Sophia Lindop - A Unique Food Experience

Chicken goujons

This snack from Issue 22 of Crush! magazine is quick and easy to make.

Chicken goujons

Serves 4
Difficulty – easy
Preparation time – 20 minutes
Cooking time – 7 minutes

Ingredients
400 g mini chicken breast fillets
4 egg yolks, beaten
Desiccated coconut
Credé coconut oil
Sea salt to season

Method
Dip the mini chicken breast fillets in the egg yolk and then in the desiccated coconut.  Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

Heat the Credé coconut oil in a pan and fry the fillets until golden brown.  Drain on a sheet of roller towel and season with salt.

Serve with a sweet chilli dip as a snack or starter.

Red pepper pesto

Red pepper pesto with pinenut oil

Makes 1 cup
Difficulty - easy
Preparation time - 1½ hours

Ingredients
4 large red peppers
150 g sundried tomatoes
10 peppadews
15 g basil
3 cloves garlic, roasted
50 g pinenuts, lightly toasted
2 Tbsp balsamic reduction
¼ C (62.5ml) Credé pinenut oil
Maldon salt to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Rub the red peppers with Credé olive oil and place in the oven for 1 hour.  After 45 minutes, add 3 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled, to the oven tray and roast for the last 15 minutes.  Remove from the
oven and place the peppers in a bag to sweat.  Allow the garlic to cool.

When cool, remove the peppers from the bag, remove the skins and as much of the pips as possible.  Chop roughly and place into a bowl.  Chop the sundried tomatoes roughly, peel the garlic and destalk the basil - add all these, as well as the peppadews and toasted pinenuts to the bowl.  Use a stick blender to blend, while adding the Credé pinenut oil a little at a time to the mixture.

Stir the balsamic reduction into the pesto and season with Maldon salt.

Serve on crostini, in salads or omelettes, or in pasta, tossed with a little extra oil.

Read more of my recipes in Crush! online magazine...

Prawn fried rice

I have really been working on my photography in the past year or two.  I acquired a Nikon with a macro lens especially for my food photography, and I began the journey.  I take my own photographs for my monthly column in Crush! magazine, but, I must be honest, I still feel hugely inadequate behind my lens...not regarding the styling, but technically.  Here, however, is one of my favourite pics...

Prawn fried rice

Serves 4
Difficulty – a little cumbersome
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Cooking time – 10 minutes

Ingredients
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
500 g prawns, deveined
1 cup rice, steamed
250 g frozen peas
3 tsp soy sauce
1½ tsp Credé sesame oil
½ to 1 tsp salt, to taste
3 eggs, beaten
4 spring onions, thinly sliced

Method
Steam the rice for about 30 minutes until cooked.  Place the frozen peas in a pot and heat through.  Make sure there is no water on the peas. 

Wash the prawns and pat them dry.  Heat the vegetable oil in large skillet or wok and sauté the prawns for 30 seconds on high.  Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet and keep moving it while cooking so that eggs scramble into small pieces.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Return the prawns to the skillet and add rice.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the peas, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and cooked eggs.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Serve in a large bowl or on a platter.  Garnish with the spring onions.

 

Gooseberry and flaxseed oil tart

The team at Credé Natural Oils wanted me to develop some recipes for them.  (These were featured in Crush! online magazine, where, by the way, your subscription is free!)  This family-owned business produces cold-pressed, natural and organic oils and their products can be found at health shops around South Africa. 

 

Gooseberry and flaxseed oil tart

Makes 1 tart
Difficulty – a little cumbersome
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Setting time - overnight

Ingredients
400 g (1 roll) ready-made shortcrust pastry
2 C almond powder
3 Tbsp Vino Cotto
½ C water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C Credé flaxseed oil
1 can (425 g) gooseberries (or you could use fresh gooseberries)
½ C Greek-style yoghurt
3 egg whites
50 g almond flakes, lightly toasted
Sprigs of mint to garnish

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Spray a 30cm spring-form tart tin with non-stick spray and press the pastry into the tin.  Poke the bottom with a fork and place into the preheated oven.  Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Mix the almond powder, Vino Cotto, water and vanilla extract in a jug.  Blend with a stick blender while adding the flaxseed oil, in a steady trickle.  Fold in the thick yoghurt.  Place a thin layer of about two-thirds onto the pastry base and spread evenly.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove from the fridge and place a circle of gooseberries around the edge of the tart.  Place back into the fridge for another hour.

