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Nothing like a freshly-baked open tart

May 28, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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I found the most delicious and adorable selection of open tarts at Woolworths the other day. They’re perfect for a lazy Saturday lunch with friends, and just as easy to heat up and serve after a long day at the office.

I went for the 600g Mediterranean open tart that comes with its own little sachet of pesto. All you do is place the tart in the oven for about 20 minutes until heated through and golden, then drizzle with a little pesto and serve. I also love the individual wild mushroom, leek and Gruyere cheese tarts and the chorizo tarts with caramelised onion and wild mushroom, each sold in a box containing  two 115 g tartlets. The flaky pastry is deliciously crisp and the large tarts easily feed up to six people.

These tarts are a great accompaniment to a garlicky cauliflower soup, or simply served with a salad of roasted beets. To make mix wedges of roasted beetroot with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste, add soft goat’s-milk cheese and tufts of rocket and drizzle with olive oil. If you like, scatter with roasted pumpkin seeds.

The tarts will also go perfectly well with a classic Caesar or traditional Waldorf salad and a couple of pitchers of Woolies’ delicious sangria.

I hope you enjoy my find of the week!

Hannah

xx

 

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The easiest roast chicken dinner ever

May 25, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies, Woolies Pantry

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Isn’t it great how happy cooking can make you! This week has been one of those inexplicably mad weeks. Maybe it has something to do with the end of the month drawing near, but at around 4pm this afternoon my head was spinning with a never-ending to-do list.

I don’t know if you ever get yourself into the same spin, but the only thing that normally helps is a trip to the shops.

Usually shopping for clothes lifts my spirits, but since the leftover noodles didn’t quite hit the spot for lunch, a food shop was in order. This is where I happened across Woolworths’ butter-basted, easy-to-cook chicken. I originally thought of making peri-peri chicken from scratch, but I still had a few things to do so I thought I’d take the shortcut.

Roast chicken with shoestring potatoes

Roast chicken with shoestring potatoes

It is currently on the Eat In For 4 for under R150 special offer (which also offers the option of a Portuguese peri peri easy-cook roast chicken and a herby Tuscan version).

A delicious roast chicken dinner was ready to be put into the oven. All I needed to do was make my favourite shoestring potatoes to serve on the side. You can also cut yellow peppers in half, scoop out the pips and stuff them with rosa tomatoes, feta, olives, garlic and fresh basil. Drizzle a little olive oil over and season with freshly ground black pepper, but no salt as the feta is already salty.

It was so effortless (and did I say delish), that this meal became the highlight of my week. It may sound silly, but nothing makes me feel better than a home-cooked meal when you’re on deadline and teetering on the edge of a crazy week!

Do yourself a favour and give it a try. By cooking the chicken in the bag it retains all the beautiful flavours and the chicken is super moist.

Have a great weekend filled with food you love to eat.

Hannah

Consultant Food Editor, Woolworths TASTE

xx

Ps, on the topic of chicken, if you’re in the mood for a warming chicken casserole, follow the link to the Woolies Pantry for a delicious recipe. All the ingredients are ready to be bundled into a virtual basket and bought online. This recipe is one of Abigail Donnelly’s absolute favourites.

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Souper bowls

May 21, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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I really love what I do and getting paid for it, so I can keep doing what I love, makes me one really lucky girl. But sometimes my job takes me well into the night, and last night was one of those days.

I came home after 9pm, starving and with no energy to make myself a bowl of something hot and wholesome from scratch.

Then I remembered a Woolworths’ Fresh Asian Noodle soup mix that we recently shot for TASTE (the May issue with the gorgeous spicy pink cover), and that I still had a packet in my kitchen cupboard.

Everything is super fresh and super tasty, all I needed to do was add all of the ingredients to a saucepan with 1 L of water and slowly cook for about 35 minutes for a light and comforting Asian-style noodle broth. It felt so good to bite into crunchy mangetout and fresh red pepper knowing that it took minutes to make and my body was getting the nutrients it needed to get me through the next day.

