For what we are about to receive

For as long as I can remember, Grandma always told us: ‘Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than to have a banquet in a house full of trouble.’ For many years I thought this was just one of Grandma’s witticisms, then one day I found the same saying in Proverbs 17:1!

Grandma was a stately yet plain woman, and she taught me something really valuable: it’s not the lavishness with which you serve people that counts, but rather how you make them feel around your table. It is this feeling that will keep them coming back! Here, around the table, families and friends get together to cement relationships and create memories that will remain with them for a lifetime. The food on the table can be a simple pot of soup with home-made bread or a posh Sunday lunch like leg of lamb so tender that the meat falls off the bone, with delicious potatoes roasted to a crisp in goose fat.

At my table I take my family to faraway places with a simple red-hot Mexican meal or all the way to England for a savoury beef pie with feather-light hand-made puff pastry. The main ingredient? Always love! Love for the abundance in our lives, but more importantly love for one another … food love … cherishing love!

Chicken strips and pineapple in apricot sauce

A lovely sweet and sour combination, ideal for lazy weekend food!

  1. Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a clean plastic bag and add the chicken strips. Close up the bag and shake until each chicken strip is covered in the flour mixture. Heat 60 ml of the oil and the butter in a pan and fry a few chicken strips at a time, until golden-brown. Heat the remaining oil in another pan. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the pineapple, apricot juice and chutney and simmer for a few minutes. Add the fried chicken strips and cook until heated through. Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve on rice or lovely soft noodles. Scatter a bit of chopped parsley on top.

Enough for 6 people

Busy mom chicken bake

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Combine all the ingredients, except the crisps, and spoon into an ovenproof dish. Crush the crisps and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 30–40 minutes and serve with a lovely green salad.

Enough for 6 people

Instead of crisps, you could use 500 ml fresh breadcrumbs, 100 ml chopped fresh parsley and a little grated Parmesan cheese. Mix with olive oil to form damp crumbs. Sprinkle over the chicken and bake as above.

Tropical chicken on sticks

When we braai, we always have chicken sosaties. Sometimes it can get rather monotonous if you always cook the sosaties in the same way. Although chicken sosaties are often quite dry, this marinade makes the meat tender and juicy.

For the marinade

For the chicken

For the marinade

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a glass or plastic bowl and set aside until needed.

For the chicken

  1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the marinade. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 2 hours. If you are going to cook the sosaties in the oven, preheat the oven to 180 °C. Skewer the chicken pieces, mango cubes and onions onto sosatie sticks, placing a lemon leaf in between each ingredient. Braai over the coals, fry in a griddle pan or roast in the oven until cooked through. Brush with the remaining marinade while cooking.

Enough for 4 people

Sticky yummy spatchcock chicken

This chicken is lip-smackingly good. It’s even better if you can marinate it beforehand and leave the cooking to the man of the house so that you can kick back and relax. Make sure you have plenty of serviettes at hand, because everyone’s fingers will be deliciously sticky.

For the marinade

For the chicken

For the marinade

  1. Combine all the marinade ingredients. If using a whole large chicken, place it on a work surface and cut along either side of the backbone using a very sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Remove the backbone. Turn the chicken over with the open side facing down. Flatten the chicken with your hands – you’ll hear the bones crack. Season the chicken with salt, inside and out. Place the butterflied chicken or chicken portions in a glass dish and pour over the marinade. Refrigerate and marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours – a whole day would be even better.

For the chicken

  1. Once the chicken has been marinated, preheat the oven to 180 °C (or fire up the Weber). Place the chicken on a wire rack in an oven dish and roast for at least 1 hour to ensure that the meat is cooked through. Brush with the remaining marinade every 10–15 minutes. Serve with a tangy coleslaw and boiled baby potatoes.

Makes 1 chicken (double the recipe and you’ll have lots of leftover chicken for salads or sandwiches)

Discard any leftover marinade after you’ve roasted the chicken. It can’t be kept and used again if you’ve already marinated raw chicken in it.

Creamy chicken stew with herbed dumplings

I love making this stew on cold winter days when you need a good plate of comfort food. You can taste the nostalgia of an old-fashioned chicken stew, but the trendy, almost Italian dumplings make this dish new and exciting.

