Oven Risotto with Chicken, Sun-dried Tomato and Asparagus
Serves 12

The ideal dish to pre-prepare and eat with a fork. Lovely flavours and happy colours.

12 skinless chicken thighs
3 T (45 ml) olive oil
3 t (15 ml) Ina Paarman Garlic & Herb Seasoning
200-300g fresh asparagus, neatly trimmed and cut in half
1 T (15 ml) olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
650g Arborio or short grain rice
1½ cups (375 ml) white wine
1½ litres of boiling water
4 T (60 ml) Ina Paarman's Chicken Stock Powder
1 x 240g Ina Paarman's Sun-dried Tomato Quarters, drained and chopped
1 cup (250 ml) cream
Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning to taste
Fresh herbs to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Toss the chicken with the olive oil and Garlic & Herb seasoning. Roast open in a single layer in a large oven pan for 35 minutes. Cool and cut off the bone. Do not wash the pan. Turn the oven down to 180ºC.

Place the asparagus in a bowl of cold water to rinse away all the sand, drain and steam for 5 minutes. Toss with olive oil. Heat the oven pan, in which the chicken was done, on top of the stove. Stir-fry the onion until soft and brown, add rice and cook together until the rice is golden brown*.

Add the wine, boil fast until reduced by half. Add boiling water and stock powder. Bring back to the boil. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven at 180ºC for 20 minutes.

Stir in the cooked chicken, sun-dried tomato and cream. Season to taste with Garlic Pepper. Cover and bake for another 15 minutes. Pile onto a serving platter and lightly fork in the asparagus. Garnish with fresh herbs.

 Chef's Tip:

* Can be pre-prepared up to this point.

 Variation:

Peas are a good alternative to the asparagus. Tinned artichokes, cut into ¼'s make for a luxury addition.

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I made this for an office lunch and was pleasantly surprised that such a simple and economical recipe got such an enthusiastic response. The mixture remains quite soft and is best served with a spoon rather than cut into wedges.

½ T (7,5 ml) butter
½ T (7,5 ml) oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 x 400g tins creamed sweetcorn
2 eggs, beaten
2 x 200 ml Ina Paarman's Ready to Serve Cheese Sauce
1 cup (250 ml) mature cheddar cheese, grated
2 T (30 ml) chopped parsley
Ina Paarman's Chilli & Garlic Seasoning

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Sauté the onion in a mixture of the butter and oil until soft and golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the sweetcorn, eggs, cheese sauce, ¾ cup of the cheese and chopped parsley. Dish into a medium size ovenproof porcelain flan or pie dish. Top with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese and sprinkle lightly with Chilli & Garlic seasoning*. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and soft set in the middle.

 Chef's Tip:

* Can be pre-prepared up to this point. Bake before needed.

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This recipe will double up well.
When sesame seeds are toasted they impart a bacon-like flavour to food. This is a lovely salad for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

1 punnet of baby spinach leaves, well washed and spun dry
¼ cup (60 ml) of sesame seeds
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Creamy Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
100g creamy blue cheese (Fairview Blue & Blanc won this year's Qualité award)
9 blue violets for garnish

Place the spinach leaves in a sinkful of cold water and leave to soak. Toast the sesame seeds by shaking them in a heavy based or nonstick fry-pan over medium high heat.*

Spin the leaves dry and toss them with the dressing to coat. Dish into a salad bowl. Crumble blue cheese over and scatter with sesame seeds and violets. Serve.

 Chef's Tip:

* Pre-prepare up to this point.

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Serve this salad on a flat white or green platter, for maximum colour contrast. Instead of mixing the ingredients we have arranged them in colour groupings.

2 pink grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments
2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
3 medium sized beetroot, cooked and skinned
1 bunch of radishes, well washed
1 medium punnet of baby rosa or cherry tomatoes
2 red onions, sliced into very thin slices

DRESSING
¾ cup (187 ml) Ina Paarman's Lite French Salad Splash
1 t (5 ml) wasabi paste

Arrange the grapefruit and orange segments on the platter. Slice the beetroot into rings and then into long thin strips. Arrange on the platter. Keep small radishes whole and trim the radishes to retain about 2cm of the green tops. If large, cut each one into quarters, retaining a bit of greenery where you can. Group together on the platter. Halve the baby tomatoes and arrange on the platter with the onion rings.

Beat the dressing with the wasabi paste and drizzle over the salad.

 Chef's Tip:

The salad can successfully be pre-prepared the day before (cover well) but add the beetroot and onion rings last, just before dressing the salad.

You cannot let the strawberry season go by without making this dessert. It has absolutely stood the test of time! I get requests from all over the world for this simple recipe.

1 x 397g tin full cream sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
800g fresh strawberries
1 t (5 ml) vanilla essence
250g creamed or smooth cottage cheese
1 cup (250 ml) fresh cream (not fat reduced)

Use a food processor or blender for easy mixing. Blend the condensed milk and lemon juice until the milk thickens. Wash and dry the strawberries. Keep aside 16 of the smallest ones for decoration. Remove the stems and slice these in half. Blend the remaining strawberries with the condensed milk. Add the vanilla essence and cottage cheese. Blend quickly just to mix in.

Whip the cream in a separate large bowl until thick. Fold the cheese mixture into the cream. Pour into individual glasses. Cover with cling film. Chill in the refrigerator. Pre-preparation can be done up to this stage the day before.* Decorate with the reserved strawberries and serve.

 Chef's Tip:

Can be pre-prepared up to this point - it actually improves on standing.

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