PHOTOGRAPHY: CRAIG FRASER
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Express yourself/something’s cooking/travel trends
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HEY, SWEETIE! Next-level grilled cheese – recipe on pg 75
We get lessons in style, living and self-expression from master stylist and blogger Kefilwe Mabote (P60), pop into Mi Casa lead singer and celeb chef J’Something’s kitchen for a taste of Portugal (P70) and check out what’s trending in terms of travel and holidaying in 2018 (P76).
L I V E FO O D
Tastes of
PORT UGA L Sample the best of Portuguese fusion food from J’Something’s first cookbook, Something’s Cooking
Deep-fried mac-n-cheese ‘Once a week, I have a cheat meal at home and this is always a contender. Dip these delicious treats into your favourite sugo di pomodoro [Italianstyle tomato sauce].’
• 2ml nutmeg •h andful fresh parsley, chopped • 100g panko crumbs • 1 00g Doritos cheese tortilla chips, crushed • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 100g all-purpose flour • s unflower (or vegetable) oil, for deep-frying • s moked paprika, to garnish • Maldon salt, to garnish • f resh coriander, to garnish
FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
• 40g butter • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 500ml full-cream milk • ½ teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper FOR THE MACARONI CHEESE
• 200g macaroni pasta • 1 onion, finely diced • 2 red chillies, de-seeded and finely diced • 60g Parmesan cheese, grated • 60g Boerenkaas, grated • 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
METHOD
To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Then add the milk, salt and pepper and whisk continuously until the sauce starts to simmer and thickens. Set aside. Cook the macaroni in a pot of boiling salted water for 8 minutes, drain and set aside – it should still be al dente. In a medium pot, sauté the onions and chilli until softened, then add the béchamel
sauce. Bring to a simmer and add all three cheeses, stirring continuously. Add the nutmeg and parsley and gently mix through the macaroni, then remove from the heat. Place the macaroni-cheese mixture into a casserole dish lined with plastic wrap, making sure it is gently pressed down and fills the entire dish. Allow to cool and set completely, then turn upside down and remove from dish. Cut the macaroni cheese into 2cm x 2cm squares. Mix panko crumbs and crushed tortilla chips together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, and place the flour into a third bowl. Coat the macaroni squares in flour, and then dip in egg and finally coat with the tortilla-chip mixture. Deep-fry the macaroni squares until golden-brown. Remove and drain on paper towelling before serving. Serve warm, garnished with smoked paprika, Maldon salt and some fresh coriander.
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L I V E FO O D
Bifanas (traditional Portuguese pork sandwich) ‘I remember walking down from my dad’s apartment to the café on the ground floor of the building to order a bifana and a Sumol [popular Portuguese soft drink], and my dad would have a beer. Bifanas were his absolute favourite thing to eat. It’s the sister to the prego roll, but with pork instead of beef.’ • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • ¼ teaspoon salt • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper • 2 cloves • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika • 2 tablespoons piri-piri sauce (plus extra for serving) • 2 tablespoons red-pepper sauce (pimento paste)
• ¼ cup whitewine vinegar • 1 cup white wine • 1 bay leaf •5 00g pork tenderloin (or fillet), cut into thin slices • olive oil, for frying • 2 onions, sliced • 1 teaspoon brown sugar •4 Portuguese rolls • butter, for rolls
METHOD
Mix together the garlic, salt, pepper, cloves, paprika, 2 tablespoons of piri-piri sauce, redpepper sauce, vinegar, wine and the bay leaf in a shallow bowl. Add the pork, making sure that the meat is coated on both sides. Cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Remove the pork from the marinade, drain and fry in batches for about 1 minute on each side until lightly browned, then set aside. When all the pork has been cooked, pour the leftover marinade into the pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer the marinade for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Place the pork back in the pan, making sure that it is well coated in marinade. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a separate frying pan, fry the onions until softened. Add the brown sugar and stirfry the onions until caramelised. Serve the pork with the onions in buttered Portuguese rolls with extra piri-piri sauce.
EDGARS CLUB MARCH 2018
Piri-piri chicken ‘It has been my life’s goal to find a piri-piri chicken as good as the ones I have when I’m in Portugal. Needless to say, there was never a place that really did it for me, so I decided to try to do it on my own. Here is my hundredth version of Portuguese piri-piri chicken.’