For the chicken stew

For the roux

For the herbed dumplings

For the chicken stew

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Rinse the chicken portions and pat them dry with paper towel. Season to taste and sprinkle with the flour. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat and fry the chicken portions until golden-brown. Remove the chicken and set aside. Fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the same pan until cooked. Transfer the onion, garlic and mushrooms to an ovenproof dish, add the beer or apple cider, chicken stock, thyme and chicken and cover. Roast for about 30 minutes, then add the peas and carrots (if using) and roast for a further 10–15 minutes.

For the roux

  1. When the chicken is done, make the roux. Melt the butter over low heat and mix in the flour until it forms a smooth paste. Stir in the cream and add salt as required. Add the roux to the stew and stir through. It will thicken without forming lumps.

For the herbed dumplings

  1. While the chicken is cooking, make the dumplings. Break one egg into a standard cup (250 ml), fill halfway with cooking oil and then fill to the top with milk. Pour the contents of the cup into a mixing bowl. Repeat this process with the remaining egg, then whisk until combined. Combine the remaining ingredients, add to the egg mixture and stir to form a soft but manageable dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 5 cm thick. Using a round cookie cutter, press out small dumplings and add them to the chicken stew. Roast uncovered in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings have risen and browned.

Enough for 6 people

Fiery Mexican chicken burgers with Mexican salsa

Children love these burgers. I think it’s the bit of kick-in-the-backside heat of the chillies that makes them feel as though they are part of the ‘grown-up’ world. I prefer making my own chicken mince – the texture is much coarser and, in my opinion, much better!

For the chicken patties

For the Mexican salsa

For the chicken patties

  1. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Dampen your hands with water and shape into 4 patties. Braai the burgers on an open fire or fry them on the stove top in a griddle pan in some olive oil. Cook until both sides have browned and they are cooked through. Serve in a soft bread rolls with salsa, slices of avocado and a bit of sour cream.

For the Mexican salsa

  1. Place all the ingredients for the salsa, except the corn, in a food processor and pulse briefly (be careful not to chop the ingredients too finely). Stir through the corn and serve with the burgers.

Enough for 4 people

Roast baby chickens (poussins)

If you arrive at the table with an oven dish of these roast chickens, you can be sure compliments will be forthcoming. The meat of younger chickens is wonderfully juicy and the herb butter makes the skin lovely and crispy.

For the herb butter

For the chicken

For the herb butter

  1. Place all the ingredients for the herb butter in a food processor and pulse until combined. Set aside until needed.

For the chicken

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Clean the baby chickens and remove the excess skin. Cover the end of each drumstick with foil (otherwise they will burn very easily). Season the chickens inside and out with salt and pepper. Loosen the skin with your hands, but work carefully so as not to tear it. Be especially careful in the breast area. Insert some of the herb butter underneath the skin. Place the chickens in an oven dish and roast for about 10 minutes. Melt a bit of herb butter and brush the chickens with it, then roast for a further 30–35 minutes. Serve on flavoured couscous (see recipe below) with the delicious pan juices and steamed green beans.

Enough for 6 people

Flavoured couscous

  1. Place the couscous in a glass dish and add the chicken stock. Set aside for about 5 minutes until the couscous has swollen and is feather light. Dry-roast the almonds in a clean pan. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure that the almonds don’t burn. Add the almonds, orange rind and parsley to the couscous and stir through. Sprinkle some rose petals over the couscous and serve with the baby chickens.

Chicken liver pâté with green peppercorns

Years ago chicken liver pâté was very popular and I think my Mom wrecked a food processor by making such a lot of it. Here I set the pâté in the form of a loaf for a new twist on an old recipe.

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion for a few minutes until it starts browning, then add the garlic. When the onion and garlic are soft, add the chicken livers and fry for 8–10 minutes, until brown on the outside but still a bit pink on the inside. Pour the brandy and Madeira wine or port over the chicken livers and flambé. When the flames die down, add the thyme or origanum, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Place the contents of the pan into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the cream, melted butter and green peppercorns and mix by hand until combined. Line a small bread pan with cling wrap and pour the pâté into it. Refrigerate overnight to set. When the pâté has set, pour over the melted butter. Allow the butter to harden before slicing. Cut into thin slices and serve garnished with capers, pomegranate seeds and cherries. This pâté is lovely with hot, toasted farm bread and pickles.

Enough for 6–10 people as a starter

Roast chicken and strawberry salad with granadilla dressing

Perfect for a hot summer afternoon when the children come home from school. Children enjoy the sweetness of the fruit and mom can relax knowing that they’re getting a healthy meal. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!

