Food and wine
Less is definitely more
They say less is more and we totally agree. Using just a handful of ingredients, you can whip up these delicious meals.They are packed with flavour and require minimal preparation.
Lamb chops with rainbow carrots
Ingredients
6 lamb chops
200 g rainbow carrots
8 cloves of garlic
3 oranges
½ a bunch of fresh thyme
Salt and black pepper to season
Directions
Season lamb chops with salt and black pepper and place in a shallow pan on medium heat.Turn the chops occasionally until cooked to your desire. Add in carrots and garlic cloves and turn the carrots regularly.
Peel strips of zest from one orange. Sprinkle them into the pan with thyme and toss it all together for just 30 seconds to get the flavours going.
Remove the chops from pan and squeeze the juice from the oranges into the pan. Let the juice reduce until sticky. Add the chops, toss together and serve.
Creamy cauliflower soup
Ingredients
3 tbs olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
700 g cauliflower, cored, separated into florets and cut into slices a quarter of an inch thick
5 cups of water
Directions
Warm three tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium heat.Throw in the onion and sauté until tender. Add the cauliflower and a pinch of salt followed by one cup of water. Simmer until the cauliflower is tender and then add another four cups of water. Raise the heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. Let it cool slightly.
Purée the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour the blended cauliflower back into the pot and heat through over low heat. If necessary, thin the soup with water and season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, drizzle with the olive oil and season with
pepper.
Pasta salad
Ingredients
1 packet penne or pasta of your choice
3 handfuls of fresh arugula ¾ cup of basil pesto
1 ball diced mozzarella cheese 1 red pepper
Directions
In a large pot, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and place aside. Place a pan on high heat. Half the pepper, clean out the seeds and place in the pan to sear. Once the pepper is seared, remove from the stove, allow to cool and dice.
In a large salad bowl mix the arugula, mozzarella, pepper, basil pesto and pasta together. Serve as desired.
Peppermint tart
Ingredients
1 packet tennis biscuits
500 ml fresh cream
1 slab of mint chocolate (grated) 1 can caramel treat
Directions
In a greased dish, place biscuits in rows, covering the bottom of the dish.
In a separate bowl, add the caramel, cream and ¾ of the grated chocolate.
Whisk together by hand or an electric mixer until smooth and stiff peaks form; do not over-whip.
Spread a generous amount of the mixture over the biscuits and spread evenly.
Add another layer of biscuits, followed by caramel mixture. Continue this process until the dish is full. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate over the top and place in the fridge for an hour to set.
White chocolate mousse
Ingredients
1 slab of white baking chocolate 500ml fresh cream 1 tablespoon castor sugar Ҁ 1 teaspoon vanilla essence Berries
Directions
Combine the chocolate and cream in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring continuously. Remove from the stove and transfer into a large bowl.
In a small bowl, beat remaining cream until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla essence and beat until light soft peaks form. Fold ¼ of the whipped cream into chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest.
Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate while covered for at least two hours.Top with berries of your choice before serving.