Mel’s TV Showcase

Baked Moroccan Cauliflower with Date and Pistachio Gravel

Quickie 50 Second Keto Bread

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Recipe

QUICKIE CARB-FREE BREAD IN A MUG

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon crunchy or smooth peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 straight up & down coffee mug
  • cooking spray

METHOD

Mix the peanut butter, egg and baking powder together by smashing against the side of a small bowl with the back of a tablespoon, you will have to keep scooping the paste back in and bring it together, the thick peanut paste with take a bit of squishing to blend with the egg and powder but keep going! Now put this batter into a greased coffee mug and cook in your microwave for ONE MINUTE. Cool and then slice and have on its own or with your favourite spread or as part of another dish. Too easy. Too cheap. Too brilliant.

Quickie Cauliflower Paella

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Recipe

Cauliflower Paella

INGREDIENTS

(SERVES 4-6)

  • 10ml oil or cooking spray to grease the pan
  • 450-600g chicken pieces of your choice cut into pieces no larger than your palm (optional, you can keep this vegetarian)
  • 80g chorizo sausage or bacon, finely diced or minced
  • 1 onion minced or finely chopped
  • 1 head cauliflower food processed (cauliflower rice)
  • 1 tablespoon smoked or sweet Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
  • Juice and zest of one lemon
  • 1 cup peas, snow peas or beans
  • 80g fire-roasted capsicum (from your deli)
  • Pinch of dried or 1 teaspoon fresh sage or thyme

METHOD

Spray a large non-stick frying pan with cooking spray or oil and allow the pan to get swearword hot. Once hot add the chorizo gravel/mince and allow to brown nicely, don’t stir just for fun, only stir if it needs to be stirred! We want the sausage to render its fat and if you cool it down too much it will stew. Now add the onions, garlic, herbs and cook through. You can reduce the heat at this stage. Now coat the chicken in the spices and the stock powder to give it a Spanish spray tan. Make some space in the pan, turn the heat up, and add the chicken to the hot pan. Don’t stir until the first layer of chicken is brown, then stir and turn the pieces to brown. Once brown add the capsicum, peas and cauliflower rice and lemon zest and stir fry until tender. Season to taste and then Add the lemon juice! Ready to serve! So quick and easy!

Ultimate Broccoli Salad

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Recipe

THE ULTIMATE BROCCOLI SALAD

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 small head of Broccoli, rinsed and then chopped (about four cups)
  • 1 pink lady apple, sliced
  • baby bulb fennel finely chopped or use cabbage, carrots etc
  • 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
Bursting with goodness and taste, this unusual salad takes almost no time to prepare and is not cooked. Don’t worry about eating broccoli raw, it tastes even better this way I promise! Another thing is that you can add just about anything else to it, depending on what your favourites are. Lean bacon bits, smoked chicken, cheeses…it can be quite glamorous actually! 

METHOD

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS IN A BOWL. This is your basic salad, which is divine just as it is…. If you start making it often though, you may want to ‘spice’ it up: Add fresh baby spinach leaves Rocket leaves Roughly chopped basil Sliced smoked chicken breasts Cooked lean bacon bits Low-fat feta Dried Cranberries The possibilities are endless!

BESPOKE CULINARY BARK WITH

BAKED BRIE FONDUE

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Recipe

BESPOKE CULINARY BARK/ WATER BISCUITS/CRACKERS 
INGREDIENTS 
• 1 cup of flour 
• 1 teaspoon of chopped herbs OR 1 teaspoon chopped petals OR 1 teaspoon seeds OR 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper OR 1 teaspoon dried mushroom powder OR mix and match these to match your dip or cheese or pate. 
• 80 ml water + 20ml melted butter OR buttermilk OR olive oil = 100ml total liquid
 
