With the warmer weather finally here we're turning to lighter meals with fresh ingredients. If you’re the type to spend your weekends sniffing out juicy pineapple and feeling for the perfect mushrooms, these summer recipes are for you.

Pork sosaties

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh origanum

½ tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

500g leg or shoulder of pork, all fat removed and cut into cubes

1 onion, cut into pieces

1 green or red pepper, seeds removed and cut into pieces

½ pineapple, cut into pieces

Method

Mix lemon juice, oil, origanum, salt and pepper.

Place meat in a shallow dish and pour marinade over. Stir through to coat the meat.

Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Thread meat with onion, pepper, and pineapple onto sosatie sticks.

Braai over medium coals for 8-10 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked, but still juicy.

Tips: Fry these sosaties over medium heat in a frying pan using the marinade. This marinade can be used to make chicken or fish sosaties.

If available, dried prunes or apricots are delicious on these sosaties.

Add one teaspoon of curry powder to the marinade, if preferred.

Recipe courtesy of Pharma Dynamics.

Mushroom and walnut tart

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

Olive oil, for cooking

Salt and pepper, to taste

Crust

350g flour

1 tsp salt

170g butter, cold and cubed

90ml ice cold water

Baking rice or beans

Filling

2 large red onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 kg mixed cultivated mushrooms, roughly chopped

4 large eggs

250ml milk

1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp salt

Pinch ground nutmeg

100g raw walnuts, finely chopped

100g havarti cheese, (or similar) grated

To serve

Watercress

Pomegranate rubies

Method

For the crust

Add flour and salt to a food processor.

Pulse to mix salt into the flour.

Add the cold butter and blitz until well distributed.

Slowly pour in the ice water and pulse until the dough comes together.

Remove dough, shape into a disk, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface.

Roll out gradually, periodically letting the dough rest for a moment before continuing.

Roll dough to a thin round larger than your fluted quiche or tart dish.

Roll up on the rolling pin and lay the dough loosely into the pan.

Press firmly along the base and sides.

Trim away any overhanging pastry, but leave a good edge height to allow for shrinking.

Line with greased tin foil or baking paper.

Fill to the top with baking rice or beans.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the lining and return the crust to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.

For the filling

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan.

Add the onion and cook until tender.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Scrape into a mixing bowl.

Add a fresh drizzle of olive oil to the pan and cook the mushrooms in batches on high heat until deeply golden and they have released all of their liquid.

Note: This will take several batches but do not rush this step or the tart will be soggy.

Set cooked mushrooms aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly.

Add the milk, oregano, thyme, salt, nutmeg and walnuts.

Mix the cooked onions, mushrooms, and havarti cheese.

Fill the tart shell with the mixture.

Pour over the egg custard.

Place in the oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes until set.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest until the tart firms up.

Slice and serve with a scattering of pomegranate rubies and lightly dressed watercress.

Recipe from the South African Mushroom Farmers' Association.

Malva pudding with Darling Sweet toffee spread sauce

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 egg

¾ cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking soda

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp butter (melted)

2 tbsp apricot jam 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup milk

Sauce

200g Tannie Evita’s classic toffee spread

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup milk

1 cup cream

Ice cream, to serve

Method

Whisk the egg and sugar until combined. In a separate bowl, mix all the other ingredients, then stir in the egg and sugar mixture.

Mix thoroughly. Transfer the batter to a greased ovenproof dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 40 minutes.

For the sauce, microwave the toffee spread for 30 seconds. Add the warm toffee spread, vanilla, milk and cream to a bowl and mix.

Pour the warm sauce over the pudding. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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