Beetroot and Pressure Cookers

My grandmother's antique wooden jewellery box is lying open on the floor in front of me as my little sister and I sit and play dress-up with her pearls. I twist the shimmering string of beads around my neck until they look just right - how my granny wears them. My sister is trying to figure out an old, embroidered brooch - her dainty fingers fumbling on the tiny silver clasp. The clouds of mouth-watering aromas that waft from the kitchen and fall around us go completely unnoticed as we sit and dream about being elegant ladies in long gowns, with make-up and satin gloves.


As I grew older though, those billowing clouds became more noticeable and intriguing while the jewellery box was long forgotten. I would stand and watch my grandmother as she stirred, chopped, fried, roasted, boiled, pickled, stewed, steamed and (occasionally) burnt her way to the heart-warming and delicious meals that have embedded themselves in my memories.


My grandfather was an avid gardener, with a beautiful vegetable garden any chef would yearn for, so the vegetables my grandmother cooked were freshly harvested - usually by my sister and I. We would venture outside in our red gumboots, hats and sunblock (strict instructions from my mother) and yank bright orange carrots, turnips and beetroot from the moist, rich earth. Soil still clinging to the vegetables (and our hands and feet) we would proudly display our efforts to my grandmother who never seemed to notice that we trampled mud all over her carpet. This, I am sure, is where my love of fresh vegetables came from.

I remember a year when the beetroot had flourished and in an effort to spare us all from eating beetroot every day for a week, my grandmother decided to try her hand at pickling. She spent the good part of the day slashing the cheery purple vegetables into chunks. With the pressure cooker doing the rest of the labour, my grandmother got to work scrubbing the bright pink ink from her wrinkly fingers. There was a hiss from the kitchen and the pressure cooker abruptly exploded, flinging vinegary purple liquid on the ceiling, the walls, the floor and all over my poor grandmother. Needless to say, her fingers were the least of her worries!

As I grew older, my passion for baking began to blossom; however, my grandmother never seemed to share the same enthusiasm as I did over sponge cakes and iced biscuits. Most of my visits were spent sprawled in front of her bookcase, consumed by her ancient cookbooks, where I would spend hours choosing the perfect recipe then spend the next few hours begging her to help me make fluffy, white meringues that had to look exactly like the picture. After recovering from the disappointment of removing a rather flat, dull, sticky-looking tray of meringues from the oven, I soon discovered that cooking was definitely my grandmother's strength!


My grandmother's cooking and my grandfather's love for food and gardening taught me that food is an adventure and an experience. I treasure every moment, every mouthful and every memory I have of my grandmother's kitchen.




*this post was inspired by my fellow foodie friend's blog: www.carelesscreative.blogspot.com

Lady in red

This sexy little rouged number is a red velvet cupcake topped with a 

luscious marshmallowly frosting...

It is said that the first red velvet cake got its colour from the reaction between the acidic vinegar and alkaline cocoa – it revealed the red anthocyanin in the cocoa which, back then, was ‘Dutch processed’. Nowadays it requires quite a large dollop of colouring to give the cake an impressive inky red appearance. Whether it got its luscious hue by accident or from a bottle, it’s definitely a favourite and in my opinion, will paint any town red!

Red velvet cupcakes with marshmallow frosting

This recipe can also be used to make a large 23cm cake

(makes 24)

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1t bicarbonate of soda

1T cocoa

pinch salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 ½ cups oil

1t vinegar

1T red food colouring

1t vanilla extract

Marshmallow frosting

4 egg whites

pinch salt

1 cup castor sugar

Line 2 muffin trays with cupcake cases. Sift dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Pour the batter into the cupcake cases, filling them 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes.

Make the frosting by whisking the egg whites with salt in a heatproof bowl until soft peak stage. Add castor sugar and whisk over simmering water until the meringue is hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and beat on high with a hand mixer until cool. Colour with red  food colouring, if desired and use immediately.

Photograph Angie Lazaro

All things cheffy

Part of the reason I love my job so much is that I get to meet so many interesting people. Although it’s daunting to interview ‘celebrity chefs’ whom I’ve admired and who inspired me during my time as a timid commis chef it really reawakens the passion inside me to know that they too were once… ‘normal’. Over the past month and a half I have met and interviewed Nobu, Liam Tomlin and was lucky enough to attend an extremely early press conference with Gordon Ramsay – which, I might add, I would’ve rather traded for an extra hour of sleep in my cozy bed on an extremely wet and blustery day in Cape Town!

But enough about Mr Ramsay, this post is about the man who’s cookbook, Season to Taste, got me through and kept me passionate about food during three nightmarish years at chef school. The book who’s glossy pages are worn, tatty and splattered with the reductions and foams (as well as a few suspicious-looking dots that I suspect are drool… ) of the recipes that grace its beautiful contents. The occasion for my interview was the opening of the brand new Chef’s warehouse and cookery school that Liam Tomlin has opened in Cape Town – a much-needed haven for foodies and chefs.

The warehouse is most definitely for the die-hard’s and this was clear when I walked through the large wooden doors which are not without their cheffy touch – a pair of wooden spoon handles welcomes you inside. 

I was extremely lucky to have my friend and photographer Richard Aaron around to take a few snaps – although ‘snaps’ clearly does not do his photography justice :)

Liam has made sure that the warehouse is stocked with hard-to-find essentials sourced locally and abroad from unusual baking tins and tart cases...

 ... appliances, crockery and glassware...

...exotic spices and ingredients...

...interesting chopping boards (which would make a beautiful gift for a foodie friend!)...

and a large collection of cookbooks...

But what really got my heart a-flutter was the most beautiful butcher’s block I have ever seen – not being dramatic at all I promise! Liam has the work benches custom made to your wishes – any design can be applied to the wooden surface (think measuring conversion charts or meat cooking times) and the drawers and surface can be altered to suit your work style and storage needs.

Gorgeous isn’t it? *sigh!* Now I just need to find a rich husband…

Ok, I’m getting distracted – apart from the warehouse, Liam also holds cooking classes in the cookery school – his own 20 course “Basic Techniques & Methods of cooking” as well as specialized courses run by well-known outside chefs such as Peter Templehoff, Neil Jewell, Margot Janse and Luke Dale Roberts amongst others, right next door to the warehouse – so much cheffiness under just one roof!

I jumped at the chance to sit down and chat with Liam about his many years of experience, some of which included a stint as Top Billing Magazine’s Food Editor, which of course hits very close to home!

KW: When did you start cooking, and how did your journey begin?

LT: I was never one of those people who knew from a young age that they wanted to be a chef. I actually got into it by accident – a lot of my friends were doing chef apprenticeships in Dublin, where I grew up, and I gave it a go and did it as a job for a couple of years but the penny only dropped when I went to Switzerland. I realized that cheffing was a serious profession and that you had the opportunity to travel and also that there were a whole lot of ingredients I’d never heard of. Then I started planning my career for the first time and I ended up going to Australia supposedly for a year but it ended up being 15.

KW: What great influences have you had along the way in your cooking career?

LT: Australia was a good experience for me as I’d had European culinary training and Australia has such multi-cultural and diverse food scene. It influenced my cooking style since I started using Japanese and Asian ingredients I’d never even heard of in my European training. My cooking style to this day is still a modern interpretation of classical cuisine but still with a slight Asian influence. Each successful chef usually has 3 or 4 chefs whom they’ve worked with who influence or change their philosophy on food and one of those chefs for me was Dietmar Sawyer whom I worked with for the first 7 years in Australia.

KW: What is the most rewarding part about being a successful chef?

LT: The world has become a smaller place and one of the best things about being a successful chef is the opportunity to travel and meet great chefs from around the world. I love the chef comraderie of travelling as I get to go to all the interesting markets and hole-in-the-wall places that the other chefs show me.

KW: How would you describe your style of cooking?

LT: My style is very different now from what it used to be since I don’t have other chefs working with me and giving their input. The Chefs Warehouse is a different environment – its a lot more relaxed and fun so my food is a lot more simple.

KW: What made you decide to open The Chef’s Warehouse in Cape Town?

LT: We were going to open a Guesthouse and during winter we were going to run chefs courses to tide us over income-wise but the neighbours objected to it so the project was put on hold. The building we are in now became available and it was too big for just a cookery school so we decided to make use of the space by selling cooking equipment, ingredients and books. In this way we are not relying on one market – if any of these elements don’t work, we always have the other to supplement.

KW: What can customers expect when they walk in the door?

LT: At the cooking school we teach people the basics – how to season food properly, choosing and buying ingredients, how to present food beautifully and tricks of the trade. Chefs Warehouse, the retail arm of Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, is open to both the trade and general public and carries a wide range of quality products sourced locally and abroad, and includes kitchen equipment, appliances, books for cooks, crockery, cutlery and glassware, knives and utensils, chefs-wear, bar tools, lifestyle furniture and essential ingredients. The “Basic Techniques & Methods of Cookery” - a set curriculum of 20 classes is presented by myself. This course will cover the essential principles of cooking and will be held every second Saturday of the month.

KW: Do you think South Africa offers visitors a unique food experience? and how can we improve?

LT: If you look at the St Pellegrino awards – 3 of our restaurants did really well and that just shows that SA is going in the right direction. We’re up on top with the worlds’ best. The produce here is wonderful – we have winelands, our restaurant design is as good as anything else in the world. The only thing that I believe can be improved is the service  - USA Europe it is a profession to be a waiter.

KW: What do you see as the next big food trend here in SA?

LT: As far as restaurants are concerned, with the recession a lot of restaurants around the world are looking at what they offer and give customers better value. Restaurant industries around the world are suffering and therefore need to reinvent themselves and their food using cheap ingredients and lesser known cuts of meat.

