Innholdsfortegnelse for YOU Winning Recipes i YOU Winning Recipes

WINNING recipes have been part of YOU’s food pages since the magazine’s inception in 1987. Every week piles of handwritten recipes arrived at our test kitchen, of which the best were tested and featured in the magazine. Over the years these recipes have also been featured in a formidable collection of books. Later readers would email recipes, mainly dishes that could be prepared quickly, such as one-pot meals and instant cakes, as people found they had less time to sweat over complicated meals in the kitchen. The arrival of Media24’s television channel, VIA, in 2015 provided the ideal platform to give this old recipe for success a touch of TV glamour with the cooking programme, Jy Het ’n Wenresep. In each episode three contestants prepared their favourite recipes and, in…

Café owner and caterer, Vredenburg Rudolph studied law at Stellenbosch University but has always had a passion for food. Eight years ago he opened his own restaurant, Café Graze, in Vredenburg on the West Coast. He also caters for a function venue in Langebaan. His wife, Annalize, is a master baker. Everything he knows about food he learnt from his parents, books and magazines. Although he left home 17 years ago, Rudolph still craves his dad Arrie’s curried lamb chops. Arrie would marinate the chops overnight just before Rudolph came home for university holidays. The chops (which can be braaied or baked in the oven) were served with salad and bread but Rudolph updates his dish with mint yoghurt and couscous salad. SERVES 8-10 Preparation time: 20 min Marinating time:…

Housewife, Heidelberg, Western Cape Hanli lives on a farm and has cooked just about all the way through the Huisgenoot Wenresepte cookbooks. This was the best cake to send with her kids to boarding school and Hanli enjoys sharing it with everyone. For the local bazaar’s cake stall she bakes it as a sheet cake, cuts it into 30 squares and tops with decorative icing. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY, INNOVATIVE) This is not a family recipe – Hanli came across it years ago in Landbouweekblad. What makes it so exceptional – apart from the fact it’s flop-proof – is that the cake contains no eggs, it rises to fill a black oven roasting pan to the top and it’s moist and soft. It’s also versatile and works for layer cakes and cupcakes.…

Food blogger, Cape Town Lizet writes a blog, Melkkos en Merlot, where she (and her cat Merlot) develops new recipes and shares some of her grandmother’s old favourites. She has a special interest in French cuisine. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY, INNOVATIVE) “One of my favourite childhood memories is eating my granny’s quick mini corn vetkoek. There’s no fussing with yeast (baking powder is used in the batter) and it’s ready to be fried in the pan in just 5 minutes,” Lizet says. “But the world has moved on, our eating habits have changed and we’re exposed to international influences my grandmother didn’t have. So I’ve adapted her recipe and added new flavours with bacon, a little chilli for bite and smoky paprika.” The vetkoek can be served for breakfast or lunch. MAKES…

Dentist, Durbanville, Western Cape Pauline’s earliest memories of cooking are of her granny, Pollie, who kept a small egg pan for each of her grandchildren to teach them how to fry an egg. Pauline has been baking for years – she made her first birthday cake when she was in Grade 8 and her friends still talk about it. Her dream is to make a living from baking. Pauline shares that she made a batch of these coffee cookies for a camping trip soon after she got married. The cookies were supposed to last the duration of the holiday. “We polished them off by day two!” she says. MAKES ABOUT 24 SANDWICH BISCUITS Preparation time: 10 min Baking time: 10-12 min 250 g soft butter 180 ml (¾ c) icing…

Owner of Ivy’s Homestay B&B, Darling Ivy’s mom, Sara, always treated guests to a great spread, particularly visitors from Cape Town, who brought clothes and sweets from the city for the kids. She would get up at 5 am to bake bread and each guest went home with a fresh loaf and a jar of jam. (SHORTCUT, FRESH, HEALTHY) Her mom believed guests should always get the best and said strangers came before the people of the house. It meant the children ate later and sometimes, when she served snoek, there wasn’t much left of the fish! So Ivy devised this snoek bobotie which provides more than enough for everyone. SERVES 4-6 Preparation time: 20 min Cooking time: 15-20 min Baking time: 40-45 min 1 kg fresh snoek 2 slices…

