Phyllo-wrapped asparagus

“Mama loves her greens – I take after her in that department. I wanted to jazz up the asparagus in this recipe and think the prosciutto and phyllo are exactly what’s needed to take the veg from good to great without much trouble at all.” – Siba

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and lightly grease a baking tin with cooking spray.
2. Wrap the mid-section of each one of 12 rinsed asparagus spears with a prosciutto slice. Brush 12 sheets of phyllo pastry with melted butter and wrap around the asparagus.
3. Place on a baking tray and brush with 1 whisked egg yolk. Sprinkle with 1 T black sesame seeds. Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crunchy.
4. Place on a platter and serve with dipping sauce. To make this, mix together: 4 T sweet chilli sauce, 1 T soya sauce, ½ t minced ginger, ½ t wasabi paste.

Honey, soya and mustard chicken with warm samp-and-wild quinoa salad

“Chicken is a favourite dish of my mom’s. I think the honey, soya and mustard complement its natural flavour beautifully. Samp pairs very well with quinoa, especially served with the honey soya mustard chicken fillet.” – Siba

1. Place 4 scored free-range chicken fillets into a deep dish. Mix together 4 T soya sauce, 2 T honey, 1 t wholegrain mustard, 3 crushed garlic cloves and 1 t finely grated ginger and pour over the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
2. Cook the chicken in a large, heavy-based, non-stick pan for 6–7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set aside and cover.
3. To make the samp and quinoa salad, place 140 g samp (thoroughly rinsed) in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with 2 cups salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until cooked. Rinse and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, cover 170 g red quinoa with 1 ½ cups salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.
5. Switch off the stove and leave the lid on to steam the quinoa until cooked. The quinoa should be fluffy but still have a slight bite – take care not to overcook it.
6. In a large pan, sauté 1 red onion and 2 crushed garlic cloves in 1 T oil for 4 minutes, or until soft. Add 1 diced green pepper, 6 rainbow carrots cut into chunks and 125 g cleaned baby mushrooms. Cook for 4 minutes. Add 125 g edamame beans and 6 chopped spring onions and stir well.
7. Stir in the samp and quinoa. Lightly season with soya sauce and stir. To serve, toss wild rocket and mixed baby tomatoes into the samp and quinoa to make a warm salad. Serve with the chicken on one big platter or individually. Garnish with microherbs.
(Cook’s note: This salad is great served either warm or cold. It’s also delicious topped with red pickled onions.)

Mini pavlovas

“Mama doesn’t have a big sweet tooth but she enjoys these little treats from time to time. They look impressive but are really the easiest things in the world to make.” – Siba

1. Preheat the oven to 120°C. Trace the outline of four cups or glasses onto a sheet of baking paper, about 5 cm in diameter. Place the baking paper onto a tray.
2. Beat 3 free-range egg whites in a mixer until frothy, about 1 minute, then add ¼ t cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks form, about 5 more minutes.
3. Add 150 g caster sugar a little at a time, beating after each addition, until the mixture is thick and glossy with firm peaks – this takes about 10 minutes. Gently stir in a few drops of pink or red food colouring (optional) to create a marbled effect.
4. Spoon the meringue onto the baking tray using the traced circles as a guide. Create a well in the centre of each meringue for the topping.
5. Bake for 1 hour, or until crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. Turn off the oven and cool completely in the oven.
6. To make the topping, mix ½ cup whipped cream with 1 cup thick plain yoghurt. Gently fold in juice of 1 lemon. Divide between the meringues and top with fig slices. Drizzle with Woolies’ berry medley coulis and garnish with mint.

How will you spoil your mom this Mother’s Day (besides by cooking her brunch)? Woolies has hundreds of ways to help you out, from foodie gifts to fashion, home and beauty treats – and because she’s blooming brilliant, why not make your mom’s day with a bunch of something gorgeous? There’s something to suit every budget, too.