 
METHOD 
Simply mix the ingredients together to form a soft dough, knead with extra flour until easy to handle. Now roll out teaspoonsful of dough into long thin biscuits. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and then bake until just browned in an oven of 200c, about 4-6 minutes or until brown and crisp! 
AROUND THE WORLD WITH A BAKED BRIE FONDUE This is a gorgeous and glamorous take on the everyday cheeseboard. Baking Brie or even a delicious Camembert will transform your cheese into the most delicious baked oozy treat, and the best part is that it’s super simple. We can also transform this fantastic fondue into many global flavours just by adding a few glorious ingredients to change the theme. Try mine or try your own idea, you’ll be doing this dish for many years to come. You’ll have travelled the world in no time. For all the recipes below, start with brie or camembert, and place it on a plate that is oven-proof, I use a soup bowl or similar (most of them are oven-proof) 
FRENCH INFLUENCE: Make a paste with 1 clove of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of chopped tarragon/ rosemary/thyme and rub over the cheese to coat it in this fragrant paste. Bake for 8- 12 minutes in a hot oven of 200c until it has puffed up and the cheese is oozy and melting. Garnish with freshly chopped edible petals like rose borage, pansies, dianthus, or carnations. 
MIDDLE EASTERN INFLUENCE Place a tablespoon of creamed or plain honey on the cheese and bake for 8- 12 minutes in a hot oven of 200c until it has puffed up and the cheese is oozy and melting and the honey is caramelized and melted. Now add a teaspoon of chopped nuts and a light dusting of cumin powder or ras el hanout spice and serve garnished with the petals I’ve mentioned above. 
AFRICAN INFLUENCE Bake for 8- 12 minutes in a hot oven of 200c until it has puffed up and the cheese is oozy and melting. Garnish with freshly chopped chilli, biltong/jerky chopped up fine and a little bit of lemon or lime zest…garnish with petals and serve! 
SPANISH INFLUENCE Chop about 80g of chorizo sausage up until it looks like mince, fry quickly in a hot pan until just browning, and add 2 tablespoons finely sliced onion and a large sprinkle of paprika. Add a teaspoon of lemon zest and then place this on the cheese and bake for 8- 12 minutes in a hot oven of 200c until it has puffed up and the cheese is oozy and melting. Garnish with strips of fire-roasted capsicum diced finely and a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley. 
STICKY ASIAN Mix 1 tablespoon of plum jam to a paste with half a teaspoon of fresh ginger and place on top of the cheese. Bake for 8- 12 minutes in a hot oven of 200c until it has puffed up and the cheese is oozy and melting. Garnish with shredded lime leaf or coriander.

Chef Mel’s Vegan Tower of Pleasure

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Recipe

VEGAN TOWER OF PLEASURE WITH HAPPY YELLOW BUTTERBEAN PUREE INGREDIENTS PUREE
• 1 tin chick peas in brine, drained • 1 large clove garlic, crushed • ½ teaspoon ground cumin (jeera) or Culinary Spray Tan with Ras el Hanout • ½ vegetable or mushroom stock cube • 2 tablespoons crumbled vegan feta or cheese of your choice • 2 Tablespoons coconut cream • 50-100ml water depending on what consistency you need. • Salt and pepper to season ROAST VEGGIES • 1 cup diced sweet potato • 1 cup diced cauliflower • 1 cup diced carrot • 1 cup diced beetroot • 1 cup diced potato • 1 cup pumpkin GARNISH • Extra virgin olive oil, black seeds, fresh coriander and steamed or roast zucchini slices.
METHOD 
PUREE Blend all the ingredients except for the garnish together in a blender and blend until smooth. Place in a large flat bowl and garnish with your choice of toasted seeds, herbs and a drizzle of the good extra virgin olive oil. Serve hot or cold. ROAST VEGGIES Place on tray and then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, your choice of spices, salt and pepper. Not too much, these don’t need to be drowned or over-spiced, they will be sexy just with a little love. You can use any combination of vegetables that you have available to you. I always add some green veg after I’ve roasted the sexy veggies to add some colour and texture. I steam either beans, snow peas, broccoli or asparagus and then add to the mix. To assemble your tower, use a stacking ring to layer your Happy Yellow Butterbean Puree, roasted sexy vegetables of choice and top with sweet potato curls and fresh herbs. The higher you can get your toppings the sexier your tower will look! A drizzle of olive oil around the plate and you’re ready to serve. CHEFS NOTE: Always go for colour! Some veggies are better for roasting, and some are better for steaming. These veggies are BETTER roasted swear word hot and fast at 220c…this amount of veggies in an oven of 180c will throw SO much steam that they will NEVER go brown. You need to crank the oven up swear word hot so that we get LOTS of colour in these veggies. When vegetables are roasted, they caramelise and give 100% more flavour and personality than when steamed.

