I recently had the pleasure of creating recipes for Compagniesdrift Wines, with photography by my good friend Tasha Seccombe. Their red blend, the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2021, is a wonderful any-day-of-the-week wine which lends itself to easy and informal foods like pizza, braaied meats and boerewors, or tomato based pasta. This is my Chicago-inspired rendition of a South African boerewors roll – a hearty, deep dish pizza pie with nuggets of beef boerewors, drenched in a delicious tomato sauce, topped with roasted baby tomatoes and some sliced red onion (tastes like “smoor”!). Oh, and did ..read more

I’ve recently teamed up with Radford Dale for an Easter-inspired lamb roast, paired with one of their Pinotages. With a notorious wine like the Radford Dale Frankenstein Pinotage, we’ve opted for a slightly daring combination of liver-stuffed leg of lamb, covered in sheep’s caul fat (or netting fat, also used to make “skilpadjies”), roasted to golden perfection with plenty of herbs. With added lamb boerewors in the stuffing, this “ugly duckling” roast becomes an elegant swan centrepiece with the most delicious gravy, fantastic served with creamy polenta or mashed potatoes. The Frankenstein cu ..read more

I’ve made this recipe 3 times within the past 2 weeks. It’s probably the most delicious and rewarding treat you can bake from overripe bananas. In fact, I’ve started to buy bananas for the sole purpose of letting them turn overripe for this recipe! As you probably already know, I’m an advocate of having a sweet treat mid morning, daily (and not necessarily after dinner). This way I get my pastry or cake or chocolate fix along with a strong cup of coffee, bringing me tremendous joy, energizing my mind while working, and keeping the hunger at bay until a much later semi-lunch snack (I rarely ea ..read more

While we’re settling into a new year with January almost done and dusted, there’s always room for extending your midweek recipe repertoire. Pork mince is such an economical and versatile option. I’ve taken some inspiration from my most recent book, Easy Al Fresco, with the sauce from the Sticky Chutney Chicken recipe on page 157. Adapting it slightly with the addition of grated ginger and chopped fresh coriander leaves, this sauce becomes a wonderful fusion of retro South African and classic Asian flavours. I’ve also added a teaspoon of sesame oil to the meatball mixture, which is otherwise a ..read more

This festive season, I’m taking a fresh look at “rys, vleis & aartappels” with this colourful feast – familiar in its parts, but with oodles of punchy Asian flavours like soy, sesame oil, ginger and star anise. I’ve chosen a beautiful deboned pork shoulder from Klein Joostenberg Butchery (one of my all time favourite meat cuts – economial too), braised it in apple cider and soy sauce with added aromatics, glazed with hoisin sauce, then served with fluffy rice speckled with tender broccolini and green beans, roasted sesame potatoes and a crunchy, zippy asian slaw. The braised roast makes a ..read more

At the height of the summer festive season, we all need a handful of quick, fuss-free recipes that you can whip up in a flash when you have friends over. Calamari piccata is one of my top choices, as it makes a great shared-plate starter and pairs well with a chilled Chenin Blanc. Be sure to serve with crusty baguette to mop up the delicious sauce. Note: A classic veal piccata is made with cutlets dredged in flour to thicken the sauce, but I don’t add flour to this recipe, keeping it lighter and the sauce thinner. You are welcome to lightly dredge some of the calamari in flour before frying ..read more

  What would the festive season be without a classic, trusty snack board? A laid back selection of cheese, crackers and fruit is the simplest and most popular way to entertain a crowd. No snack board is complete without the addition of some of your favourite crackers, and the selection from Bakers Biscuits’s Snacktime® Assorted Crackers has something for everyone. This season, I’m taking a few extra minutes to whip up a simple cheese and cracker truffle mixture, which I roll into small balls and then into more cracker crumbs. They’re crowd pleasing, every time; and friendly on the budget ..read more

This elegant meal must be one of the simplest yet most delicious spring or summer lunches. A fresh fillet of trout, hot-smoked at home using a few simple, accessible tools, served with pan-fried asparagus and a zesty, buttery hollandaise. Paired with Radford Dale’s Organic Touchstone Chardonnay, it simply has to be on your festive entertaining menu this season. Tip: If you prefer serving individual portions of fish, do portion it ahead of curing and smoking, as the portions will look much neater upon serving. You can follow the steps exactly as for a whole fillet, but you might need a minute ..read more

To me, baked custard is the ultimate dessert. Whether it’s creme caramel, creme bruleé or any variation on it, it’s where my mind sinks into a dreamy state of bliss. It must be the combination of soft milky dairy enriched with silky egg and deep sugary caramel flavours – there’s just no match for it. No crust, no base; simplicity defined. Over the years, I’ve made countless variations on a classic crème caramel (even including a recipe in my second book, Simply Seasonal) – mostly using milk, eggs and sugar. But recently, I remembered that I once came across a recipe on the back of a condensed ..read more

Ceviche can be enjoyed any time of year, for brunch, lunch or as an elegant dinner starter. If you’re not familiar with this classic Peruvian dish, it is fish (or sometimes other kinds of seafood), naturally cured with fresh citrus juice like lemon or lime. I’ve taken a fresh look at ceviche as a canapé with the zesty flavour of LemonGold juice, fresh corn, red onion, cucumber and coriander, served on olive oil toasted crostinis with a generous scoop of smooth guacamole. For a gluten-free option, spoon into crunchy lettuce leaves. LemonGolds are virtually seedless and extra juicy, so they’re ..read more