FEAST

food for feeding people you love.

GRILLED HONEY & SOY TROUT

with barley & herb salad.

Trout and salmon happen to be two of Rob’s favourite things, so I’m generally up for adding to our quick-fix repertoire of almost-instant, always-effortless options for pretty, plump, pink fish fillets. This version, with golden honey, deep rich soy sauce and the characteristic punch and freshness of ginger and lime, along with the very satisfying al denteness of the barley salad, is a perfect any-season, almost-fancy but unfussy crowd pleaser. It’s also a pared-down twist on Aunty Sue’s salmon recipe in bitten.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 2 × 150 g trout (or salmon) fillets
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1¹⁄₂ tsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, grated

Barley & herb salad

• ¹⁄₂ cup pearled barley
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1–2 tsp honey
• ¹⁄₂ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
• 50 g feta or ricotta, crumbled
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

WHAT TO DO

1. First make the salad. Rinse the barley in a sieve or colander under cold running water and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain and allow to cool before adding to a serving bowl along with the remaining salad ingredients.
2. Preheat the oven’s grill. Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof dish and drizzle over the honey, soy sauce and lime juice. Scatter over the grated ginger and grill for about 8 minutes for medium or until cooked through and the flesh easily flakes with a fork.
3. Serve the fish with a generous helping of barley and herb salad and an extra drizzle of lemon juice.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 30 minutes

NOTE: For a much quicker result, make the salad with couscous instead of barley, which should bring the cooking time down to 15 minutes in total.

SPICY PRAWN CAKES

with watercress pesto.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 300 g sweet potato
• 250 g prawns, shelled and deveined
• 150 g firm white fish
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• ¹⁄₂ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp lime zest
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1–2 Tbsp cake flour, if needed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Watercress pesto

• 50 g fresh watercress, rinsed
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 fresh chilli, deseeded
• up to ¹⁄₂ tsp castor sugar to taste
• pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

1. Boil the sweet potato in a saucepan of salted water until cooked through and easily pierced with a knife. Drain, peel, roughly mash and set aside to cool.
2. Pat dry the prawns with paper towel and place in a food processor along with the fish, spring onions, herbs, chilli flakes, lime juice and zest, ginger and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper and process until roughly chopped. Add the cooled sweet potato mash and the egg and pulse until combined.
3. Form the mixture into golf ball-sized patties and flatten slightly. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little flour 1 Tbsp at a time until you have a workable texture. Refrigerate the fish cakes in an airtight container.
4. To make the pesto, blend all the ingredients for 2–3 minutes, and check seasoning.
5. Just before you are ready to eat, heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan and fry the fish cakes for 4–5 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Drain on a plate lined with paper towel before serving with the pesto and a starch of your choice, such as crunchy potato wedges.

MAKES 6–8 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | COOKING TIME 30 minutes

NOTE: The pesto will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

creamy chowder-style

HADDOCK PIE.

Excerpt from blog post, April 2012: ‘I’ve not posted for almost two weeks because we were having a very pleasant interlude at the seaside. At the seaside. Such a simple phrase and yet one that for some reason conjures up all manner of delightful images of old English-style fish and chips and “bathing suits” and piping-hot sweet tea and cardigans, oh, and scones of course. And this makes you want to use words like “higgledy-piggledy” and “lovely” and such. Lovely is one of my very favourite adjectives. It’s charming and sweet and so wonderfully British. Well, anyway, thank goodness that, in this case, the Britishness ended right there and we were taking our seaside holiday at our good old South African seaside – where Sophie could bask merrily in her very sunny, seaside paradise with her cute cousins and her bucket and spade. And speaking of fish and chips, and spurred on by Robert’s frequent nose-upturning at most home-cooked options, I thought I’d go for a twist on another old favourite with this (technically American) chowder-style fish pie. He gave it an 8/10. Capital.’

