Cold-weather dinners to keep you warm

Marlene van der Westhuizen is the author of seven books, Plate being a collection of simple and delicious brasserie-luxe style recipes, which she has cooked over the years.

Feast on delicious, winter-approved meals that are easy to prepare at home for your family, or a special dinner with friends. South African author Marlene van der Westhuizen’s latest recipe book Plate consists of her favourite brasserie-luxe style mains, including a knockout chicken pie and hearty English soup that’s sure to have everyone asking for more.

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP

Serves: 8

2 litres water
1 free-range chicken
1 bouquet garni with thyme, coriander and parsley
60g butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, with leaves,
finely chopped
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 red jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
10ml grated fresh ginger
2 ripe, red tomatoes, skinned and deseeded
15ml curry powder
5ml ground cumin
5ml paprika
2.5ml ground cinnamon
5ml turmeric
6 cardamom pods, shelled and ground
125g raw red lentils
125ml coconut milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
100ml good olive oil
5ml chilli powder
150g steaming, well seasoned basmati rice
75g cashews, roasted and lightly chopped
fresh coriander for garnishing

1. Pour the water into a large casserole dish, add the chicken with the bouquet garni and bring to a slow simmer. Cover and cook for 90 minutes or until the meat is completely tender. Remove the chicken from the pot and pour the stock through a sieve, reserving for later use. Allow the chicken to cool down slightly, then debone.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in another good-sized casserole dish. Add the onion and carrots and sauté until the onion has softened. Add the celery, apple, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, curry powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom. Gently stir all the ingredients together.

3. Infuse the flavours over a medium heat and add the lentils. Pour the reserved chicken stock over and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer, covered, for at least 45 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Add a little more water if you think it is necessary.

4. Using an immersion blender, pureé about half of the ingredients; it is lovely to leave some of the bits and pieces whole as it adds body to the soup. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Taste the soup and season.

5. While that is simmering, heat the olive oil in a pan and toss the shredded chicken lightly through to heat. Taste and season with salt and a light dusting of chilli powder.

6. Add dollops of the steaming rice to shallow soup plates, top with the seasoned chicken and spoon large soup ladles of the mulligatawny broth around the rice and chicken.
Garnish with a generous amount of cashews and coriander.

7. Serve with both a spoon and fork!

CHICKEN PIE

Serves: 8

2 x 400g rolls frozen flaky pastry, defrosted
1 egg white
250ml white wine
1 free-range chicken (±1.5kg)
12 chicken wings
1 bouquet garni with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
8 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery, with leaves, finely chopped
50ml good olive oil
8 large leeks, sliced into circles
15ml butter
30ml cake flour
125ml double cream
1 egg
salt and white pepper to taste

1. Grease a springform cake tin with butter and then line it with one sheet of puff pastry. Prick a few holes in the pastry with a fork and brush with the egg white. Refrigerate the lined tin until needed.

2. Pour the wine into a large casserole dish and add the whole chicken and the chicken wings. Add the bouquet garni, garlic and celery and bring to a boil. Cook for at least three minutes before adding enough water to cover the chicken. Cover, turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently until completely tender.

3. Remove all the chicken from the casserole dish, allow the meat to cool a little, then debone. Reduce the stock to enhance the flavours, then pour it through a sieve into a bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a heated pan, add the leeks and fry until tender and translucent.

4. In a medium casserole dish, melt the butter and stir in the flour with one hand while adding the reserved chicken stock with the other. Keep adding the stock until it becomes a really thick and smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.

5. Whisk the egg and fold it deftly into the slightly cooled sauce.

6. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

7. Spoon the creamy sauce over the leeks, add the shredded chicken and mix until well combined. Taste and season with salt and white pepper. Spoon the filling into the prepared pastry shell. Cover with the second sheet of pastry. Fold the two sheets neatly together around the edges and trim where necessary. Bake for one hour.

