Mixed veggie paella for the braai 

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 40 min 

Light up the fire and let this mixed veggie paella simmer on the braai while you enjoy a cold one with your mates. Sounds like an exciting time to us! 

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 cups long grain rice
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
200g sugar snap peas, steamed
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Handful parsley, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a braai pan over medium coals. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent.
2. Add the garlic, rice, paprika and chilli flakes and stir well. Then add the vegetable stock and chopped tomatoes. Allow to simmer, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, braai the peppers until charred. Then peel, remove the seeds and slice.
4. Add the peppers, sugar snap peas and chickpeas. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring until the rice is cooked. Season to taste.
5. Serve hot with lemon wedges and fresh parsley.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography by: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Cape snoek pasta paella 

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 55 min

We are a sucker for adding local flair to our favourite recipes, and this Cape snoek pasta paella is no exception! Make it as a weeknight family treat. 

INGREDIENTS
200 g chorizo
Olive oil, to fry
2 onions
1 red pepper
½ cup white wine
1 cup tinned chopped tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
250g orzo
300g snoek
3 cupschicken stock
1 cup parsley
1 tspchilli flakes, optional

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Fry the chorizo over high heat for 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Heat some oil over medium heat and fry the onions and red pepper until soft. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping all the bits from the bottom.
4. Add the chorizo, tinned tomatoes, and the garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the orzo and stir well.
5. Pour the pasta into a casserole dish. Place the snoek in the middle, add the stock and give it one big stir.
6. Cover and bake for 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked, and the pasta is al dente.
7. Sprinkle with parsley and chilli flakes to serve.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography by: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

West Coast paella 

SERVEs 4–6 // COOKING TIME 20 min, plus simmering time 

It is the perfect time of year to pop some seafood on the coals, and this ocean-fresh West Coast paella will have you firing up the braai right away! What are you waiting for? 

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
150g chorizo, sliced 5 mm thick
1 onion, peeled and cut into petals
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
4 10g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
500ml chicken stock, hot
250ml rice
500g West Coast mussels
250g prawns
250g hake, cubed
Salt and pepper
Handful parsley, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a cast-iron pan. Fry chorizo until the fat is released and the sausage is crispy.
2. Add onion, garlic, peppers and paprika. Cook for 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, sprinkle with sugar, and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the stock and rice to the pan and cover with a lid or foil. Simmer until most of the stock has been absorbed and the rice is almost tender.
4. Add the mussels, prawns, and hake. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened, and the prawns have cooked through. Add a little hot water, if needed.
5. Season, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

The post 3 Delicious Paella Dishes to Make in Under an Hour appeared first on MyKitchen.

Once you’ve tried a piece of roast salmon smothered in our red-wine butter, you won’t want to go back to the the typical white-wine sauce.

SERVES 4 // COOK TIME 90 min

INGREDIENTS
1 cup dry red wine
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
145 g unsalted butter, softened
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6–8 baby leeks, washed and halved
4 sprigs thyme, finely chopped
2 sprigs origanum, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
⅓ cup dry white wine
2 cups thick cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 salmon fillets
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 170°C and line a baking tray.
2. Combine red wine and shallots in a pan and bring to the boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to 1 tbsp, about 15 minutes. Strain the wine through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard the shallots.
3. Let the wine cool slightly, then add 100g butter and season with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer the red-wine butter to a sheet of cling film and roll tightly into a cylinder. Twist the ends of the cling film to seal. Chill until firm.
5. Melt 3 tbsp butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, thyme, origanum, fennel and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are slightly wilted, about 2 minutes.
6. Add the white wine to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Remove the leeks and set aside.
7. Add the cream and lemon juice to the sauce, and cook over low heat until the cream has thickened, about 25 minutes.
8. Place the salmon on the lined baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil and garlic, and roast for about 20 minutes.
9. Cut 4 thick slices of the red-wine butter, place 2 on top of each fillet, and cook for a further 3 minutes, until melted.
10. Spoon some of the sauce over the salmon and serve with the leeks.

For a delicious crowd-pleasing dish try our Paella!