Conveyancing secretary, Kirstenhof, Cape Town Sumara and her family are crazy about cooking. The recipe collection she started while she was still at school accompanied her to London when they lived there for a while. She also watches cooking shows on TV for inspiration. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY, HEALTHY) Her husband, Darren, and their kids, Anthony and Emily, love soup in winter but there isn’t much time after work to make it. This recipe is perfect if you decide on the spur of the moment you want soup. It’s quick to make, contains no expensive ingredients and you can easily double the quantities and freeze the leftovers in small tubs. Sumara adapted the recipe three times before her family gave it the nod of approval. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 min Cooking…

Guesthouse owner, McGregor, Western Cape Collin is the co-owner of a guesthouse, Lord’s Guest Lodge, in McGregor where he also co-ordinates and plans weddings. He was a professional dancer and has five titles to his name, but these days he dances only for pleasure. He loves making food and enjoys watching cooking shows on TV. (FRESH,TASTY, INNOVATIVE, HEALTHY) Collin learnt to cook from his mom, Sally, and gran, Matty. His gran was also the person who taught him how to remove the gland in a leg of mutton and to always add a pinch of sugar to your green beans. These lamb chops are served with mint and pea mashed potatoes. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 15 min Cooking time: 20 min CHOPS butter 4 lamb chops 10 ml (2 t)…

Café manager, Paarl Anita recently moved her French-inspired Café Arez from a farm to the main road in Paarl. Her granny inspired her and she’s been cooking for as long as she can remember from a handwritten recipe book that belonged to her gran, Joan, and her great-grandmother, Pearl. (SHORTCUT, FRESH, INNOVATIVE, HEALTHY) Anita’s apple tart recipe is a slight adaptation of her gran’s dish. She’s added spices her gran often used in her meals. MAKES 6 TARTLETS Preparation time: 20 min Baking time: 20-25 min TARTLETS 1 roll (400 g) frozen puff pastry, defrosted 80-100 g butter seeds of 6 cardamom pods OR 2 star anise 10 ml (2 t) ground cinnamon 5 ml (1 t) ground nutmeg 100 g almond flakes 3 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced 125…

Food blogger, Cape Town Avid food photographer Hein has his own food blog, heinstirred. On it he says “for as long as memory serves, I have references and recollections that involve food”. Hein says he literally “travels to eat” with overseas trips planned around dining. After a visit to Beirut in Lebanon, Hein became besotted with the flavours of the Middle East, which he now tries to incorporate into his everyday meals. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 15 min Cooking time: 35 min SALAD 1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets then thickly sliced 2 whole garlic cloves, skin on 15 ml (1 T) Baharat spice mix (recipe far right) 2 ml (½ t) dried chilli flakes olive oil 80 g fresh or frozen peas 80 g green beans 150 g…

Plumber, Langebaan Chris is originally from Moorreesburg in the Western Cape and now lives in Langebaan on the West Coast where he has his own business. But his big loves are music – he’s also a DJ – and food. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY, HEALTHY) Growing up on a farm, Chris ate mainly rice, meat and potatoes. Later when he lived in London he was often broke and had to eat what was available and learnt to eat more vegetables. Back in South Africa he decided one evening to make a dish with all the vegetables he’d eaten while he was away. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 20 min Cooking time: 60 min variety of fresh vegetables such as carrots, onions (white and/or red), peppers, tomatoes, butternut, mushrooms, green beans and baby marrows…

Trauma counsellor, Cape Town Jacqui is studying for an honours degree in psychology and works as a trauma counsellor with the police in Kuils River, Cape Town. A few years ago she accepted a post as a private assistant to a Saudi princess and met her husband, Gavin, while in Saudi Arabia. He still lives in Riyadh and they see each twice a year. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY, HEALTHY) Jacqui’s husband has a house on the Greek island of Skopelos and she fell in love with Greek cuisine while on a trip there. This dish is inspired by the country. JACQUI’S ADVICE Serve any leftovers as a light meal the next day. Mix with cooked pasta spirals and serve with Parmesan cheese. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 min Baking time: 50 min…

Production house owner, Stellenbosch Mabet became known as a member of the popular a capella group Cutt Glas. At 17 she was the youngest member of the World Youth Choir. Now she’s the owner of Mabet van Wyk Productions and also performs often as a singer or background singer for well-known musicians. Mabet loves cooking and dreams of a house with a long stoep and a large table at which she can entertain to her heart’s content. She adapted a clam recipe to create this quick and easy pasta dish. MABET’S ADVICE You can use frozen mussels on the half shell instead of fresh. Steam them over a saucepan of boiling water until just defrosted, about 5 minutes. SERVES 3-4 Preparation time: 5 min Cooking time: 10 min 1 kg…

