for about 30 minutes until doubled in size Lightly oil a baking tray, punch down the dough and spread the dough out to cover the tray Using your fingers, push down roughly on the dough to make dips and wells Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with some sea salt and fresh thyme Leave to prove in a warm place for 20 minutes Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C Bake the focaccia for 20 minutes until golden on top and cooked through Remove from the baking tray and place on a cooling tray to cool down Once the focaccia is cool enough to handle, place back on the baking tray and preheat the oven to 170 degrees C Carefully slice the focaccia into about 2cm x 2cm bit sized squares making sure not to cut through the bottom crust Use the camembert wheel to cut a circle in the middle of the dough for the camembert to fit into Remove the bread within the circle but leave a bottom of bread crust for the cheese to stand on Turn the camembert on its side and cut the top off and place the wheel in the hole, cut side up Drizzle the focaccia with more olive oil, letting the oil drip between the cut segments Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is melted If the focaccia is browning too much, cover lightly with foil to keep from browning As soon as the focaccia comes out of the oven, drizzle liberally with honey, sprinkle with some dukkah and sea salt and serve immediately Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/baked-camembert-focaccia/ This recipe first appeared in the Sunday Times Food Weekly More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

Notwithstanding Nutella’s irresponsible adverts of being a healthy breakfast for children I have to admit the stuff is pretty good and could quite happily have a spoonful on my morning oats. I have been playing with the idea of a homemade version which is not as sweet that I want to use in another dessert and this recipe is essentially a delicious chocolate and nut butter. The hazelnuts come through in taste and texture and you are able to manage the sweetness to your own taste. You could also use a mix of milk and dark chocolate in the recipe. One drawback of the homemade version is that it does set to quite a solid paste. You could add more oil to the recipe but a few seconds in the microwave will bring it back to a spreadable consistency. Microwaving it a bit longer will make it quite runny and makes a delicious sauce for ice cream and a spoonful or two mixed in with custard is pretty good too. The recipe yields about 400ml and makes a wonderful gift from your kitchen. Print Yum Homemade Dark Chocolate Nutella Ingredients200g hazelnuts (not salted) 200g dark chocolate 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons icing sugar (and more to taste) 1 tablespoon cocoa half a teaspoon vanilla extract half a teaspoon instant coffee powder salt to tasteInstructionsHeat the oven to 180 degrees C and spread the hazelnuts in a single layer onto a baking sheet and roast for 12 minutes until browned and the skins are blistered. Keep an eye on it to make sure it does not burn. Wrap the nuts tightly in an old dishcloth and rub hard between your hand to remove the skins. You won’t be able to get rid of all the skins but that does not matter. Let the hazelnuts cool completely. Set a metal bowl over a large saucepan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Break the chocolate in small pieces, place in the bowl and slowly melt. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat. Please the hazelnuts in a food processor and process until a smooth paste – it will take at least 5 minutes. Add the oil, sugar, cocoa, coffee and vanilla and process until very smooth. Add the nut mixture to the melted chocolate and mix well. Taste the mixture and add salt and more icing sugar to taste. Also check the texture. If you want a smoother texture pass it through a sieve. Pour in a sterilized jar, store at room temperature and use within a week to 10 days. The mixture will be quite runny but will thicken as it cools down.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/homemade-dark-chocolate-nutella/  

Labneh is essentially a cheese made from straining yoghurt, resulting in a deliciously thick, creamy and tangy soft cheese. You can use it as you would any cream cheese, as the basis for tzatziki or spread it inside a pita or wrap. The straining process is very easy and takes 12 – 48 hours. The longer you strain it, the thicker the cheese will become. Should you want a firm cheese to roll into balls you can strain it for the full 48 hours but I prefer to strain it for 24 hours. I use a full fat yoghurt and I am not too sure if a lower fat yoghurt will give you the same consistency in the same amount of straining time. Click this link for all my delicious recipes that uses Labneh. Bit to keep it simple and easy, it makes the perfect addition to a meze platter as a dip for bread, pita or some sturdy crisps and I have listed a few suggestions below of how to turn the cheese into some very tasty dips or spreads. I am pleased to introduce my new e-cookbook, Drunk and Hungry As the title states, the book consists of easy and flavourful recipes for when you find yourself slightly drunk and hungry. Savoury, sweet, vegan, vegetarian, bacon, cheese, spice, and carbs are packed into 15 easy recipes to satisfy your hunger while tantalising your tastebuds. You can purchase the book by clicking on this link. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Labneh. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. Dip Suggestions: 1. Roughly chop a mix of fresh herbs like parsley, thyme and oregano. Sprinkle the herbs on top of the cheese and give it a gentle mix. Drizzle with some olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. 2. Sprinkle the labneh with a generous helping of Pistachio Dukkah. Give it a gentle stir (don’t mix the dukkah into the cheese too much) and drizzle with some olive oil. 3. Make the tomato & chipotle relish from my Chicken Wraps and spoon over the labneh. 4. Slow cook some sliced onion with a clove or two of garlic. Once a dark golden brown and caramelised, let it cool down to room temperature and spoon on top of the labneh. 5. Drizzle some honey over the cheese and sprinkle with fresh pomegranate seeds. (Serve with shortbread for a fantastic dessert.) More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook 

This Salted Chocolate Halva was another one of those recipes that crossed my path and immediately saved as I just had to make it at some point. Homemade tahini halva, coated in melted dark chocolate and dusted with sesame seeds, rose petals and sea salt. Impossible to resist and as if there is  any reason required to make it, February the 14th is next week and you could make it as an edible gift to be shared (or not to be shared). The original recipe comes from Bon Appétit and as it was the first time making halva I followed the recipe step by step. There is also a great video of Andy Baraghani making the recipe in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen. Do have a look. Halva can be super sweet but in this recipe the sweetness is cut with the 70% dark chocolate that has a slightly bitter edge to it as well as the sprinkles of sea salt. The only tricky part in the recipe is making the sugar syrup and getting it to 121 degrees C (between soft and hardball) but with a good sugar thermometer and a few minutes of patience, it is actually super easy to do. And I always feel very clever whenever I use a sugar thermometer! The most important part is to not overmix the tahini and the boiling syrup. Gently fold until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl – it takes about a minute or so. You will need a small loaf tin and the one I used was 18cm x 8 cm. If you want to change to a round shape, I think a 16cm cake tin will do the trick as well. Make sure the halva has cooled down completely (I placed it in the fridge overnight) before pouring the melted chocolate over it.  Add the decorations while the chocolate is still melted so that it sticks. You can add a sprinkle or two of rose petals and sesame seeds when serving. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Salted Chocolate Halva. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred Print Yum Salted Chocolate Halva Ingredients350ml tahini ¼ tsp salt 4 tbsp black and white sesame seeds, divided 350ml sugar 130g dark chocolate ¼ cup dried edible flowers (cornflowers, roses), optional sea salt flakes InstructionsLightly spray a 18cm x 8 cm loaf tin with nonstick spray Line with baking paper, leaving a 3cm overhang on both of the long sides Mix the tahini, salt and half the mixed sesame seeds in a medium bowl till combined and set aside Mix the sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan and place over low heat Stir with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sugar is dissolved for about 4 minutes Increase the heat to medium-high and place the sugar thermometer in the pot Cook the syrup, brushing down sides of saucepan with a wet pastry brush as needed to dissolve any crystals that form Boil until thermometer registers 121° C (about 7–10 minutes) Immediately remove the syrup from heat and gradually stream into reserved tahini, mixing constantly with spatula Continue to fold until the halva just comes together in a smooth mass and starts to pull away from the sides of bowl (about a minute) Be careful not to overmix or halva will be crumbly Working quickly, scrape into prepared pan and let cool in the fridge (a few hours or overnight) Once the halva has set, remove from the fridge and let it come to room temperature Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), stirring often Remove from the heat Invert the halva onto a wire rack set inside a lined rimmed baking sheet Peel away the baking paper and pour the chocolate over the halva Sprinkle the top with the flowers, sea salt, and remaining sesame seeds Let it stand until the chocolate has set and serve Recipe from Bon Appetit Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/salted-chocolate-halva/   The Heinstirred Greeting Cards Range has been launched. Inspired by fusing food and nature, distinctive images were photographed and set in original heart-shaped designs. Click here for all the details of the range now available.

These Easter Cakesicles are probably the most fun you can have with a chocolate cake, easter eggs and a few wooden ice cream sticks. It is a lovely way to get the kids involved in the kitchen over the long weekend without causing too much chaos. It’s not much of a recipe but rather an idea for something easy and delicious for Easter. An idea that is easily adapted for any occasion by changing the decorations on top. Christmas, Valentines Day, New Years Eve, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, the list of occasions are endless. Bake your favourite sponge cake recipe – it does not need to be a special cake recipe at all but bear in mind the cake slice will be topped with all kinds decorations and will be stuck on a stick so it needs to be “sturdy” enough to cope with all that. Click this link for a step by step video For the Easter Cakesicles I melted chocolate and created a criss cross pattern on the cake. Then it was topped with speckled candied eggs, cracked chocolate eggs and a splash of edible glitter. To make life easy cut the cake into wedges before you start, that way you don’t have to cut through any of the decorations. Gently push the wooden ice cream sticks into each wedge and you have a fun dessert. I hope you enjoy this recipe idea for Easter Cakesicle. If you’ve made it, share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoy. The cake was shot on the BRIOCHE design from my range of photo backgrounds. Click this link to see the whole range. Here are a few more Easter dessert ideas : Dutch Baby with Hot Cross Bun Croutons and Smashed Easter Eggs Chocolate Simnel Cake Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream

When NetFlorist sends you doughnuts the logical thing to do is make Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches. Of course you can eat them as is but who would not love Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches? Ice cold, sweet, creamy, doughy pleasure all in one bite. I can’t believe it isn’t a “thing”.   Of course, the easiest way to all that pleasure is to use store bought ice cream but you can make this even more special with homemade ice cream. And the no churn method is a quick way of making creamy delicious ice cream without the need for an ice cream maker.   I have made 3 variations from a basic no churn vanilla recipe. A delicious salted caramel swirl, a rich dark chocolate mocha and a summery fresh strawberry no churn ice cream. The basic vanilla recipe is perfect as is but the variations are a breeze to make. The salted caramel recipe is so good and you can use the sauce for any other dessert you make. The chocolate is just a slab and a half of chocolate melted with some espresso powder and mixed into the creamy base. The strawberry version needs an extra step or two due to the water content in the mashed strawberry. The water in the berries will go crystally so you need to mix the ice cream a few times in the first few hours of freezing. That way you break down the ice crystals and at the same time you ensure that the berries do not drop to the bottom of the container. But even with this extra effort the ice cream is really delicious and super easy to make. Enjoy! I love ice cream and have many more delicious ice cream recipes on heinstirred.com. Click here for the recipes. Print Yum Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches IngredientsBasic Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream : 500ml cream 5ml vanilla extract Good pinch of salt 1 can (385g) sweetened condensed milk Variation : Salted Caramel Swirl (from Gizzi Erskine) 150g caster sugar 65g butter, diced 100ml double cream 1 tsp sea salt flakes Variation : Dark Chocolate Mocha 150g 70% dark chocolate 1 tsp instant espresso powder Variation : Fresh Strawberry 600g fresh strawberries, washed and hulled InstructionsBasic Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream : Use a stand mixer or an electric beater and whip the cream, vanilla and salt to stiff peaks Slowly pour the condensed milk into the cream while whisking until combined Pour in a container, cover and freeze until ready to serve Remove the ice cream about 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly Variation : Salted Caramel Swirl Make the caramel by melting the sugar with a splash of water in a saucepan over a medium high heat and boiling until it is a light golden colour without stirring Whisk in the butter, then the cream and finally the salt Set aside to cool while making a batch of basic no churn ice cream (without adding salt to the cream) Pour a third of the ice cream mixture into a container Swirl in a 3rd of the caramel sauce (be careful not to mix together too much). Pour over another third of the ice cream and repeat the swirling and repeat with the final third of ice cream and caramel Cover and freeze until ready to serve Remove the ice cream about 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly Variation : Dark Chocolate Mocha Melt the chocolate and espresso powder over a double boiler and set aside while making a batch of the basic no churn ice cream mix Fold the melted chocolate into the ice cream and mix until well combined Cover and freeze until ready to serve Remove the ice cream about 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly Variation : Fresh Strawberry Mash 2 thirds of the strawberries with a fork Roughly chop the remaining third Make a batch of the basic no churn ice cream mix Fold all the strawberries into the ice cream mix and mix well Cover and freeze for about 2 hours Use a fork to stir the ice cream, breaking up the ice crystals and distributing the berries evenly Repeat twice more until the ice cream is frozen and ready to serve Remove the ice cream about 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/doughnut-ice-cream-sandwiches/ **Disclaimer** This post was sponsored by NetFlorist. Netflorist’s online bakery takes gifting to a whole new delicious level, offering  a wide range of mouth-watering and personalisable treats which include cakes, cupcakes, doughnuts, cookies, and more. No matter what the occasion, there is something for everyone and the best part is that all these delicious treats are available to order online. More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

Those who know me well can confirm that I can have ice cream any day, any time and in any quantity. Of all my appliances my ice cream machine is the most loved. But a no fuss, no churn ice cream is most welcome and this Biscoff No Churn Ice Cream is made with just three ingredients and a few hours of patience until it is ready to enjoy. For this type of no churn ice cream, some condensed milk, whipping cream and an additional flavour of your choice is all you need. Whip it all together, freeze and in a few hours you have a pretty good ice cream without the need for a machine or having to make a custard. Plus I always add a pinch of salt to ice cream to amplify the flavours. My flavour of choice is the totally addictive Lotus Biscoff spread and I added 2 heaped (and I mean heaped) tablespoons to the milk and cream – here you need to follow your taste buds and taste until you have the right amount of flavour. For (optional) texture I added a handful of pistachios for some crunch with each creamy and smooth spoonful. Quick, easy and so delicious. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Biscoff No Churn Ice Cream. Remember to share your photos with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed. For more Easter inspiration, have a look at the following recipes : Easter Latte Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Roasted Onions and Chimichurri View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hein van Tonder (@heinstirred) Festive Easter Cakesicles Spiced Roast Lamb and Potatoes Dutch Baby with Hot Cross Bun Croutons and Smashed Easter Eggs Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream Roasted Figs With Ricotta and Parma Ham

I have not posted a dessert since December so it has to be rectified immediately. I came across the recipe for this Coconut Caramel Sauce recently on Viktoria’s Table and was immediately tempted to try it. In Viktoria’s recipe the sauce forms part of a pumpkin ice cream with praline pecans. How good does that sound (and look!)? Viktoria grew up in Bulgaria and lives in San Francisco. I love Viktoria’s blog so browse through it regularly. I love her style and photography. I made these delicious Fried Eggs in Garlicky Yoghurt with Feta Cheese a while back. In fact it was a photo of that recipe on pinterest that led me to Viktoria’s blog. And if you ever want to have the most delicious fried eggs, you have to try the recipe . Best ever! The caramel sauce consists of 3 ingredients, namely coconut cream, coconut sugar and some salt flakes to taste. You simmer the cream and sugar for about 15 minutes until amber in colour and thickened and then add the salt flakes to balance the sweetness. I took the caramel quite a bit further and had it on a slow boil for about 30 minutes to reduce more until I had a darker and thicker sauce. Coconut sugar  is a sugar produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm and has been used for many years in the South and South East Asia regions. If you do not have coconut sugar, use any soft brown sugar or a sugar like muscovado. Just taste to make sure you have the desired sweetness. I do find coconut sugar a bit too sweet so would start the sauce with 4 tablespoons and then add to preference. The sauce is great for any kind of dessert. Serve it drizzled over pancakes, ice cream or a slice of apple pie. Enjoy! Our first Food Photography Workshop of 2017 will take place on the 5th of February 2017. All the details can be found here. We still have a few spots available so do let me know if you would like to join us on this creative and fun day at the most beautiful location. Click here for more delicious dessert recipes Print Yum Vegan Coconut Caramel Sauce Ingredients1 tin coconut cream 6 tbsp coconut sugar (or other sugar of your choice) sea salt flakes to tasteInstructionsCombine the coconut cream and sugar in a pot Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until light amber in color while stirring occasionally Simmer longer for a thicker and darker coloured sauce Add the salt and stir Serve the sauce immediately or let it cool until needed Makes about 1 cup of sauceSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/vegan-coconut-caramel-sauce/  More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

This is a great marinade for chicken and this Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken is super easy to make and very tasty. Mix it all in the morning before work and bake it in no time at all for a lovely dinner. Serve with some Asian greens and broccoli or marinade and baste the chicken on the barbecue. I think chicken wings would also be particularly good with this marinade. I used a Spicy Mango Chutney from Dam Fine Cafe in Rawsonville and is available on the My Collections website. It has a good kick. You could use any fruit chutney of your choice. If you do not have a spicy one at hand add some finely chopped chili to taste. I do think the heat makes a tasty difference so if it is not your thing, remove the seeds before mixing in, just to add that bit of flavour to the dish. The chicken is as tasty cold, so pack them for lunch or a picnic in the winelands with some salads and cold bottle of wine. You could easily also marinade some pork in this marinade. I think pork neck steaks for instance on the barbecue would very good. This is another recipe that I developed for My Collections with products available on the site. My Collections is a treasure-trove of the best food, adventures and stories that the world has to offer. It’s the flavour of the unknown – an online wandering goods market of unique tastes, sensations and new adventures. Go have a look. Yesterday saw our second Food Photography Workshop being held in Langebaan. We have been asked for another date as a few people could not make yesterday so have scheduled the 12th of July. Let me know as soon as you can if you want to join us as the spots are already limited. Print Yum Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients½ cup Spicy Mango Chutney 2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp honey 8 chicken piecesInstructionsMix the marinade ingredients and pour over chicken pieces making sure they are well coated Place in a sealable container and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours Preheat oven to 180 degrees C Place the chicken with the marinade in a roasting dish and roast for 30 – 40 minutes until cooked Spoon some of the liquid over the chicken after 20 minutes Serve immediately with some greens or pack them for the lunch box or picnicSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/spicy-sweet-and-sour-chicken/ More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook

This Berry Parfait is somewhere between a parfait and a cheesecake. But either way is a quick and easy dessert with not much fuss. I love the play of the sweet preserved berries with the more tart fresh berries. It makes the dessert not overly sweet. Texture is always important in a dessert like this otherwise it is just a mush. The preserved berries are chewy, the fresh strawberry slices add a crispiness and a beautiful red colour, while the cookie crumble with the nuts add that much needed crunch. If you do not want use cream cheese, full fat yoghurt will work fine as well. I did not add sugar to the fresh strawberry mix, you want that tartness to cut the sweetness of the conserve and the creaminess of the filling. But have a taste and if too tart add a tablespoon of caster sugar to the strawberries. Make it advance and pop it in the fridge for the flavours to meld and the creamy filling to set a bit. This is the first recipe that I have developed for My Collections with products available on the site. My Collections is a treasure-trove of the best food, adventures and stories that the world has to offer. It’s the flavour of the unknown – an online wandering goods market of unique tastes, sensations and new adventures. If you live outside of South Africa and not able to get the products used in the recipe see if you can find another type of berry compote in your local store. A good quality berry preserve would work well. If it is too thick add a dash or two of boiling water to make the mixture a bit thinner as you want a slow pouring consistency. For the cookies, you could use any shortbread and perhaps add a tablespoon or two chopped nuts for added texture. Print Yum Berry Parfait Ingredients400g fresh strawberries 2 tbsp “The Cooksister” Berry and Rose Compote (fruit and syrup) 2 tbsp “The Cooksister” Berry and Rose Compote (syrup only) 3 “Dunk” Pecan Nut and White Chocolate Cookies 250g cream cheese 250ml cream “The Cooksister” Berry and Rose Compote for garnishInstructionsHull and wash the strawberries and divide in half. Mash the one half of strawberries and slice the other half and mix both halves together. Soften the cream cheese with the back of a fork and add the cream. Using an electric beater beat the mixture until smooth. Fold in the 2 tablespoons compote and 2 tablespoons syrup. Place the cookies in a food processor and blitz until fine with a few chunks visible. (Or place in a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin) Divide the cookie crumbs equally between 4 – 6 glasses. Top with half of the cream filling Top with the strawberries Top with the rest of the cream filling Cover each glass with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour Top each parfait with a teaspoon of compote and serveSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/berry-parfait/

