Open Mushroom Lasagne - Drizzled with Sage Butter

Creamy Chilli brown Butter Steak & Mushroom Pasta

Creamy Mussels

Mains

1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion.

Cook for a few minutes then add the bay leaves, chilli, garlic, thyme and the ginger.

Cook on low heat for another minute then add the carrots, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, sugar and 250 ml water.

Season and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until reduced and thick. Add the cannellini beans.

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, reduce the heat to low, add the salt and 250 ml of the maize meal.

Stir until combined and thickened. Slowly add the remaining maize meal while vigorously stirring the mixture.

Reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve the pap with the chakalaka and boerewors. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Chakalaka with Pap & Boerewors

125g First Choice Mature Cheddar Cheese, grated

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

30g First Choice butter (room temperature)

TO MAKE THE CRUMBLE: Mix together the flour and brown sugar. Rub in the butter. Keep aside. (The mixture must be crumbly.)

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a muffin pan with muffin papers or grease very well.

TO MAKE THE MUFFINS: Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and castor sugar into a bowl. Mix in the grated cheese and the chopped apple.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, amasi, oil and the lemon zest and whisk together.

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. DO NOT overmix the batter.

Spoon the batter into the lined muffin moulds.

Sprinkle with the crumble mixture and press some apple slices into the muffins.

Bake for ±20 mins or until cooked and golden brown.

Serve with First Choice butter and more grated First Choice mature cheddar cheese.

Apple and Cheese Muffins

30 g First Choice Butter, melted (for brushing)

Sieve together the flour and salt in a bowl.

Mix together the eggs, custard and the sunflower oil.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well to make the batter. The batter must have a dropping consistency.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat and brush the pan with some of the melted butter.

Drop tablespoons of batter into the frying pan and fry the pancakes for about 2 minutes on each side until cooked and golden brown.

Stack the pancakes (4 per person) and serve topped with crispy bacon and a drizzle of honey.

Custard Pancakes With Crispy Bacon And Honey

2 tbsp First Choice Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled 

Heat about 6cm high oil in a large, deep cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven to 180°C.

In a medium bowl whisk together the mielie meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and a good pinch of salt in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat in Amasi and eggs until combined, then stir in the melted butter and spring onions to make a thick batter.

In two batches, drop the batter by the tablespoonful into the hot oil. Fry, turning once, until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels; season immediately with salt. You are ready to serve.

Maize Meal Hush Puppies

3 apples (approx 500g), peeled and cut into small chunks 

First Choice Double Cream Plain Yoghurt, to serve 

First Choice Cherry Dessert Topping, to serve

Start by making the stewed apple. Place the apple chunks, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and
water in a pot. Stir over medium heat to melt the butter and sugar.

Simmer gently for 12 minutes, stirring regularly, until the apple has softened and the syrup has reduced. Set aside.

To make the pancake batter: whisk the egg and castor sugar together by hand. Add the butter,
vanilla essence and buttermilk and whisk together.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl and stir together. Squeeze and discard any
excess liquid from the grated apple and fold into the batter.

Melt a teaspoon of butter in a pan. Use a 50ml scoop to pour pancake batter into the pan (cook 2-3
at a time).

Cook the pancakes until set on top and starting to bubble. Flip over and fry until golden
on the other side.

Keep in a warm place while you cook the remaining pancakes. Add more butter to the pan as needed.

Top the pancakes with plain yoghurt, stewed apple, and a generous drizzle of First Choice Cherry
Dessert Topping before serving. (Note: this recipe is also delicious with the First Choice Caramel Dessert Topping.)

First Choice Apple & Cherry Pancakes

First Choice butter for pan frying the pancakes

Combine the amasi, eggs, and the oil, mix well then add the pumpkin and blend it all together – you can use a stick blender.

Mix together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and the cinnamon.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to make the batter. Do not over mix the batter.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a little butter.

Scoop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan. Cook on the first side until bubbles form all over the top of the flapjacks.

Flip the flapjacks and cook 1–2 mins on the second side. Keep warm while you make the rest.

 Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the caramel dessert topping and heat till caramelised. Add the bananas and cook for 1 min in the caramel. Remove and serve with the flapjacks.

Serve the caramelised banana on top of your pancakes, drizzle with more caramel dessert topping and sprinkle over some cinnamon sugar.

Pumpkin Flapjacks with Caramelised Banana and Caramel Dessert Topping

230 g First Choice Salted Butter, softened to room temperature 

Whisk the eggs, First Choice Custard, vanilla and spices together in a bowl and set aside.

Dip the bread slices, 1 at a time, in the custard mixture.

Add the First Choice Butter to a pan and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Transfer to serving plates. Repeat with the remaining bread and custard mixture.

Serve warm topped with lashings of honey butter, toasted almonds and blueberries.

