Dec 22 Lowveld

Book club
Books for the hols, gifts for foodie friends, Vin de Joie wine ... it’s the season of joy.
La Motte’s
Vin de Joie 2022 Rosé
is a salmon pink wine ... all melon
and grapefruit, nectarine and hint
of sweet candyfloss. Drink it with
a simple salad, charcuterie,
salmon or crayfish. R99 from
your local wine boutique or
online from la-motte.com
Would you think of taking left over lemon rind, baking at high heat until dry and
charred, then grinding what are, to be completely honest here, the now shrivelled
pieces of burnt rind, and using as a condiment with sweet and savoury dishes?
Nope. Us neither. But we’re not Yotam (obvs). In Ottolenghi Test Kitchen – Extra
Good Things, it’s suggested Ottolenghify should be a verb (‘I Ottolenghified my
roasted aubergine with some feta’) … and this sensationally delicious book is just
full of twists, flavour surprises, and flair. We’re going to Ottolenghify our foodie
friends’ Christmas with copies of this, with best wishes for a year full of sauces,
sprinkles, pickles and flavour. Ebury Press, R595
Ottolenghi and Prue ... happy days
We’ve all got that one friend. The one who loves food, but is a disaster in the
kitchen. And Yotam Ottolenghi may say “There’s an art to making toast, and Prue
Leith knows it.’’ But ... it’s toast. And Prue says the recipes in Bliss On Toast are easy,
and most home cooks will be able to make them. The collection was compiled by
Prue to celebrate her 30-odd year habit of eating something on toast on Sunday
nights in front of the telly - like the rest of us, yes? But while we’re making avo and
tomato toast and pâté on crisp bread (both of which are in the book, Prue’s no
snob), she ups the game a little. Think duck egg with rainbow chard and Dijon
butter, or figs with blue cheese, thyme and honey. Her beans on toast may use a
can of white cannellini beans and store-bought white bread, but there’s chorizo
and smoked paprika and softened cherry tomatoes. For keen cooks, there’s also
a chapter with recipes to make sauces and breads from scratch. There are sweet
options ... like fried Christmas pudding, brandy cream and blackberries, and
because Christmas means leftovers ... we’ll be making her bubble and squeak with
hollandaise on Boxing Day. Bloomsbury Publishing, R362
04 Get It Lowveld Dec 2022 / Jan 2023