This recipe for Seed Bread comes from my friend Isabella Niehaus and features in her brand new cookbook Duinhuis (House on the Dune). The book is a feast, packed with some of her most famous recipes, glimpses into her life intertwined with food and stories of friends and their food that defines her style of cooking today. I have eaten the seed bread a few times and it was an obvious choice when I wanted to make a recipe from the book. I grew up knowing the name Isabella Niehaus from seeing her name as fashion editor in my mom’s magazines. Not knowing that many years later we would become friends as our love of food will lead to our paths crossing in Cape Town.  I have sat at many of her Long Table Lunches at her beautiful home on the dune and it is the same home where we host our popular food photography workshops a few times during the year. Isabella has an understated glamour with her silver bangles jingling in the background as she tells you the most amazing stories from her fashion days, the naughtiest smile, the biggest heart and a touch that creates the most delicious magic in her kitchen. Needless to say, it is such a pleasure to share this recipe from her book. It was Isabella that played an integral role that saw me fly off to France to shoot The Story of a House a few years ago with Francois Pistorius. So it is rather apt that this post coincides with the proud news that I have 4 images shortlisted in this year’s Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition. I could not make it to London when I won the Food Blogger category in 2017, so I am super excited to head to London next week to attend the awards ceremony on the 30th when the winners will be revealed. Back to the bread! The bread is super delicious and filling. Gluten free (make sure the oats you use is indeed gluten free), contains no eggs or milk and packed with nuts and seeds. We smothered it with cream cheese and peppered mackerel so the loaf did not last very long after baking. As Bella writes in the book, “this is a good addiction to have”. The bread will make a wonderful breakfast bread with the Easter long weekend around the corner. Dress it with cream cheese and salmon or sliced boiled eggs with a tangy homemade mayo for a long weekend breakfast that is healthy and utterly delicious. You can omit the nuts and replace it with more seeds. I added some sesame seeds and cashew nuts to the mix but found the cashew nuts too big and won’t add it again. I would also suggest you use a longer tin so that the bread is about 6cm or so in height – it can crumble a bit and will be easier to slice if not too high. Do yourself a favour and join Isabella at her table as she writes about the food that defines her and shares some of her famous recipes and from her foodie friends. Duinhuis is available at all bookstores now. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Isabella’s Seed Bread. If you’ve made the recipe, share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. Print Yum Isabella’s Seed Bread Ingredients1½ cups oats 1 cup sunflower seeds ½ cup pumpkin seeds ½ cup linseeds ½ cup raw almonds, whole 3 tbsp psyllium husks 2 tbsp chia seeds 1 tsp salt 1 ½ cups water 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey InstructionsGrease a loaf tin Mix all the dry ingredients Whisk the water, coconut oil and maple syrup together and add to the dry ingredients Mix well Spoon into the loaf tin and smooth the top Let it stand for at least 2 hours or overnight Preheat oven to 175 degrees C Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes Remove from the pan, turn it upside down and bake for another 30 – 40 minutes until the bread sounds hollow when you knock on it Let it cool down completely Will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days and freezes well Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/isabellas-seed-bread/ A few more of my favourite bread recipes : Gourmet Stuffed Braai Loaf Ukrainian Garlic Bread Tahini Choc Chip Banana Bread

This Egyptian Feta Salad recipe comes from one of the Favourite Recipes booklets from Books for Cooks. The lovely cookbook shop in Notting Hill, London where for only 5 pounds you can grab lunch in the demo kitchen where cooks have prepares a meal from one of their favourite cookbooks in the shop. Needless to say, the food is delicious and the lunch so popular you have to get there early to secure your seat. Over the years they have compiled cookbooks featuring some of their favourite recipes in the demo kitchen and the Favourite Recipes books compile “the favourites among the favourites” in a small softcover booklet. The Egyptian Feta Salad with Dill and Mint by Jennifer Joyce from her book The Well-Dressed Salad features in Favourite Recipes from Books 7,8 and 9. I have to admit that we bought a few Favourite Recipes booklets 3 years ago and even though they are filled with the loveliest recipes, I have not cooked from them that much but decided a few weeks ago to get my act together and use them more often as I know the recipes have been tested and made many times before ending up in the booklet. I don’t know how Egyptian this Egyptian Feta Salad is but I can vouch that it is deliciously fresh, packed with flavour and super easy to make. The quantities in the recipe is more indicative than fixed (I tweaked the quantities from the original). Like feta? Just add more. Want more acidity? Absolutely add more lemon juice. Love dill? Add another handful. My only tip would be to lay off on adding salt until you have tasted the salad at the end. Feta is quite salty and it would be a shame to over salt the salad. You can also make the salad in advance by mashing the feta and chopping the cucumber and herbs up to 3 hours before the time but only assemble right before serving. Watch a step by step reel of the recipe by clicking on this link I hope you enjoy making this recipe for Egyptian Feta Salad . If you’ve made it, share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoy. The serving spoon in the image is from my range of handmade wooden tableware. You can view the full range by clicking here.

I think you have to be pretty brave to publish something like a Paella recipe. Somehow you will be doing or adding something that someone somewhere will deem to be wrong and a sacrilege. But since I am not Spanish I guess I can take a liberty or two. Even if it means they will not allow me to enter the country when I next want to visit. And then I still have to mention I used a premixed Paella spice mix. Researching a “correct” Paella recipe is no easy task. There are countless recipes out there with as many comments saying that this is not real paella. Even in Valencia where the dish originates it seems hard to find consensus as to how this dish should be prepared. The original recipe, said to date back to the 1800’s and contains, rabbit, chicken, snails and 3 types of beans. But travel to Valencia today and you will see many variations on the dish, which made it easier for me to have a slight disregard for the rules in this recipe. The one rule that keeps coming up is that Paella should not be stirred in order to achieve the socarrat – the chewy and golden crust. I have only been able to achieve a very burnt pan when not stirring my paella, so have advocated that you do stir it in this recipe. Feel free to play with the protein ingredients, clams mussels, prawns, langoustines, rabbit, chicken and chorizo (although I have been told the Spanish never use chorizo in paella). At the end of the day you are cooking for your family and friends and that is what food is about – to be happily enjoyed and savoured around a communal table with love , no matter if you have broken a rule or two along the way. Print Yum Paella Ingredients1 tbs olive oil 200g chorizo sausage, cubed 4 chicken thighs, skinless, deboned and sliced into 4 pieces each 1 tbs olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, mashed 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1 and ½ tbsp paella spice mix 1 tbsp smoked paprika 500g paella rice 1.5 litre warm stock 6 – 8 large prawns 12 musselsInstructionsHeat the oil and add the chorizo and chicken pieces. Fry until the chorizo has rendered its fat and the chicken pieces are golden all over. Remove the chorizo and chicken from the pan, leaving the oil in the pan. Add the 2nd tablespoon olive oil and fry the onions and garlic until soft. Add the red pepper and fry for another 5 minutes until soft Add the tinned tomatoes, spice mix and paprika mix and fry the mixture for about 8 minutes until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the rice and mix through. Return the chorizo and chicken and mix with the rice. Add the stock and let the mix simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once a while. Place the prawns and mussels on top of the rice and cover the pan with foil. Let the mixture simmer for another 15 minutes over a low heat until the seafood is cooked and the stock has just been absorbed. Serve with lemon wedges.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/paella/ This is another recipe that I have developed for My Collections with products available on the site. My Collections is a treasure-trove of the best food, adventures and stories that the world has to offer. It’s the flavour of the unknown – an online wandering goods market of unique tastes, sensations and new adventures. Go have a look!

It was only when I arrived in Beirut I discovered Tabbouleh is not a grain salad with some herbs. Quite possibly the national dish of Lebanon, it is much rather a beautiful deep green, fresh herb salad with some grains. Neither did I  know that you eat the salad with romaine lettuce or tender white cabbage leaves, scooping up the salad with its lemony olive oil dressing, which I think is the most wonderful way of eating the salad. They say food always tastes better when using your hands and this is such a tasty example. (I used some cos lettuce leaves for the photos which sort of worked but I found they were not sturdy enough.)  This recipe was generously given to me by Kamal Mouzawak. Kamal is the brainchild behind Souk El Tayeb and subsequently Tawlet. He started Lebanon’s first farmer’s market, bringing together producers from different communities within Lebanon, a country mostly known for its wars,  to showcase and share their food, traditions and hospitality. Not only does the market highlight local traditions and foods but celebrate them and plays a definite roll in uniting people. From the market, Tawlet was born a number of years later. A beautiful, modern and airy restaurant but also a social business where profits support local farmers, cooks and producers. Any given day will have another cook in the kitchen. Each day a cook from a different area cooks the food from his or her area, telling the story of that area.  For more photos of my visit to Souk El Tayeb and Tawlet click here and here. I found Kamal and his team’s work so inspirational during my visit to Beirut. And think that the work that they do in Beirut and further afield in Lebanon can be duplicated anywhere in the world. How much do we know of the other communities we share our cities and countries with? And how good would it be to explore, reconcile and get to know them through our common love for food. Back to the Tabbouleh and I need to quote the unchangeable rules of Tabbouleh I received from Kamal : No tabouleh without plenty of parsley, only flat-leaf parsley. Only burghul is used, no other cereal. tabouleh and couscous do not go together – they are complete strangers. There is no room for shrimp, or other fish or indeed any animal product in tabouleh. And one last thing : The tabouleh should be juicy, without swimming in liquid. It is a fresh, slightly acidic salad. Print Yum Tabbouleh Ingredients2 bunches of parsley (about 150g each) a small bunch of mint (about 75g) 2 medium sized spring onions 1 large ripe tomato 1/2 glass fine burgul the juice of 2 lemons 1/3 glass olive oil salt and pepper romaine lettuce or white cabbage leaves to scoop up the saladInstructionsRinse the burgul, drain, and keep it covered in a little water to soak for about 30 minutes. Strip the mint leaves off the stalks. Wash the parsley, mint, tomato and onion and shake off excess water Dice the tomato and add to the burghul. Finely chop the parsley, then the mint, and mix with the burghul and tomato. Finely chop the onions, then add to the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Dress the salad with lemon juice, olive oil and more salt as necessary. Adapted from Kamal MouzawakSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/tabbouleh/

Freekeh has been on my radar for a while now but impossible to get in South Africa. So when I was approached by The Really Interesting Food Company to create a recipe with Greenwheat Freekeh there was no way I was going to refuse. And that is how this Freekeh Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel came into being. Fr Since I am up against 9 other foodies to create a recipe, I decided that I had to go sweet as most would probably do something savoury. I got inspiration from this recipe for a Freekeh Pumpkin Cake and decided to grind my own flour from the packet of cracked grain freekeh. I made the recipe up as I went along, not having any idea how the freekeh “flour” would bake but I have to say I am pretty impressed with the end result. Freekeh is “Roasted Green Grains”, produced from green durum wheat. Low GI, high in fibre and protein content and quality, it tastes infinitely better than quinoa. I roasted the pumpkin to eliminate as much moisture as possible so the weight in the recipe is for the pumpkin after it has been roasted. I would always be dissapointed when reading a recipe for a pumpkin coffee cake that there is no coffee added to the batter, so I have added coffee to this batter to appease myself. The cake is packed with spices, is deliciously moist and the streusel adds a sweet nutty texture. Freekeh is truly a tasty grain and I do recommend you get your hands on a packet and try it out. Print Yum Freekeh Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel Ingredients200g Freekeh flour (ground from 200g cracked freekeh) 200g light brown sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarb of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp espresso powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ¼ tsp ground cloves 2 eggs 250g roasted pumpkin (weight after roasted), mashed with a fork 250ml full fat plain yoghurt 80ml vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla extract Streusel topping: 50g walnuts, roughly chopped 25g light brown sugar 25g butter 25g flour ¼ tsp cinnamon InstructionsPreheat the oven to 180 degrees C Make the streusel by mixing all the ingredient with your hands until it resembles course crumbs and set aside Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin Mix together the freekeh flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, spices, espresso powder and salt in a large mixing bowl In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, yoghurt, oil and vanilla Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well mixed and smooth Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the streusel over the batter Bake the cake for 50 – 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean Cool on a wire rack, remove from the tin and serveSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/freekeh-pumpkin-coffee-cake-walnut-streusel/ We’ve had a number of enquiries for the next Food Photography Workshop and I am pleased to confirm the 15th of May 2016 for the next one. Let me know if you would like to attend. More details here. More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook    