FOR THE MARINADE • 2 cups quality olive oil • 8 cloves garlic, crushed • juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed • juice of 1 orange, freshly squeezed • 2 teaspoons onion powder • good sprinkle of Aromat • 2 red chillies, chopped • few dashes Tabasco sauce • 2 teaspoons paprika • generous glug of good piri-piri sauce METHOD
• 2 whole baby chickens (spatchcocked) • coarse salt, to rub • ground black pepper, to rub
Rub both chickens with coarse salt and ground black pepper. Place all the marinade ingredients together in a large baking dish and mix
well to combine. Place both the chickens in the marinade and allow them to rest for at least 1 hour. Place the chickens on the braai, turning every now and then, until cooked through. Once the chickens are cooked, remove them from the braai and toss them in the basting sauce. Coat well, return them to the braai and cook until the basting sauce has browned and set. Turn the chickens to brown them all over. Serve the whole chickens straight from the braai, with potato fries and some freshly baked bread.
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These recipes are extracted from Something’s Cooking by Mi Casa lead singer and celebrity chef J’Something (Quivertree Publications, R330).
Lazy pastéis de nata (lazy custard tarts) ‘There is one thing you must have if you get to travel to Portugal, and that’s a pastel de nata! It’s a glorious experience, especially when it’s still warm and slightly burnt on top, and you’re enjoying it with a good espresso. I have created an easy version for you to make in the comfort of your home.’
EDGARS CLUB FEBRUARY 2018
• 115g caster sugar • 1 egg (plus 2 egg yolks) • 2 tablespoons cornflour • 400ml milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 roll puff pastry • cinnamon, for sprinkling METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the sugar and egg in a saucepan and mix together with a spoon. Place the cornflour in a small bowl. Stir some of the milk into the flour until it forms a thick, creamy consistency with no lumps. Then add the
cornflour mixture to the egg mixture, along with the remaining milk and vanilla extract. Gently heat for about 5 minutes, allowing the mixture to thicken to the consistency of custard. Roll the pastry and cut into thick 1cm rounds. Then roll them out into flatter rounds and gently lift, pressing them into muffin tins. Pour in the cream mixture and place in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
PHOTOGRAPHY: CRAIG FRASER (FOOD IMAGES) & DONOVON THORNE (BOOK COVER), RECIPES: SOMETHING’S COOKING BY J’SOMETHING (QUIVERTREE PUBLICATIONS)
L I V E FO O D
Chocolate mousse ‘My brother has a serious sweet tooth. When we eat lunch together in Portugal, it’s almost compulsory to have a dessert. And he has always been obsessed with chocolate mousse, so I wanted him to have a go at a recipe – you guys may use it with pleasure.’ FOR THE MOUSSE
• 1 00g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped • whites of 7 eggs • ¼ teaspoon lemon juice • 40g caster sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
FOR THE CREAM
• 1 cup heavy cream • ¼ cup caster sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence • extra dark-chocolate shavings, to garnish METHOD
Melt the 100g chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and lemon juice until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar and vanilla essence and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. Do not whisk beyond this stage or the egg whites will collapse and separate and you will lose all the air that you’ve just whisked in. Once the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heat.
Working really fast, whisk 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the hot chocolate, whisking quickly until thick and well combined – if you add the egg mixture too slowly, it could seize the chocolate, making it too hard and lumpy. Using a spatula, fold the remaining egg white into the chocolate mixture until all the egg white has been completely incorporated into the chocolate. Don’t over-mix at this stage, as you will knock out the air bubbles and the mousse will become too dense. Spoon the mousse into four glasses, and refrigerate for 2–3 hours to set. Whip the cream with the caster sugar and the vanilla essence. Serve the mousse with a dollop of whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
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Hey, sweetie! ‘Nothing beats a grilled cheese, but these are taken up a notch and given a fancy twist.’ • 1 tub mascarpone cheese (at room temperature) • 1/3 cup icing sugar • 4 slices brioche (or coconut bread) • mixed berries (J uses blueberries, raspberries and strawberries) • butter, for frying METHOD
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the mascarpone cheese and icing sugar well. Spread the mixture on 2 slices of bread. Place the berries on top and close the sandwiches. Place the closed sandwiches in a generously buttered pan and grill until both sides are golden-brown.
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