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  • Home
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  • Recipes
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    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Quick Meals
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Read more about the article Braised Lamb Shank with Figs

Braised Lamb Shank with Figs

Yolandi North_Logo_White

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yolandinorth

I cook. I gather. I write. Where connection meets food. 🤍👩🏻‍🍳
📍JHB 🇿🇦
Come sit at my table.
FRESHLY MADE TOMATO SAUCE // Did you know that the FRESHLY MADE TOMATO SAUCE // Did you know that the health benefits of tomatoes increase when you cook them? Studies suggest that the antioxidant (called lycopene) increases when tomatoes are cooked in any way. I can't think of a more delicious way to reduce your risk of cancer & make your heart healthier! 🍅♥️🍅♥️🍅♥️🍅 I combined some tiny tomatoes from my food garden with heirloom tomatoes from @gardenfreshsa for this sauce. If you have lots of tomatoes & you don't know what to do with them, consider this your nudge to roast them. When the tomatoes are blistered and cooked, I add fresh basil and fresh marjoram. The mixture then gets blitzed up & voila! Such a simple sauce to stir through pasta. Add some parmesan cheese & you have yourself a meal kings. 🍝🍝🍝 📍♥️ Full recipe at yolandinorth.com xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳🫶🏻 #tomatosauce🍅 #tomatosauce #pastasaucerecipe
MEXICAN-STYLE CHORIZO EGG MUFFINS // Makes 12 MEXICAN-STYLE CHORIZO EGG MUFFINS // Makes 12 These egg muffins are perfecr for meal prep or brunch boards. If you are Mexican, please forgive me if this not really Mexican at all. I love to think that anything with avo, salsa & some jalapeños can pass as Mexican. 🌶️🥑 🫶🏻 MEXICAN STYLE CHORIZO EGG MUFFINS (makes 12 muffins) Ingredients: 10 Eggs, whisked 120–150g Chorizo sausage, finely diced ½ Red pepper, finely diced ½ Green pepper, finely diced 1 Small jalapeño, finely chopped (seeds removed for mild heat) 1 tsp Smoked paprika Salt & black pepper, to taste Optional: 40g grated cheddar Simple salsa to serve: 1–2 Ripe avocados, sliced or mashed Fresh coriander, roughly chopped Lime wedges More pickled jalapenos Mild salsa Cottage cheese, for dolloping (optional) Method: 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a 12-hole muffin tin well with baking spray. 2. Place the chorizo in a pan over medium heat and cook for 4–5 minutes until slightly crisp and the oils release. Remove from heat. 3. Whisk the eggs with smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. 4. Evenly distribute the chorizo, peppers, spinach, onion and jalapeño into the muffin tin. (Tip: Don’t overfill—about ¾ full once egg is added.) 5. Pour the egg mixture over the fillings. Top with a little cheese if using. Sprinkle with Paprika. 6. Bake for 12–15 minutes until set in the centre. 7. Cool slightly before removing from the tin. 8. Drizzle with lime juice. Enjoy with coriander, avo, salsa & more jalapenos. xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳 🥚🥑🍅 #eggmuffins #mexicanfoodlover #mealprep breakfastmuffin
FUNFETTI EASTER BUNNY CAKE POPS 💕🐰💕// Ingredient FUNFETTI EASTER BUNNY CAKE POPS 💕🐰💕// Ingredients: For the cake: 1 Packet Golden Cloud vanilla flavoured cake mix 2 Large Eggs 250ml Full cream milk 150ml Sunflower oil For the icing: 1 Packet Golden Cloud cake icing mix (included in the same box as the cake mix) 100g Salted butter, softened 30ml Full Cream Milk For decorating the cake pops: 300g White chocolate, melted in 30second intervals in the microwave 50g Rainbow vermicelli (sprinkles) Whole almonds (for bunny ears) Paper straws (cut in half) or lollipop sticks For Easter bunny faces: Dark brown sprinkles and mini heart shaped sprinkled Method: 1. Prepare the cake batter according to the packet instructions, then fold in the 50g vermicelli. Bake the cake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool completely. 2. To make the cake pop mixture: crumble the cooled funfetti cake into fine crumbs in a large bowl. Prepare the buttercream according to the packet instructions. Add buttercream icing, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix until it holds together like soft dough. You are aiming for a moist – not sticky – mixture. 3. Shape the cake pops: roll into small balls (smaller than golf balls). Place on a tray and chill in the fridge for 30–45 minutes. 4. Dip the tip of each straw or lollipop stick into melted white chocolate. Insert halfway into each cake ball. Press two whole almonds into the top of each cake pop to create the bunny ears. Chill again for 10–15 minutes to set. 5. Dip each cake pop into melted white chocolate, ensuring full coverage. Gently tap off excess. 6. Apply the two eyes and nose for your Easter Bunny before the chocolate is dry again. 7. Stand cake pops upright (in a polystyrene block or glass with rice) and allow to set completely. Happy Easter everyone! xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳🐇🐣💕 #GoldenCloud #RemixThePremix @goldencloudsa #GoldenCloud
