Olive-Oil Bream with Tomatoes

Ingredients • 50 ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling • 3 red chilli, chopped • 400 g baby plum tomatoes, left whole • 1 small bunch marjoram • 1 kg bream, gutted and scaled • 2 tsp capers • 50 g black olives • 1 red onion, finely sliced • 1 small bunch basil Method 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Gently fry the garlic, chillies and tomatoes for 3-4 minutes and then add about 100ml water and a quarter of the marjoram sprigs. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. 2. Using a sharp knife, score the fish on both sides and stuff the cavity with the remaining marjoram sprigs. 3. Put the fish on top of the tomatoes, replace the lid, and simmer for 10-15 minutes - until the fish is tender. You can also cook the fish in an oven heated to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. 4. Scatter with capers, olives, basil leaves and the sliced red onion. Drizzle over the olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Garlic Baked Redclaw Crayfish

Ingredients 16 x 75g green Redclaws 100g butter 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 lemon, zested and juiced Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Crusty bread, to serve Green salad, to serve Method Preheat the oven to 200°C. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add garlic, parsley, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Halve crayfish lengthways, from the head down through the tail. Remove head contents, devein and arrange, flesh-side up, on a baking tray. Brush liberally with the butter mixture. Bake for 3-5 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and shells have turned orange. Arrange crayfish on plates and drizzle with the cooking juices and any remaining butter mixture. Serve with crusty bread and green salad.

African Style Catfish

This recipe is designed for 4, but can be doubled. Ingredients: • 3 finely chopped garlic cloves • 1 t. ground ginger • 1 t. ground coriander • 1 t. cayenne • 1/2 t. turmeric • 3 T. chopped peanuts • 3 T. vegetable oil • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice • 4-inch piece of ginger, grated or chopped very fine • Salt • 4-6 skinless catfish fillets • Oil for frying • 2 T. corn starch • 1/2 cup flour • 1 T. cayenne Preparation: Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot, about 2-3 minutes, then saute the garlic, peanuts, ground ginger, turmeric, coriander and cayenne for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Move this to a food processor, and add the lemon juice and buzz to combine. Add the grated ginger and a little salt, then buzz just to combine, maybe 10 seconds or so. This is your marinade. Slice the catfish fillets into thirds and salt well. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Coat the catfish in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and then cover it completely with the ginger marinade. Cover and put in the fridge for an hour. Heat enough oil to come up about 1/2 inch in a heavy skillet, like a cast-iron frying pan, to about 350 degrees. In a shallow pan, mix in 1 tablespoon salt, the tablespoon of cayenne, the corn starch and the flour to combine. Take the catfish out and scrape off most of the marinade; it's OK if there is some still on the fillets. Dredge in the seasoned flour and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn once if the fish is not submerged in the oil. Serve with steamed rice and veggies.

Smoked Trout

Recipe for Smoked Trout

Bream with Hot Avocado Cream

Ingredients • 30 g butter • 1 tbsp olive oil • 2 x 150 g bream, fillets • 2 shallots, finely chopped • 165 ml soured cream • 1 tbsp creamed horseradish • 1 avocado, peeled and diced • 1/2 lemon, juice only • small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped • lemon wedges, for the garnish Method 1. Heat half of the butter and olive oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat. Place the bream fillets in the pan, skin side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the skin is crisp. 2. Turn the fillets over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm. 3. In the same pan, melt the remaining butter and fry the shallots until just softened. Stir in the horseradish and sour cream. Simmer for a minute and add the avocado, lemon juice and parsley. 4. Serve the bream coated with the sauce, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

Ingredients - Original recipe makes 4 servings - 4 tilapia fillets - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - 1 tablespoon butter, melted - 1 clove garlic, finely chopped - 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. 2. Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. 3. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle butter on top. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pepper. 4. Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork, about 30 minutes.

