Essence of Curry, a base sauce for the traditional Coronation Chicken. This is my version. So versatile...
Sam Linsell's Roast Chicken with Stout, Rosemary & Honey Top South African food stylist and Drizzle and Dip blogger, Sam Linsell uses a secret ingredient to her all-time favourite roast chicken recipe that results in the most succulent bird. “Instead of using wine or verjuice, I have adapted the recipe with Castle Milk Stout,” said
Fruity Chicken Drumsticks – Nina Timm Nina says: "Fruity chicken drumsticks on the grill or braai says to me, it is summer! Gone with the soups and stews and in with salads, grilling and chilling! Fruity chicken recipes are never-ending, it seems as if chicken just leans itself to be paired with some kind of
Crispy Pork Belly and Chocolate Hoisin Sauce – Tracy Foulkes Tracy Foulkes is one crafty lady. She and her husband Paul Raphaely are owners of Nomu Foods. Tracy's unique approach to food has made her the princess of the pots beloved by many for the extraordinary flavours she brings to your kitchen with the fabulous
Waterblommetjiebredie – Nina Timm Nina says: “Waterblommetjie are commonly known as the Cape pond weed and can be found in the dams, ponds and marshes of the Western Cape. Waterblommetjie bredie is a stew made from the little flowers with lamb and can be directly translated as small flower stew! Waterblommetjie bredie is a seasonal
Roast leg of lamb with sweet onion marmalade – Dianne Bibby Dianne says: "The combination of savoury and sweet is a familiar concept to most South Africans. Fresh and dried fruits have been mainstays to many local favourites for centuries, often appearing in lamb, chicken and beef recipes. Rather than the traditional use of fruit,
Braised Oxtail with Pears & Garlic – Nina Timm Nina says: “Braised oxtail is one of those quintessential winter recipes that you have to make at least once every winter. Braised oxtail, like Waterblommetjie Stew or Curry Beans or Bean Soup with Marrow Bones, is most definitely part of my food heritage. Growing up in
Tracy Foulkes's Baby gem, gorgonzola & spicy caramelised pecan nut salad Tracy Foulkes is the heart and soul behind NOMU Foods which supplies a large range of fabulous products making life in the kitchen. Her website is below the biography at the end of this post, well worth a visit. Baby gem, gorgonzola & spicy
Ina Paarman's Moroccan Vegetarian Tajine Ina says this is her tried and tested favourites. Serves 4 You will need 3 T (45 ml) olive or canola oil 1 onion, chopped ½ tsp (2,5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning 1-2 chillies, finely sliced ½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground cinnamon 1 ½ tsp (7,5 ml)
Roasted butternut & buffalo mozzarella pasta bake – Alida Ryder Alida says: "As we are pretty much fully in Winter in South Africa at the moment, recipes have two requirements: 1) Be warm and comforting and 2) Be flippin delicious. I mean, the latter is always a requirement but that first one. That first one is
Freekeh Risotto with Broccoli, Lemon & Goat’s Cheese – Carey Boucher Erasmus Carey says: "The first time I heard about the superfood, Freekeh, was on a episode of Masterchef Australia. It’s a highly nutritious ancient grain. It is basically roasted green grains produced from green (young) durum wheat. Freekeh has a low GI being high in
Sonia Cabano's Pork & Apricot Curry with Tomatoes & Coconut Sonia says: “This recipe is Vindaloo-ish, but altogether milder, fruitier and sweeter while retaining the tang of the original pork vindaloo recipe. Coconut cream, tomatoes and apricots give this easy pork curry a deliciously creamy, fruity, sweet and sour taste. Even if you are not
Mini Pissaladieres – Justine Wall Justine says: "I remember the first time I ever made pissaladiere: my wonderful aunt Siobhan had bought me a giant tome of a book, The Food of France, and I adored it. I made so many recipes from that book- tried out so many new things, and learned how to
Nina Timm's Cauliflower Bake with Red Onion Marmalade Nina says: "Cauliflower has for may years been banned to side dish status on the Sunday lunch table. Smothered in thick, cheesy white sauce and topped with more cheese. Basically a carb-bomb. Cauliflower then suddenly took center stage when Tim Noakes and his Banting Diet entered the
Dianne Bibby's Chicken Pastilla with Freekeh & Almonds Dianne gives us a word on Freekeh: "Freekeh is harvested and roasted while the grain is still green. This ensures that nutrient values remain at their optimum. With impressive percentages of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, freekeh is set to be the new #graintofollow. The name comes
Carey Boucher Erasmus's Fruity & Spicy Lamb Kebabs with Coriander Pesto Carey says: "As a child, our family went through a phase where we often braaied an assortment of ”sosaties” (kebabs). One I remember in particular was a lamb and dried fruit combination. Come to think of it, we haven’t had fruity lamb kebabs in
Roast Pork with Leeks & Fennel – Ina Paarman I have known Ina Paarman for over 35 years. I first met her when she was a lecturer at the Cape Technical College. Her enthusiasm for teaching, to showing people the way in its most simple form and providing a whole range of food products which
Nadia Graves's Prawn & Spring Onion Empanadas Nadia says: "Tender, flaky pastry pockets filled with everything from fresh vegetables to spicy beef? Yes, please. Empanadas are always welcome in my kitchen and on my plate. The exquisitely fragrant prawn filling in my take on these classic Argentinian pastries is something you will definitely relish. They are
Butternut Gnocchi by Justine Wall Justine says: "These are delicious little things: they’re not the sort of gnocchi you pop into hot water to boil; rather they are fried in a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. The mixture can be made ahead of time (in fact it benefits from “sitting” for a
Cheesy Bolognese Pies by Alida Ryder Alida says: "I love a good list, have listed every.single.little.thing I have to accomplish this week. One of the things on my list is to make these pies again. Now let me tell you something, we all know I am quite good at giving leftovers a second life but I
Zola Nene's Caramelised Onion, Tomato & Goat’s Milk Cheese Tart Zola says: "I adore the combination of sweet caramelised red onion and tangy goat’s milk cheese. We used to make individual versions of this tart at the brasserie to serve as a starter; my version is a family-sized tart – it’s the way I like
My deconstructed sushi with salmon trout & avocado For all of you who are intimidated by making sushi, here’s the easy way out. I put this together in about ten minutes on the Expresso Breakfast TV Show. My Sushi – Deconstructed What you’ll need 8 sheets nori 1 small carrot – cut into matchsticks ¼
Two ready roasted Shoulders of Karoo Lamb When you have a gift of a whole sheep from the heart of the Karoo, slaughtered by the farmer, you want to cook it long and slow and add as little flavouring as possible so that the meat shines through. Willow Creek provides not only great olive oils,
Dianne Bibby's Greek Chicken Kebabs In perfect time for Thursday – Heritage Day, also known as National Braai Day, Dianne says, “The secret to a great chicken kebab is undoubtedly the marinade, as too the correct choice of meat. I prefer to use chicken thighs as they’re superior to white meat in flavour and won’t
My Strawberry topped Baked Cheesecake As a family, we love cheesecake. This classic type of baked cheesecake for those who don’t like the gelatine set ‘fridge’ cheesecakes I made over the weekend. The hot jelly topping slightly cooks the strawberries. What you’ll need For the crust 1 packet Digestive Biscuits, 250g in weight 85g melted
Pierce Synnott's Como’s ham-and mozzarella Empanadas What is an empanada? It is essentially a delicious, crisp, half-moon of pastry, puffed with a savoury meat or vegetable filling. Moving from Ireland to South Africa in 1997, Pierce Synnott was ready to put a career in tourism behind him and, above all else, was inspired by the
Ina Paarman's Game Sausage with blue cheese polenta Ina says, "This is a dressed up version of our national favourite, pap and wors! The sausage is accompanied by an onion and red wine sauce. The polenta is cooked in our Chicken Stock and flavoured with blue cheese." Polenta With Blue Cheese 4 cups
Dianne Bibby's North African Chermoula Meatballs Dianne Bibby always provides the answer when I look at her dishes. This wonderfully spicy dish from North Africa, goes so well with this wine from the other end of the continent. Serves 4 For the meatballs 500g free-range lean mince meat 2 slices white bread, crusts
Roast stuffed Shoulder of Lamb with North African Flavours This is based on a recipe I was taught at The London Cordon Bleu School of Cookery way back in 1969. Shoulder of lamb is such a lovely cut to work with. You’ll need 2 shoulders of lamb, weighing about 1350gm each with bone
Sedgwick's Quick & Easy Musselsby Vickie de Beer, photo by Charles Russell If you’re pressed for time yet aiming to impress you can’t go wrong with the Sedgwick’s Original Old Brown infused Quick & Easy Mussels. Inspired by Captain James Sedgwick’s and his many voyages at sea on the clipper Undine, this delicious
Jan Braai's Jamaican Jerk Chicken Jan Braai in his latest book Red Hot tells of the "fiery Jamaican braai marinade or spice known as ‘jerk’ is made with two key ingredients: Scotch bonnet chillies (one of the hottest chillies in the world) and allspice (pimento). If you can’t find Scotch bonnet chillies, use
