The heavens opened on Monday here in the Cape, our first rain for many months. It’s early for rain, but it’s a little nudge from nature to let me know that the first official month of autumn is only days away. The signs are all around – crisper mornings, earlier sunsets, the trees lining the streets starting to turn brilliant [...]
Step aside quiche, the crostata is in town. Kiri Cream Cheese shows its versatility in this pretty open-faced savoury veggie tart with a custardy base which keeps the tomato juices from turning the flaky crust soggy. The recipe was deveveloped by Errieda du Toit (the creative mastermind behind Kokkedoor and Koekedoor cooking programmes) for Kiri to celebrate that Kiri is [...]
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 [...]
It’s high summer and one of my greatest joys is eating in the dappled shade of the gigantic Cape Ash right outside my kitchen door. (That’s when the sodding Cape South-Easter is not howling, but let’s not go there.) Mussels are always a good idea, even more so when combined with plump, juicy red tomatoes at their summer peak. But [...]
Easter is gone and May beckons. Yup folks, soup season is upon us. Not the stick-to-your-ribs kind packed with truckloads of meaty bones quite yet. That’s for June. The in-between evenings of May call for something altogether lighter I think. Lighter, yet still comforting. Minestrone is the answer. Now minestrone is one of those jolly fabulous recipes that can be [...]
Provençal tomato salad – it’s not actually a ‘real’ Provençal dish, not in the way that pissaladière, aïoli and ratatouille are. But for me this recipe encapsulates the essence of southern France. Ripe-red firm tomatoes, bursting with sunshine. Pungent, juicy rose garlic. Anchovies, salty, rich and deep. It makes me think of rolling purple fields, cicada song at midday, and [...]