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Easy yoghurt-and-berry ice-cream tart

1. Whip 1 ¼ cups cream until soft peaks form. Fold in 1 ¼ cups plain yoghurt, 350g caster sugar and 1 ¼ cups milk. Mix until the sugar has almost dissolved.
2. Pour into a freezerproof container and freeze for 2 hours. Crush two 200g packets of Eet-Sum-Mor biscuits and press into the base of a 25 X 25cm freezerproof container.
3. Fold 350g raspberries and 175g blackberries through the ice cream mixture, the pour over the biscuit base.
4. Roughly chop two 50 g nutty seed bars and scatter over the ice cream.
5. Freeze for another 6-8 hours, or overnight for best results, before serving.

Pistachio-and-yoghurt cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Blend 100g shelled pistachios and 100g sugar in a food processor until fine.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, mix 3 free-range eggs, 1 t vanilla extract, 1 cup plain yoghurt and 100g brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Sift 160g cake flour, 1 T baking powder and ½ t salt into the wet mixture, alternating with the ground pistachios and sugar. Gently fold in 115g melted butter to form a thick batter.
4. Pour the batter into a greased 26cm bundt tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Cool, then serve dusted with icing sugar.

Yoghurt panna cotta with dried fig compote

1. To make the panna cotta, place 2 cups cream and 50g sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to the boil. Meanwhile, soak 3 sheets gelatine in ice-cold water.
2. When the cream has boiled, remove it from the heat. Squeeze any excess liquid from the gelatine, then add to the cream mixture. Stir until dissolved.
3. Pour into a jug and allow to cool to room temperature. Add 100 g double cream plain yoghurt and stir until combined. Pour into four glasses or ramekins and chill for 1 hour, or until set.
4. To make the dried fig compote, place 2 cups dessert wine, 8 quartered dried figs and 1 T brown sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Serve the panna cotta topped with the fig compote.
(Cook’s note: the compote can be made in advance and will keep in the fridge for up to a week.)

If you’re not already in love with Woolies’ yoghurt, you should be. Thick, creamy and mild, it contains live bifidobacterium cultures, which contribute to a healthy digestive system, and is made without any added preservatives. Oh, and it now contains reduced sugar (and the fruit varieties contain 16% more fruit). Stock up!

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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Drizzle 700 g cauliflower florets and ½ garlic bulb with 3 T olive oil. Place on a baking tray and roast for 20-30 minutes at 180° C. While the cauli is roasting, pour 2 cups veggie stock into a saucepan, add 2 cups hot water and bring to the boil. Add 1 X 400 g can drained cannellini beans and a sprig of thyme and reduce to a simmer. Toss in the roast cauliflower and squeeze in some garlic to taste. Pour in 1 cup cream and 40 g Parmesan and blend with a stick-blender. Adjust the seasoning. Serve with basil pesto and toasted baguette. Serves 3.

Watch for a slightly different version that serves 2. (Or serves 1 two times, because it’s that good.)

Stock up on Woolies’ legendary soups and you’ll always have a hearty, easy meal on hand.

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Roast chicken with creamy leek-and-fennel sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 200° C. Rub 1 whole free-range chicken with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil. Roast for 1 hour, until golden and crispy.
2. While the bird is roasting, heat 3 T olive oil in a pan. Gently fry 200 g washed and sliced leeks and 100 g washed baby fennel bulbs, halved lengthways. Add 2 T chicken stock powder and 1½ cups cream, stirring frequently. Add 1 sprig thyme and simmer for 6–10 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the thyme. Add the fennel fronds and stir through. Set aside until ready to serve.
3. Blanch 150 g trimmed French beans for 2 minutes. Drain and toss in olive oil and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Roughly pull the meat (with skin on) from the carcass. Arrange on a serving platter and spoon over the leek-and-fennel sauce. Top with the French beans and garnish with ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley.

