This practical and economical fork menu will really work for you. It is suitable for both large and smaller groups. Many of the dishes can be made in advance but the look is fresh and pretty with colourful spring touches of asparagus, strawberries, nasturtiums, mint, etc.Set the dishes out buffet style, let the guests help themselves and eat either sitting down at the table or casually on their laps.
spring lunch buffet style
Bruchetta with Asparagus and Sundried Tomato
Macaroni Cheese with Mushrooms on video
Nasturtium Salad with Roasted Peppers and Vinaigrette Dressing
Lentil and Crushed Wheat Salad with Mint and Feta
Strawberry Cream Cake with Orange
Coffee
Serve these bites with drinks before the meal in celebration of the first green asparagus of the season.
BRUCHETTA 1 short French loaf, cut into slices on the diagonal ± 1 cm thick
olive oil
Ina Paarman's Garlic & Herb Seasoning
Brush the cut-side of the bread lightly with olive oil and then sprinkle lightly with Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Bake at 200°C for ± 10 minutes until golden. Leave to cool down completely and then store in an airtight container.
TOPPING
1 punnet green asparagus
1 T (15 ml) olive oil
Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
1 cup (250 ml) smooth cottage cheese
a good handful of rocket leaves
1 x 240 g Ina Paarman's Sundried Tomato Quarters in Vinaigrette
Black Pepper
Wash the asparagus in plenty of cold water to remove all the sand. Snap off the cut end of each one, they will naturally snap in the 'right' place between where the stem is woody and where the tender part starts (not necessary for the very fine ones). See our Masterclass.
Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and place in a microwave or stove top steamer. Steam for 5-8 minutes, just until they test tender when pierced with a fork. When done, remove, season with Green Onion Seasoning and spread out on a plate to cool. Mix the cottage cheese with finely chopped rocket.
Spread a dollop of cottage cheese on each bruchetta slice, top with an asparagus and a strip of Sundried Tomato. Grind black pepper over and serve.
CHEF'S TIP:
You can prepare the bruchetta an hour or two before serving but obviously if they stand for longer the bruchetta tends to lose crispness.
This recipe is wonderful when entertaining vegetarians or for feeding the family on a shoestring. Beef Bolognaise Pasta Sauce is an excellent choice for meat eaters.
250 g macaroni
boiling water
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Potato Spice
4 T (60 ml) Ina Paarman's White Sauce Powder
4 T (60 ml) cold tap water
2 cups (500 ml) milk
2 T (30 ml) butter
½ t (2.5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli & Garlic Seasoning
1 cup (100 g) grated cheddar cheese
1 smallish onion, chopped
1 t (5 ml) butter
2 T (30 ml) oil, canola is fine
200-250 g button mushrooms, sliced
1 x 400 ml Ina Paarman's Mushroom or Beef Bolognaise Pasta Sauce
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Boil the pasta for 7 minutes and drain. Season it with Potato Spice. Mix the White Sauce Powder with the cold water to make a smooth slurry.
Bring the milk and butter to a fast boil, either on the stove or in the microwave on 100% power. (If microwaving use a 1 litre measuring jug to allow for foaming). Immediately mix the slurry into the boiling milk mixture while stirring briskly with a wire whisk to achieve a smooth consistency. Cook for a further 1 minute if not thick enough and give a final stir before use.
Add the Chilli & Garlic Seasoning and 2/3 of the cheese to the sauce. Dish the Pasta Sauce into a medium/large 30 cm x 21 cm ovenproof dish and level it out. Sauté the onion until brown in a mixture of the butter and oil. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until just beginning to wilt. Spoon the cooked mushrooms and onion over the Pasta Sauce in the dish.
Spoon the macaroni over the Pasta Sauce. Pour the white sauce over to coat. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until nicely browned. Serve with a large tossed salad.
CHEF'S TIP:
Double the recipe for a crowd. In that case it is quicker to make the sauce on the stove rather than in the microwave.
Serves 6
This time of the year the nasturtium flowers and leaves are at their best! If you cannot lay your hands on any, use rocket leaves and any other edible flower available like pansies, marigolds, borage, lavender and geranium.
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Balsamic Vinaigrette or Tuscan Tomato Vinaigrette (coming soon!)
