Chef Charmaine Lehabe’s orange and elderflower panna cotta.
Image: Supplied
With Mother's Day on the horizon, many are seeking an ideal way to celebrate the extraordinary woman who has nurtured and cared for them.
This year, why not take a culinary journey to express your love and appreciation?
Cooking a delightful meal or baking a sweet treat can create cherished memories while also allowing you to convey your heartfelt sentiments deliciously.
Below, we present a selection of mouth-watering recipes that capture the essence of Mother’s Day celebrations.
Chef Tinotenda Sadziwa’s grilled chicken with ratatouille.
Image: Supplied
Chef Tinotenda Sadziwa’s grilled chicken with ratatouille
Ingredients
For the ratatouille
6 tbsp olive oil
2 medium eggplants, cut into bite-size chunks
3 medium zucchini - cut into bite-size chunks
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 red, 2 yellow, and 2 green peppers, chopped
2 red onions, diced
3 garlic cloves sliced
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp tomato paste
15g fresh basil, plus extra to garnish
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
For the grilled chicken
4 large garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1¼ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1.5kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Method
Heat half of the oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat.
Add the eggplant and fry until golden brown (2-3 minutes).
Set aside in a large bowl.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet and fry the zucchini.
Don't cook them all the way through, just until golden and slightly softened.
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside in the same bowl with the eggplant.
To the same skillet, add the peppers, onion, and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes.
Add the plum tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.
Reduce the heat to a medium-low, bring to a simmer, and break the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.
Allow the sauce to simmer until it starts to thicken.
Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fried veggies, cherry tomatoes, basil and thyme. Partially cover the pan and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sauce is thick and veggies are tender.
Alternatively, you can bake it uncovered in the preheated oven at 180°C for 30-35 minutes.
For the grilled chicken
In a medium bowl, whisk garlic, oil, rosemary, oregano, and thyme; generously season with salt and pepper.
Add chicken to the bowl and toss to combine.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour (overnight is even better).
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; preheat 5 minutes.
Grill chicken, basting with reserved marinade and turning halfway through, about 6 minutes per side.
Serve with ratatouille and fresh ciabatta bread.
Chef André Hill’s carrot cookies.
Image: Supplied
Chef André Hill’s carrot cookies
Ingredients
125g butter
105g brown sugar
50g castor sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
200g flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
150g grated carrots (squeeze the juice out with your hands – and go ahead, take a sip!)
Method
Preheat your oven to 170°C.
Cream together the butter and sugars using a mixer (or a wooden spoon and a bit of elbow grease - either way works).
Add the egg and vanilla essence.
Fold in all the dry ingredients until combined.
Stir through the grated carrots until evenly mixed.
Roll into balls about the size of a ping pong ball and gently flatten to about 5mm thick.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and lightly crisp around the edges.
Cool on a rack before serving.
Extra love tip: If you have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, roll out the dough and cut out heart cookies before baking (and preferably with a touch of cinnamon).
Chef Charmaine Lehabe’s orange and elderflower panna cotta.
Image: Supplied
Chef Charmaine Lehabe’s orange and elderflower panna cotta
Ingredients
2 tsp powdered gelatin
120ml water
4 cups of cream
2 cups of milk
1 cup sugar
Zest of 3 oranges
30ml elderflower syrup
Method
In a bowl, let the gelatin bloom by sprinkling it over water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
In a pot, gently heat the cream, milk, sugar and orange zest, until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a whisk until dissolved, then strain.
Pour mix into tumbler glasses and leave to set (about six hours) before decorating with edible flowers.