Cash controller, Parow, Cape Town Elaine works as a cash controller but is also passionate about baking. She spoils her family with cakes and tarts, especially over weekends and on their birthdays. Her mom, Eelkje, has been living with Elaine and her family for years and until recently handled all the food preparation. When Elaine took over she was pleasantly surprised at how much she enjoyed cooking too. (SHORTCUT,TASTY, INNOVATIVE) Elaine has always had a sweet tooth. She has been making this delicious fudge since her school days. MAKES ABOUT 24 SQUARES Preparation time: 10 min Cooking time: 20 min Chilling time: 20 min 250 g unsalted butter 500 g icing sugar 1 can (385 g) condensed milk 5 ml (1 t) vanilla essence 80 g dark chocolate, broken into…

• Variety of cans Tomatoes, whole kernel corn, variety of beans, chickpeas • Coconut milk, preferably lite • Sachets or tubs of tomato paste • Stock Vegetable, beef, fish and chicken stock (without extra salt and additives) • Vinegars Grape (white and brown, not spirit vinegar), sherry, cider and rice vinegar • Oils Good extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings, a seed-and-olive oil mix for frying, sesame and chilli oil for flavouring dishes • Seeds Pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds, toasted (great for sprinkling over vegetable dishes and salads or adding to pestos) • Salt Sea salt flakes, regular salt, variety of flavoured sprinkling salts • Sauces Good soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce • Pestos basil, Thai, red, rocket, coriander and other varieties • Lentils Red and brown •…

HOW do you pick a winning recipe? YOU food editor Carmen Niehaus got to taste so many delicious dishes as presenter and judge on VIA channel’s TV food show Jy Het ’n Wenresep! (channel 147 on DStv), it was difficult to choose just one winning recipe per episode! In each episode three contestants made a special dish, but only one could win the top rating of five stars. The only fair way to judge their dishes was with reliable and careful criteria. This prevented subjective judgments and ensured the best dish won every time. We had five criteria with a star awarded for each one. The winning recipe needed to offer a shortcut, be fresh and affordable, tasty, innovative and healthy. Far right is an example of how the stars…

Blogger and food studio owner, Stellenbosch Ilse has her own award-winning food blog, The Food Fox, and owns The Demo Kitchen in Stellenbosch which offers food consulting and cooking lessons. (FRESH, INNOVATIVE ,TASTY) Ilse’s mom, master baker Erna Uys, baked rusks for a home industry in Stellenbosch in the ’80s. She would drop them off early in the morning and there would already be a queue of people waiting for these baked treats. The rusks are similar to “mosbolletjies” with the distinctive aniseed taste, but are made without must or grape juice. It can also be enjoyed as soft brioche as Ilse has prepared it in this recipe. ANISEED RUSKS To make rusks, slice each ball of bread vertically into 4. Place in a 70 °C oven to dry for…

Caterer and market manager, Langebaan Isabella is a former fashion editor who now lives in Langebaan on the West Coast. She often transforms her dune home into a catering venue – moving the furniture onto the stoep and setting up trestle tables inside – for weddings and other events. She has also taken the countryside to the city with a market she manages every Saturday in Woodstock, Cape Town. Isabella made her spinach quiches for her first market stall and all 36 quiches, which she’d baked with home-made shortcrust pastry, were sold within five minutes. She realised handmade shortcrust pastry was a luxury that wouldn’t work and phyllo pastry was the answer. MAKES 6 MUFFIN-SIZED QUICHES Preparation time: 15 min Baking time: 20-25 min 4 sheets phyllo pastry, each brushed…

Wedding cake baker, Paarl, Western Cape Juanita grew up enjoying hot scones straight from the oven – her mom’s standby when visitors would pop in for tea. Years later when she started working at a wedding and restaurant venue she was tasked with developing scones that wouldn’t dry out quickly. She played around with recipes until she made scones that would break open beautifully without the help of a knife and stay fresh for a long time. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY) “You can separate the ‘leaves’ inside these scones like pages in a book. The big secret is butter, cream, milk and eggs,” Juanita says. “Never add sugar, especially if you’re serving them with jam, as they’ll not only be overly sweet but will lose their light texture.” MAKES 12 SCONES Preparation…

