PAST AND PRESENT: Former Springbok captain Gary Teichmann and current skipper John Smit keep an eye on the skottel.
3 onions, chopped
3 T (45 ml) canola oil
1 pkt (250 g) bacon, chopped
1 punnet (250 g) button mushrooms, sliced or left whole
2 pkts (350 g each) cocktail cheese sausages
1 pkt (500 g) screw noodles
2 pkts (200 g each) Tastic Creamy Mushroom Flavoured Rice
6 C (1.5 litres) boiling water
750 g sliced biltong
2 C (500 ml) grated cheese
TOKS’S METHOD:
‘Sauté the onions in the oil in a potjie over the fire. Add the bacon and mushrooms and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the sausages and stir well. Sprinkle over the noodles and rice, as well as the packets of seasoning. Add the boiling water. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the noodles and rice are cooked. Add the biltong, replace the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes.
‘Stir the contents of the pot together, then sprinkle the cheese on top. Replace the lid and allow to steam for 5 minutes. Serve with a green salad.’
SERVES 10–12
TOKS VAN DER LINDE: Springbok prop 1995–2001, and scorer of two tries in 18 matches in the green and gold
2 whole crayfish or crayfish tails
4 salmon steaks
olive oil
Ina Paarman’s Lemon and Black Pepper Seasoning (or Ina Paarman’s Chilli and Garlic Seasoning)
lemon quarters
ROBBIE’S METHOD:
‘To split the crayfish, grip the back firmly, pierce sharply at the central point where the head meets the body and halve the head. Split the tail in half lengthways, remove the vein and rinse under cold running water. Brush with a generous amount of olive oil. Season the crayfish halves, as well as the salmon steaks, with the seasoning of your choice.
‘Prepare a medium to hot fire. Make sure that your braai grid is spotlessly clean. Rub it with the cut side of a raw onion or a little oil to prevent food from sticking to the grid. Place the crayfish, meaty side down, and cook for 3–5 minutes. When nicely marked, turn the crayfish over and cook on the shell for about 7 minutes. Cook the salmon steaks for about half the time. Serve as is with a squeeze of lemon – a sauce is not needed!’
SERVES 4
ROBBIE FLECK: Springbok centre 1999–2002, and scorer of 10 tries in 31 Tests
8 lamb loin chops
Ina Paarman’s Rosemary and Olive Seasoning
Ina Paarman’s Olive Oil and Rosemary Coat and Cook Sauce
8 skewers
HO’S METHOD:
‘Slash once or twice across the fat on the side of the chops. Season lightly with rosemary and olive seasoning. Marinate the chops in the olive oil and rosemary sauce for at least 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. Remove the chops from the marinade with a pair of tongs and thread two chops onto each of four skewers, through the meaty eye, keeping the fatty sides lined up. Push another skewer through both chops, 1 cm away from the first, to stabilise them. Braai, with the fat side down, over medium heat until crisp, then turn and cook on the other side. Remove the chops from the skewers and lay them flat on the braai grid. Cook until nicely browned on the outside, but still juicy inside. Use any leftover marinade to baste the chops while they are cooking. They are delicious served with tomato and onion braai sandwiches.’
SERVES 4
HENRY OSWALD (HO) DE VILLIERS: Springbok fullback 1967–1970, and scorer of 26 points in 14 Tests
‘As a child growing up, we didn’t necessarily have the luxury of eating lamb chops on a regular basis. It was a special treat whenever they appeared on the plate, which is probably why I grew to love eating them so much.
‘It’s the same for seafood. As a kid I was petrified when I saw a crayfish for the first time! I was petrified until I tasted the thing, and then I couldn’t get enough.
‘I’m a very simple eater at heart. You can put anything in front of me and even if I don’t like it I’ll eat it. And I’ll never complain because you’ve always just got to stop and think, “at least I’ve got a plate of food in front of me, whatever it is”.
‘Looking back I can’t help laughing at the thought of us eating big steaks before Test matches, but it was really like that. I’ll never forget an incident before playing England on the 1969/70 demo tour. Gawie Carelse was sitting next to me and we had decided on an early lunch. All I would have before games was a little bit of mashed potato, but Gawie ordered a steak and told the waiter that when it came he did not want to be able to see the plate it was on!
