Fillet steak au poivre – it’s just fancy French for meat that’s covered in pepper, but it sounds so impressive! Like so many classical recipes it’s incredibly simple, but it knocks it out of the park flavour wise. The secret when you’re using so few ingredients is using only the best. Best quality, plump pieces of well aged fillet; [...]
What makes a bredie a bredie and not just a plain old casserole or stew? It’s all in the spices. Tomato bredie is traditionally made with lamb and, as the name suggests, loads of tomato. But the aromatics are what makes it the real deal – perfumed ginger and cardamom, earthy cloves, heady cinnamon and a bit of chilli [...]
This isn’t really a recipe, it’s too simple to call it that. Think of it more as an idea. An idea about where you buy your meat, what you buy and what you do with it. Way back when I was a country kid, a supermarket was not the place one sourced meat. In fact, I can’t even remember whether [...]
My slow-food slide into autumn continues. This week I’m whipping up a rich beef short rib ragu. With it I’m making silk handkerchief pasta – largish sheets of fresh pasta informally torn by hand. Once cooked they drape beautifully, just like silk. If you’ve never made fresh pasta before, now is the time. A pasta machine helps of course, but [...]
Sprawling in the shadows of the majestic Groot Drakenstein mountains in the Franschhoek valley, you’ll find Anthonij Rupert Wines. Their wine range is a favourite of mine, especially their incredibly pocket-friendly Protea range and equally budget-conscious Terra Del Capo range. What I really love, other than the quality offered at the price, is that they flirt with the more unusual [...]
Winter is well and truly here. I know this because of three things. I know it because I finally relented and hauled my down duvet out the cupboard. I also know it because my cat is WAY friendlier than normal. As in I will sleep on top of you all night long and make you seriously uncomfortable in my search [...]