Powerful puttanesca pasta
For the beginner cook, pasta is a great base upon which to construct a massive variety of meals. But puttanesca is powerful, almost overwhelming and it creates a nuclear explosion...
Jerked chicken
Jerked chicken, for the inexperienced, means coal-black, Caribbean-style, spicy chicken that’s usually cooked on an open fire. Here’s a way to produce a braai-style finish without the smoke, dust and...
Egg drop soup, Italian style
Cantonese egg drop soup has long been a favourite. And then along came Italian egg drop soup with delicious Mediterranean accents heightened by lemon zest and nutmeg.
Roast vegetables & grilled porterhouse
This dish is a symphony of crisp, lightly-oiled vegetables of different colours and tastes, heightened by fresh oregano and rosemary. Toss in some rare steak plus a dash of Thai-inspired...
Calamari & spinach
Squid enthusiasts have only one fear: a meal that looks and tastes like white rubber bands. Here’s good news for beginner cooks: a simple, magical way to turn squid into...
Pig neck and two apples
Pig neck has come to me as a major surprise, never before having had anything to do with this part of the beast. Well, let me tell you that this...
Not so sweet: Struggles with a lemon tart
There comes a time in the affairs of cooks when the lemon hits the pan. Hoping for a good-looking, sweet tasting lemon tart, this rugged survivor of many a kitchen...
Pork & beans: a rodeo for your inner cowboy
There’s something special about one-pot cooking. This hearty combination of beans, onions and smoked pork belly needs only a wedge of bread to soak up the flavour-rich juices.
Paella: hot Spanish spice
This over-the-top piece of Euro-cuisine has a lot going for it. Firstly, lots of flavours. Secondly, lots of colour. Thirdly, its surprisingly easy to cook. Finally, its a dinner party...
Hot & spicy mutton meatballs
Call it what you will, this meatball veld fire with its powerful Indian flavours will bring tears of homesickness to the eyes of KZN citizens exiled elsewhere in this great...
As easy as (apple) pie
Apple pie is the beginning of all fruit-based pies. American songs and movies are full of it. So here, in partial salute to apple pie, we have an apple tart,...
Tabouleh: a Lebanese spicy salad
They say travel broadens the mind. My travels tend to broaden my waistline, which is how I discovered my first tabouleh in Hong Kong (quite a distance from Lebanon!). There...
Leek, spinach & feta crustless quiche
The magic word here is ‘crustless’ – it promises the beginner cook the capacity to make a killer quiche that will knock the socks off their guests. Quick, tasty and...
Curried chicken with coconut & papadum
For some people, this writer among them, a meal without chilli or a chilled litre of Tobasco is a tedious and cheerless thing. So here’s another salute to chilli and...
Eastern Ecstasy
For first-timers, this over-the-top ultra-spicy Sichuan-influenced meal can be a challenge. Most of the strong flavours are unfamiliar, the colour of the sauce is a deep magenta, and one of...
Strawberry custard slice
Some call this dessert millefeuille but I never cook anything I can’t pronounce. But custard slices? There’s a joyous childhood memory! Try this classic version, culled from some good friends’...
Cilantro soup
Cilantro, coriander, dhania: only the name is different. Here is a fragrant soup loaded with flavour, that’s easy to prepare and even easier to drink. Make this colourful dish an...
Better beef stroganoff
It’s seems that Baron Stroganoff, inventor of this recipe, was a real person and not some fairy tale Russian chef. But something tells me that this version is even better...
Gnocchi with cheese sauce
Every so often my adult children demand gnocchi for dinner. “Not again!” I say, and then I actually make the stuff and wonder why I ever object. The taste, the...
Fish head soup with fennel
With a power failure without end at my sister-in-law’s Drakensberg timeshare, we had to take a meal with us from Durban that could be easily reheated over a camping stove....
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