What a divine breakfast treat now that the weather is getting cooler!

2 extra large eggs
½ cup (125 ml) canola or sunflower oil
1½ cups (375 ml) plain yoghurt
1 x 700 g Ina Paarman's Muffin Mix with Raisins and Bran
1 T (15 ml) cinnamon
2 large golden delicious apples, grated coarsely, with skin on
½ cup (50 g) pecan nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 180°C and adjust oven rack to middle position.

Grease two muffin pans. Remove the raisin-bag from the foil packet and pour boiling water over the raisins to plump them up. Drain immediately and set aside to swell.

Beat eggs and oil for 2 minutes on high speed until well blended. Add yoghurt and beat for 1 minute on high speed.

Add contents of pack, cinnamon, drained plumped raisins, grated apple (with all the juice) and stir by hand with a wooden spoon ± 40 times until uniformly blended. (Do not beat). Spoon mixture into muffin pans. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top of each unbaked muffin. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Serve with honey-butter.

HONEY-BUTTER

½ cup (125 g) salted butter
1 T (15 ml) grated lemon rind
¼ cup (60 ml) pure honey

Soften the butter in a smallish mixing bowl. Cream in the lemon rind and honey. Can be refrigerated until serving time.

Back to top

Pickled fish is part of the Easter Weekend tradition here in the Cape. I would like to share my 'speed secret' with you.

400 g -500 g hake, kabeljou or any other firm white fish available
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
2 T (30 ml) flour
canola oil
2 onions, finely sliced into rings
½ cup (125 ml) water
½ cup (125 ml) cider or white wine vinegar
1 t (5 ml) turmeric
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman's Tikka Curry Coat & Cook Sauce
fresh coriander

As soon as you get home season the fish with Seasoned Sea Salt. Cover with cling film and leave to firm in the fridge under an ice brick until you are ready to start.

Dip and shake the fish in the flour and fry it in hot oil, about ½ cm deep, in a frying pan. The outside must be crispy and golden. Don't overcook the fish. Remove from the pan to a plate (don't drain on kitchen paper).

Slice the onion and cook only for 4 minutes in a mixture of water, vinegar, turmeric and Seasoned Sea Salt. Drain and discard the water. Place half the fish into a dish and squeeze half the Tikka Sauce over, top with half the onions. Repeat the layers with the remaining fish, onion rings and Tikka Sauce. Cover and keep in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Top with fresh coriander. Can be kept for refrigerated for 5 days.

Delicious with a tossed salad dressed with our Lemon & Olive Oil Mayo Style Dressing.

CHEF'S TIP:

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Back to top

This delicious recipe is from Elizabeth Boss - thanks for sharing it with us!

300 g roma or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic & Herb Seasoning
750 g baby potatoes, halved
Ina Paarman's Potato Spice
4 T (60 ml) Ina Paarman's Basil Pesto
2 wheels of feta cheese, cubed

Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Arrange tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut-side up, and sprinkle with Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Roast for 25 minutes.

Steam or boil the potatoes until soft, drain and toss with Potato Spice to taste (be careful, the feta is salty) and Basil Pesto. Lightly fork the roasted tomatoes and cubed feta through the dressed potatoes.

Serve at room temperature.

Back to top

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna

This is a wonderful recipe to serve for a family get together where you have to be sensitive to vegetarian needs. Ideal to prepare ahead and keep in the fridge ready to bake.

± 200 g lasagna sheets
hot water
400-500 g spinach, well rinsed, ribs removed and roughly sliced
2 T (30 ml) butter, cut into cubes
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Reduced Salt Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
2 x 250 g ricotta cheese or chunky plain cottage cheese
½ -1 cup (125 ml-250 ml) fresh cream (fat reduced can be used)
1 extra large egg
1 x 400 ml Ina Paarman's Creamy Cheese Pasta Sauce
½ cup (125 ml) grated pecorino cheese

Preheat the oven to 180°C just before you intend baking the lasagna.Soak the lasagna sheets for 5 minutes in hot tap water. This dramatically improves the tenderness of the pasta and reduces the baking time of the lasagna to 35-40 minutes (see video). Spread sheets out on a board.

Place the wet spinach and cubes of butter into a large frying pan and cover with a lid. Cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has just wilted. Season with Reduced Salt Garlic & Herb Seasoning and Seasoned Sea Salt. Place spinach in a food processor and blend with ricotta cheese and cream. Keep on one side.

Beat the egg into the Creamy Cheese Pasta Sauce. Keep on one side.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Using a 30 cm x 24 cm ovenproof dish spread 1/3 of the spinach mixture into the dish. Layer with 1/3 of the pasta sheets. Continue in this way until you have used all the spinach and pasta.

Pour the Cheese Sauce over the final pasta layer and sprinkle the grated pecorino over. Leave to rest for 30 minutes, at room temperature, if time permits, before baking. This will allow the pasta to soften more and the layers to settle.

Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes until golden. If the lasagna was made well in advance and refrigerated, it needs an extra 5 minutes baking time.

Serve with a green leafy salad dressed with our Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette, the Roasted Tomato and Potato Salad and the Roasted Aubergine Salad.

CHEF'S TIP:

To calculate exactly how many sheets of lasagna you need, fit the sheets in the dish, multiply by three for the three layers and you will know how many to soak.

Back to top

Roasted Aubergine Slices

This to me is the ultimate way to preserve aubergines when they are fresh and at their best. I use the baked aubergine slices at breakfast time with bacon and eggs. Cubed and mixed in with sautéed mushrooms, they are delicious stirred into pasta, the slices are great to top grilled steak or chicken breasts and of course they make a very good salad.

2-3 large aubergines (eggplant)
Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 220°C. Slice the aubergines about 1cm thick, pack out on a large lightly oiled baking tray and season, one side only, with Seasoned Sea Salt.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with fresh herbs for serving.

VARIATIONS:

For longer storage: Pack the oil drizzled aubergine slices in layers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days. Will also freeze very successfully.

Back to top