Pan-Fried Largemouth Bass

Ingredients 4 large mouth bass fillets, skin removed Salt Pepper 1 cup flour 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon garlic, sliced thin 1/4 cup mild fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, chervil, oregano 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Directions Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan on top of the grill. When the pan is hot add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat. Dredge the bass fillets in the flour and shake off any excess. Place the fillets in the pan and pan fry about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the fish from the pan. Add the rest of the butter to the pan and melt. When the butter is hot, add the sliced garlic. Fry the garlic until it just begins to turn light golden brown. Add the herbs and remove from the heat. Carefully, add the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, place a fillet on a plate and spoon some of the lemon garlic herb butter over the fish.

Bread in a Potjie

Ingredients 500 g white bread flour 500 g wholewheat flour 12 ml salt 25 ml white sugar 10 g instant yeast 500 ml milk 500 ml water 40 ml butter or margarine Method Mix the dry ingredients and yeast in a big mixing bowl. Heat the milk, water and butter until lukewarm. Add enough of the lukewarm mixture to the dry ingredients to form a soft dough. Knead until elastic and leave in a warm place to rise. Knead lightly and shape into a ball. Preheat the oven to 200 ºC. Grease a medium-sized, flat-bottomed, cast-iron pot with butter or margarine and place the dough inside. Also grease the top of the dough and the inside of the lid with butter. Put the lid on and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume. Bake at 200 ºC for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180 ºC. Bake for another hour or until cooked and the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Leave in the pot to cool slightly, then remove. Makes 1 large loaf.

Chicken Potjie

Ingredients 30ml cooking oil 10ml dried parsley 2kg chicken pieces 5ml garlic flakes 5 medium onions, diced 5ml lemon pepper 1 green chilli, seeded and diced 5ml dried oreganum 250ml water 2.5ml ground black-pepper 5 carrots, peeled and sliced 1.25ml peri-peri powder 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 125ml dry white wine 125ml uncooked rice 30ml sugar 200g frozen green peas 20ml salt 15 whole button mushrooms 15ml medium curry powder 2 tomatoes, diced 1 cube chicken stock, crumbled Method Heat the oil in the pot and braai the chicken, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown. Remove and brown the onions and chilli until soft. Replace the chicken and add the water. Cover with the lid and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Layer the vegetables and rice as they appear above and sprinkle the herbs and spices on top. Cover with the lid and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes. Mix the wine and the rest of the ingredients and pour over the food. Cover with the lid and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is done. Give the pot a good stir before serving.

Dried Fruit Venison Potjie

Ingredients 1 kg venison, cubed 25 ml sunflower oil 1 large onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, crushed 5 ml whole cloves 5 ml mustard powder 5 ml dried (or 10 ml fresh) parsley 5 ml braai spice Salt and milled black pepper 340 ml beer 500 ml Coca-Cola 75 ml Worcestershire sauce 1 can pineapple pieces in juice 250 g mixed dried fruit 125 ml chutney 50 ml natural yoghurt Method Heat the oil and brown the meat in batches. Don’t do too much at once as the meat will draw water. Remove the meat from the pot. Fry the onion and garlic in the remaining oil, adding more if necessary and add the spices. Stir-fry for another minute. Add the meat, beer, Coca-Cola and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Cover and simmer over a low heat for about two hours or until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and cook or another hour. Stir in the yoghurt shortly before serving. Serve with rice or pap and a salad.

Guinea Fowl in Red Wine

Ingredients 125 g spek, diced 15 ml butter 15 ml cooking oil 2 onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 guineafowl, cut into portions 1 small carrot, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs fresh thyme 15 ml chopped fresh oregano or 5 ml dried 5-7 ml salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste 200 ml dry red wine 100 ml meat stock 350 ml brown mushrooms 30 ml chopped fresh parsley Method Fry spek in larger potjie until crisp. Remove and set aside. Add butter and oil to remaining fat and sauté onion and garlic until transparent. Remove and set aside. Add guineafowl portions and brown on all sides. Spoon onion mixture, carrot, celery and spek on top. Add herbs, salt and pepper. Heat wine and stock together in smaller potjie and pour over guineafowl. Cover and simmer slowly for 2 – 3 hours or until tender. Arrange mushrooms on top and sprinkle with parsley. Replace lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Lamb Potjie