PISTACHIO CAKE // I’m having a moment with nut PISTACHIO CAKE // I’m having a moment with nutty, restrained cakes – the kind that feel both rustic & elegant. My pistachio cake has a subtle sweetness, which means it’s perfect for breakfast or teatime. 🧡 And if you are worried about the price of pistachio’s, then worry no more! November is the perfect time to stock up on your favourite nuts, seeds & dried fruit. Go to montagu.co.za – you can pick 3 products & only pay for two. Just use the code Mmm342 at checkout. Thank me later! 😉🧡 Pistachio Cake, serves 10-12 Ingredients: 250g Full cream plain yogurt 140g Butter, softened 200g Pistachio nuts (2 packets of raw 100g @montagusnacks Pistachio bags) 140g Castor Sugar 4 Eggs 50g Cake wheat flour To Serve: Icing sugar for dusting Edible flowers Additional 4 Tbsp of pistachio nuts crushed with a pestle and mortar Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease & line a 20 cm springform tin. 2. To remove the pistachio skins, place the nuts in a small pot, cover with cold water & bring to the boil. Boil for 3 minutes, then drain. Spread the nuts out on a clean tea towel, fold the towel over them & rub gently to loosen the skins. Discard the skins & pat the peeled pistachios dry. Place the green nuts in a food processor with the 50 g cake wheat flour & pulse until finely ground. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk the butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. 4. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. 5. Fold in the yoghurt. 6. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin & smooth the top. 7. Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until lightly golden & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing. 8. Dust with icing sugar & decorate with edible flowers before serving. xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳
GREEN HAKE CURRY // This is my new favourite way t GREEN HAKE CURRY // This is my new favourite way to eat fish. 🐟 Thanx to Patrick Jamon for the inspiration. Green Hake Curry, Serves 4 as a main course Ingredients: 4 x 170 g Hake (or Kingklip) fillets, skin removed 4 Tsp Olive oil 1 Large leek, white portion only, trimmed & cut into 5 cm segments & finely sliced (about 1 cup) 1 Thumb-sized fresh ginger, peeled & finely grated 1 Tsp Ground turmeric 1 Small carrot, peeled & thinly sliced ½ Cup Mange tout, thinly sliced ½ Cup frozen peas   1 x 400 ml Can coconut milk ½ Tsp Fish sauce 1 ½ Tbsp Green curry paste   Salt, to taste 2 Tsp Freshly ground black pepper To Serve: 2 Sprigs fresh coriander, to garnish 1 Red chili, thinly sliced, to garnish Sticky jasmine rice, for serving Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 100°C. Line a baking tray with foil. 2. Season the fish generously with salt & pepper. 3. Heat 2 Tsp olive oil in a large pan over a medium to high heat. 4. Add the fish & fry until golden on both sides – about 3 minutes per side. 5. Transfer the fish to the baking tray, cover with foil & place in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the rest of the dish. 6. Add the remaining oil to the same pan & heat over a medium to high setting. 7. Add the leek & sauté for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly golden (taking care not to burn the leak). 8. Add the ginger & turmeric & sauté for a minute, stirring frequently. 9. Add the carrot, mange tout & green peas. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. 10. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl, cover with clingwrap & set aside. 11. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce & curry paste to the same pan & bring to a simmer over a medium heat. 12. Reduce the heat to medium low & simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid is further reduced. 13. Stir in the cooked vegetables & heat for about 1 minute until warmed through. 14. Divide the fish between shallow serving bowls & spoon the sauce & vegetables over the fish. 15. Garnish with fresh coriander & sliced chilli. Serve hot with sticky jasmine rice. xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳
A NOSTALGIC BOUGEE BRUNCH // “Meals aren’t just a A NOSTALGIC BOUGEE BRUNCH // “Meals aren’t just about food. They’re about pausing long enough to taste life... & each other’s company.” ✨ I’m officially declaring it Brunch Season — the lazy, luxurious kind where we stop rushing, stretch out the morning & eat slowly with the people we love. This week I finally unpacked a dinner set that has been in our family for decades. My mother never used it because she felt it was ‘too special’, & I kept it boxed up for years for the same reason. But life is too short to save the beautiful things for ‘one day’. So I brought it out, set the table & celebrated the heirlooms gifted to me by my mother & grandmother. 🧡 The menu was simple, nostalgic & a little boujee — double-cream yogurt pots topped with @montagusnacks Brain Food mix, cranberries, almonds, edible flowers, fresh strawberries & a drizzle of honey. Also bowls of dried mango, pistachio cake, croissants, glasses of bubbly & my Spiced Fruit Compote served with mascarpone. The orange in the Montagu packaging tied in perfectly with the warm metallic tones of the tableware & the blooms on the table. LINK IN BIO for my Pistachio Cake & Spiced Fruit Compote with Rooibos Tea recipes — both perfect for long brunches, festive tables, or the kind of Sunday that refuses to end. 🍊🍓 Here’s to using the beautiful things, eating the delicious things & making memories around the table — not just storing them for later. 🥂🥂🥂 Do you have any beautiful heirloom pieces that you’ve been kept stacked away? Why not use them this festive season? xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳 #brunchseason #brunchseasonisback #montagusnacks
STEWED FRUIT COMPOTE // This spicy fruit compote STEWED FRUIT COMPOTE // This spicy fruit compote conjures up something nostalgic, familiar & festive. Unlike a jam, a compote is made by cooking fruit, either whole or in pieces, in a light sugar syrup for a shorter time, which keeps the fruit tender & beautifully textured. This is the kind of dish that feels equally at home on a brunch table or a dessert table. For breakfast or brunch, serve it with a generous spoonful of mascarpone. As a dessert, it’s perfection with homemade custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pure, old-school bliss. 😘 STEWED FRUIT COMPOTE WITH ROOIBOS TEA, serves 6 Ingredients: Cold water for soaking dried fruit 400g Mixed dried @montagusnacks fruit (I used apricots, peaches, pears, prunes and cranberries) 🍑 3 Rooibos tea teabags 4 Cups boiling water 1 Cinnamon stick 2-3 pieces of orange peel 🍊 1 Star anise 2 Cardamom pods 3 Whole cloves 1 Tsp Vanilla extract Pinch of salt Optional: 2 Tbsp brown sugar To serve: mascarpone cheese / home-made custard / vanilla ice cream Method: 1. Cover your chosen dried fruit in water and soak for about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. 2. While the dried fruit is soaking, prepare the rooibos tea by placing your 3 rooibos tea bags in a medium pot with 4 cups of boiling water. Place on high heat and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove the tea bags. 3. Add the dried fruit, cinnamon stick, orange peel, star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, vanilla extract and salt to the tea. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. 4. Taste the liquid and only add sugar if the fruit is very tart. The combination of the Rooibos tea and the dried fruit might be sweet enough already. 5. Simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until the fruit is plump, soft, and the liquid has thickened slightly. Stir occasionally. Remove the orange peel and spices before serving. 6. Serve slightly warm or cold spooned into bowls with a dollop of mascarpone, vanilla ice cream or custard. 🤤🫶🏻 xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳
LET'S COOK // If you're desperate to get back in t LET'S COOK // If you're desperate to get back in the kitchen or looking for inspiration on what to cook, then check out my upcoming cooking classes in Johannesburg. 🇿🇦 *FRESH SUMMER DISHES* Wed, 8 Oct · 10:00 – 13:30 Thurs, 9 Oct · 18:00 – 21:30 🍓🫐🌶️🍉🥕🫒 *FESTIVE FEAST COOKING CLASS* 🎄🤶🏼🎄 Thurs, 27 Nov · 10:00 – 13:30 Fri, 28 Nov · 18:00 – 21:30 Sat, 29 Nov · 10:00 – 13:30 Thurs, 4 Dec · 10:00 – 13:30 Fri, 5 Dec · 18:00 – 21:30 Sat, 6 Dec · 10:00 – 13:30 DM for more info or to book! xo Yolandi 👩🏻‍🍳 #johannesburgcookingclass #getbackinthekitchen #homecookingisthebest #homecooking
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