BRAISED MOROCCAN LAMB SHOULDER WITH DATE & PISTACHIO GRAVEL

Q

Recipe

This is the Moroccan Lamb with a date and Pistachio Gravel served on Happy Yellow Butterbean Puree

I N G R E D I E N TS

  • 2-4 kg-lamb shoulder bone-in
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 1-2 liters weak chicken stock (this will depend on the depth of the baking dish you use)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin and 1 tablespoon turmeric OR use a blend of rasel hanout spice
  • 1 cinnamon quill and three star anise

B L I N G

  • 2 tablespoons chopped dried figs or pitted dates
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1/2 cup almonds/pistachios/other nuts roasted and chopped freshly chopped mint or coriander/cilantro

METHOD

Season the shoulder with salt and pepper, some of the turmeric and spices and rub into the skin with a little water or oil to give the shoulder a nice suntan! Now place skin side up in a roasting tray with the stock making sure the stock comes at least halfway up the shoulder so it is nicely submerged by half. If you have too much cooking liquid reserve it for later as you may need to top up the lamb during the cooking process.

Roast (it’s referred to as braising) in a hot oven of 220c for at least an hour, remove from the oven and turn the shoulder over, return to the oven for half an hour and turn over again. Cook for another 15-30 minutes to get the skin nicely brown and crisp and then remove from the oven.

Make the bling by mixing the chopped dates, nuts and zest together. Garnish the lamb with the bling and then serve!

NOTE: If you have a little more time this actually benefits from a long slow cook so reduce the heat to 160c and cook for 2-3 hours.

Serve the lamb with this quick and easy butterbean puree…

HAPPY YELLOW BUTTERBEAN PURÉE

I N G R E D I E N TS

  • 2 tins of butterbeans, drained
  • 1/4 cup cream or milk or simply use stock if you want to omit dairy
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • a teaspoon of turmeric
  • a veggie or chicken stock cube to taste

Guys this recipe is just too easy. If you have any roast carrots, butternut or sweet potato left over in the fridge, feel free to throw about half a cup of that roasted goodness in here too.

METHOD

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes until wonderfully hot. Once the beans are heated through, simply mash with the metal head of a stick blender OR place in a food processor once cooled slightly. Either process completely or leave it slightly chunky for a more rustic mash. Feel free to add some hot water to make this puree thinner if you don’t want it as thick. You can make this as thick or as thin as you like. And if you have leftovers, you can repurpose this as a sexy dip (drizzle with olive oil, crushed pistachios, and dukkha). Serve either serve chunky or as a puree.

NOTE You can change the flavour of these beans to suit or match your meal. These beans can take on multiple personalities so have fun! Add a teaspoon of chopped rosemary if you are matching lamb. Add a teaspoon of grainy mustard or horseradish if you are matching beef or pork. Add a teaspoon of curry powder if you are serving this with a curry. Add smoked garlic and smoked paprika to match a Spanish theme.

One Pan Suntanned Chicken

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Recipe

ONE PAN SUNTANNED CHICKEN

I N G R E D I E N TS

  • 600-800g chicken breast fillets
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1-2 tablespoons of either curry powder, paprika, fajita spice, ras el hanout or Thai Curry paste
  • oil or water to bind, about 20-30ml
  • salt and pepper to season
  • 1 cup sliced cabbage or a bunch/packet of sliced spinach
  • 1 cup sliced leek
  • 1 cup sliced capsicum
  • YOU CAN USE ANY finely sliced vegetables you like!
  • 2 teaspoons pistachios or peanuts or fried shallots for crunch!

