A complete taste sensation from tangy Cheese Pots with Homemade Chilli Jam to Chocolate Chip Biscotti with a variety of fabulous flavours inbetween. Enjoy!
Select a Menu Item
Cheese Pots with Homemade Chilli Jam
Baked Fish with Sundried Tomato and Olive Topping
Baked Potato Wedges
Best Marinated Mushrooms
Tomato, Avocado and Watercress Salad with Balsamic and Olive Vinaigrette
Homemade Chocolate Chip Biscotti
The flavoured cheese mixture is delicious spread on a biscuit with the chilli jam! Cheese mixture and jam can be prepared the day before.
CHEESE POTS
250 g creamed smooth cottage cheese
½ tub (125 g) sour cream or créme fraiche
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
2 T (30 ml) finely sliced chives
Mix all the ingredients together and spoon into small paté pots - cover and refrigerate. Serve on water biscuits with the chilli jam.
HOME-MADE CHILLI JAM
Makes 300 g
Any leftover jam will keep very well in the fridge in a sealed container.
1 x 400 g tin diced tomatoes
3 red chillies ± 6 cm long, finely sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1 T (15 ml) grated or chopped fresh ginger
2 T (30 ml) Thai fish sauce
1 cup (250 ml) white sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) cider vinegar
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
Pureé all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a medium size saucepan and bring to a slow boil while stirring. Simmer slowly (without a lid) for about 25 minutes, stirring from time to time.
When the jam is syrupy and thick and leaves a path when stirred (see picture), pour it into a clean glass jar. Turn the jar upside down to sterilize the cap. Mature for at least a day before use.
Serves 4
The robust Mediterranean flavour of this topping is outstanding on fish.
800 g firm white fish (Cape salmon, kabeljou, steenbras or kingklip), filleted and skinned TOPPING
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Fish Spice
olive oil
8 pieces of Ina Paarman's Sun-dried Tomato Quarters in olive oil vinaigrette, drained
4 T (60 ml) Ina Paarman's Olive Pesto
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh parsley
1 T (15 ml) green peppercorns, drained from brine
3 cloves garlic
1 x 50 g tin anchovy fillets in oil (use the oil as well)
3 T (45 ml) olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Season the fish with Fish Spice and lay in an ovenproof dish. Brush each fillet with olive oil. Briefly chop all the ingredients for the topping together in a processor or with a cook's knife to form a rough-textured paste. Spread on top of the fish. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Serve with baked potato wedges or polenta and marinated mushrooms.
Serves 4
Don't be tempted to peel the potatoes, the skin is the main flavour contributor.
6 large size potatoes
3 T (45 ml) olive oil
3 t (15 ml) Ina Paarman's Potato Spice
Preheat oven to 220ºC. Cut unpeeled potatoes into fat chip wedges. Toss with olive oil and Potato Spice. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 220ºC for about 35-45 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Serve.
Serves 6
This method really gives excellent results.
Lemon zest makes a good last-minute addition.
3 T (45 ml) olive oil
400-500 g portabellini mushrooms, quartered through stems
¼ t (1 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Lemon and Black Pepper Seasoning
2 T (30 ml) lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, sliced very thin
½ red bell pepper, chopped fine (about ¼ cup)
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Classic Lemon Vinaigrette
fresh lemon zest
Heat oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat, until shimmering but not smoking. Add mushrooms, seasonings and lemon juice. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms release moisture. Spread mushrooms in single layer on large plate. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. When cooled, transfer mushrooms to a medium bowl with any juices. Stir garlic and bell pepper into mushrooms. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 or up to 24 hours. Add dressing and fresh lemon zest before serving.
Serves 4
Make the most of these salad ingredients during the months when they are in season.
2 very ripe tomatoes
Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1 punnet of watercress
1 small onion, sliced into rings
1 avocado, ripe but firm
1/3 cup (83 ml) Ina Paarman's Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Olive Pesto
Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of each tomato, then slice into neat slices. Season with Garlic Pepper.
Arrange watercress on 4 plates, top with seasoned tomatoes and onion rings. Pip, peel and slice avocado into strips lengthways. Top salads with avocado. Shake the Balsamic Vinaigrette and pour into a measuring jug. Stir in the Olive Pesto and drizzle a generous amount over salads. Sprinkle with a little more Garlic Pepper Seasoning and serve.
Makes ±35 biscuits
The perfect way to end a memorable meal. A good cup of coffee and chocolate biscotti!
45 g real butter
2 extra large eggs
1 x 530 g packet of Ina Paarman's Biscotti Mix
½ cup (50 g) chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and adjust oven rack to middle position. Cream the butter until soft and then add the eggs, one at a time, while beating on high speed.
Add contents of pack and chocolate chips. Fold through with a spatula and then use your hands to knead the mixture until it sticks together and forms a dough ball.
Halve the dough on a floured board, roll each half into a long sausage shape, about 37 cm long and about 5cm thick.
Place them about 8cm apart on a baking tray. Pat each roll to flatten the top a little.
Bake for 20 minutes at 180ºC. The top of the biscotti rolls will crack. Remove from the oven when golden, not browned. Transfer to a cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 140ºC. Place one roll at a time on a cutting board and slice on the diagonal into 1cm thick slices. Use a serrated bread knife or an electric carving knife.
Lay the slices on a metal cooling rack placed over the baking tray on which the biscotti were baked initially.
Bake the biscotti for a second time until crisp, about 10 minutes.
Store in an airtight container once completely cool.