From Galliova Award winner and food stylist Johané Nielsen, comes wholesome recipes that elevate traditional South African delights
Pork T-bone Steak with Sriracha Flavoured Butter
Serves 4
Succulent pork T-bone steaks, perfectly grilled and finished with a rich sriracha butter. Pair with braaibroodjies and charredmielies for a true South African feast.
Ingredients
4 large pork T-bone steaks, rind removed Olive oil, for cooking dry rub
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
Sprig each of thyme and rosemary leaf, stripped
1 bay leaf, broken into pieces
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp Maldon Sea Salt
Flavoured butter
125ml salted butter, softened
15g flat-leaf parsley (combine with soft herbs from your garden; fennel fronds, basil and coriander are delicious), roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
1 generous dollop of sriracha or your favourite hot sauce Garlic powder (optional) Onion powder (optional) method
Method
- In a pestle and mortar, pound the spices and herbs together. Add paprika, sugar and salt, and mix until combined but still slightly textured.
- Rub the flavoured salt over both sides of the steak. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour to allow the surface to dry.
- Mix all butter ingredients until well combined, adjusting spice to taste. Place the butter onto a sheet of baking paper (or cling wrap), roll into a neat log and refrigerate until needed.
- Light a generous fire with plenty of hot coals. Bring the steaks to room temperature before cooking.
- Place steaks over the coals, turning every 3 to 4 minutes (depending on thickness) until a golden crust forms. Remove from heat.
- Place a cast-iron pan on the grid and heat. Add a splash of olive oil, followed by a slice of the flavoured butter. Once melted, return steaks to the pan, basting with the butter until cooked to your liking.
- Remove from the heat and rest the steaks for 3 minutes. Serve with your favourite sides and an extra slice of flavoured butter.
Gammon, Sun-dried Tomato, Feta & Cheddar Braaibroodjie
Makes 4
A South African braai favourite with a decadent twist, layers of honey-glazed gammon, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, feta, and mature cheddar are sandwiched between buttery bread slices and grilled over the coals.
Ingredients:
Braaibroodjies
8 slices of bread (preferably a rustic or sourdough loaf)
Leftover honey-glazed gammon, thinly sliced
4–6 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
Handful of baby spinach leaves
100g feta cheese, crumbled
100g mature cheddar cheese, grated
Butter, for spreading on the bread
Gammon
2kg unsmoked boneless gammon joint, tied
2 onions, halved
2 carrots, unpeeled, cut into 5cm pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 5cm pieces
4 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
Small handful of cloves glaze
4 Tbsp runny honey
4 Tbsp English Mustard
Method
- Place the gammon in a large lidded saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.
- Drain and refill with fresh cold water. Add onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cover and cook for 20 minutes per 500g. Remove the gammon and rest for 15 minutes. (Strain and reserve the cooking liquid for soup, if you like.)
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a roasting tin with foil.
- Trim off the rind from the gammon joint, leaving the fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and stud each ‘X’ with a whole clove.
- Place the gammon in the tin, with foil coming halfway up the sides to catch juices.
- For the glaze, mix honey and mustard and brush half evenly over the gammon, including one side. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Brush with the remaining glaze (top and remaining sides) and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more, rotating the tin until the fat is glossy and well browned. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- Pour any juices collected in the foil into a small pan and warm gently. Remove cloves, carve and serve with the warmed juices.
- To assemble the sandwich, butter the outside of each bread slice.
- On the unbuttered side, layer sliced honey-glazed gammon, a few sun-dried tomatoes, a handful of baby spinach, a crumble of feta and a generous sprinkle of grated mature cheddar.
- Top with second slice, buttered side out, to form a sandwich.
- Braai over medium coals, turning frequently, until bread is golden and cheese has melted.
- Slice diagonally into triangles and serve hot.
Bobotie Pot Pies
Serves 6
A comforting nod to Cape heritage cooking, these pies are filled with aromatic bobotie mince, encased in flaky pastry, and paired with vibrant turmeric-apricot rice for a dish that’s full of flavour.
Ingredients:
Pie filling
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
Olive oil for frying
1kg pork mince
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
3 Tbsp mild curry powder
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
1/2 cup (125ml) white vinegar
2 green apples, peeled and grated
1/2 cup (125ml) hot chutney, plus extra
For Serving
1/2 cup (100g) raisins
2 Tbsp soy sauce
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Pastry
3 cups (450g) cake flour
1 tsp salt
200ml water
180g butter
6 (9x5cm) mini loose-bottomed pie tins
1 egg, whisked for egg washing the pastry
Apricot Rice
1 cup long-grain white rice, cooked as per package instructions
6 dried Turkish apricots, chopped into small chunks
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp flaked almonds
Method
- For the pie filling, start by soaking bread in milk.
- Heat a splash of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown pork mince and set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté onions with cloves and bay leaves for 5 to 8 minutes until softened and lightly coloured.
- Add curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli flakes, garlic and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with vinegar.
- Return the mince to the pot, then add grated apple, chutney, raisins, soy sauce and lemon juice. Squeeze excess milk from the bread and add it to the mixture (discard the remaining milk).
- Stir and cook for 15 minutes. Season, remove from heat, and allow to cool completely. Remove bay leaves (and whole cloves, if used).
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- For the pastry, Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
- In a pot over the stove, bring water and butter to a boil. Make a well in the flour and pour in liquid. Stir with a spatula until a dough forms. Cool for 3 to 5 minutes.
- On a floured surface, roll out pastry to a R5-coin thickness (about 2 mm).
- Use a round pie tin to cut out 6 lids from the pastry. Re-roll and use a round side plate to cut six larger bases.
- Line greased pie tins with pastry bases, leaving a slight lip on the top. Fill with bobotie mince to just below the rim.
- Brush rims with egg wash, add lids and crimp edges to seal. Cut a small slit on the lid of each pie and brush the tops with egg wash.
- Arrange tins evenly on a tray and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden. Cool slightly, then remove from tins.
- For the apricot rice, toss cooked rice with chopped apricots and turmeric, and season to taste. Garnish with flaked almonds.
- Serve pies warm with apricot rice and chutney.
Pork, Pineapple & Pepper Kebabs
Makes 6
Marinated pork, sweet pineapple and colourful peppers skewered, braaied and basted in a sticky glaze for a smoky-sweet bite.
Ingredients
550g to 750g pork neck, cut into 20 to 25mm sized cubes
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
2 sweet red peppers, seeds and white veins removed and cubed
1 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp tomato sauce
5 tsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp braai and grill/chicken spice
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Soak 10 to 14 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
- In a non-metallic container, combine the pork cubes with all ingredients except salt and pepper. Mix well to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to marinate.
- Thread pork, pineapple and peppers onto the skewers. Reserve the remaining marinade in a small pot.
- Braai the kebabs over medium–hot coals until lightly golden on all sides. Season with salt and pepper while cooking.
- Gently warm through the reserved marinade until slightly thickened. Use marinade to baste kebabs as they cook.
- Turn frequently, avoiding overcooking.
- Remove kebabs from heat and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Credits
Images: Johané Nielsen