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 300 g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion or 4 spring onions, chopped
• 1 cup chopped leeks
• 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped, or ¹⁄₂ tsp dried
• generous pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp liquid stock (chicken, fish or vegetable)
• 2 Tbsp cream
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 × 150 g haddock (or salmon) fillets, roughly chopped
• ¹⁄₂ × 410 g can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 sheet readymade puff pastry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

WHAT TO DO

1. Cook the sweet potatoes in a saucepan of salted boiling water until cooked through and easily pierced with a knife. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for 2–3 minutes until translucent. Add the leeks, thyme, salt and pepper and fry for a further 3–4 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 °C and lightly grease an ovenproof dish.
4. Add the stock, cream, lemon juice and fish to the pan and simmer for about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, flake the fish apart with a fork and pour the mixture into the greased dish. Stir in the corn and sweet potatoes and check for seasoning.
5. Lay the sheet of puff pastry over the dish, press down the edges with a fork so that it sticks to the dish and trim. Make a criss-cross set of holes in the centre of the pie using a fork or sharp knife to allow steam to escape while cooking.
6. Lightly brush the surface of the pastry with the beaten egg and bake for 15–20 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffy.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 30–35 minutes | ROB’S RATING 8/10

MASALA-SPICED FISH ROTIS.

This never fails to stand up to its reputation as a crowd pleaser. Even my dad, who famously and determinedly believes that fish shouldn’t be curried, manages to set such preconceptions aside and tuck in.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 4 × 150 g skinless firm white fish fillets
• ¹⁄₄ cup natural yoghurt
• 1 Tbsp korma curry paste
• 1¹⁄₂ tsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 4 rotis (or wraps)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

1. Cut the fish into rough cubes and place in a shallow dish. Mix the yoghurt and curry paste, then pour over the fish and gently stir until well coated.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onion, tomato and sugar for about 3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the fish and fry for 5–6 minutes with the lid on, until the fish easily flakes with a fork and is cooked through.
4. When the fish is ready, heat the rotis in the microwave for 20 seconds each. Spoon the fish onto the middle of each roti, scatter over some fresh coriander, add a drizzle of lime juice and season to taste. Roll up the rotis and serve with raita (natural yoghurt mixed with chopped cucumber and mint) on the side.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | COOKING TIME 10 minutes

BAKED MEDITERRANEAN FISH

with lemony pea & mint couscous.

Mediterranean food is almost always fresh, fast and effortless, and this Mediterranean-inspired meal is no exception. It will leave you with a big smile on your face.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 2 × 150 g skinless firm white fish fillets
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp basil pesto
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 fresh chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, or
• ¹⁄₂ tsp dried chilli flakes
• ²⁄₃ cup cherry or Rosa tomatoes
• 75 g chorizo sausage, sliced and quartered
• ¹⁄₂ cup couscous
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
2. Pat dry the fish fillets with paper towel, season with salt and pepper, and rub one side of each with the basil pesto. Lay the fillets in an ovenproof dish, pesto-side up, and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the fish easily flakes with a fork and is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high and fry the chilli, tomatoes and chorizo for 3–4 minutes or until the chorizo is just starting to crisp and the tomatoes have softened. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
4. While the fish and chorizo are cooking, prepare the couscous according to the packet instructions, adding the peas to cook along with it. When done, fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir through the mint and lemon juice.
5. Serve each fish fillet immediately on a bed of couscous, topped with the chorizo mix and fresh basil.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 10–12 minutes

NOTE: Instead of couscous, serve the fish with crusty bread and torn fresh mozzarella.

BASIL-CRUSTED CHICKEN

with barley & herb salad.

This is indeed a faithful friend that makes an almost weekly appearance at our dinner table. It never fails to deliver on flavour, while managing to be both wholesome and nutritious at the same time. Oh, and it’s also jolly pretty. The barley and herb salad recipe is on page 103. For a quicker option, use couscous instead of barley in the salad.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2–3 chicken breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¹⁄₄ cup good-quality basil pesto (or coriander or watercress pesto, see page 104)
• ¹⁄₄ cup breadcrumbs

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a baking tray with the olive oil.
2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and lay them on the baking tray.
3. Spread the pesto over the chicken breasts using the back of a spoon, and then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and the chicken is cooked through.
4. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving with the barley and herb salad.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 15–20 minutes.

CHICKEN PIES

with bacon, cider & mustard.

Producing homemade pies is profoundly satisfying. Humble, hearty, heart-warming and a whole slew of other charming adjectives come to mind. Especially in this case, where the end result belies the amount of effort that went into it. These little golden poppets look oh-so-pretty and yet are assembled in a jiffy.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 skinless, deboned chicken thighs or breasts, roughly cubed
• ¹⁄₂ red onion, chopped
• 3–4 rashers bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• ¹⁄₂ tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• about 100 ml cider (or white wine)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 × 400 g roll frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan on the stovetop and fry the chicken cubes for 4–5 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion, bacon and garlic to the pan and fry for 3–4 minutes, then add the thyme, mustard, cider and cooked chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 2–3 minutes before pouring into two ramekins.
4. Cut out two puff pastry lids slightly larger than the ramekins and make a few holes in them with a fork to allow steam to escape during cooking. Drape the pastry lids over the ramekins, use a fork to press down the edges and trim. Lightly brush the pastry with the beaten egg yolk, sprinkle over the grated Parmesan and grind over a generous amount of black pepper.
5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 12–15 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | COOKING TIME 12–15 minutes | ROB’S RATING 8/10

LAMB CHOPS

with minty gremolata & rosemary polenta crisps.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 lamb chops
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Minty gremolata

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
• ¹⁄₂ tsp sea-salt flakes
• 1 Tbsp good-quality olive oil

Rosemary polenta crisps

• 1 cup polenta
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2–3 Tbsp cooking oil

WHAT TO DO

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Season the lamb chops with a sprinkling of salt and pepper on each side.
2. When the oil is very hot, cook the lamb chops for 3–4 minutes on each side and then set aside to rest for about 5 minutes.
3. While the lamb is resting, make the gremolata by roughly chopping and blending all the ingredients in a food processor or pestle and mortar.
4. To make the rosemary polenta crisps, cook the polenta according to the packet instructions, and then pour into a greased shallow casserole dish or baking tray. Evenly spread out with the back of a spoon to about 1 cm thick. Leave to cool.
5. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the rosemary, garlic, salt and olive oil into a fairly smooth paste.
6. Brush the set polenta with the rosemary mixture and then, using a sharp knife, cut it into ‘soldiers’, each about 1 cm wide and 5 cm long.
7. Heat the cooking oil in a heavy-based frying pan and fry the polenta soldiers for 4–5 minutes until golden and crispy.
8. Serve the lamb chops with the polenta crisps and gremolata on the side.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 8 minutes

QUICK CARAMELISED PORK BELLY STRIPS

with parmesan & black pepper polenta.

I love this dish for having all the flavour and decadence of a slow-roasted pork belly, but only a few minutes’ worth of tending at the stove. Big bang for your buck in terms of time, money and flavour, what’s not to love?

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp muscovado or brown sugar
• 1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 300 g pork belly strips
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander

Parmesan & black pepper polenta

• 1 cup polenta
• ¹⁄₄ cup grated Parmesan (or pecorino) cheese freshly ground black pepper
• 1–2 Tbsp cream, if needed

WHAT TO DO

1. First cook the polenta according to the packet instructions. When cooked, stir through the cheese and a good sprinkling of black pepper. If it is too thick, loosen it with some cream.
2. Meanwhile, combine the honey, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, chilli and ginger in a small bowl, and set aside.
3. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the pork belly strips for 4 minutes on each side or until golden and starting to crisp. Pour in the sauce, turning the pork to coat, and then turn down the heat to medium.
4. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and leave to simmer for a further 2–3 minutes. Be careful not to let the syrupy sauce burn.
5. Serve immediately on a bed of polenta, garnished with the fresh coriander.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | COOKING TIME 15 minutes

NOTE: For a lighter meal, serve the pork strips on a bed of steamed mixed greens, such as pak choi, Chinese broccoli and sugar snap peas. Alternatively, serve with another one of my favourites, coconut jasmine rice (see page 80). In this case, I suggest you double the sauce ingredients.

