Risotto Balls with oozy cheese centres ...

Nothing says comfort food in winter quite like Risotto but just what can you do with the leftovers and still make a delicious and comforting snack or meal?


Preparing & Cooking time - 45mins
Serves : 3-4
Ingredients:
500gr ready made Risotto (chilled)
2 Extra Large Eggs
400 - 500gr Bread Crumbs
300gr Corn Flour
200gr White Cheddar cut into small blocks

Method
To make the balls:
Take approximately 1Tbsp of the risotto , place a cheese square in the centre and take a 2nd Tbsp risotto place on top and mould this with your hands into a ball , repeat until you have used all the risotto and cheese blocks.
For the coating:
Beat the eggs in a bowl and add a smidgen of water and set aside.
Place the corn flour into another bowl and set aside.
Place the breadcrumbs into another bowl and set aside.

Take a risotto ball and roll it into the corn flour first , then into the egg wash and lastly into the breadcrumbs , set this on a tray and repeat until all the risotto balls are covered.
Place the coated risotto balls into the fridge for at least an hour , after an hour remove these and deep fry until golden brown.
Eat immediately so that you get to enjoy the delicious and oozy cheese in the centre, it's yummy and addictive #you have been warned.

Serve either with a Sweet Chilli sauce or my personal favourite, a homemade Tomato Sauce (which I use as a pasta sauce)

Cooks note-
I love to freeze left over Risotto and use it to make these delicious treats it is also a great idea to make these for kids when serving a risotto dinner ... They love them!

Spicy Samoosa's in minutes ...

I love nothing more than a spicy crunchy 'Samoosa's' pronounced 'sam-moo-sa' as we call them here in South Africa, you see we have both a large Indian and Muslim community especially here in Cape Town.
Both of these communities make the most divine savoury treats such 'half moons' and 'chilli bites'. Now being a 'sout bekkie' or savoury toothed person that I am, I love nothing more than tucking into a warm spicy and oh so delicious treat in winter.

So here is a quick and easy treat that will have you munching like a pro in minutes!

For today's dish I prepared a vegetable and butter bean curry for my samoosa filling, you can make any filling you like. Another option is the traditional Indian filling of pea and potatoes.

So let's get down to this quick and easy pastry, which is by no means the traditional kind ...

Samoosa Pastry

Ingredients
4 Tbsp Oil
2 Cups Flour
1Tsp Turmeric
5 Tbsp Water
1 Tsp Salt

1 bowl (about 500gr) pre-made cold samoosa filling of your choice

Method
1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together, you may need to have a little extra water on the side just in case a little extra is required. Your dough should be a pizza dough consistency.

2. Roll out the dough into a thin flat sheet ,you then cut circles (to make half moon shape Samoosa's) they need to be between 10cm in diameter.

(I use a glass bowl and press down really hard to cut through the dough)

3. Put your pot of oil on the stove or turn on your deep fryer and whilst you wait you can then do the following:
4. Take a circle of pastry , place a tablespoon of your filling into the center and fold the sides up to make a half moon , ensuring that you seal the edges well and set aside.

5. Deep fry until golden brown and place on a kitchen towel to remove any excess oil.

To serve -
You can serve with a chutney of your choice or alternatively a little tatziki works well.

Chocolate Marshmallow Mug Cake

You will need:
1 x Extra Large Mug or 2 Small Mugs (recommended)

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Self Raising Flour
2 Tbsp Cocoa
3 Tbsp Sugar
5 Tbsp Milk
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Egg
2 Large Marshmallows

Method:
Mix all the ingredients EXCEPT the Marshmallows in a jug.
Pour half the batter into the extra large mug , drop in the two marshmallows and cover with the rest of the batter.
Microwave between 2 - 3 minutes ( depending on your microwaves wattage) , my 900watt microwave takes 2 minutes exactly.

This makes the most delicious chocolatey gooey marsmallowy treat.

On the day I made this I took one across to my dear friend and neighbor Hayley who is 6 months pregnant and let's just say the first thing she did was take a photo and then I had to let myself out because the mug cake became her sole focus.
Hayley's words were ... 'I just need to sit down and have a quiet moment with this' ... Tee hee!

Try it you'll love it and really it is the easiest dessert ever!