Recipe Category: Special Occasions

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• small handful fresh thyme sprigs
• small handful rosemary sprigs
• small handful fresh sage leaves
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 100g butter, melted

For the garlic butter:

• handful fresh chives, chopped
• handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 120g butter, melted
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

Step 1

Preheat to 220ºC.

Position the oven rack on the lower third of the oven.

Step 2

Pat the turkey dry with kitchen paper and generously season the cavity with salt.

Stuff the cavity with the onion, thyme, rosemary, sage and halved head of garlic.

Tie the legs together with the kitchen string.

Step 3

Transfer the turkey to a roasting dish.

Brush the melted butter all over, then season the outside generously with salt.

Place in the preheated oven and immediately reduce the heat to 180 degrees.

Step 4

Roast, basting every 45 minutes with the juices in the dish until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh, approximately 3 – 4 hours.

Step 5

Cover the cooked turkey with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Step 6

For the herb and garlic butter, combine the chives, parsley, 120g melted butter, salt and

minced garlic in a small mixing bowl.

Drizzle over the turkey and serve immediately.

Ingredients:

1 tin of condensed milk

3 cups of full cream milk

45ml cornflour

15ml custard powder

1ml of salt

2 eggs

5ml of vanilla essence

30g of butter

1 pack of Tennis/Marie Biscuits

Cinnamon

Method:

Step 1

Mix condensed milk and 2½ cups of milk and heat until almost boiling.

Step 2

Mix cornflour, custard, salt, eggs and seasoning with remaining half cup of milk.

Step 3

Add to the hot milk and cook slowly for about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Stir occasionally, remove from heat and stir in butter.

Step 5

Line a large glass bowl with cookies, pour the filling on top.

Step 6

Sprinkle cinnamon on top and leave to cool in the fridge.

Method

1. Add herbs, spices, corn kernels, grated cheese or finely chopped onion if you like. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time if you do.
2. Mix everything together in a large bowl (do not knead). Add a little water if the dough is too dry. Place the dough in a greased loaf tin. Bake at 180º C for 30 minutes in a preheated oven. Leave to cool down for ten minutes on a wire rack.
3. This recipe can be used for pot bread (potbrood) as well.

Ingredients

• 500g self-raising flour
• 1 can of beer (340ml)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp melted butter or olive oil (for greasing the tin)

Source: https://albertonrecord.co.za/103607/beer-bread-the-simplest-bread-ever/

There aren’t very many days until we go full swing into the holidays. With the kids at home and family getting together more often, grocery shopping is likely to be an errand you run frequently.

We have a few tips for you to follow so that you will keep yourself organised and save money and time while you shop.

• A list is a good way to save time and to prevent yourself to purchasing items that you “think” you need. All you have to do is train yourself to stick to it.

• The worst thing to do is to go food shopping while you are hungry. You will buy things on impulse and you will succumb to some not so healthy temptations.

• If you spend the rest of the year trying to be healthy you can still make sure you get the best nutrition for your rand value. Look at the nutrition labels so that you can limit your intake of fat, sugar and sodium.

• Be aware of the unit price of items. This is the price that tells you the cost per kilogram, gram, litre etc. You might be able to stretch your rand a little further if you keep this information in mind.

• Buy the fruits and vegetable that are in season. You will get far better flavours and quality as the produce will be fresher. Because it is in season, the fruit and vegetable are always a little less expensive.

The holidays are meant to be enjoyed and there is nothing wrong with indulging but be sure not to leave your pockets feeling too empty.

MAE’S POPPING CORN

 

-4 mielies

-juice of 2 lemons

-cumin, to dust

-dried oregano, to dust (quite a lot!)

-1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce for each mealie

-olive oil

-salt and pepper to taste

 

METHOD:

• Dress each mealie with the lemon juice, cumin, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Allow the mealies to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, then remove 1 hour prior to braaiing. Braai the mealies until kernels are soft to your liking.

