Flammkuchen is a German flatbread layered with creme fraîche and bacon. Ours has a layer of wafer-thin potatoes that crisp up when baked, making this pizza a little different to your usual tomato-based classics!

Creamy potato flammkuchen

Makes 2 small or 1 large pizza

Ingredients

1¾ cups (270g) white bread flour
½ tsp salt 
½ cup water
¼ cup canola oil 
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed (skin on) and thinly sliced
125g crème fraîche 
230g plain medium-fat cream cheese 
5g thyme, leaves picked 
180g onion marmalade 
Streaky bacon or pancetta, for topping 
¼ cup melted butter 
Salt and milled pepper 
Micro herbs, for garnish 

Method

1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl and mix.
2. Whisk together water and oil in a jug, pour into flour and mix until combined into a dough.
3. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead until the dough comes together, adding a little extra flour if needed. Cover and rest for an hour.
4. Par-cook potato slices in salted boiling water for 5-8 minutes (don’t overcook – they should still have some ‘bite’ to them). Drain, pat dry and cool slightly.
5. Whip together crème fraîche, cream cheese and thyme.
6. Place a large baking tray in the oven and preheat to 200°C. 
7. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 2mm thick, whichever shape you’d like it to be.
8. Remove tray from oven and place dough base in tray. 
9. Spread the cream cheese mixture over base and add dollops of onion marmalade. Layer potatoes and bacon or pancetta on top and brush with melted butter. Season. 
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until base is crispy. Serve warm, garnished with micro herbs.

Recipe & photographs courtesy of Fresh Living Magazine

The post Creamy potato flammkuchen (German flatbread) appeared first on MyKitchen.

This Spanish-style soup is packed full of that winter’s day goodness. Perfect for a quick and easy lunch or supper.

Spicy chorizo & potato soup 

Serves 4

Ingredients

Glug olive oil 
1 onion, finely sliced 
1 leek, finely sliced
50-60g chorizo sarta, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, grated 
2 tsp harissa paste 
4 cups (1L) chicken stock
4 medium sweet potatoes, cut into thick rounds
100g baby spinach, shredded 
Salt and milled pepper 
Toasted bagels or crusty bread, for serving  

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. 
2. Sauté onion, leek and chorizo for 5 minutes until glossy and translucent. 
3. Add garlic and harissa paste and cook for 3-5 minutes until fragrant. 
4. Pour in stock and potatoes, simmer for 20 minutes.
5. 5. Turn off the heat, tip in spinach and season. Cover and wilt spinach for about 5 minutes. 
6. Serve with toasted bagels or bread. 

Good to know  

Chorizo sarta is a Spanish, coil-shaped pork product. Characterised by its deep red colour from the spicy added flavour of chilli and paprika, it adds a delicious smokiness to soups, rice dishes or pizzas. For a less spicy option that still includes a smoky and salty flavour, add bacon or pancetta. 

Recipe & photographs courtesy of Fresh Living Magazine.

Also read: Potato & chorizo pambazo 

The post Spicy chorizo & potato soup appeared first on MyKitchen.

Crisp, golden and downright irresistible: Pies are the ultimate comfort food, no matter the season. With an easy hot water pastry, delicate layers of puff pastry and a classic crumbly shortcrust, we’re baking our way to pie perfection.  

Pepper steak & Guinness pie

Serves 8 

This pie is pure winter magic, with a rich, toasted dark malt flavour. Replace the beer with beef stock for an alcohol-free version.  

Ingredients

For the pie filling  

2 Tbsp oil 
2 onions, chopped 
2 celery stalks, chopped 
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
⅔ cup tomato paste 
2 tsp ground cumin 
2 tsp ground coriander 
2 tsp smoked paprika 
1kg beef goulash
2 Tbsp milled black pepper
10 sprigs thyme, picked 
2 cups Guinness or stout beer of choice 
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can (400g) tomato puree
½ Tbsp brown sugar Salt  

For the pastry 

1 cup (250g) butter, cubed
1¼ cups (310ml) water 
4 cups (600g) flour 
1 tsp (5ml) salt flakes 
Handful parsley, chopped 
2 tsp (10ml) cumin seeds, toasted 
1 egg, beaten 
Creamy mash, to serve  

Method

1. For the filling, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery, garlic and carrots for about 5-8 minutes. 
2. Add tomato paste and spices. Fry for another minute. 
3. Add beef, black pepper and thyme. Brown for 3-5 minutes. 
4. Add beer, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and sugar. Season. 
5. Lower the temperature and cook for about 2 hours. 
6. For the pastry, combine the butter and water in a pot and bring to a boil. 
7. Combine flour, salt, parsley and cumin seeds in a bowl. 
8. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture. Combine with a wooden spoon to create a dough. 
9. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 3 minutes or until smooth. 
10. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray a 25x35cm pie dish with non-stick spray. 11. Roll the pastry out to about 2-3mm thick. Chill until firm. 
11. To assemble, spoon the pie filling into the prepared dish. 
12. Cover the filling with pastry. Use any pastry off-cuts to decorate the pie. Brush the pastry with egg wash. 
13. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp.
14. Serve the pie with mash.

