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Lemon Spaghetti

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  INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup olive oil 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons) 3/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste) ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste) 1 pound dried spaghett 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons) METHOD In a large bowl, whisk the oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper to blend. Set the lemon sauce aside. (The sauce can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the spaghetti to the lemon sauce, and toss with the basil and lemon zest. Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid, ¼ cup at a time, to moisten.  Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to ta

CHICKEN TOM YUM

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Ingredients 3 cups chicken stock 1 can Coconut Milk 400 g cooked chicken meat pulled (I use roast chicken) 250 g sliced mushrooms 6 Spring Onions, chopped 1 de-seeded chopped chilli 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, cut into 1-2 inch pieces Use the juice of 1 - 2 inch piece of ginger Juice and rind of 1 lime 1 cup cherry tomatoes,halves Salt as needed 1 bunch Corriander METHOD Heat the oil in a large wok or deep frying pan and fry the spring onions for 2 to 3 mins.  Add the chicken strips and stir-fry for 4 to 5 mins until no longer pink (if using raw chicken).  Pour in Coconut milk and let simmer for 5 mins. Pour in the stock and add the lime juice and zest and chilli. Simmer gently for 10 to 15 mins until the chicken is just cooked. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Stir in the coriander and simmer for 1 to 2 mins until just wilted.  Serve in warmed bowls.

CREAMY CHICKPEA AND MUSHROOM PASTA

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INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium onions sliced 250 g button or portobellini mushrooms, sliced 1 small tin tomato paste 240g penne or tagliatelli pasta 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced 2 tspn Oreganum 2 tspn Basil 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock 1 can chickpeas 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup plain yoghurt GARNISH 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Garnish with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley or chives Instructions Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil, onions, and ½ tsp salt. This part will require patience. Cook onions for 35 min. until soft, golden brown, and reduced.  While onions are caramelizing, cook pasta according to package directions (in heavily salted water). Drain and set aside. Once onions are caramelized, add garlic and mushrooms. Cook for 6-7 min. until mushrooms are light golden brown, soft, and have lost most of their moisture. Stir in tomato paste, dried herbs, black pepper, and stock. Cook until tomato paste goes d

LEBANESE GREEN BEAN STEW with Chickpeas and Almonds

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Ingredients 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, (diced) 5 garlic cloves, (minced) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional) 1 teaspoon cumin powder 1 chilli finely chopped (optional) 2 large potatoes (or sweet potato) 3 carrots peeled and sliced 2 cups vegetable broth 1 x  400g tin of chopped tomatoes 1 small tin tomato paste 1 tin chickpeas (drained) 1/2 cup almonds - think shavings Juice of a lime (I use the zest as well) 4 cups green beans - cut in 2 inch pieces (fresh or frozen) Salt and pepper Preparation On a medium­-high heat on the stove, using a very large cast iron pot, heat the oil until warm. Now add the onion and cook until translucent for about 3 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute. Now add garlic and a dash of water to release the spices from the bottom of the pot. Cook for further 2 minutes. Stir in the green beans, potatoes, and carrots and cook for further 8-­10 minutes stirring occasionally. Now add vegetable stock, chopped tomato and paste. B

THAI BEEF SALAD

  2 small onions 1 lemon grass 1 bunch corriander 1 punnet mint leaves 1 cup lime/lemon juice 1/3 cup fish sauce 1 Tbl sweet chilli sauce 2 Tbl white sugar 750g fillet steak (I used Ostrich fillet) 1 lettuce 1 cucumber 1 punnet cherry tomatoes In a bowl stir together chopped onions, finely sliced lemon grass, chopped corriander, chopped mint, lime/lemon juice, fish sauce, chilli sauce and sugar. Sear steak and slice. Put steak into sauce and marinade for a few hours Make the salad and place meat on top.

Proper Durban Chicken Curry

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INGREDIENTS: 12 chicken pieces 2 tablespoons oil 2 medium sized onions sliced fine 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon ground corriander 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 tablespoon Durban masala 2 bay leaves 2 star anise 2 cardamom 2 ripe tomatoes (to be peeled, de-seeded then grated) desired limit salt (I used 1 teaspoon) 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic curry leaves bunch fresh coriander 500ml chicken stock half cup peas 4 medium potatoes quartered 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate (if you want to achieve the deep orange color without added colorants) INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare the chicken and vegetables. Wash and peel the vegetables. Blanche tomatoes in boiled water this will help remove the skin off the tomatoes. Once the skin is off – remove the seeds then grate to form tomato puree. Slice the onions fine. Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters then soak in water until needed. This recipe requires just 2 tablespoons oil- no more! Additional oil is released by first browning th

Pea and Ham Soup

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Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 1 onion, chopped 2 sticks celery 2 carrots, peeled, chopped 3 cloves of garlic finely grated 500ml chicken stock 300g split peas 300g thickly sliced ham or bacon diced 1 bayleaf Salt and pepper Method STEP 1 Heat the butter in a saucepan and when lightly foaming gently cook carrot, onion and celery until softened, but not coloured. STEP 2 Add garlic and then pour in chicken stock. Simmer until softened. STEP 3 Add split peas and bayleaf and bring back to the boil. Simmer for about 1 hour. STEP 4 Remove from the heat and blend until smooth. Stir in 300g diced ham and serve. Season with salt and pepper.