For the dressing

For the salad

For the dressing

  1. Place all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor and mix. Add the oil in a gradual trickle until the dressing thickens. Refrigerate until needed.

For the salad

  1. Arrange the salad leaves on a pretty salad platter. Cut the chicken into smaller pieces and scatter on top of the salad leaves. Arrange the strawberries, grapes, feta cheese and mint around the chicken, then pour the chilled dressing over the salad. Scatter the pea sprouts or watercress over the top and serve with fresh bread rolls or whole-wheat bread.

Enough for 4–6 people

Nutty crumbed chicken slices

A delicious midweek meal, ready in a jiffy! If someone in your family is gluten intolerant, you can replace the bread with another 100 g of nuts.

  1. Carefully butterfly each chicken breast; do not halve completely. Using a meat mallet, slightly flatten each chicken breast. Place the bread, nuts and parsley in a food processor and chop until the texture resembles breadcrumbs. Pour the eggs into a dish and place the crumbs in another dish. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip into the egg and cover with the crumb mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken until golden-brown and cooked through. Serve with mashed potatoes and a simple tomato and onion salad.

Enough for 4 people

Chicken curry with a citrus kick

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot on the stove and sauté the onion, garlic and fresh ginger. When the onion is soft, add all the dry ingredients and stir for about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and cook until brown on all sides. Add the stock and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. Add the tomatoes, orange rind and sultanas and cook for a few more minutes, uncovered, until the tomatoes are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. If necessary, use the flour to thicken the sauce a little. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with jasmine rice.

Enough for 4 people

Mexican beef salad bites

Healthy and sociable. Everyone helps themselves from the dishes on the table. Make sure there are serviettes – plates are not required.

For the beef salad bites

For serving

For the beef salad bites

  1. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute until cooked. Stir in the spices until combined. Add the mince and fry until the meat starts browning. Add all the other ingredients, except the beans, and cook for 45 minutes. Add a little more water if necessary. Add the beans and simmer for about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

For serving

  1. Place the salad leaves, sour cream, chillies and coriander in individual bowls. Place these along with the bowl of mince in the centre of the table. Spoon a little mince onto a salad leaf, top with some chilli, coriander and a scoop of sour cream and enjoy!

Enough for 10 people

 

Tasty beer, beef and baby onion pie

This is a corker of a pie that will easily feed 8 people. The whole onions, cooked in balsamic vinegar, give a lot of character to the pie.

For the filling

For the crust

For the meat filling

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the flour, salt, pepper and beef cubes in a clean plastic bag and shake until each cube is covered with flour. Heat 60 ml of the olive oil in an ovenproof pot and fry a few beef cubes at a time until browned, then remove and fry another batch. Keep the fried meat warm and repeat until all the beef cubes have been browned. This process takes a bit of time, but it makes a big difference to the pie, believe me! When all the meat has been browned, return it to the pot with the beer, rosemary and 500 ml of the stock. Place in the oven and let it cook slowly for 2 hours. The flour will thicken the sauce, so have a look at it after 1 hour to ensure that the meat doesn’t burn. Add the remaining stock if necessary. Cut the leeks into thin rings. Heat 15 ml of the remaining oil in a pan and fry the leeks until lightly browned. Add the remaining oil and butter to the same pan and fry the onions until browned. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar and reduce until the mixture has a sticky consistency. Add the onion mixture to the pot of beef and stir lightly. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Remove from the heat and allow the meat to cool.

For the crust

  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out both rolls of puff pastry just a bit and press one roll over the base and sides of a 5 cm-deep pie dish. Spoon the meat mixture into the dish and cover with the remaining puff pastry. Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little water and press them together with your fingers to make a pattern. Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is nicely puffed and golden-brown.

Enough for 8 people

Flintstone beef rib

As a child Fred Flintstone was my favourite cartoon character, and I was rather annoyed years later when they created the real human character in a movie – it just wasn’t the same. I think the Flintstones would have enjoyed these chunks of meat.

For the marinade

For the rib

For the marinade

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade, except the honey, in a large glass or plastic bowl. Add the ribs to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

For the rib

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Transfer the ribs and the marinade to a stainless-steel oven dish and cover with a lid or foil. Roast in the oven for about 11⁄2 hours or until the ribs are very tender. Remove the dish from the oven, place the ribs on a wire rack and continue roasting, uncovered, in the oven for about 10 minutes or on the braai for 10–15 minutes. Pour the leftover marinade into a small saucepan placed over medium heat, add the honey and reduce until slightly thickened. Continuously brush the ribs with the marinade. Serve with a potato salad and Herbed garlic bread (see recipe on p. 105).

Enough for 6 people

Farm pizza

This is weekend food at its best and the men will love it!

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden-brown but not mushy. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Remove the boerewors meat from its casing and roll into small meatballs. Fry these in the previously used pan until nicely browned. Divide the dough into 6 balls and roll each out to 5 mm thick to make a medium-size pizza base. Place each pizza base onto a pizza tile or pan and spread with a generous layer of tomato sauce. Arrange the caramelised onions and meatballs on each pizza and cover with the cheese. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until the pizza base is cooked through. Serve topped with basil or rocket leaves and red pepper if desired.

Enough for 6 people

Middle-of-the-week tin pie

In her handwritten recipe book, my Mom has a recipe called ‘Versatile batter for many uses’! We laugh about her dough because wherever I go, people ask me for the recipe. If the thought of making your own dough drives you to panic, this is the recipe for you!

For the meat filling

For the dough

For the meat filling

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Heat the oil in an ovenproof pot and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the mince, loosen with a fork and fry until browned. Add the remaining ingredients, stir through until combined and cook for about 10 minutes. Make sure the meat mixture doesn’t burn. Add a little water if it looks too dry. Allow to cool, then spoon into a pie dish.

For the dough

  1. Place the flour and salt in a small mixing bowl. Break the egg into a standard cup (250 ml), fill the cup halfway with cooking oil and then fill to the top with milk. Add the egg mixture to the flour and mix until the batter has the consistency of a thick white sauce. Pour the batter over the cooled mince and arrange the onion rings on top. When the batter rises, the onion rings will make a lovely pattern in the dough. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the dough is golden-brown. Serve with steamed vegetables and beetroot salad.

Enough for 4–6 people

Jacob’s ladder beef

This is my brother’s favourite dish when he comes to visit my parents, so we all know that we will be eating this beef at some stage during the long December holidays.

  1. Remove and discard most of the fat from the brisket. Season the brisket with salt and pepper and place in a stainless-steel oven dish. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the brisket. Cover the dish with foil or a lid and marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Roast the meat for about 2 hours, remove the foil or lid as soon as the meat is tender, and roast uncovered for a further 10–15 minutes. Remove the meat from the dish and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving into thin slices. If the leftover juices are very watery, boil to reduce or thicken with a little cornflour. Serve the brisket with the gravy and vegetables of your choice, such as whole or mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots.

Enough for 10–12 people

The leftover meat can be used in sandwiches or even frittatas.

Best-in-the-country beef and mustard sandwiches

During the holidays my Mom always had corned beef in the fridge. We never even had to wonder what was on the menu for lunch … beef and mustard sandwiches, naturally.

For the corned beef

For the mustard sauce

For the corned beef

  1. Place the corned beef, still in the plastic bag into which it has been sealed, in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat so that the meat can cook slowly for 11⁄2 hours (30 minutes per 500 g) and then for an extra 30 minutes. When done, leave the meat to cool overnight in the cooking water. The next day, remove it from the plastic and keep it in a container in the fridge. This meat lasts for weeks and makes the most delicious sandwiches with fresh rocket, tomato, pickles and mustard sauce.

For the mustard sauce

  1. Pour the condensed milk into a small glass bowl. Combine the vinegar and mustard powder in a separate bowl and mix to a smooth paste, then add this to the condensed milk. Make sure there are no lumps in the vinegar and mustard mixture, otherwise your mustard will be lumpy. Mix in the apricot jam and store in a glass jar. The mustard might taste bitter at first, but the flavour develops over time.

Enough for a multitude

Swanky beef fillet with herb butter

This is a dish to make if there’s something to celebrate, like Dad’s raise or the children’s achievements. If it’s Mom who needs to be spoilt, this recipe is easy enough for Dad to make. Just leave Easy Cooking from Nina’s Kitchen open at this page on the kitchen table, go and relax, and Dad will get the message! (That is to say if you’ve brought your children up properly!)