In a large bowl, beat the First Choice Butter until smooth and creamy.

Beat in the remaining ingredients. Add more salt if desired.

Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Custard and Masala Chai French Toast

Fry the bacon until done, and remove from heat.

Cut the crusts off each slice of bread and use a rolling pin to flatten.

Place a slice of First Choice Gouda Cheese Slices on the flattened bread.

Place a spoonful of bacon on top of the cheese and roll.

Beat the eggs, milk and salt together in a large bowl.

Place a teaspoon of First Choice Butter in a frying pan on medium heat.

Dip each roll-up into the egg mixture and place it in the pan.

Fry the roll-ups until crispy and golden brown, turning occasionally so they don't burn.

French Toast Roll-Ups

Breakfast

8 lasagne pasta sheets, cooked, drained and lightly oiled with olive oil

Heat the 25g butter and olive oil in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook for a few minutes until starting to soften then add the garlic. Cook for another minute. Season.

Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms starts to brown.

Stir in the baby spinach and stir just to wilt the spinach. Remove from the heat and keep aside.

 Melt the butter on medium heat then add the flour. Stir for 2 mins to cook the flour, then add the cream and milk and remove from the heat. Stir well and return the saucepan to the heat.

Stir until the sauce starts to cook and it must thicken. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and add the cheese.

 Melt the butter and add the sage leaves. Heat until the butter starts to foam and become a light brown colour. Remove from the heat and keep aside until needed.

 Fold one cooked lasagne sheet in half and place at the bottom of a serving bowl. Top with a generous helping of the cheese sauce and then top with a large spoonful of the mushroom mixture. Top with another pasta sheet, cheese sauce and lastly some more of the mushroom mixture.

Drizzle with some sage butter and top with parmesan shavings. Repeat to make 3 more open mushroom lasagnes.

1 sprig rosemary salt and pepper for taste 

1 packet tagliatelle, boiled in salted water until al dente (keep a cup of the pasta water) 

In a pot, on medium heat, melt the butter and allow it to brown until a “nutty” smell starts to emit.

Add the garlic, chilli and rosemary to the butter and braise for roughly 30 seconds.

Add the steak to the garlic butter along with the salt, pepper and steak and chops spice, stir and allow to cook for around 20 minutes, covered with the lid.

Add the mushrooms and allow them to cook until almost all the water has cooked away.

Add the cream to the steak then finally add the pasta along with the pasta water, stir to combine and serve warm, topped with a sprinkle of dried parsley.

1 small onion, chopped finely and sautéd in a bit of First Choice Butter until cooked

Place the cooked onions, First Choice Butter and First Choice Cream in a saucepan and reduce to half.

Add the wine, mussels, salt and pepper, crushed garlic and the chopped fennel.

Heat through, add a bit of water to the cornflour to make a paste and add the paste to the mussels whilst stirring to prevent lumps.

Just bring to the boil – it must have a thick consistency.

Remove from heat and serve immediately – spooned into phyllo baskets and garnished with fresh fennel and a slice of lemon.

Brush 2 sheets of phyllo pastry with 30 ml melted butter.

Cut each pastry sheet into 9 squares of more or less the same size.

Pile 3 squares into each muffin hole and let the sides overlap to give an interesting shape and appearance.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180˚C for a few minutes until golden brown in colour. Beware – they burn very easily. Remove and store until needed.

250 ml First Choice Plain Low Fat Yoghurt 

1 ½ cups First Choice Double Cream Yoghurt

 20 g First Choice Butter, melted (optional) 

Add the red onion, green chilli, and fresh coriander to a food processor and pulse till it forms a paste.

Add this to the mince along with the rest of the spices and mix till combined.

When all the ingredients are nicely mixed in, begin pressing down on the meat as you knead it.

A quick tip to ensure your kebabs are well seasoned is to fry a teaspoon of the kebab mixture, once cooked taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Once it is all ready, form the meat into kebab shapes. Squeeze the meat onto the skewers (preferable large skewers).

Place the seekh kebabs over hot coals and grill, turning regularly until the meat is cooked through – 5 minutes on each side.

Alternatively, melt the First Choice Butter in a grill pan and grill on medium-high heat till cooked through.

Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth. Serve chilled.

Combine the self-raising flour and the First Choice Yoghurt in a bowl.

Mix the 2 ingredients until the dough starts to form. If the dough is dry, add 1 tablespoon of yoghurt.

Continue to knead and bring the dough together.

Knead the dough on a large, lightly floured surface. Work the dough out into a large disc.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece out until it is about 1 cm in thickness and has a 15 cm diameter.

Place a griddle pan on high heat and let it get very hot. Cook the naan on each side for 2 minutes.

If desired, brush each side with the melted butter and minced garlic and a small pinch of sea salt.

