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Free download of the song by Heuwels, JR, HHP and Soweto Gospel Choir

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DENNY BILTONG PASTA POTJIE

By Jan Braai | Published November 23, 2019

While doing our road trip we realised the most popular snack next to the road is definitely biltong. All shapes and sizes and types. Biltong. It is a great snack, salty, full of protein and will keep you going for a bit. We collected so much biltong along the way, we thought, let us make the world famous biltong potjie! Another bonus is that all the ingredients are easy to get in small towns where there may only be one shop.

WHAT YOU NEED

  • 250g biltong
  • 500g ‘short’ pasta (like penne or shells)
  • 2 tots olive oil
  • 2 onions (chopped)
  • 3 garlic cloves (crushed and chopped)
  • 1 punnet (250g) button mushrooms (each sliced in half)
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1 sachet (50g)tomato paste
  • 1 packet Denny Alfredo Pasta sauce
  • 1 cup full-cream milk
  • 250g or more Cheddar cheese(grated)
  • ground black pepper(to serve)
  • flat-leaf parsley(chopped, to serve)

WHAT TO DO

  1. Heat the olive oil in your potjie and fry the chopped onions until translucent. Then add garlic and mushrooms to the potjie and continue to fry until the mushrooms are soft.
  2. Mix the cube of beef stock with the boiling water and add that, the wine and the tomato paste to the potjie. Mix everything well.
  3. Add the pasta and biltong. Stir everything well and then put the lid on the potjie. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes and then remove the lid. 
  4. Stir in the milk and Denny Alfredo sauce. Now let it continue to simmer covered for about 10–15 minutes until the pasta is cooked and you are happy with the consistency of the sauce. Naturally, you have to check on the potjie in between. If it runs dry and looks like it will burn, you can add a bit more water. Right at the end add the cheese and stir through.
  5. As soon as the pasta is cooked and you are happy with the consistency of the sauce, the meal is ready to serve – naturally, with extra ground black pepper and freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Posted in Beef, Recipes | Leave a comment

PERI PERI SKILPADJIES

By Jan Braai | Published November 16, 2019

You start by braaiing the skilpadjies over very hot coals, to caramalise the fat. Then you prepare your peri peri sauce. Serve it with toasted bread to mop up the sauce, peri-peri skilpadjies can be enjoyed as a meal on their own for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Alternatively, serve them with rice in starter portions as part of a more expansive braaied meal. The peri-peri sauce recipe as given below can also be used with prawns, steak, fish or chicken.

WHAT YOU NEED 

  • About 6 skilpadjies

FOR THE PERI-PERI SAUCE:

  • ½ cup oil
  • 8 garlic cloves, chopped and crushed
  • 1 tot paprika
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • A few fresh red chillies, chopped finely
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • Juice from 1 lemon

WHAT TO DO

  1. Make a big fire and start by braaiing the skilpadjies over very hot coals until medium done. They will still cook a bit in the pan so do not overcook them.
  2. Using a fireproof pan or cast-iron pot, heat the oil.
  3. Add garlic, paprika, chilli powder, salt, fresh chilli and vinegar and let this simmer for a few minutes.
  4. Add the skilpadjies, then fry over high heat for about 5–7 minutes until they start to brown on all sides.
  5. Turn the skilpadjies a few times while in the sauce simmering and drizzle the lemon juice all over the skilpadjies.
  6. Serve straight from the pan or pot preferably with bread toasted over the coals.

Posted in Liver, Recipes | Leave a comment

BLESBOK STROGANOFF

By Jan Braai | Published November 8, 2019

Originally from Russia, this version of the old classic is right at home here in the Democratic Republic of Braai. To prepare a great beef Stroganoff you need the right ingredients and you need to follow the correct method. The most important procedure is to flash-fry thin strips of steak so that they have the taste of having endured intense heat, without completely drying out. It is best to do this is in your large fireproof pan, as there is no better way to truly generate lots of heat than with the licking flames of a proper wood fire.