Good to know 
What is hot water pastry, exactly? This firm, versatile dough is traditionally used for savoury pastries and raised pies, which are strong enough to stand up without the support of a tin. It’s made by melting fat (butter or lard) in boiling water and combining it with flour to make a dough that is easy to handle and keeps its shape. 

Mushroom, potato & spinach pies  

Makes 6  

Perfect as is or served with salad or roasted veg to make the meal stretch further. 

Ingredients

2 potatoes, peeled and quartered 
1 Tbsp olive oil 
1 onion, finely chopped 
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
180g mixed mushrooms, sliced 
50g baby spinach 
3 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
¼ cup sour cream 
Handful parsley, chopped 
400g short crust pastry, defrosted 
1 egg, beaten 
Salt and milled pepper  

Method

1. Boil the potatoes until tender. Use a fork to mash some of the potatoes, leaving some pieces whole. 
2. Heat the oil and fry the onion for about 4 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes. 
4. Turn off the heat. Stir in the baby spinach, mustard, sour cream and parsley. Season. 
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. 6. Cut 6x15cm rounds from the short crust pastry. Brush with egg wash. 
6. Place the filling on half of the pastry rounds, leaving a 1cm border clean. Fold pastry over, encasing the filling. 
7. Seal the pastry by crimping the edges. Fold the edge and press down at increments, 1cm apart. 
8. Place the pies on a baking tray. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. 

Butter chicken pot pies  

Serves 3-4  

Pie-making at home cannot get easier than this! Your favourite curry, now with a golden, flaky crown. 

Ingredients

4 chicken breast fillets 
1 Tbsp oil 
Salt and milled pepper 
400g butter chicken cook-in sauce 
2 (250g each) ready-rolled puff pastry sheets, defrosted 
1 egg, beaten 
Coriander, to serve 
Cooked basmati rice, to serve  

Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size cubes. 
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chicken for about 5 minutes. Season. 
3. Add the butter chicken cook-in sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes. 
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
5. Using a cookie cutter, cut the pastry into desired shapes of about 4-5cm in size. Chill. 
6. To assemble, divide the filling between 3-4 individual pie dishes. 
7. Top with pastry and brush with egg wash. 
8. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. 
9. Garnish with coriander and enjoy with basmati rice. 

Good to know
Working with puff pastry can be a finicky thing, but there are some basic tricks to it. Avoid overworking it, as doing so can cause the layers to compress, which reduces flakiness. Use a sharp knife to avoid squeezing the layers of puff pastry together. If making a pie base, prevent sogginess by blind baking it first or use a small amount of breadcrumbs or semolina to absorb moisture.  

By: Lichelle May
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine 

The post Flaky and fabulous  appeared first on MyKitchen.

The potato guarantees a soft, moist crumb while the egg adds an irresistible richness. 

Cheesy garlic pull-apart potato bread

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

2 medium soft cooking potatoes, peeled and quartered 
1 cup (250ml) milk
½ cup (125g) butter 
Salt 
1½ cups (225g) cake flour 
1½ cups (225g) bread flour
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp (8g) sugar
1 sachet (10g) yeast

For the garlic butter 

1 bulb garlic
Olive oil 
½ cup (125g) melted butter
1 Tbsp chopped thyme
½ cup (60g) grated butter

Method

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. 
2. Drain and place in a warm oven for 5 minutes to dry out.
3. Mash potatoes with milk, butter and 1 tsp (5ml) salt. 
4. Spoon into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
5. Add cake flour, bread flour, eggs, yolk, sugar and yeast. 
6. Mix for 5-8 minutes, or until dough pulls away from the sides. 
7. Cover and leave to proof in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. 
8. To make the butter, cut the top off the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for 30 minutes at 180°C. 
9. Squeeze out the flesh and mix with melted butter, thyme and Cheddar. 
10. Preheat oven to 200°C. 
11. Line a baking tin or oven tray with baking paper. 
12. Tip dough onto a lightly oiled surface. Knock down dough and divide into four equal portions. 
13. Roll out dough into 10x20cm rectangles. 
14. Spread a third of the garlic butter over 3 of them.
15. Place them on top of each other, ending with the fourth unbuffered portion.
16. Cut into 4 pieces and turn each piece on its side (layers facing up). 
17. Arrange next to each other snugly in baking tin. Brush with leftover garlic butter and season with salt. 
18. Cover loosely with clingfilm and leave to rise for 15-20 minutes. 
19. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Recipe & photographs courtesy of Fresh Living Magazine

The post Cheesy garlic pull-apart potato bread  appeared first on MyKitchen.

