LIFESTYLE - Festive season means more entertaining, mostly at home these days. Irene Dasari - Influential Woman of the Year (Gauteng, 2020 / 2021) and cookbook author - shares easy-to-make snacks and mocktails.
*MOCKTAILS
*Mint and Lime Cooler
Serves 4
3 tbs sugar (feel free to add more or less if you prefer)
½ cup fresh mint leaves (you may use more or less according to your preference )
1 litre Soda Water
+/- 1 cup lime cordial
METHOD
Using a pestle and mortar, gently rub the mint and sugar together, without grinding it too fine. The aim is to release the mint flavour.
Place the mint and sugar mix into a large jug together with the remaining ingredients.
You may add extra lime cordial or a squeeze of fresh lime juice to suit your taste preference.
Serve immediately. I garnished with a slice of lime and rim the glass with lime juice and coloured sugar.
*Strawberry and Lime Cooler
Serves 4
3 tbs sugar (feel free to add more or less if you prefer)
2 cups frozen strawberries - I removed the stems, rinsed and then froze them overnight (you may use more if you like)
+-1 cup lime cordial
1 litre soda water
METHOD
Remove the frozen strawberries from the freezer about 5 minutes before you start.
Blitz the first 3 ingredients together until smooth. You can strain this mixture if you like it totally smooth but I didn't because we enjoy the strawberry bits.
Add the soda water just before serving.
You may add extra lime cordial or a squeeze of fresh lime juice to suit your taste preference.
I served it with a squeeze of fresh lime, and a lime and strawberry garnish.
*Spicy Buffalo Wings
24 full chicken wings
½ cup flour
½ cup corn flour (maizena)
1 heaped tbs chicken spice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (+-1 tsp each)
Method
Cut the tips off the wings. Cut each wing in half then wash and drain off any excess water.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, corn flour (maizena), chicken spice, salt and pepper.
Lightly dust the wings in the flour mix and deep fry in hot oil for +/- 2 minute or until the skin is lightly browned. Place all the fried wings in a suitable oven dish.
In another bowl, mix 1 bottle of Spur Durky Sauce with 2-3 tbs of DaSari's Crushed Chillies. Pour the sauce over the fried wings.
You can refrigerate the mixture at this point to bake the next day or bake immediately in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for +/- 30 minutes or until done.
Serve hot.
NOTE: Can be served as a light meal or a starter.
*Sweet Chilli Jalapeño Poppers
Mix together:
1 tub smooth cream cheese
1/4 cup DaSari's/other Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
grated cheese for sprinkling
sweet chilli flavoured Doritos (crushed, for sprinkling)
Method:
Add 1 tsp of the cream cheese mix into each halved and cleaned Jalapeño chilli.
Top with a heaped tsp of grated cheese of your choice.
Top the cheese with crushed sweet chilli Doritos.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes then devour it with more sweet chilli sauce.
NOTE: For a delicious starter or accompaniment on a snack platter
*Pizza
2 and 1/2 cups flour
3 heaped tsp baking
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
a pack of robot peppers (sliced)
enough plain yogurt / buttermilk / sour milk to make a soft dough
salt to taste
METHOD
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add enough yogurt / buttermilk / sour milk to form a soft dough (not sticky, add a little at a time).
Roll the dough out to ½ cm thickness. You can either make one large pizza or cut out the dough using a scone cutter to make pizza bites / cocktail pizza.
If you prefer a thinner base, poke the dough randomly with a fork so that it does not over rise. Smear the pizza bases with your favourite sauce (tomato, barbecue, tikka, etc.)
The topping possibilities are endless. Use whatever you like or have available. Leftovers work perfectly too.
Finish off the toppings with sliced robot peppers, grated cheese of your choice and a light sprinkling of dried oregano.
Bake at 200 degrees Celcius in a preheated oven for +/-20 minutes for the large pizzas or 10 to 15 minutes for the cocktail pizzas or until bases are cooked and browned lightly.
*Follow Irene on Facebook page, Fabulicious.