Each packet is enough to generously feed four people, and I’m sure it’s going to become a regular in my home this winter. You can easily jazz of bulk it up by adding shredded, cooked chicken or boiled eggs and serve with prawn crackers.

I also can’t get enough of Woolworths Fresh Spanish Chorizo and bean soup, it’s gloriously spicy and has a robust, smokey flavour from the chorizo. I often add freshly chopped chilli with lots of fresh rocket and sometimes I even crumble a bit of feta in it for lunch at the office.

I hope you have a happy Monday and a great week.

Love Hannah

 

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I Heart butternut

May 18, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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It’s that time of the month when the contents of my fridge is looking a touch bleak, and pay day is still a week away. It makes me realise that I’m an extremist.recipes using butternut

I love to completely spoil myself in the first two weeks after being paid and indulge in fat, juicy free-range steaks and perfectly seared salmon fillets. Then I live off of hearty, low-budget soups and freshly made pasta with a good home-made tomato sauce for the rest of the month.

So now is the time for those aforementioned hearty low-budget meals. But they’re actually fun to make because they tax my creativity and force me to come up with something new, exciting and satisfying at the same time.

I always have big fat butternuts(on a super buy-bulk-and-save promotion at Woolworths right now) in the bottom of our vegetable basket at home, so this lovely member of the pumpkin family is usually the star of most of my dishes.

BUTTERNUT WEDGES WITH THAI PASTE

One way I use them is to cut the butternut into wedges then slow-roasting the chunks with a splash of olive oil in the oven until done. I serve these with a home-made Thai paste that I make by blending 1 large handful of coriander leaves, 1 5-cm piece of ginger, grated, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 fresh chilli and mixing that with a couple of splashes of sesame, olive or canola oil.  I also like to add the juice of limes or lemons for great tart flavour.

I use the paste to flavour up a thick Thai butternut soup, sprinkled with chopped coriander and cashew nuts on top.

I also love to simmer the fragrant paste with coconut milk and stock for a Thai butternut curry. At the beginning of the month I’ll add a few plump pan-fried prawns just before serving with delicately steamed jasmine rice.

ROAST BUTTERNUT AND BEET SALAD

This is one of my favourite winter salads. Beetroots, including those lovely little baby beets, are in season and their earthy flavour goes so well with butternut.

Butternut and beetroot salad

I like to serve this salad warm with a splash of red wine vinegar, olive oil, small chunks of goat’s milk cheese, chilli-roasted pumpkin seeds and lots of fresh rocket.

To make the chilli-roasted pumpkin seeds, toast a handful of pumpkin seeds in a dry pan. In another pan, gently fry dried red chilli in olive oil for 1 minute, then add the seeds and toss to coat.

I would love to hear what you make for yourselves at home with butternut.

Lots of love

Hannah

Ps, don’t miss blogger Alida Ryder’s yum Indian-spiced potato and butternut pies in The Woolies Pantry or try Woolworths TASTE’s butternut crisps with fresh rosemary.

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Wake up and smell the coffee

May 15, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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You know those mornings where you really just can’t seem to get out of bed, or even if you do there really was no point because your eyes are still half closed and no amount of stretching is making you feel any more awake?

Well this morning was one of those for me and if you can relate, you’ll know it’s about as much fun as standing in line at the traffic department to renew your driver’s licence.

So while feeling rather sorry for myself and making my morning cup of coffee in the vain hope that it would jolt me to life, I was suddenly comforted by the thought of a coffee sponge cake I had made one or two months back.

I immediately felt better, strange that even the thought of food and remembering how good it looked and tasted can make me feel better!

The recipe for this coffee cake doesn’t have a distinctive coffee taste; it’s quite a subtle flavour, so add more coffee if you want to really taste it.

The peanut butter frosting is just sooo delicious and was a bit of a mistake really. I originally wanted the icing to be thick and darker in colour, but it was at the end of the day on a long shoot and I was a little heavy-handed with the milk. So when I finished blending all the ingredients for the icing together I was left with this beautiful, airy whipped frosting.

It’s very easy to work with and the salty nuttiness from the peanut butter with the sweetness of the sugar in the icing is too yummy!

 

Light coffee cake with peanut butter whip

Light coffee cake with peanut butter whip

 

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Light coffee cake with peanut butter whip
Author: 
Recipe type: Baking
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 8
 

Ingredients
  • 190 g softened butter
  • 190 g light brown sugar
  • 3 free-range eggs
  • 190 g flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1½ T milk
  • 1 T strong-brewed coffee
  • 200 g icing sugar
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • 80 g softened butter.

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C.
  2. Cream the butter with the light brown sugar until pale and fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.
  4. Sift the flour with the baking powder.
  5. Combine the milk and coffee.
  6. Add half the flour mixture and half the coffee mixture to the butter mixture and whisk. Add the remaining flour and coffee mixtures and beat until smooth.
  7. Spoon into a greased, 26 cm round cake tin and bake for 30 – 4- minutes, or until firm and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before turning out of the tin.
  8. Once completely cool, spread with peanut butter whip and serve immediately. To make the peanut butter whip, beat the icing sugar, peanut butter, milk and butter until light and smooth.

 

The best part is that Rich Roast Instant Coffee from Woolworths is on the WRewards for card holders at the moment, as is their smooth peanut butter. So take advantage and treat yourself to this simple yet delicious cake that kids of all ages will love.

And on the note of coffee goodness, we’re celebrating FAIRTRADE COFFEE WEEK at Woolies where all coffee-based beverages sold in the 70 Woolworths coffee shops around the country will be Fairtrade certified.

See you there!

Hannah

xx

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Just love my OJ

May 9, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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Orange juice, or OJ as Americans fondly call it, is my staple Sunday breakfast drink. There is nothing quite like a tall glass of 100% orange juice to get your day started off just right, especially now we all need as much of a vitamin C boost as we can get to stave off winter flu bugs.

Woolworths is offering 3L of 100% orange juice as part of their buy-bulk-and-save offering right now.

Stock up and if you’ve got any left after your daily glass, here are a couple of my favourite ways to use OJ.

An orange wobble

I also love making jelly with Woolworths 100% orange juice; it always gives it texture from the pulp and a genuine zesty flavour. I just add about 3 – 4 cups of orange juice to a saucepan and gently heat it up while 6 gelatine leaves soften. When the orange juice is warmed, I remove it from the heat, squeeze any excess water out of the gelatine leaves and stir them into the orange juice to dissolve before pouring into individual glasses or a mould.

You can also add cardamom seeds while you heat up the juice for another flavour or a dash of honey to sweeten it too. I also love to make layer jellies, so I often set this orange jelly on a set layer of panna cotta in a greased loaf pan so I can take it out and slice it to serve. Or I simply layer them in glasses which are a lot easier and less fuss!

Couscous magic

When I make couscous I will often soak it in hot orange juice so that each of little grain absorbs the fragrant taste, which is so delicious with Moroccan lamb or pan fried fish.

Orange flakes for fun

When summer rolls around, the first thing I do is make a quick granita by sifting 110g icing sugar into 2 cups orange juice, 1 cup water and pouring it into a large baking tray so that you have a shallow layer of liquid. I then wait for it to freeze and flake it with a fork to make snow-like orange flakes. It’s delicious just as it is but I sometimes also add a shot or two of vodka to the mixture before it sets for a twist on the classic vodka and orange cocktails.

I hope that I have helped you see just how delicious and versatile a good old glass of OJ can be. Maybe you have a little twist of your own and would be willing to share your fabulous ways of using Woolworths 100% orange juice.

Hannah,

xx

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My favourite way with frozen hake

May 4, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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I was so happy to see they have frozen hake on special at Woolies right now (ends Sunday 6 May). Hake is one of my favourite go-to fish for everyday cooking. It’s like a blank canvas and generally takes on any flavour really well.

I only cook it from frozen when I bake it in the oven because that way it cooks while retaining moisture and texture. For pan-frying I normally let it defrost for about an hour or so before pan-frying. It’s important to ensure it’s defrosted all the way through so that when you cook it it’s not still cold in the middle.