For more info and to book for their amazing courses visit chefswarehouse.co.za

Photography by Richard Aaron

"Muffins are just ugly cupcakes"

I recently came across a t-shirt that read "Muffins are just ugly cupcakes" accompanied by a picture with some very sad-looking muffins and a few impossibly pretty cupcakes dancing around them. After I'd laughed hysterically for a while, it really tugged on my heart strings... What did muffins ever do to deserve to be called ugly?! I mean, all that really stands between a muffin and a cupcake is a deliciously sweet frosting right? and the cute little cases they come in.. oh and I almost forgot the sprinkles! Okay so maybe cupcakes are adorable...


But, for once I'm going to stay neutral and unbiased on the cupcake-issue so these chocolate chip brioche cakes are neither cupcakes nor muffins, in fact I'm not really sure what they are but I'm sure they'll satisfy all - whether you're on team muffin or team cupcake!

Chocolate chip brioche cakes with citrus butter hearts
These warm buttery cakes are perfect for a breakfast-in-bed surprise served with a cup of steaming hot coffee
(makes 12)

275g cake flour
½ T instant yeast
60g castor sugar
pinch salt
4 eggs
115g butter, softened
115g chocolate chips

Citrus butter hearts
200g butter, softened
Zest of 2 oranges
¼ cup icing sugar, sifted

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and eggs to form a soft sticky dough. Leave in a warm place to rise until doubled. Mix in the butter and chocolate. Half fill 12 greased mini brioche tins or an equal amount of cavities in a muffin pan. Leave to rise again until doubled and bake at 200˚C for 10 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Make the citrus butter by combining the ingredients, press into heart-shaped ice cube trays and refrigerate until firm. Serve with the warm brioche cakes.

Courgette-me-not... again!

COURGETTE SPAGHETTI WITH ARRABIATA SAUCE

I got the idea for this recipe recently when I had a flashback to my days at chef school... One of the first canapé's we made was cucumber "spaghetti" topped with smoked salmon and a hollandaise sauce. A zester is the trick to making long, thin strands but if you'd prefer tagliatelle then a vegetable peeler and a sharp knife should do the trick.

 Serves 4


1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 small red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1T tomato paste
2 x 400g cans whole peeled tomatoes
2t white balsamic vinegar
4 large courgettes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2T chopped black olives
1T caperberries
parmesan shavings
roasted vine tomatoes, for garnish


Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add chillies and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in vinegar. Make the courgette spaghetti by running a citrus zester along the length of the courgettes. Blanch briefly in boiling salted water and dress with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Top with the arrabiata sauce and garnish with the olives, caperberries, parmesan shavings and roasted vine tomatoes.

Courgette-me-not!

I've never been that fond of baby marrows or courgettes or zucchini or whatever you want to call them... but after doing a shoot with them, they really grew on me as I realized just how versatile these little marrows are!

They have such a deliciously delicate flavour and a subtlety that is usually overpowered by the strong Mediterranean dishes they're often used in. This is the first in a series of posts showing just how many yummy ways courgettes can be used. Instead of adding them to dishes, I've made them the centre of attention and turned them into something... uncourgettable!

These pretty little peas just sing of Spring and since we're now really delving into Autumn I couldn't resist celebrating their green plumpness one last time before my love of stews, potroasts and soups takes over... Once I layed eyes on these cute beauties I simply had to invent a recipe using them and so, standing in the veggie aisle at woolies, this tart came about...

COURGETTE, FETA , PEA AND MINT TART

Serves 4

400g puff pastry

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2 large courgettes, in thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh peas

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celcius. Line a tray with baking paper. Roll the puff pastry out to 1mm thick and cut into 2 large rectangles. Place the puff pastry halves on the prepared tray and prick all over using a fork. Brush with olive oil and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Arrange the courgette ribbons, spring onion, peas, crumbled feta and mint over the puff pastry and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake the tarts for 15 - 18 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and the sides are golden brown. Serve with a fresh green salad.

Photography by Christelle Botha

Sweet tweets

I absolutely love Easter - well of course, what's not to love?! It is the only time of year you are allowed to eat copious amounts of chocolate for breakfast and not feel guilty about it! Or maybe that's just me... And let's not forget about the cute-factor! Bunnies, baby chicks, miniature eggs... and these little cupcakes are just bound to make you say  'Awwwwww! Cute!" ... wait for it....

... Told you so! :)

I know it's a little early to be writing a post about Easter but I simply couldn't resist getting egg-cited* about this time of year. You see, I'm hatching* a plan for an Easter egg hunt to surprise my friends - something I miss terribly since growing up and becoming all big and responsible and stuff. I was incredibly spoilt as a child, brought up on a farm with parents who had way too much free time on their hands ultimately led to us having a cracking* good time. The chocolate egg hunts that awaited my sister and I on Easter morning were quite spectacular. When we were very young, trails led the way... Rice for me, oats for her - which my mother and her vacuum cleaner didn't find impressive at all much to our delightful squeals of joy. And as we grew older my father's hiding places became more and more inventive. I remember finding an Easter egg 2 weeks after the time in a jar of peanut butter! So this year I'm going hopping* mad and will be reviving my childhood memories - cryptic clues, nests piled with chocolate eggs, baskets, soggy slippers (wet from the dewy grass) and all!

*and yes, I know... the Easter puns are bad... but I simply couldn't resist! :)