FOOD

Beer-can chicken with plum sauce

Pork belly with devils-on-horseback

Prawns with tomato sauce and breadcrumbs

Serves 4 Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes

You need

• 1 ciabatta loaf • 4 tablespoons olive oil • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped • 1 medium-sized red onion, chopped • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 3 big tomatoes, in small pieces • 1 red chilli, chopped • pinch of turmeric (optional) • 1 cup dry white wine • 800g prawns in shells, deveined • butter • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Here’s how

1 Cut two thick slices of ciabatta, then cut them into smaller cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the bread until crisp. Crumb the bread and set aside. 2 Heat the rest of the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic and onion until glossy. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, chilli and turmeric, and cook for a few minutes until flavoursome. Add the wine and cook for a few minutes. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add a little water if it’s too thick. 3 In a separate pan, fry the prawns in the butter until they’re bright pink and curled up. Add the prawns to the tomato sauce and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter over the parsley and breadcrumbs. Simmer for a minute or two and serve with slices of ciabatta to mop up the sauce.

TIP This dish is also delicious with spaghetti. Stir al dente pasta and a little of the pasta water into the sauce with the prawns. The meal will serve six.

Beer-can chicken with plum sauce

Serves 6 Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 90 minutes

You need

• 1 whole chicken • 3ml each salt and black pepper • 5ml onion powder • 5ml mustard powder • 10ml mixed dried herbs • pinch each of ground ginger and chilli flakes • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 can (370 ml) beer • 3 tablespoons plum sauce • 2 spring onions, chopped • 5ml sesame seeds, roasted

Here’s how

1 Mix together the salt and pepper, onion powder, mustard powder, herbs, ginger, chilli flakes and olive oil. Baste the chicken with this mixture, outside and inside. 2 Prepare the kettle braai for the indirect cooking method by moving the coals to the sides and leaving space open under the grid. 3 Take a big sip of the beer – you only need about ¾ of the can. Place the beer can on the grid. Slide the chicken over the beer so the can is upright inside the cavity. Use the chicken legs and can for balance. Cover the chicken with a sheet of foil and close the lid of the kettle braai. Cook for about an hour. 4 Remove the foil and baste the chicken with the plum sauce. Close the lid again and braai for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is glossy and cooked through. Carefully remove the chicken from the can and set aside for 10 minutes to rest. Scatter over the spring onion and sesame seeds and serve with a fresh salad and flatbread.

Pork belly with devils-on-horseback

Makes 4 – 6 appetisers Preparation time 20 minutes, plus time overnight Cooking time about 2 hours

You need

• 1kg deboned pork belly, with skin • 15 ml Cajun spices • 5ml salt • 7 devils-on-horseback (glacé cherries or prunes wrapped in bacon), toothpicks removed

For the salad

• 300g Brussel sprouts, steamed and shredded • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 1 teaspoon honey • 1 teaspoon coarse mustard • salt and pepper, to taste • ½ cup pomegranate arils (or 60 ml dried cranberries and 60 ml pecan nuts, chopped)

Here’s how

1 Rub the spices onto the meaty side of the pork belly – make sure you don’t get any on the skin side. Turn the pork belly over and prick the skin with a skewer or use a meat tenderiser tool. 2 Use a sharp knife to score the skin and fat layer at even intervals. (This makes it easier to cut the pork belly when the meat is cooked and the skin is crisp.) 3 Rub the salt into the skin and cuts. Put the pork belly in a nonreactive container (glass, ceramic or enamel) with the skin facing up. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 12 hours to dry out the skin. This step is optional, but it ensures a crisp pork belly. 4 Remove the meat from the fridge, pat it dry and set it aside to reach room temperature. Arrange the devils-on-horseback in a row on the meaty side, roll up the pork belly (skin facing out) and secure with kitchen twine. 5 Braai the pork belly for about 1 hour 15 minutes on a rotisserie over medium-hot coals. Move the meat closer to the heat and braai for 30 –45 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Set aside to rest before you slice the meat. 6 Prepare the salad: Mix all the ingredients together. Season to taste and serve with the pork.