Whole baked salmon with tamarind and ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove salmon (about 1–2kg in size) from the fridge half an hour before baking. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Place a length of wide heavy-duty tinfoil onto a large, flat baking tray (ensuring that the foil is at least twice as long as the fish) and brush with oil.
3. Put the salmon onto the tinfoil, then fill the cavity of the fish with 3 sliced (on the diagonal) spring onions, 1 sliced lime, a handful of coriander leaves and 8 peppercorns.
4. Start to bring the foil up around the fish and then pour over ⅓ cup Riesling. Wrap the fish in the foil, carefully crimping the edges of the foil together to seal it. Bake for 40 minutes.
5. Turn off the oven and leave the fish in the closed oven for a further 45 minutes. Do not open the foil!
6. Meanwhile, to make the tamarind dressing, place 3 T tamarind purée in a bowl with ½ cup water and stir to combine. Add 1 T finely grated palm sugar, ½ t ground cumin, 2 large red chillies (seeded and sliced finely), 1 t soya sauce, 1 t finely grated ginger and 1 T finely chopped coriander leaves.
7. Undo the tinfoil and transfer the salmon to a serving dish. Peel away the skin from the top of the fish and spoon over the tamarind dressing. Arrange the watercress and 2 limes, quartered, around the fish.

Quick roast lamb with brinjal sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C.
2. Unroll a 1kg free-range deboned lamb roast and flatten as much as possible, then place on a baking tray. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and smear with 1 clove crushed garlic. Moisten with olive oil and 2 T lemon juice, then sprinkle with 1–2 t dried oregano. Roast, fat side up, for 20 minutes until nicely browned but still rare. Cover and leave to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing thinly. Serve warm with cooked rosmarino, baby spinach leaves dressed lightly with olive oil and the brinjal sauce.
3. To make the brinjal sauce, preheat the oven to 230°C. Prick 2 medium brinjals and roast for 20 minutes, or until soft. Allow to cool, then scrape the flesh from the skin. Blend roughly and mix with sea salt and black pepper to taste, 1 T lemon juice, ⅓ cup double-cream yoghurt and 1 clove crushed garlic.

Looking for an even easier long-weekend line-up? Look no further than Woolies’ Easy to Cook roasts, ready for you to simply pop into the oven. There’s more good news if you’re not planning to spend all weekend in the kitchen: some of Woolies’ Easy to Cook side dishes (bacon-filled gem squash, anyone?), frozen meals and sauces are currently on promotion as part of this week’s Daily Difference deals. Happy weekend!

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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Buttermilk honey-and-almond

Practically pudding, buttermilk honey-and-almond rusks taste all treacly and delicious thanks to a double shot of sweetness courtesy of dark brown sugar and badger-friendly honey. Pretty nutty, right?

Semelbeskuit

The brown bread of the rusk world, semelbeskuit is the virtuous choice for daily dippers. The digestive wheat bran adds a satisfying nutty flavour and coarser texture, and makes it a pretty decent brekkie stand-in.

Low GR multiseed

All of the seeds – think linseed, sunflower and pumpkin – star in Woolies’ hearty low GR (glycaemic response) multiseed rusks, made with a mix of stoneground flour, oatmeal, oat bran, pecan nuts and Thompson raisins.

Mosbolletjie-style

Mosbolletjie-style rusks boast the same feathered texture and aniseed flavour of the original spongy bake. A quick dip in some honeyed, milky rooibos is the treatment this SA icon deserves.

Buttermilk muesli

Buttermilk muesli rusks are crunchy-chewy thanks to a genius mix of oats, biscuit crumbs, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, coconut and almonds, sweetened with golden syrup, honey and molasses. Also available in a sugar-replacement variety.

Buttermilk

Woolies’ buttermilk rusks will give your local tannie’s a run for their money. Nothing fancy: just creamy, tangy Ayrshire buttermilk, butter, free-range eggs, sugar and salt, mixed and twice-baked to golden, crumbly goodness. They’re also available in a no-sugar variety.

Buttermilk bran

Buttermilk bran rusks dish out a double whammy of fibre, with bran flakes – like the kind you eat with milk – and wheat bran. A leisurely soak in some hot coffee and you have yourself a party. They’re also available in a no-sugar variety.

Free from gluten buttermilk seeded

If regular rusks go against your gut, you need free from gluten buttermilk seeded rusks, stat. They’re made with a mix of rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch and xanthan gum, with some dried coconut, linseed, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds thrown in for free.

Carb-clever buttermilk

Carb-dodging doesn’t have to mean dissing your beloved dunkables. Just stock up on some carb-clever buttermilk rusks, which rely on almond flour, coconut, psyllium husks and seeds to give you a little something to hold onto.

