A great big pot of cheesy pasta with a healthy addition of broccoli. Perfect for dinners and in lunchboxes. 

 Serves 6 

Ingredients  

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2½ cups vegetable stock
Salt and milled pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp paprika
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
500g shell pasta
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
100g Cheddar, grated 

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Add oil to a large casserole dish set over medium heat. 
3. Fry the onion for 6 minutes, until lightly golden.
4. Add the garlic and butter, frying for another 2 minutes until fragrant. 
5. Stir through the flour, using a wooden spoon to mix everything together well. 
6. Add the milk ¼ cup at a time, stirring until thickened before adding the next portion.
7. Pour in the vegetable stock, stirring until simmering.
8. Stir through the mustard, paprika and thyme and pasta. Season well.
9. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
10. Uncover, stir through the broccoli, then scatter over the cheese
11. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly charred. Serve.

Recipes & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons  

The post Cheesy broccoli bake   appeared first on MyKitchen.

 A slice of this on a rainy day could cure any blues. 

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients  

For the filling

2 potatoes, peeled
2 Tbsp butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
5 large eggs, whisked
1 cup cream
½ cup milk
1 Tbsp chopped chives
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
Salt and milled pepper
1 cup (90g) Cheddar, grated
 

For the pastry case

½ packet (1 roll) phyllo pastry, defrosted
Butter, for brushing 

Method

1. Chop potatoes into roughly 2cm cubes. Add to a pot of boiling water and cook until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes, place in a bowl and set aside. 
3. Preheat oven to 160ºC.
4. Add butter to a frying pan over medium heat.
5. Sauté leeks in butter for 3-5minutes until lightly golden and softened. Season. 
6. Add leeks to the potatoes.
7. Stir flour and seasonings together. Add potatoes, leeks and half of the cheese. Toss well and set aside. 
8. Grease the base and sides of a 23cm loose-bottom cake tin. 
9. With the pastry unrolled, measure 30cm in length and trim away the excess. 
10. Brush both sides of each sheet of pastry with butter.
11. Place one sheet into the tin at a time, rotating the tin slightly and overlapping each piece to cover the entire inside. 
12. Trim away any excess pastry that has folded over the rim of the tin to make the edges stand up. 
13. Tip potato and leek mixture into the tart.
14. Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and herbs. Season well. 
15. Pour mixture over the filling and top with remaining cheese. 
16. Bake the tart uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 45-50 minutes, until the sides are set and the centre is only slightly wobbly. 
17. Cool completely before unmoulding. Slice and serve.

Recipe & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg 

Photography: Zhann Solomons  

The post Potato & leek quiche   appeared first on MyKitchen.

 Remove the bacon to make this a vegetarian feast!   

Serves 4 

Ingredients  

For the roast butternut

1 large butternut
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and milled pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ cup honey, warmed
8 sage leaves
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 

For the crispy quinoa

½ cup uncooked red & white quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp Cape Malay curry powder 

For the walnut crumb

30g walnuts, chopped
10g sage leaves
4 slices streaky bacon, cooked
2 discs feta, crumbled 

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Slicing lengthways, halve butternut evenly. Use a spoon to scoop out the fibrous pulp and seeds.
3. Peel away the skin to expose the bright orange underneath.
4. Line a tray with baking paper, and arrange the butternut halves on top, sliced side facing down.
5. Stir together olive oil, seasonings and honey. Brush mixture over butternut.
6. Roast for 20 minutes until slightly softened, remove.
7. Using a sharp knife, slice into the butternut widthways, making sure not to slice through completely with each cut, keeping the cuts as close together as possible.
8. Brush butternut with seasoning again, push sage leaves and garlic slices into a few of the slits.
9. Roast for another 40 minutes, or until tender, basting halfway through cooking.
10. For the quinoa, place grain, water and salt in a pot. Cook until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. 
11. Add the butter, oil and seasonings to the quinoa, then toss to coat evenly. 
12. Decant quinoa onto a lined baking tray and spread out evenly.
13. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, remove and stir before roasting for another 5 minutes, or until crisp.
14. Toast walnuts in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
15. For the crispy sage, add 2 Tbsp oil to a small pan and heat until very hot. Toss the leaves into the oil and fry for 10 seconds (careful, they will spatter), remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
16. Finely chop sage and bacon together. Add to a bowl with the crumbled feta and walnuts.
17. Spoon quinoa onto a serving plate and top with roasted butternut halves.
18. Finish butternut with walnut crumb and serve.

Cook’s note  

Roasting the butternut halves for 20 minutes will make it much easier to slice into instead of struggling to cut into it while raw. 

Recipe & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg  

Photography: Zhann Solomons  

The post Hasselback butternut on a bed of crispy quinoa  appeared first on MyKitchen.

