Pantry hacks: Maize meal

Sausage and bacon maize-meal breakfast bake

Serves: 6 – 8

Time: 50 mins

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat a large pan over low heat and add a glug of olive oil. Add 1 peeled and diced onion, 2 peeled and minced garlic cloves and a handful fresh, torn sage leaves. Fry until the onion is soft, 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add 250g chopped streaky bacon and fry until the bacon is crisp, 10 minutes. Remove the onion mixture from the pan and set aside until needed. Add 8 pork sausages, fry until golden brown and remove from heat. In a medium pot, bring 1,125L (4½ cups) milk to a boil and stir in 290g maize meal. Simmer, whisking continuously, until the maize meal is tender, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 200g grated white Cheddar and 4 beaten eggs. Stir well to combine. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the maize mixture in a large, greased casserole dish and arrange the sausages and onion mixture on top. Bake in the preheated oven, 30 minutes, and serve immediately.

Maize-meal lemon cake with pine nuts

Serves: 8

Time: 1 hr + cooling time

Grease and line the base of an 18cm springform cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Using an electric mixer, cream 210g softened butter and 200g demerara sugar until pale. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl, combine a pinch of salt, 200g ground almonds, 100g maize meal, 7,5ml (1½ tsp) baking powder and the zest of 2 lemons (reserve the juice for the syrup). Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until combined. Fold in 50g pine nuts. Pour into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle with 50g pine nuts and bake until the edges of the cake pull away from the sides of the tin, 50 minutes. While the cake bakes, make a syrup by combining the juice of 2 lemons with 100g sugar in a pot. Boil, 3 minutes, and pour over the cake as it comes out of the oven. Allow to cool, 15 minutes, before removing the cake from its tin. Serve with dollops of double-thick cream.

Maize meal and Parmesan-crumbed chicken pieces

Serves: 4

Time: 30 mins

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 110g good quality mayonnaise, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. In a separate bowl, combine 100g maize meal, 30g dried breadcrumbs, 50g grated Parmesan and 15ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh rosemary leaves. Add 150g cake flour to another bowl. Slice 4 chicken breasts into strips and dip each strip, firstly into the flour mixture, followed by the egg mixture, then the maize meal mixture, before placing each strip on the prepared baking tray. Once all of the strips are crumbed, drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, about 20 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through and the crumbs are golden. Serve warm with your favourite dipping sauce.