Cook up a storm: heart-warming recipes to rekindle your culinary passion

The heart of every home is often found in the kitchen, a space where creativity and flavour collide.

As we embrace the changing seasons, it's the perfect time to explore new recipe ideas that inspire culinary adventures.

Today, we delve into an array of dishes that bring flavours, spotlighting inventive ingredient combinations and techniques to rekindle your love for cooking. 

Mashed potato crumpets

Serves: 6

Ingredients

 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 tbsp margarine

Salt and pepper

7 eggs

¾ cup cheddar, grated

Small handful of chives, finely chopped + extra

1½ cups cake flour

 Sunflower oil, for cooking

Tomato chilli jam, to serve

Method

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes or until soft. Mash with the margarine. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.

Combine 3 cups mashed potatoes with 1 of the eggs, cheddar, chives and ¾ cup of the flour. Roll the mixture into 6 balls and flatten into 1 cm-thick patties.

Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish and coat each crumpet in the flour.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the crumpets, in batches, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Drain on paper towel-lined plates.

Wipe the pan clean and heat another splash of oil on medium heat. Fry the remaining eggs in the same pan for about 3 minutes or until whites are set and cooked to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the crumpets topped with fried eggs, tomato chilli jam and extra chives

Cottage pie with baked eggs

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the mash 

 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed

½ cup milk

⅓ cup margarine

Salt and pepper

For the mince

1 tbsp sunflower oil + extra

500g beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

410g tin Italian-style tomatoes

1 cup frozen mixed veg

 4-6 eggs

Method

For the mash, cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain. Mash with the milk and margarine. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, for the mince, heat the oil on high and fry the mince for about 8 minutes or until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes or until golden.

Return mince with the tomatoes and frozen veg. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Spread the mince into a 24 cm ovenproof dish. Top with the mash and pull a fork through the top to flatten. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and make 4-6 egg-sized wells in the mash with a spoon. Crack an egg into each well. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the whites are set and yolks are cooked to your liking.

Recipes by the South African Poultry Association.

Mushroom and cheese galette

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Pastry

175g flour

1 tsp sea salt flakes

120g cold butter, cut into small cubes

70g sour cream

 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

60ml ice-cold water

Mushroom filling

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

500g mixed cultivated mushrooms, sliced

150g grated Havarti or Gruyère cheese

A handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk for egg wash

Method

For the pastry

Pulse flour and salt together in a food processor to mix.

Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Whisk together sour cream and lemon juice, add and pulse.

Slowly drizzle in just enough ice water until a soft dough is formed.

Knead dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk.

Wrap very well in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.

For the mushroom filling

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.

Fry the onion until golden brown and begin to caramelise. 

Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook until fragrant.

Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Season well. 

Remove mushrooms from the heat and turn out onto a chopping board to cool.

Discard herb stems.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out cold, rested pastry into a large 30cm circle.

Transfer onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Sprinkle a little cheese over the base of the pastry.

Toss the remaining cheese with the cooled mushrooms.

Arrange the mushrooms in the centre of the pastry, leaving a 4cm border.

Fold the border up and over the filling, pleating along the way to seal the border.

Place cherry tomatoes around the mushroom filling and sprinkle with a little salt.

Egg wash the pastry and season. For extra points, sprinkle a little cheese on the pastry edges.

Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and deeply golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly before cutting into slices and serving.

Mushroom taco cups 

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Filling

500g beef mince

1 tbsp taco spice or Mexican seasoning

1 large onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced

500g Portabellini mushrooms, sliced

1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes

1 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp taco spice or Mexican seasoning

1 cup or ± 160g frozen corn kernels

A handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Tortilla cups

8 medium flour tortillas

Spring onions, sliced, for garnish

Special equipment: Muffin tin

Olive oil, for cooking

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

For the filling

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.

Add the beef and cook until it turns brown and crisp on the edges.

Season well with taco spice.

Remove beef from the pan and set aside.

Add a fresh drizzle of olive oil to the pan.

Add onion and fry until tender.

Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for a minute until fragrant.

Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown and tender.

Pour in the tinned tomatoes, black beans, and seasoning.

Return the mince to the dish.

Bring to a simmer and cover.

Cook for a few minutes, allowing the flavours to meld and the tomato to thicken.

Add the corn and cook until warmed through.

When ready to serve, finish with fresh coriander and stir through.

For the tortilla cups

Preheat the oven to 200˚C with the fan on.

Different brands will make various sizes of flour tortillas.

Measure tortillas by pressing and folding one into the muffin tin to create a little cup and see how much excess there is.

Trim tortillas if necessary so that once placed in the muffin tin there is a little lip over the edge for plenty of filling.

Brush-trimmed tortillas on both sides with a little olive oil.

Place in the muffin tin.

If you have a six-cup muffin tin, do two rounds.

Place a little oven safe ramekin or little metal dessert mould in the muffin cup to help hold the shape.

Bake for ± 8 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle remove the tortilla cups and place them on a cooling rack. They will crisp up as they cool.

To assemble: Spoon the warm filling into the baked tortilla cups.

Garnish with spring onions, serve with lime wedges, and enjoy!

Recipes by the South African Mushroom Farmers' Association.