The mornings have a definite chill in the air and the frightfully territorial squirrels in my garden have burst into a flurry of activity, gathering acorns and digging up my flowerbeds to use as a larder. Yup folks, autumn is definitely here. It’s simply my favourite time of year in the Cape. The beastly South Easter doesn’t howl anymore [...]
Braai Day was a damp squib at M&M. Grey clouds and chilly winds don’t exactly make me want to reach for the charcoal. A fire was made to be sure – in my teeny Victorian fireplace in the lounge. By the second glass of red, I was no longer minding so much about missing out. Summer is around the corner [...]
Pork spare ribs – they have to be one of my ultimate braai time treats, but only if they are done right. That means they are melt-in-the-mouth, fall-off-the-bone soft, yet smokey and charred at the same time. The secret to getting it right? An initial cook followed by a super hot bit of braai love at the end. Now you [...]
Salsa verde, or as the French call it sauce verte, sounds very fancy. It is. But in a good way – fancy on the tongue, easy on the prep. Because salsa verde or sauce vert simply means a green sauce. Recipes differ wildly, but they all have one thing in common – loads of fresh herbs. To give backbone to [...]
The humble chicken is revered in Mexico. Not ever having been there, I didn’t really know this. Until I did some research recently for a job involving, well chicken. It’s massively popular street food over there with gigantic street barbeques laden with whole chickens in double-digit numbers dotted about the place. The Mexicans call it Pollo Asado. Recipes differ wildly [...]
Chakalaka – it’s as fun to say as it is to eat. Now if you’re a halfway self-respecting South African, you’ll know what this is. But for the benefit of my readers in farflung places, it can best be described as an African relish, eaten most especially with ‘pap’ (kinda like polenta) and meat at a ‘braai’ (barbeque). Chakalaka recipes [...]