J’s CHAKALAKA

 

INGREDIENTS:

-1/4 cup sunflower oil

-1/2 large onion, diced

-1 green pepper, de-seeded and diced

-20ml hot curry powder

-2 large carrots, peeled and grated

-3 large tomatoes, grated

-1 small red chilli, finely chopped

-1/2 can baked beans in tomato sauce

-salt and pepper to taste

-1 cup hot vegetable atchar

 

METHOD:

• Warm the sunflower oil in a pot over a medium heat, then add the onion and green pepper and fry until soft.
• Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
• Add the carrots, tomatoes, chilli and beans. Mix well.
• Allow to cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes so that the chakalaka does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Season with salt and pepper and leave to cook for another 5 minutes.
• Decant into a large bowl and allow to cool
• Once cooled, add the vegetables atchar, stir well and serve.

THE FONSECA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

-6 Large tomatoes, cut into chunks

-1 cucumber, cut into chunks

-1 red onion, sliced into half moons

-2 avocadoes, cut into chunks

-200g kalamata olives

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1/4 cup red wine vinegar

-generous amount salt and ground pepper to taste.

 

METHOD:

• Place the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, avocado and olives into a bowl.
• Whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar to make a dressing.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper.
• Toss the salad well to coat evenly.
• Serve chilled.

MAE’S POPPING CORN

INGREDIENTS:

-4 mielies
-juice of 2 lemons
-cumin, to dust
-dried oregano, to dust (quite a lot!)
-1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce for each mealie
-olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

• Dress each mealie with the lemon juice, cumin, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Allow the mealies to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, then remove 1 hour prior to braaiing. Braai the mealies until kernels are soft to your liking.

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J’s CHAKALAKA

INGREDIENTS:

-1/4 cup sunflower oil
-1/2 large onion, diced
-1 green pepper, de-seeded and diced
-20ml hot curry powder
-2 large carrots, peeled and grated
-3 large tomatoes, grated
-1 small red chilli, finely chopped
-1/2 can baked beans in tomato sauce
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup hot vegetable atchar

METHOD:

• Warm the sunflower oil in a pot over a medium heat, then add the onion and green pepper and fry until soft.
• Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
• Add the carrots, tomatoes, chilli and beans. Mix well.
• Allow to cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes so that the chakalaka does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Season with salt and pepper and leave to cook for another 5 minutes.
• Decant into a large bowl and allow to cool

Once cooled, add the vegetables atchar, stir well and serve.

---

THE FONSECA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

-6 Large tomatoes, cut into chunks
-1 cucumber, cut into chunks
-1 red onion, sliced into half moons
-2 avocadoes, cut into chunks
-200g kalamata olives
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup red wine vinegar
-generous amount salt and ground pepper to taste.

METHOD:

• Place the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, avocado and olives into a bowl.
• Whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar to make a dressing.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper.
• Toss the salad well to coat evenly.
• Serve chilled.

 

A perfectly cooked gammon is great on Christmas Day and even better for anytime sandwiches afterwards.

The first step to your gammon lunch is choosing a gammon that suits your dining table. Your best option would be a boned joint. It cooks easily and is also great for carving.

If you decide to cook your gammon at home, always check the weight on the packaging. You will need to know this to approximate the ideal cooking time.

Rinse the joint under the cold running water. Make sure you have a sauce pan or cooking pot that is large enough to fit both the gammon and enough liquid to cover it.

When cooking, calculate your cooking time so as to allow 20 minutes for every 500g.

Place the gammon on a trivet, petal steamer, or side plate inside the pot. This will prevent the gammon from catching on the bottom of the pot.

Now, you may add aromatics of your choice. Combinations of onions, carrots, celery, cloves, herbs and spice often yield the best results.

Thereafter, cover with liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer for the calculated time.

To check if the gammon is cooked, pierce the thickest part with a skewer. If it glides in easily, your gammon is perfectly cooked. If the gammon truly special is the perfect glaze. Find one that best suits your taste buds.

Remove the gammon from the broth and carefully pull away the skin. (If you feel the need to, you may slice with a small knife.)

Using a sharp knife, score the fat in a criss cross pattern to make diamond shapes. Firmly place a clove in the middle of each diamond. Place the gammon on a baking tray lined with a double layer of foil.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Using a pastry brush paint the gammon with the glaze of your choice. Rest for 20 minutes or until the gammon is of a rich, shiny colour.

Allow the roasted gammon to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Once cooked it can be served hot or cold, however you may best prefer it.