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 800g rump steak
  • 1 tot olive oil
  • 1 tot butter
  • 1 onion(chopped)
  • 1 red bell pepper(sliced)
  • 2 garlic cloves(crushed)
  • 1 tot paprika powder
  • 2 punnets mushrooms (500g, sliced; for bonus points, try use a combination of button and something else like brown mushrooms)
  • 2 tubs sour cream(2 cups)
  • 1 tot Dijon mustard
  • 500g fresh pasta (or 1packet dry pasta)
  • salt and pepper
  • a handful fresh parsley (chopped)

WHAT TO DO

  1. Light the fire.
  2. Cut your steak into thin strips, as thin as you possibly can. You should obviously cut against the grain. If you don’t manage to cut the steak in thin strips, get a new knife, a knife sharpener or both.
  3. Now get some flames under your fireproof pan or large flat-bottomed potjie, add the oil and fry the steak in batches. You don’t want to steam the meat, so it’s better to have less meat in your pan. As the strips of steak are thin, they should fry for just a minute, until they have colour. When all the meat is cooked, season with salt and pepper, put it in a bowl and send it to the business class lounge to wait for its next flight. 
  4. Add the butter to the now empty pan or potjie and fry the onion and bell pepper until soft. 
  5. Now add the garlic, paprika and mushrooms and stir-fry until the mushrooms release their juices, the juices evaporate and the mushrooms get colour. 
  6. Call the meat back to the potjie and be sure to also add all the meat juices that collected in the bottom of the bowl. Toss around so all ingredients in the potjie are well mixed. Immediately proceed to the next step.
  7. Stir in the sour cream and mustard and then let it all simmer for about 4 minutes, at which point the meal is ready to be served.
  8. While you’re preparing the beef Stroganoff, also cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packet. I prefer fresh pasta for this dish but normal dry pasta will also work.

Serve the beef Stroganoff on a bed of freshly cooked pasta, season with salt, pepper and freshly chopped parsley

Posted in Recipes, Venison | Leave a comment

COFFEE SPICED STEAK WITH MUSHROOMS AND POTATOES

By Jan Braai | Published November 1, 2019

This recipe has the best of all the worlds. Meat, potatoes, mushrooms and lots of flavour!. Use your cast iron skillet to get the best end result. But your flat bottom no10 potjie will work just as great.

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1 tot butter
  • 1 tot olive oil
  • 1 onion, cut into quarters
  • 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 punnet (250 g) portabalinni mushrooms
  • 500 g baby potatoes, cooked softly and halved

For the steak:

  • 1 rump steak of about 1kg
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
  • 1 tot freshly ground coffee
  • 2 tots brandy
  • Fresh thyme

WHAT TO DO:

  1. Place your pan or potjie on the fire and add the oil and butter.
  2. Next add your mushrooms and onion and fry it until it becomes soft. Add the whole garlic cloves and baby potatoes and let everything fry until cooked and brown.
  3. In the meantime, mix all the spices, salt and pepper together and season your steak generously on both sides. Braai your steak over hot coals until medium rare. You will add the steak to the pan again, so rather undercook the steak.
  4. Make a space for the steak in the pan. Place the steak into the pan with all the other ingredients, pour the brandy over and let this flambe for a few seconds.  Add the fresh thyme and season with extra salt and pepper if you think it is needed. Remove steak from the pan, cut into strips and add back into the pan and serve to your guests as is.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

CHEESE POTBREAD

By Jan Braai | Published November 1, 2019

When you make this bread, don’t be shy to mix it up, We used all the bits of cheese left over in the fridge and chopped and mixed it together. Feel free to add anything that you think will go good with your cheese combo. Use the bread to soak up the cheese, almost like a fondue.

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1kg flour
  • 1 sachet instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) salt
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) sugar
  • 500 ml luke warm water
  • Mixture of cheese, use about 500g of cheese all together.

WHAT TO DO:

  1. Make your dough by mixing the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together. Add the water bit for bit and start to knead, you will most probably not use all the water. Knead the dough until it is soft and elastic. Let this rise to double the volume in a warm place.
  2. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead again and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in a big circle. This circle must be big enough to cover the inside of your potjie, and then still be able to close on top.
  3. Spread butter or olive oil at the bottom of your potjie and place your circle of dough inside the potjie.
  4. Add all your chopped cheese and any other ingredient you feel like adding to the inside of your bread.
  5. Carefully take the ends of the dough and artfully arrange and close the top of the bread.
  6. Place the potjie on the fire with medium heat and a few coals on top of the lid.
  7. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, have a quick peek into your pot at 30 minutes to see how things are going. Once the top is cooked and makes a hollow sound when you knock, you are ready to eat.
  8. Place the bread in the centre of your table on a big wooden board and let guests cut peices and dip the bread into the melted cheese. This pairs really well with a glass of white wine.

Posted in Bread, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment