Two South African recipe books that would sit happily in most kitchens...
Girls on Fire
Camilla Comins
Jacana
Former Durban girl Camilla Comins has come up with something a little different – a braai book for girls, which offers something a little more interesting than 101 ways with meat.
This Christina Martin graduate reveals that one of her first cooking jobs was in the bush in Botswana where she worked in fly camps, where you weren’t allowed to build anything permanent. So basically all her cooking had to be on braais.
It was a baptism of fire so to speak and soon she was cooking not only meat and roasts but the likes of bread, chelsea buns and steamed pudding over the coals. Consequently, she become adept at cooking on coals and making and maintaining a fire.
Further on down the line she moved to Cape Town, married fellow Durbanite Russell Wasserfall, and started producing recipe books.
The idea behind the book was to challenge the belief that braais were the domain of men and prove that it was possible to cook other meals besides steaks and boerewors on the braai.
As she says: “The book is about ways to enjoy the braai flavour without having to eat a huge amount of overcooked meat and little else. Portion control and lots of lovely flavours are key here.”
And in case you were wondering, she gives the lowdown on how to make a good fire and advice on how to use different types of braais – from the half barrel and kettle braai to the gas braai.
This is a highly accessible book with innovative recipes for outdoor cooking, including some side dishes you can cook beforehand in the oven.
Marinated chicken salad
Serves 8 to 12
8 chicken fillets
30ml basil pesto
1 lemon (juice and zest)
10ml crushed garlic
5ml paprika
75 ml olive oil
2 pkts assorted crisp lettuce leaves
4 hardboiled eggs
1 tin artichoke hearts
180g Parmesan
1 Coat the chicken breasts in a marinade made by whisking together the pesto, lemon zest and juice, garlic, paprika and olive oil. Thee hours in this sauce is good enough to flavour and tenderise the chicken well.
2 Cook over a direct fire for 8-10 minutes a side. Let them rest while you assemble the salad.
3 Arrange the leaves, quartered eggs and quartered artichokes in a bowl. Slice the chicken into strips and arrange these on the salad.
4 Shave Parmesan on top with a potato peeler and drizzle any juices from the carving board over all to serve.
Sosatie marinated lamb chops
Serves 6 to 8
10ml English mustard
60ml apple cider vinegar
60ml fruit chutney
75ml olive oil
10ml ground cumin
5 ml ground cinnamon
15ml mild masala
12 loin lamb chops
1 Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
2 Place the chops in a bowl and cover with the mixture.
This is where you get your hands sticky by making sure the lamb is all thoroughly coated. You could use the tongs but it’s not as much fun. Leave to marinate overnight or for at least three hours.
3 Cook over very hot coals.
Note: You can also use this marinade for chicken wings or drumsticks.
Sense of Taste
Peter Ayub
Human & Rosseau
Chef Peter Ayub is the owner of Sense of Taste, a catering outfit rated among the best in South Africa. Cape Town based, he also runs cookery classes.
Ayub and his team have cooked for Nelson Mandela, Ruby Wax, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, the English cricket team, as well Beyonce and J-Z, and Kim and Khloe Kardashian.
A Sense of Taste is his first book and is a celebration of recipes and food secrets he has collected on his food journey of 25 years.
Because the book has so much useful basic information about cooking and cooking procedures and basic recipes for sauces and dips, it is ideal for the inexperienced cook while also being interesting enough to please the most pretentious of Masterchef entrants.
He describes his recipes as tried, tested and honest and about both special occasion cooking and everyday eating.
This is an incredibly eclectic collection of recipes with many influences from cusines around the world, including Lebanese, where his roots lie. Think mushroom mousse for beef fillet steak (a crowd pleaser he says), Peggy’s middlecut mackerel curry with peas and kidney beans; green pawpaw and shrimp salad; lamb kidney, pancetta and watercress salad and herb gnocchi with parsley, leek and blue cheese sauce.
This well-illustrated recipe book is one that should join others on your bookshelf.
Spicy chicken skewers
Serves 2
This recipe is ideal for a braai.
10ml ground cardamom
2.5ml turmeric
5ml ground allspice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
5ml sumac (lemon-flavoured Middle Eastern spice available at Food Lover’s Market)
60ml lemon juice
60ml extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
4 large free-range deboned chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed off
Lemon wedges and minted yoghurt to serve
1 Combine the cardamom, turmeric, allspice, garlic, sumac, lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
2 Rinse the chicken thighs under running water and allow to drain and then pat dry with kitchen towel.
3 Using a sharp paring knife, skin and debone the thighs and cut the meat into 3-4cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper
4 Toss the chicken cubes into the marinade, making sure each piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight
5 Remove chicken from the marinade and thread on to meal skewers.
If you only have wooden skewers remember to soak them in water before using so that they don’t burn during cooking.
Allow the chicken skewers to come to room temperature before cooking them.
6 Cook skewers over hot coals for four minutes on each side or until cooked through.
7 Serve with lemon wedges and minted yoghurt (mix 250ml plain yoghurt and 15ml fine chopped fresh mint and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed)
Cooks tip: Don’t substitute chicken thighs for breasts as the thighs are juicier.
Sunday Tribune