Expecting guests this weekend? Never fear, these easy entertaining recipes will ensure that everyone is well fed – and you remain stress-free.
Churros
Ingredients
1 cup water
½ cup butter
2 tbsp white sugar
½ tsp salt
1 cup cake flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 litre of sunflower or canola oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
Chocolate sauce, for dipping
Method
Heat the water in a saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
Stir in the butter until melted, then add the sugar and salt, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the flour and combine until you have a smooth dough.
Take the saucepan off the heat and let the dough cool down.
Whisk the eggs and vanilla essence together in a bowl.
Slowly add the egg mixture to the dough while mixing with an electric hand-mixer on medium-high speed.
Fold a piping bag halfway down, place it in a jug or beer mug and fill it with the dough.
Roll up the folded part and close it tightly by tying a knot at the top, just above the filling. (This keeps the filling compact.)
Place the piping bag in the fridge to cool the dough – chill it for about an hour for the best results.
Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot on medium heat.
Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and do a test to make sure it comes out of the piping bag nozzle perfectly.
Carefully and gently squeeze the churro shapes into the oil, nipping the ends with a pair of kitchen scissors.
Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden, then place in a bowl lined with paper towels.
Toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar to coat evenly.
Serve warm with chocolate sauce for dipping.
Corn dogs
Ingredients
3 heaped tbsp cake flour, plus 1 tbsp extra for coating
3 heaped tbsp maize meal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp turmeric powder
¾ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
3 Vienna sausages
1 litre of sunflower or canola oil
Method
In a large beer mug, combine the flour, maize meal, baking powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and turmeric.
Add the buttermilk and eggs and whisk into a smooth batter.
Cut the viennas in half and push a skewer into each from the cut side until almost at the top but not poking through.
Spread the extra flour on a plate and coat the viennas well, using a spoon to get to the edges.
Fill a large pan or pot halfway with oil and heat on medium heat.
Dip the viennas in the buttermilk batter one at a time, rotating the skewers to coat evenly. Allow excess batter to drip off.
Fry the corn dogs in hot oil for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally.
Remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels.
Serve slightly cooled with tomato sauce and mustard.
Tips: If you have a yellow corn meal (or polenta), use it instead of maize meal and leave out the turmeric powder.
To add extra deliciousness, swap viennas for cheese grillers.
Gammon
Ingredients
1.5kg-2kg boneless gammon, uncooked
Bunch fresh thyme
Bunch fresh rosemary
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cloves
6-8 cardamom pods
6 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp black peppercorns
Glaze
¼ cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
Garnish: springs of thyme or rosemary
Method
Place the gammon in a large pot and cover it with water.
Add the thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, cardamom, garlic, onion, and peppercorns.
Put the lid on and cook the gammon for 45 minutes on medium heat.
Remove the gammon from the pot and place it on a clean chopping board to cool down. Spoon the garlic out of the pot and set aside for later use. Discard the cooking water (or see the tip below).
Remove the net from the gammon and use a sharp knife to gently score the fat: cut diagonal lines from top to bottom (and, if you like, in the opposite direction to make diamond shapes).
Place the gammon in a roasting pan and insert the reserved cloves of garlic into the corners of the cuts.
Heat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the glaze ingredients in a jug or mug and pour over the gammon.
Roast in the oven for 1 hour or until cooked through.
Rest the meat for 15 minutes before carving.
Serve hot with sides of your choice.
Note: Sometimes gammon is sold pre-cooked and glazed. Look for the raw untouched gammon.
Tip: You can save the gammon cooking water to use as stock. Freeze it in ice-cube trays and add it to soups, sauces, and stews.
Recipes are taken from Neo Nontso’s latest cookbook titled '@dinewithneo - my insta feast'.
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