These fun reindeer sloppy joes are sure to bring the festive cheer this year, so why not get the kids involved and make them together?

MAKES 10 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 10 min

INGREDIENTS
For the reindeer sloppy joes
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
800 g beef mince
4 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp origanum
1½ tbsp tomato paste, plus extra to assemble
To assemble
10 rolls
5 baby tomatoes, halved
2 cheese slices
10 raisins, halved
10 pretzels

METHOD
For the reindeer sloppy joes
1. Heat a dash of oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 8 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the mince and brown for 8 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce, sugar, tinned tomatoes, origanum and 1½ tbsp of the tomato paste. Season well and simmer for 20 minutes.
To assemble
1. Slice open each roll and fill with tbsp of mince.
2. To make noses, use a toothpick to attach half of a tomato to each roll.
3. Use the wide end of a piping nozzle to cut eyes from the cheese. Stick them to the rolls using extra tomato paste. Put raisin halves in the middle of each eye to make pupils.
4. Break each pretzel in half and stick them into the top of each roll to make antlers. Enjoy immediately.

Recipe & styling: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za

Christmas in South Africa wouldn’t be the same without hot summer nights by the braai, and the little ones will love snacking on these drool-worthy Snickers s’mores after their supper.

The post Cooking with kids: Reindeer sloppy joes appeared first on MyKitchen.

Served warm and filled with sugar and spice, it’s easy to see why this traditional Mexican Christmas punch is a holiday-season staple in Mexico.

SERVES 10 // COOKING TIME 45 min

INGREDIENTS
3½ L water
3 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
1 orange peel
4–5 hibiscus tea bags
1 cup brown sugar
6 apples, chopped
4 pears, chopped
6 guavas, chopped
¾ cup seedless prunes
½ cup raisins
Rum, brandy or tequila, to serve

METHOD
1. Bring the water to a boil, along with the cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and tea.
2. Add sugar and the fresh and dried fruit. Simmer over a low heat for at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the sweetness.
3. Serve warm with your choice of rum, brandy or tequila.

Recipe: Nicola Naudé
Styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

While this Christmas punch is an excellent pairing for your festive lunch, Christmas Eve deserves something a bit more extravagant, like our cherry martinis.

The post Enjoy your roast with this traditional Mexican Christmas punch appeared first on MyKitchen.

Have you ever thought about going savoury with these babies? Serve up these bobotie mince pies as canapés to your friends and family as they arrive for Christmas lunch or dinner.

MAKES 12 // COOKING TIME 1 hour, 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
500 g flour
2 tsp salt
250 g butter
For the filling
½ cup milk
2 slices white bread
Olive oil, to fry
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 kg lean beef mince
1 cup sultanas
2 tbsp mango chutney
1 tbsp mild curry powder
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
To assemble the pies
1 egg, beaten
50 g flaked almonds, lightly toasted

METHOD
For the pastry
1. Sieve together the flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Rub butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Use a knife to mix in 1–2 tbsp chilled water to bind. Turn out on to a floured surface and lightly knead the dough until it forms into a ball. Wrap tightly in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
For the filling
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Pour the milk over the bread and set aside to soak.
3. Heat a glug of oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the onions for 10 minutes until soft and slightly brown. Add garlic and fry for 1 minute.
4. Add the mince and mix well, breaking it up. Add the sultanas, chutney, curry powder and bay leaves, and season. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Drain the bread, break it up into pieces and add to the mince mixture. Pour into a baking dish, press down and smooth the top. Bake for 30–35 minutes.
To assemble the pies
1. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin.
2. Roll out the pastry to 5 mm thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out 18 circles. Press 12 circles into the muffin tin.
3. Take the remaining 6 circles and cut a star from the centre of each one, so you have 6 stars and 6 circles with star-shaped holes. Set these aside.
4. Place a circle of baking paper and some baking beans in each pastry case. Blind-bake them for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and fill each case with a dollop of the bobotie mixture.
6. Place the stars and circles on top of the bobotie pies. Brush with the beaten egg and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with almonds and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven and serve.

The post Bobotie mince pies appeared first on MyKitchen.

What would this time of year be without some dense fruit cake doing the rounds? Give yours a fresh spin with juicy granadilla.