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Rosemary & Olive Seasoning
2 cups (500 ml) small young nasturtium leaves, nasturtium flowers and/or any other edible flowers.
You can either char the bell peppers directly over a gas flame or bake them on a baking tray at 250°C for 20 minutes. Leave them in a mixing bowl covered with clingfilm to cool and for the skins to loosen. Peel, seed and slice into thin strips. Toss with the Vinaigrette and season to taste with Rosemary & Olive Seasoning. Can be prepared in advance.
TO SERVE
Make a bed of leaves on a flat platter. Dish the pepper strips over the leaves and add flowers for garnish.
Serves 6
This salad is not only healthy, it is delicious!
¾ cup (150 g) bulgur or crushed pearl wheat
1 T (15 ml) Ina Paarman's Vegetable Stock Powder
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 cup (170 g) pink lentils
2 cups (500 ml) water
1½ T (22.5 ml) Ina Paarman's Vegetable Stock Powder
1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced with green tops
½ cup (125 ml) chopped mint
½ cup (125 ml) chopped parsley
½ cup (125 ml) Danish feta cut into tiny blocks
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Low Fat Greek or Low Fat Lime & Coriander Dressing (coming soon!)
Pour 2 cuprs of boiling water over the wheat to cover, stir in the Vegetable Stock Powder and leave to stand for an hour. Loosen with a fork. Season with Garlic & Herb Seasoning.
Microwave the lentils in water, to which you have added the Vegetable Stock, for 5 minutes on 100% power. Leave to cool. Drain before use.
Toss prepared wheat and lentils with sliced spring onions, mint, parsley and feta. Dress with the low fat dressing of your choice. Can be prepared in the morning and left to stand at room temperature. Will keep in the fridge (covered) for 2 days.
CHEF'S TIP:
The crushed wheat can be replaced with couscous. Prepare according to pack instructions.
Serves 10
One cannot let the strawberry season go past without baking this divine cake a couple of times. If you want a real show stopper for a party - pile the cake up high, all four layers. But if you do two smaller layer cakes they are easier to slice and serve.
CAKE ½ cup (125 g) butter, room temperature
3 extra large eggs
1 x 600 g Ina Paarman's Vanilla Cake Mix
½ cup (125 ml) milk
1 T (15 ml) orange rind
½ cup (125 ml) fresh orange juice
Preheat the oven to 180°C and adjust oven rack to middle position. Butter two 22cm round cake pans and line the bases with baking paper.
Cream the butter until white and add one egg together with 1 T of the cake mix. Beat well. Continue with the remaining 2 eggs adding a tablespoon of cake mixture with each egg. Beat well after each addition.
Add half the remaining cake mix and the milk, fold it in gently with a spatula or metal spoon.
Add the final half of the cake mix, the orange rind and juice. Fold in gently only until everything is evenly mixed through. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pans and smooth to level. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool in the cake pans for 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack. When the cakes are completely cool they can be split in half horizontally through the middle to give you 4 layers.
FILLING
400 g strawberry jam (add a drop of red colour to brigten the jam)
1½ cups (375 ml) fresh cream
1 t (5 ml) vanilla essence
1 t (5 ml) gelatin powder
2 T (30 ml) sugar
½ t (2½ ml) salt
800 g punnet fresh strawberries (reserve some of the best ones for the top of the cake)
Spread strawberry jam over the cut sides of three cake layers, reserve some to glaze berries on top. Beat the cream and vanilla until half whipped. Mix the gelatin, sugar and salt and whip into the cream until the cream holds its shape. Reserve about 6 - 8 of the best berries. Cut the stem end of the rest of the berries off and then cut them in half lengthways.
Arrange around the outer perimeter of the 3 cake layers which have been spread with jam.
The cut sides must face out. Spoon a generous amount of whipped cream in the centre of these layers. Keep the berries free of cream. Pile the layers up either all four or two by two. Spread cream over the top and decorate with best berries. Glaze these 'show berries' with a little of the strawberry jam warmed to make it spreadable. Wrap a double layer of greaseproof paper around the 4 layer variation. Secure and leave to set in the fridge for 2 - 4 hours.
CHEF'S TIP:
Washing strawberries: always wash them with the green tops still on. If you remove the tops first, the washing water goes into the natural hollow inside the strawberries and washes away flavour and carries sand into the berries.