Mac'n Cheese

Comfort food. We all love it and at times, we all need it. The drop in serotonin levels are quickest risen by pure pasta or potato – the best carriers of the happy hormone!! And what better comfort food than Mac’n Cheese? You can really play with what you put into it. You can dress it up or play it down, you can bake it or prepare it as is… In the end, you want pasta and cheese – the food of kings!!

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time:  1 ½ hours

Difficulty Level: Very Easy

Serves:  6

Ingredients

500g pasta – I used homemade

1tbs + 3tbs butter

2tbs flour

Milk / buttermilk

1t mustard

1t mixed herbs

Ground black pepper

Salt

1 onion, chopped

200g bacon, chopped

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g processed cheese

50g cheddar cheese

Pinch ground nutmeg

Method

Cook the pasta to al dente.  

 Fry the onion, mushrooms and bacon in 1tbs butter until lightly browned. Set aside. 

Melt the 3tbs butter. Add the flour and mix well. Add the milk or buttermilk while whisking continuously to form a smooth sauce. Add the cheddar cheese and blend until it has all melted in. 

Mix the macaroni, mushroom mixture and sauce together. 

Scoop into a prepared baking dish. Cover with cheddar cheese 

and bake in a preheated oven at 160degrees C for about an hour, until the cheese is starting to crisp on top.

Enjoy with a salad and a fabulous decadent glass of red wine…

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Sweetcorn Wheels

Lunch is always a challenge in my house, and usually ends up being bread with some kind of spread. Every now and then, I do get inspiration and today was one of them!! This is simple, easy and delicious. Guaranteed to keep the kids happy!!

Ingredients

1kg bread dough

1 can sweetcorn

Cheese

Mayonnaise

Pinch red pepper

Method

Roll out the dough to about ½cm or so. Spread with mayonnaise. Spread with sweetcorn. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the sweetcorn. Add a pinch of red pepper evenly over the spread. 

Roll it up and slice it into wheels. 

Place on a prepared baking plate 

and bake in the oven at 180degrees C for about an hour, until done.

And enjoy!!

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Tomato Soup

Yes, soup, again... But hey, it's almost winter and soup goes with winter!! Besides, once you've tasted this soup - and all the other on Rischlicious - you'll love soup, too!!
I never liked tomato soup. I think it's because I only ever tasted shop bought stuff and it was way too thick and rich for my taste. And my dad added stuff, like Worcestershire Sauce and pepper... I love my dad, but how he could eat that, only he knows!! Since home made food and especially if it is made from scratch, do taste much different that the shops, I decided to give it a go. And I was deliciously surprised...

Preparation Time: 10min
Cooking time: 5hours +
Difficulty Level: Very Easy
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2kg very ripe tomatoes
1liter boiling water
1 cube of chicken stock
2 bay leaves
10 whole black pepper corns
1tbs parsley
4 spring onions, chopped
4tbs sugar
1 onion, chopped
1tbs oil
1/2 cup cream

Method
Quarter the tomatoes and remove the hard piece where the stem was attached. Place in a pot. 

Dissolve the chicken stock cube in the boiling water and add to the tomatoes. Add the bay leaves, pepper corns, sugar, parsley and spring onion.  

 Cook for 2-3 hours, with closed lid, until the tomatoes are soft and you can easily remove the skin. Remove all the skins and the bay leaves. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pot. Heat up the oil and fry the onion until it is well browned and just starting to blacken. Add to the tomato soup. 

Now add the cream, mix well and cook on low heat for another hour or so, with closed lid. If you want it thicker, remove the lid and cook until it has reduced to your liking. This soup can and should sit for a while, for all the flavours to develop. You can serve immediately, or let it rest and just heat it up later. 

Serve with parmesan and fresh bread.

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Corn Dogs

You can't always be healthy... so every now and then, we do something completely against any grain of common sense, and we eat oily stuff!! Corn Dogs are oily... but oh, so delicious!! A real treat for a Saturday afternoon. A bit of effort though, but definitely worth it. The filling is what you fancy, but it has to be something that is firm and that holds its shape - oh, and that is already cooked/edible. It does not cook in the oil. Cheese - like cheddar or Halloumi, viennas and sausages works very well. Just keep in mind, that you are deep frying it in oil. It is already a rich dish, and although cheese is very delicious to use as a filling, it is extremely rich.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 min each
Difficulty Level: medium
Serves: Makes about 30+

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup maize meal
4t baking powder
1/4t salt
1/4cup sugar
pinch pepper
1 egg
1cup milk
filling - I used fried cheese sausages

Method

Mix flour, maize meal, baking powder, salt, pepper and sugar together. Whisk the egg and milk together and add to the flour mixture. Mix well. 

This mixture needs to be sticky. It mustn't be too liquid, or it will just run off the filling. And too dry won't coat it properly. Pierce the filling with sosatie sticks 

and dip into the dough. It helps to have a spoon handy to help scoop the dough onto the filling. 

Heat up enough oil to be able to fully immerse the coated filling. The oil must be hot, but not too hot, or the outside will burn and the inside of the dough will still be raw. Once the filling is fully covered (especially the ends), put in the oil, while continuously turning it until the dough is set. If you don't turn it in the oil, the dough tends to run down or fall off completely. You can add up to 4 corn dogs into the oil. Once nicely browned, 

remove from oil and let it drip on a towel paper. 

Enjoy with some mayonnaise or tomato sauce - or as is!!

Your in oil and veggies

Risch

Creamy Chicken Soup

I never thought I would be able to make my own soup - let alone experiment with various types of soup!! Yet, it is so easy and so much fun. The flavour combinations is limitless and you can tweak and change it to suit your craving. I also like to make my soup from scratch. For me, it just tastes better.

Preparation Time; 5 hours
Cooking time: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Easy
Serves: 6 easy

Ingredients

7x pieces chicken (preferably with lots of bone)
1liter water
2 Bay Leaves
2 Star Anise
10 Whole Black Pepper Corns
2tbs fat/margarine
1 onion, chopped
250g mushrooms, sliced
2 spring onions, chopped
1cup cream
1cup water
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch freshly ground black pepper

Method

Cook the chicken, water, bay leaves, star anise and pepper corns together. 

Slow cooker is best, for about 4 hours. 

Remove the chicken meat from the bones and shred finely with 2 forks. Set aside. Melt the fat in a large pot and fry the onion, spring onion and mushrooms until just browning. 

Pour the chicken stock into a onion pot, through a sieve. Throw away the bay leaves and stuff. On low heat, cook the soup. 

Add the cream, nutmeg and black pepper. Depending on how fluid you like your soup, you can add another cup of water. Let it simmer for about an hour on low heat. You can serve immediately, you let it sit to warm up for later.

Serve with fresh home made bread and enjoy!!

  

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch