Dinner on a dime

January is usually tough on the budget, so Mari-Louis Guy and Callie Maritz have some delicious recipes that won’t break the bank

Mince pie with savoury puffs
Serves 4

Ingredients For the pie

• 1 cup cake flour
• Pinch paprika
• ¼ cup butter
• ¾ cup water
• 3 large eggs,
• lightly beaten
• ¾ cup Cheddar
• cheese, grated

For the filling

• Oil, for frying
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large sweet
• potato, cubed
• 2 garlic cloves,
• crushed
• 500g minced beef
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 tin tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire
• sauce
• Pinch basil
• Pinch origanum
• Pinch brown sugar
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Grease a shallow baking dish.
3. Sift the flour and paprika together.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter into the water and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour mixture.
5. Return to the heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until it comes away from the edge easily.
6. Allow to cool, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in half the cheese.
7. Dollop the dough around the edge of the baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until puffy and golden.
8. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Fry the onion, sweet potatocubes and garlic untilthe onion is soft andtranslucent. Add themince, then add theremaining ingredients. Season to taste.
9. Reduce the heat and gently simmer until the sweet potato is tender.
10. Spoon the filling into the centre of the pastry shell, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and place in oven until browned.

Tuna bobotie cups
Serves 12

Ingredients

• 1 roll phyllo pastry
• 50g butter, melted
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire

sauce

• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp chutney
• 1 tbsp smooth

apricot jam

• Salt and pepper
• 1 slice bread
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tins tuna, in water
• 2 eggs
• Bay or lemon leaves

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Brush muffin pan cups with butter.
3. Cut phyllo sheets into 12 cm squares.Place a phyllo square into each cup, brush with more butter, add another square and repeat until each cup has three sheets.
4. Fry the onion in oil.Add sugar, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, turmeric,chutney, jam, salt and pepper and stir.
5. Dip the bread in half the milk, squeeze out and crumble into pan.
6. Remove from the heat and add the tuna. Scoop mixture into the pastry cups.
7. Beat the eggs into the remaining milk,then pour a little over each cup. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and decorate with a bay or lemon leaf.

Paprika chicken with crunchy coleslaw
Makes 4

Ingredients For the chicken

• 8 chicken pieces
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 3 tbsp paprika
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• 1½ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

For the coleslaw

• ½ small cabbage, shredded
• ½ small red cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, grated
• 2 gherkins, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp brown vinegar
• 2 tsp gherkin juice (from the jar)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Brush the chicken with butter. Combine the dry ingredients, then sprinkle evenly over the chicken.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked and the coating is brown.
4. Mix the cabbage, carrot and gherkin in a large bowl.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the garlic, mayo, yoghurt, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar and gherkin juice.
6. Pour over vegetable mixture, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve with the paprika chicken.

Vegetarian chilli with home-made cornbread
Serves 4

For the cornbread

• 1½ cup cake flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup mieliemeal
• 1 tbsp baking

powder

• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup milk
• 125g butter, melted
• 1 large egg

For the chilli

• Oil, for frying
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 marrows, diced
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 tin red kidney

Beans, drained

• 1 tin corn, drained
• Avocado and sour cream, for serving