Okay, who’s sick of washing pots and pans and millions of dishes! I certainly am. Join me as I show you the art of preparing a quick, yet magnificent, chicken breast in half the time and with half the fuss…but with all the sexiness and gorgeous flavour you’ve come to deserve! For those nights and days where you really just need to get a healthy, nutritious meal onto the table in under 15 minutes! Can’t wait to hear about how you turned this dish into your own special design! It’s so versatile you can change the spices and the vegetables a hundred times…just like your favourite outfit. New earrings, a new handbag, it’s a new outfit! Gents, for you it’s new shoes new tie, a new outfit!

METHOD

Slice the chicken breast in half lengthways. Now use a nice sharp knife to cut slashes in shallow cuts into the chicken breast. This will open up the breast, helping it to cook faster AND helping that flavour to really get in there. Once you have your slashed chicken breast, blend your turmeric and your choice of spice with the oil or water until it forms a nice wet paste. Brush on with a pastry brush or simply combine with a spoon to coat, and season well with salt and pepper.

Heat and grease a frying pan with a few sprays of canola or rice bran spray, or a tablespoon of vegetable oil. When the pan is swear word hot add the chicken…it should SIZZLE as it hits the pan! Let the first side get really nice and brown and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, before turning over and doing the other side. Cook the second side until sexy and brown and fragrant and then turn over again, you can reduce the heat at this stage!

Now add the vegetables on top and over the chicken, leave for a minute, and then stir through! Cook for just a few minutes, really just until the vegetables are wilted rather than overcooked, and then you’re ready to serve!

You can top with a dollop of sour cream or yoghurt, depending on what spices you ended up using, and then add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice to freshen up the dish!

Voila! Too easy I know, but a good one to know for those times that you have to get that food on the table! You can also use this method for pork chops and pork fillets! Please don’t do this to a steak!

Quickie Salted Pistachio Praline Ice Cream

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Recipe

ICE CREAM WITH PISTACHIO BLACK SALT PRALINE 
INGREDIENTS 
(MAKES 4-6) 
ICE CREAM 
• 600ml thickened cream 
• 1 tin condensed milk 
• 10ml vanilla extract 
PRALINE 
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 1/4 cup of water 
• 2 tablespoons pistachio 
• 1/2 teaspoon black or white flake salt
METHOD
Beat the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold in the condensed milk using a metal spoon or plastic spatula. Place in a container with a lid and place in the freezer. PRALINE Place the sugar and water in a large frying pan and boil over high heat. Shake to dissolve the sugar and allow to cook until the sugar syrup goes brown. When brown and caramel pour onto a greased baking sheet, and top with the pistachios. Break into small pieces when cold and then sprinkle on top of the ice cream before it sets.

GLAMOROUS PARTY PIES

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Recipe

Coming Soon

Quickie Porcini Mushroom Sauce

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Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil to heat in the pan to sear the beef
  • 200 g fillet or rump per person, thick-cut to about 4-5 cm, season well with salt and pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 shallots finely chopped
  • 1 cup porcini or your favourite mushroom finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon freshly chopped sage or thyme
  • 1 chicken/mushroom or vegetable stock cube
  • 100ml cream
  • season well with black salt/flake salt and pepper

METHOD

This is how to easily and perfectly cook a successful steak. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the seasoned steak to the pan, it should sizzle! Do not turn the steaks until the first side to hit the pan has absolutely made the sexiest crust. It should look brown and perfect with heaps of personality and flavour, not grey and dodgy. Once cooked you can turn over and do the next side, keeping that sizzle sound UP in the pan. We want the same result for the second side too! Depending on how you like this cooked, if you are going for rare, you can now add the garlic and shallots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, being careful not to burn them but browning them will be perfect. If you want a more medium style, I would turn the steak over, drop the heat and cook a further 4-5 minutes on the original side. Now add the mushrooms and the sage and the crumbled up stock cube and the cream and then stir through and let heat through and boil for about a minute. If you leave it for longer it will reduce, which is sometimes good if the flavour wasn’t deep enough to start with BUT if you over reduce you will be left with a salty sauce so please add a bit more hot water and taste again! Serve with the steak and your choice of sides, either the butterbean puree, parsnip or sweet potato fries, or good old fashioned potatoes of your choice!