8. Serve with a crisp green salad.

Beef Bourguignon

Serves: 8

2kg beef chuck, on the bone
45ml good olive oil
500g bacon, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled but whole
500ml beef stock
500g baby onions
2 carrots, sliced into circles
salt and pepper
50g butter
500g small button mushrooms
a handful fresh parsley, chopped
zest of 1 lemon, grated

MARINADE
2 x 750ml bottles red wine
30ml good olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced into circles
1 bouquet garni with parsley, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves
8 cloves garlic, peeled but whole
4 whole cloves
8 black peppercorns
8 juniper berries

1. To prepare the marinade, pour the wine into a large pot, then add the olive oil, onion, carrots, bouquet garni, garlic, whole cloves, peppercorns and juniper berries. Bring to a slow boil and simmer until the alcohol in the wine has evaporated (about 10 minutes). Switch off the heat and allow the marinade to cool completely. Strain, discarding the bits and pieces.

2. Place the beef in a bowl (with an airtight lid) and pour the marinade over to cover it completely. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 day.

3. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry. Reserve the marinade for later use.

4. Heat the oil in a large pot. Braise the beef until the fat starts to run a little and the meat is slightly browned. Add the bacon and braise with the beef. Add the garlic and the stock, along with the reserved marinade and bring all to a gentle, rolling boil. Cover and leave to simmer for 2 to 3 hours, then test the meat with a skewer – it should be completely tender.

5. Remove the beef from the pot and let it cool a little before deboning. Slice the beef into nuggets and set aside.

6. Add the onions and carrots to the liquid in the pot and cook gently until it has reduced to a rich, thick sauce. Add the beef to the sauce, season to taste and reheat it. Spoon the meat and sauce into a serving dish.

7. While the sauce is reducing, melt the butter in a small pan and allow it to become quite brown before you add the mushrooms. Caramelise the mushrooms and spoon over the beef bourguignon once you’ve placed it in a serving dish.

8. Garnish with the parsley and lemon zest and serve with crusty bread and a glass of pinot noir.

These recipes were extracted from Plate by Marlene van der Westhuizen (Struik Lifestyle, Penguin Random House, R395)

3 tasty autumn recipes from zola nene’s new book

Zola Nene helps us bring in a new season with recipes to warm you up and inspire you in the kitchen.

Award-winning South African chef Zola Nene is back with a brand-new collection of recipes in her second cookbook, Simply Zola: The Journey Continues. We got our hands on a sneak peek of three dishes that are just perfect for cooler autumn weather.

Prawn, lemon and chilli linguini

SERVES: 1

15ml olive oil
1 spring onion, sliced
½ red chilli, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
150g shelled and deveined prawns
60ml fresh cream
60ml fresh or frozen peas
salt and pepper
100g fresh linguini pasta, boiled until al dente
zest and juice of ½ lemon
15ml chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat the oil in a pan, then fry the spring onion until softened. Add the chilli, garlic and prawns, then fry until the prawns are browning at the edges.

2. Add the cream and peas, season to taste and leave to simmer gently for two minutes. Toss in the pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley.

3. Serve immediately.

5-Spice vegetable noodle broth jar

SERVES: 1

30ml soy sauce
5ml garlic and ginger paste
5ml sesame oil
15ml 5-spice powder (store bought or homemade, recipe below)
15ml sriracha sauce
2 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 spring onion, chopped
100g courgette spaghetti
30ml chopped fresh coriander

5-SPICE POWDER MIX
½ piece stick cinnamon
1 star anise
2ml fennel seeds
2ml Szechuan pepper
2 whole cloves

TO SERVE
375ml boiling water

1. If making your own 5-spice powder mix, do this first. Add the cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan pepper and cloves to a dry pan. Toast over a high heat until the spices release their aromas (about three minutes). Remove the mixture from the pan and leave to cool completely. Grind to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar. Store in an air-tight jar for up to three months.

2. In the bottom of a 500ml jar, place the soy sauce, garlic and ginger paste, sesame oil, 5-spice powder and sriracha, then stir well to combine. Top with the mushrooms, spring onion, courgette spaghetti and coriander. Cover with a lid and refrigerate until ready to eat.

3. When ready to serve, pour the boiling water into the jar, replace the lid, and leave to stand for two minutes before enjoying.

