KAREN TOBICH
Winter comfort food Warm up bite by bite.
As
the days get shorter and cold wind, rain and snow transform our landscape, our bodies crave warmth, and our focus on food is directed to comfort foods. Nothing seems better than a fire, good nourishing comfort food and a favourite movie or a good book. Here are some ideas to get you through the long, chilly nights.
Chunky Tomato & Chorizo Soup
Lamb Shanks in Mushroom Sauce
You will need: 500ml of beef stock 2 cans of chopped tomatoes 2 - 3 smoked chorizo sausages 2 large brown onions chopped 2 - 3 garlic cloves crushed 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 bunch of fresh coriander salt + pepper 4 sourdough buns
You will need: 4 Lamb Shanks 2 brown onions finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic 3 - 4 tablespoons of tomato paste 500g small button mushrooms halved (or sliced) 500ml beef stock 2 tablespoons of corn flour 100ml cream salt + pepper olive oil puff pastry 1 egg yolk
served in a Sourdough Bun
Slice the chorizo into ½ cm slices and sauté in a saucepan until brown and crisp. Remove sausages from saucepan and add onions and garlic. Sauté over low heat until translucent and soft. Add the smoked paprika first and then the tomatoes and the beef stock. Simmer for at least 15 to 20 minutes until the soup is thick and chunky. Add sausages and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the top of the buns and remove the soft centre until you have a bowl and the outside of your bun is about 1 – 1 ½ cm thick. Chop the coriander. Leave a bit to serve and stir the rest into the soup. Ladle the soup into the bun. Garnish with coriander and serve immediately.
Teachers Matter
Chocolate Mocha Cups
70
You will need: 2 free range eggs 500ml vanilla soymilk 2 tablespoons of sugar 2 tablespoons of corn flour 50g butter 2 teaspoons of instant coffee powder 100g of 70% dark chocolate 50ml of chocolate or coffee Liqueur (optional) 120g mascarpone 50g dark chocolate Wisk eggs, sugar and flour in a heavy base saucepan, slowly add the vanilla soy milk, whisking continuously so no lumps form. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Add the butter, pieces of chocolate and coffee powder and keep stirring to ensure a smooth and velvety texture. This process will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the liqueur at this stage and stir for another minute or so before pouring mixture into teacups. Cool at room temperature. Grate the chocolate very finely and mix into the mascarpone. Spoon a dollop onto each cup and refrigerate for a good 3 hours (or overnight). Sprinkle with extra grated chocolate. For extra indulgence, serve with a chocolate spoon.
To serve: Serve with rice and vegetables of your choice Brown the lamb shanks in olive oil in a fry pan. Once browned, set shanks aside and sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for a further 10 minutes. Mix the corn flour with 3 tablespoons of cold stock and set aside. Add the remainder of the stock to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the corn flour mixture and add the cream. Take of the heat. Stand each lamb shank up in a mug, Spoon the mushroom mixture in leaving about 1-2 cm room at the top. Wrap the bone that sticks out in a bit of tinfoil and place the mugs into a hot oven at 150 degrees C for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Cut out rounds of the puff pastry to fit the diameter of the mug. Cut a hole in the centre of each pastry round a bit bigger than the shank bone and place pastry over the shank after it had its initial 1 ½ to 2 hours in the oven. Increase the oven heat to 200 degrees. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg yolk and bake in the oven for a further 15 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffed. Remove the tinfoil from the bone and serve with rice and your favourite vegetables. Tip: You can cook the lamb shanks in the crock pot the day before and then place in single serve mugs with puff pastry and finish it off in the oven until the pastry is puffed and golden.