And that’s what we like to call a slam-dunk. All of these rusks – plus delicious new waffle and cinnarusk varieties – are handmade (using free-range eggs) by a local community in Wellington in the Western Cape.

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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Chocolate lava cake with peanut butter centre

The magic ingredient your chocolate lava puddings have been missing all your life? Standing right there in your pantry. Trust us. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt 100 g roughly chopped dark chocolate and 100 g cubed butter in a double-boiler, stirring, until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat 2 free-range eggs, 2 free-range egg yolks and 100 g sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in 100 g cake flour, then add the chocolate mixture and mix. Chill for 15 minutes. Half-fill 4 greased ramekins with the mixture, then place 1 T peanut butter in the centre of each ramekin. Top with the remaining chocolate mixture. Bake for 8 minutes, then turn out onto serving dishes. Sprinkle with smoked salt before serving. The mixture can also be made in advance and chilled, but would then require an extra 3 minutes baking time.

Easy rice pudding

This ridiculously easy pudding is ready in 25 minutes, start to finish, and so comforting, you’ll want to enjoy a bowl snuggled up under your fluffiest blanket. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cook 1 cup white rice with 1 litre milk, ½ can evaporated milk and 2 T sugar over a medium heat until the rice is cooked through. Spoon into an ovenproof bowl and bake for 10 minutes, or until set. Dust with ground cinnamon and serve hot with cream.

Croissant bread-and-butter pudding with berries

The tartness of the berries takes the edge off this rich, saucy pud. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter one side each of 4 halved croissants, then spread with raspberry or strawberry jam. Arrange in a greased baking dish. Whisk together 4 extra-large free-range eggs, 1 t vanilla extract, 2 ½ cups milk and 1 t lemon zest, then pour the mixture over the croissant slices. Top with generous handfuls of frozen mixed berries (you’ll need about 1 – 2 cups). Bake for 30 minutes, then serve warm – with custard or cream, if you’re feeling extra indulgent.

Need some easy winter puds in reserve for when the craving strikes? Woolies has your back with its range of warming winter puddings. Like ready-to-heat malva pudding, sago and traditional bread and butter pudding. Kind of like a hug from inside. And who doesn’t want that?

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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We’re not denying that there’s great satisfaction to be derived from baking a spongy malva pudding from scratch when you’re in the mood for spending some quality time in the kitchen. There are, however, those occasions when you’re exhausted after a long, miserable day at the office and the only thing that’ll make it better is eating your feelings – and not having to stand in front of the stove to do so. And that’s why we’re pretty in love with ready-made malva pudding. Especially if it’s made exactly like your mama would. These puds are also really handy for low-fuss dinner parties – even better when jazzed up with an array of sweet treats like caramel popcorn, crushed peanut brittle, a smear of chocolate hazelnut spread or a spoonful of creamed honey. How’s that for maximum returns on minimum investment?

Like what you see? Stock up on Woolies’ ready-made malva pudding and some extra goodies to take things to the next level. Not a malva fan? Don’t worry, you’ve got options.

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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Start by making your smoothie base (this makes enough for 3 smoothies, so adjust according to how much you want to make in one batch): blend together 6 peeled and frozen bananas, 360 g plain yoghurt and ½ cup coconut water. (Tip: freeze the smoothie base to make your own banana frozen yoghurt!)

Next, add your favourite fruit to the base and blend. Try one of these combinations:

Kiwi-and-mint smoothie

3 kiwi fruit, 1 t chopped fresh mint, chopped, 3 T coconut water

Granadilla-and-almond smoothie

25 g chopped almonds, 4 granadillas, 3 T coconut water

Berry-and-beetroot smoothie

1 raw, peeled beetroot, 1 T honey, 100 g frozen berries, 3 T coconut water

If you’re not already a coconut-water fan, you will be once you try Woolies’ very own range of coconut water. It’s so delish, you’ll think you’re sipping from an actual coconut. That’s probably because it’s made from young green coconuts, is unsweetened and contains no added preservatives. You can cook with it, too – try this pork belly braised in coconut water

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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Place 3 T of water in a small bowl and stir in 1 ½ t powdered gelatine. Set aside until dissolved ¬– about 15 minutes. Next, whisk together 1 cup Woolworths’ double cream pear and rhubarb yoghurt with ¼ cup double cream. In a small saucepan, add another ¼ cup double cream and ¼ cup caster sugar and bring to a simmer. Stir in the water-gelatine mixture – it will dissolve immediately ¬– then remove from the heat. Combine this mixture with the yoghurt mixture, and pour into cups or small bowls. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set. Top with crushed walnuts or pecan nuts, and drizzle with honey to serve.