Ingredients Cooking oil to brown meat 8 neck of lamb slices, 15 mm thick 8 lamb knuckles, 15 mm thick 8 pork knuckles, 15 mm thick 8 small onions 10 ml salt Meat stock 8 carrots, each cut into 3 pieces 3 large potatoes, cubed 24 young green beans, halved 6 baby marrows, each cut into 3 pieces 250 g button mushrooms 2 large onions, finely chopped 6 large ripe tomatoes, skinned and diced 2 – 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 – 3 drops Tabasco sauce 15 ml soy sauce 15 ml Worcestershire sauce Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 stalk celery, cut into 5 mm pieces Coarsely chopped fresh parsley Method Heat a little oil in the potjie, add neck and brown on all sides. Remove and arrange in the centre of a flat -bottomed potjie. Repeat this with the lamb and pork knuckles, placing the lamb in a circle around the neck, then the pork knuckles around the outside edge. Place whole small onions on top and sprinkle with salt. Pour in hot meat stock to almost cover meat. Arrange vegetables on top in layers: carrots, potatoes, then green beans. Cover with lid and allow to simmer. As soon as the potato is almost soft, arrange a layer of baby marrow and then a layer of mushrooms on top. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Braise onion and tomato in smaller potjie. Add remaining ingredients, except parsley. Simmer for 15 minutes. Spoon over vegetables in flat-bottomed potjie and allow to simmer through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Oxtail Potjie

Ingredients 500g Oxtails cut into 2 inch thick pieces 10 slices Bacon cut into 1 inch pieces ½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper 1 litre beef stock 1 can tomato paste 1 bay leaf 6 black peppercorns 1 bouquet garni 6 large leeks, chopped coarsely 2 large onions, chopped coarsely 6 large carrots, chopped coarsely 20 button mushrooms 1 cup red wine ½ cup sherry ½ cup cream 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons crushed garlic Method • Dry oxtails with paper towel. • Put seasoned flour in a ziplock bag, then add the Oxtail and shake to coat with flour. • Heat butter and olive oil and sauté bacon pieces. • Remove bacon and brown Oxtail in resulting fat, remove and drain. • Finely dice 4 of the carrots. • Coarsely chop the onions and the leeks. • Add the finely diced carrots, leeks, onions and sauté until softened. • Add Oxtail, bacon, bouquet garni, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, tomato sauce, red wine, sherry. • Bring slowly to a boil and cook slowly for 3 – 4 hours. • 1 hour before serving cut the remaining carrots into 1 inch pieces, add them and mushrooms and continue cooking slowly. • Just prior to serving, add cream and stir in. • If you want to thicken the sauce mix some cornstarch with the cream before adding.

Pork Fillet Potjie

Ingredients 2 pork fillets, approx 700g each 20 large seedless prunes 10 smoked oysters 12 baby onions 5 celery sticks, sliced 12 baby potatoes, peeled 20ml butter 20ml cooking oil 15ml cake flour 250-300ml beef stock 125ml red wine Salt to taste 5ml black pepper 5ml Maizena (cornflour) Freshly chopped parsley for garnish Method Cut a lengthwise groove in each fillet and open carefully. Fill 10 of the prunes with an oyster and arrange the filled prunes in the groove of one of the fillets. Cover with the other fillet and bind the two fillets tightly with a piece of string. Heat the butter and oil and braai the meat until brown. Sprinkle the cake flour over the fillets and brown for another 2 minutes. Add the stock and the red wine and stir the sauce with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season the meat with the salt and pepper and cover with the lid and allow the potjie to simmer slowly for 1 hour. Remove the string from the meat and cut in slices but keep the pieces against each other. Pack the veggies around the meat in the pot, add the remaining prunes’ and add a little of the stock, if necessary, and allow the potjie to simmer until the veggies are done. Thicken the sauce with the cornflour mixed in a little water if needed.