MAKES 1 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 30 min, plus soaking time

INGREDIENTS
For the fruit cake
400 g mixed glacé cherries
50 g raisins
50 g mixed peel
100 ml granadilla pulp (6–8 granadillas)
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
300 g flour
100 g ground almonds
100 g walnuts or macadamias
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
220 g butter, softened
200 g sugar 
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence
3 tbsp milk
Brandy, to feed, optional
For the granadilla icing
250 g mascarpone
3 tbsp icing sugar
Pulp of 2 granadillas, plus to decorate
250 g white fondant
Edible glitter

METHOD
For the fruit cake
1. Soak cherries, raisins and the mixed peel in granadilla pulp for at least 8 hours (or overnight). Add the zest after soaking.
2. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line a cake tin.
3. In a bowl, mix flour, ground almonds, walnuts or macadamias, baking powder and salt.
4. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating between each addition. Add both essences.
5. Strain the soaked fruit, reserving the granadilla pulp. Add the fruit to the flour mixture, stirring to coat.
6. Add ½ the flour mixture to the butter mixture; add the granadilla pulp and milk; add the remaining flour mixture.
7. Spoon into the cake tin. Bake for 1 hour 15–20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
8. If you like your fruit cake with brandy, you can spoon some over the sponge a few days before Christmas. Allow it to absorb fully before icing. If you are not using brandy, you can ice your cake immediately.
For the granadilla icing
1. Beat mascarpone, icing sugar and pulp.
2. Roll out fondant and cover the sides of the cake. Spread the mascarpone on top. Decorate the cake with glitter.

The post Last minute granadilla fruit cake appeared first on MyKitchen.

December can be pretty crazy, and figuring out what to cook for all the guests at your house on Christmas Day is one of the most stressful parts. I love to cook, so while I don’t want to prep something that will have me flustering around all day, I also don’t want to buy everything ready-made. That’s where the UCOOK Christmas meal delivery box comes in.

By Roxy Greeff

The increasingly popular meal delivery service has teamed up with world-renowned chef Franck Dangereux and Yuppiechef to bring you something has never been seen before in South Africa: A Christmas meal delivery box. The box will arrive on your doorstep a few days before 25th December and you’ll find it filled with a pack of recipe cards and all the ingredients needed to whip up a feast that can cater for up to 16 guests.

This means, first of all, that you won’t be standing in those long queues of last-minute December shoppers at your grocery store. I’ve spent multiple years running around from store to store because they are sold out of glace cherries everywhere, and the only gammons and ducks left couldn’t feed a table of four, nevermind my massive family; so skipping queues is the biggest winner in my book. Secondly, you know you’ll have everything you need.

You may know Franck as the previous head chef at La Colombe, and he now owns the well-known FoodBarn in Noordhoek. Drawing inspiration from his French heritage, his Christmas menu includes a smoked salmon rosti starter, up to five sides (including the best ever roast pots) and your choice of duck, fillet, chicken or pork belly. Each recipe is completed with his personal touch and detailed nuances, from the foraged pine needles in the pork belly to the pink peppercorns native to SA.

I chose the duck option so keep reading to see what I got up to while cooking, and to take a sneak peek at what you can expect to find in your very own box. There’s also information on how to get your order in.

STARTERS

Smoked salmon potato cakes with herbed créme and pink peppercorns

This was the first time that I had made potato cakes and I couldn’t believe how easy it was. The local pink peppercorns lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle also add a deliciously unique touch.

MAINS

Ratatouille provençal

This is a hearty, tomatoey dish loaded with goodness and a main option that your vegetarian guests won’t be able to get enough of. I particularly loved cooking all in veggies and caramelising them separately for an intense boldness in flavour, and a sweetness to offset the acidity from the tomatoes. Serve it up with a nice big bowl of herbed rice.

TIP: I ate the leftovers piping hot on buttered toast the next day and it was amazing.

Roasted duck with orange (Canard roti à l’orange)

When you watch cooking competitions on TV, they always make a big fuss about how difficult it is to cook a duck perfectly. It wasn’t. Follow the instructions to the letter, and you’ll have a tasty bird on the table in under two hours.

SIDES

Chickpea and lentil salad with mint and parsley

My family actually reached for seconds of this side. Whip it up in under 10 minutes and top it off with the most amazing cumin dressing (I’m obsessed). This is another great option for lunch the next day.

La grande salade verte (The big green salad)

Three ingredients, a dressing and you’re done. Quite a few people told me this is the best salad they’ve ever tasted. Plus, you’ll get to learn to make home-made croutons!

Asparagus with almond butter and Parmesan (Asperges verte au beurre d’amande)

Another one that comes together in minutes. Make sure you keep a close eye on that asparagus as it can go soggy very quickly (and no one wants that). I ran mine through cold water immediately after blanching to prevent further cooking.

The best roasties ever

It wasn’t in the instructions, but I used the leftover fat from the duck (what I didn’t use in my gravy) and I cooked them in the same pan I used for the duck. Because what’s better than potatoes roasted in duck fat, right?

Are you sold yet?

To order your own box, all you have to do is head over to UCOOK.co.za, select how many you are cooking for and choose your protein/s. Your box will be delivered to your doorstep on 22nd December and you’ll be good to go! And if you buy selected Christmas gifts and feasting necessities from Yuppiechef, you’ll get 30% off your UCOOK Christmas box. Enjoy!

The post The UCOOK Christmas meal delivery box is this year’s festive must-have appeared first on MyKitchen.