Brownies

Brownies are really easy to make and delicious.  I remember when I was young being in the car on the way out to Lake Chivero for a picnic lunch in the game park and discovering a tin of Jo's brownies under my feet - and secretly eating rather a lot of them!

The most important thing is getting the baking time right and not to overcook them - they need to be soft and squidgy in the middle.  If you like a richer brownie add some chopped up chocolate or choc chips to the mixture (dark chocolate is best).

I've also included a recipe I've recently found for nutella brownies - it's a bit extravagant as it uses a whole jar of nutella but it only has 4 ingredients so it's really easy and very delicious!

Jo's Chocolate Brownies

1 cup plain flour

½ cup cocoa

2 cups caster sugar

½ cup chopped pecans (or pistachios or other nuts)

180 grams melted butter 

4 eggs lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped chocolate or choc chips (optional)

Beat the eggs and mix in all the other ingredients

(make sure the melted butter goes in last and is slightly cooled so you don't scramble the eggs!)

Put into a well greased baking tin 28 x 20 x 3 cm

Bake at 180 c for about 20 minutes

When a bit cool but still in the tin cut into squares (about 30)

When serving dredge with icing sugar

Nutella Brownies

This recipe is for basic brownies, you can add nuts and dark choc chips to the mixture if you like.

Makes 9 large brownies

Ingredients

1 (400g) jar of Nutella 

2 eggs 

2/3 cup all-purpose flour 

3/4 tsp salt 

1/4 cup water

icing sugar to dust

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a square 8-inch baking pan with foil and baking paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together chocolate-hazelnut spread, eggs and 1/4 cup water. Stir in the flour and salt, and pour into the foil-lined pan.

Bake until just set around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to let cool completely.

To remove the brownies, flip the pan and remove the foil. Cut the brownies into squares and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

lizzie weeden's easy chutney chicken

This is a really easy recipe - you can have all the ingredients in the pantry (except for the chicken!) - mix them all together, add the chicken, and cook in the oven for 40 minutes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes                                                     Cook Time: 40 minutes (Serves 4) 

Ingredients :

• about 750g chicken (thighs or breasts)
• 1 packet cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 cup mango chutney (I use Mrs Balls)
• 1⁄2 cup mayo (optional)
• 1 cup tomato based pasta sauce (I use Leggos Chilli and Olive)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
   salt and pepper

Preparation :

1. Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over the chicken in a casserole dish.
2. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at about 180 degrees or until the chicken is cooked.
3. Season to taste.
4. Serve with rice and salad - or mashed potato or anything else you like!

beef chimichurri with roast mealies

Chimichurri sauce is a fresh South American green sauce, and is traditionally served with grilled steak.  It's an essential part of the Argentinian parilla, but it goes really well with chicken and fish too.

You will develop your own proportions in this recipe. You can add more garlic, use only parsley (if you don't like coriander), leave out the chilli - experiment to come up with your own signature chimichurri.

4 rump (or fillet) steaks

4 mealies (with husks on)
butter
grated cheese
1/2 a chopped chilli

2 cups fresh parsley and/or coriander, firmly packed
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves (or 2 tsp dried oregano)
3-6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons chopped red onion (or spring onions)
1/2 chilli roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tblsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

for the chimichurri sauce :

Pulse the garlic, chilli and onion in the food processor until finely chopped.

Add the parsley, coriander, and oregano and pulse briefly, until finely chopped.  Add the olive oil, vinegar and lime juice and combine.  Season to taste and put in a bowl.

for the roast mealies :

For this recipe (Jamie Oliver's Mexican corn) you want one side of your braai to be a bit hotter than the other so stack your coals higher on one side. While it's heating up put all your mealies (with the husks still on) in a big bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak.

Once your braai is nice and hot drain your mealies – make sure you shake off any excess water. Keeping the husks on the corn, put them on the cooler side of the braai and leave them to cook for about 20 minutes (If you are cooking on a gas braai with a lid then shut the lid for this stage). The husks will act like a natural layer of greaseproof paper, allowing the kernels inside to steam and smoke beautifully.

After 20 minutes, any water will have evaporated and the skins will be blackened – there should be a wonderful sweet and smoky smell. Carefully peel back the papery husks, then transfer the mealies to the hotter side of the barbecue. (If you are cooking on a gas braai, this time leave the lid open). The husks will start to burn off but this is exactly what you want – keep turning them for 5 to 10 minutes until all of the kernels are lightly charred.

While your mealies cooking, scatter come chopped chilli onto a large chopping board then grate some cheese over the top. Put to one side.

Season steak with salt and pepper and cook to taste on the braai.  Cover in foil and leave to rest for 10 mins.

Once you're happy with the mealies, remove from the braai then chop off the papery end and discard.  Roll the mealies around in some butter until they're glossy and coated all over, then one by one, roll the cobs in the cheesy chilli mixture, making sure they are evenly coated.

Serve them lovely and hot with wedge of lime for squeezing over.

(Leftover chimichurri can be mixed with sour cream or cream cheese to make a dip for corn chips or raw vegetables)