Tried and Tested Recipe: Sheet Pan Friend Rice

I tried and tested this recipe and it is a thumb up!

Ingredients

·         4 Tbsp.  Creamy Mayonnaise

·         3 Tbsp. Chili sauce

·         1 Tbsp. milk

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

·         1 cup cooked rice

·         1 cup frozen peas

·         1 cup frozen chopped carrots

Method

1.       Add mayonnaise, chili sauce and milk to a cup and mix thoroughly and keep aside

2.       Set oven on grill and put sheet pan in oven for about 5 minutes to get hot

3.       Add olive oil, rice, peas and carrots to sheet pan, mix thoroughly, flatten it evenly, and place under the grill

4.       Stir every 5 minutes and flatten again

5.       Grill until rice is brown, take out, add soy sauce, stir, drizzle mixture of mayonnaise, chili sauce and milk over the dish

6.       Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

Note: Add some chopped ham or mincemeat or chopped bacon to the dish if you want a meaty dish!

Danie

Olive Bread

Ingredients

·         750 ml cake flour

·         5 ml salt

·         5 ml sugar

·         10 g instant yeast

·         30 ml olive oil

·         1 egg, beaten

·         150 ml lukewarm water

Filling

·         100 g black olives, pitted and halved

·         200 g grated mozzarella cheese

·         Oil to brush

·         Corn flour to sprinkle

Preparation

1.       Mix all dry  ingredients together.

2.       Add the yeast and mix.

3.       Add oil, beaten egg and enough lukewarm water to form soft dough. Knead the dough well until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

4.       Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, cover with greased plastic and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

5.       Knock the dough down, divide in half and roll each piece into an oval shape, one slightly larger than the other, 5 mm thick.

6.       Place the smaller oval onto a greased baking tray and sprinkle with olives, reserving some halves for garnishing.

7.       Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and cover with the large oval, folding the edge of the larger oval under the edge of the smaller oval.

8.       Brush with oil, cut the top with a sharp knife and garnish with olives.

9.       Cover with greased plastic and allow rising in a warm place for about 15 – 20 minutes.

10.   Dust with corn flour and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Danie de Villiers - Freelance writer

Warm Beef and Potato Salad

Ingredients

·         500 g (1 lb.) beef fillet in one piece

·         2 tbsp. crushed black peppercorns

·         Vegetable oil

·         4 potatoes, very thinly sliced

·         1 large sweet potato, very thinly sliced

·         Salt

·         Assorted lettuce leaves

·         Balsamic or red wine vinegar

Preparation

1.       Roll beef in black peppercorns.

2.       Heat 1 tbsp. oil in frying pan over medium heat, add beef and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently until well browned on all sides – continue cooking until it is cooked to your liking. Remove beef from pan, cover, set aside and keep warm. (When the beef is browned it will be rare-to-medium. If this how you like your meat, remove it from the pan. To test the degree of doneness of the meat, press it with a pair of blunt tongs. Rare meat will feel springy to the touch, medium meat slightly springy and well-done meat will feel firm).

3.       Wipe pan clean. Add 5 cm oil and heat to hot. Cook potato slices and sweet potato slices in batches for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from pan, drain on absorbent kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.

4.       To serve, slice beef thinly. Divide potato and sweet potato crisps and lettuce leaves between serving plates. Place beef slices on top of lettuce, sprinkle with vinegar and serve immediately.

Serves 4

The Estate Agent

Freelance Writer

Seafood Barbeque

Ingredients

·         ¼ cup soy sauce

·         2 tbsp. honey

·         2 tbsp. tomato sauce

·         2 tbsp. sesame seeds

·         1 tbsp. grated lemon rind

·         375 g uncooked large prawns; shelled and deveined but tails left intact

·         250 g calamari (squid) rings

·         250 g boneless fish fillets; cut into thick strips

·         4 potatoes; thinly sliced

·         4 small tomatoes; halved

·         2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         Lemon wedges

Preparation

1.       Place soy sauce, honey, tomato sauce, sesame seeds and lemon rind in a shallow glass dish; add prawns, calamari and fish; toss to coat and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

2.       Sprinkle potatoes and tomatoes with thyme and black pepper to taste.

3.       Cook potatoes and tomatoes on a well-greased pre-heated hot barbeque plate (griddle) for 10 minutes or until potatoes are crisp and tomatoes soft. Push vegetables to the side of the barbeque to keep warm.

4.       Add seafood mixture to barbeque and cook, turning frequently for 5 minutes or until cooked. As seafood cooks push it to the side to keep warm.

5.       To serve divide potatoes, tomatoes and seafood between serving plates and accompany with wedges of lemon.

Serves 4

Danie de Villiers - Freelance writer

Vegetable Curry Dish

Ingredients

·         1 tablespoon cooking oil

·         3 onions, chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, crushed

·         1 small piece of ginger, crushed

·         2 tablespoons curry powder

·         1 teaspoon cumin seeds

·         2 teaspoons turmeric

·         ½ teaspoon ground coriander

·         1 bay leaf

·         1 cinnamon stick

·         2 tablespoons flour

·         5 medium sized carrots

·         2 medium sized sweet potatoes

·         2 medium sized potatoes

·         1 small cauliflower

·         4 baby marrows

·         2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped

·         1 medium sized green pepper

·         2 cups beef stock

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1 can tomato paste dissolved in a cup water

·         Handful of cashew nuts 

Preparation

1.       In a large saucepan fry onion, garlic and ginger for 10 minutes in oil.

2.       Add curry, cumin, turmeric, coriander, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and flour. Fry for 5 minutes.

3.       Boil all the vegetables in water (with exception of tomatoes and green pepper) together for 10 minutes. Drain and add to pan.

4.       Add tomatoes, green pepper, beef stock, salt, pepper and diluted tomato paste.

5.       Bring back to boil for 10 minutes. Place in oven dish with lid and bake in preheated oven for 1½ hour at 160°C (320°F) until vegetables are cooked.

6.       Sprinkle with nuts and enjoy!

Serves 6-8.

Danie de Villiers – Freelance writer

Buttered Noodles

 You will need

• 8 ounces (250 g) ribbon noodles

• Boiling water

• ½-teaspoon salt

• 1-tablespoon butter

 Method

1. Boil the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Boils until they are cooked al dente - this means the noodles are soft but still offer some slight resistance to the teeth.

2. Drain in a colander and melt the butter in the pan used to cook the noodles. Return the noodles to the pan and gently lift and turn the noodles in the butter with two forks so that they are coated with butter. 

Serve the noodles in a dish and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Danie de Villiers - Freelance writer

Baked Courgettes with Cheddar

 You will need

• 4 courgettes (zucchini)

• 2 tablespoon grated Cheddar cheese

• 2 tablespoon butter

• Salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ⁰C (350 ⁰F). Slice the courgettes in half, lengthways. Butter a shallow baking dish and arrange the courgettes, cut side up, inside the dish.

2. Sprinkle the cheese over the courgettes, and sprinkle over a few pats of butter.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the courgettes are tender and the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

4.Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

Danie de Villiers