Yes, we know. Wors and a chop makes for a happy chap. But let’s go a little more glam this Heritage Day.
Poncy braaibroodjies
Forget the common cheese, tomato and onion braaibroodjie. Let’s get a little more classy, with these ideas from Jan Braai.
Fig and Feta These work equally well as a starter, main meal or dessert! Along with the basics (12 slices of bread, buttered on the outward facing side), you’ll spread with caramelised red onions (pre-cooked with a bit of olive oil or butter in a pan or pot on the stove or fire), grated mozzarella, crumbed pepper-flavoured feta, and chopped preserved green figs.
Mushroom braaibroodjie Mushrooms impart the savoury fifth-flavour element – umami – to any food you add it to. The flavour of mushrooms intensifies when you pan-fry them, so before using them as filling, fry a mixture of chopped portabellini and white button mushrooms with some sliced red onions in a pan until they go soft and golden brown. Then add crushed garlic and fry for another minute. Spread the unbuttered side of your bread with cream cheese, then layer with the mushroom mixture and Cheddar cheese.
Caramel braaibroodjie For dessert, yes, but also for breakfast, or mid-morning or mid-afternoon with tea. Spread the unbuttered side of your bread with caramel (make your own, or buy a tin), and sprinkle with desiccated coconut before closing … the perfectly sweet filling!
The chocolate version Spread with Nutella (or similar chocolate hazelnut spread), 100g finely chopped white chocolate, 50g finely chopped pecan nuts, half a cup of sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Simply follow the basic recipe, spreading the unbuttered side of the bread with a layer of Nutella. Cover the Nutella slices generously with chopped chocolate and pecan nuts, then close. Follow the hints and tips for cooking, but just before they are done, mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle the sugar over the toasted bread. Toast on the fire again on both sides for a minute or two.
Chocolate and marshmallows One packet marshmallows. Two slabs roughly chopped chocolate of your choice. The sweetest ending to your Heritage Day braai.
Calamari Braaibroodjie If you’re near the coast, or a great fish and chip shop which sells fried calamari, this one’s a (sea) breeze. The bread is spread with mayonnaise, sliced tomatoes and onions, seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with a generous portion of fried calamari which you then cover with grated or sliced Cheddar cheese.
Jan’s hints and tips
Your bread should be buttered (or use olive oil for the savoury versions) on the outside only.
“Braaibroodjies is draaibroodjies. Braaibroodjies should be turned often and are braaied in a closed, hinged grid. If you don’t have one, buy one – preferably with adjustable heights to compress each unit perfectly. You want medium-paced, gentle heat and the grid should be relatively high. Your aim is for the cheese (or chocolate or caramel in the case of the sweet versions) to be melted and all other fillings to be completely heated by the time the outsides are golden brown. Slightly opening and closing your hinged grid a few times after each of the first few turns of the braai process helps the braaibroodjies not to get stuck to the grid. Once done, slice each braaibroodjie in half. Generally, I believe that the correct way to slice braaibroodjies is diagonally and the correct time to serve is immediately.”
You can get the full recipes for these on getitnationalmagazine.co.za. All recipes are from Braaibroodjies and Burgers by Jan Braai, published by BookStorm, around R370 from good bookstores and online. Also available in Afrikaans as Jan Braai: Braaibroodjies en Burgers.
Mediterranean-style lamb kebabs with Spier Good Natured Organic Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon
Why buy kebabs from the store when you can make them – and a far tastier version, too – yourself. These lamb and red pepper kebabs are served with a luscious, minted yoghurt drizzle. We recommend enjoying them with a glass of Spier Good Natured Organic Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 … a certified organic red blend with hints of blackcurrants, mulberry and allspice. A dapper dinnertime partner indeed! Serves four.
You’ll need:
800g – 1kg boneless lamb
60ml extra virgin olive oil
30ml fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried origanum
a handful mint leaves, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, finely
grated/chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large red pepper, cut into squares
1 red onion, cut into squares
For the minted yoghurt drizzle:
1 cup double cream plain yoghurt
15ml lemon juice
15ml extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh mint leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
To make:
Cut the lamb into bite-sized cubes and place them in a large glass bowl. In a second smaller bowl, mix the oil, lemon juice, origanum, mint and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the meat and toss to coat. Cover the meat and leave to marinate, refrigerated, for a few hours or overnight.
The next day, skewer the marinated cubes with red pepper and red onion pieces and set them aside.
For the drizzle: Mix all the ingredients together in a small blender, then set aside.
Cook the skewers over hot coals until just cooked and charred on the edges or grill on a very hot griddle over the stovetop.
Serve hot with the yoghurt drizzle on the side, with your choice of salad and fresh bread, and a bottle of Good Natured Organic Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, R109 from shop.spier.co.za.
When the braai’s boujee!
Gorgonzola cheesecake with poached pears and marinated biltong
Serve this gloriously rich and delicious cheesecake with a fresh ciabatta or crackers and a glass of Blaauwklippen’s Before & After – which has a tremendous back story. This aperitif started off as a blunder … a blending mistake, a few years ago, between a tank of Noble Late Harvest red wine and some brandy spirit in the cellar. The result .. Blaauwklippen’s most beautiful blending blunder- the Before & After, also known as a Christmas-in-a-bottle experience, due to the sensuous flavours of Christmas spices which create the backbone of this brandy fortified aperitif. This serves eight.
You’ll need: Crust – 100g savoury biscuits and 60g butter, melted.
Filling – 250g creamed cheese, 250ml sour cream, 5 eggs, 100g gorgonzola, salt and pepper
Topping – Half a cup double cream yogurt, 2 leeks, chopped and fried. 100 g biltong, quarter cup each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, 2 to 3 pears, half a cup sugar, cinnamon stick, 500ml dry red wine
To make: Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
For the crust, blitz the biscuits to a fine crumble in a food processor and add the melted butter. Blitz until it is the same texture as wet sand. Line a springform pan out with the crust and refrigerate while you make the filling.
For the filling, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour the filling into the springform pan lined with the crust. Bake for 40 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool for an hour before serving it.
Biltong – slice the biltong very finely, add the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The longer you leave the biltong to marinate, the better.
Pears – while the cheesecake is in the oven, prepare the pears. Heat the red wine, sugar and cinnamon stick until the sugar has dissolved. Add the peeled pears to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes until the pears are a rich ruby colour. Let them cool completely before putting them on the cheesecake.
To assemble … Spread the yogurt on top of the cheesecake, top with the fired leeks, biltong, and cooled pears.
Arrange on a platter with the bread or crackers, and pour everyone a glass of Before & After, available only at the estate for R440 a bottle. Details: blaauwkippen.com
According to Karl Tessendorf and Greg Gilowey, every loadshedding blackout is a fire begging to be built, a juicy chop ready to be turned and a family braai just waiting to happen.
The duo say with a little planning, some clever pantry buys (a collection of spices, smears, sauces and jazzer uppers) and their 40 great Blackout and Boerewors recipes, you can turn loadshedding into the best part of your day. Penguin, R220
