Cheesy Chicken & Aubergine Dinner

This recipe is for a very easy, quick and still tasty dinner.  This should feed 6 people, with some left over for lunch!

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts (skinless, boneless, and cut into nice bite sized chunks)

1 – 2 Aubergines (tops taken off, cut into chunks)

1 Pack Rosa tomatoes, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, tomato paste

Thyme and Oregano (fresh if possible) chopped finely

Garlic, chopped finely 

Salt and Pepper

Dried Chilli Flakes

Worcestershire Sauce

80g – 100g Mozzarella cheese, grated

Fresh Basil (two handfuls)

60g Parmesan, finely grated

Ciabatta bread

Cheesy Chicken and Aubergine Preparations

Method:

- Fry chicken breasts chunks in olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and a good dash of Worcestershire sauce

- Add aubergine chunks shortly after (you want them to get really nice and soft)

- Add thyme and oregano

- Once the aubergines are nicely browned add the tomatoes and the tin of tomatoes.  Also add tomato paste

- Add more Worcestershire sauce and spice to taste

- Turn to medium heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the aubergine is soft and chicken is cooked through

- Add the mozzarella in small handfuls until sauce turns creamy and cheese is mixed through evenly

- Add basil just before serving

- Garnish with Parmesan

- Serve with Ciabatta bread

Cheesy Chicken and Aubergine Dinner served with Ciabatta Bread

Ostrich Steaks in the Best Meat Rub Ever

My beautiful friends gave me Justin Bonello's "Cooked in Africa" book for my birthday, and it holds the recipe to one of the best meat rubs I have ever tasted.  He was only preparing two steaks, so the recipe below is to feed 6.

I made ostrich steaks in the rub, and served it with garlic bruschetta, green salad and sautéed asparagus and brinjal.

Ostrich Steak, sautéed Asparagus & Brinjal, Salad and Bruschetta

Meat Rub:
3 teaspoons of:
- Coarse sea salt
- Brown sugar
- Dried Garlic Flakes
- Mustard Seeds
- Coriander Seeds
- White, black and green peppercorns
- Paprika
- Bell Peppers
- 3 Juniper Berries

Toss all the ingredients into a pestal and mortar and grind into a fine granular rub.

Coat the ostrich steaks in Olive Oil before covering in the rub on both sides.  Braai for 15 - 20 minutes.

For the garlic bruschetta coat sliced french bread in olive oil, grill on both sides until golden and crispy and then rub with raw garlic.

For the sautéed asparagus and brinjal, fry brinjal (I used baby brinjals cut into slices) in olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper until soft and then add the asparagus just before serving (so it is still crunchy).  Garnish with grated Parmesan.

Ostrich Steak, sautéed Asparagus & Brinjal, Salad and Bruschetta

Asparagus and Parmesan Party Snack

This quick and easy snack is perfect for entertaining:

Asparagus and Parmesan Party Snack

Ingredients:

1 pack store bought puff pastry
500g fresh asparagus
3 cloves of garlic
10ml olive oil
180g Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  
2.  Roll out the pastry until about 5mm thick and place into a rectangular baking dish
3.  Brush olive oil lightly over the pastry
4.  Spread the asparagus evenly over the pastry
5.  Sprinkle with finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper
6.  Place in oven for approximately 20 minutes (or until pastry is cooked through)
7.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and return to the oven for 10 minutes (or until pastry is crisp and golden brown)
8.  Cut into bite size portions and enjoy!

Asparagus and Parmesan Party Snack

Classic Lasagne Al Forno

When it felt like winter was starting to set in, Lasagne was just what I felt like.  I prefer to make it with venison meat, as it is a lot leaner than even extra lean beef mince and doesn't make the lasagne sloppy.  Unfortunately hunting season hasn't quite started so I didn't have any venison for this lasagne and used lean beef mince instead.  This recipe served 5 very hungry people.

Classic Lasagne Al Forno

Ingredients:


2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1kg minced lean beef
2 tbsp tomato pureé
Handful of fresh Thyme
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
50ml red wine
2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
50ml milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

75g butter
75g flour
900ml milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
180g cheddar cheese, grated
60g parmesan cheese, grated

6 - 8 sheets of 'non-cook' lasagne sheets

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C. Heat the olive oil in a hot pan. Grate the onion and crush the garlic before frying together. Season with the thyme, Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper. Allow the onion to soften before making a well in the centre of the pan. Place the mince in the middle of the pan and stir to break it up. Add the tomato puree and allow to cook out for 30 seconds. Continue until all the meat has browned nicely. Add the wine and cook off the alcohol before adding the tomatoes. Leave to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Finally add the milk, turn off the heat and set aside.

2.  To make the cheese sauce:  Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour (sift it in gradually) and stir with a wooden spoon to form a paste. Over a gentle heat add a third of the milk, whisking to prevent any lumps forming. Add the rest of the milk a third at a time, whisking as you go. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Allow the sauce to cook out for another minute before adding the Cheddar cheese. Stir and remove from the heat.

3.  Spoon half of the meat sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and place pasta sheets on top (break the sheets if necessary to avoid any overlapping). I blanch the pasta sheets individually after breaking them to size before putting them into place.  Next, pour in just under half of the cheese sauce, and spread evenly using a spatula before spooning the remaining meat on top. Add the final layer of pasta and pour over the remaining cheese sauce.

4.  Finish with the grated Parmesan and add some salt and pepper before placing in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  (I also kept some parmesan to add once served)