Walraven - Summer Food

First published in 2019 by Struik Lifestyle (an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd)

Company Reg. No. 1953/000441/07

The Estuaries, 4 Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, 7441

P O Box 1144, Cape Town 8000, South Africa

Copyright in published edition: Penguin Random House (Pty) Ltd 2019

Copyright in text: Tjaart Walraven 2019

Copyright in photographs: Penguin Random House (Pty) Ltd 2019

Print ISBN 9781432309534

Epub ISBN 9781432309732

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

Publisher: Beverley Dodd

Managing editor: Cecilia Barfield

Designer: Marcus Viljoen

Photographer: Hein van Tonder

Senior Food Stylist: Katelyn Allegra

Assistant Food Stylist: Cassandra Upton

Food Preparation: Sophia - Maria Eygelaar

Proofreader and indexer: Joy Clack

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

There is nothing more rewarding and no greater measure of success in the world of food than someone asking you for one of your recipes because it means that person wants to recreate a memory, a moment of pleasure or simply wants to try out a new idea.

This book represents a compilation of some of my ultimate favourite recipes, recipes I am constantly asked to share, recipes I enjoy cooking for a simple lunch, a quick kitchen supper or that rich breakfast. Some are recipes for when you are cooking for yourself. But then there are recipes or dishes that often intimidate, and which require demystifying and unravelling their complexities, but which can easily and affordably be created in the comfort of your own kitchen.

I want to make this cookbook accessible to everyone, including the foodies (or whatever they like to call themselves these days) of this world.

Summer is the favourite time of year for most people. And why not? Long, sunny days and balmy nights. Above all, it is a joyous time in the company of friends and family, a time for holidays. So my recipes reflect the summer season in its full glory: the use of ingredients, the combinations and the styling of the food. Bright, vibrant colours, exciting textures, bold flavours, but above all, a celebration of summer living.

And to achieve it all, I have an abundance of tips, tricks and sensational short cuts! The selection of recipes reflects my food journey thus far, places I have visited, some over and over again. The book includes my friends, with whom I share copious amounts of laughter over great meals, washed down, sometimes away, with wine. My friends have inspired me, have taught me, have grown with me and made me who I am today. They share in my food journey through recipes I have shared with them and recreated, and, I like to believe, improved upon!

I have found that many people steer away from a recipe because they cannot find an ingredient. I believe a recipe is a foundation from which to work; once in place, there are many ways to build the walls. That is why most of the recipes have a good substitute or alternative for you to try. Play within the boundaries, but dont be scared to try something different. I am a great believer in experimenting, in exploring horizons. It is growth within our crazy world that grounds us, anchors us. Whatever our income, beliefs or circumstances may be, we all need to eat, we all celebrate the good and bad times with food. So I say lets leave our differences behind, embrace one another for who we are and celebrate the moment.

So I encourage you to put everything away, except this book of course. Page through it and find something that youre in the mood for and start cooking. The recipes range in preparation required, but if necessary, call in the troops, family and friends, or even future generations to help and be involved in the process. I dont have children yet, so until I do, I involve my friends kids. Nothing gives me more joy than sharing foodie experiences with them. Cooking is such fun and so important in a childs development, so start them early and involve them.

Above all, I love to entertain and to that end I have a magnificent dining-room table that seats 16 people. I am immensely proud of it and take even greater pride in setting it. All my recipes can be multiplied to accommodate a larger group of people, or if you are simply organising yourself to save on cooking meals when you dont have time to cook.

Believe in yourself, go with your gut and, most importantly, have fun! Perhaps one day you could invite me around to show me how youve mastered, or even improved upon, the recipes.

Happy eating!

COOKING TIPS

Taste, taste and taste again

According to a famous saying, never trust a skinny chef. Well, we all try to exercise and lead a healthy lifestyle, but my point is, taste your food at the various stages of cooking. This will assist you to judge what you may need to add or be aware of in the cooking process.

Add garlic later rather than sooner

You will notice that my recipes tend to have garlic added much later on in the process. I do not brown the onions and garlic together, simply because the size and structures of the two ingredients are different. Bits tend to burn and give a bitter profile, so add the garlic later on, unless the end result needs it from the get go.

Use salt

Dont be scared to use salt, not because you want to taste salt, but for the wonderful flavours it draws out from your food. Remember, there is a whole chemical reaction taking place during cooking and salt helps with the properties to create maximum flavour in the main ingredient.

Pure the garlic

I roughly chop the garlic, and then add a generous pinch of sea salt on top. Using the blade of a knife in horizontal fashion, I smear the garlic with the salt to make a paste. The salt acts as an abrasive and draws out the juices and garlic flavour. When working through the garlic, concentrate on small amounts first in a sweeping motion and draw the knife across the garlic.

Grate the ginger

To maximise on the ginger flavour and avoid the fibres, grate the ginger on a micro-plane. Squeeze out the juice from the grated pulp and discard the stringy fibres. Use the ginger juice towards the end of the cooking process to retain the flavour and health benefits. It depends on the dish, but certainly for curries and stews I use this method.

How to chop herbs

Herbs can be a little fiddly or you may have a few different types of herbs mixed together. Screw them up into a ball and slice through them. Do not run the knife back and forth; that will bruise the herbs and cause discoloration in the dish.

Knife skills

Always sharpen a knife before you use it. Ideally, you should have a set of knives that are yours alone. We all hold our knives differently so the wear on the blade should be consistent for the best results.

Cooking on electric stove tops

With gas or induction hobs you can increase or decrease the temperature immediately. If using an electric stove, switch it onto number 6 to make it really hot, and then cook. To reduce the heat quickly, remove the pot or pan from the stove-top, adjust the dial and then keep testing the plate or heat source until it reaches the desired point for cooking further.