A slow roasting of veggies that results in a delicate crunch with lots of flavour.  

Serves 4-6 (as a snack) 

Ingredients 

1 bulb garlic
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 red onion
2 packets (400g) baby roasting carrots, washed
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp honey
Salt and milled pepper
10g tarragon
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cups olive oil blend
2 cups double cream yoghurt
2 tsp lemon juice
Crackers, for serving 

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC.
2. Keeping the skin on, halve the garlic bulb widthways. Cut peppers into 2cm-thick slices. Halve red onion, then slice each into quarters. 
3. Place vegetables, lemonand garlic into a deep oven-safe dish. 
4. Drizzle over honey, seasonand scatter over fresh herbs. Pour oil over the veg, ensuring it is submerged in oil. Cover the dish with foil. 
5. Roast for 45 minutes, or until everything is tenderand lightly caramelised. 
6. Remove contents from the oil with a slotted spoon, draining well. (See cook’s note.) 
7. In a pan over high heat, fry the peppers and carrots in batches until lightly charred. 
8. Blend the yoghurt with 2 cloves of the confit garlic and lemon juice. 
9. Spoon yoghurt onto a serving plate and top with confit veggies. 
10. Spoon veggies and yoghurt onto crackers and enjoy as a snack or starter. 

Cook’s note

No, all that oil is not wasted, it’s packed with flavour! Cool and seal in a glass jar in the fridge and use it for frying, caramelising or roasting, or use it for a salad vinaigrette. Use within two weeks. 

The post Confit veg medley  appeared first on MyKitchen.

A hearty, spiced lentil soup, where pulses expand into a rich, comforting bowl perfect for feeding many on cold winter nights. 

Moroccan lentil soup

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients  

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 celery stalks, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp harissa paste
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp smoked or regular chilli flakes
5 large tomatoes, seeds removed and finely diced
6 cups vegetable stock
200g dried red split lentils, rinsed
Salt and milled pepper
400g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
30g coriander, roughly chopped
Crusty bread, to serve

For the tahini drizzle

2 Tbsp tahini paste
3 Tbsp water
1 lemon, zested & juiced
Salt and milled pepper 

Method  

1. Heat oil in a large pot on a medium heat. Sauté onion, celery and carrot for 5 minutes. 
2. Add garlic, harissa, tomato paste and spices. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes. 
3. Add tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add stock and red split lentils. Season, cover with a lid and allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. 
5. Once the lentils are al dente (tender but still have some bite), add chickpeas and allow to heat through. 
6. Add ⅔ of the coriander and adjust seasoning.
7. Mix together tahini drizzle ingredients and season. 
8. Serve soup drizzled with tahini and a sprinkle of remaining coriander, with bread on the side. 

Recipe & styling: Lichelle May 
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Spicy chorizo & potato soup 

The post Moroccan lentil soup appeared first on MyKitchen.

A fibre-packed treat that tastes great without the added chocolate coating. Slice bars to your preferred size – these are 7x5cm. 

Breakfast Muesli Bars

Makes 12 

Ingredients

4 (70g) medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped (or 70g chopped date block)
1 cup (250ml) boiling water
2 cups (220g) rolled oats
¼ cup (20g) cocoa
¼ cup (50g) dried apricots, finely chopped + extra for topping
¼ cup (30g) almonds, chopped + extra for topping
1 cup (145g) multi-seed mix
1 cup (250g) smooth peanut butter

For the topping

180g dark chocolate
2 tsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds 

Method

1. Line a 20x20cm baking dish with tinfoil.
2. Add dates and water to a bowl and mash to soften. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Add oats, cocoa, apricots, almonds and the seed mix to a different bowl, stir to combine. 
4. Whisk peanut butter through the date-water mixture until smooth. Scoop this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
5. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mash everything together thoroughly.
6. Press mixture into the tin, flattening evenly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Slice into 12 bars and enjoy as is, or continue with the method below to coat in chocolate. 
7. Line a tray with baking paper and refrigerate for a few minutes.
8. In a mug, melt together chocolate and coconut oil until smooth.
9. Dip half of each bar into the chocolate, using a knife to remove the excess dripping off. Place on the cold baking tray.
10. Sprinkle the extra seeds, apricot and almonds over the chocolate coating. Repeat with remaining bars. Leave to set completely before storing in an air-tight container for 1-2 weeks. 

Cook’s tip  

Pack muesli bars into lunchboxes, enjoy as an after-school study snack or take them along on a hike. 

Recipe & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg 
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Scroll-stopping #TikTok breakfasts we still make on repeat

The post Breakfast muesli bars appeared first on MyKitchen.