Eat (gorgeous) Pizza, Help Save Lives

The 2012 Col’Cacchio pizzeria Celebrity Chef Series, in support of Children’s Hospital Trust, is now entering its third month. The deal is that R5 is donated per Celeb Chef pizza sold, and there’s a new Pizza special each month, and so far over R85,000 has already made its way over to the needy children at the Red Cross Hospital.

The Celebrity Chef Pizza for July is the lip-smacking Liplekker Ribbetjie from renowned Pierneef Head Chef, Chris Erasmus. And if the name alone hasn’t set your tongue dancing, imagine a bechamel-style base, with roasted garlic and rosemary, topped with mozzarella, smoked and braised lamb soutribbetjie, caramelised onion, pears poached in port, fresh rocket and a sprinkling of rosemary salt. It is a unique and delicious combination that has to be sampled and savoured, and you’re lucky I’m here to tell you more instead of already in line waiting to place my order. Thank me later.

Pan-seared Salmon with Beetroot Fritters & Horseradish Sauce

This has kept me awake for 3 nights in a row now. Ever since I went grocery shopping the other day, and stopped in at my favourite fruit and veg store (The Carrera Centre in Randburg), and added another bag of beetroot to the trolley, and vowed on the spot that I would not let this bag go mouldy in the vegetable drawer (like its very numerous forbears). Don’t get me wrong, beetroot is never neglected in my house because it’s unloved, but rather because it can be a bit of a faff before it ends up on our plates. All that pink-fingeredness usually makes me turn up my nose and reach for the butternut instead. Though, of course, there are many occasions when said faffing has been completely worth it, like this Baked Beetroot & Goats Cheese Risotto, or this Beef Fillet and Warm Beetroot Salad. And, now, I am rather pleased to add this little number to the list. I have no idea why the beetroot demanded to be turned into fritters, but it just did, and rather loudly at that. And since beetroot and horseradish are the best of friends, and salmon and horseradish are also a happy couple, I figured that all three would mean a veritable party on a plate. And it did.

FOUR Pizza Recipes Worth Writing Home About

Oh how we have laboured. And chopped and kneaded and floured and tasted, and tasted, and tasted. And how we loved every minute of it. And there was no plan for it to turn into a competition, but 5 minutes in we found ourselves chopping, kneading, flouring and tasting with much out-of-corner-of-eye peering and snarling and smirking. And what, pray tell, was IT? And who, the heck, are we? IT was Pizza taste-testing, for the better part of a lazy Sunday, and WE are Rob and I, who were once on perfectly amicable terms until this little epicurean adventure came between us.

Quick & Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms and Tarragon

I think that tarragon is definitely one of the unsung heroes of the food world – well, certainly in South Africa anyway. It’s definitely my pet herb of the moment (just like chorizo was my best friend a little while ago, see this Slow Cooked Chicken with Chorizo & Cider), and this is one of my favourite finds so far… Call it an updated twist on your good old classic chicken casserole if you like, but with the added elegance that this favourite French herb adds to everything it meets.

3 Minute Lemon & Coconut Sponge Pudding

Love lemony puds I do. And these? Well these are positively enchanting, not just because they have the added kick of the coconut; take an i-kid-you-not total of 3 minutes to go from gooey cakey mixure to pudding perfection, but also because the lemony-limey drizzle just rounds it all off til it sings. This just might be my new default desert. And it’s also exquisite in its simplicity, so you can play around with different flavors all you like. The base of the pudding is really just a simple sponge cake mix with the ratio of 1:1:1 for butter-sugar-flour, with a couple of eggs added in and then whatever flavorings you like, the list is endless… Oh, and in case you were wondering, no, I have no shame in microwaved puds.

Fettuccine with Peas, Ricotta & Mint

Pork Pies with Cider & Apples

There is something profoundly satisfying in producing home-made pies. Humble, hearty, heartwarming, and a whole slew of other charming adjectives come to mind. Especially in this case, when the end result belies the amount of effort that went into making them. I thought these golden little poppets looked oh-so-pretty, and yet they were assembled in a jiffy and yielded a smug 8/10 from Rob in the taste-test.

An Invitation to the Magwood & Twigg Cook Salon

Hey Foodie Friends, You’re Invited! The lovely ladies Michele Magwood and Camilla Twigg have kindly invited me to speak (and cook!) (and sign books!) at their latest Cook Salon event at the gorgeous Miele Kitchen in Bryanston next week. And so, by default, you’re invited too. Nice hey? Oh, and in case you’re interested, here’s what renowned book reviewer Michele had to say about ‘bitten.’

Mushroom and Truffle Oil Risotto

For no particular reason the well-loved Italian fungo  has been featuring on our home menu quite a lot lately. Actually, for no particular reason is probably rather inadequate. There are many reasons, starting with if you make mushrooms the hero of your dish it means big bang for your buck because they were made to ooze flavor, and are best friends with good old staples such as pasta, risotto and ciabatta. And also, Italian food is made for feeding people you love, and that’s just what we needed when we had a merry rabble of in-laws and friends round for dinner on Wednesday night.

Roasted Tomato and Thyme Soup

When a meal is as exquisite in its simplicity as this, I see no need for convoluted introductions. It’s glorious roast tomato soup at it’s proudest, and I wish you bon appetit.