3 delicious recipes from Zola Nene that will leave your guests wanting more

06 March 2016 - 02:00 By Zola Nene
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Zola Nene
Zola Nene
Image: Dawie Verwey/ © Penguin random House South Africa

Zola Nene, resident chef on the SABC3 morning show 'Expresso', shares some of her favourite recipes from her new cookbook

As an early morning breakfast show chef, I'm fortunate that I live just seven minutes from work.

I never eat before the show but afterwards I grab one of the fresh muffins baked daily for Expresso guests.

My first cookbook is a true reflection of me, each recipe has a personal story attached.

My first show on TV was cooking with children, which was tricky as I didn't know how they were going to react.

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There are always disasters when cooking live on TV, we just learn how to hide them. Most memorable was a muffin recipe that completely flopped. We couldn't even pretend; it was a total mess.

My love of food stems from watching my mom cook. She floats around so effortlessly in the kitchen and has always cooked the most delicious food. A favourite is steamed mealie bread. My dad orchestrates a mean braai too.

My dad didn't flinch when I told him I wanted to be a chef, in fact, he encouraged me to pursue my passion.

The professional kitchen is a tough place, you can't be timid or quiet otherwise the other chefs will walk all over you. It's possibly the reason I'm so loud-mouthed today.

People think being a chef is like what you see on TV. In reality, it's hard work and long hours sweating behind a stove.

Writing cookbooks versus television? They are both fulfilling. I love TV for the immediate gratification and I love writing cookbooks because it is long-lasting.

My favourite cooking shows on TV are Rachel Khoo and Yotam Ottolenghi.

Simply Delicious by Zola Nene (Struik Lifestyle)

sub_head_start BEEF STEW WITH DUMPLINGS sub_head_end

Dumplings, or amadombolo, were usually reserved for big family gatherings on my grandfather's farm, but occasionally Mom would surprise us with a hearty stew served with dumplings.

Serves: 4-6

45ml cake flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

500g stewing beef, cubed

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

2 onions, chopped

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1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

4 sprigs fresh thyme

250g button mushrooms, halved

30ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste

410g can chopped tomatoes

500ml (2 cups) beef stock

For the dumplings:

280g cake flour, sifted

5ml (1 tsp) salt

5ml (1 tsp) white sugar

5g instant dry yeast

About 375ml warm water

Method:

1) Season the flour with salt and pepper and use to coat the beef.

2) Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over high heat and brown the beef in batches. Set aside all the meat.

3) To the same saucepan, add the onions, carrot, bay leaf, thyme and mushrooms.

4) Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and brown.

5) Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer. Return the beef to the pan, cover with the lid and gently simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.

6) In the meantime, make the dumplings by mixing the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl and adding enough warm water to form a soft and pliable dough.

7) Knead the dough until elastic, cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Pinch off small bits of dough, roll into balls and place onto the stew, which by now has been cooking for about 45 minutes.

8) Replace the lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the dumplings have cooked through.

 

sub_head_start BOERIE ROLL sub_head_end

 

Serves: 4

365g bread flour

5ml (1 tsp) salt

15ml (1 tbsp) white sugar

10g instant dry yeast

About 375ml warm water

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

1 onion, sliced

250ml (1 cup) tomato sauce

30ml (2 tbsp) wholegrain mustard

About 800g thick boerewors

1 large egg, beaten

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Method:

1) Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl and then stir in enough warm water to form a soft dough.

2) Transfer onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary.

3) The dough should be smooth and springy to the touch. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and a tea towel and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour to rise until doubled in size.

4) Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until golden. Mix in the tomato sauce and mustard and remove from the heat.

5) Remove the sausage meat from the boerewors casing, keeping the sausage shape intact.

6) Cut the sausage in half and then squeeze together the two halves to create a shorter, thicker length of boerewors.

7) Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a baking tray.

8) Place the risen dough on a floured surface, knock it down to remove all the air bubbles, then flatten and roll the dough into a thin rectangle as long as the length of boerewors and about 10cm wide.

9) Spread the onion mixture onto the dough and place the boerewors lengthways on top.

10) Roll up to encase the boerewors in the dough and then roll into a very loose spiral.

11) Place the spiral on the greased tray, brush with the beaten egg and then bake for 40-45 minutes until the bread is cooked through and golden.

 

sub_head_start LAMB KEBABS sub_head_end

 

Serves: 4

Sunday nights in Knutsford were spent relaxing and letting one's hair down. My friend Geraldine, or Gran as I call her, and I would have a few ciders at the pub before heading to the local kebab shop to indulge in lamb kebabs.

Ingredients:

500g lamb leg, cubed

250ml (1 cup) Bulgarian yoghurt

15ml (2 tbsp) dried origanum

5ml (1 tsp) salt

5ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

4 bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water

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4 tortilla wraps

125ml shredded red cabbage

125ml grated carrot

A handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered

For the tzatziki

250ml (1 cup) Bulgarian yoghurt

½ cucumber, grated and squeezed to remove water

Juice and zest of 1 lime

½ clove garlic, grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1) Mix the lamb, yoghurt, origanum, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest and leave to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight.

2) To make the tzatziki, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and keep in the fridge. When ready to cook, thread the lamb onto the skewers and char-grill on a hot griddle pan until cooked on all sides.

3) Soften the tortillas by gently heating them in a dry frying pan.

4) Top each tortilla with shredded cabbage, grated carrot, some cherry tomatoes, a lamb kebab and a few spoonfuls of tzatziki.

 

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