Buyer at a fruit and vegetable import and export company, Cape Town Ina loves cooking and travelling. When overseas, she enjoys attending cooking courses and trying foods unique to that particular country. Her love of food started with her grandmother, also called Ina, who was a home economics teacher and a student of the late Ina de Villiers, author of the much-loved Cook and Enjoy recipe book series. Her gran is now 93 and still has a little brown box filled with her favourite recipes. (SHORTCUT,TASTY, HEALTHY) After thoroughly enjoying a prawn and pasta dish at a restaurant, Ina says she couldn’t stop thinking about it for more than a year. She kept returning to the restaurant to order the same dish, trying to work out exactly what was in…

Food blogger, Pinelands, Cape Town When you read Nina Timm’s prize-winning food blog, my-easy-cooking, you quickly realise she knows just what busy people want: recipes that are easy, affordable and tasty. She is also a food stylist and photographer. Nina learnt from her mom how to bring people together with food – food from the heart, made with love. That’s also the best cooking tip she’s ever received – never make food when you’re angry! SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 min Cooking time: 35 min 2 large sweet potatoes olive oil salt 2 oranges 2 rolls (100 g each) chevin (goat’s milk cheese) large handful of finely chopped fresh parsley and basil DRESSING 250 ml (1 c) canola oil juice and zest of 1 lemon juice from the 2 oranges…

Guesthouse owner, food technologist and food blogger, Skeerpoort, North West Annelien offers cooking classes at her guesthouse, Bos-En-Berg, on her family’s farm near Hartbeespoort Dam. Her passions are making cheese and bread and she loves boerekos with a twist. (FRESH,TASTY, INNOVATIVE, HEALTHY) For these wraps Annelien uses homemade rotis that her friend, Naceema Patel, taught her to make. She cooks a large batch and freezes some for later. This dish is a great way to teach kids how to eat healthily: serve one kind of meat, two kinds of vegetables and one sauce in the wraps. Sometimes they fill it with a chicken or beef salad or stir-fry. ROTIS MAKES 8 ROTIS Preparation time: 15 min Kneading time: 5-10 min Cooking time: 1 min a side per roti 280 g…

Owner of a catering and events company, Hotazel, Northern Cape Natasha was already an aspiring entrepreneur in Grade 7, selling treats from her schoolbag during breaks. She and her younger sister, Nadia, recently launched their own catering and events business, Pink Chameleon. These “donkey drops” are one of their most popular treats. Natasha bought her first cookbook, Klein Kook en Geniet, when she was nine years old. She wanted the book because it contained a recipe for her aunt Vera’s much-loved chocolate cookies. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t get them like her aunt’s. When she turned 16, her aunt gave her the recipe as a birthday present and taught her how to perfect them. The cookies will stay fresh for four weeks in an airtight container.…

Homemaker, Gordon’s Bay Cindy and her family lived in North Dakota in the US for eight months in 2014. The owners of the bee farm where she worked, Brent and Bonnie Woodworth, spoilt them daily with a hot meal and a baked treat. Bonnie also taught Cindy a lot about flavours. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY) Cindy got the original recipe for these treats from Bonnie but she’s now known for her own version – and every time she makes them she tops them with something different. We added an egg white to the bars to help to bind them, but it’s not essential. MAKES ABOUT 24 BARS Preparation time: 10 min Baking time: 15-20 min 1 packet (200 g) Tennis biscuits, crushed 80-100 g melted butter 250 ml (1 c) desiccated coconut…

Stay-at-home mom, Gordon’s Bay Cheryl grew up in a large family and learnt to cook at an early age to help her mom, Elizabeth, on the farm. She also loved visiting her aunt Lena, because her pantry was always packed with canned fruit, rusks, breads, koeksisters and milk tart. Food is her passion and a recipe book is like a novel to her. (SHORTCUT,TASTY This chicken dish was for special occasions and Cheryl and her siblings still make it exactly the way their mom did. SERVES 6 Preparation time: 10 min Cooking time: 1 hour 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces OR 8 chicken pieces salt and black pepper 1 packet (45 g) white onion soup powder 250 ml (1 c) boiling water 250 ml (1 c) mayonnaise 250 ml…

