Braai | Anél Potgieter
Category Archives: Braai
Posted on September 20, 2016 by anel potgieter
Steak met brandewynpepersous – Foto Michelle Lategan
Komende Saterdag is Nasionale Braaidag. Hoera! Nie dat my Ier enige aanmoediging nodig het om te braai nie, want hy sê mos: ”Friday is braai day. Saturday is braai day and Sunday is braai day too.” En as hy in die week ‘n kansie kry steek hy, tot my ergernis, weer die vure aan. Maar my liewe man kan nou maar net nie ‘n steak ordentlik braai nie. Óf hy maak dit te gaar óf hy probeer dit ná 10 biere oor koue kole braai. Mansmense tog!
Hoe om die perfekte steak te braai
Ek het verlede week een van Hussar Grill se steakmeesterklasse bygewoon en Sjef Greg Bax het ons touwys gemaak: “Maak seker dat die steaks kamertemperatuur is en nie direk uit die yskas gebruik word nie. Jou kole moet baie warm wees (gloeiend) en die skoon rooster moet liggies met sonneblomolie of olyfolie gesmeer word sodat jy die steaks maklik kan omdraai. Verf jou steaks ook liggies met olie en geur met jou gunsteling speserye. Ek verkies sommer net sout en peper. Gebruik ‘n tang (nooit ‘n vurk nie) om jou steaks om te draai. Die steaks moet toegelaat word om vir ten minste drie tot vyf minute te rus.”
As jy dit op ‘n gietysterriffelpan wil gaarmaak moet jy die pan rookwarm maak (ons panne het die aand vir ten minste 5 minute op ‘n groot gasvlam gestaan) en geen olie op die pan smeer nie. Onthou jy moet die steak met olie verf nie die pan nie.
Sjef Greg Bax van Hussar Grill: Foto Michelle Lategan
Die 3-3-3 formule vir ‘n perfekte medium-rou steak
Gregg het ons geleer om die 3-3-3 formule te gebruik om ‘n perfekte medium-rou steak gaar te maak. “Braai een minuut aan elke kant vir elke een cm dikte. So, as die steak 3 cm dik is braai jy dit drie minute aan die een kant, drie minute aan die ander kant en laat dit vir so drie minute rus. Moet nie aan die steak andersins karring nie. Die totale braaityd is dus ses minute.” Dit is dit! Hou jou selfoontydhouer byderhand, moet dit nie ‘n sekonde meer of minder braai nie en ek belowe jou dat jy die mees perfekste medium-rou steak gaan braai. Hoor ek ‘n hiep-hiep?
Foto: Michelle Lategan
Maklike stokmenger Béarnaise-sous
Béarnaise was nog altyd vir my ‘n nagmerrie om te maak, want dit skif gewoonlik. Maar met die onfeilbare stokmenger-metode sal ek dit nooit weer oor ‘n dubbelkoker probeer maak nie. Gooi die dragon-asyn saam met jou eiergele in die stokmengerhouer en terwyl jy dit oor medium spoed blits, gooi jy die gesmelte botter baie stadig by. So maklik soos dit!
Die perfekte wyn saam met jou steak
Die aand by Silwood het Ernst Gouws ons bederf met sy wyne. Een van my gunstelinge van die aand was die die Ernst Gouws & Co Merlot 2014. Soos hulle self sê: “A savoury masterpiece. A richly-satisfying mouthful of dark plums and stewed fruit, this Merlot is full of earthy flavours with dark chocolate hints, savoury dried meat and plenty of spicy highlights.” Heerlik! Ja, ek dink ek het bietjie te veel van die masterpiece agter die blad gehad want ek het die volgende dag maar bietjie gesukkel. Maar dit was die moeite werd.
Wynmaker Ernst Gouws
Hussar Gril se steakmeesterklasse R450/kop
Ek wil almal aanbeveel om dié meesterklasse by te woon. Dit is groot pret, jy gaan baie leer, lekker steak eet en ook heerlik weglê aan Ernst Gouws & Co se wyne. Vir besprekings kontak Silwood Cooking School by 0216864894 of cooking@silwood.co.za
Steak met Béarnaise-sous – Foto Michelle Lategan
20 ml witasyn
4 ml gekapte vars dragon of ‘n groot knypie gedroogde dragon (tarragon)
190 g botter, gesmelt
rooipeper (na smaak)
suurlemoen (na smaak)
Gooi die asyn, water, dragon, sout en peper in ‘n potjie en verminder oor lae hitte tot 10 ml.