  1. Remove all the sinews from the fillet or ask your butcher to do it for you. Combine the vinegar and oil and rub the mixture over the fillet. Combine the pepper and herbs and sprinkle evenly on your work surface. Roll the fillet in the herbs until completely covered and allow to stand for 30 minutes. Cut the fillet into 6 slices. Heat a griddle until smoking hot and fry each fillet for 6–14 minutes (depending on the thickness of the meat as well as how well done you would like your meat – see table below) on each side until it loosens from the bottom of the griddle. Repeat until all the fillet slices are cooked. Don’t fiddle with the meat if it sticks. Allow the meat to rest for at least 10–15 minutes before serving with Herb butter (see recipe on p. 164).

Enough for 4–6 people, even more if the fillet is bigger

How long do I cook the perfect steak?

Important: the times given in the table are the total cooking times for both sides. Turn the meat halfway through the given times.

Thickness of meat

Still very pink

Medium

Well done

Heat

2.5 cm

6–8 minutes

8–10 minutes

10–14 minutes

High

3 cm

8–10 minutes

10–12 minutes

12–16 minutes

High

4 cm

12–16 minutes

16–20 minutes

20–24 minutes

Medium

Pork sausages with quick apple and onion chutney

It’s essential to use pork sausages of the highest quality for this recipe. Make sure you buy them from a reliable source.

For the apple and onion chutney

For the pork sausages

For the apple and onion chutney

  1. Place the sugar, water and vinegar in a heavy-based pot and bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat. Drain the apples and combine with all the spices and the onion. Add this to the vinegar mixture and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add a little more water if it looks too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust if you think the chutney should be a little sweeter or tart.

For the pork sausages

  1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the pork sausages until cooked. Serve on buttery mashed potatoes with the apple and onion chutney.

Enough for 4 people

The apple and onion chutney also complements cold meat and cheese, and will cheer up any sandwich.

Oven-roasted pork belly

This is by far my favourite meat dish. If I had to choose a last meal before leaving my earthly dwelling, this pork belly would be it. Simple, but delicious!

  1. Cut slits in the pork belly right through the fat up to the meat. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Sear the coriander seeds in a hot pan and then grind in a coffee grinder or using a pestle and mortar. Combine the salt, pepper and coriander and rub the mixture all over the pork belly and into the slits. Place the pork belly on a wire rack in an oven dish and roast for at least 2 hours. When the crackling is crispy and the meat is cooked through, it’s ready. Check if the meat is cooked through by inserting a fork – the pork should be so tender that the fork is easily inserted. Serve with potatoes, roasted butternut and a lovely green salad.

Enough for 6 people

Give the meal an Oriental twist by adding 10 ml Chinese 5 spice to the rubbing mixture. Follow the above method, cut into slivers and serve with feather-light Chinese pancakes, fresh coriander and a soy dipping sauce (see recipe for Thai salad bites on p. 33).

Balsamic pork neck chops

This is good winter food, and the best thing is that the oven does all the work! Pork neck chops are nice and tender and the balsamic vinegar makes them even tastier.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Season the chops with salt and pepper and place in an ovenproof dish. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions and thyme until the onions are soft and start to brown. Add the vinegar and cook until it evaporates. Add the sugar and stir through. Taste to see if you need to add salt. Add the lemon juice and stir through. This should result in a lovely sweet and sour combination. Spoon the onion mixture over the chops and cover the dish with foil. Roast for about 1 hour, then remove the foil. Return to the oven and roast uncovered until the chops are brown. Serve with Parmesan mashed potatoes (see recipe below) and peas.

Enough for 6 people

Parmesan mashed potatoes

  1. Place the potatoes and salt in a pot and fill with water until the potatoes are just covered. Bring to the boil and cook the potatoes until soft. When the potatoes are soft, drain and then mash until smooth. Add the butter, milk, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg and mix well. Serve with the balsamic pork neck chops.

Oriental pork bites with sweet-chilli sauce

Ideal for entertaining! Just be sure to make enough, because these pork bites are quick to disappear from the table.

For the pork bites

Sweet-chilli sauce (makes 300 ml)

For the pork bites

  1. Remove the pork meat from the casings and place in a mixing bowl. Add the spring onions and coriander and mix well. Form 12 meatballs and flatten slightly. Skewer one lemongrass stalk lengthways through each meatball. Fry in a griddle pan or braai over the coals until cooked through. Serve the lime quarters on the side.

For the sweet-chilli sauce

  1. Heat all the ingredients except the sprig of coriander, in a small saucepan until the sugar has melted. Bring to the boil and cook for about 4 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Add the sprig of coriander and serve as a dipping sauce or use as a basting sauce. Serve the sauce with the Oriental pork bites (see above) on a bed of sticky jasmine rice.