I have mentioned before that quinoa is not one of my most favourite ingredients but when I saw the recipe on What Should I Eat For Breakfast Today for this Quinoa Breakfast Bowl I was so intrigued that I had to make it and try it out. And I was pleasantly surprised. I think using quinoa as a breakfast “cereal” really works. But then I don’t eat breakfast anymore so this was more of a sweetish late lunch for me. I decided to try Intermittent Fasting after reading about it in an article written by James Clear and have been following this pattern of eating for the last 4 months or so. The reasoning to try it was simple as due to being a food photographer I am constantly surrounded by food and I had to find a way of managing how I eat, without the agony of a calorie counting diet. I easily fell into a routine after the first week and have increased my fasting period to about 18 hours a day for 5 – 6 days a week. But I am not fanatic about it either. If I get invited to a lunch then that day I don’t follow my eating pattern and relax about it. I feel great, seem to have much more focus in the mornings when I work and don’t seem to be nearly that hungry during the morning if I had had breakfast to start with. The centimetres have fallen off and are still falling off while I am able to indulge (all within reason) in the delicious food I create and get to photograph. A win win in my book. I am not advocating this for anyone, just sharing how it is working for me in my situation. Right, back to this delicious Quinoa Breakfast Bowl. I have been seeing many breakfast bowls lately and Marta’s version looked so good. It is insanely easy to make and I tweaked the recipe to suit my taste. I cut the agave and used a whole banana for sweetness instead. I also cut the spinach and added a tablespoon of peanut butter. You can use any other nut butter for that extra protein boost and flavour. Use vegan milk like almond or coconut milk for a vegan bowl and start with half a cup and add more milk as needed to get the consistency you prefer. I had frozen blueberries in the freezer so used that rather than the strawberries in the original recipe. Choose the toppings as to what you have available but I think the more texture you add the better. Enjoy! More delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes here. And some more quinoa recipes here More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook Print Yum Quinoa Breakfast Bowl Ingredients½ cup uncooked quinoa, then cooked as per the packet instructions 1 cup frozen berries of your choice a whole banana 1 tbsp peanut butter (optional) ½ – 1 cup milk (use vegan milk for a vegan bowl) 1 tbsp cacao pinch of salt For serving: seed and nuts coconut flakes berries InstructionsPlace the fruit, milk, cacao and salt in a blender and blend well Combine the blend mix with the cooked quinoa and serve with seeds, nuts, coconut and berries Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/quinoa-breakfast-bowl/

If there ever was a “man” ice cream I think this is pretty close! I am quite a big fan of David Lebovitz and a friend told me about his book The Perfect Scoop which is packed with ice cream recipes. In there he has a Guinness-Milk Chocolate ice cream recipe which formed the base idea of this Beer and Nuts Ice Cream. I am quite surprised that with the huge interest in craft beer we do not see more beer ice cream. It seems like such a logical step to me but there doesn’t seem to be that many recipes out there. I am very happy with how this ice cream turned out. It certainly has a good beer taste and I think the secret was to cut back on the fat content of the custard by using milk in stead of cream for half of the custard base. I was a bit worried that with the water content of the beer the ice cream would have large crystals but it was not an issue. In retrospect the 100g nuts is quite a lot of nuts for this quantity of ice cream so amend the quantity to your taste. Next experiments will be with some lagers and IPAs. Boston Breweries makes a delicious Pumpkin Ale which I think will make a special ice cream. Print Yum Beer and Nuts Ice Cream Ingredients250ml full cream milk 100g sugar (half a cup) pinch of salt 4 large egg yolks 250ml cream 250ml Stout Beer (I used Mitchell’s Raven Stout) seeds from 1 vanilla pod 50g – 100g roasted mixed nuts, roughly choppedInstructionsGently warm the milk, sugar and salt over a medium heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk over the eggs while whisking briskly and return to the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly over a medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream until well combined. Then add the stout beer and vanilla seeds and mix until well combined. Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least 6 hours – overnight is best – and prepare in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. As soon as the mixture has churned, mix in the nuts and freeze.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/beer-and-nuts-ice-cream/ Wine suggestion from Conrad Louw: Stout will tone down the sweetness of the ice cream, thus the focus of this dish is rather on nutty & nice and not rich & creamy. So I would prefer to compliment the beer and nuts and accordingly stay away from overly sweet sticky dessert wines. Therefore, I will move towards nutty fortified wines to compliment the ice cream – something like Monis Medium Cream Sherry, slightly sweet but boasts with richness and nutty complexity. De Krans Tawny Port is another alternative.

I saw a wonderful recipe for Speculoos Ice Cream on Ishay’s blog www.foodandthefabulous.com. I loved the addition of condensed milk to the ice cream and decided to use that as a base for this ice cream. One of my favourite desserts is Baked Peaches stuffed with Amaretti. I did a cooking course with Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi in Tuscany a few years back and that recipe I still make today. It was also my entry for the Masterchef auditions last year. Print Yum Honey Roasted Nectarine and Lavender Ice Cream Ingredients4 peaches (nectarines) 8 ts honey 1 tb honey 15 lavender leaves 250ml whipping cream 375ml milk 1 can condensed milk (385g) 3 egg yolks 1 ts vanilla extract pinch of saltInstructionsHalve the peaches and stone. Add the honey to each peach cavity and roast at 200 degrees C for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Once cooled pulse in a food processor. I prefer it a bit chunky as I like small pieces of peach and skin in the ice cream to add texture. Heat the cream, milk, 3/4 of the condensed milk, vanilla and lavender leaves in a saucepan and bring to just under the boil. Small bubbles will form on the edges of the saucepan. Whisk the eggs and left over condensed milk until pale and thick. Add a ladle of the cream mixture (avoid adding the lavender leaves) and whisk well. Add another two ladles and whisk well each time. Add the egg mixture to the cream mixture in the saucepan and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes or so until it coats the back of a spoon. Make sure the mixture does not boil. Pass through a sieve to remove the lavender leaves and add the peach mixture, add the tablespoon of honey and pinch of salt. Mix well and let the mixture cool for at least 6 hours. Churn the ice cream as per the instructions of your ice cream machine.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/honey-roasted-nectarine-and-lavender-ice-cream/  

This sherbet is refreshing, summery and tropical, while the smokiness from the grilled pineapple adds a wonderful depth. A sherbet is usually a sorbet with dairy added which in this instance I replaced with light coconut milk. And I do think we can squeeze it into the “new year healthy eating” category. I mean, who can survive a month without ice cream? It is quite easy to make as you don’t have to hassle with a custard and the only real work is grilling the pineapple and toasting the shredded coconut. Enjoy! Print Yum Grilled Pineapple and Coconut Sherbet Ingredients125 ml water 100 ml sugar 400ml light coconut milk 1tb lemon juice 450g fresh pineapple slices (peeled and cored) Pinch of salt Garnish: a few tablespoons shredded or dessicated coconut – dry toasted in a pan over medium heat until golden brown a few more pieces of grilled pineapple for garnish (optional)InstructionsBrush each pineapple slice lightly with some oil and grill each side for 3 minutes on a hot griddle pan. Once all the slices are grilled, blitz until smooth. Bring the sugar and water to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix the pineapple, coconut milk, sugar syrup, lemon juice and salt and chill for at least 6 hours and then churn in an ice cream maker. Put in a suitable container and freeze until ready to serve. Serve topped with the shredded coconut and pineapple slices as garnish (optional)Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/grilled-pineapple-coconut-sherbet/  

I would like to have thought I invented a new dessert. Google the words Frozen Affogato, and you see an ice cream recipe of Martha Stewart that plays with the flavours but does not resemble an actual affogato. But then I made the mistake of going to the 2nd search page and someone have already had the same idea as mine. An affogato is one of my favourite desserts. This from someone who hardly ever drinks coffee and if he does, it has to be decaf but somehow the cafeine buzz and sleeplessness following an affogato has never been a reason for me to say no to one. But then it is Italian and who can say no to anything Italian. I was given a few bottles of Potion Cold Brew Coffee to try and since it has been such a hot summer to date, I guess it was a logical first thought to make a frozen version of the dessert. I thought the coffee would make a delicious granita and a creamy vanilla ice cream would be such a delicious companion to the granita. Granita is easy to make. A bit time consuming as you need to scrape the mixture every 30 minutes to create the crystally iced dessert but you might as well do that while you wait for the ice cream to freeze. I made a divine no churn vanilla ice cream which is just a mix of cream, condensed milk and vanilla paste, whipped and frozen. It can not get easier! This really is a match made in dessert heaven. It is a delicous play on flavours and textures. The bronzed coloured and coffee flavoured frozen crystals topped with the ice cold, smooth, creamy vanilla ice cream is hard to beat. I just love the different textures at play. The smoothness of the ice cream against the crunch of the iced crystals. As you eat, both the ice cream and granita melts and you end up with a creamy espresso type shot. Luckily this recipe makes enough for you to have it over and over again. An idea that I think will work really well is to haphazardly plonk spoonfuls of the granita in with the half frozen ice cream, let it freeze until solid and scoop it out as you would ice cream. Just divine! Our next Food Photograph Workshop is on the 21st of February and we still have a few spots open. You can get more details here and do let me know if you would like to book your spot for a fun and creative day out of the city. If you want to get more comfortable with your camera, improve your skills and learn our secrets, then this is the perfect chance to do it. Print Yum Frozen Affogato IngredientsGranita: 1 liter cold brew coffee ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract Ice Cream: 500ml cream (use 250ml whipping and 250ml heavy cream for am even creamier ice cream) 1 tin condensed milk 1 tsp vanilla paste pinch of saltInstructionsTo make the Granita : Mix the granita ingedients together and pour into a shallow container and place in the freezer Scrape the mixture with a fork every 30 minutes to create crystals Continue until the who mixture is frozen crystals (anything from 2 – 4 hours depending on your freezer) To make the Ice Cream Whip the cream until soft peaks and gently fold in the condensed milk, vanilla paste and salt until a smooth consistency Pour into a container and freeze until frozen To make the Affogato Place a few spoonfuls of granita in a glass Top with a scoop of ice cream Sprinkle with some more granita and serve immediatelySchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/frozen-affogato/ More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook  ** Disclaimer : I was given samples of Potion Coffee to try. Creating the recipe with the product was at my own discretion.    

It is said that Franschhoek is the gourmet capital of South Africa, amongst stiff competition from neighbouring Stellenbosch and I think Bree Street in the Cape Town city centre can certainly give it a run for that title these days. Franschhoek is home to some top notch wine estates, beautiful small hotels and brimming with chefs creating world class meals at their restaurants. And one of those meals worth taking the car and getting to Franschhhoek is Chef Neethling of La Petite Ferme’s 16 Hour Slow Roasted Lamb Wrapped in Aubergine. I had the pleasure of having the lamb for lunch a short while back and happily left with some inspiration from Chef Neethling for this Crumbed Pork Chops with Apple Sage Mash recipe. La Petit Ferme means The Small Farm and the food at this boutique winery is country style but with a contemporary twist. For Chef Neethling the food he serves must be easily identifyable and not extravagant. “It’s modern country kitchen but slightly toned down to please the clientele”, he says as I photograph some of the dishes on the menu. And even though he follows trends, he chooses trends selectively as he is careful of being too trendy and the restaurant losing it’s identity in the process. I chat to Chef Neethling about some of his favourites and spices are right on the top of his list of favourite ingredients, star anise to be precise. It is a spice that can be used in almost any cuisine, not just Asian or Indian, and works for savoury or sweet dishes. At home his fridge will have a decent amount of cheese and there will always be chutney, Mrs Balls, of course. When I ask him what he cooks when he does not feel like cooking his answer without hesitation is Boerewors Hotdogs. But he hastens to add, not just any old boerewors hotdog, it comes with all the trimmings. As we left, Chef Neethling shared his Leg of Rabbit with Apple Mustard Sauce recipe with me. Fresh rabbit can be a bit tricky to find so I decided to make a pork dish rather. It was a cold and rainy day in Cape Town and comfort food was top of mind. I took some of the elements of his dish like the mustard and apple to create these tasty pork chops. The chops are smeared with mustard for flavour and to hold the breadcrumbs. The apple mash idea comes from Donna Hay. It is not sweet at all but the apples add a slight tart sweetness to the potatoes that marries so well with the pork. For the crumbs I used some Corn Flakes crumbs but you can use regular breadcrumbs that are quite dry or panko crumbs. And of course you have to have sage with pork. Since the leaves are chopped up raw I used them sparingly as to not overpower the mashed potato. Some more images of my visit to La Petite Ferme: [metaslider id=5306] Print Yum Crumbed Pork Chops with Apple Sage Mash Ingredients1/3 cup breadcrumbs ½ tsp garlic flakes salt and cracked black pepper to season 2 tsp mild English mustard 4 pork chops 1kg potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed 3 green apples, peeled, cored and roughly cubed a few sage leaves, roughly chopped good knob of butter salt and cracked black pepper to season InstructionsPreheat oven to 220 degrees C Place the breadcrumbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl Mix to combine and set aside Rub the mustard over the pork chops and roll in the breadcrumb mixture Place on a lined oven tray and roast for 10 minutes Turn the chops over and roast for another 7 – 10 minutes until golden and cooked through While the pork is roasting, make the mash by placing the potatoes and apples in a large pot with salted cold water Bring to the boil and then simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 10 – 15 minues) Drain, return to the pot and mash with the butter Season to taste and stir in the chopped sag Serve immediately with the pork chops Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/crumbed-pork-chops-apple-sage-mash/ Our next Food Photography Workshop is taking place the 15th of May 2016. There are a few spots left so do let me know if you would like to attend. More details here. Disclaimer : I was an invited by Red Carpet Concepts to visit La Petit Ferme and photograph the food for heinstirred.com   More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook

I have been wanting to make Honeycomb Cannelloni for years now so I am thrilled to have finally made it, that it not only tasted really good but looked pretty fantastic. All in all, a winner of a dish. You fill the cannelloni tubes with a sauce of your choice and then bake it upright giving a honeycomb effect and therefor the name honeycomb cannelloni. For this version, I made a rich tomato sauce with some chorizo and filled the tubes with the sauce. Then stuffed the tubes with ricotta and topped the honeycomb cannelloni with a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. The options for the filling are really endless. Omit any meat and use a good tomato sauce (homemade is best) with any cheeses of your choice. I have seen versions with pumpkin and spinach or a classic bolognese filling. The key to the success of the dish is having enough sauce to fill the cannelloni tubes and that the dish you for baking it in is high enough for the tubes to stand upright. If too much of the cannelloni tubes stick out over the edge or not filled at least three quarters, the top of the tubes will cook dry and quite tough. I used a 22cm cast-iron casserole dish and the cannelloni fitted just level with the edge. I spooned a third of the sauce in the bottom and then stood the tubes upright in the sauce (push them down into the sauce). Use a teaspoon to spoon ricotta into each tube and push it down (I found my finger to be the best method for this). The rest of the sauce is then spooned over and into the tubes. You need a sauce that is quite liquid and rich but definitely not watery. If you see the sauce not filling the tubes enough, pour another tin of chopped tomatoes over the tubes to fill them. Let the dish stand for 30 minutes or so to soften the pasta, then cover with cheese and bake to cooked through. The chorizo adds a richness and a bit of spice to the sauce but you can easily replace it with ground beef and make a classic bolognese sauce. The honeycomb cannelloni also improves the longer it stands and we found the leftovers to be so good the next day. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Honeycomb Cannelloni. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. If you are looking for more quick, easy delicious meal ideas, my cookbook, DRUNK AND HUNGRY is available as a digital download. As the title states, the book consists of easy and flavourful recipes for when you find yourself drunk, and hungry. Savoury, sweet, vegan, vegetarian, bacon, cheese, spice, and carbs are packed into 15 easy recipes to satisfy your hunger while tantalising your tastebuds. The book has just been announced as the South African winner in the Digital Books category in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. It will now compete for Best in the World later this year at the Cookbook Fair in Paris. Purchase the book by clicking on this link

This Boerewors Nachos is one of the recipes featured in the past weekend’s Sunday Times Food Weekly. The brief was to create some delicious snacks to give the rugby fans something to cheer about. Even if the game might not be going their way. It is tasty, filling, cheesy, crunchy, colourful and I think does a good job at keeping everyone happy while watching the big game. I wanted to add a local flavour to this delicious snack and thought that boerewors – a local beef sausage spiced with coriander – will give it that true South African touch. Use any of your favourite local sausages to replace the boerewors. Lamb, Pork, a good Chorizo or even a flavourful chicken sausage will be as good. Or cut out the meat completely. I find that store bought nacho chips can easily go soggy and made my own chips by dividing flour tortillas into eights and toasting them in the oven. This yielded a more substantial chip that did not go soggy but use the store bought chips if you are pressed for time. In my experience you can never have enough guacamole or salsa so you might as well double the recipes for those and keep any leftovers in the fridge as there are so many uses that it won’t go to waste at all. Print Yum Boerewors Nachos Ingredients8 tortillas (or a large packet of Nacho chips) 1 cup grated mature cheddar cheese 400g of your favourite boerewors Guacamole: 2 ripe avocados handful fresh coriander half a red onion, finely chopped handful baby tomatoes, diced 1 fresh chilli, chopped (optional) juice of 1 lime seasoning to taste Salsa: 1 cup baby tomatoes 1 red pepper 1 fresh chilli (optional) 1 tbsp red wine vinegar pinch of sugar seasoning to taste sour cream or crème fraiche to serve sliced pickled jalapeno to serveInstructionsIf using the tortillas, preheat oven to 180 degrees C Cut each tortillas into 8ths, place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until golden and crispy Cook the boerewors your preferred method. Once cooked, slice into bite sized pieces and keep warm While the boerewors cooks make the guacamole by mashing the avocados roughly with a fork Add the coriander, onion, tomatoes and chilli and mix Add the lime juice, season to taste and mix well Make the salsa by chopping the tomatoes, pepper and chilli and mix with the red wine vinegar and sugar Season to taste To assemble: Arrange the tortilla or nacho chips in an oven proof dish, sprinkle with the cheese and place under the grill until the cheese has melted and starts to bubble Top the tortillas with the boerewors, guacamole, salsa and a scoop or two sour cream or crème fraiche Serve with the pickled jalapenoSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/boerewors-nachos/ ** This recipe first appeared in the Sunday Times Food Weekly  

This Bone Broth Ramen feels like a labour of love. Not a terribly complicated one (like love tends to be but that is a whole other story and post for an entirely different blog!) but it does take more than 24 hours to get to the end result. But the result is a nourishing bowl of goodness which is comforting and slurpily delicious. I am also aware that I am taking a huge creative license in calling it Ramen as this is not at all a traditional ramen broth but ramen’s two main ingredients are noodles and broth. And since I wanted to make my own bowl of slurpy noodles and had been planning to make a bone broth for a long time, combining the two seemed logical. I did quite a bit of reading of how to make a bone broth and it is not difficult at all. Some recipes added vegetables to the bones for cooking while others were quite adamant that it should only be bones. I went the latter route and only used bones for cooking the broth. I got a mix of marrow, pork and beef bones from my butcher. Ask for knuckles, short ribs and neck bones and the bones should have a little bit of meat on them. The method is quite simple. I roasted the bones at a high temperature to brown and caramelise and then placed them in a large oven proof dish with a lid. Covered with water, added cider vinegar, a few bay leaves and simmered it at a low temperature for a good 24 hours. Once it had cooled down a bit, I strained the broth through a fine sieve, removed the cooked marrow from the marrow bones, added it to the broth with a quarter cup of red miso and whisked it in. I then placed the broth in the fridge to cool down and once it was cooled I removed the top layer of fat. If you do not want to use miso to season the broth, season with salt accordingly. I made sure that I removed all the bits of meat from the bones before discarding them. You can add the pieces of meat to the noodles or set them aside to make a pasta sauce or a delicious savoury pie filling. The broth will only keep for a few days in the fridge so rather freeze the broth for later use. Drink it as a light soup or use it as a base for soups, stews and casseroles like you would use stock. Making the ramen or rather noodle bowl is super easy. I reheated some of the broth, removed it from heat and added the noodles to the hot broth to soften. I then added some sliced mushrooms, a boiled egg, baby pak choi, sliced spring onion and chili for a hearty bowl of slurpy noodle goodness. I do hope you enjoy this Bone Broth Ramen. You can find more miso recipes here. For other methods to make Bone Broth check out The Kitchn and click here for the Ultimate Guide to Bone Broth by Kettle and Fire. I am pleased to introduce my new cookbook, Drunk and Hungry available as an epub download. As the title states, the book consists of easy and flavourful recipes for when you find yourself drunk, and hungry. Savoury, sweet, vegan, vegetarian, bacon, cheese, spice, and carbs are packed into 15 easy recipes to satisfy your hunger while tantalising your tastebuds. You can purchase the book by clicking on this link and all you need to read it is a free epub reader such as Apple Books, Fullreader or similar. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Bone Broth Ramen. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. In other news, I am delighted to introduce the Heinstirred Greeting Cards Range. Inspired by fusing food and nature, distinctive images were photographed and set in original heart-shaped designs. Click here for all the details of the range now available. Print Yum Bone Broth Ramen Ingredients2kg bones (a mix of pork and beef – marrow, knuckle, short ribs and neck bones) 2 tbsp cider vinegar 2 bay leaves 1/4 cup red miso or salt for seasoning For the Ramen Medium egg noodles Baby Pak Choi Sliced raw mushrooms Sliced spring onions Sliced chili Boiled Egg Optional: Meat removed from the bones Other vegetables to taste InstructionsPreheat the oven to 200 degrees C Place the bones in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour turning once until browned and caramelised Place the roasted bones (and all the roasted bits in the tray) in a large oven proof dish with a lid Reduce the oven temperature to 95 degrees C Add water to cover the bones by a few cm and add the cider vinegar and bay leaves Cover and place in the oven and simmer for 24 hours After 24 hours, remove from the oven and let the broth cool down a bit Once it has cooled down enough to handle, strain the broth through a fine sieve Remove the cooked marrow from the marrow bones and add it to the broth with a quarter cup of red miso (or salt to adequately season) and whisk to combine Placed the broth in the fridge to cool down completely and then remove the top layer of fat While the broth is in the fridge, remove all the bits of meat from the bones and set aside or freeze for future use Reheat the broth to use as is or as a base for soups and stews or freeze if not using immediately TO MAKE THE RAMEN Reheat enough broth as required Remove from the heat and place the noodles in hot broth to soften Once the noodles are soft add the rest of the vegetables and serve Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/bone-broth-ramen/