COCONUT AND CARDAMOM RICE NOODLES WITH PAN-FRIED HAKE

In this recipe the cardamom adds a beautiful sweetness to the hake while the chillie adds a fiery kick, but the flavours are still nice and clean. It’s the perfect light meal, not too starchy, but you do feel satisfied afterwards. I serve it with rice noodles – the sauce clings wonderfully to the noodles.

Coconut-and-cardamom rice noodles with pan-fried hake

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Coconut and cardamom rice noodles with pan-fried hake
Author: 
Recipe type: main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • 200 ml light coconut milk (half a can)
  • ½ cup vegetable stock
  • 6 cardamom pods
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 fresh green chilli, chopped
  • 4 x 200 g hake fillets, cut into portions, or use hake medallions
  • 2 T olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 500 g rice noodles
  • 100 g val papdi, podded and blanched (see note)
  • ½ cup coconut flakes, toasted, for serving
  • 1 lime, juiced and zested

Instructions
  1. Place the coconut milk, stock, cardamom, garlic and chilli in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium to low heat. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced and fragrant.
  2. Place a pan over a high heat, rub the fish portions with olive oil and season. When the pan is hot, place the fish in the pan, skin-side down. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes without turning. When the fish comes away from the pan easily, turn over and fry for a further 30 seconds, or until cooked through and tender but still firm.
  3. Remove the fish from the heat and set aside. Add the noodles to the coconut broth and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.
  4. To serve, place the hake in deep bowls, pour over the coconut broth and noodles, scatter with toasted coconut and val papdi, add a squeeze of lime juice and scatter with lime zest.

Notes
Val papdi are slightly bitter, flat green beans that originate from western India. Use mangetout, edamame beans or green beans as a substitute.

 

Enjoy!

Hannah,

Consultant Food Editor, Woolworths TASTE

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May 3, 2012 in Cooking with Woolies

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When I was a little girl I  had many nick names, but Hannah Banana was the one that stuck!Banana with cheat's vanilla custard

The irony was, however, that I absolutely loathed bananas. I think it was because of one too many squashed bananas found forgotten at the bottom of my school bag.

Now that I am older I am proud to say that my palate has grown too, so bananas are back on the list of things that I don’t mind taking time out to enjoy. I love Woolies’ bananas that are perfectly ripe and ready to eat or use in a recipe. You can also buy them in bulk; what you don’t use you can simply pop, peels on, in the freezer.

My mom makes the best ever banana muffins. Instead of scolding my brother and me for letting the bananas go vrot she would just mash them up into an incredible homemade muffin mix, which I am yet to get my hands on!

So that’s what inspired me to make this banana and blueberry cake. Try sprinkling toasted coconut on top just before it is done baking instead of the flaked almonds. Don’t be afraid to use the coconut oil, it’s really good for you and will add lovely moisture and fragrant flavour to your cake, but feel free to use a mix of olive oil and canola oil, or macadamia and olive oil in its place.

BANANA AND BLUEBERRY CAKE

Banana and blueberry cake

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Banana and blueberry cake
Author: 
Recipe type: dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 8
 

Ingredients
  • 280 g wholewheat flour
  • 100 g dark brown treacle sugar
  • 1 t baking powder
  • ½ t salt
  • 1½ cups ripe banana
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil
  • 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 30 g slivered

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Grease a 25 cm round cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Place the wholewheat flour, dark brown treacle sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk.
  3. Mash the ripe banana in another large bowl until smooth, then add the blueberries, coconut oil, lightly beaten free-range eggs and buttermilk. Gently fold until incorporated and pour into the flour mixture before folding again to combine evenly.
  4. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin, scatter over the slivered almonds and bake for 50 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  5. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.
  6. Cook’s note: Use 2 T macadamia oil and 4 T olive oil instead of coconut oil

I also can’t get enough of bananas sliced into my flap jack mix on Sunday mornings, with lots of butter and creamed honey. And my friends love them halved lengthways and fried in butter with some sugar until sticky and caramelised. I serve them hot out of the pan with vanilla ice-cream and some chocolate sauce, it’s just delicious.

Lots of love,

Hannah Banana

x

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