Just before the hour is up, beat the egg whites to stiff peak and fold into the remainder of the mixture.  Place this onto the middle part of the tart and spread gently towards the circle of gooseberries.  Refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, top with the toasted almond flakes and garnish with sprigs of mint.

Tip: I found the almond powder at the Chinese shop.

Recipes and photography by Sophia Lindop...

Gluten free fruit cobler

Something that changed my life in recent years was the discovery of the fact that I am gluten intolerant.  At first it was a big deal for me, as I grew up eating bread with almost everything...but soon I became inventive.  I also discovered that there are vast numbers of people with the same intolerance, so this dessert is dedicated to those of you who are with me in this.

Gluten free fruit cobbler infused with black current Rooibos tea

Serves 6
Difficulty – easy
Preparation time – 20 minutes
Baking time – 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
125 g raspberries
5 nectarines, pips removed and cut into slices
5 T caster sugar
1 Carmien black current Rooibos tea bag steeped in 100 ml boiling water
6 heaped T butter, chilled
225 g gluten-free self-raising flour
70 g caster sugar
A large pinch of salt
130 ml buttermilk
Extra caster sugar for dusting

Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Place the fruit in a pan with the sugar and a good glug of the black current Rooibos tea.  Cook gently until the juices begin to run from the raspberries.  Place into an oven dish or into individual oven-proof cups.

Prepare the topping by rubbing the cold butter into the flour, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Add the sugar and the salt, and mix into the flour mixture before adding the buttermilk to form a loose scone-type mixture.

Spoon the topping over the hot fruit randomly and sprinkle with a little caster sugar.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot with double thick cream (optional.)

Developed for Crush! magazine and Carmien tea by Sophia Lindop.

Hot smoked Norwegian salmon

I especially loved playing with this recipe.  I have a smoking device that I use on my gas hob and the Carmien rooibos tea worked so well.

Hot smoked Norwegian salmon and avo sandwich

Serves 4
Difficulty – easy
Preparation time – 15 minutes
Cooking time – 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 x 120 g Norwegian salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry
50 g Carmien loose Rooibos tea
2 ripe avocado pears
Juice of ½ a lime
Salt and freshly milled black pepper to season
1 crusty ciabatta, halved lengthways
2 T olive oil
30 g wild rocket
A blob of wasabi mayo on each

Method
Sprinkle the loose Rooibos tea leaves in a thin layer on the bottom of a smoker cooker. Place the salmon inside and close. (Make sure you read the instructions on how to use the smoker.) Place on the gas hob on high. Very soon you will begin to smell the tea smoking. As soon as you can see the smoke, turn the heat to medium. Remove the salmon within 15 minutes.
Cut the ciabatta into 4 equal parts. Brush lightly with the oil and toast in a heavy-bottomed pan. Set aside for a few moments while you prepare the avocado pear.

Peal the avo and remove the pip.  Squeeze the lime juice over and mash using a fork.  When creamy, add the salt and pepper. 

To assemble the sandwich, place the toasted ciabatta on a plate.  Top with a quarter of the creamy avocado.  Place the hot salmon on top, and top with wild rocket and a blob of wasabi mayo.  (If you cannot find ready-made wasabi mayo, just mix wasabi paste with a creamy mayo.)

Serve warm or cold.

Crush! magazine...

Oxtail

And the Carmien tea tale continues...

