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Curry Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Warm Slow-roasted Salad of Lamb on Baby Spinach

served with a Yoghurt, Mustard and Honey dressing

Pancakes with Sour Cherries and Creme Fraise

My son hosted a dinner at his digs in Stellenbosch on Friday night for an estimated 12 (it is always an estimation with students) and I had to come up with something special for him to make but not to complicated. So, we went through the options and he settled for this one. I thought roasting might be a bit far fetched for students , new to the kitchen, but this was something that he could stick in the oven while sprucing up his abode and the soup could be made ahead of time.

Roasting the pumpkin gives a richer and more robust flavour to the soup. I also use butternut on occasion.

Curried Roast Pumpkin Soup



Butter

500 g pumpkin. peeled seeded and cubed (peeled weight)

Juice of one large orange

Finely grated peel of half an orange

15 ml ( 1 tablespoon) brown sugar

butter for frying

1 large onion, chopped

5-15 ml (1-3 tsp) medium-strength curry powder

1ml ( quarter tsp) dried chilli flakes

15 ml (1 tbsp) ground coriander

5-10 ml (1-2tsp) ground cumin

2ml (half tsp) turmeric

30 ml (2 tbsp) chutney

about 1 Litre (4 cups)chicken ore vegetable stock (use 2 stock cubes)

natural yoghurt and fresh coriander to serve

Serves about 6

Butter a large roasting pan. Add pumpkin and drizzle with orange juice, peel and sugar. Cover and roast in a preheated 180 degrees oven for about 30 minutes, or until tender and golden.

Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add onion and sauté until glossy. Add spices and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add chutney and pumpkin and toss well to mix. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Puree, return to saucepan and heat through and serve with a swirl of yogurt and a few sprigs of fresh coriander.

This is one of those dishes that makes you feel like a domestic goddess long before you have convinced your possessive duvet to let go! You wake up and a gorgeous aroma assail your nostrils…garlic, rosemary and lamb. You think….gosh the neighbour is up early, or you have overslept the Sunday lunch, but then, you remember…. sticking a lamb in the oven at about midnight the previous night. You smile and snuggle up to duvet for a few moments more...sigh. A word of warning though! If you have wayward, hungry students, be sure to lock them in the rooms before you go to bed….

 

Warm Slow-roasted Lamb Salad

3kg leg of lamb

125 ml olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Baby spinach leaves

250 ml sunflower seeds toasted

250 ml olives pitted

Fresh Rosemary sprigs

Preheat oven to 100 degrees C. Place lamb in ovenproof dish. Rub olive oil and salt and pepper over. Grind over salt and pepper and insert some rosemary sprigs and garlic slivers if you wish into the flesh. Make slits with a sharp little knife in flesh. Cover with foil and roast for 12 hours. (ideal to cook overnight)

 

The recipe above is the original but I prefer using a Sachet of Ina Paarman's Lemon and Herb Sauce and thinning it with a bit of water when roasting instead of the olive oil. It is also great to slice in a fresh lemon or halved lemons and roasting it alongside.

Dressing

250 ml olive oil

125 ml vinegar

30 ml wholegrain mustard

15 ml honey

Salt and pepper

250 ml yoghurt

125 ml good mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic crushed

To make the dressing: Mix the ingredients in a bowl and use electric beater to blend well.

Again, I often use only the yoghurt and the mayonnaise, mustard and honey and it works just as well, cutting a bit of fat.

I prefer serving the dressing seperately.

I like to cool the lamb and then tear it into shreds by hand, but if you have less barbaric inclinations just cut it how ever you want to. The lamb can be served slightly warm or cold depending on the weather and your mood.

Place baby spinach leaves (raw) on a large platter and arrange your shredded lamb over the leaves. Scatter over sunflower seeds and olives if you are using olives ( I always forget the olives.) Now splash over some of your pan juices from the roasting dish to moisten the whole lot. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and serve the dressing on the side.

Sprinkle over the toasted sunflower seed seeds and chopped olives

 

Some chunky bread like ciabatta or a baguette for mopping up operations from your plate and the central platter is highly recommended!!

Pancakes with Sour Cherries and Creme Fraise

Now, I am sure you all have your own lovely and infalable pancake recipe. You migth even be a totally fabulous domestic goddess, who makes extra batches of pancakes and manages to hide them in your freezer for a quick desert when unexpected guests arrive. You whip out a tin of cherries and voilé! Madam Fab...

BUT

Me, I nip into Woolies and buy them frozen when I am not in domestic-goddess-mode but efficient- getting-the-job-done-mode!!!

So....

1 packet of Frozen Woolies pancakes. Defrost them and unwrap them from all their plastic protective packaging (enough to start a recycling plant!!!)

Stack onto a plate ready for the microwave

Tinned sour cherries or I get mine in a bottle ( Pick n Pay, top shelf, above dried fruit)

Drain the liquid and add cherries to a pot.

Add about 2 tablespoons of your favourite berry jam

A squeeze of lemon , if you feel inclined

Heat over gentle heat and let it bubble for a bit until surypy.

When ready to serve, heat the pancakes in the microwave briefly.

Ladle some warmed cherries onto one side of the pancake

Top with a swirl of creme fraise and close over.

Garnish with a dusting of icing sugar and a sprig of mint

This dessert is ideal for camping...yes camping!

By the time you have set up camp your pancakes are defrosted. Your fire is going, you get the cherries on the boil and ask fellow campers to set up the "Skottel" and warm your pancakes on there!

"Skottel" =  Gas braai. Have a look at a skottel braai here

I hope you try the lamb salad for convenience. I have been known to put it in the oven frozen covered with tin foil and it works a treat!

The student coped quite well and apparently it was a fab party and all guests are reported to be alive and well!

Today I am linking with "On The Menu Monday" over at the The Stone Gable where you will find delectable goodies for the week!

and

Menu Plan Monday   over at Organizing Junkie where you will finds loads of recipes.

and

The Big Red Pot for Menu Inspiration Monday.

Blessed with Grace for Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

Happy Living and Cooking

Please leave me your comment or suggestions, I would love to hear them and appreciate you taking a moment to chat!

Veronica

xxx

Images from pinterest and my recipe files.