Culinary Hotline -18 January 2023
Welcome back to the very first instalment of the culinary hotline with delicious foods of 2023! Ting ting ting.
Mexi Shakshuka
Recipe by: Amy Hoppy
Ingredients:
olive oil
½ tsp smoky paprika
½ tsp cumin
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 Cup fresh cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 tin black beans or red kidney beans
4 eggs
To serve:
1 avocado, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced, or chilli flakes, to taste
Fresh herbs like rocket leaves or coriander
8 corn tacos
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 ̊C.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Once the oil is hot, sauté the spices, jalapeño slices and garlic until fragrant. Add the tinned tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and beans and stir everything together. Allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Turn the stove top off. Make four wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each well. Place the skillet in the oven and cook until the eggs are set (and cooked to your liking), about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the skillet from the oven and serve with avo, chilli, herbs and the tacos prepared according to package instructions.
Chefs Tip: One large egg contains about 6.5g protein. After an intense workout of 60+ minutes, we need 20g of protein to help our muscles recover, making three large eggs the perfect recovery snack or breakfast (combined with some carbs, of course). Add some rice to this dish to bulk it up, especially if you’re serving it later in the day. Or some toasted rye will do just fine!
Frittata
Recipe by: Amy Hoppy
Ingredients:
olive or canola oil
1 leek, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (optional)
1 cup grated courgette (water squeezed out with paper towels)
10 to 12 eggs
½ Cup unsweetened soya milk / milk of choice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups baby spinach
1 tbsp finely sliced Peppadew (sub with 2 fresh chillies, if you want more spice)
Basil leaves, for garnishing
Method:
1/ Preheat the oven to 180 ̊C.
2/ Heat up a little oil in a large, oven-proof skillet. Only once the oil is hot, add the sliced leek and mushrooms. Sauté for five minutes, then add the garlic (if using).
3/ After three to five minutes, add the grated courgette to the pan and sauté for a further three minutes.
4/ Whisk the eggs and milk together with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the fresh spinach to the veggies and stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables, gently moving the skillet so that it covers all of the veggies. Sprinkle with Peppadew (or chilli) and place the skillet into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes,until the egg is cooked through.
5/ Serve the frittata garnished with some fresh basil leaves or a leafy green salad.
Chefs Tip: A great way to use up those last bits of veg in the fridge, making a frittata is so easy and versatile. You can add so many ingredients to it!
Make this on a Sunday and you’re sorted for lunches for the next few days. It’s easy to heat up in the microwave and small portions make for a convenient snack too.
Mediterranean-style fish & veg bake
Recipe by: Amy Hoppy
Ingredients:
8 to 10 baby potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
8 plum tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
1 large red pepper, chopped
4 courgettes, chopped
1 red onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved, skin on
2 red chillies, roughly chopped
Handful fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Himalayan salt
4 large hake fillets, skinned, deboned
(150g each)
1 large lemon, sliced
1 Cup white wine (or veg stock)
Method:
1/Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2/ Add the veggies to a large, deep oven tray. Add half the thyme, drizzle with olive oil, season and bake for 40 minutes.
3/ Once the veggies are half cooked, begin preparing the fish fillets. Make sure they are well cleaned and there are no remaining bones. Place them on a plate, squeeze over some lemon juice and scatter some thyme leaves on top.
4/ Once the veggies are cooked through, place the fish on top and pour the white wine over. Cover the fish with the remaining lemon slices and fresh thyme. Bake for a further 10 to 12 minutes depending on thickness of the fish (you want the fish flaky and soft. If it’s still translucent, cook for a couple more minutes)
Bulgar wheat risotto with roasted beetroot and pumpkin
Recipe by: Clem Pedro
Ingredients:
For the roasted veggies
2 large beetroots, peeled and diced into small cubes
½ small pumpkin, peeled and diced into small cubes
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp mixed herbs
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100g leeks, chopped and washed
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ Cups bulgar wheat
¾ Cup white wine
Mushroom liquid stock concentrate, diluted into 1 litre warm water (or vegetable stock)
2 Tbsp cream cheese
50g parmesan
To garnish
4 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish
1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges.
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180C. Combine the veggies, olive oil, seasoning and mix herbs in a baking tray before tossing together to combine all the ingredients and coating well in the seasoning. Place the tray in the oven and roast until the veggies are tender and slightly charred.
Start the risotto by heating the oil over medium heat before adding the leeks and cooking until softened then add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the barley toast in the olive oil seasoning it in the leeks and garlic. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Slowly begin adding the stock 1 cup at a time while stirring through, adding the next cup only when the barley has absorbed the liquid previously added. After adding all the stock and stirring the barley should be tender and cooked through, if not add another cup of water and cover the dish with a lid, allowing it to steam until tender. Taste if extra seasoning is needed.
Add the roasted veggies to the barley and mix through before stirring through the cream cheese and parmesan. Spoon the risotto into serve bowls and add extra freshly ground black pepper.
Garnish with pumpkin seeds, parsley, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice.