Chefs share their ‘mom-inspired’ dishes

WHEN asked how they chose a career in cooking, many chefs tend to cite their mother or grandmother as the one who taught them in the kitchen at a young age. In many cases, this influence led them to pursue a culinary path later in life.

In celebration of this year's Mother's Day, chef Mynhardt Joubert and chefs from Capsicum Culinary Studio pay tribute to their mothers by sharing recipes they most remember their moms whipping up for them.

Charcoal burger with pickled red onion and gorgonzola

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients

500g of beef mince

1 red onion finely chopped 15ml of roasted crushed coriander 4 cloves of grated garlic Handful of chopped fresh parsley 20g of tomato paste

1 finely grated carrot

1 egg

50g of panko bread crumbs

Method

Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined - divide into 8 balls and press into burger patty round shapes.

Place onto a greased surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours - this will help the flavours to develop, ingredients to combine and will also get rid of some moisture

Rub the patties with oil and prepare over medium-hot coals on the fire, pan fry on the stove or bake in a hot 200-degree oven until medium

Serve the burger on a fresh charcoal bun with chopped red cabbage prepared with a dash of vinegar and sugar, roasted aubergine, pickled red onion, and loads of gorgonzola cheese and truffle flavoured French fries.

Tips: Chilling the burger patties after preparing them enhances the flavour and makes them easier to cook You successfully grill them on the open fire on a well-greased grid – medium to hot coals which add loads of flavour.

Spinach pesto pasta with chicken

Chef Kamogelo Makhubela says his favourite dish made by his mom is her spinach pesto pasta with chicken.

“It's one of those recipes where a little goes a long way and it can be eaten hot or cold,” she'd tell him.

Ingredients

200g spinach

50g cashew nuts

4 garlic cloves

120ml extra virgin olive oil 200g Parmesan cheese

300g pasta (penne or rigatoni works well but you can use just about any pasta)

200ml lemon juice

2 chicken breasts

Sprig of rosemary

½ tsp lemon pepper

1 tbs thyme

Sea salt and ground black pepper

Method

For the pasta: Place spinach in a bowl and blanch it by pouring over boiling water and covering it with a lid.

In a separate pot, boil the pasta in salty water until almost al dente. Toast the cashew nuts in a frying pan over medium-high heat until golden brown (about 3 minutes), keeping an eye on them so they don't burn.

In a blender add the blanched spinach, 60ml of the oil, three of the garlic cloves, half the Parmesan, 20 ml of lemon juice, and the toasted cashews and blend until everything is incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Strain the pasta and save a cup of the pasta liquid. In a pan at medium heat, add the pasta and pesto a spoon at a time, then add the pasta water for the right consistency (it should be thick but smooth).

For the chicken: Soak the chicken in lemon juice for about an hour. Pat dry and set aside. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the rosemary, thyme, and garlic clove adding 20 ml oil to create a smooth paste.

Rub all over the chicken then grill or pan-fry the chicken until cooked through. Slice into pieces and lay over the pesto pasta and finish off with grated Parmesan.

Granny E’s triangle delight cake

“There may be dishes for Mother's Day that are a lot more intricate, fashionable, or even grander, but the best part of this cake is the sharing,” says chef Catherine Greyling.

“I used to make it with my granny for my mom, as she did with her granny for her mom. It's every mom's favourite and it's the stuff memories are made of.”

Ingredients

1 packet of tennis biscuits 1 tub of smooth cream cheese 1 tin condensed milk 50ml lemon juice

10 cherries

Decoration

½ cup icing sugar 2 tbs margarine 3 tbs cocoa powder 3 tbs hot water Cherries Dark chocolate shavings or buttons

Method

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk and slowly add the lemon juice while stirring, until the mixture thickens.

Taste regularly to make sure it is just right. Set aside and cool in the fridge. Divide the biscuits in two equal amounts on a sheet of tinfoil, and set half of the biscuits in rows of three each to form the sides of the triangle.

Carefully spoon half of your mixture over the biscuits. Set out the other half of the biscuits in the same pattern. Spoon the rest of the mixture over the biscuits. Arrange the cherries in the middle of the cake length-wise.

Carefully use the foil to bring the two sides together to form a triangle. Press gently together. Wrap firmly with the foil and cool in the freezer.

Mix the cocoa powder with the warm water, add the margarine, sift in the icing sugar, and mix until you get a spreadable mixture.

Spread over the sides of your cake and decorate with whipped cream, cherries and chocolate shavings.