TOAD IN THE HOLE

with red onion, apple & rosemary.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 1 cup milk
• 100 g self-raising flour
• generous pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• about ¹⁄₄ cup cooking oil
• 8 pork bangers
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 apples, cored and roughly chopped
• 2–3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Smashed baby potatoes with minted peas

• 2 cups baby potatoes
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1–2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Whisk the milk, flour, salt, eggs and mustard in a mixing bowl until well combined. Set the batter aside to rest while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. Cover the bottom of a medium-sized baking tin, about 30 × 20 cm and at least 5 cm deep, with about 0.5 cm cooking oil. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and leave to heat for about 10 minutes. You may want to line the bottom of the oven with tinfoil as some of the oil might splash out of the baking tin.
3. Once the oil is heated, remove the tin from the oven, carefully add the sausages, onion, apple, rosemary and garlic, and stir gently. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the sausages are light golden.
4. Remove the baking tin from the oven, evenly pour over the batter and bake for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed up.
5. In the meantime, make the smashed baby potatoes. Place the baby potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan, cover with water, add a pinch of salt and boil until cooked through and easily pierced with a knife. Add the peas and continue to cook for 2–3 minutes. Drain, add the mint, season to taste and roughly mash.
6. Serve the toad in the hole on warmed plates with the smashed potatoes and gravy.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 25–30 minutes

NOTE: Cheat a little and make gravy using store-bought gravy powder. Just follow the instructions on the packet.

BALSAMIC MUSHROOM BARLEY RISOTTO.

Barley risotto is, obviously, very different to regular risotto that uses classic Italian Arborio rice. Barley risotto retains a more significant al dente crunch than traditional risotto, so don’t expect an exact replica of the usual creamy, silky risotto. More importantly, however, barley risotto has about half the calories and is notoriously low in gluten.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 1 heaped cup pearled barley, rinsed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ¹⁄₂ medium onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 350 g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
• ¹⁄₂ cup white wine
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 3 sprigs
• fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cups stock (I use lamb)
• ²⁄₃ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

1. Cook the barley for 10 minutes according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside. This will reduce the overall cooking time.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until softened.
3. Add the butter and, once melted, add the mushrooms and fry for a further 5 minutes or until cooked and lightly browned.
4. Add the barley and stir until well coated. Pour in the wine and simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Add the balsamic vinegar, rosemary or thyme and a ladleful of the stock, and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way until all the liquid has been absorbed and the barley is plump, tender and just past al dente. It should take about 30 minutes in total.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, stir through the Parmesan and parsley, and season to taste.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 45 minutes

NOTE: I often serve barley risotto with steak or lamb on the side.

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI

with gorgonzola & pine nuts.

This dish reminds me of one of my favourite restaurants in Cape Town, 95 Keerom. Georgio Nava is renowned as the very proud captain of this gastronomical ship, and I can remember exactly where I was sitting when I first tasted his version of this, on our very first visit. This is my humble attempt at replicating that deliciousness.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 300 g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup cake flour, plus extra for dusting
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ³⁄₄ cup cream
• ¹⁄₄ cup milk
• 100 g Gorgonzola cheese
• handful lightly toasted pine nuts

WHAT TO DO

1. Boil the sweet potatoes in a saucepan of salted water until soft. Drain and mash thoroughly with the egg yolk, flour and nutmeg. Season well with salt and pepper and knead into a soft dough. If too loose or too thick, add extra flour or water respectively. Cover with a dish cloth and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to form a long thin sausage about 1.5 cm thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 cm pieces and flatten each with a fork to form ridges on one side. Place the pieces on a floured baking tray.
3. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi in batches. As soon as they are cooked, they will rise to the surface. When this happens, gently scoop them out with a slotted spoon and set aside in a warmed serving dish.
4. Heat the cream and milk in a small saucepan (do not let it boil). Add the cheese and gently stir for 3–5 minutes until melted. Pour over the gnocchi, gently toss to coat and serve immediately with a sprinkling of pine nuts and freshly ground black pepper.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 20 minutes | COOKING TIME 10 minutes

NOTE: For a quicker version, use store-bought readymade fresh gnocchi.