Verwyder van die hitte en voeg 10 ml water by. Voeg saam met eiergele in ‘n mengbak en verwerk teen medium spoed met stokmenger (stick blender) tot dik en romerig. Voeg nou die botter baie stadig bietjies vir bietjies in ‘n klein stroompie by en verwerk goed na elke byvoeging. Wanneer al die botter bygevoeg is, geur met rooipeper en suurlemoensap. As dit te dik is meng ‘n bietjie warmwater by. Bedien teen kamertemperatuur.
Die lekkerste brandewynpepersous
10 ml gemaalde swartpeper
15 ml sagte donkerbruin suiker (treacle)
30 ml brandewyn
150 ml beesvleis ekstrak
160 ml room
Smelt die botter, voeg die suiker by en kook tot die botter verbruin het. Gooi die swartpeper by en braai dit verder vir so twee minute. Voeg die brandewyn by en flambé. Verwyder van die hitte totdat die vlam dood is. Voeg die port by en prut tot die alkohol verdamp het. Gooi die beesvleisekstrak by en verminder tot ¾. Gooi die room by en verminder tot dit verdik het. Geur met sout.
Filed under Braai, Red Meat and tagged braai, braai dag, ernst gouws; hussar grill, medium rare, perfek, perfekte steak, steak |	Leave a comment
Posted on November 9, 2015 by anel potgieter
I made this “pull apart bread” (a recipe adapted from Zola Nene) and just loved it. It is perfect for a picnic and to share with friends … whenever and where ever!
(Adapted recipe from Zola Nene)
250 ml grated cheddar cheese
125 ml grated mozzarella cheese
125 ml grated Parmesan cheese
180 ml mayonnaise
large handful mixed fresh herbs , chopped
500g ready-made bread dough
5 ml Maldon or course salt
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Grease a 23cm x 23cm pan (you can also use a regular cake pan). Mix the cheese, mayonnaise and fresh herbs together. Divide the dough into twelve balls and the cheese mixture into twelve parts. Sprinkle flour on the table and press each ball with the palm of your hand into a flat circle +- 1cm thick. Create a hollow in the centre of your flattened dough for the cheese mixture. Fold dough in half and roughly pinch the edges. Form a ball of each, pinching under the dough spheres. Pack in tin. Brush the top of the bread with the olive oil, cover with cling film then leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Remove the cling film, sprinkle with salt then bake for 30 – 45 minutes until the bread is cooked through. Once baked, remove from the tin and pull bread pieces apart to serve.
Filed under Baked Goods, Braai, Cheese and tagged breade, cheddar cheese, Cheese, mozarella cheese, parmesan |	Leave a comment
Posted on October 30, 2015 by anel potgieter
*I took all the images with my mobile phone*
I made this delicious boerewors braai pie on Expresso this morning. The recipe is the brainchild of Stephanie Louw (food stylist on Expresso). Suzelle inspired her but she made it her own by adding the holy trilogy braaibroodjie flavours: tomato (pesto), onions and cheese. Then she added another SA favourite – braaied boerewors! Its super-super lekker and so easy to make.
Graeme Richards getting ready to make the boerewors braai pie with me
Boerewors braaibroodjie pie
(Recipe by Stephanie Louw)
500g boerewors, braaied, keep in its coil
1 pk puff pastry, defrosted
125 ml tomato pesto
½ onion sliced, sautéed with 1 chopped garlic clove
125 ml grated cheddar
125 ml feta, crumbed
Braai the boerewors and set aside to cool. Prepare some coals – not too hot – the same that you will use for making braaibroodjies. Roll puff pastry out. Spread pesto on one half, then top with onion and garlic mixture. Place boerewors on top, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Top with cheeses. Fold one half over the filling and pinch to close. Place on a braai grid and close gently. Do not latch it. Cook over the coals for 15 minutes, turning regularly. Cut into wedges and serve
Filed under Braai and tagged boerewors, braai, braaibroodjie, pie |	Leave a comment
Posted on February 19, 2014 by anel potgieter
Oh how we just LOVE garlic bread – but… in my household the average French loaf garlic bread that you buy in the shops is just always too little. We want more – we always want more of that buttery garlic inside and the crusty outside … dammit, I just want more of the flavoursome bread!