At your next barbecue, skip the usual corn on the cob and make this flavourful, colourful and super easy salad recipe given to me by a friend who insisted I try it (and put it on the blog). The salad is also fantastic as a meal on its own – cook the corn any way you prefer, mix in a protein like some tuna or grilled chicken breast and you have the perfect mid-week summer meal. Leave out the meat, add some feta cheese, serve with a freshly baked bread and Meat Free Mondays are sorted. Print Yum Barbecued Corn Salad Ingredients3-4 corn on the cob 400g baby tomatoes sliced in half 1 red onion, sliced 2 avocados, stoned and cubed 1 tin (400g) red kidney beans, drained 3 heaped tablespoons roughly chopped parsley 1 heaped tablespoon roughly chopped mint 2 heaped tablespoons torn basil 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar salt and cracked black pepper Olive oil for roasting and fryingInstructionsPreheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes. Place the corn cobs in a separate dish and dry roast at the same time as the tomatoes or cook on the barbecue. Once the corn has cooled enough to handle cut the corn from the cob with a sharp knife and place in a large bowl. Gently fry the onion in some olive oil until caramelised. Add the tomatoes and their roasting liquid, onions, avocado, beans, parsley, mint and basil to the corn and stir until just mixed. Add the vinegar and a good pinch of salt and black pepper and mix. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours for the flavours to blend. Check the seasoning and serve. Serves 6 – 8Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/roasted-corn-salad/  

It will be a shame to not make the most of the asparagus available now that warm spring days are here. Grilled on a griddle pan for a smoky flavour and a slight char, combined with smooth and creamy ricotta, then dressed with a zingy chimichurri, the fresh, green spears make for a delicious spring salad with not much effort. There is not much of a recipe, just adding some ingredients together and voila, your meal is ready. Chimichurri is a herby sauce, almost a pesto but with no cheese and is well known as a condiment for grilled meat but works well with cheeses and the grilled asparagus in this recipe. A specialty of Argentina and Uruguay, it is made of finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, chili, oregano and red wine vinegar. It perks up the salad beautifully, adding flavour, texure and colour. The asparagus and ricotta offer a blank flavour canvass and you can change the herb sauces as you desire. If chimichurri does not appeal, swap it with a pesto, gremolata or salsa verde. Be brave and make a dressing with some spicy harissa. The options are endless. The images in this post have been shot on Factory Floor, one of the backgrounds from my newly launched Heinstirred Collection, available for sale online at shop.heinstirred.com. Do you have a look around, your favourite new surface may just be a click away. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta Salad and that it will become a family favourite. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed. If you are looking for more quick, easy delicious meal ideas, my cookbook, DRUNK AND HUNGRY is available as a digital download. As the title states, the book consists of easy and flavourful recipes for when you find yourself drunk, and hungry. Savoury, sweet, vegan, vegetarian, bacon, cheese, spice, and carbs are packed into 15 easy recipes to satisfy your hunger while tantalising your tastebuds. The book has just been announced as the South African winner in the Digital Books category in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. It will now compete for Best in the World later this year at the Cookbook Fair in Paris. Purchase the book by clicking on this link

No braai is complete without a bowl of potato salad and everyone has their favourite way of making this dish. For me it has to be a thick garlic and grated onion mayonnaise dressing with some chopped boiled egg or the warm German version with a tangy vinegar dressing dotted with crispy bacon and chopped parsley.

I have a recent visit to Webersburg Wine Estate to photograph the food of chef Nadia Roux to thank for this delicious recipe for Grilled Nectarine and Lentil Salad with Red Pepper Pesto. Nadia loves to work with fruit in savoury dishes and after photographing her Grilled Mango with blueberries and Danish Feta Salad I asked for another recipe I could make for the blog.   Overlooking beautiful mountains and a large pond dotted with ducks the bistro is bright and airy. The food Nadia serves is easy, unfussy, bistro style food. All made from scratch by her team. She plays with flavours and textures in her Chef’s Speciality Salad depending on the season and what is available.  “I use a lot of fresh fruit in my cooking and feel that fruit are often overlooked as elements in savoury dishes.  They bring out new bouquets of flavours when paired with meats and other proteins.” says Nadia as she preps the salad to be photographed. I love photographing burgers and the Webersburg Burger does not disappoint. Topped with strong Cheddar cheese, homemade mustard mayo and served in a brioche bun it is a meal of beauty. Nadia serves the burger with hand cut potato chips. She laughs when she says that she is not always sure the hand cut chips was the best idea, it is a lot of work but now there is no way she can take it off the menu – diners love them too much! We talk trends and recipe books. She claims she has too many recipe books but loves all of them. Nopi, the new Ottolenghi book is already a favourite and she says that every foodie and chef should own Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. She reads up about trends but it does not influence the menu that much. “If there are elements that can be implemented into our food, I’ll try it out.  But ultimately our nature is to go back to what we know and like and for that we stand ready with what we offer with our own flair.” Nadia mentions there is always onion, garlic and butter in her kitchen. And what does she cook when she does not feel like cooking? “Pasta with basil pesto – quick easy and tasty”. I tweaked Nadia’s recipe she gave me by adding lentils to the salad to make it more substantial to serve as a meal on it’s own. Nectarines are going out of season now but you can replace it with plums or even pears that are coming in season. I do think the salad will be a colourful and tasty addition to your Easter table. The red pepper pesto would also be fantastic with grilled lamb. The recipe is merely an indication and you can add other ingredients as you please on the day. Below is a gallery with more imges of my day : [metaslider id=5139] Print Yum Grilled Nectarine and Lentil Salad with Red Pepper Pesto Ingredients1 whole nectarine, sliced into wedges (or use plums or pears depending on season) Olive oil 2 cups cooked lentils Apple cider vinegar 3 baby cucumbers, sliced Fresh baby herb leaves 100g Chevin cheese, crumbled Pesto: 2 red bell peppers olive oil handful of cashew nuts, toasted 3 tbsp grated pecorino cheese 1 clove garlic, roasted salt and pepper to tasteInstructionsPreheat the oven grill Make the pesto by rubbing the peppers with oil and placing under the grill Turn the peppers regularly and grill until the skin is black and blistered in spots Place the peppers in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that the peppers sweat and cool down Once cooled, peel off the skin and deseed the peppers Place the peppers in a blender with the nuts, cheese and garlic Blend to a paste, adding more olive oil as needed and season to taste Lightly brush the nectarine wedges with olive oil and neatly grill on a griddle pan on each side until griddle marks appear. Set aside Drizzle the cooked lentils with some olive oil and a splash of apple cider vinegar Add the cucumber and mix through Top the lentils with the nectarine wedges and then with the cheese and herbs Dot the salad with the pesto and serve the rest of the pesto on the sideSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/grilled-nectarine-lentil-salad-red-pepper-pesto/ We’ve had a number of enquiries for the next Food Photography Workshop and I am pleased to confirm the 15th of May 2016 for the next one. Let me know if you would like to attend. More details here . Disclaimer : I was an invited by Red Carpet Concepts to visit Webersburg Wine Estate and photograph the food for heinstirred.com  More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook 

Spring is around the corner in the southern hemisphere but I am sure there a few cold days still heading our way so this recipe for Chicken Broth with Herbed Dumplings are not too late. But saying that, this is a bowl of comforting goodness that is suitable all year round. Bone broth is packed with goodness, rich in protein and so good for your gut but can be a bit of mission to make. Not difficult to make at all but it does take hours to get the broth ready. Beef, lamb or pork broths take anything from 24 to 48 hours (see the Bone Broth Ramen recipe link below), whereas a chicken broth only takes about 8 to 12 hours, making the wait for a bowl of this Chicken Broth with Herbed Dumplings slightly quicker and well worth it. Once the broth is ready, making the dumplings are quick to make and then cooked in the hot broth. They are made with semolina and I have added some fresh herbs for colour and flavour. In addition I have added some thinly sliced leeks and halved sugar snap peas. The veggies cook quickly to al dente in the broth adding freshness, crunchy texture and it looks really pretty. Remove any cooked meat on the chicken bones and save it to use in other meals or you can it add back to the broth when serving it. Pour any broth that you did use for this recipe into sterilised glass bottles, close and refrigerate for up to a week or place in a suitable container and freeze for future use. Enjoy! This recipe first appeared in Food and Home Entertaining Magazine Click here for my recipe for my recipe for Bone Broth Ramen and for other methods to make Bone Broth check out this The Kitchn article. Congrats to Elaine van der Plas and Melissa du Plessis. There is Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil on its way to you. Check your inbox. Print Yum Chicken Broth with Herbed Dumplings IngredientsFor the broth: 2 chicken carcasses 500g chicken necks or feet water to cover the bones few bay leaves 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar For the dumplings: 160ml water 20ml butter 2 ½ ml sea salt 125ml semolina 1 egg, lightly beaten 30ml chopped herbs (parsley, sage, chives) Vegetables: 80g sugar snap peas, halved 2 baby leeks, thinly sliced sea salt and black pepper to season InstructionsTo make the broth: Place the bones in a large oven proof dish with a lid or large stock pot with lid Cover with water, add the bay leaves and apple cider vinegar and simmer the bones gently on the stove or place in an oven preheated to 95 degrees C Gently simmer the chicken bones for 8 – 12 hours You want maximum flavour and the bones to nearly disintegrate If simmering on the stove check the water level from time to time and top up if needed After simmering for the required period let the broth cool down a bit and strain the broth through a fine sieve Remove any meat on the bones and save to use in other meals Set aside 1.5 liters of the broth and keep warm Pour the rest of the broth into sterilised glass bottles, close and refrigerate for up to a week or place in a suitable container and freeze for future use To make the dumplings: Bring the water, butter and salt to a boil Add the semolina and stir until it comes away from the sides of the saucepan Remove from the heat and add the egg and chopped herbs Mix well with a wooden spoon until the mixture is combined and smooth Take little balls of the mixture and roll into dumplings the size of walnuts Serving the broth: Season and bring the chicken broth to the boil and add the dumplings Cook for about 5 minutes until the dumplings has risen to the top Spoon into bowls, add the vegetables and check the seasoning Serve immediately Optional: Add some of the chicken meat removed from the cooked carcass used to make the broth Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/chicken-broth-herbed-dumplings/ More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook YouTube

