Pancake with Pumpkin & Cheese

This is a great idea for lunch. And although the combination might not sound that compatible, it is surprisingly delicious! Pancakes can be frozen, too, so you can make enough and freeze them for ease of use next time!!

Ingredients

Small pancakes
Pumpkin
Butter
Cinnamon
Sugar
Cheese, grated

Method

Cook the pumpkin until very soft. Add butter, sugar, cinnamon and a little salt to taste. Cook until completely soft and starting to caramelize. Place some cheese on the pancake. Scoop some pumpkin over....

And enjoy!!

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Pumpkin Lasagne with Bread

Wednesdays being meat-free, I was again scratching my head as to what to make. I didn't have a lot of time and although I am always up for making something with dough, I couldn't think of anything. And then I thought of bread... and cheese... and the idea of making a lasagne with bread, developed. 

To tell the truth, I was quite surprised at the end result. I did not think it was going to be bad, but I did not think it was going this fabulous, either!! 

Preparation time: 30min
Cooking time: 30min
Serves: 6
Difficulty level: Easy

Ingredients

3tbs butter
1 onion
200g bacon
500g pumpkin, cubed
2t sugar
9 slices of bread (brown or white)
3 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1t Hot English Mustard
125ml cream
150g cheddar cheese (we used processed), grated
80g mozzarella cheese, grated

Method

Preheat oven to 180degrees C. Melt 1tbs butter in a pan. Fry the onion until starting to brown. 

  

  Add the bacon and fry until starting to brown. Remove from heat. 

Melt 2tbs butter in a pan and add the pumpkin. I used frozen cubes of pumpkin, but it takes a long time to defrost. 

I would suggest fresh, as first choice of course or, defrosted. Cook until done and soft. Add a little salt and the 2t of sugar. Cook until all juices are gone and if possible, it can fry a little. 

Whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard and cream. 

Spread the 9 slices of bread on both sides with butter. Layer the bread at the bottom of the breadpan.




Evenly cover with half the cheese. 

Then add the bacon & onion. 

Layer bread, 

then the pumpkin, 

then the other half of the cheese. 

Last layer of bread. Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella over. Pour the cream mixture over, covering all the corners and evenly over the entire thing. Top with some cayenne pepper. 

Bake in the oven for about 30min, until the cheese starts to brown as well as the sides. 

Serve with a fresh salad and ENJOY!!

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Potato-Pumpkin Mash

I made this as a side-dish to the Lemon Tartlets, and it really complimented the dish beautifully!! However, I am putting it as a separate recipe, because this is just a great alternative to plain mash, you can make it as a side for other meals, too!!

Ingredients

4 potatoes
500g pumpkin (I cooked from frozen)
2 fresh rosemary twigs
2tbs butter
salt&pepper to taste

Method

Cut up the potatoes and cook until soft. 

Add the pumpkin and rosemary and cook until you can mash it up. Add the salt & pepper to taste and the butter, mix well.

Mash it together, remove the rosemary twigs...

And serve!

Enjoy as a side dish to braais, or fish (it will be absolutely divine with the Baked Haddock).

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Burnt Pumpkin Soup

This was one of those sundays... I had no idea what to make for our lunch/dinner. I wasn't in the mood for chicken and we don't really have "sunday meat" like a roast. We had the potato bake in the week, so that was taken... And then I remembered my Burnt Pumpkin Soup!! This is a simple recipe, but a lot of work. It takes about 4 hours. Depending of course, on how much you rest inbetween. 

Ingredients- Chicken Stock

7 soup pieces of chicken (mostly bones and skin)
2 litres water
2 star anise
3 bay leaves
25 black peppercorns (about)

Method

Put everything in a pot, put on the lid, and cook for an hour. If it too watery, cook for another 30 minutes.

Once cooked, strain over a bowl, to remove the chicken pieces, peppercorns, anise and bay leaves. Remove any usable meat you can from the bones and put it back in the pot. The water you strained is your chicken stock.

Ingredients - Pumpkin

3 medium butternuts, quartered

1/4t fine cinnamon

2 onions, chopped

100g butter

grated nutmeg

3tbs sugar

coarse salt

500ml cream

Method

Place the butternut on a baking pan, sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven at 160degrees C for an hour. After an hour, add a little water to the base and bake for another half hour. Put on medium grill for 10 minutes.

Melt the butter in the pot with the little chicken pieces you could salvage off the bones. Add the onion and fry. Add the sugar and cinnamon, let it melt and remove from heat. Scoop out the butternut into the pot. Add the chicken stock, nutmeg and cream. 

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Blend it in a blender until smooth. 

The bread next to the pot, is my Baking Powder Bread. It will be in my next post. Goes lovely with this soup!!

Serve it up, and enjoy! 