Investment analyst, Kuils River, Cape Town From when she was little, Megan would help her mom, Linda, to make her guava tart. Later friends would ask Megan to make it for their parties. She works in the financial industry but in her spare time she loves cooking and entertaining. Megan is gluten intolerant so she’s adapted her mom’s recipe to be gluten-free and lower in carbs. MAKES 6-8 TARTLETS OR 1 LARGE TART Preparation time: 30 min Baking time: 12-15 min Setting time: 30 min SPONGE CAKE BASE 6 eggs, separated 80 ml (¹⁄₃ c) xylitol 125 ml (½ c) coconut flour 2 ml (½ t) bicarbonate of soda 1 ml (¼ t) vanilla essence FILLING 10 ml (2 t) gelatin 200 ml cold water 6-8 fresh guavas, peeled and…

Artist from Claremont, Cape Town Muriel, originally from Malmesbury in the Western Cape, is a seasoned traveller and loves unusual adventures such as exploring Mount Etna’s caves in Italy. Muriel doesn’t eat meat and conjures up wonderful vegetarian dishes. (SHORTCUT, FRESH, HEALTHY) This recipe is from Muriel’s Greek grandmother, Yaiyai, who fled Turkey as a young girl because of war. She ended up coming to South Africa to marry a Greek man she didn’t know. On arrival she discovered she would also be keeping house and making meals for his brothers. Yaiyai was a remarkable woman who became much-loved in the Afrikaans community. MURIEL’S ADVICE Store any leftovers in the fridge and give the dish a second life with boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, meatballs or other meat of your choice,…

Admin director, Langebaan, West Coast Antoinette likes travelling and has visited many countries. Her husband, Johan, is a land surveyor and does a lot of work elsewhere in Africa. She often accompanies him and has cooked in the most isolated places, with minimal facilities at her disposal. “The further north you go in Africa, the scarcer gas becomes, and 90 percent of the time I had to cook the food either on a Zambian “stoefie” (a bucket with holes, in which a fire is lit) or on an open fire,” she says. (SHORTCUT, INNOVATIVE, FRESH, HEALTHY) During one of their journeys Antoinette found a spare butternut, bought a few onions from villagers and found a packet of bacon in the freezer. The resultant “lasagne” was met with frowns at first,…

Product developer, Betty’s Bay, Western Cape Anida’s love of food began when she was young and would help her grandmother, Anna, with the baking. She started cooking at home when she was a teenager after her gran gave her a step-by-step recipe book. Anida got this wonderfully easy recipe about 20 years ago from her friend, Rouvé Hattingh, who in turn got it from her friend, Dorothy Watson. So the beloved recipe has come a long way and has also been passed on to many other friends and family. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 min Baking time: 30-35 min 4 chicken breast fillets salt and pepper 2 eggs, whisked 200 ml home-made dried brown breadcrumbs 125 ml (½ c) low-fat plain yoghurt 125 ml (½ c) cream 80 g blue…

Restaurant cook, Barrydale Cathy is a stalwart in the kitchen at the popular Diesel & Crème restaurant on Route 62 in Barrydale in the Western Cape. (SHORTCUT, INNOVATIVE,TASTY) Cathy was about 12 years old when her grandmother, Katie, taught her to make milk pudding (melkkos) using fresh farm milk and butter. She served the pudding in enamel bowls with plenty of cinnamon and sugar on top. The dessert now graces the menu at Diesel & Crème. SERVES 6-8 Preparation time: 20 min Cooking time: 20-30 min STEWED FRUIT 500 ml (2 c) mixed dried fruit 1 cinnamon stick 1 whole clove 1 rooibos teabag 2 star anise 125 ml (½ c) brown sugar PUDDING 1,5 litres (6 c) full-cream milk 250 ml (1 c) sugar 1 cinnamon stick pinch of…

Food truck marketer, Melkbosstrand, Cape Town Jaco travelled the world for 10 years and discovered a passion for food. These days he works as a marketer for the food truck The Chef ’s Bench, but he tries to take a turn at the stove as often as possible. (FRESH,TASTY, INNOVATIVE, HEALTHY) It’s the smoked tomato chutney that makes this bobotie so deliciously different. At The Chef ’s Bench they’d been using a classic chutney recipe from his business partner Steffen Olivier’s grandmother, Erika. “I once had to make the chutney when I was preparing on my own for a function,” Jaco says. “I was preparing the smoker for a pork shoulder and decided to smoke the tomatoes too and toast a few spices. The other guys loved it and it’s…