Enough for 6 people

Posh oven-roasted pork neck with figs, nuts and goat’s-milk cheese

This pork roll is very showy and will be right at home on the menu at any red-carpet reception. It is so easy to make, though, that you can first try it out on your family for Sunday lunch.

  1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Using a sharp knife, cut a long slit into one side of the pork neck – this forms a hollow into which you pack the filling. Rub the mustard all over the pork neck and season liberally with salt and pepper. Pack the figs in a row inside the slit. Slice the goat’s-milk cheese into long strips and pack on top of the figs. Lastly, pack the chopped nuts on top of the cheese. Now close the slit and tie up the pork neck with butcher’s twine. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan and fry the pork neck until browned on all sides. Add 300 ml of the apple cider. Cover with a lid or with foil and transfer to the oven. Turn the meat every now and again, and remove the lid or foil after 1 hour, then roast uncovered for a further 30 minutes. Check if the meat is cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part; if the juices run clear it is ready. Place the meat on a platter, cover with foil and allow to rest. Return the previously used pan to the stovetop and add the remaining apple cider. Scrape the bottom to loosen all the meaty bits. Cook until it has reduced a bit, then add the cream. You can pour this cream sauce over the pork, or you can cut the pork and arrange it in the sauce on a platter. If you are preparing for a very swanky occasion, place slices of meat on plates and spoon over the sauce. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with crispy roast potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Enough for 6–8 people

Quick Oriental pork fillet

Get home at five and eat at five thirty – that’s how quick and easy this dish is. And the bonus is that there are hardly any dishes to wash.

  1. Cut the pork fillet into 1 cm-thick slices and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan and fry the garlic and ginger very quickly without burning it. Add the pork slices and fry for 3–4 minutes until browned on both sides. Add the green beans and stir-fry until the beans are cooked but not too soft. Add the hoisin sauce, lemon juice and salt, then add the honey and stir through. Serve over jasmine rice or egg noodles and top with the sesame seeds.

Enough for 4 people

Deboned loin of lamb with sundried tomatoes and feta

This is a posh meat dish for Sunday lunch. The dish contains no bones, which means the meat will go far. There might even be enough left over for the next day’s sandwiches!

Get to know your butcher and he will go the extra mile for you – always!

For the meat

For the sauce

For the meat

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the lamb loin with the long side towards you on your work surface and season with salt and pepper. Drain the sundried tomatoes, but retain the oil in which they were marinated. Pack the tomatoes in a long row lengthways over the lamb loin and scatter the feta cheese on top of the tomatoes. Scatter the mint or rosemary on top and roll up the meat from the long side to resemble a Swiss roll. Tie up in a few places with butcher’s twine and place in an oven dish. Combine the oil from the sundried tomatoes with the olive oil and baste the meat with this. Cover with foil and roast for about 90 minutes. Remove the foil after 75 minutes and continue roasting uncovered. Remove the meat from the dish, place on a wooden chopping board, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

For the sauce

  1. Make a gravy from the leftover stock in the oven dish: bring the stock to the boil in a pan and reduce it a bit. If there is not enough liquid, add the water. Add the white wine and bring it back to the boil. Make a roux by mixing the oil and flour together, then add this to the stock and stir through to thicken.

Enough for 6–8 people

Drunken lamb shanks

The dark, almost sinister colour of the beer gives the lamb shanks a lovely warm and intense flavour. This is another dish you can relinquish to the mercy of the oven. Served with samp, it is a meal fit for a king!

For the samp

For the lamb shanks

For the samp

  1. Preheat the oven to 80 °C. Place the samp in a large oven casserole and pour in enough water to reach about 2 cm above the samp. Add the salt and butter, cover with a lid and cook in the oven overnight or in the oven drawer for at least 8 hours.

For the lamb shanks

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Clean the shanks and pat dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, make a small slit near the bone of each shank and insert a sprig of rosemary and mint. Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Preheat the oil in a large ovenproof pot and fry the shanks until golden-brown. Mix the remaining ingredients together and then add to the shanks and stir through. Cover with a lid or foil. Cook the shanks in the oven for 21⁄2–3 hours or until the meat falls off the bones. When the cooking time is over, remove the shanks very carefully from the pot and try to keep them whole. Yes, I know they don’t reach your stomach whole, but it looks very impressive if you serve shanks whole. Pour all the pan juices and leftover bits of orange, garlic and onion into a smaller saucepan and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Reduce the sauce until nice and thick. Season with salt and pepper if necessary and serve with the shanks and samp.

