Essential Flavours - Volume 1 l Issue 1

Good food and wine help bring us together. With this in mind, the idea for Essential Flavours was born as a platform to celebrate life, share recipes that is easy, affordable and titillating on the tastebuds.

Armed with enthusiasm and joie de voir, we brainstormed, planned and cooked up a storm in anticipation of this launch edition. Our aim is to enhance the foodie experience, celebrate all cooks, and illustrate with impactful content/ tips that you too can be a gourmet “chef” from the comfort of your own kitchen without breaking the bank.

Personally, I have a deep passion for pairing South African wines with meals for a tantalising sensory experience. Let’s be honest – good food, wine and people make for memorable moments – and that’s what life is. We might be the new kids on the block for now, however we are super-excited to embark on this journey with all food/wine lovers, and look forward to growing together with you. Thank you for allowing us into your kitchen, and please remember to share your tips with us on our social media pages. Stay tuned – the best is yet to come!

Elroy van Heerden Mays

Here we are, a vision that became a reality with the best team imaginable. Essential Flavours is not just a food magazine, it is a lifestyle magazine that celebrates food, wine, ingredients and most important, us. Glorious food that brings people together, flavours that dance on the palate and then culminates in the most sensational foodgasm. I feel it in every recipe.

As we embrace a new normal, Cerebos salt became my caviar and lemon juice my foie gras – we taught ourselves how to make simple meals that were still delicious. We held hands, shared our food and held on to simple things that gave us hope like love, music and laughter. That’s our theme for food.

Essential Flavours celebrates the home chef. I can assure you that amidst the laughter, our recipes will be fun, easy and delicious. Like a true girly girl, there will be enough time for you to put on some lipstick, pour yourself some vino and put your feet up before you serve the goodness. Now that this first edition has hit the shelves, we look in awe because dreams do come true. From all of us at Essential Flavours, welcome to our family.

Prim Reddy

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Contents

September to November 2022

Kitchen Tips & Tricks

The Big 6 – SA Wine Cultivars

Smart grocery shopping

Superfoods for diabetics

Chef Talk: Meet Stephen Fraser, Executive Chef at Lanzerac

Storing fresh produce – how to get the best out of it

Food safety 101

Everything you need to know about tapas

Picnics: A little vacation from life

Recipes:

Mexican style nectarine salad

Easy homemade salad dressings

Chimichurri with a peppadew twist sirloin steak Steak burger with buffalo mozzarella, jalapenos and rocket

Rice recipes to excite the tastebuds

Hot smoked salmon tartare

Kingklip with herbed butter nage

Mediterranean-style lamb & red pepper skewers with minted Yoghurt drizzle

Pork neck steak, with harissa yoghurt chickpeas and wilted baby spinach

Essential braai recipes

Chicken Tikka

Lamb trotters and butter bean curry

Bobotie samosas

Butter bean and potato curry

Mushroom tikka masala

Chicken livers

Oysters with a mignonette dressing

Creamy mushroom and bacon pasta

Lemon and garlic chicken

PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Elroy van Heerden Mays editor@essentialflavours.co.za

EDITOR: Prim Reddy editor.food@essentialflavours.co.za

SUB-EDITOR: Tessa O'Hara tessa.ohara@gmail.com

CONTENT MANAGER: Wadoeda Adams artwork@mediaxpose.co.za

CONTRIBUTORS

Jenny Morris Zola Nene Karen Hart

Justine Drake

Pather

DESIGN & LAYOUT Shaun van Heerden Mays: artwork2@mediaxpose.co.za Anja Bremley: artwork1@mediaxpose.co.za

MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS: Maurisha Niewenhuys maurisha@mediaxpose.co.za

PROJECT MANAGER: Shireen Constable shireen@mediaxpose.co.za

ADVERTISING SALES: Hester Kleynhans: hester@mediaxpose.co.za Jaun Haas: jaun@mediaxpose.co.za

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA Jay-Dee van Rensburg: digital@mediaxpose.co.za Kyla van Heerden: social@mediaxpose.co.za Ketsa Makula Kiangebeni: ketsa@mediaxpose.co.za

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Shihaam Gyer distribution@mediaxpose.co.za

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Shaun van Heerden Mays shaun@mediaxpose.co.za

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or its agents. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information published, the publisher does not accept responsibility for any error or omission contained herein. Consequently, no person connected with the publication of this journal will be liable for any loss or damage sustained by any reader as a result of action following statements or opinions expressed herein. The publisher will give consideration to all material submitted, but does not take responsibility for damage or its safe return.