I have not posted a single soup recipe this winter and have been searching for inspiration for a while now but could not find anything that really grabbed me. That was until Cherie Antrobus came to the rescue with her recipe for Pumpkin Soup with Roasted Pepper Salsa I spent last weekend in Cradock as a guest at the Schreiner: Karoo Writer’s Festival. My dear friend and award winning travel blogger, Dawn Jorgensen, who blogs as The Incidental Tourist, had asked me to be part of her Social Media Workshop she was presenting at the festival. Well, that is the official line. I kind of invited myself when I heard she was going to the Karoo (which with Italy is my favourite place in the world). Dawn presented an impressive workshop on the main social media platforms and how you can use it for any kind of business you might be in. I talked a bit about blogging, how Heinstirred started and how I use social media to create awareness of my work and to generate traffic to the blog. The Schreiner: Karoo Writer’s Festival is an annual event held in the Karoo town of Cradock. It is a wonderful and busy program of book launches, workshops, lunches, walks, presentations, interviews, films and music over 4 days. This year saw Niel Stemmet, Chris Marais and Julienne du Toit, Deon Meyer, Toast Coetzer, Patricia Glyn and Randall Wicomb amongst others, delight audiences with their words and stories. What I loved about the festival is how informal it is, making it so easy to approach the writers for a quick conversation and they were just too happy to reciprocate. We stayed at Die Tuishuise & Victoria Manor which has been lovingly restored and taken care of by the Antrobus family. The Victoria Manor was built in 1848 and we were lucky enough to call one of the adjoining cottages in Market Street, the Victoria Cottage, our home for the weekend. There is something magical about Karoo hospitality and its people. It takes you in, wraps its arms around you and takes such good care of you. A week later, you find yourself wanting to go back and experience it all over again. It was at dinner one evening that I tasted this pumpkin soup. We had finished the social media workshop a bit earlier and as fun as it is, it is quite a long and tiring day. I had my glass of wine sorted and proceeded to get a bowl of the soup. As I returned to the table, Cherie asked if I had added the salsa. In my hunger I did not even look at the condiments so went back for a second helping of the soup, this time with the salsa. It elevates the humble soup to something else. So much so that I doubt I will make a pumpkin soup without the salsa again. Cherie told me she got the recipe from her friend Clive Belcher who served it a party one evening. I then proceeded to gently twist her arm to pass the recipe on to me. It is just too good not to share! The garlicky and smoky sweetness of the peppers, the slight sour hits of apricot and the heat of chilli works superbly with pumpkin. I tweaked the recipe slightly and also roasted the pumpkin before adding it to the stock, as roasting the vegetable intensifies the flavour. I did not have chilli oil and finely chopped a fresh chilli and added it to the salsa. Again the heat is a personal preference and you need to add more or less chilli as it suits your palate. But I do think a little bit of heat is essential. For more details or to keep up to date with the 2015 Karoo Writers Festival and the Karoo Food Festival visit and like their Facebook pages: Karoo Writer’s Festival & Karoo Food Festival

The second part of my trip with the Tourism Authority of Thailand was visiting Cambodia and it was a bowl of Khmer Chicken Soup that immediately made we want to stay much longer than what our schedule allowed. We were hosted for dinner by the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia and the soup was one of the dishes of the evening. It had so much flavour, as rich and comforting as good chicken soup can be and I asked if the chef would be willing to share his recipe.  At the end of the dinner, he came out to share the recipe. We had a bit of a language barrier and the quantities he gave me must have been for the 30 odd people he served that evening so I have had to guestimate a bit here and there. But I think the result is quite close to what I remember it to be. As mentioned in my last post where I shared the recipe for Massaman Curry, I was invited by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to explore the Southern Tourism Corridor that comprises Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam from a gastronomy perspective. The Southern Tourism Corridor is a tourism cooperation corridor among Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established in 2007, with Myanmar invited to join in August 2018. Some of the provinces included in Thailand are Rayong and Chanthaburi, Kampot in Cambodia and Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam. Southeast Asia is one of the most popular holiday destinations for South Africans with its vibrant culture, iconic street food, world-renowned beaches and value for money attracting visitors from all over the world. But these destinations offer so much more outside of the popular and well-known locations where authentic food experiences can be discovered and enjoyed. There is something magical about Cambodia and I am already planning my return. Kampot in Cambodia used to be an important port city during the 19th century under French rule. It is a small city filled with French colonial architecture and has a roundabout in honour of the durian fruit, it’s sleepy charm mostly enjoyed by local tourists and visiting the city is so worth it.  It is also known all over the world for its pepper. Only 140km from Phnom Penh, a visit to La Plantation, one of Kampot’s most famous pepper farms is a must-do. Here a pepper tasting is provided followed by a tour of the plantations that grow the pepper and are produced in variants of green, black, red and white. The farm also produces fiery long peppers from Indonesia. In addition to the shop, where there is an array of pepper products for sale, there are two restaurants on the farm. One serving traditional Khmer (Cambodian) dishes and the other serving dishes with a French flavour, both using the locally grown pepper in the dishes on offer. Do make a point of trying one of the pepper ice creams, a flavour explosion for the palette. Sunset in Kampot is best enjoyed on a river cruise. There are many boats available and boats serve drinks and snacks while you enjoy a slow cruise on the Praek Tuek Chhu River. Enjoy the beautiful and lush scenery as the sun sets and if you are lucky, a visit from local fireflies. The Kampot Market is anything but sleepy. The vibrant sights and sounds of the market are intoxicating and it is easy to spend hours in the market. Pass the clothing shops as you enter and walk towards the jewelry in the back where many artisans craft pieces of jewelry.  To the left of the jewelry section is the fresh food section, filled with traders selling the freshest produce, seafood and meat. Food does not get any fresher and for a westerner the scenes might sometimes be uneasy. But this is real farm to table. Here, going to the market every day to buy your fresh ingredients is a way of life and not a trend. Kampot might be famous for its pepper but it is just as famous for its salt. Most salt fields are located outside of town and seawater is brought from the sea about 5 km away. The water is left to evaporate until the salt crystals form. Seeing the crystal shine at sunrise is well worth getting up early for. One of the most wonderful things in life is a chance to see something for the first time and even though Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are well known destinations they offer so much more to see and taste when veering off the usual routes. Not only do you get to see something for the first time but you get to see and taste in a very authentic way. Back to the recipe. To add loads of flavour to the Khmer Chicken Soup, use bone-in, skin-on chicken portions. That is where the flavour lies. The turmeric (also grown in Kampot) gives the soup a beautiful colour in addition to flavour while the coconut milk adds a rich creamy texture. You can also add loads of veggies just before serving the soup, letting it wilt and heat through. I added pak choi, baby corn and petit pois to the soup to add to the nutritional value. Delicious!   Print Yum Khmer Chicken Soup and Feasting off the Beaten Track in Cambodia IngredientsVegetable oil for frying 1 large onion, finely chopped 10cm lemongrass stalk, finely sliced large knob of ginger, grated 3 large cloves garlic, peeled 2 tsp freshly grated turmeric 4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 4 kaffir lime leaves 1 litre boiling water 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp palm sugar 1 can coconut milk Salt to season Sliced salad onion and coriander to serve InstructionsPlace the lemongrass, ginger, garlic and turmeric in a pestle and mortar and pound to a paste Heat the oil, add the onion and paste and fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes Add the chicken portions and coat with the onion mix Add the lime leaves and boiling water and simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 45 minutes Remove the chicken and let it cool for 10 minutes or so Use your hands and remove the meat from the bones and flake into smaller pieces Place the flaked chicken back in the pot Add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and bring the soup back to the boil Reduce the heart, add the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes Check the seasoning and add more salt or sugar as required Serve the soup hot, garnished with salad onion and coriander Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/khmer-chicken-soup-and-feasting-off-the-beaten-track-in-cambodia/ I hope you enjoy this recipe for Khmer Chicken Soup. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. And click here for more moments from the Cambodia leg of the trip. To read more about the Thailand leg of trip, click here Trip was made possible by Tourism Authority of Thailand

This post was paid for by JAZZ™ Apples and I am literally “jazzing up” the classic wintery pumpkin soup with some delicious apple crostinis.  In this recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Soup with JAZZ™ Apple Crostini it could not be easier to make these tasty morsels and take a soup we are all so familiar with up a notch or two. Slice the apples into thick wedges and place on a baking sheet. Top with a thick slice of the sharpest most mature cheddar you can afford, some crispy fried bacon and bake until the cheese has melted. Add a grinding of black pepper and serve with the soup. The natural sweetness of the soup, the tartness of the apple, sharp savoury of the cheese and saltiness of the bacon makes for a flavoursome bowl of winter warmth. You can certainly play around with the toppings, change the cheese (but keep it to a cheese packed with flavour) and swap out the bacon for chorizo, or a spicy sausage like pepperoni. The options are as plentiful as the flavour combinations you enjoy. “Grown with passion in sun-drenched orchards, enjoy the crunchy tangy-sweet, juicy invigoration only JAZZ™ apples can deliver. The collision of delightful flavours that combine into an overwhelming sensorial explosion is the result of natural breeding between the Royal Gala and Braeburn varieties. This is an apple that is a refreshing taste sensation! Originating in the beautiful orchards of New Zealand, JAZZ™ apples are now also grown in premium apple-growing countries in South Africa, the UK, Europe, USA, Chile and Australia. Look out for the distinctive bright blue label on every delicious JAZZ™ apple pack at any Checkers.” I hope you enjoy this recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Soup with JAZZ™ Apple Crostini. If you’ve made it, share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoy. The recipe was shot on the SNOEK PATE design from my range of photography and flatly backgrounds. Click this link to see the whole range.