This Potato & chorizo pambazo hands down the fan favourite in our office, although the term “wet sandwich” wasn’t at first very appealing. Think of this as a bougie chip roll with some added heat. Convinced yet? 

Potato & chorizo pambazo 

Makes 6 

This was hands down the fan favourite in our office, although the term “wet sandwich” wasn’t at first very appealing. Think of this as a bougie chip roll with some added heat. Convinced yet? 

Ingredients

For the sauce 

2 onions, quartered
3 cloves garlic, halved
⅓ cup chipotle in adobo
⅓ – ½ cup vegetable stock
Salt  

5 potatoes, cut into 3cm cubes
Salt and milled pepper
Oil, for frying
200g Spanish chorizo, (half sliced, half finely chopped)
6 large soft rolls  

For the filling 

½ cup sour cream
200g ricotta (feta works well too)
1 red onion, sliced
Shredded butter or gem lettuce (optional)
Salsa verde 

Method 

1. Char onions and garlic in a dry pan over high heat until lightly blackened.
2. Combine onion, garlic and remaining sauce ingredients in a jug blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside.
3. Par-cook potato cubes in well-salted water for 12–15 minutes, or until tender but not falling apart. Drain them well.
4. Heat a glug of oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry chorizo for 3 minutes. Add potatoes and continue cooking for another 5–8 minutes, or until potatoes are golden. Season.
5. Dip bread in prepared sauce, covering the outside completely and soaking for 30 seconds.
6. Shallow-fry bread in a clean pan on both sides until crispy.
7. Remove and slice open, keeping attached on one end.
8. Layer sour cream, ricotta, onion, lettuce (if using) and potato-mixture on top. Drizzle with salsa verde and serve.

Recipes & styling: Liezl Vermeulen  

Photographs: Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Southern chicken biscuit sandwich 

The post Potato & chorizo pambazo  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Mzansi make it to Italy in this fusion of flavour. When roaming Rome, why not add a taste of home, says Liezl Vermeulen.   

Potato gnocchi with Cape Malay cream sauce

Serves 6 

Call it pasta, call it potato pillows, call it what you want – you’ll be making this on repeat this winter! We’ve matched the decadence of Italian cream sauces with a creamy (more vibrant) curry sauce. 

Ingredients 

For the gnocchi  

1kg potatoes, washed 
Coarse salt, for sprinkling 
2 egg yolks 
1 cup cake flour 
1 tsp fine salt 
Grating of nutmeg  

Glug of oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
3cm ginger, grated 
3 springs fresh or dry curry leaves 
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed 
1 tsp mustard seeds 
2 Tbsp mild curry powder 
2 tsp turmeric 
1 Tbsp roasted garam marsala 
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock 
2 cups cream 
Salt and milled pepper 
Butter, for frying 
Crispy fried garlic, for serving (optional)  

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Pierce potatoes on a few places and place on baking tray covered with coarse salt. 
3. Bake for 90 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a fork. 
4. Remove and cool slightly, then scoop out potato flesh. 
5. Mash potatoes until very fine (or use a potato ricer tool). 
6. Spread the potato mash out on a lightly floured work surface or chopping board. 
7. Drizzle with egg yolk, then dust flour and salt on top. 
8. Using your hands, mix in flour and egg to create a dough. (Doing it this way by hand will prevent over-mixing.) 
9. Bring dough together into one ball and divide in 4. 
10. Roll each ball into a thin, long log of about 40x2cm each. 
11. Cut each log into 3cm pieces. Place on a tray in a single layer, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. 
12. Heat oil and fry garlic, ginger, curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds over a medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes. 
13. Add remaining spices, fry for a minute and then add stock and cream. Season. 
14. Lower heat and simmer gently for about 20-25 minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened. 
15. Cook gnocchi in batches in a pot of salted, boiling water (as you would do with pasta), for about 1-2 minutes or until it floats to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. 
16. Add a glug of olive oil and knob of butter to a pan and fry gnocchi in batches until crispy and golden. 
17. Serve the gnocchi and any butter left in the pan on a bed of curry sauce, topped with crispy fried garlic (if using).

Cook’s note:
If you’re pressed for time, look out for ready-made gnocchi in the pasta aisle.

Recipes and styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photographs: Zhann Solomons 

The post Potato gnocchi with Cape Malay cream sauce  appeared first on MyKitchen.