Recipe(tried): Weekend Fare in a Warm S.Africa!!

Hello One and All,

I hope you all had a good weekend, its been very, very hot here so much so we all sat about Saturday watching the cricket on the television, which was very exciting,with fans going with a vengence !It looks like rain today so hopefully it,ll cool down !I,ve been up since 4am as my eldest son Craig had to be at his school for a weeks Educational Tour to the Drakensburg Mountains,I just hope he comes back in one piece!
Food this weekend consisted of mostly cold buffet type dishes for ease of preparing and serving .Here are some of the dishes we ate

SPINACH AND CELERY RISOTTO WITH WALNUTS
***************************************
Serves 3-4

5 cups vegetable stock(can use chicken if liked)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 Tbsp butter
2 cups diced celery
1 Tbsp finely chopped celery leaves
1 lb washed spinach, wilted and roughly chopped
Salt to taste
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3 Tbls finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, washed and chopped
3 oz walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped (can use pecans)
Freshly grated parmesan

Place the stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Put the oil and butter into a heavy-based saucepan and saut the onion until golden-brown. Add the celery and celery leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the rice, stirring well to coat. Add 1/2 cup stock and stir constantly loosening any grains of rice from the sides and bottom of the saucepan. When the liquid has evaporated add another 1/2 cup stock. Continue to add stock only when the previous amount has evaporated. After 10-12 minutes add the remaining chopped celery and stir constantly, adding more liquid until the rice is tender and the kernel of a single grain is al dente, about 35 minutes. Add the wilted spinach and the grated lemon rind and season with salt and black pepper. Add the parsley and the chopped walnuts and serve with grated parmesan.

Nutty Stuffed Tomatoes
*********************************
Serves 6

6 large tomatoes
8ozs cottage cheese
3 oz salted peanuts,roughly chopped
2 oz sultanas
3 scallions,finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil torn finely
freshly ground black pepper
salt
lettuce leaves to serve

Cut tops off the tomatoes and set aside. Hollow out tomatoes discarding flesh and pips. Turn the cottage cheese into a bowl and add the peanuts, basil, sultanas, and scallions. Combine together until well mixed then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Use this mixture to fill the tomato shells; replace caps. Serve on individual plates garnished with lettuce leaves

GUACAMOLE SOUP
==============
Serves 4 - I doubled the amount

1 medium green cucumber
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 spring onionsscallions), including half the green tops
1/2 each red and yellow sweet peppers, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped dill, parsley and chives
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 cup Vegetable Stock
1 ripe avocado
2 tbsp white wine
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 firm red tomato, diced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 extra tsp chopped chives
garlic croutons to serve

Peel and seed the cucumber and chop roughly. Put cucumber, garlic, spring onions, peppers, herbs, vinegar, sugar, stock and half the peeled and chopped avocado into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Blend well, then pour into a large serving bowl and add white wine, salt, pepper, olive oil, and diced tomato. From now on it must be
stirred, not blended.

Just before serving, stir in the remaining avocado, diced and tossed in lemon juice. Sprinkle with remaining chives. Serve with garlic croutons.

I also add a little finely chopped red chile and a dash of Tabasco for a bit more bite!

This recipe I think I've probably posted something similar before but it does change due to what ever veggies I have available!

SUMMER VEGETABLE SALAD
***************************************
Serves 4-6

1 lb fine young green beans
1/2 lb broccoli sprigs
1 Lb courgettes (zucchini)
1 Lb young leeks, trimmed

DRESSING:
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly milled pepper, to taste
12 sprigs of rocket, fennel or watercress (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
extra sea salt for sprinkling

Steam green beans, broccoli, courgettes and young leeks in batches or using a layered steamer. Allow about 5-8 minutes for green beans, 10 minutes for broccoli, 12 minutes courgettes, 10 minutes for leeks. After steaming, refresh in cold water to set colour. Remove and drain thoroughly, pat dry if necessary with paper towels. To make dressing whisk together all dressing ingredients until thickened. Layer vegetables on a large platter to make a lattice work of colours, spoon dressing over salad and spread with rocket leaves, fennel or watercress. Drizzle over extra olive oil and a pinch of extra sea salt.

This next dish is devine I got it of the internet and adapted it

Shell Pasta with Salmon-basil Sauce
***********************************************
Makes 4 servings

1 pound small shell pasta
3/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 pounds fresh salmon fillets or steaks, skin and bones removed, cut in 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup cr me fraice
1/2 cup fresh minced chives
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 7 minutes. Drain; reserve in colander.

1. Heat wine in pasta pot to boiling; boil for 2 minutes, until alcohol evaporates. Return pasta to pot. Add salmon; cook over medium heat, tossing frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, until salmon is cooked. Add cr me friache, chives, basil, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss over low heat to coat pasta with sauce.

Honey Cardamom Coffee Cake
******************************************
1 cup Liquid honey
1/2 cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cup All-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Ground cardamom
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Sour cream

Streusel Topping
************************
1/2 cup Sliced almonds
1/3 cup Packed brown sugar
1/3 cup All-purpose flour
2 tbsp Butter

Icing
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2/3 cup Icing sugar
2 tsp Milk

In bowl, beat honey with butter until smooth; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking powder, cardamom, baking soda and salt; add to honey mixture alternately with sour cream, making 3 additions of dry mixture and 2 of sour cream. spoon into greased 9-inch springform pan, smoothing top.

Streusel Topping:
In small bowl, stir together almonds, sugar and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake in 350F 180C oven for about 1 hour or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool completely.

Icing:
Sprinkle cinnamon over cake. Whisk icing sugar with milk; drizzle over cake.

I wish you all a wonderful week
Til Later
love Julie