BLOGSPOT WITH TERESA ULYATE

PIE IN THE SKY

FOOD AND MEMORIES ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED. SOME OF OUR BEST MEMORIES ARE FESTIVE EVENTS, THE SMELLS OF BAKING COOKIES OR THE ANTICIPATION OF A SPECIAL CAKE BEFORE A BIRTHDAY. BUT FOOD IS ALSO ABOUT COMFORT AND WARMTH.

The whole country is aware of the obsession with dam levels, rainfall and water saving measures that folks in the Western Cape, Nelson Mandela Bay and other parts of the Eastern Cape have going on.

We are well into the chilly season and now is the time to bundle up, layer on the woollies, beanies, mittens and scarves while those in the northern parts of SA get ready for crisp, frosty days and those living in the southwest start doing rain dances!

Capetonians especially will know what I am talking about, many of us are (still) currently obsessed with the water crisis. Uncertain times such as these require – even demand! – a good helping of comfort food, I believe. My mission is to dish it up in pleasing individual pie format ... you may have to share your bath water at home, but you won’t need to share these!

Of the many cold weather comfort foods I look forward to at this time of the year, homemade pies have to be at the top of the list.

Plus you get major domestic goddess points for making them from scratch! If pie-making sounds daunting trust me when I say that it needn’t be. Like these golden spinach and feta empañadas – the pastry is made in a food processor and only takes a few minutes. Seriously easy! They have a scrumptious, wholesome and cheesy filling and the rich roasted red pepper dipping sauce on the side adds another layer of fabulous flavour.

One of my ultimate favourite desserts is a lemon meringue pie or, quite frankly, anything lemony if I’m totally honest. I wanted to give it a winter twist now that seasonal citrus is appearing in the fresh produce aisles at full force. Hopefully you’ll love this chocolate orange spin on the classic lemon meringue. Grab those aprons and let’s make some pie!

SPINACH AND FETA EMPAÑADAS WITH RED PEPPER SAUCE Makes 12

FOR THE PASTRY 2 cups flour 1

/4 tsp salt 120g butter 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2-4 Tbsp water

FOR THE FILLING

A drizzle of olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 tsp crushed garlic 300g fresh spinach, shredded ½ tsp ground nutmeg Salt and pepper 100g feta 120g smooth, plain cream cheese

FOR THE FILLING

Flour for dusting water for brushing 1 large egg 1 Tbsp milk

FOR THE RED PEPPER SAUCE: (MAKES 700ML)

3 red peppers, quartered, cored and seeds removed 1 small onion, chopped 1 tsp crushed garlic Pinch of chilli flakes Drizzle of olive oil 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1

/4 cup cream Salt and pepper 1 For the pastry: Place the flour, salt and butter into a food processor. Blitz until the butter is incorporated. Add the egg and two tablespoons of water and blitz again. Add another tablespoon or two of water if the mixture looks too dry. 2 Tip the mixture onto the counter. Knead together for a minute until you have a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate while you make the filling. 3 For the filling: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a deep frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the spinach and cook for a few minutes until wilted. Stir in the nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Transfer to a mixing bowl and leave to cool. 4 Squeeze excess liquid from the spinach. Crumble the feta into the spinach and add the cream cheese. Mix well to combine. Set aside. 5 Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 4mm. Cut out 10-11cm circles. Press the scraps together, roll out again and cut out more circles. Repeat until you have used all of the pastry. 6 Divide the spinach filling between the pastry circles, placing a heaped tablespoon or so on each. Brush water around the edges. Carefully fold the pastry circles in half and press the edges together gently with your fingers. Then, use a fork to crimp the edges. Arrange the empañadas on a tray and refrigerate for an hour. 7 Preheat your oven to 200ºC. Whisk the egg and milk together and brush over the empañadas. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. 8 While the empañadas are baking you can prepare the sauce. Place the red peppers under a hot grill for five minutes on each side or until blackened and blistered. Set aside to cool. 9 Pop the onion, garlic and chilli flakes in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté over a medium heat for two minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir and allow to simmer for five minutes. 10 Add the red wine vinegar and cream to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and allow to simmer for a further three to four minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool. 11 Peel the blackened peppers and chop roughly. Add the peppers to a food processor with the tomato sauce. (You can also use a stick blender.) Blitz until everything is well combined. Serve as a dipping sauce with the freshly baked empañadas.

Teresa Ulyate is a multi-tasking working mom who juggles a job, children and a blog cupcakesandcouscous.com

One of my ultimate favourite desserts is a lemon meringue pie or, quite frankly, anything lemony.

Makes 4-6 MINI CHOCOLATE ORANGE MERINGUE PIES

FOR THE BISCUIT BASE

200g chocolate coated digestive biscuits 1 Tbsp cocoa powder 70g butter, melted

FOR THE ORANGE FILLING 3 large egg yolks 2 tsp finely grated orange rind ½ cup fresh orange juice 1 x 385g tin condensed milk

FOR THE MERINGUE 4 large egg whites 1

/4 tsp cream of tartar Pinch offine salt 1 cup castor sugar

1 Preheat your oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease four 300ml ramekins (you can use six slightly smaller ones ifyou prefer). 2 Blitz the chocolate digestives in a food processor to make biscuit crumbs. Alternatively, pop the biscuits in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Pour the biscuit crumbs into a bowl and stir in the cocoa. Add the melted butter and stir until everything is well combined. 3 Divide the crumbs between the ramekins. Press lightly into an even layer, then pop the ramekins into the fridge while you make the filling. 4 For the filling: place the egg yolks, orange rind, orange juice and condensed milk into a bowl. Whisk well until everything is combined. 5 Divide the orange filling between the four chilled ramekins. Place the ramekins on a tray and bake for 15 -20 minutes (10 - 15 minutes ifyou are using smaller ramekins). The filling should be just set on top but still wobbly underneath when it comes out ofthe oven. 6 While the filling is baking start the meringue. Place the egg whites in a large, clean glass bowl and whisk to soft peak stage. Add the cream oftartar and salt and continue to whisk until stiffpeaks form when you lift the beater up. 7 Gradually add the castor sugar to the egg whites, one to two tablespoons at a time, whisking well between each addition. Continue to whisk until all the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick meringue mixture. 8 Let the hot orange meringue pots stand for five mins, then pipe or spoon the meringue onto the hot orange filling. Put the tray back into the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes. Allow the pies to cool completely before serving.