waldorf salad

core and chop 4 crisp, green apples into bite size pieces. sprinkle 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the apples to prevent them from browning.

plump up ½ cup of raisins. do this by soaking them in hot tap water, covered, and letting them stand for a few minutes. drain well and add them to the apples pieces.

thinly slice about 3 stalks of celery, and add to the salad.

add ½ cup of walnuts, although i prefer to use macadamia nuts instead, your choice…

in a bowl, mix ½ cup of mayonnaise with 3 teaspoons of sugar and then stir through the salad, coating all the ingredients.

a fresh, crunchy and chewy salad, perfect for hot summer days.

cheesy gnocchi bolognaise

pre-heat oven to 200º celsius.

in a frying pan, gently fry 1 finely chopped onion and 2 crushed cloves of garlic in olive oil until soft. increase heat and add 750g lean beef mince. break up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.

add 600ml pasta sauce (of your choice), season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until sauce thickens.

in the meantime, cook 650g gnocchi in salted water according to instructions and drain.

spoon the bolognaise mixture in an oven-proof dish. top with the cooked gnocchi. sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese.

bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese has browned.

sausage sandwiches

heat oven to 220º celsius.

put 16 pork sausages in a roasting tin with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

add 250g sliced mushrooms and 150g cherry tomatoes, drizzle with a bit more olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. return to oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring through after 10 minutes, until cooked through.

heat 6 ciabatta rolls in the oven, and serve the sausage and vegetables on buttered rolls with onion marmalade.

butternut bredie

bredie is the sa word for stew. this is 100% pure winter food...


heat a dash of olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté 2 large sliced onions and 2 cloves of crushed garlic until soft. add 1kg stewing lamb and brown over high heat.

mix 3 tablespoons of marmite with 300ml boiling water and add to the saucepan. cover and simmer gently for 1½ hours.

add 300g baby potatoes, 2kg diced butternut, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons brown sugar. continue to simmer for a further hour or until meat is tender.

mix 2 tablespoons of flour with cold water and stir through the bredie. simmer for a further 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened to your liking, adding salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

serve with rice. yummy…

THE best butternut-mash

place 1kg of cleaned, peeled and cubed butternut into boiling water and cook until soft. drain.

mash the butternut while still warm, add a dash of olive oil to moisten, 1 generous teaspoon of freshly crushed garlic, 60g grated parmesan cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper. thin with water to your favourite consistency.

have it as you would potato mash, try it with a saucy stew or with gravy. so, so good!

fresh pineapple salsa

combine 2 cups of coarsely chopped fresh pineapple, ½ cup of chopped sweet red pepper, ¼ cup finely chopped red onions, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 small fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped. stir through well. cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

excellent with grilled salmon
or combine with cooked fresh fish of your choice and add mayo for a fish salad

linquini with slow-cooked chorizo sauce

heat a dash of olive oil in a large saucepan. cut 500g of chorizo sausage into small cubes and slowly fry until the juice from the sausages has evaporated and the fat begins to run.

add 2 small red onions, chopped, 6 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 small red chillies, chopped and seeded, and 2 bay leaves. cook gently until the onions start to brown, about 20 minutes.

increase heat and add a third of a cup of dry red wine and cook until the wine has evaporated. lower the heat, add 2 x 410g tins of whole, peeled tomatoes, cover and cook until you have a thick sauce, about 45 minutes.

season with ½ teaspoon nutmeg, salt and freshly ground black pepper. stir through 120g grated parmesan cheese and 150ml double cream. heat through and serve with 500g linguine (or spaghetti).