 

Quickie Eggplant Steak Stack with Chef Mel

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Recipe

PORCINI & BLACK SALT EGGPLANT STEAK 
INGREDIENTS 
• 2 thick slices of eggplant per person 
• 1 teaspoon dried porcini (food processed to porcini dust) 
• 1 teaspoon black salt flakes 
• 1 teaspoon edible dried rose petals (saffron, safflower or lavender will do too!) 
• Olive oil to pan fry CARROT PUREE 
• 1 kg carrots peeled and cut into batons 
• Oil to drizzle 
• Salt and pepper 
METHOD Rub the eggplant slices in a little olive oil and then season with the porcini dust and black salt flakes, this is optional, you can simply season with standard salt and pepper, I was just being fancy. Grease and heat a large frying pan or griddle and then cook hot and fast to sear the eggplant. Turn over once or twice until cooked and fragrant and serve! To serve, garnish with fresh flower petals on a carrot or butterbean puree CARROT PUREE Roast in a swear word hot oven for about 20-25 minutes until the carrots are caramelised and golden. Remove from the oven, splash with about 125ml coconut cream and the puree. Garnish with pistachio and cumin dust or your design of culinary ‘gravel’

Quick & Easy Cream Cheese Pastry

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Recipe

CREAM CHEESE PASTRY

INGREDIENTS

  • 125g butter
  • 200g flour
  • pinch salt
  • 125g cream cheese or crème fraîche
  • BLING: Add matching bling to really show your guests you care! Add 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon lemon zest to really get a round of applause for this, you can really mix and match it depending on your fi lling!

METHOD

Grate the butter into the flour and then pinch in till the flour resembles breadcrumbs and the butter is evenly distributed. Now add the salt, bling, and the cream cheese and mix through or use a food processor to combine. Do not overwork the dough! Roll into a dough ball and then cover and chill for about an hour before rolling out and using as desired!

Quick & Easy Focaccia

Fab feasting table ideas

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Recipe

Chef Mel’s SIGNATURE BLACK SALT AND ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

INGREDIENTS
• 450 g plain or baker’s flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 320 ml lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon salt • 30ml oil
• 2 teaspoons extra flour
• 2 tablespoons polenta
• Cooking spray to grease the baking tray.
TOPPINGS
• 1/2 teaspoon Sexy Black Salt Flakes or good quality flake salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary gravel
• 3 large lashings of extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Add the yeast to the warm water, with the 2 teaspoons of extra flour and sugar, stir and set aside for about 10 minutes until foamy. Now mix this liquid with the flour, salt, and oil until it forms a smooth dough. Place on a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and pliable. Use your mixer and a dough hook if you aren’t doing this by hand, about 5-7 minutes at least! Now place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a clean wet cloth and allow to prove for about 15 minutes or until doubled in size. Grease a baking tray with the cooking spray and then add the polenta, shake to coat the tray. Remove the dough ball from the covered bowl and place on the polenta baking tray. Put some oil on your palms and then spread the dough over the polenta to each end of the baking tray. Make deep holes (Nona’s fingerprints) by using your fingertips to poke the dough. Garnish with the sexy black salt flakes, rosemary gravel and oil. Now allow to prove for a second time for about 10 minutes in its shape and then bake in a pre-heated oven of 180 c for about 15 minutes until golden. TO SERVE: Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil onto a saucer or side plate, pour a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar in the middle of the plate as per demo!