Local is lekker

Food from the Garden

Author: Sonja Jordt

Publisher: Tafelberg

Price: R215

Review by: Jenny Kay

Having just planted a vegetable garden for the first time, I was delighted to see this book. As well as giving tips on planting and growing a range of fruit and vegetables, there are wonderful recipes to make with the produce you harvest from your own garden.

Even if you don't have a vegetable garden, this book will provide inspirational recipes for every occasion. This book offers a selection of recipes taken from Home magazine and is available in English and Afrikaans,

I have a wonderful crop of rocket at the moment, so I decided to make the stuffed chicken breasts, which were enjoyed by the family. I am still waiting for my tomatoes to produce a crop, then I intend making my very own sun-dried tomatoes.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH ROCKET, MOZZARELLA AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Serves 4-6

6 filleted chicken breasts

125ml finely grated mozzarella cheese

6 sun-dried tomatoes, shredded

handful of fresh rocket, chopped

olive oil

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Make a short cut into the side of each chicken breast. Be careful not to cut it right through.

Combine the mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and rocket. Fill the chicken breasts and close the openings with toothpicks. Rub the chicken breast with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the breasts over a moderate heat until golden brown on both sides. Arrange the breasts in a greased ovenproof dish and bake at 180 C for 20 minutes or until cooked.

Sprigs Entertain

Authors: Clare and Fiona Ras

Publishers: Jacana Media

Price: R300

Review by: Jenny Kay

THIS is the second book written by well known Durban foodies Clare and Fiona Ras.

From their very popular eatery Sprigs in Kloof, Durban, these talented chefs make food that is fresh and uncomplicated. Entertain is the result of encouragement by regulars who also attend cooking demonstrations hosted by the pair.

Their passion and enthusiasm comes through in the selection of recipes in the book. There are recipes covering all the corners of the world - from French to Italian to Chinese - and the vegetarian sections will satisfy non-meat eaters.

With asparagus plentiful and cheap at the moment, I tried their sweet chilli recipe and this will definitely be added to my repertoire when I next entertain guests.

ASPARAGUS WITH SWEET CHILLI & SESAME SEEDS

Serves 4

45ml water

15ml soy sauce

15ml fish sauce

15ml sesame oil

45ml sweet chilli sauce

15ml peanut oil

2 punnets asparagus

5cm knob of ginger, grated

45ml sesame seeds

10g coriander leaves

Mix water, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and sweet chilli sauce and set aside.

Heat peanut oil in a wok, add the trimmed asparagus and quickly stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the ginger and sesame seeds. Once they start to colour, pour in the soy sauce liquid and cook until thick.

Arrange the asparagus on a platter and garnish with the coriander leaves.

Franschhoek Food

Author: Myrna Robins

Publisher: Random House Struik

Price: R340

Review by: Jenny Kay

EVERY once in a while a very special book lands on my desk and from the moment I laid eyes on this book, I knew it was special, starting from the cover to the feel of the paper and everything inside.

I love the Franschhoek valley and have been lucky enough to visit quite a few restaurants in the area. The book offers a brief history of Franschhoek and how it has developed over the years, and each restaurant featured contains a description of the food and the people who work there and some of their favourite recipes.

If you have ever been to the area or plan to visit it soon, this book will be invaluable in guiding you on places of interest to visit and where to eat.

Although most of the recipes would not be suitable for preparing at home, some were quite accessible. I loved the idea of pumpkin scones prepared by chef Mark Radnay, of Genot restaurant. Roasting the pumpkin with the cinnamon, sugar and orange gave the scones a delightful sweet savoury flavour.

PUMPKIN SCONES

Makes 18

188 pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes

ground cinnamon

sugar

olive oil

juice of 1 orange

4 x 250ml flour

27ml baking powder

20ml sugar

pinch salt

125g butter

2 eggs

125ml milk

60ml cream

Preheat the oven to 200 :C. Toss the pumpkin with a little cinnamon, sugar and olive oil, and sprinkle with orange juice. Transfer to a baking pan and roast until the pumpkin is tender. Set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingertips then add the eggs and mix well. Slowly add the milk and cream to the mixture, then add the roasted pumpkin cubes. Cut the dough with a scone cutter and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Kokni delights

Author: Nujmoonnisa Parker

Publisher: Kampress

Price: R100

Review by: Sumaya Samsodien

I HAVE tried and tasted many recipes and I love reading cookbooks, but was never requested to review one. While paging through Kokni Delights, I came across the taystee wheat porridge recipe that made me reminisce over my childhood memories; remembering nostalgically the days my late father prepared this dish for the family on many a Saturday morning.