Sommelier, Simon’s Town, Cape Town Pap tart, a South African favourite made with mealie meal porridge, gets zhooshed up and becomes an instant winner. Nicole’s mother, Yvonne, who received the recipe from her mother, Anna, taught Nicole how to make this savoury tart. “I’ve liked to cook from when I was little and would watch my mom when she was in the kitchen,” Nicole says. “My sister and I would page through cookbooks and make notes of recipes we wanted to try one day. When I worked in America, this tart was a winner among my friends of various nationalities.” It works well served with braaied meat and a salad. SERVES 6-8 Preparation time: 20 min Cooking time: 15-20 min TOMATO SAUCE olive oil or butter for frying 1 onion,…

Labour consultant, Paarl Like her parents, who both grew up in the Karoo, Mariëtte is mad about cooking. She and her husband, Leon, also entertain often. In 2012 she was named one of Leisure Books’ top 10 home cooks and the winners’ recipes were published in a cookbook. (FRESH, INNOVATIVE, HEALTHY) “My granny, Willemiena Kateriena Magdalena De Lange, known to everybody as Wik de Lange, lives in Calvinia in the Northern Cape and is still a young 85-year-old. My sister and I have a special bond with my granny and she and I even share a birthday! When we were little, we would visit her during the holidays and prepare delicious meals in the kitchen, including liver and kidneys with sweet and sour sauce. I call them Karoo oysters because…

Former editor of Winestyle magazine, Cape Town Kalinka grew up on a farm near Jeffreys Bay. She now runs a business that offers unique wine festivals and does food styling and wedding décor. (SHORTCUT, FRESH, HEALTHY) The pies remind Kalinka of homecomings, friends, family and the celebration of many milestones. Her mom taught her and her sister to cook with abandon. Few cookbooks were used – instead she taught them about flavours and ingredients. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 15 min Cooking time: 30 min Baking time: 30 min 4 chicken breasts 500 ml (2 c) chicken stock 250 g bacon rashers, diced 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped oil for frying 250 g mushrooms, sliced 125 ml (½ c) white wine OR sweet wine 500 ml (2…

Baker, Benoni Daleen not only spoils her family with baked treats, she bakes for stores and coffee shops too. The best tip she’s ever heard was to read a recipe carefully before you begin. Her granny Oosie’s orange shortbread sparked her love of baking – she couldn’t get enough of it when she visited her during holidays. Daleen got her recipe 22 years ago from a friend in Vaal Reefs. She adapted the original syrup to flavour it with lemon. MAKES 1 LARGE CAKE Preparation time: 20 min Baking time: 45-50 min CAKE 9 eggs, separated 560 ml (2¼ c) castor sugar 125 ml (½ c) lemon juice grated zest of 2 lemons 180 ml (¾ c) oil 250 ml (1 c) cold water 810 ml (3¼ c) cake flour…

Managing director, Cape Town Maryna studied accounting in the UK and lived there for eight years. She has a passion for the wine industry and is currently the managing director of Wine Extra digital magazine. (SHORTCUT,TASTY, INNOVATIVE) Maryna’s mom, Marié, liked serving this pudding after Sunday lunch on cold winter days in the Free State. Now Maryna bakes this pudding with total confidence, knowing it’s always a winner. SERVES 4-6 Preparation time: 10 min Baking time: 25-30 min BATTER 5 ml (1 t) bicarbonate of soda 125 ml (½ c) milk 375 ml (1½ c) self-raising flour 125 ml (½ c) white sugar 2 eggs 30 ml (2 T) smooth apricot jam 25 ml (5 t) very soft butter 3 ml (generous ½ t) salt SAUCE 200 ml water 200…

Restaurateur, Bredasdorp Melanie grew up on a farm near Swellendam and now lives with her husband on his family’s farm, Nacht Wacht near Bredasdorp, in the Western Cape’s Overberg region. They’ve converted an old milking shed into a restaurant where she serves dishes crammed with seasonal produce. The Overberg is renowned for its lamb and Melanie loves cooking with local produce. That’s why she devised this dish with its wine sauce that uses jam made from sour figs picked at their beach house at Brandfontein. The lamb is served with a spinach and date salad. SERVES 6 Preparation time: 15 min Marinating time: 20 min Cooking time: 20-25 min SAUCE 500 ml (2 c) red wine 250 ml (1 c) balsamic vinegar 1 lamb stock cube salt and pepper 125…

