We are giving this classic South African favourite a modern twist with a dash of chilli and some pickled ginger (think sushi). Fresh ginger is a substitute, but use much less as it is a lot stronger than pickled ginger.

Home made melba toast is absolutely delicious and very cheap to make. Try it, it is dead easy.

200 g good quality smoked snoek
250 g cream cheese or creamed cottage cheese
1 T (15 ml) lemon juice
1 T (15 ml) pickled ginger, drained or 1 t (5 ml) fresh ginger, grated
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Tomato Pesto
½ t (2,5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
½ small onion, chopped
½ cup (125 ml) fresh whipping cream

Carefully remove skin and all the bones from the snoek and then flake. Blend all ingredients, except cream in a food processor. Whip cream and fold into mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with melba toast. Paté has a fridge life of 1 week. It should not be frozen. If you prefer a pinker colour, increase tomato pesto to 2½ t (12,5 ml). Cover with cling film and refrigerate until serving time.

TO SERVE
Ina Paaman's Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
1 punnet watercress or rocket leaves
1 x 240 g Ina Paarman's Sun-dried Tomato Quarters in Vinaigrette, drained

Dish the paté into individual paté pots and sprinkle with a dash of Chilli and Garlic seasoning. Serve melba toast, watercress or rocket and tomato quarters with the paté.

 VARIATION:

Substitute 1 x 200 g tin of pink salmon for snoek. No need to remove the small bones, but peel away dark skin.

½ white sandwich loaf (one day old is easier to slice)

Cut all the crusts off the bread with an electric or sharp serrated knife. Cut this block of bread diagonally across into 2 large triangles.

Slice these triangles into paper-thin slices, place them on a cooling rack on a baking tray and dry out in a warm oven (150ºC) for about 20 minutes. Keeps in an airtight container for up to a week, or longer if frozen.

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A real treat for a special dinner. We have dressed the pie with crumpled and rolled up sheets of phyllo pastry to resemble overblown roses. Remember, roasting the chicken in the oven before you make the filling gives wonderful depth of flavour!

ROASTING CHICKEN
1 large free range fresh chicken
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Lemon and Black Pepper Seasoning
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chicken Stock Powder
1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine
1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters

Place the chicken in an oven roasting pan. Season with Lemon and Black Pepper seasoning and Chicken stock powder. Carefully pour the wine down the side of the pan and scatter the onion quarters around the chicken.

Roast at 180ºC for 1¼ hours until chicken is cooked. Allow to cool. Remove the skin and bones and cut the meat into smaller pieces. Arrange the meat in a big pie dish. Put the skin and bones back into the roasting pan. Add 2 cups (500 ml) water to the bones and bring to the boil to deglaze the pan and extract all the flavour from the skin and bones. Simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid and reserve for the sauce. Blot excess fat off the surface of the sauce with a double layer of absorbent kitchen paper.

MAKING THE SAUCE
1 t (5 ml) hot English mustard powder
2 T (30 ml) water
¼ cup (60 ml) butter (be generous)
¼ cup (60 ml) flour (be stingy)
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock cooked from bones (add fresh milk if stock is not enough)
200 - 250g sliced button mushrooms
¼ cup (60 ml) parsley, chopped
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman's Ready to Serve Mushroom Sauce

Soak the mustard powder in cold tap water. Melt the butter, add the flour and cook over medium high heat while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. The mixture must become 'puffy', full of air bubbles and the colour will turn light cream.

Add all the chicken stock (and milk if used) at once. Using a wire whisk, stir the sauce until it comes to a slow boil.

Add the button mushrooms, mustard, parsley and mushroom sauce. Season to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Replace the sliced mushrooms with 100 g cooked Gypsy ham.

COVERING WITH PASTRY AND BAKING
½ packet (250 g) phyllo pastry
± ½ cup (125 ml) melted butter

Open one sheet of phyllo pastry flat on a table. Brush it generously with butter. Gather the sheet of pastry together from each opposite corner and then role it to form a rose. Place in one corner of the pie dish, proceed in this way until the top of the pie is covered with pastry roses. Can be prepared in advance to this stage. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Pre-heat oven and bake just before serving. Bake at 180ºC for 35-45 minutes (slightly lower down in the oven) until filling is heated through and pastry is golden brown. Cover the pastry for the final 15 minutes with baking paper or foil to prevent over browning. This pie keeps very well on a hot tray.

 CHEF'S TIP: To prevent roses from browning

If time permits put the pie into the oven for 20 minutes to warm the filling. Pop the roses on and bake for a further 25 minutes.

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1 medium size butternut, peeled and cut into 1cm thick lengths
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman's Ready to Serve Creamy Curry Sauce
finely sliced chives to garnish

Steam the butternut until soft. Season with Green Onion seasoning. Warm the curry sauce. Drizzle the sauce over the butternut and serve sprinkled with finely sliced chives.

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To preserve colour, a dash of oil is added to the green vegetables before cooking. Always season vegetables after cooking.

1 x 300 g punnet courgettes, cut in half across and again lengthways
1 bag spinach leaves - well washed and finely shredded
2 T (30 ml) olive oil
seasoning to taste (see Chef's Tip below)
dash of olive oil

Steam or microwave the courgettes and spinach separately with a little olive oil until just done, but still bright green. Toss with seasoning and a dash more olive oil. Gently mix the two vegetables together. Dish up on a serving platter.

 CHEF'S TIP:

SUGGESTED SEASONINGS:
Courgettes - Garlic and Herb Seasoning
Spinach - Lemon and Black Pepper Seasoning

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This rich and fruity dessert is delicious served with ice cream, custard or whipped cream.

CARAMELISED FRUIT
100 g butter
4 apples, peeled
2 pears or quinces
4 T (60 ml) honey
pinch of salt
½ cup (85 g) seedless raisins

CAKE MIXTURE
3 extra large eggs
½ cup (60 ml) oil
¾ cup (180 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
1 x 600 g Ina Paarman's Vanilla Cake Mix
1 T (15 ml) cinnamon
1 T (15 ml) grated orange rind

HONEY GLAZE
60 g butter, melted
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 T (15 ml) lemon juice

Cut the fruit into 2 cm cubes. Melt the butter in a large, heavy based frying pan over high heat and stir-fry the diced fruit in the butter until nicely browned. Add the honey, salt and raisins and cook until a thick syrup forms. Allow to cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Butter two 22cm diameter round, pie dishes. Beat eggs and oil for 2 minutes on high speed until well blended. Add orange juice and beat for 1 minute on high speed. Add contents of pack and cinnamon and beat until combined on slow speed.

Fold in the orange rind and cooled fruit until just mixed. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pie dishes. Bake for about 45 minutes. Melt all the glaze ingredients together and pour it over the hot bakes as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream, custard or whipped cream.

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