Recipes

The stirfry is one of the quickest routes from raw to cooked. Ideally, you need a wok and a blast of cooking gas. And if a good wok is hard to find, the hardy skottelbraai is a perfect substitute. Most of the effort this delicious meal requires lies in its preparation, but this is no big deal and well within the reach of the beginner cook.

For some diners the electric tingle of chilli is as essential as salt and pepper. And for this cook, one of the best ways to get your daily chilli fix and have a damn good meal at the same time is to get stuck into a lamb and potato curry. If lamb is in short supply, goat makes a substantial substitute with a texture and flavour that some prefer to mutton.

Mutton bunny There are lots of stories about how bunny chows got their name. All that matters to you and me is that the meal has nothing to do with rabbits. More to the point, it is a simple KZN classic that deserves its place as an easy-to-make lunchtime replacement for sandwiches, burgers or even a pie and slap tjips.

Roasting, writes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, requires a set of principles rather than a collection of recipes. Roasting principles that ring bells for this meal are two: sizzling and resting, of which, more later.

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 of flavour and aroma.

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 flames.

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.

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 sauce to take it to a new level.

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 calamari.

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 is a magnificent cut of meat. And the sauce! This taste and aroma combination is difficult to equal, never mind beat...

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 battle managed to extract something deliciously edible from the jaws of defeat.

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.