This is enough for at least 6 people. It is very rich and filling and delicious!!

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Pumpkin Pizza

Yes, I broke the no-carb diet today. How could I not? Wednesday is meat free day, as always, and I was struggling to find inspiration for dinner. And then it hit me: Pumpkin Lasagne!! But this is such a special dish, I thought i will leave it for later in my 365-days-365-meals quest.
So, I thought a little more, and as I was buying the mushrooms (Portabellini's, yumm!) and bacon, my eyes caught the ready made vetkoek-dough. And then I bought it. Still not sure how I was going to make what...
Back in the car, inspiration struck: Pumpkin Pizza!!!
I still haven't worked out all the details, but that happens as I cook. Have a look for yourself, but this turned out perfect. Delicious, creamy, interesting tastes and textures mingling, and surprisingly filling!!

Pizza for me is a very personal taste thing. So the ingredients on here - except for the sauce - is according to our liking, for 2 large pizzas. Please feel free to use the ingredients as your taste buds dictate. And of course it depends on how many pizzas you want to make. The sauce is enough for a generous helping for both pizzas.

Pizza - Ingredients

1kg Vetkoekdeeg
1 punnet mushrooms (I used portabellini, but normal button mushrooms will do just as well)
250g streaky bacon, cut into strips of about 5cm
1 onion, finely chopped
500g frozen pumpkin (fresh will work as well)
Paprika
200g cheddar cheese, grated
200g mozzarella cheese, grated
Butter for spreading
Mayonnaise for spreading

Pizza - Method

Roll out the vetkoekdeeg as thin or thick as you like your base. Remember, it does still rise a bit. Cut to size and fit into a sprayed pizza pan. Spread a layer of butter, followed by a layer of mayonnaise. Sprinkle the chopped onion over. Add half the cheddar and half the mozzarella. Sprinkle Paprika over to taste. Place the bacon, then the mushrooms.

Then the pumpkin chunks. Finally the other half of the cheddar and mozzarella.

Sauce - Ingredients

4tbs plain yoghurt
1tbs mayonnaise
1 rind feta (I used herb, plain or pepper will work as well)
about 1/4 cup milk

Sauce - Method

Whisk all the ingredients together to form a sauce. Not to too thin, and not too thick either. About the consistency of thick cream. Add more milk to make it thinner, if you choose.

Then - pour the sauce over the pizza in a spiral formation, covering as much as you can, and not too close to the edges.

 Bake in the oven at 180degrees C for about 30 minutes to an hour, checking to see if it is ok. The edges of the pizza will start to lift and the cheese will start to brown when it is ready.

And enjoy! This is a wonderful twist on a traditional favourite and the kids love it!

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Quick Pumpkin Fritters

Hi you all!

Today's recipe is for quick pumpkin fritters. It is very easy and very quick to make, but most of all - it is very delicious!!

Ingredients:

1kg pumpkin cubes
2tbs butter
3tbs brown sugar/white sugar
1t cinnamon
1 tin sweetcorn
salt & pepper to taste
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2t baking powder
2 eggs
6 tbs cake flour

Method

Cook the pumpkin in a little water until very soft. Throw off all excess water once cooked, and then add the butter, sugar and cinnamon and mix very well. The butter must be melted. Once the pumpkin is done, mix well with all the other ingredients.

You can now either bake it in a buttered scone pan or fry it in a little oil like normal fritters. If you bake it, bake it at 180degrees Celsius for about 30 min until firm.

Enjoy!!

Yours in oil and veggies


Risch

Pumpkin & Spinach Surprise

This is the first recipe for this blog, and unfortunately I do not have a picture. Sorry, guys!! However, this meal is super-delicious and worth every minute of cooking! But don't just take my word for it, start cooking and taste for yourself!!

Ingredients:

1kg Pumpkin
500g Spinach
1 onion
300g bacon 
1/2 cup cream*
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
100g margarien
4tb brown sugar
1 or 2 cups rice

Method:
Pumpkin
Cook the pumpkin in very little water until soft. Add a little salt and mix through. Stir regularly to prevent burning. Once soft, add 70g margarien and the brown sugar and cook through. Remove from heat.

Spinach
Cook the spinach in very little water until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream and stir through until it thickens a little. Remove from heat.

Rice
Cook the rice as per packet instructions.

Chop the onion and bacon and fry in the rest of the margarien until the bacon is done. Mix the onion mix, pumpkin, spinach and rice together and scoop into an ovenproof dish. Throw grated cheese over and dip the cheese into the dish with a spoon. Cover with some breadcrumbs and bake in the oven @ 180 degrees for about 20 min. 

Let it cool and then dish up!

Makes about 6 full servings.

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

* Tip: Cream substitute:   Mix 1 cup of milk and 2tbl mayonnaise very well.