AVAILABLE

Hirsch's

Kloppers

Tafelberg

Patio Warehouse

Yuppiechef.com

too little or just don’t feel like making too much to avoid

How to half and third a recipe

cup cup

cup cup

cup

tablespoon 1 teaspoon ½ teaspoon

¼ cup cup ½ cup cup ¾ cup 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon ½ teaspoon

2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

tablespoons 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

cup cup 6 tablespoons 1 ½ tablespoons ½ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon

cup cup tablespoons 1 ½ tablespoons ½ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon

How to convert grams to cups for flour

All-purpose flour

cup = 150 grams

tablespoon = 10 grams

teaspoon = 3 grams

flour

cup = 140 grams

tablespoon = 9 grams

teaspoon = 3 grams

flour

cup = 135 grams

tablespoon = 8 grams

teaspoon = 3 grams

rice flour

cup =

grams

tablespoon = 8 grams

teaspoon = 3 grams

cup

tablespoon

tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon

teaspoon + 2 teaspoons 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

teaspoon + 2 teaspoons 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

Butter or Olive Oil

Olive

Blend smarter with the nutribullet® Smart Touch Blender™ .

This sleek and powerful machine operates via touchscreen display, with four precision programs, three speeds, and a pulse function that take the guesswork out of blending.

It’s also equipped with a 1500-Watt motor and high-capacity 1.9L pitcher to smooth even the toughest ingredients.

Streamlined functionality with optimal results — now that’s clever.

The Big 6

1Pinotage

Pinotage is a red wine made from the grape of the same name – a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault.

Food pairing: Beef, venison, goat and lamb.

2Shiraz

Shiraz is a dark-skinned grape variety used to make medium- to full-bodied red wines. Its parent grapes are Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.

Food pairing: Grilled meats, vegetables, game and beef stews.

3Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine that owes much of its popularity to winemakers in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley in France. The Sauvignon Blanc taste is very different from other white wines because of its green and herbaceous flavours.

Food pairing: Seafood, chicken and green vegetables.

4Merlot

Merlot is a dark blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines.

Food pairing: Roasted vegetables, roast duck, turkey, and lean cuts of beef.

5Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a dry, full-bodied white wine with primary fruit flavours of apple, yellow melon and starfruit. Since it’s one of the few white wines that is commonly aged in oak, you’ll often find Chardonnay will taste of cream, vanilla or butter.

Food pairing: Fish, shellfish, poultry and pork dishes.

6Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied, acidic wine made from the international red wine grape variety of the same name.

Food pairing: All types of red meats.

Top Picks

Alvi’s Drift Signature Range

Pinotage 2020 R75 www.alvisdrift.co.za

De Grendal Wines Shiraz 2019 R210 www.degrendal.co.za

Ataraxia

Sauvignon Blanc 2021 R145 www.ataraxiawines.co.za

Zorgvliet Wine Estate Merlot R170 www.zorgvliet.com

De Wetshof Estate

Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2022 R107 www.dewetshof.com

La Motte 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon R159 www.la-motte.com

PRAWN AND AVOCADO SALAD

By Prim Reddy

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2‭ tablespoons olive oil

• 100‭g salted butter

• 1‭ tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

• salt

• 800‭g prawns shelled‭ and deveined‭

• 150‭g mix of fresh rocket‭, watercress and spinach leaves

• 1‭ English cucumber sliced‭ into ribbons

• 1‭/2‭ red onion or 3‭ spring‭ onions‭, sliced

• 200‭g mini rainbow rosa tomatoes

• juice of 1‭ ‬lemon

• 1‭ avocado‭, sliced lengthwise‭ Drizzle of balsamic reduction

• Micro herbs and edible flowers for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil, butter, garlic and a pinch of salt in a frying pan and lightly fry the prawns until cooked through, yet still tender.

2. On a large salad platter, create a bed of rocket, watercress and spinach. Scatter the fried prawns evenly over the greens and let the artistry begin.

3. Place the cucumber ribbons under the prawns so that half of each ribbon is peeping through. Scatter over the sliced onion, followed by the rosa tomatoes.

4. Place the lemon juice in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Arrange the avocado on the salad and pour over the lemon juice to prevent the avocado from going brown.

5. Drizzle some balsamic reduction over the top.

6. As a final touch, decorate with micro herbs and edible flowers, then pour yourself a well-deserved glass of wine because, honey, you just created the most amazing salad.