Oxtail cooked in Chai tea with 70% chocolate

Serves 2 to 3
Difficulty – easy
Preparation time – 20 minutes
Cooking time - 2½ hours

Ingredients
800 g to 1 kg oxtail
3 T olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 large cinnamon sticks
½ t nutmeg
½ t allspice
4 Chai tea bags
4 C (1 litre) boiling water
6 baby carrots, peeled
Juice and peel of 1 orange
Salt and freshly milled black pepper to season
50 g dried cranberries
50 g good quality 70% chocolate

Method
Steep the Chai tea bags in the boiling water.

Trim the oxtail of all excess fat.  Fry the onion and the oxtail in the oil until brown.

Add the spices, the carrots, the orange juice and peel, the salt and pepper, and the tea.  Bring to the boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours 10 minutes.

Remove the meat from the sauce.  Add the chocolate and the cranberries.  Stir until the chocolate has melted.  Turn the heat up to medium and allow the sauce to cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes to reduce a little.

Place the oxtail back in the sauce and cook for another 10 minutes before serving.

More about this and other recipes in Crush! magazine...

 

 

Pea and eisbein soup

...more with Carmien tea.

Pea and eisbein soup cooked in honeybush and rooibos tea with mint

Serves 8 to 10
Difficulty – easy
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 3 hours

Ingredients
1 small eisbein (about 750 g), cut into chunks
1 kg frozen garden peas
4 x honeybush and Rooibos with mint tea bags
4 C (1 litre) boiling water
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 T olive oil
18 T Parmesan, grated

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Steep the tea bags in the boiling water.

Place the onion in a saucepan and fry in the oil until it begins to brown.  Add the eisbein chunks and fry for 2 minutes before adding the peas and the tea.  Bring to the boil before lower the heat and simmering for 3 hours.

Remove the eisbein.  Use a hand blender to blend the soup, but not totally smooth – leave a few peas whole.  Remove the bulk of the fat from the meat and place back into the soup.

Place baking paper on an oven try and place 1½ T grated Parmesan in separate circles on the paper, providing one circle per serving.  Place in the preheated oven and bake until melted and slightly brown.  Carefully remove the wafers from the baking paper.

Serve the soup in individual bowls and top with a Parmesan wafer on each.  Serve immediately or the wafer will go soggy. 

To read more, visit Crush! magazine...

 

Crème brûlée

I was recently approached by Carmien tea and asked to develop five recipes using their range of teas.  Over the next few days I will share with you what I came up with...

Rose petal crème brûlée flavoured with Vintage Romance flower tea

Serves 8
Difficulty – a little cumbersome
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Baking time – 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 whole egg
5 egg yolks
100 g castor sugar
375 ml cream
125 ml milk
2 T rose petal syrup
1 T Carmien Vintage Romance flower tea for a bouquet garni
About 6 T white sugar for caramelising

Method
Preheat the oven to 130°C.

To make the bouquet garni, use a square piece of muslin cloth, 7cm x 7cm, and place the tea in the middle.  Gather the edges together and tie securely with string.  Set aside to use in the cream mixture.

Beat the whole egg, egg yolks and caster sugar together until the mixture turns into a pale yellow colour.

Slowly bring the milk and cream, along with the rose petal syrup and the bouquet garni to a gentle boil.  As soon as it begins to boil, remove the bouquet garni and slowly add the hot mixture to the egg mixture, using a metal spoon, stirring all the time.  Pour this back into the pot, and place back onto the stove at a medium to low heat.  Stir the mixture with a metal spoon until it coats the back of the spoon – about 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour into shallow ramekins or espresso cups.  Place in a bain-marie, with water covering half of the ramekins, and into the preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  Place in the refrigerator until needed.

Just before serving, sprinkle the top with a thin layer of white sugar and use a blowtorch to caramelise the top until golden brown.

To read more, visit Crush! magazine...

To blog or not to blog...

Since my last ramblings, a lot has happened and changed in my life.  Still good food and wine remain a priority and deep passion, but how I express that has morphed into something with which I feel more comfortable.

I miss 'pouring my thoughts onto my keyboard', so I thought I'd give this blogging thing another go. 

So, to all of you that have been revisiting the pages on this blog, and enjoying my recipes, thank you!  Let's enjoy this new ride together.