The post Roast salmon with red-wine butter and leeks appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you’re looking for a way to get your kids to eat their veggies, then this Cornflake-crusted fish fingers recipe with carrot fries will be perfect!

SERVES 4 // COOK TIME  1 hour 10 mins

INGREDIENTS
For the fish fingers
2 cups cornflakes
½ cup chopped parsley
Salt and black pepper
500 g white fish
¾ cup flour
2 eggs, whisked
Vegetable oil, to shallow-fry
For the tartare sauce
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 gherkin, finely diced
Salt and black pepper
For the carrot fries
8 carrots, peeled
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt

METHOD
1. Place cornflakes, parsley, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs form.
2. Cut fish into 2 × 4 cm fingers.
3. Place flour, egg and crumbs in 3 separate bowls.
4. Dip the fish into each bowl: flour, egg, crumbs.
5. Heat 1 cm oil in a pot and fry the fish fingers in batches for 2–3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
For the tartare sauce
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Serve with the fish fingers and carrot fries.
For the carrot fries
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Cut them into fries, about 4 cm long. Toss with the oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 120°C and bake for another 20 minutes, until crispy.

Not keen on those typical processed meat hot dogs? Try our yummy and healthy shrimp dogs instead! They make a perfect weekend lunch no matter the season.

The post Cornflake-crusted fish fingers with carrot fries appeared first on MyKitchen.

This salmon salad with beans, smashed potatoes and crème fraiche dressing is a tasty meal that will keep you full all night long.

SERVES 6 // COOK TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
For the salad
800 g baby potatoes, parboiled
50 ml olive oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
400 g green beans, topped and tailed
300 g baby salad leaves
300g hot-smoked salmon with mustard, in chunks
For the dressing
250 ml crème fraiche
150 ml olive oil
20g dill, roughly chopped
10g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon

METHOD
For the salad
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place the potatoes on a baking tray. Gently squash them with a fork. Drizzle with oil and season. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden.
3. Squeeze the lemon over the onions and leave to marinate.
4. Cook beans in salted water for 5 minutes. Refresh in iced water.
5. Place all ingredients in a bowl.
For the dressing
1. Combine all of the ingredients and season. Serve with the salad.

We all know that no matter how you love to eat it, avocados will always make a winning meal. We rate you get a bit adventurous and try your hand at making our avo sushi cake.

The post Salmon salad with beans and smashed potatoes appeared first on MyKitchen.

Got a taste for seafood? This lightly smoked mackerel pasta is perfect for lunch or supper. Plus, mackerel is a sustainable fish option from the WWF-SASSI green list!

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 5 min

INGREDIENTS
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
Olive oil, to drizzle
Salt and pepper
1 cup mascarpone
250 g linguine
200 g smoked mackerel
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Wrap the garlic and onion in foil with a drizzle of oil, and season. Roast for 40 minutes.
3. Place the mascarpone, roast garlic and onion in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
4. Boil the pasta in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain.
5. Add the sauce to the pasta. Flake in the mackerel. Cook over high heat for 3 minutes, until heated through.
6. Serve sprinkled with lemon zest and cumin seeds.

The post Smoked mackerel pasta appeared first on MyKitchen.

Pickled fish is a local South African classic! Spoil the fam with a yummy helping for your next meal. The best part? You can keep it in the fridge for a week after pickling!

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 40 min

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
4 onions, sliced into rings
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp grated ginger
5 tsp mild curry powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds
5 bay leaves
1 L white vinegar
300 g sugar
Flour, to dust
2 kg hake fillets, cut into portions

METHOD
1. Heat oil and fry onions until soft. Add garlic, ginger and spices, and fry for 2 minutes.
2. Add vinegar and sugar, and stir until dissolved. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Season flour with salt and pepper, and dust the fish in it. Pat off any excess flour.
4. Heat oil and shallow-fry fish until golden, 2–3 minutes per side.
5. Place a layer of fish in a deep sterilised glass container. Ladle sauce over it. Layer fish and sauce until finished. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

TIP: For the best results, allow the fish to pickle for 3 days to combine all the flavours.

The post Pickled fish appeared first on MyKitchen.