Cheese tart

Serves 6 as an appetiser Preparation time 45 minutes Baking time 40 minutes

You need

• 125ml buttermilk • 1 egg • 2 tablespoons olive oil • salt and pepper • 10 sheets of phyllo pastry

For the filling

• 2 cups grated mozzarella • about 1 cup creamy Danish feta • 8 piquanté peppers, finely chopped • 3 tablespoons chives, chopped • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped • black pepper

Here’s how

1 Preheat the oven to 180° C. Beat the buttermilk, egg and olive oil together until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Remember, the cheese is also salty.) 2 Line a rectangular oven dish with the phyllo: Baste five sheets generously with the buttermilk mixture and layer them on top of each other in the dish. Mix together the filling ingredients and spoon onto the pastry in an even layer. 3 Baste the five remaining pastry sheets with the buttermilk mixture and layer them on top of the cheese filling. Press down lightly. 4 Pour the rest of the buttermilk mixture over the tart. Use a sharp knife to cut the tart into squares or diamonds. Bake for about 35– 40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. 4 Cut the cheese tart along the same lines you made before baking and serve hot or at room temperature.

TIP For a lighter, crispier tart, baste the phyllo pastry with ½ cup melted butter instead of the buttermilk mixture.

Cheese tart

Green salad with beetroot and pistachio praline

Green salad with beetroot and pistachio praline

Serves 6 Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes

You need

• 2 handfuls (80 g) of baby spinach • handful of fresh basil • 125g mangetout • 1 cup peas, blanched • 2 ripe avocados, sliced • 12 pickled baby beetroot, in quarters

For the praline

• ½ cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds • ½ cup sugar • ½ cup boiling water

For the salad dressing

• ½ cup Bulgarian yoghurt • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • grated zest of 1 lemon • ½ teaspoon grated garlic • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped • pinch each of sugar, salt and black pepper

Here’s how

1 Prepare the praline first: Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Spread the nuts and pumpkin seeds out in a single layer on the paper. Add the sugar and water to a small pot and stir over a medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, bring the water to a boil without stirring until it turns a golden caramel. Pour the hot caramel over the nuts. Tilt the baking sheet from side to side so

Berry cheesecake

the caramel forms a thin layer – be careful, it’s very hot! Set the praline aside to cool down and set. 2 Whisk all the ingredients for the salad dressing together and season to taste. Set aside. 3 Combine the spinach, basil, mangetout and peas in a salad bowl. Arrange the beetroot and avocado on top. Don’t move the beetroot around too much or your salad will turn pink. Chop up the praline and scatter over the salad. Drizzle over a few spoons of the salad dressing and serve.

Berry cheesecake

Makes 16 squares Preparation time 20 minutes, plus time to set overnight

You need

• 200g chocolate biscuits, crumbled • ½ cup butter, melted • 80 g berry-flavoured jelly • ½ cup boiling water • ½ cup cold water • 2 x 230g tubs medium-fat cream cheese • 1 cup full-cream berry-flavoured yoghurt

For the topping

• 80 g berry-flavoured jelly • 1 cup boiling water • 200ml cold water • strawberries, raspberries and mint leaves

Here’s how

1 Line a rectangular pan with baking paper or wax paper. (This makes it easier to unmould the cheesecake. If you don’t want to unmould the cheesecake, prepare it in a tart dish.) Mix the biscuit crumbs and butter together. Spoon the mixture into the pan and lightly smooth it down in an even layer. Put the pan in the fridge while you prepare the jelly. 2 Dissolve the jelly in the boiling water and add the cold water. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the yoghurt and beat again until smooth. Slowly add the cold jelly and beat until well combined. Pour the mixture over the crust and refrigerate for an hour to set. 3 Prepare the topping: Dissolve the second packet of jelly powder in the boiling water, add the cold water and pour the mixture over the cheesecake. Refrigerate until set. 4 Lift the cheesecake out of the pan by pulling on the baking paper. Transfer it to a serving plate, cut the cheesecake into squares and serve with berries and mint leaves.

TIP If you decorate the jelly layer with sliced strawberries, make sure you use a very sharp knife to slice the cheesecake.