Aftercare teacher, Langebaan Soon after finishing school Estelle worked as a bus hostess where she met her future husband, Le Roux. They decided to explore the world, got engaged on the banks of the Jordan River in Israel, married and travelled through Europe for three years. Later, as an air hostess Estelle continued to travel for another 10 years until the birth of their children. They now live in Langebaan where she manages the aftercare at a local school. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY, HEALTHY) Estelle likes to prepare healthy food for her children, CJ and Ella. Oats bind these fishcakes and she makes her own sauce. ESTELLE’S ADVICE Use a sandwich toaster to cook the fishcakes without oil. Spoon dollops of the fish mixture on the heated lower plate, put a wooden…

Student and businesswoman, Stellenbosch Marietjie is a final-year mechatronic engineering student at the University of Stellenbosch and owns an auto glass repair company with her sister. But her great love is cooking. “Every holiday and weekend that I could I worked as a waitress at a small gourmet restaurant in Wellington, that’s where I got inspiration for many of my dishes,” she says. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY) Marietjie and her siblings spent many holidays with their grandparents on their farm in Soekmekaar, Limpopo, where their granny, also Marietjie, spoilt them with biscuits, koeksisters and ham and cheese sandwiches. But for her there was no bigger treat than her granny’s pie made with chicken or game. “As poor students at Stellenbosch my sister and I yearned for that pie, but it was beyond…

Housewife, Pniel, Western Cape Alenor was born in Pniel, where she still lives. Her home has a garden filled with fruit trees, which she uses to make the most delicious jams, and plenty of vegetables and herbs, perfect for cooking. Alenor was 12 years old when her granny, Mathilda, taught her how to “knead” bread with a spoon because her fists were too little for the job. MAKES 2 LARGE FLAT BREADS OR 2 REGULAR LOAVES Preparation time: 15-20 min Rising time: 20-3O min Baking time: 20-25 min (flat breads), 40 min (regular loaves) 1 kg wholewheat flour OR half wholewheat and half brown bread flour 1 packet (10 g) instant yeast 3 ml (generous ½ t) salt 5 ml (1 t) sugar 15 ml (1 T) each fresh, chopped…

Account manager, Lansdowne Dilshaad grew up in a traditional Indian household with a mom who cooked only the best for them every evening. Her mother, Zuleigah, taught her the basic principles then Dilshaad started experimenting on her own. She enjoys cooking programmes on TV and reads any recipe she can lay her hands on, then adapts the recipes to make them her own. She dreams of some day having her own deli where she can give expression to her passion. (SHORTCUT, INNOVATIVE, HEALTHY,TASTY) Dilshaad adapted her mom’s recipe to her own tastes. Her husband, Moegsien, compares the dish to a car. He says a Nissan GT-R is made to be driven and her butter chicken is made to be eaten. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 min Cooking time: 15-20 min…

Interior decorator, Hopefield, Western Cape Ilse’s favourite two places are her garage, with all its saws, wood and drills where she creates wooden décor products, and her kitchen, where she enjoys cooking and baking. As a child Ilse would often help out with the grocery shopping and later became the family cook. (SHORTCUT, FRESH,TASTY, INNOVATIVE) Ilse transformed her granny Elizabeth’s pumpkin cookie recipe into a sweet filling for this delicious tart which she serves as dessert. MAKES 1 LARGE TART Preparation time: 10 min Chilling time: 2 hours 15 min Baking time: 40 min CRUST 300 g ginger biscuits 120 g melted butter FILLING 500 ml (2 c) sweet potato cubes 2 large eggs 125 ml (½ c) brown sugar 250 ml (1 c) condensed milk 30 ml (2 T)…

HOW TO FIX (OR PREVENT) SLIP-UPS We’ve all experienced the odd error or mishap in the kitchen and the YOU test kitchen is no exception. But there’s no need to panic, we’ve found there are quick and easy ways to fix or prevent most cooking problems. Here are solutions to a few common issues: 1 YOU’VE ADDED TOO MUCH SALT TO YOUR FOOD Solution If it’s a stew, add potatoes or chopped carrots to absorb some of the salt. You could also add a can of chopped tomatoes. For other dishes, such as a quiche, try adding lemon juice to balance the salty taste. 2 STEW STUCK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POT Solution Do not stir. Carefully remove the stew from the pot without scraping the bottom. Transfer to…