Serve this glorious punchy juice in shot glasses and drink it up through thick milkshake straws. You can add a tot of vodka to the mixture before serving.

A small handful of fresh basil leaves
500 g really ripe tomatoes, skinned
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli & Garlic Seasoning
1 slice raw or cooked beetroot, (for colour)
1 T (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
1 t (5 ml) sugar
½ t (2,5 ml) wasabi paste (optional)
1 tot vodka (optional)

Reserve some of the prettiest small basil leaves for garnish. Process the rest of the ingredients except the vodka together, until smooth. Taste for seasoning. If you have Wasabi paste or horseradish in your fridge, add it for a nice extra bite.

Chill the juice (covered) in a jug. Also chill the shot glasses. Snip the thick straws in half. Stir a tot of vodka through the mixture just before serving. Garnish with basil. Pour into shot glasses and garnish with basil.

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Salmon Quiche with Leeks 

An affordable option as far as Salmon dishes go. Bake the pastry blind before adding the filling. (see video for a comprehensive lesson on techniques).

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

1 cup (120 g) cake flour
½ t (2,5 ml) salt
4 T (60 g) butter, fridge temperature
1 egg yolk
2 T (30 ml) cold water
1 T (15 ml) brandy or vodka (optional)

Sift the flour and salt twice and cut or rub in the butter to form coarse crumbs. Mix the egg yolk with cold water and brandy and add to the flour. Cut the liquid in with a small knife to form a lumpy mixture. Use your hands to gather and knead the mixture together until it forms a ball. Don't add more water, simply keep working the dough lightly.

Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in a cool place (in cold weather, it is best not to put it in the fridge, as the pastry can become too hard and brittle). Roll out to 1 cm thickness. Fold into thirds and roll out again to 2 mm thickness on a well-floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. (The preliminary rolling makes the dough much easier to handle).

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 170°C.

See our step-by-step illustrations on how to line the pan and bake the quiche, at the end of this recipe.

CHEF'S TIP: The reason for the brandy!

When adding too much water to pastry it becomes tough and shrinks in the oven. Because of the alcohol in the brandy a large part of the liquid evaporates during baking - this keeps the pastry light and prevents shrinking.

SALMON AND CHEESE FILLING

4 leeks, well washed and finely sliced
1 raw potato, peeled and grated
1 T (15 ml) oil
1 T (15 ml) butter
1 x 400 g tinned salmon, drained, skin and hard bones removed. Flake the fish.
½ cup (125 ml) Ementhaler or Gouda cheese
2 eggs
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream or créme fraiche or use ½ yoghurt and ½ cream
¼ cup (60 ml) milk
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning

Sauté the leeks and potato in the oil/butter mixture for about 3 minutes until soft. Add the flaked salmon and keep on one side. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the baked pastry shell. Top with the leek and salmon mixture. Beat the eggs, sour cream, milk and Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning together. Pour the egg mixture carefully over everything.

Bake at 170°C for ± 35 minutes until barely set. Switch off the oven, leave the door slightly open and let the quiche rest in the warm oven for another 15 minutes.

Serve with a watercress and rocket salad dressed with a lemon yoghurt dressing.

VARIATION: Replace salmon with tuna or cooked leftover chicken.

Step-by-Step Instructions
Roll the pastry out about 6 cm bigger than the pan. Ease it gently into the sides of the pan - do not stretch it. Now trim the excess pastry about 2 cm away from the edge.
Fold the excess pastry back on itself and tuck it in against the rim of the pan.
Using a ball of the left over pastry push the edge securely up against the sides so that it extends roughly 3mm above the rim of the pan.
Take a square of baking paper and fold it four times into a tight triangle as illustrated. Trim off the uneven ends and snip about 5 cm deep into the straight side.
Unfold the paper into the pan and push it flat down. The cut edges will fan out and take on the shape of the pan. Put pottery pastry weights, beans or rice on the paper. Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes.
Remove the weights and lift out the paper. Brush the inside of the half-baked pastry shell with a little beaten egg to waterproof it.
Dish the solid part of the filling into the shell - level it out and then pour the egg and sour cream mixture over. Bake at a lower temperature 170°C for ± 30 minutes.
Turn a bowl upside down and place the baked quiche on top. Now ease the rim of the pan down - it will drop easily without the hot metal landing on your wrists.

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I really love the slight peppery flavour of Watercress. This salad particularly good dressed with a fresh yoghurt dressing. An instant solution is to combine our Greek Lemon Vinaigrette with fresh Greek Yoghurt.

1 punnet fresh watercress
1 punnet fresh rocket

DRESSING

½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Greek Lemon Vinaigrette
½ cup (125 ml) Greek yoghurt
Shake together before use.

Arrange salad ingredients on a platter and drizzle with dressing at the table.

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Chilli and chocolate are perfect partners on a plate. Without overpowering the chocolate, the chilli just sparks the flavour. At first you will find the chilli very subtle, but remember it develops as the mousse chills.

1¼ cups (310 ml) water
1 x 310 g Ina Paarman's Chocolate Mousse Mix
½ t (2,5 ml) cayenne pepper
1 cup (250 ml) fresh whipping cream

GARNISH

6-8 fresh red chillies
1 chocolate flake
Cayenne pepper

Measure water into a medium size mixing bowl. Sprinkle contents of Chocolate Mousse pack over the water. Add cayenne pepper. Beat until well blended. Cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes.

In a smaller mixing bowl whip the cream until soft peak stage. Remove the mousse mixture from the fridge and using the same beaters, whip again for 1 minute until smooth. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mousse using a spatula or metal spoon and stir until evenly blended.

Spoon the mousse into small coffee cups to fill to the top and smooth off the tops with the back of a knife. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Place cups on their saucers. Place a whole red chilli on each saucer to garnish. Dust chocolate mousse very lightly with cayenne pepper and top with pieces of chocolate flake.

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Wine Suggestion

"Steenberg Nebbiolo, an Italian grape variety, with the Fresh Tomato Juice as it will balance the acidity in the tomatoes. Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Sauvignon Blanc would be great with the Salmon Quiche as it has intense green pepper notes which will enhance the Watercress and Rocket.

The Chilli Chocolate Mousse is rich so I would avoid a wine generally speaking, but Steenberg Merlot has a minty chocolate nose and flavour so would be a good match"

Suggestions by Christine Jenner-Clarke

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