Spicy Seafood Potjie

Ingredients 15 ml brown sugar 15 ml sweet soy sauce 30 ml fresh basil, roughly chopped 30 ml fresh parsley, roughly chopped 1 kg fresh white fish, filleted, or frozen hake steaks 500 g fresh or frozen prawns, shelled and cleaned 1 kg frozen marinara mix 2 lemons (juice only) 250 ml thick cream 10 mussels in their shells 20 ml olive oil 30 ml butter 2 large onions 10 ml garlic, crushed 10 ml ginger, freshly, grated 20 ml seafood spices 250 g fresh black mushrooms, sliced 410 g Mexican tomatoes 375 ml fish stock 125 ml sherry Method In a large potjie, heat together the oil and butter. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and seafood spices and fry for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, fish stock, sherry, sugar and soy sauce and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Add the basil and half the parsley, then remove three quarters of this mixture from the pot and layer it, alternating with the seafood. Start with the white fish, then the prawns, then the marinara mix. Add the lemon juice, secure the lid and allow to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes without stirring. Just before serving, add the cream, mussels and the remaining parsley and heat through for about 5 minutes. Serve with white rice and a green salad.

Tripe Potjie

Ingredients 1 kg beef tripe 15 ml cooking oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped 3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped or 1 x 410 g can whole tomatoes, chopped 50 ml chopped fresh parsley 5 ml sugar 10 ml salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste Pinch of grated nutmeg 250 ml dry white wine 10 baby or 4 large potatoes, quartered Method Boil tripe in salted water for 2.5 hours or until tender. Drain, dry well and cut into strips. Discard salt water and dry potjie thoroughly. Heat cooking oil and sauté onion and garlic until transparent. Add remaining ingredients, except tripe and potatoes, and simmer until the sauce has thickened a little. Add tripe and stir well. Arrange potatoes on top and cover with lid. Simmer slowly for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Vegetable Potjie

Ingredients 5-6 medium potatoes 1 medium butternut squash 5 large carrots 2 ears of corn 1 small turnip or rutabaga 1 stalk celery 1/2 cup oil 2-3 onions 4-6 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon salt Black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoon dried basil 1 cup vegetable stock Method Wash the vegetables and cut into chunks. You can use any other hard winter vegetables that you like. Heat the potjie over coals until a little bit warm, then add oil. When oil is hot, lightly cook onions and garlic. Arrange vegetables in layers on top of onion and garlic mixture. The ones with the longest cooking times go on the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle on the seasonings and herbs. Pour stock over the final layer. Cover the pot with its lid and simmer over campfire coals for 1.5 to 2 hours. Leave the lid on until the cooking time is finished.

Banana Vetkoek

Ingredients 250 ml cake flour 1 ml salt 15 ml baking powder 1 egg 60 ml milk 3 bananas 15 ml lemon juice Cooking oil for deep-frying 30 ml cinnamon sugar Method Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Beat the egg into the milk. Mash the bananas and mix with lemon juice. Stir egg and milk mixture into flour. Add banana and mix well until the batter drops easily off the spoon. Half fill potjie with cooking oil and heat until the oil bubbles. Place spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and deep-fry until golden brown and cooked. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towelling. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve immediately with a wedge of lemon.

Potjie Roly Poly Pudding

Ingredients Ingredients for the dough: 110 g salted butter 500 ml cake flour 10 ml baking powder 70 ml full cream milk 2 jumbo eggs Apricot jam 2 ml salt Ingredients for the syrup: 30 g salted butter 380 ml water (boiling) 260 ml white sugar Method To make the dough: TIP: You can create the dough yourself, or buy it ready-made from your local supermarket if you’re pressed for time. • Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt, then rub small pieces of the butter lightly into the dry ingredients. • Whisk the full cream milk and jumbo eggs together, add to the dry mixture, then mix to make a dough. • Keep the dough in the fridge for half an hour, then roll it out to a thickness of about half a centimetre all over. • Spread the rolled-out dough lightly with smooth apricot jam. To make the syrup: You first need to create the syrup in your potjie pot, into which you will place the rolled-up dough • Add the sugar and the boiling water to the potjie pot and stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved. • Simmer on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes before stirring in the 30g of butter. To make the finished pudding: • Roll up the dough (spread with jam) and place it gently and carefully into the lightly simmering syrup in the potjie pot. • Cover with the lid of the potjie and let the dough simmer slowly for about 30 minutes or until it is ready. • Serve with custard and enjoy.

Sushi

Uh-uh! Don't eat it if it's raw!