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casual fireside supper Broccoli Soup with Bacon Potato Rosti with Venison Steak Strips Leafy Winter Salad with Herb Dressing Banana Loaf with Citrus Cream and Fresh Oranges

Broccoli Soup with Bacon

Preheat a large heavy based saucepan. Add the oil and then the bacon pieces. Stir-fry over high heat until the bacon is crispy. Spoon out the bacon with a slotted spoon. Leave on absorbent kitchen paper to drain.

Soften the onion in the same saucepan in the remaining oil. When the onion is soft, add the potato cubes and broccoli stems and stir to mix everything. Turn the heat to low, put a lid on the saucepan and 'smoor' the vegetables slowly for about 10 minutes.

Add the water and Stock Powder. Cook for another 5 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Add the broccoli tops and cook for 5-8 minutes, until the broccoli is just tender. Cook without the lid to keep the green colour. Liquidise the soup until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

Serve in warm soup bowls with a dollop of lightly whipped cream and bacon sprinkled over.

VARIATION

Omit bacon and top soup with a broccoli floret.

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Potato Rosti with Venison Steak Strips

An absolute hit with my family. If you have a choice of potatoes the red skinned ones would be top of my list followed by the oval shaped varieties. Whatever potato you use, don't peel them, the peels contribute greatly to the taste and nutritional value.

5 medium/large potatoes, washed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
1 T (15 ml) butter
1 T (15 ml) oil
2 T (30 ml) flour
1 egg
canola oil and butter for frying

STEAK STRIPS
500-600 g venison fillets (springbok, blesbok, kudu or even ostrich)
Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning
olive oil

HOME-MADE HORSERADISH SAUCE
1 x 250 g tub sour cream
2 T (30 ml) freshly grated horseradish root or use bottled horseradish
½ t (2.5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
fresh rocket
a bunch of radishes

Boil the whole potatoes, unpeeled, in enough water to cover them until half cooked 7-10 minutes only. Drain off the water and allow to cool. Slowly sauté the onion, seasoned with Green Onion Seasoning, in the oil/butter mixture until it is completely soft, about 10 minutes. Grate potatoes on the coarse side of the grater. Discard the final bit of potato skin that remains in your hand. Place the grated potato and cooked onion into a biggish mixing bowl.

Sprinkle over the flour and break the egg into the mixture and mix lightly with a fork until all the ingredients are blended evenly. Divide the mixture into four.

Pre-heat a Teflon coated 20cm omelet pan until very hot. Add about ½ T (7.5 ml) of oil to the pan. Add ½ T (7.5 ml) of butter and swivel it around. Add a ¼ of the potato mixture. Flatten it immediately with the back of a large spoon to cover the pan edge to edge. Turn stove to medium heat. Cook until brown underneath.

Put a small flat lid or side plate on top of the rosti and turn the pan upside down to release the rosti.

Re-heat the pan, add another ½ T (7.5 ml) each of oil and butter. Slip the rosti back into the pan, browned side up. Cook the underside until brown. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Click here to view our step-by-step method to making the perfect potato rosti.

FLAVOUR VARIATION

Make Red Rosti by replacing one of the potatoes in the recipe with two medium beetroot.

WATCH POINTS:

• Do not cook the potatoes fully. They must still be firm in the middle.
• Heat the pan until very hot before adding the oil. This prevents food from sticking to the pan.
• There is no need to peel potatoes - the skin provides great flavour and roughage.

TO PREPARE STEAK STRIPS

Cut fillets into thick butterfly steaks. Season generously on both sides with Garlic Pepper Seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil. Rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Cook on a searing hot griddle pan to medium rare. Leave to rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to settle.

Slice with a very sharp knife into fine strips. Mix the sour cream, horseradish and Green Onion Seasoning together.

TO SERVE

Top each rosti with horseradish cream, strips of venison steak, rocket and radishes.

TOPPING VARIATIONS

• Smoked salmon, cream cheese and finely snipped chives.
• Sautéed mushrooms, fried eggs, grated Swiss cheese or bacon.

If venison is not available use regular rump or fillet steak.

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Leafy Winter Salad with Herb Dressing

½ medium red cabbage, very finely shredded
2 T (30 ml) cider or white wine vinegar
Boiling water
1 t (5 ml) Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning
1 punnet of mixed baby spinach, rocket and watercress
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Herb Dressing

Place the finely shredded cabbage in a bowl, toss with the vinegar. Pour boiling water over and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Drain and season with Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning. Allow to cool.

Toss the salad greens and red cabbage together and dress with Herb Dressing just before the salad is served.

CHEF'S TIP:

The nasturtiums are lovely at the moment, use their leaves mixed in with the salad leaves.

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Banana Loaf with Citrus Cream and Fresh Oranges

For a smaller family it is a good idea to bake the loaves in two smaller tins and freeze one. Also delicious as a teatime treat.

3 extra large eggs
¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil
½ cup (125 ml) melted butter
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk or yoghurt
1 x 600 g Ina Paarman's Vanilla Cake Mix
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (if bananas very small use 4)
1 cup (100 g) roughly chopped pecan nuts

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

Butter two 20 cm x 10 cm x 7 cm deep loaf tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

Beat the eggs, oil and melted butter on high speed until well blended. Add buttermilk (or yoghurt) and beat in. Add contents of pack and mix in by hand with a spatula. Add the mashed bananas and nuts. Fold through until evenly blended. Divide the mixture between the two loaf tins. Bake for 1 hour until nicely browned. Turn out, remove paper from the bottom.

Leave to cool down completely before storing in an airtight container. The banana flavour develops on standing.

Serve toasted with a drizzle of honey, Citrus Cream and fresh orange segments (blood oranges look really good if available).

CITRUS CREAM

1 cup (250 ml) cream
Pinch salt
¼ t (1 ml) ground cinnamon
¼ t (1 ml) ground ginger
2 T (30 ml) sugar
2 T (30 ml) orange liqueur or orange juice
2 t (10 ml) grated orange rind
½ cup (125 ml) plain yoghurt

To make the citrus cream, half whip the cream with the salt and spices. Add the sugar and whip until firm. Fold in the liqueur or orange juice, rind and yoghurt. Cover and chill.

ORANGE GARNISH

4 regular or blood oranges. Deep cut the skin and pith off the oranges. Cut out the segments. Honey to serve.

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Cookware Suggestion:

Le Creuset! The world's leading enamelled coated cast-iron cookware!

Renowned for its quality le Creuset is the preferred cookware with many world class chefs and domestic chefs worldwide. Since 1925, the skilled craftsmen at Le Creuset have perfected enamelled cast iron cookware. The round casserole is a best seller and can be used on the stove, in the oven and straight onto the table!

The smooth enamel finish of Le Creuset cast iron is durable and hygienic. Everything you cook will taste just as good as you intended.