Lamb Seekh Kebabs

100 g First Choice cheddar cheese, grated 

140 g baby tomatoes, halved and seasoned 

Grease a cast iron pan very well with olive oil.

Mix together the self-raising flour and salt. Combine the yoghurt and the melted butter and add to the flour. Mix until it starts to come together, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes to make the dough. Rest the dough for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and roll out onto a floured surface to fit your pan.

Cook the pizza base on one side on medium heat until the bottom is golden brown then place it in the oven to bake for 5 minutes to get the top golden brown too.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly on the pizza, then top with some of the cheese, then the baby tomatoes and lastly add more cheese.

Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted – about 12 minutes.

Top with shredded basil leaves and serve immediately.

Quick Pan Pizza

15 ml mild, medium or hot masala (depending on your preference) 

2 tins samp and beans, washed and drained (OR see tip below) 

125 ml First Choice Double Cream Yoghurt 

Heat the First Choice Oil in a saucepan and brown the meat. Remove and keep aside.

Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute then add all the spices and fry until fragrant (about 2 minutes – add a little more oil if necessary).

Return the meat to the saucepan and season with salt.

Add the tomato paste and the tinned tomato and cook on very low heat for about 2 hours until the meat is almost soft and tender. Add some water or stock if needed.

Add the peppers and cook for another 30 minutes on low heat.

Add the samp and beans and the First Choice Double Cream Yoghurt and cook for 5 minutes on very low heat for flavours to blend.

Lastly, mix in the coriander and serve with rice or pap with dollops of the spicy yoghurt.

Combine all the ingredients and mix them together.

TIP: If using dried samp and beans – soak 250 g in lots of water overnight. Drain and place in a pot with clean water and 5 ml salt. Simmer until soft and tender.

Curried Samp & Bean Lamb Potjie

1 cup First Choice Cheddar Cheese, grated

Thinly slice the potatoes and line a medium sized oven proof dish with a layer of potato.

Repeat layers until dish is full, then pour over First Choice Cream.

Place in the oven uncovered and cook for 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Creamy Oven Potatoes

250g fresh, mixed berries, chopped (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)

30ml First Choice Strawberry Dessert Topping

Fresh berries and First Choice Strawberry Dessert Topping (optional)

 Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place cupcake papers in 2 muffin pans.

Beat together the cream and castor sugar until light and airy.

Mix together the melted butter and eggs and add it to the whipped cream mixture, mix gently to combine.

Add the vanilla and salt and sieve in the self-raising flour. Fold in gently to make the batter.

Spoon the batter into the cupcake papers and place some of the chopped berries into the batter.

Bake for about 20 mins until cooked and golden brown. Cool completely.

 Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Gradually add the icing sugar and the strawberry dessert topping and beat on high speed until light and fluffy (about 10 mins).

Spoon the frosting into a pipping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes. Garnish with more fresh berries and a drizzle of strawberry dessert topping!

Very Berry Cupcakes

20g First Choice Strawberry Dessert Topping

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Spray 2 doughnut pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in the castor sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine the oil, Harvest, the diced strawberries and the vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently to combine. Spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pan, filling to about three-quarters full (do not overfill).

Bake for ± 10 mins until cooked. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer the doughnuts to a wire rack to cool.

 Combine the icing sugar, Harvest and the strawberry dessert topping. Mix well to combine to make a dipping consistency smooth glaze.

Dip the cooled doughnut tops into the glaze and allow to drip. Decorate with fresh strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar.

Harvest Strawberry Doughnuts

Make chores fun with these delicious shortbread biscuits 💃

10 tbsp First Choice Butter, at room temperature

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the First Choice Butter and vanilla extract until creamed.

Add the icing sugar and salt; mix until combined.

Scrape the bowl down and add the flour while beating on low. Scrape the bowl once more and mix until combined.

Shape the dough into a rectangular shape, wrap in plastic and chill until firm. At least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2 cm thick slices.

Use a pastry wheel to cut the edges of each biscuit so that it is twirly.

Place the biscuits, spaced at least 2 cm apart onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Use a fork or skewer to indent a pattern onto the top.

Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet in the oven halfway through.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add the sugar and lemon juice and beat for a futher 1 minute.

Transfer the royal icing into a disposable icing bag fitted with a number 1 writing icing nozzle.

Pipe the outline of each cookie and then spread the icing inside the outlines.

Draw different chores with an edible food marker.

Chores Biscuits

15 ml First Choice Olive Oil, for frying 

400 g boerewors, remove the meat from the casing 

Melt the First Choice Butter in a frying pan and add the onion. Cook the onion until it is soft and starting to brown. Remove from the heat and cool

Combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix well.

Take teaspoons of the filling and roll it into balls.

Wet your finger in cold water and run it along the edges of the wrapper (will help to seal the pot sticker).

Fill each wrapper with a ball of filling. Place it in the centre of the wrapper.