So, I decided to take your normal sliced, average bread loaf and make this into a BIG garlic bread for my friends the other day. This is an adaptation or should I rather say step-up of the normal garlic loaf. My friends were all crazy about it but the only thing – it was still not enough!! But … everyone at least had a few delicious slices to savour. 🙂
It’s your choice how much garlic you want to add to the butter – but in my case, this would be loads … let’s face it, it’s not called garlic bread for nothing!
I say go big or go home!
#garlic bread - go big or go home
1 loaf of sliced white bread
6 garlic cloves, grated (you can add lots more)
Preheat your oven to 180 °C.
Soften butter till it reaches a spread consistency. Add the grated garlic and mix well.
Smear garlic butter between the slices and pack the bread together again. Also remember to smear the heels of the bread as well as the outer crust for that added crispy garlic toasting
Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 1h15 in preheated oven.
Filed under Braai, Vegetarian and tagged garlic bread |	6 Comments
Posted on November 30, 2013 by anel potgieter
Steak! Out of all the gazillions of steak recipes, one of my favourites (and the simplest of things) is grilled steak on the fire with garlic butter. There is something unadulterated about this that is just perfect when you a craving for a good steak. Served with some salad on the side, you just can’t go wrong.
I chatted to Steve Maresh from the Local Grill in Johannesburg (winner of this years’ Steakhouse of the Year”), I asked him a few questions on how to make the perfect steak, here is what he had to say … “My perfect steak is cooked on oak staves on a gas Webber. The staves are soaked in water overnight and placed on the hot grill for a minute before turning over. Place the lightly seasoned steaks on the staves. Close the Weber lid for 12 minutes and then just before serving, brown/caramelize the steaks on the hot grill. Place back on the now smoldering staves and serve. …Cooking with Himalayan salt blocks come a close second…”
So there you have it … but let’s face it not all of us have the time to rush out and buy wooden staves and salt blocks …taking nothing away from this must-try-once-in-a-lifetime-recipe…. Here is my home styled version to cooking the best steak:
Tips for frying the best steak at home
Stoke the coals so there is a strong flame.
Add a little bit of oil in your griddle pan.
Now place the pan on top of the flame and leave it until your pan is smokin hot.
I season my steaks before I put it in the pan – just with salt and black pepper.
Then fry 3.5 min on one side and 3.5 minutes on the other side (this is for a cut of steak that is +-2cm thick).
Let it rest for 6-8 minutes.
For my garlic butter
1 tsp grated garlic (if you want more add more)
1 small pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Mix together and put in fridge to harden.
Filed under Braai, Red Meat and tagged garlic butter, steak, steve maresh |	7 Comments
Posted on April 28, 2013 by anel potgieter
Watch me make braaibroodjies by clicking here
Will the real Braaibroodjies please stand up? Everyone in South Africa loves braaibroodjies. They are just one of those “must haves” at any braai. However, despite the boastings of the braaimaster ( usually male with lager in hand) … these normally end up being:
C: tomato + onion = not cooked
D: cheese = not melted
So how do we ensure that these traditional toasties are:
A: not burnt
C: cooked tomato + onion
D: with melted cheese
E: all of the above?
Well I have a few sneaky tricks up my sleeve – use them or lose them as they say but do so at your own peril … but I can assure you that if you follow these tips you will have the perfect braaibroodjies every single time … And put any gloating braaimaster in awe of you for life …
1. Butter one side very lightly (not both sides).
2. Cut the onion into thin big round slices – keep the circles whole and pack on the one buttered side of one slice.
3. Then add the thinly sliced tomato circles – sprinkle with salt and pepper. You will note that I place the tomatoes in the centre of the sandwich filling – this prevents the broodtjie from becoming soggy.
4. Grate strong cheddar and generously sprinkle over the tomato and cover with the other slice of bread. Make sure you cover all of the tomato slices with cheese.
5. Put a griddle rack on a baking tray and put the sandwiches on top of that – then while the rest of the braai is on the go place the sandwiches in the oven at 100°C to bake for +- 1 hour – it will crisp the bread up and it will cook everything slowly.
6. Then after everyone has braaied and the coals are low – pop them onto a braai grid and allow to toast until they are browned on both sides! Depending on how hot your fire or coals are you will need to watch these carefully as they can toast quickly enough.
Some people like to add all sorts of other condiments like chutney etc to their broodjies … for me some things need to be kept simple like it was in the old days of braaivleis, sunny skies and Chevrolets.
