Celebrity Chef,best selling culinary book and now the minister of lifestyle from the newly Fattis and Monnis campaign, Lesdachef, has created scrumptious easy to make recipes for the #FattisAndMonnisFreedomParty . This campaign is all about creating a twist and adding some magic in our normal dishes .
Selected TV personalities,members of the media and influencers were recently invited to an intimate Fattis and Monis freedom party dinner launch, held at Houghton Estate .During the launch Idols SA female judge, Unati was introduced as president of the campaign.
Laughter,good conversations, good music,fine wines and ofcourse the three delicious meal course, complements of the celebrity chef,Lesdachef ,were the order of the night. I couldn’t stop noticing how my friends including myself kept asking for more because how delicious the meal was.And who would have thought one could actually make dessert using spaghetti?Yep,I was skeptical eager it at first and after my first bite I couldn’t stop and asked for more.
Forget about FOMO because I have been granted a permission to share with you these secret easy to make delicious recipes created by LesDaChef Culinary Solutions and authored by: Lesego Semenya.
Starter Option 1: Smoked Salmon Tagliatelle
Ingredients:
100g Tagliatelle pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup low-fat milk
1 tsp flour
2 stems spring onion sliced into rings
2 large finely chopped garlic cloves
Big handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
100g smoked salmon, cut into thin strips
Chopped peppadews
Handful chopped parsley leaves
1 spoon crumbled cottage cheese
Spring onion, sliced thin
Method:
Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet
In a separate pan place the COLD milk, garlic and flour and stir until thick (if using cream, simply stir in the grated parmesan until thick)
Once the pasta is done, drain and stir the sauce into it and the rest of the ingredients whilst its still hot.
Starter Option 2: Conchigliette with Amasi & Exotic mushrooms
• Recipe serves 6 starter portions
Ingredients
200g Conchigliette pasta shells
2 tbsp avocado oil
200g Enogi & Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 baby onions, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
100ml white wine
100ml sour cream
100ml amasi
30g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Sundried tomatoes, chopped
fresh basil leaves, to serve (optional)
flaked sea salt and ground black pepper
Method
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook for 10–12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until just tender, stirring occasionally. Drain once cooked.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms for 2–3 minutes over a high heat, or until golden-brown, stirring regularly.
Reduce the heat, add the sliced onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring. Pour over the wine and bring to the boil. Cook for 1–2 minutes, or until reduced in volume by half. Stir in the cream and amasi and return to a gentle simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir the pasta into the mushroom sauce. Divide between serving dishes, sprinkle with the parmesan and basil leaves and top with the sundried tomatoes.
Starter Option 3: Farfalle Chicken and Bacon Caesar
• Recipe serves 8 starter portions
Ingredients for the salad
4 chicken breasts
4 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
320g farfalle pasta
2 handfuls plain croutons
50g pancetta
Handful watercress
Small handful Parmesan shavings
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Caesar dressing
4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
3 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
Method
Slice the chicken breast into small cubes and saute with the butter and garlic on a high heat. Set aside to cool.
Cook the farfalle in the pan along with a generous pinch of sea salt as per the packet instructions. Drain the pasta and rinse under the cold tap. Set aside to drain.
Place the pancetta in the oven and grill at 180 degrees until crispy. Remove and place on paper towel to drain the oil.
To make the Caesar dressing, put all the ingredients except for the lemon juice in a mini chopper or food processor, season generously with salt and pepper and blitz until smooth. Add the lemon juice to taste.
Stir the chicken into the pasta along with the dressing.
Chop and scatter the crispy pancetta into the pasta along with the croûtons and most of the Parmesan, until the pasta is well coated. Mix in the watercress and season with more black pepper to taste.
Divide the pasta salad between serving bowls.
Main Course Option 1: Loaded Cornetti & Cheese
• Recipe serves 4 main course portions
Ingredients
300g Cornetti Macaroni
salt, to taste
12 cooked, grilled prawns, shell on
100ml white wine
750ml milk
1 bay leaf
¼ of an onion, sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
50g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
50g cubed chorizo
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sprig thyme
60g plain flour
1 tsp mustard powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
75g cheddar cheese, grated
75g gruyere cheese, grated
50g fresh breadcrumbs
To garnish
3 grilled prawn tails
knob of butter
2 tbsp brandy
Method
Preheat the oven to 200. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Remove the prawn meat from the prawn shells, chop into bite-sized chunks and set aside. Put the prawn shells in a saucepan and heat on a high heat. Pour in the white wine and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain, discarding the shells and keeping the wine.
Put the milk, bay leaf and sliced onion into a saucepan. Heat slowly, until the milk is just steaming, then remove from the heat. Set aside. Leave the milk to infuse with the bay leaf and onion for a few minutes.
Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add the diced onion and chorizo and fry until the onion is lightly caramelised and the chorizo is crisp and brown.
Add the garlic and thyme, then stir in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Stir until you have a roux (it will be lumpy because of the onion and chorizo), then gradually add the milk, stirring between each addition, until it is all incorporated and you have a béchamel sauce. Add 50g each of the two types of cheeses and the reserved wine and stir on a low heat until the cheese has melted.
Mix the sauce with the macaroni and stir in the prawn meat. Pour into ovenproof dishes.
Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining cheese. Sprinkle this over the macaroni. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until it is hot and bubbling.
To garnish, heat a frying pan over a high heat. When hot add the butter and the prawns. Cook for 1 minute on each side until the prawns are bright pink and cooked through. Add the brandy and light with a match to flambé. (CAUTION: Keep well back from the flames and allow to die down before serving.) Remove the prawn tails from the pan and cut lengthwise. Place on top of the macaroni cheese and serve.
Main Course Option 2: Bucatini with Oxtail ragu
• Recipe serves 6 main course portions
Ingredients
300g Bucatini pasta
For the ragù
1 tsp vegetable oil
2kg oxtail on the bone
2 onions, roughly chopped
4 carrots, peeled and grated
4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g tin chopped tomatoes
250ml beef stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- To make the ragù, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium–high heat and fry the oxtail on each side until well browned. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once browned, tip into a large ovenproof casserole dish.
- Tip the remaining ingredients into the same pot that you’d used for the oxtail and mix well. Add the stock to the pot, then season with salt and pepper. Stir once more and cover with the lid.
- Simmer the ragu on the stove for 6-8hrs, constantly stirring at regular intervals. Alternatively, cook in the oven for 4–5 hours at 160C.
- If the meat is not quite tender, cook for another hour then check again – how quickly it will cook depends on the size of the oxtail pieces. Lift the meat out and flake it the meat off the bones. Pour or skim the fat off the top of the stew and return the meat to the stew, then mix through.
- In a separate pot, bring some water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook as per the packet instructions minutes. Drain and serve alongside the ragù. Garnish with the parsley.
Main Course Option 3: Butternut and baby spinach Gnocchi
• Recipe serves 4 main course portions
Ingredients
340g Gnocchi pasta shells
1 large butternut
2 sprigs rosemary
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
140ml double cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped flatleaf parsley
50g butter
Handful of baby spinach
150ml white wine
½ lemon, juice only
salt and freshly ground black pepper
grated Parmesan, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven 180C.
Peel and de-seed the butternut. Dice into bite sized cubes and place onto an ovenproof sheet or tray. Chop the rosemary and sprinkle over the butternut. Season and drizzle with some olive oil. Roast in the oven until golden and browned on the edges.
In a pot cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, as the pasta approaches the end of cooking, boil the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
Chop the garlic and onions, gently pan-fry in the butter for about 3 minutes. Add the mustard and wine, bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, seasoning, cream and finally the parsley.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Remove the butternut from the oven and add it to the pasta. Toss the spinach through the pasta and pour over the sauce and mix together. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve in a bowl with the Parmesan over the top.
Dessert Course Option 1: Spaghetti pudding with honeycomb and decadent chocolate sauce
• Makes 8 – 10 ramekins portions
Ingredients
For the spaghetti pudding
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sugar
450g ricotta cheese
2 cups full cream milk
1 cup sour cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
250g spaghetti, broken into pieces and cooked according to package intructions
300g fresh strawberries, quartered
2 teaspoons corn flour
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
2 ounces white chocolate, chilled and grated (about 1/2 cup)
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly coat ovenproof ramekins or mason jars with non-stick cooking spray.
Whisk together eggs and 3/4 cup of the sugar until creamy and smooth. Whisk in the ricotta, milk, sour cream, butter, vanilla, and salt until combined. Stir in the cooked Spaghetti. Pour spaghetti mixture into the prepared baking dishes. Bake in preheated oven until custard is set, about 20 to 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature.
While pudding bakes, heat the strawberries in a pan with the cornstarch and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the strawberries have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice
Spoon strawberry sauce over each serving of spaghetti pudding; sprinkle with grated white chocolate.
For the honeycomb:
Ingredients
1tbsp vegetable oil (for oiling the baking tray)
80g butter
160g caster sugar
80g golden syrup
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Method
Grease a 20cm square baking tin with the vegetable oil (or alternatively line a baking tray with silicon paper).
Gently heat the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large heavy-based pan until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and let the syrup boil rapidly, without stirring it. If the mixture goes darker at one side of the mix, then gently swirl the pan to mix it all together. Keep boiling until the mixture goes a golden-brown colour – this will take about 5 minutes.
Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir it for a few seconds, which will make the mixture expand and fizz (take care, the mixture will expand a lot). Tip the honeycomb into the oiled baking tin and leave until cold and set.
To serve, cut the honeycomb into pieces. Push a shard of honeycomb into each pudding before serving.
For the chocolate sauce:
500g quality dark chocolate
500ml double fat cream
250ml milk
50g butter
Method:
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Warm the cream, milk and butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir in the melted chocolate and keep warm. Serve with the pudding in a jug