Ina Paarman's Mild Curried Chicken Potjie with Banana Ina Paarman has so many wonderful recipes using her excellent products, and we have lots of fun choosing wines to go with her dishes. I felt that the Corder Cool Climate Sauvignon Blanc 2013 has sufficient oomph to take on this dish - enjoy. Serves
Jan Braai's Ostrich Salad Jan says,"Ostrich meat is quite South African. It’s also quite healthy. While we’re on the healthy route, I suggest serving ostrich fillet in the form of a salad. As with beef steak, you braai ostrich fillet over very hot coals. Let it rest properly before slicing it into thin
Alida Ryder's Chicken Biryani Alida Ryder's food is packed with colour, aroma and flavour and so suited to a wine with a bit of oomph like this Boschendal Elgin Chardonnay. Alida Ryder's Chicken Biryani Preparation time 30 minutes Cooking time 45 minutes Total time 1 hour 15 minutes Serves: 4-6 Ingredients for the
Jan Braai's Fillet with Red Wine Sauce Jan Braai says, "It’s a well-recognised fact that braaied steak goes well with red wine. What is further undisputed is that a steak braaied over the coals of an open wood fire has a unique, rather good taste. What we’re doing here is combining these universally
Jane-Anne Hobbs'sScrunchy little Piglets in Blanketswith thyme & smoked paprika My parents were great brandy drinkers, specially as they had a KWV quota on which they could buy the excellent KWV Brandy at wine farmers special rates. They also bought gin and a large bottle of Eau de Cologne for my grandmother. In
Jules Mercer's Whole Roasted Duck with Plum Saucewith Zonnebloem Pinotage Zonnebloem's plush, plummy Pinotage is the obvious choice of food artist Jules Mercer when it comes to her Asian-style roast duck. Its rich fruit with dark chocolate and lovely spicy and savoury notes, brings out the best in this delicious duck. Made with
Anna & Roberta Montali'sFragrant Coconut, Ginger, Mussels & Bacon Need a 'different' recipe for a seriously delicious wine, you can bet on Anna & Roberta Montali to come up with something fabulous. Big colour, big aroma, big flavours - always. Serves 2 Easy Prepping And Cooking Time: 20 minutes 4 slices streaky bacon,
Vickie de Beer's Butternut Gnoccchi with Sage Brown ButterPhoto by Charles Russell Serves 4 This must be the quintessential sage dish. 250 g (about 3) starchy potatoes 250 g butternut, peeled and cubed 1 small egg, lightly beaten a pinch of salt 160 g (270 ml) cake flour 80 g butter Preheat the
Old Botanical painting of an Avocado Pear Strange how the things you were forced to eat as a child and didn't really like go the cycle and come back in adulthood and you find new delight in the flavours. One of these for me is lambs or calves liver. Saturday lunch was the
Chicken, Chinese style with Brussels Sprouts & Peanuts Another of my Expresso Breakfast TV dishes, which I really enjoyed. You’ll need 1 Tbs cornflour 4 Tbs light soy sauce 1 tsp roasted sesame oil 500g chicken breast fillets cut into slices 3 Tbs Shaoxing wine or Dry Sherry 2 Tbs palm or light
Fillet of Beef in a foil parcel I cooked this on Expresso Breakfast TV some time back and have always wanted the opportunity to use it on my website. Takes a little trouble, but well worth the effort You’ll need 4 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and cut into wedges extra virgin olive oil
Low Carb Double Cauliflower Cheese by Jane Anne Hobbs 2 large heads cauliflower, or 4 small ones 5 Tbsp (75 ml) water salt ½ cup (125 ml) hot milk, plus extra for thinning 4 Tbsp (60 ml) cream 2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter 2½ cups (about 150 g) grated Cheddar 2 tsp (10
Beef Shin, Tomato & Olive Stew with Naartjie Gremolata, plate by David Walters, Master Potter of Franshhoek Beef Shin, Tomato & Olive Stew with Naartjie Gremolata 8 (2 kg) bone-in beef shin slices 4 Tbps (60 ml) white flour salt and milled black pepper 4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped 3 Tbps (45 ml) olive oil,
Hazelnut Apple and Fruit Mincemeat Galette Appropriate in a way that I should finish my tour on the Expresso Breakfast Show three years to the day on which I started. Appropriate too that it should be a dessert for the festive season. A nod to Rosemary Hume at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School
Baby Carrots in David Higgs’s Gardenat The Saxon in Johannesburg Carrots in Sweet & Sour sauce - Carote Agrodolce I have recently read Risotto with Nettles, the life story of Anna del Conte one of my favourite food writers, in which I was reminded of the Sicilian sweet and sour recipes for all