Filed under Braai, Cheese, Vegetarian and tagged 2013, anel potgieter, barbecue sandwiches, best blogger, best food blog, best food blogger 2013, best sa foodblog, blogger, braaibroodjies, bread, bread on fire, Cheese, delicious, easy barbecue sandwich recipe, easy bread recipe, easy cheese recipe, easy recipe, easy side dish, easy tomato recipe, fire bread, life is a zoo biscuit, lifeisazoobiscuit, onion, recipe, recipes, sliced bread, south africa best blog, south africa blog, tomato, vegetarian |	19 Comments
Posted on September 19, 2012 by anel potgieter
Crispy braaied pig tails – I know that there are many adventurous and fearless chefs out there… this one is for you!
This dish is certainly not for the dainty, squeamish or occasional outdoor chef that thinks a chop and a lettuce leaf constitutes a real South African barbeque … sorry … I meant braai! 🙂
Potjie’s entry a few weeks ago where he talked about English Chef, Fergus Henderson’s book, “The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating”, struck a chord with me and I think we share the same philosophies when it comes to cooking. Be brave, be daring and never be scared to cook with what you have…whatever you have… It also reminded me that I had about 10 pig tails lying in my freezer. I had bought these a while back from Frankie Fenner after I had seen them being cooked on Masterchef. Back then they looked very scary and they still do – very kind of Avatar-ish!
So with National Braai Day being celebrated in the coming days it provided a perfect opportunity to haul these little, curly porky tails over the coals.
The most important thing for me was to make sure that the tails came out soft but still retained that beautiful pork flavour – oh yes, that they had that crispy crackling to feast on. To soften up the tails I steamed them for 15 minutes then braaied them on the grid over medium coals (charcoal or wood). Keeping it simple, I served it up with my own homemade mustard dipping sauce. It was decadent and delicious – as Jan Spies used to say “ryk, maar lekker” [rich but delicious].
Some advice: If you do come across a few people who are still a little squeamish about eating the pig tails … pass them the salad.
Have a fantastic braai day.
4 Pig tails
1 Celery stick - roughly chopped
For seasoning on the braai
For mustard dipping sauce
60g Mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
20g Hot English mustard
Place all the ingredients in a pot (pressure cooker) and steam for 15 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker cover the same ingredients in a roasting pan – cover with foil and bake at 190 degrees for 40 minutes till soft. Please remember to top up your roasting pan with water.
Take the tails and place them on the grid over medium coals on the braai. Sprinkle with salt, pepper (coarse salt and pepper would be good) and ground coriander. Braai till the skin is crispy and crackly. About 5 miutes a side.
Mustard Sauce : Mix all ingredients and serve in a small bowl next to the crispy tails.
Filed under Braai, Pork and tagged 2013, anel potgieter, Barbecued Pork tails, barbeque, barbeque pork, best food blog, best sa foodblog, braai, delicious, easy recipe, frankie fenner, how to cook pig tails, life is a zoo biscuit, lifeisazoobiscuit, maklike vark resep, pig, pig tail recipe, pig tails, pork, pork crackling, pork recipe, pork recipes, pork tail recipe, pork tails, south africa best blog, south africa blog, vark, vark braai resep, vark resep, vark stert resep, varksterte |	5 Comments
Posted on May 23, 2012 by anel potgieter
Today, I need to tell you about my little weekend adventure … the Ultimate Braai Challenge… This past Saturday my friend Joani and I took part in the Western Cape auditions for the Ultimate Braai Challenge. This turned out to be one of the best foodie experiences of my life – the 100 crazy teams, the ‘gees”, the organizers, the judges were just amazing and Justin Bonello is such a fabulous guy and so down to earth! Kudu’s go to all the organizers, the sponsors and everyone that took part both young and old. I was really gob-smacked by all the different people that took part – their liveliness, their spirit and what passion we South Africans have! I realised once again – we LOVE a braai! I cannot wait for this show to start – I really think it is going to take SA by storm!!
But let me get back to what food we presented to the judges – our main course was braaied Ostrich fillet in a red wine and mushroom jus with beetroot blocks – all done on the braai. One of the judges told us that this specific dish was the best dish he had tasted on the day. So I thought I would share this recipe with you. For sure you can do this on the stove as well but for those of you who are adventurous why not also try this on the braai…? Serve this with buttery, mustardy, crushed new potatoes. If you are not so much an ostrich steak fan you can always swap this with a cut of beef or even kudu fillet. Do not forget to enjoy this with a good glass of red wine …
Happy Braaiing … remember where there’s smoke … there is a braai!
