It’s Heritage Day and National Braai Day today (September 24) as good an excuse as any to gather friends and family around a fire to celebrate your particular heritage.
Angela Day serves up a menu where every course is cooked on the braai
On the menu is:
Thai mussel parcel
Deboned marinated lamb
Chargrilled cauliflower salad
Grilled haloumi bruschetta
Baked citrus camembert
Grilled lettuce caesar salad
Fruit skewers with passionfruit sauce
THAI MUSSEL PARCEL
Serves 4
1kg half-shell mussels
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
salt and pepper
400g tin of coconut milk
1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised
125ml chopped coriander
Place the mussels in a plastic bag. Add in the ginger, garlic, chilli, and lemon and lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Shake the bag to coat all the mussels. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the coconut milk and lemongrass in a pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until reduced and slightly thickened.
Remove and cool.
Discard the lemongrass.
Cut two large pieces of tinfoil and place on the work surface. Place the mussels into the middle. Pour the coconut milk evenly over the mussels. Fold the edges of tinfoil over the mussels and press the edges firmly together to seal.
Place on a hot braai, cover with the lid and cook for 10 minutes, until heated through and bubbling.
Remove and serve in the tinfoil parcel sprinkled with coriander.
DEBONED MARINATED LAMB
Serves 6
1kg deboned leg of lamb
60ml olive oil
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
5ml chopped garlic
5ml dried thyme
5ml dried oregano
30ml chopped fresh rosemary
10ml Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Put the lamb in a bowl.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a jug and mix well. Pour marinade over the lamb, turning the meat to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for an hour, turning halfway.
Prepare the braai.
Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on the grid over indirect heat. Close the lid and cook for 30-40 minutes.
Remove and cover in foil to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
GRILLED CAULIFLOWER SALAD
Serves 6
1 large cauliflower
30ml olive oil
salt and pepper
30ml toasted sesame seeds
TAHINI DRESSING
60ml tahini paste
1 garlic clove, crushed
30ml rice vinegar
grated zest of 1 lemon
15ml lemon juice
30ml water
30ml honey
30ml olive oil
5ml sesame oil
45ml yoghurt
60ml finely chopped fresh parsley
Cut the cauliflower into large florets and cut each into 1cm-thick slices. Drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the braai and cook the cauliflower over direct heat on the hot grid until golden on both sides.
Place on a platter and drizzle with tahini dressing. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
DRESSING: Whisk the tahini, garlic, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, water, honey, olive oil, sesame oil and yoghurt together and season with salt and pepper. Add parsley.
Add more water if not thin enough to pour.
BAKED CITRUS CAMEMBERT
Serves 4
1 whole camembert
grated rind of 1 orange
grated rind of 1 lemon
a few sprigs of lemon thyme
45ml rosé wine
Pierce holes in the camembert and place in a double layer of foil.
Sprinkle over the rinds and thyme. Pour over the wine.
Seal well and place on the braai for 5 minutes until melted and oozing.
GRILLED HALOUMI BRUSCHETTA
Serves 6
30ml lemon juice
60ml olive oil
30ml chopped fresh mint leaves
5ml chopped garlic
salt and pepper
300g haloumi, cut into 5mm slices
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 ciabatta bread, sliced
ready-made pesto
In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, oil, mint, garlic, and salt and pepper.
Add the sliced haloumi and marinate for 30 minutes.
Prepare the braai. On a hot grid, cook the haloumi until golden on both sides. Cook the tomatoes a few seconds a side.
Brush the ciabatta slices with olive oil and cook until golden on either side.
Arrange the ciabatta on a serving board, followed by a slice of tomato, and then the haloumi. Drizzle with pesto and serve.
GRILLED LETTUCE CAESAR SALAD
Serves 6
wood smoking chips
3 baby gem lettuces, halved
lemon-flavoured olive oil
125g streaky bacon, fried and chopped
a handful of croutons
250ml grated Parmesan cheese
60ml capers, drained, dried and fried until crisp
DRESSING
5ml chopped garlic
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and dried
3 egg yolks
10ml Dijon mustard
15ml Worcestershire sauce
15ml red wine vinegar
15ml lemon juice
180ml olive oil
salt and pepper
Put the smoker chips in a foil container and put onto the coals. Close the lid of the braai.
Brush the cut side of the lettuce with olive oil.
Once the chips are smoking, place the lettuce halves cut-side down onto the grill. Close the lid and cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly charred.
Remove from the heat and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle over the bacon, croutons, grated cheese and capers. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
DRESSING: Place the garlic, anchovy, egg yolks, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and lemon juice in a jug and mix well using a stick blender.
With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil and mix until thick and emulsified. Season to taste.
If the mixture is very thick, thin it down by adding a little water.
FRUIT SKEWERS WITH PASSIONFRUIT SAUCE
Serves 8-10
juice of 1 lemon
1-2 peaches, pitted and cut into wedges
1-2 plums, pitted and cut into wedges
250g punnet of strawberries
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
2-3 bananas, cut into 2cm pieces
soaked wooden skewers
BASTING SAUCE
50g butter
60ml brown sugar
80ml dark rum
PASSIONFRUIT SAUCE
250ml Greek yoghurt
60ml granadilla pulp
15ml honey
Squeeze lemon juice over the fruit to prevent discolouration.
Thread the fruit on to skewers. Cook over hot coals, basting frequently with the sauce. Serve warm with the passionfruit sauce.
BASTING SAUCE: Combine all the ingredients in a small pot and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
PASSIONFRUIT SAUCE: Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until needed.
* The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.