Dutch baby pancake with plums

SERVES: 4

FRUIT
6 plums, halved
30ml maple syrup
5ml vanilla extract

PANCAKE
4 eggs
250ml full-cream milk
250ml cake flour
60ml castor sugar
30ml unsalted butter
30ml canola oil

TO SERVE
icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. To prepare the plums, place them in a roasting dish and drizzle with the maple syrup. Cook in the oven until the plums begin to soften (about 15 minutes), then stir in the vanilla extract.

3. For the pancake, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour and sugar in a bowl, to a smooth batter.

4. Add the butter and oil to a cast-iron pan then heat in the oven for three minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and swirl to coat it with the oil and butter. Quickly pour in the batter and return the pan to the oven immediately. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the sides have puffed up and the edges are golden and crisp. Do NOT open the oven during baking as this will cause the pancake to collapse.

5. Serve the pancake immediately out of the oven topped with the plums, then dust generously with icing sugar.

These recipes were extracted from Simply Zola: The Journey Continues by Zola Nene (Penguin Random House, R290)

Best Valentine’s Day dessert recipes

What better way to win someone’s heart than with food? Treat your sweetheart to delicious puddings by Mogau Seshoene this Valentine’s Day.

Food made with love is arguably the best gift of all, something author, chef and businesswoman Mogau Seshoene knows too well. Her love for South African cuisine and heritage combined with her fear of being dubbed a lazy daughter-in-law who doesn’t know how to cook turned into a successful business – The Lazy Makoti (the lazy daughter-in-law). She shares with us her recipes from her new book The Lazy Makoti’s Guide To The Kitchen – our Valentine’s Day gift to you.

THE SALTED CARAMEL AND APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Serves 8 – 10 | Preparation time: 20 minutes | Baking time: 1 hour

6 – 8 apples, cored and quartered

Caramel sauce
⅓ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cream
½ tsp salt

Cake
⅘ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1½ cups self-raising flour

Preheat oven to 180°. Grease a cake tin and place the apple pieces side by side to cover the base, creating a circular or spiral pattern. In a saucepan, heat butter and add sugar, cream and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring to a simmer and cook until sauce turns a brownish caramel colour. Pour the caramel over the apples and set aside. To make the cake, place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and combine well. Stir in the vanilla essence and fold in the flour. Spoon the batter over the caramel apples. Bake for one hour until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool and turn upside down onto a plate.

SUMMER BERRY TARTS

Serves 4 | Preparation time: 30 minutes | Baking time: 10 minutes

Pastry
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp castor sugar
½ cup butter, cold
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp cold water

Filling
2 tubs cream cheese
¼ cup honey
3 cups fresh berries (variety of your choice)

Preheat oven to 180°. Grease and prepare a tart dish. To make the pastry: sift flour and castor sugar and, using your fingers, rub in butter until crumbly. Add egg and mix together. Blend in cold water and chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Roll out pastry and cut into squares to cover 4 x 10cm tartlet tins. Line tins, trimming pastry if necessary. Prick pastry with a fork and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. To make the filling: combine cream cheese and honey in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Pour into prepared pastry cases and top with berries. Tip: if fresh berries are not available, try frozen berries. Defrost before adding to tarts.

PEPPERMINT CRISP CAKE

Preparation time: 20 minutes | Baking time: 30 minutes

Cake
1 cup cake flour
3 heaped Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
¾ cup butter
½ cup castor sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbsp milk

Topping
360g tin of caramel
1 cup cottage cheese
1½ slabs Peppermint Crisp chocolate
Fresh mint leaves to garnish

Preheat oven to 180° and grease a 20cm cake tin. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and castor sugar, and then add the eggs, vanilla essence and milk. Make a well in the flour mixture and mix in the wet ingredients. Spoon batter into cake tin and bake for 30 minutes until risen and cooked. Allow to cool. For the topping: mix caramel and cottage cheese in a bowl. Grate one bar of chocolate and fold into the caramel mixture. Generously spread caramel topping onto the cake. Decorate with more grated chocolate and mint leaves.

These recipes were extracted from The Lazy Makoti’s Guide To The Kitchen by Mogau Seshoene (Quivertree Publications, R340)

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The best summer fish braai recipes

Embrace the last days of your summer holiday and try our mouth-watering selection of fish braai recipes for the perfect outdoor meal.

Gather around the braai with friends to take advantage of the best weather summer has to offer. These delicious fish braai recipes are just what you need to wrap up your holiday.

Basil- and citrus-stuffed line fish with pesto

SERVES: 4 | PREP time: 20 minutes | COOKING time: 30 – 40 minutes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 whole line fish, each 700 – 900g, gutted, scaled and fins removed
¾ teaspoon coarse sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large lemons
2 medium oranges, divided
1/3 cup store-bought pesto
30 fresh basil leaves

1. Prepare the braai for indirect cooking over medium heat, 180° – 230°C

2. Rub the oil evenly on the inside and outside of each fish, and season evenly inside and outside with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Grate the zest of one lemon and one orange into the pesto. Add the juice from one lemon half to the pesto and stir to combine. Cut the remaining 2½ lemons and both oranges into slices 5mm thick, discarding the ends. Cut four of the lemon slices in half and two of the orange slices into quarters. Fill each fish cavity with four of the halved lemon slices, four of the quartered orange slices and fifteen basil leaves.

4. Cut four lengths of butcher’s twine (40 – 50cm each). Place two pieces of twine parallel and about 4cm apart from each other. Put one orange and one lemon slice in the centre of each piece of twine. Place one fish on top of the fruit slices, then put another orange and lemon slice side by side on top of the fish. Wrap each piece of twine around the fish and tie, securing the fruit to the fish. Repeat with the other fish.

5. Braai the fish over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, until the flesh is opaque near the bone but still juicy, 30 – 40 minutes, turning once. Remove from the braai and leave to rest for about 2 minutes.

6. Arrange the remaining lemon and orange slices on a small serving platter. Remove the twine from each fish, discard the grilled fruit slices, and then cut off the head and tail. Cut along the backbone and open the fish like a book. Remove the basil, the lemon and orange slices, and the bones. Lift the flesh off the skin. Place the filleted fish on the prepared serving platter and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Serve the fish warm with the remaining pesto.

Spicy yellowtail with rémoulade slaw

SERVES: 4 | PREP time: 30 minutes | COOKING time: 6 – 8 minutes

Rémoulade

⅓ cup mayonnaise
2 spring onions, ends trimmed, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Coarse sea salt
2¼ cups shredded green cabbage, 200 – 250g
1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
1 spring onion (white and light green parts only), cut into thin strips about 5cm long

Marinade

¼ cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
½ teaspoon crushed chilli flakes
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
4 yellowtail fillets, each about 180g and 2 – 3cm thick, skin removed

1. Combine the rémoulade ingredients. Season with salt, if desired. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot and spring onion. Add the rémoulade and toss until mixed.

2. Prepare the braai for direct cooking over high heat, 230°–290°C

3. Whisk the marinade ingredients, including ¾ teaspoon salt. Pat the yellowtail fillets dry with a paper towel, place them in a shallow baking dish, and brush them thoroughly with some of the marinade. Reserve the remaining marinade.

4. Braai the fillets over direct high heat, with the lid closed, until they release from the cooking grate without sticking, 4 – 5 minutes. Carefully turn the fillets over and brush with the reserved marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Continue cooking until the fish just begins to flake when poked with the tip of a knife, 2 – 3 minutes more. Remove from the braai and serve warm with the slaw.

These recipes are extracted from Weber Classics: The Ultimate Braai Book by Jamie Purviance (Penguin Random House, R330)

The perfect braai calls for the perfect tools. Click here for a selection of braai accessories available at Edgars.

The ultimate braai accessories for the braai master

Here we list all the braai accessories you could possibly need to create killer holiday meals for friends and family.

A good braai requires a great kit. Be prepared with the right utensils, roasting pans and knives to simplify those fun-filled days with family and friends.

Everything you need to entertain the South African way | Edgars edit cookware serveware utensils crockery cutlery wine glasses cheese platters grill braai cape malay curry

Mixed medley

Just because you’re vegetarian doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good old-fashioned braai – grilled veggies retain all their nutrition and is the tastiest way to eat your greens.

SHOP THESE PRODUCTS

Grilled to perfection

For a simple meal with amazing flavour, head to the grill. This square griller, fish spatula and chopping board will get the job done with no fuss at all.