Stone fruits are one of summer’s best treats!
Fresh stone fruits are a great healthy snack.
If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to use them in other ways this Christmas, celebrity chefs and popular cookbook authors Mokgadi Itsweng and Jenny Morris have collaborated with Juicy Delicious to curate and compile an ultimate 2022 festive food menu for the holiday season.
It’s a special collection that highlights the versatility of the season and South Africa’s bounty of peaches, nectarines and plums that are prized in overseas markets.
Their recipes will inspire you to add unforgettable colour, texture, flavour, succulence and crispness to your festive meals.
Mokgadi said as the cook and host, it makes sense to take full advantage of what the generous South African summer has to offer.
She said, as a rule, she always advises people to make use of seasonal fruit and veg.
“They are affordable, at the peak of their taste profile, and abundantly available. Actively look for innovative ways to add raw and fresh fruit to your salads for extra crunch, sweetness and celebratory flair. Stone fruit pairs amazingly well with a wide range of ingredients, from cheeses to nuts and seeds. Fresh and raw suits the hot days and warm nights of summer so well. You can serve veg and fruit platters as pre-dinner snacks or starters and with dessert to accommodate those who are focused on healthy lifestyles,” said Mokgadi.
Mokgadi Itsweng’s nectarine and sorghum salad
Makes: 4 – 6
Ingredients
1 cup sorghum grain (soaked for at least 2 hours) or 1 cup pearl barley
200g rainbow baby carrots, washed
200g broccoli tender stems
1 tbs olive oil
4 nectarines, pitted and cut into halves
1 tbs oil
2 tbs coriander, chopped
2 tbs mint, chopped
2 tbs parsley, chopped
50g sunflower seeds, toasted
Dressing
½ cup orange juice
½ cup lemon juice
60ml olive oil
½ tsp cumin
1 tbs honey
1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, grated
Method
Preheat oven to 200ºC
Cook sorghum in 4 cups of water for 90 minutes at medium heat until the sorghum is soft but still chewy. If the water dries out before the sorghum is cooked, add an extra 2 cups of hot water.
Drain the grain and allow it to cool.
Place the carrots and broccoli on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and grill for 15 minutes, turning halfway through.
While the vegetables are grilling, heat a griddle pan until smoking. Brush the nectarine halves with a little oil and grill the nectarines on the flat side for 2 minutes, until nicely caramelised, but still firm. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving
Make the dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients in a blender, setting aside.
To serve, mix the drained sorghum, herbs, and half the dressing.
On a platter, layer the dressed and herbed sorghum with the grilled veg and nectarines.
Drizzle the remainder of the dressing over the salad and top with roasted sunflower seeds.
Jenny Morris’s Moroccan lamb stuffed peaches and nectarines
Serves: 4 – 6
Ingredients
1 x 2kg deboned leg of lamb
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tbs ground cumin
2 cloves crushed garlic
The stuffing
100g chopped cling peaches
100g chopped nectarines
200g stale bread crumbs
50g crumbled feta
1 tbs orange zest
2 tbs finely chopped rosemary
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbs ground cumin
¾ tsp paprika
Stir all the ingredients together for the stuffing.
Season with salt and pepper.
Method
Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
Mix the olive oil with salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic.
Rub the lamb all over with the mixture.
Arrange the stuffing down the middle of the lamb, and fold the meat over to form a roll.
Tie the lamb with a string to keep it in shape.
Season the lamb, heat a little oil in a frying pan, and sear the lamb on all sides.
Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast for 90 minutes, turn down the oven to 170ºC for another 15 minutes, and remove and rest before serving.
Have you checked out the latest IOL Food & Drinks digital magazine? Read it here.