Cookery Highlights

When Karen Dudley closed her iconic restaurant, The Kitchen, in Woodstock, Cape Town, there were tears all over for the beloved establishment. Since then, Karen has found that connection does not necessarily reside only in bricks and mortar. She has found that she can carry that deliciousness onwards. This book is all about how she has done just that.In Onwards, Karen Dudley weaves a compelling narrative of how her life changed after the Covid-19 pandemic forced her to close her restaurant, The Kitchen. From these bleak circumstances arose something beautiful, offering the time and space for inspiration to take root, to rediscover her connection with food, and to shift her perception of what it means to cook, for oneself and for others. Onwards is a book about the way forward, filled with wholesome, nourishing and indulgent recipes, with a story of hope and happiness threaded throughout.

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EVERYDAY, INDIAN-ISH, GOOD-MOOD FOOD   Kamini Pather first exploded onto the South African culinary scene as a participant and winner of the second series of MasterChef South Africa.  Since then her life and cuisine journey has taken her down various paths, and although she always remains grounded and grateful to her heritage, she is not solely defined by it. As Kamini herself says, ‘All Dhal’d Up is a collection of ancestrally-derived recipes that have been updated through ingredients and techniques – the old world has been given some fancy.’   The concept of good-mood food leans gently into health, while ‘Indian-ish’ is a perfect nod to her ancestry but fused with other cultures and their influence on the food she likes to eat. So although you will find traditional recipes, such as potato curry with nigella seeds, hot water roti and rasam, as well as the Sunday-standard meal of chicken curry, they are flanked by the delights of cauliflower rice lamb biriyani, pankocrumbed patha wraps, bacon dhal, pudhina hummus and rosewater ice-cream sandwiches with pistachio cookies.   Ever mindful of the demands of busy lives and consciences, Kamini has ensured that the recipes are simple to follow and are mindful of healthy ideals and sustainably sourced ingredients.

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Author Chantal Lascaris asks the question: who doesn’t love junk food? Whether we are upfront about it or it’s an occasional guilty pleasure; let’s be honest; we all do. Those cravings will hit us and there’s nothing quite like the thrill and comfort of yielding to the temptation. But what if we didn’t have to feel quite so guilty? Chantal proves that it’s possible by making use of clever; healthier ingredient substitutes and smarter cooking techniques that will fool those tastebuds. So say yes to burgers; chicken wings; calamari; tacos; pastas; pizzas and doughnuts. Check out All Sorts of Junk Food Made Healthy and find out how.

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Reuben Riffel shares his secrets on how to get to flavour quicker... without the fuss. I think every chef has a dream of how they’d cook for people in an ideal world… for me my dream scenario is definitely cooking with fire. There's a happiness that goes with cooking on a fire, a freedom and festive feel to it, that is what I love about it. This book is about flavours first, the simplicity of cooking over fire. It’s not about how to braai, the technical stuff… rather just to share my enjoyment of cooking, and to encourage you to play and experiment with cooking over fire. You don’t have to be an expert braai master and slave over hot coals for hours. I like to see a fire as an extension of the kitchen, using the same spices and flavourings that I enjoy cooking with inside, but cooking over a fire for the extra flavour and a touch of smoke. The recipes in this book are the tried and tested ones that got the thumbs up from friends and family and range from incredibly simple to more creative. You’ll find different meats and seafoods, loads of vegetables and salads… and a good helping of quick and easy snacks to keep everyone happy kuiering by the fire while you cook the main event.

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