My husband was recently away in China on business and, not being in the mood to do the weekly shop and in scratching at the back of the cupboard, I discovered a pack of carrot-flavoured somen noodles he brought back from his last trip. This was one of many items from a trove of unusual…
Good Food and Wine Show, Cape Town 2017 #GFWS2017
I recently attended the 2017 Cape Town Good Food and Wine Show. In anticipation of encountering every kitchen gadget known to humanity, I equipped myself with a wallet full of cash and, with eagerness, raced off to indulge in some retail therapy. And, of course, to see Marco Pierre White. For those of you in…
Carpool karaoke (without the singing and cool outfits)
I recently had the strangest meeting, or should I say, the most unusual location… One of my colleagues called me up and said: “Belinda, you must meet this guy Kevin, he is very important. He is arriving via the United States and can only meet you between his arrival and a lunch meeting. Can you…
Homegrown pumpkin fritters…flat yet a feat!
After harvesting our bountiful crop of pumpkins, a daunting challenge lay ahead: what, oh what, to do with all these pumpkins!? And, of course, the even greater challenge was chopping up all those darn pumpkins. Elbow grease awaited. My awesome mom-in-law kindly provided the family famous fritter recipe, exactly as follows: “Two cups cooked mashed pumpkin….
Bonfire of the families…
Country life is filled with unexpected little pleasures, especially if you’re willing to try new things and meet new people. Our young son was recently invited, along with his classmates, to celebrate the birthday of one of his friends, whose parents happen to be wine farmers in the area. As luck would have it, our son’s parents…
An abundance of Habanero hotness
I was the lucky recipient of a majestic Habanero chilli bush for my birthday. After using two of these babies in a Lamb Rogan Josh, it became quite clear (on all levels) that these little bad boys were punching way above their weight. One by one, the greenies transformed into fiery hot orangey goodness and I…
Windhoek, Namibia through the keyhole
This week I had the great pleasure of jetting off to Windhoek, Namibia to deliver training and attend a meeting. My husband was born in Namibia so I was very excited to go and experience a little of it myself. Like most work-travel expeditions to foreign lands, I saw more of my room, taxis and…
Taking roast chicken to the next level
I got a bee in my bonnet last week and decided to try my hand at roasting a chicken in a potjie (or Dutch oven). We have been trying some new things in our potjie of late, yet at the suggestion my husband had that look: I am humouring you just a tad, we may need…
Getting potted…Moroccan lamb potjie
There is nothing more quintessential in South African cooking culture than a ‘potjie’. Notice I did not say ‘cuisine’, as it is a tough task to lift the game of a stew. This traditional means of cooking has cult status in some quarters and is a fantastic outdoor and social cooking technique. With a bit of creativity,…
Pumpkin, pumpkin and more pumpkin
Our very first crop of home grown pumpkins is ready! At the end of the season we have five large lovelies, which have all spent about one to two months on our roof, which apparently develops flavour in the sun and lengthens their shelf life. Such great anticipation to cut the first one open. After a…
So long Pancake!
A few months ago we welcomed a pair of ducks into our veggie garden, whom I named Hoisin and Pancake. Isn’t it obvious? The BEST two things to go with duck! My son’s duck, Hoisin, was renamed Sweetie because he was adamant: “she is so sweet”. What can we say…Sweetie she became. Being new to livestock in general,…
Asian Pearsuasian
When is a pear not pear-shaped? When its an Asian pear! (Did you hear the drum roll there?) Also called the apple pear, the Asian pear is an apple-like variety and has a crisp and juicy flesh with a thicker skin than European pears. Our local grocery store seldom has unusual varietals, a common challenge…