Being a Muslim, to this day I close my fast in Ramadaan and on weekends with the traditional taystee wheat recipe. This recipe is great when not feeling well as it revitalises the body with the correct nourishment.

The recipes in Kokni Delights were perfected in the many villages across India and have been handed down from generation to generation by a vibrant community full of history, rich in culture and diversity. There are numerous dishes to choose from that cater for all - the meat lover, vegetarian, fish eater and my favourite sweet delicacies. A few tweaked and, dare I say, modern recipes are included.

The dishes are quick and easy to prepare. So if you want to expand your Indian culinary repertoire, Kokni Delights is an excellent book to have on your shelf and can make for a wonderful gift for the new bride.

I made the taystee wheat squares, which were a delicious treat.

TAYSTEE WHEAT SQUARES

Serves 6-8

397g can condensed milk

500g taystee wheat

125g butter

60ml milk

375ml fine coconut

salt to taste

5ml fine elachi

Melt butter and braise taystee wheat for about 10-15 minutes on a medium heat.

Add coconut and braise for a further 5 minutes. Add condensed milk and combine all the ingredients together. When mixture starts to move away from sides of pot, remove from heat.

Press mixture into a greased baking tray and cut into squares while hot. Store in an air-tight tin.

La Petite Ferme

Authors: Carol and John Dendy-Young

Published: Random House Struik

Price: R220

Review by: Lesley Hamlyn

The restaurant La Petite Ferme is a family-owned restaurant and winery in Franschhoek and, as a result of requests from regular patrons, this book came about.

The book is divided into seasons. I chose Mediterranean Vegetable Quiche from the summer section.

With the vegetables in season, ingredients were easy to find. The pastry was extremely easy to make, rubbing ingredients together and pressing into the dish. The vegetable placed into the pie dish and covered with custard made with cream always gives a great result. The quiche was a real treat. The suggested wine for the recipe is also a good idea. A great recipe book as well as a coffee table book.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE QUICHE

Serves 8



A selection of Mediterranean vegetables, brinjals, onions, baby tomatoes, baby marrows and peppers, sliced

olive oil for frying

Crust

125g cheddar cheese

125g butter or margarine

1 clove garlic, crushed

125g flour

salt and pepper

Egg cream

250ml cream

150ml milk

3 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180°C.

First make crust by combining cheese, butter and garlic. Add flour, salt and pepper and gather mixture together to form a ball. Press the mixture into a pie plate and refrigerate

Lightly toss and brown vegetables in heated olive oil until tender. Allow to cool, then arrange in pie crust. Mix together all the ingredients for egg cream and pour over the vegetables. Bake for 30-40 minutes until set.

You, Let's Cook 5

Author: Carmen Niehaus

Publisher: Human and Rousseau

Cost: R235

Reviewed by: Elinor Storkey

ANOTHER tried-and-tested cookery book from the popular You Let's Cook series.

A collection of old favourites for everyday cooking, together with a few slightly more sophisticated and unusual recipes, make up the more than 400 recipes - from starters, mains, salads and vegetables to desserts. As you page through, you will notice it is full of practical hints and tips for lots of the dishes. Best of all, the recipes have all been tried and tested. I enjoyed the bread wheels, but would have liked an estimate of how long they would bake for. I found 20 minutes long enough to get that nice golden look.

BREAD WHEELS

If you are in a hurry, buy ready-made dough at your supermarket bakery and turn it into these impressive home-made treats. Makes 12.

250g bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1kg bread dough, at room temperature

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

250ml grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a large baking sheet.

Heat a pan over medium heat and lightly fry the bacon. Remove from pan and add onion. Fry until soft. Flatten the bread dough slightly on a floured surface and roll out as thinly as possible. Scatter the fried bacon and onion, garlic and cheese over the dough. Neatly roll up the dough and cut into 3cm slices. Arrange the slices on a prepared baking sheet and bake until well risen and golden brown.

• This article was originally published on page 15 of The Star on October 22, 2009

Source : Babynet