Along with the disaster of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us – including myself – have had our own disasters in the kitchen.
With all the free time we had, many of us turned our attention to the kitchen and learnt some new cooking skills.
Although there are many recipes for people to follow online, the rise of video meeting apps created an opportunity for people to attend virtual cooking classes from the comfort and familiarity of their own kitchen.
Talking about learning some new cooking skills, I recently attended a ‘Cooking for Dreams’ cook-along hosted by Discovery Vitality and Reach for a Dream which was a very fun and rewarding experience.
The virtual cook-a-long aimed to join enthusiastic cooks across South Africa in an attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the most people cooking online virtually while raising funds for children fighting life-threatening illnesses.
The foundation partnered with celebrity chefs, Joao da Fonseca aka J’Something, David Higgs, and Mogau Seshoene aka “The Lazy Makoti” as well as sponsors: Woolworths, Discovery Vitality, and DHL.
The trio guided us through an intense culinary master-class.
We prepared a scrumptious starter and majestic main course.
We all learnt a thing or two, and are ready to impress at our next dinner parties.
Discovery Vitality CEO, Dinesh Govender said after collaborating on such a memorable event last year, they were excited to partner again with Reach for a Dream.
Govender said being able to support children with life-threatening illnesses, with all involved, is an immense honour and also, much of the work they do at Vitality to make people healthier and enhance and protect their lives is predicated on powerful partnerships, and Cooking for Dreams is an excellent case in point.
If you missed the cook-along, you can still show your support by donating to Reach For A Dream and helping make more dreams come true.
While at it, you can even whip up this amazing starter below by “The Lazy Makoti”.
Beetroot carpaccio with whipped feta
Ingredients
1tsp butter
1 tbsp honey
4 fresh pears, cut in quarters
4 medium beetroots, cooked and thinly sliced
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Whipped feta (recipe below)
100g rocket, washed
Whipped feta
225g reduced fat feta cheese
¾ cup low-fat plain yoghurt
1clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Pears
In a medium frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the honey and stir until the mixture covers the base of the pan.
Set the pears cut-side-down in the honey-butter mixture and cook for five minutes.
Beetroot
Thinly slice the beetroot into disks.
Whipped feta
In a blender, combine feta, yoghurt, and garlic. Blend or process until very
smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.
Add olive oil and blend until smooth.
If desired, strain through a fine mesh strainer for a silkier texture.
Season with salt and pepper.
For plating
Scatter rocket leaves on a side plate, then carefully arrange beetroot slices in a circle on the bed of a rocket.
Drizzle balsamic vinegar on the beetroot and add the whipped feta.
Place the pear quarters evenly across the salad.
Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here.