‘But that’s how it was in those days. We weren’t sophisticated in our training methods or in what we ate. I would have loved to have played in the professional era, but in our day you just went for a run when you could because you had a job, and then you’d smash a big steak before going out to play a big Test match.
‘I think it was fun and the fact of the matter was that no one got an unfair advantage because everyone was doing the same stupid thing. The training was the same, the amateur era didn’t allow anyone to get the upper hand. Frik du Preez always said to me the only reason he practised was because it was better than working.’
SPRINGBOK FULLBACK 1967–1970
1.5–2 kg fillet steak
1 C (250 ml) plain yoghurt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
fresh herbs, such as thyme or origanum
freshly ground black pepper
SALAD:
Rosa tomatoes
red onions
garlic
herb mix
balsamic vinegar
lettuce leaves
rocket
avocado
pecan nuts
ANDRIES’S METHOD:
‘Marinate the fillet in the plain yoghurt, garlic, herbs and black pepper for a minimum of 2 hours. Braai until medium-rare, let it rest while you make the salad, then serve.
‘Toss some Rosa tomatoes and red onion in a pan with lots of garlic and some herb mix. Add some balsamic vinegar to the pan. Once all is hot and roasted, scatter the mix over a bed of lettuce leaves and add rocket, avocado and pecan nuts.’
SERVES 6
ANDRIES BEKKER: Springbok lock 2008–2011, son of 1980s Springbok Hennie Bekker and, at 2.08 metres, the tallest man ever to wear the green and gold
16–20 (about 1 kg) large black tiger prawns
wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
olive oil
Ina Paarman’s Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
1 lime or lemon
HO’S METHOD:
‘If frozen, leave the prawns in a sink half-filled with cold water until beginning to thaw. Separate the prawns and remove the heads. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut through the hard shell along the backs of the prawns. Slice almost completely through the flesh with a sharp knife, and butterfly them open. Remove the black vein and rinse in clean water. Skewer the prawns onto wooden kebab sticks to keep them open and flat. Brush the prawns generously with olive oil and season on both sides with the chilli and garlic seasoning. Leave covered in the fridge, with an ice brick on top, until ready to cook. Once the braai fire is ready, cook the prawns meaty side down until well marked. Turn and cook on the shell side for 2–3 minutes. Squeeze lime or lemon juice over and serve with the following Chilli and Garlic Dipping Sauce.’
CHILLI AND GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE:
½ red chilli, very finely sliced
1 T (15 ml) lemon or lime juice
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman’s Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
¼ C (60 ml) olive oil
2–3 cloves garlic, crushed
‘Place all the ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake well. Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes for the flavours to develop. Shake again and pour a little into individual dipping bowls for each guest. The sauce will keep in the fridge for a week.’
SERVES 6 AS PART OF A FISH BUFFET
HENRY OSWALD (HO) DE VILLIERS: Springbok fullback 1967–1970, and scorer of 26 points in 14 Tests
¼ C (60 ml) cooking oil
3 red peppers, seeded and julienned
1 large onion, diced
500 g pork, cubed
5 chicken thighs, halved
pinch saffron
4 bay leaves
2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled
4 C (1 litre) boiling water
1 kg kingklip fillet, cut into strips
400 g frozen prawns
2½ C (625 ml) uncooked rice
1 small pkt (250 g) green peas
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
WAYNE’S METHOD:
‘Heat the oil in the potjie until hot, then lightly brown the peppers, onion, pork and chicken. Cover the potjie with its lid and leave to simmer for about 1 hour until the meat is almost done. Add the saffron, bay leaves and stock cubes to the boiling water and set aside to infuse. Place the fish and prawns on top of the meat, followed by the rice and peas. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 C (500 ml) of the saffron water and then keep topping up the pot a little at a time as the rice absorbs the water. Simmer the potjie until all the ingredients are cooked through and all the liquid has boiled off. Paella should be loose and the rice must not be soggy. Add lemon juice to taste just before serving.’
SERVES 6–8
WAYNE FYVIE: Springbok flanker 1996, and legendary Natal flanker and captain who made his Test debut against the All Blacks
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Frikkie Naudé and Jan ‘Boland’ Coetzee relive old battles; former Springbok flyhalf Robbie Blair with his old Stellenbosch team-mates; Jan’s grandchildren and Chester Williams’ son scrum down; Jan and Chester dish up; Jan enjoys his famous Pinot Noir in the kitchen of his Stellenbosch farmhouse.
‘As a wine farmer I’m lucky because my entire day consists of tasting things, whether it’s the aged loin of a springbok I shot in the Kalahari, the unique Pinot Noir we produce at the farm, or the finest chocolates and cheese that visitors from overseas leave behind when they come to visit.
‘My love of food was sparked by my Ouma Anna. We used to stay on a farm situated between Piketberg and Elands Bay which my family moved to from Stellenbosch in 1682 and which one of my nephews still runs.
‘There she would cook for everybody on the farm, family and farmworkers alike. This meant that you really had to stretch the pot, and to do so she became very innovative with ingredients, especially curries and beans.
‘The one memory that sticks out is the smell of coriander leaves. Even today, in my own farm kitchen, I still use coriander in many of my dishes as a reminder of those days.’
SPRINGBOK FLANKER 1974–1976
2–3 springbok or mountain reedbuck loins
MARINADE:
good-quality salt (Maldon or Papendorp)
⅓ C (80 ml) olive oil
⅓ C (80 ml) soy sauce
⅓ C (80 ml) Knorr Sun-dried Tomato Salad Dressing, or any other of personal preference
BOLAND’S METHOD:
‘Clean your gun, make sure it’s 100 per cent accurate, and head out with your friends to the Karoo. Shoot some springbok or mountain reedbuck, making sure it’s a headshot so as not to waste anything. Bleed and gut the buck properly, then clean them and hang them in their skins in a cool place (the Karoo nights are cold enough for this) for 5–6 days. Skin and cut the loins. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and marinate for up to 8 hours. When you’re happy with your meat, make a nice fire and braai the loins over very hot coals for around 15 minutes or sear the outside and serve as carpaccio. Take the meat off and let it rest for a while, before cutting into thin slices. You can serve it hot or cold. You could even do the same with a leg of game if you prefer.’
SERVES 6–8, DEPENDING ON SIZE
JAN ‘BOLAND’ COETZEE: Springbok flanker 1974–1976, who played in all four Tests against New Zealand on the All Blacks’ 1976 tour of South Africa
50 g blue cheese
½ C (125 ml) Bulgarian yoghurt
½ C (125 ml) mayonnaise
FOURIE’S METHOD:
‘Grate the cheese on the coarse side of the grater and then mix together with the yoghurt and mayonnaise. Serve with steak. This recipe can easily be doubled and more blue cheese can be added for a thicker sauce.’
MAKES 1 C (250 ML)
FOURIE DU PREEZ: Springbok scrumhalf 2004–2011, and 2007 Rugby World Cup winner
2 T (30 ml) cooking oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250 g sliced mushrooms
150 g whole button mushrooms
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
½ C (125 ml) fresh cream
ANDRÉ’S METHOD:
‘Heat the oil and sauté the onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes. Add seasoning and thyme. Add cream and simmer over medium heat for 5–7 minutes until thickened. Serve with steak, chicken or baked potatoes.’
MAKES ABOUT 2 C (500 ML)
ANDRÉ VENTER: Springbok flanker 1996–2001, and scorer of nine tries in 66 Tests
¾ C (180 ml) sweet-and-sour sauce
2 t (10 ml) brown sugar
3 T (45 ml) lemon juice
4 t (20 ml) soy sauce
2 T (30 ml) water
JUAN’S METHOD:
‘Mix the ingredients together and marinate the steaks overnight. The next day, pour the sauce into a cup. Rub the steaks with olive oil. Use braai spices (garlic flakes, black pepper or lemon pepper) to taste. Braai the steaks quickly over a hot fire, brushing them with the marinade from the cup.’
MAKES JUST OVER 1 C (250 ML)
JUAN SMITH: Springbok flanker 2003–2011, and 2007 Rugby World Cup winner
