OSTRICH NECK CASSEROLE

Ostrich neck is an excellent alternative to oxtail, as it is similar in appearance when cooked, but with no fat!

With its combination of great taste and nutrition, and it’s incredible ease and versatility in cooking, ostrich meat has rapidly found its’ way onto the menu of many of the finest restaurants in the world. It will make you keep running back for more.

Ingredients:

100ml cooking oil

2kg ostrich neck, cleaned and cut up

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 large onions, diced

1 bunch celery, sliced (no leaves)

3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Sprig fresh rosemary

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 bay leaves

4T tomato paste

1/2 bottle good red wine

6 to 8 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

1x410g can butterbeans, drained

Method:

In a large sturdy pot heat the oil until very hot and seal the meat until browned all over, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary, garlic and bay leaves. Braise the vegetables until they are glazed about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir in. Add the red wine and bring to the boil. Add the water, cover the pot, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about one hour or until the neck is nearly cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and cook for a further 30 minutes or until tender. Add the butterbeans and heat through. Serve with yellow rice.

Ostrich Meat – Savory and Delicious!

LIFE IS ALWAYS SWEETER WITH GOOD FOOD

Let’s face it, food is a part of our everyday lives. We eat it, we dream about it and we spend our money on it.

There are two impulses we need to figure out how to short-circuit. The first is “habituation,” which has to do with the way we get tired of even our favorite foods if we eat them too often, and the second is “satiation,” which leads us to enjoy a given food less and less over the course of a serving.

One thing when cooking for other people is that the food should taste good, of course, but it doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming.  Nothing beats good food and great company.

LOVE PEOPLE, COOK THEM GOOD FOOD

There is no bigger pleasure in life than to meet new people and eat some lovely food.  Explore new destinations, eat some amazingly delicious food.  Food is the one mediums that binds people together and helps you learn and know about people and their cultures.

Choosing a variety of foods will help to make your meals interesting.

Here are some tips:

  1. Food is a great go-to for expressing your feelings.
  2. Food is rewarding.
  3. Going to get food makes for a great first date.
  4. Food completes family holidays.
  5. You can make and eat food any way you want to.
  6. One bite of your favorite food on a bad day can instantly change your mood.
  7. The right food can fulfill a day’s worth of cravings.
  8. Food is fast and easy.
  9. At the end of the day, you’ll realize that food is all you need.
Food is there for the highs and the lows, food is love, food is life.

Roosterkoek

South Africa roosterkoek, a necessity at every braai (and festival)

Roosterkoek, it is hard to imagine a good old South African braai (BBQ) without it!

Roosterkoek forms such a big part of our South African culture.  Adorned with syrup, cheese, scrambled egg and bacon! Roosterkoek is literally pieces of bread dough that have been cooked on a grid over goals.

So although it is fairly easy to make roosterkoek, there are a few crucial points to get right before you can join the Roosterkoek Guild!

 

NB – Remember your roosterkoek is cooked on open coals. So once you start making the dough, also light your fire, or use the warm coals after you have braaied your meat. You must be able to hold your hands over the coals for 10 seconds without burning. Then the coals are ready! Any warmer than that and you will end up with charcoal offerings. Also, make sure your grid is very clean and I spray my grid with Spray ‘n Cook! You can also make roosterkoek on griddle pan if you yearn for them and there is a gail force storm outside!

Robertsons Masterclass – Milk Tart Recipe

Infused with cinnamon and a dash of Robertsons Nutmeg, a traditional Milk Tart is irresistible! If you’re looking for a simple recipe, here is one for you. Inexpensive and easy to prepare, this recipe is simple and guarantees great results. Watch the Robertsons Masterclass and follow the simple steps to create a delicious homemade Milk Tart. Robertsons Herbs & Spices is South Africa’s most loved spice brand and a proud.

South African cultural experiences

Hanging with South Africans

But nothing beats actually meeting people. South Africa’s many cultural villages offer a close-up insight into the country’s traditional cultures. In the major centers, township tours – conducted with sensitivity and pride – will put you in touch with real South Africans and their history. In the rural areas, community tours will help you get to know the country through the eyes of those who live here. You can discover ancient Setswana astronomy through the lens of a grandmother with an intimate knowledge of the ancient traditions. Or how about being taught to cook line fish the traditional way by the fishing community in Kalk Bay?

Cradle of Humankind

And remember, no matter where you’re from, this is where your roots are. It’s pretty much accepted that human life started in Africa. Most people look at the world differently after a tour of the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg – one of the richest hominid fossil sites in the world. Fossilized footprints near Cape Town, and the wealth of rock paintings and surviving shelters in KwaZulu-Natal’s Drakensberg mountains and elsewhere in the country, all testify to humanity’s origins on this ancient continent.

Wars, apartheid, reconciliation

More recently, South Africa’s history has been one of conflict and confrontation, but also of reconciliation and restitution. You can explore the battlegrounds where the bloody events that shaped the country took place.From Isandlwana or Talana in KwaZulu-Natal to Soweto in Johannesburg or Langa in Cape Town, our land tells a story – but one that can be difficult to interpret, so it’s worth doing a guided tour. We show the wounds of our past – visit the Women’s Monument in Bloemfontein, or the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. But we also announce our new-found unity. A trip to Robben Island will show just how powerful that attitude can be. We’ve taken a place of oppression, isolation and despair and turned it into a symbol of forgiveness and hope. That’s what South Africans are doing with the whole country.

SA info reporter and South African Tourism