Starters & Soups
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Starters |
Soups |
Ingredients:
1 tin whole asparagus
125g butter
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Black pepper
Tabasco sauce
Method:
Put asparagus into a saucepan with the butter. Add the garlic, black pepper (to taste) and a couple of drops of Tabasco sauce. Heat through and serve immediately, with lots of garlic sauce over asparagus.
(Makes 750ml; kJ per portion 600; prep time 30 min; cooking time 15 min)
Ingredients:
500g chicken livers
250g fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
200g butter, margarine or 225ml oil
125ml dry white wine or sherry
1 clove garlic, minced
1ml (¼ teaspoon) dill seeds
4 drops hot pepper sauce
5ml (1 teaspoon) salt
Method:
Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter, margarine or oil in a frying pan and sauté the liver, mushrooms, green pepper and onion in it for 5 minutes. Add the wine or sherry, garlic dill seeds, salt and hot pepper sauce and simmer, covered, until the chicken livers and mushrooms are very tender, for about 10 minutes. Remove from the stove. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then place in a blender with the rest of the butter, margarine or oil and blend until smooth. Pack the pâté tightly in an earthenware croak and chill for at least 3 hours before use.
Use smooth skimmed milk cheese instead of the butter or margarine and the wine or sherry. Then use oil to sauté the livers, mushrooms, green pepper and onion.
The flavours of the pâté blend better if it is left for a day or two before use.
(Serves 1-2; kJ per portion 1 200; prep time 15 min; cooking time 10 min)
Ingredients:
1 herring, soaked in cold water to extract salt and drained
1 sweetbread, boiled and cut into 12 pieces
1 egg, beaten
Breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper
12 oyster shells
Method:
Mince the herring finely and divide into 12 portions. Place each portion in an oyster shell. Dip each piece of sweetbread in the beaten egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Place one on top of each portion of herring in the oyster shells. Sprinkle more seasoned breadcrumbs over the filling in each shell and dab with butter. Bake in the over at 180°C (350°F) until the butter sizzles and the breadcrumbs are brown. Serve at once.
Ingredients:
1 tin tuna, drained and flaked
3 to 4 bananas, sliced
Lettuce leaves
15ml thick white onion soup powder (or to taste) 100ml mayonnaise
Method:
Mix mayonnaise and soup powder with fish and bananas. Arrange lettuce leaves in cocktail shells or glasses. Spoon mixture onto lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with paprika and decorate with lemon slices.
SOUPS
(Makes 2litres; kJ per portion 140; prep time 30 min; cooking time 4 hours)
Ingredients:
1kg venison, cubed and the bones chopped
500g beef shin or neck, boned and the meat diced
85g bacon, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large turnip, diced
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 tomatoes, sliced
3 mushrooms, thinly sliced
3¾ litres water
Bouquet garni (3 sprigs parsley, 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf)
6 peppercorns
4 cloves
1 tablespoon salt
Method:
Chop the bones into smaller pieces. Sauté the diced bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat until the fat begins to melt. Add the venison, beef and bones and sauté in the bacon fat until lightly browned. Add the water and bring slowly to the boil. Add the salt, skim well and simmer for 1 hour, skimming occasionally. Add the vegetables, peppercorns, cloves and bouquet garni and simmer for a further 3 hours. Strain the stock through a fine sieve. Cool and store in the refrigerator until needed.
(Serves 10-12; kJ per portion 430; prep time 20 min; cooking time 2 hours)
Ingredients:
500g dried haricot or sugar beans, soaked in water overnight, covered
2 tablespoons rindless bacon, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small cabbage, finely shredded
4 leeks, finely sliced
4 baby marrows, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 stalks table celery, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 tomatoes, skinned and diced
1½ litres boiling water
1 sprig fresh rosemary or a pinch dried rosemary
Pinch dried basil
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
75ml oil
½ cup raw elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Garnish : grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
In a saucepan, cook the beans in the water in which the were soaked until tender, 1 to 1½ hours. Cook the beans slightly, then press half through a sieve or liquidize in a blender to form a purée. Drain the remaining beans and set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently sauté the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, rosemary and bacon until golden brown. Add the tomatoes and sauté a few minutes longer, adding a little sugar if necessary. Add the cabbage, leeks baby marrows, basil, bay leaf, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the whole and puréed beans together with the boiling water. Add the macaroni and simmer, covered, until the macaroni is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.
The soup may also be frozen before the macaroni is added. To serve, thaw the soup at room temperature for 2 hours, reheat over low heat, add the macaroni and simmer, covered, until the macaroni is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.
(Serves 6; kJ per portion 350; prep time 15 min; cooking time 3¼ hours)
Ingredients:
1 oxtail
1 tablespoon butter or dripping
3 carrots, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 turnip, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
3 tablespoons table celery, finely chopped
2 litres water
25ml sherry (optional)
½ cup flour
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme and a bay leaf)
3 peppercorns
2 cloves
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Method:
Wash the oxtail thoroughly and separate it at the joints. Melt the butter or dripping in a heavy saucepan. Add the meat and onion and fry until golden brown. Add the remaining vegetables, the peppercorns, cloves, water and bouquet garni and simmer, covered for 3 hours. Remove the meat when it is tender and strip it from the bones. Remove the bouquet garni and strain the soup, reserving the stock. Purée the vegetables by pressing through a fine sieve or liquidizing in a blender, add to the stock and return the saucepan to the stove. Mix the flour with a little water, add to the soup and stir until thickened. Add the sherry, if desired, and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Add the meat and serve at once.
(Serves 6; kJ per portion 1 000; prep time 40 min; cooking time 20 min)
Ingredients:
500g (2 cups) cooked pumpkin
25ml (2 tablespoons) onion, finely chopped
12½ (1 tablespoon) butter or margarine
500ml chicken stock
500ml milk
5ml lemon juice
50ml double cream
1ml (¼ teaspoon) ground cloves
2ml (½ teaspoon) sugar
2ml (½ teaspoon) salt
Garnish : croûtons
Method:
Melt the butter or margarine in a heavy saucepan and sauté the onion until transparent but not brown. Add the cooked pumpkin. Chicken stock, milk, lemon juice, ground cloves, sugar and salt but not the cream and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree the soup by forcing it through a fine sieve or, if a coarser consistency is desired, stir well with a wooden spoon. Stir in the cream and heat well, but do not boil. Serve hot with croûtons.
Note:
To serve the soup cold, chill for at least 2 hours and serve garnished with a thin slice of peeled orange instead of the croûtons.
(Serves 6; kJ per portion 360; prep time 30 min; cooking time 3 hours)
Ingredients:
Bones of leftover venison, chopped or any leftover meat or bones of game bird
2 cloves
½ bay leaf
1 onion
½ cup celery, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 turnip, thinly sliced
65ml sherry
2 litres water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 thick slice brown bread cubed
Method:
Place the bones, coves, bay leaf and vegetables in a large saucepan and cover with the water. Simmer, covered, for 3 hours. Strain the soup through a fine sieve and season with salt and pepper. Add the sherry to the soup and serve at once over cubes of brown bread.