Woolies’ thick, creamy and all-round delicious yoghurt is the ideal dessert ingredient. It’s also made without any added preservatives, and now has reduced sugar. Try more yoghurt recipes here.

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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Breakfast getting a little boring? Start your day on the right foot with a power scramble – egg whites, tuna and avo – that’s low on effort but high on taste and goodness. What about a new take on the classic tuna mayo? All you need is a dollop of double-cream yoghurt, a can of butter beans (another pantry essential) and a can of tuna. Add some olive oil, parsley and seasoning and spread on toast, blend and serve as a dip for crackers or crudités, or simply devour straight from the bowl. Looking for a light pasta dish that you can throw together in less than 10 minutes? Toss together spiralised baby marrow, tuna, pesto and pan-fried tomatoes… voilá, dinner is served.

Did you know: Woolies is the only retailer in SA to launch MSC Certified pole- and line-caught canned tuna certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent, leading global certification and eco-labelling programme for sustainably caught fish. Now you do! Watch and see how Woolies’ tuna is caught. Learn more about Woolworths’ Good Business Journey – which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year!

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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Milk chocolate self-saucing pudding

The layered look is strong with these saucy minxes, courtesy of alternating the batter with white chocolate drops. You’ll want a jar all to yourself – after Instagramming it, of course. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Combine 240 g self-raising flour, ½ t salt and 330 g caster sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 250 ml milk, 120 g melted butter and 200 g melted milk chocolate to the dry ingredients and mix to form a batter. Grease three 13 cm-high Consol jars and place a large spoonful of batter into each jar. Sprinkle over some Woolies’ white-chocolate drops, then continue layering the batter and white chocolate drops (you’ll need 250 g in all) until the jars are three-quarters full. Mix 200 g sugar with 2 T good-quality cocoa powder and sprinkle over the pudding. Divide 500 ml water between the jars. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pudding has risen and the surface is crusty.

Microwave-baked white chocolate puddings

You read that right – and the proof that the microwave is good for more than just reheating leftovers is in this pudding. Cream 85 g caster sugar, 85 g brown sugar and 175 g butter until pale and fluffy. Add 3 free-range eggs, one at a time, while mixing. Once combined, fold in 1 t vanilla extract, 175 g self-raising flour and 125 g Woolies’ white-chocolate drops to form a thick batter. Divide batter evenly between 4 coffee mugs and microwave, two at a time, for 1½ minutes each. Pour the chocolate sauce over the warm puddings before serving. To make the sauce, melt 180 g chopped white chocolate over a double-boiler. Heat 1 cup cream slightly, then add to the melted chocolate and mix through.

Coffee-rum baked chocolate pudding

A generous splash each of dark rum and strong coffee takes this pud from straight-forward to seriously sinful. Preheat the oven to 170°C. In a large mixing bowl, combine 240 g self-raising flour, ½ t salt and 330 g caster sugar. Add 250 ml milk , 120 g melted butter and 200 g melted dark chocolate to the dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon the batter into a greased 20 cm x 13 cm ovenproof bowl. Mix 200 g brown sugar with 2 T good-quality cocoa powder and sprinkle over the pudding. Pour over 375 ml black coffee and 125 ml dark rum (or the same amount of water if you’re teetotalling) and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the pudding has risen and has a crusty top. Serve with vanilla ice cream or double-thick cream.

In the mood for a warming winter dessert? Woolies has you covered, whatever your taste in pud – we’re big fans of the ready-to-heat malva pudding, sago and traditional bread and butter pudding. Try them all and choose for yourself. Even sweeter news for Woolies Rewards Members: save 20% when you buy any two winter puddings. And an extra 5% when you pay with your Woolies card. Valid 13 to 16 April 2017.

Learn more about Today With Woolies here.

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