This beautiful Tomato and Basil Savoury Crepe Cake came into being after the lovely people at ZZ2 delivered their Mouthwatering Box a short while back. The box was filled to the brim with all kinds of tomatoes including  LSL tomatoes, Romanitas, Bacio, Rigoletto, Sante as well as some onions, avos and sundried tomatoes. The brief was to create a dish using two or more of the ingredients in the box and to keep the ingredients the hero of the dish. We’re at the end of Autumn with Winter not that far away but I wanted to be transported to Summer so the idea was to make something different yet summery and beautiful to be eaten outdoors with a glass of ice cold wine while celebrating beautifully ripe produce. And I’ve wanted to do a crepe cake in ages. If anyone understands tomatoes it is the Italians, so I immediately grabbed The Italian Cooking Course written by Katie Caldesi. I met Katie in 2007 in Tuscany when we cooked with her and her husband over a week in July. Since then her book is my go to Italian inspiration. In the book she has a recipe for a fresh tomato sauce which does not use tinned tomatoes but fresh ones. The beauties in the ZZ2 Mouthwatering Box were just perfect to make the sauce and by combining it with these tasty basil pancakes which Katie also has a recipe for in the book, I think I have managed to create something different, summery and beautiful. This is would be a great brunch dish or a savoury addition to an afternoon tea table. Top it with some roasted tomatoes to add a splash of extra colour.   You can also tell ZZ2 what dish you would create with the same box of ingredients. Visit their Facebook page and leave your entry as a comment on the page. If your entry is drawn you will win your own ZZ2 Mouthwatering Box and a R1000 voucher from Checkers. * I was invited to take part in the campaign. Print Yum Tomato and Basil Savoury Crepe Cake IngredientsPancakes 4 eggs 250g flour 2 tbsp olive oil 500ml milk ¼ cup chopped basil 100g parmesan cheese, grated Tomato Sauce 1kg fresh and ripe tomatoes, quartered 4 sprigs basil (about 10 leaves) 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered 75ml olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peel and squashed 2 fresh chillies, chopped salt and ground black pepper 1 tbsp caster sugar Roasted Tomatoes 600g vine tomatoes olive oil for drizzling salt and black pepper fresh basil for garnishInstructionsMake the sauce: Place the tomatoes, onion and 2 sprigs of basil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Cover the pan with the lid and cook over a medium heat for 45 minutes, shaking the pan every 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have released their juices and softened. Remove the basil. Remove from the heat and use a stick blender to blend the tomatoes to a smooth sauce. Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic cloves and chili. Gently fry the garlic and chili for a few minutes and add the tomato sauce and rest of the basil. Check the seasoning and add the sugar to taste. Bring the sauce to the boil, then let it simmer over a low heat, uncovered, for about 45 minutes until reduced and a concentrated flavour. Roasted Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C Place the tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until the tomatoes and cooked and the skins blistered. Set aside Make the pancakes: Whisk the eggs, oil and salt in a bowl and add the flour and milk a little add a time, whisking well after each addition, making sure the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the herbs and let the mixture stand for 30 minutes. Oil a non stick frying pan with a bit of extra oil and pour a ladleful of the batter in the pan, tilting it to spread the mixture evenly. Turn the pancake over after 2 minutes and cook on the other side. Repeat the process until all the batter is used up. Assemble: Set the oven temp down to 180 degrees C Lightly grease a spring form cake tin and place it on a baking tray. Place a pancake on the bottom of the tin, top with some tomato sauce and sprinkle of cheese. Build up layers of pancakes, sauce and cheese and finish with a layer of sauce topped with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes, remove from the tin and place on a serving dish. Serve topped with the roasted tomatoes and fresh basil and serveSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/tomato-and-basil-savoury-crepe-cake/ Adapted from Katie Caldesi More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook

This Beet, Avo and Pea Salad is one of those salad I have to confess I only tried as I wanted to photograph it. The purple red with the splashes of different hues of green just want to be photographed. This is another Ottolenghi recipe from his book Plenty More which is currently one of my favourite books to page through. He mentions in the recipe that blanching beets is a good alternative to boiling or roasting and I tend to agree. That little bit of a bite adds texture to the sweet vegetable itself and to a salad like this. As Ottolenghi suggests, prepare everything in advance and then combine it all when you are ready to serve. Keep the herbs in the fridge so they do not wilt. I replaced the coriander (cilantro) in the recipe as I did not feel it will work that well with the other ingredients. All in all the recipe calls for about two cups of coriander, pea shoots and mint leaves and I replaced the equivalent quantity with baby spinach, watercress, mint, parsley and rocket. This salad will be fantastic with a roast chicken, some grilled lamp chops or as a salad with a barbecue. Today is one of those wonderful sunny winter days and the salad will add a whole lot of freshness to the table. We have some photos from our first two Food Photography Workshops up on Francois’ website. Head over to here and here to view some of the beautiful images he shot on the day. We have been asked to host another day so the third one will be on the 12th of July. We’ve had quite a bit of interest so if you’d like to join us please let me know as soon as you can. More details of the day can be found here. Print Yum Beet, Avo and Pea Salad Ingredients4 (about 400g) medium beets, peeled and cut into paper thin slices 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 3 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar 60ml olive oil, plus extra to dress 1 tsp sugar 1 – 3 tsp chili sauce (optional) 2 medium avocados, peeled and thinly sliced 2 cups mixed baby leaves and herbs ie spinach, watercress, mint, rockets and parsley 1 cup fresh or frozen peas, quickly blanched and refreshed 1 tsp salt black pepper to seasonInstructionsBoil some water in a pot and add the beets Blanch for 3 – 5 minutes until semi cooked but still retaining a bite Refresh under cold water, pat dry and transfer to a large bowl Add the onion, vinegar, oil, sugar, chili sauce if used, salt and black pepper Toss gently, taste the dressing for acidity and seasoning and set aside for 15 minutes When ready to server, spread half the beet mixture onto a large plate or shallow bowl Top with half the avocado, baby leaves and herbs, and peas Add the rest of the beet mixture and arrange the rest of the ingredients on top Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serveSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/beet-avo-and-pea-salad/ More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook  

These pancakes are the perfect alternative to wraps and pita breads. They are light and buttery but strong enough to hold quite a bit of filling. The filling options are really endless – whatever you would have in a pita or wrap would work. I love serving them with my Slow Roasted Pork and these insanely easy and quick Cucumber Pickles. The combination is perfect for when you are serving many people and want a casual affair. Everyone helps themselves to make their own pancakes. You can add some other pickles and sauces to the mix as well, like pickled jalapenos or pickled red onion which turns a vibrant pink as it stands. The very trendy Sriracha sauce will not be out of place either. For some freshness and more flavour serve small bowls of chopped parsley or coriander. It adds some colour to the pancakes too. The recipe comes from (my foodie crush) Bill Granger’s Everyday Asian book and is one I keep returning to for many occasions. Print Yum Spring Onion Pancakes Ingredients4 eggs 750ml milk 80g butter, melted 250g plain flour 5 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 4 spring onions, finely slicedInstructionsWhisk the eggs, milk and butter together in a bowl. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour and whisk until smooth. Let the mixture stand in the fridge for at least one hour. Heat a lightly oiled non stock frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add about 3 tablespoons of the batter to make a thin layer. Sprinkle with spring onion. Cook for two minutes until bubbles start to appear and turn over and cook for another minute until golden brown. Keep warm while you cook the remaining pancakes. Serve with Slow Roasted PorkSchema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/spring-onion-pancakes/ More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook 

If there ever was a recipe on this blog that exemplifies comfort food then it’s this bowl of Sumac Roast Tomatoes, Lentils and Dukkah Crusted Eggs. A bowl of simple ingredients with splashes of the exotic that envelopes you with the comfort and warmth of what must be the equivalent of a foodie hug. What made the dish even more special to me on a Saturday afternoon when I was in need of any kind of hug, were the ingredients I used. Sumac, brought back from the Spice Souk in old Dubai by a close friend and Puy lentils that I bought in France while we were there shooting the La Creuzette cookbook in April. I have been wanting to cook with Sumac for a while now. The Sumac flowers are ground into a reddish-purple powder and the spice is used quite often in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a tart lemony taste.  A flavour I thought could work well with the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes in the dish. I adapted the recipe from Diana Henry’s “A Change of Appetite” book that celebrates and explores the meaning of eating healthy without starving yourself of food or starving yourself of flavour. I have only recently discover Diana’s work after seeing various interactions with her from some of my favourite foodies on Twitter. I do love the book, filled with a vast array of truly interesting recipes and flavour combinations without trying too hard to be different. A book that is definitely on top of the pile when I need some inspiration. I stuck to the recipe for the most part but instead of roasting the tomatoes with harissa used the sumac. I used a flavourful vegetable stock to cook the lentils and found the squeeze of lemon as per the recipe at the end really lifted the lentils. I also used a mix of macadamia and pistachio dukkah I had to encrust the eggs. I have a wonderful recipe for Pistachio Dukkah right here on the blog which you could use. We are offering Food Photography Workshops as part of my collaboration with Francois Pistorius and Isabella Niehaus. You can send me a mail or message on any of the posts on the blog if you would like to be notified of the dates for future workshops as we confirm them. Print Yum Sumac Roast Tomatoes, Lentils and Dukkah Crusted Eggs IngredientsTomatoes and Eggs 12 large plum tomatoes, halved 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp sumac 1/2 tbsp caster sugar salt and pepper 6 large eggs Lentils 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, mashed 250g Puy lentils 700ml vegetable stock 1 bay leaf juice of half a lemon 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp dukkah of your choiceInstructionsPreheat the oven to 190 degrees C Lay the tomatoes in a single layer in a roasting tin and pour the olive oil over and turn to coat, ending with the cut side up Sprinkle the tomatoes with the sumac and sugar and season with salt and pepper Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until caramelized in part and slightly shrunken While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the lentils Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent Add the lentils and give a good stir to coat with the oil Add the stock and bay leaf, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered until the lentils are just tender The will take about 15 – 25 minutes depending on the age of the lentils so keep a close eye as they can become mushy in an instant When cooked, all the liquid should be absorbed but if not simply drain off the excess liquid Remove the bay leaf and check the seasoning Add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir through Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes Rince in cold water and quickly peel Roll them in the dukkah and set on top of a serving of lentils and tomatoes Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://heinstirred.com/sumac-roast-tomatoes-lentils-and-dukkah-crusted-eggs/ Adapted from Diana Henry More photos, food and travel stories on:  Instagram   Pinterest   Twitter  Facebook