Firstly, I have to thank everybody for your support. Your kindly donated votes got me to the top of the Chopping Block last week for my Dhania Apricot Burger, which means I got the weekly prize! It’s a Salton hamper worth R5000 and I have no idea what’s in it yet, but I will share the info enthusiastically once received.
This week’s dish was a tough one. On the list was: Lucky Star pilchards, cabbage, green beans, brown rice and feta. Two optional fresh ingredients and any spices, on a budget of R100. We could only prepare it on stove top, no oven allowed. You can vote for my entry HERE if you think this is something you would like.
Feta-stuffed garlic butter pilchards wrapped with charred red pepper, served with garlic stir fried cabbage, tumeric brown rice and masala chilli sauce.
Ta daa 
The list. 
The two extra fresh ingredients. 
The spices I could afford with what was left of my budget. 
For the rice: boil 2 cups brown rice with 6 cups water, veggie stock, tumeric and salt on medium heat until the water has evaporated (lid on). 
I charred the pepper on a rooti pan until it was black and starting to peel all over (blacker than pictured here).
Wrap up in a plastic packet and knot/seal it, and set aside till cool. the pepper will start to soften. 
When you’re done with other parts of the dish, cut the side open, remove seeds and lay flat like this. Rub the blackened skin off. It will now be ready to use, also perfect for pasta and flavouring any savoury dish. 
Stir fry the cabbage in garlic and olive oil with a grinding of salt. 
Blanch the green beans (I actually stir fried it with the cabbage and removed it later, but it was such an effort). 
The pilchards. Remove from the sauce (I used the Lucky Star pilchards in chilli sauce) and rinse lightly under running water. I added leaf masala to the sauce and simmered, and strained it. 
Remove the bones very carefully and remove any eggs (in the middle one, but you can barely see it here). 
Carefully fry them in garlic butter, just a few seconds on each side. 
Fill with feta, top with beans and wrap up with strips of red pepper. Cut strips horizontally to get longer pieces. 
I found it easier when placing it on a knife and sliding it out once the wrapping is done. 
Plating up is the most daunting part. 
Enjoy! 