Enough for 6 people

Five-a-day cottage pie

We keep hearing that we should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Well, let’s have them all in one dish. The old-fashioned scent of cloves and coriander brings back memories of Grandma’s kitchen!

For the meat filling

For the topping

For the meat filling

  1. Combine the mince with the flour, spices and herbs. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and stir-fry the meat until it starts browning. Add the remaining ingredients, stir through and cook for about 15 minutes.

For the topping

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the potato and butternut in a pot, cover with water, add the salt and bring to the boil. When soft, drain and mash the potato and butternut mixture and then press through a sieve for a lump-free result. Mix the mash with the milk, butter and egg yolks together until combined. Taste and add a little more salt if necessary.
  2. Spoon the meat filling into an ovenproof dish and cover with most of the potato and butternut mash. Spoon the remaining potato and butternut mixture into a piping bag and, depending on how much of the mixture you have left, either pipe roses all over the top or only along the sides of the dish. This will give it a fluffy appearance. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden-brown. Serve with vegetables of your choice or a salad.

Enough for 6 people

Farm curry

We always make this curry at fêtes and camps, and even the curry purists come back for seconds. It’s a sweet, hearty curry and, believe me, you can’t go wrong with this choice!

For the curry

For the sauce

For the curry

  1. Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed cast-iron pot. Sauté the onion, garlic and spices. Add the meat, season with salt and pepper and fry until it starts to brown. Add the stock and tomato paste and cook covered until the meat is tender. This usually takes about 11⁄2 hours, or longer if you use mutton instead of lamb. You could also cover the pot with a lid and cook the meat in the oven for about 2 hours. Make sure there is enough liquid in the pot before adding the potatoes. This will prevent the food from burning. Add the potatoes when the meat is cooked but still firm. Continue cooking until the potatoes are done. Keep an eye on the liquid – add more stock or water if the curry is too dry.

For the sauce

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and add to the meat just before the end of the cooking time. Keep an eye on the pot, as it can easily burn once the sauce has been added. Serve with rice and sambals.

Enough for 6 people

This dish can also be made on the fire as potjiekos.

Greek lamb koftas

Sometimes one can only dream about street cafés in faraway countries. These koftas make me imagine I’m barefoot and carefree on a Greek island. These elongated Greek meatballs make a wonderful Friday supper. This is also the only night in the week we allow ourselves to eat in front of the TV. The lovely hot koftas are delicious served in pita bread, with cool yoghurt and a salad – the family forgets all about the TV!

For the koftas

For serving

  1. Place the onion, garlic, herbs, spices and lemon rind in a food processor and chop finely. Add the mince and pulse until everything is nicely combined. Heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Pinch off a bit of mince and fry, then check if extra seasoning is needed. Divide the remaining mince into 8 balls. Dampen your hands with water and shape the balls into elongated koftas. Skewer the koftas onto bamboo or metal sticks and braai over the coals or fry in a piping-hot griddle pan until cooked through. Add the lemon rind and juice and mint to the yoghurt and stir through. Serve the koftas with the flavoured yoghurt, lettuce and tomato in hot pitas.

Makes 8 koftas

Grilled sardines

These sardines remind me of the multiplication of the bread and fish in Biblical times. They are not for fastidious eaters, but they are finger-licking good food. There is no civilised way to tackle them!

  1. Season the sardines with a little salt and pepper and fold a rasher of pancetta or bacon around each one. Spray a griddle pan with non-stick cooking spray and place over a low heat. You can also braai the sardines over coals, but make sure the heat is very low otherwise they will burn. Grill the sardines on both sides until the fish is cooked and the pancetta or bacon is crispy. Serve with bread and a nice tomato salad.

Enough for 6 people

Tastiest green bean stew ever

There are some flavours I absolutely have to taste in a traditional dish: cloves, coriander and even cinnamon if it’s called for. I add three of these flavours to this stew! The stew is made in the oven, which makes it perfect for lazy winter days when you trust the oven with your food while you relax in front of the fire with a book.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Heat the oil in a cast-iron pot on the stovetop. Season the lamb neck(s) with the salt, pepper, cloves and coriander. Fry the lamb until browned on all sides. Add the stock, onions and garlic, cover the pot with a lid or foil and cook in the oven for about 11⁄2 hours, then add the beans and potatoes. Add a little water if necessary. Return to the oven for 30–40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Transfer the pot to the stovetop. If there’s too much liquid, heat to reduce, or add a little water if it’s too dry. Remove one or two of the potatoes from the stew and, using a potato masher, mash until smooth and then return to the pot to thicken the stew. Season with lots of black pepper, salt and the lemon juice before serving on rice with a cucumber salad.

Enough for 6 people

Prawn sticks

These prawns make an ideal starter at a braai. Braai the prawns while everyone is chatting around the fire, and eat straight from the braai grid.

For the marinade

For the prawns

For the marinade

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a mixing bowl and add the prawns. Refrigerate and marinate for 2 hours.

For the prawns

  1. If you are grilling the prawns in the oven, preheat the oven to 180 °C. Skewer a few prawns lengthways on each bamboo stick. Repeat until all the prawns have been skewered and grill over the open fire or in the oven until the prawns are bright red and cooked through. Keep a bowl of lemony water and serviettes at hand for sticky fingers.

Enough for 6 people

Fish with a herbed crust

A bit of fresh fish is lovely, and this fish never disappoints. It’s perfect for a quick meal, for instance when unexpected guests arrive for dinner!

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place in an ovenproof dish or on a baking tray. Combine the breadcrumbs, lemon rind and juice, parsley, garlic and oil. The crumbs should be moist but not clump together. Divide the crumbs and sprinkle some on top of each fish fillet. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the crumbs are brown and the fish is cooked through.

Enough for 4 people

Replace the breadcrumbs with ground almonds for a gluten-free recipe.

Ask-for-more seafood potjie

If you like having people around you when you make a potjie, this is just the one for you. People cluster round the pot and can’t wait to taste the deliciousness.

  1. The potjie can easily be made on the stovetop, but I’ll give you the directions for an open fire. Start the fire with a few briquettes and as soon as they are medium-hot, place the potjie on the fire. Heat the oil in the pot and fry the onions, garlic and all the spices. Stir continuously until the onions are browned and soft. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, wine and sugar and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer the sauce for 45–60 minutes. Keep checking the pot (the sauce will burn if it reduces too much). If necessary, add 250 ml water and reduce again. The more times you add water and reduce the sauce, the more intense the flavours will be. Taste the sauce and add salt and the lemon rind and juice to taste. Place the seafood in the pot and cover with the lid. Cook for 6–8 minutes until the fish is done and all the mussels have opened. The crab and prawns should be blood red and the crab’s legs should come off easily when you pull them. Serve with heaps of fresh bread.

Enough for 12 people

Almost-as-good-as-steak tuna

I have fooled many people with this tuna, especially those who say they don’t like fish. If you’re lucky enough to get fresh tuna, do try this recipe.

  1. Make 6 cuts of 2.5–3 cm in each tuna steak. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour into a sealable plastic bag. Place the tuna steaks in the bag and refrigerate for a few hours. Heat a griddle pan until very hot, remove the tuna steaks from the plastic bag and grill until the fish starts changing colour almost to the middle when looked at from the side. Turn the fish and cook the other side. The ideal is to have a pink strip in the middle when you cut into the fish. Continuously brush the fish with the marinade from the plastic bag while cooking. Serve with green olive salsa (see recipe below).

Enough for 6 people

Green olive salsa

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes for the flavours to develop. Serve with the tuna steaks. This salsa is also delicious with a grilled beef steak.

Makes 350–400 ml

Good-for-the-heart fishcakes

I once read out this recipe on the radio, half embarrassed that I went on air with a can of pilchards, and on the way home a woman phoned me and, with tears in her voice, said: ‘Thank you, Nina. All I had in the house today was the one can of fish, and you taught me how to serve eight fishcakes with pride!’ That day I learned a life lesson I’ll never forget.

For the fishcakes

For the minty yoghurt sauce

For the fishcakes

  1. Combine all the ingredients, except the oil, in a mixing bowl and, using your hands, divide and then shape the mixture into 8 fishcakes. Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the fishcakes until golden-brown on both sides. Serve with a nice fresh salad and the minty yoghurt sauce.

For the minty yoghurt sauce

  1. Combine all the ingredients and serve each fishcake topped with some minty yoghurt sauce.

Makes 8 fishcakes