4 x 200g Ostrich Fillet
1Tablespoon cooking oil
1 ½ large onion, cut in quarters and parted
3 king oyster mushrooms, cut in 3x lengthwise
4 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoons fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
1 ½ cups of red wine
1 Cup chicken stock (it is ok to use stock cubes diluted in water as per instruction)
For beetroot blocks
250g cooked beetroot cut into 1cm x 1cm cubes
Add the oil and butter to a pot then add the onion – caramalise the onions over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Onions need to have that beautiful honey colour.
Add the mushrooms, thyme, rosemary and the salt and pepper. Fry for a further 10 minutes. I love to hear the snap-crackle-pop of the thyme!
Add the red wine and garlic and de-glaze the pan.
Then add the chicken stock and the tomato paste. Simmer till half the amount is left. This is important - it needs to be a thickish sauce consistency.
Add the rest of the butter and let it melt. Taste and season.
Sieve through a fine sieve and add the beetroot blocks. Set aside.
Keep the big onion pieces and oyster mushrooms aside – discard the thyme and rosemary.
Heat the oil in the pan and fry the ostrich according to your taste – medium rare for me. Season meat to your taste.
Add the onions and mushrooms (that you used in the jus) and fry these with the steak.
Take the steak out of the frying pan to rest (let it rest for least 8 minutes) and add the red wine jus to the steak juices in the pan.
To serve: Put the steak on a plate – add some onion pieces and giant oyster mushroom on top. Then pour some jus at the bottom of the plate. Dress with a few blocks of beetroot around the steak.
Filed under Braai, Red Meat and tagged 2013, anel potgieter, beef, beetroot, best food blog, best sa foodblog, butter, chicken stock, delicious, easy dinner, easy ostrich recipe, easy ostrich steak, easy ostrich steak recipe, easy recipe, easy steak recipe, easy supper, garlic, heerlik, jus, lekker, life is a zoo biscuit, lifeisazoobiscuit, maklik, mushrooms, musrooms, onion, onions, ostrich, ostrich steak, oyster mushrooms, quick venison steak recipe, red meat, red meat recipe, red wine, red wine jus, red wine sauce, resep, rosemary, sauce, south africa best blog, south africa blog, steak, thyme, venison, volstruis, volstruis vleis, wine sauce |	Leave a comment
Posted on April 24, 2012 by anel potgieter
I have been very fortunate to be chosen with my dear friend, Joani to partake in the Western Cape auditions of “The Ultimate Braai Master” competition (ultimatebraaimaster.com). So naturally I will be braaiing a lot more! I have been braaiing since a very young age … growing up with three brothers and a father that thought that going without a braai every couple of days was an insult to ones’ culture and constitution. My dad taught me how to make a fire, how to braai the perfect chops and “wors”, meat and “braaibroodjies”. We braaied a few times a week – sunshine or rain and through the years the braai became a part of my soul. Every time I smell a braai it brings back the fondest childhood memories of my dad. Nowadays I braai every Friday night – without exception. So last Friday I decided to brush up my chicken braaiing skills. I really believe in making your own marinades – I despise the “off the shelf” marinades – I don’t like the taste and you will never find it in my kitchen. I searched for different marinades and got some amazing marinades on Alida Ryder’s blog (simply-delicious.co.za). I love reading her blog – so please do yourself a favour and make time to read some of her recipes.
frankie + robbie helping me with the fire
Below are four of my favourite marinade recipes from Alida’s blog – each one of them is simply delish. I did add some chillies to the Indian and Moroccan recipes. Try it – it’s so easy and very moreish!
All these recipes will yield enough marinade for 1 large chicken – butterflied or cut into pieces. The method for all these marinades are the same, combine the ingredients, pour over the chicken and massage the little bird a bit – marinade for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 day) before braai-ing.
1-2 red chillies finely chopped
2tbsn fresh oregano chopped (or 1 tbsn dried oregano)
1tbsn fresh mint, finely chopped (or 1tsp dried)
2tsp crushed ginger
2tbsn garam masala
4 sticks fresh thyme (or 1tbsn dried)
Filed under Braai, Chicken + Poultry and tagged barbecue, braai, chicken, easy chicken barbecue recipe, easy chicken braai, easy chicken recipe, french chicken marinade, french marinade, greek chicken marinade, hoender, hoender marinade, indian chicken marinade, maklike hoender marinade, marinade, marocaan chicken marinade recipe, Moroccan marinade, vinnige hoender marinade |	3 Comments