'I like to eat Michelin but when I’m cooking, I keep it simple,' says celebrity chef Lorna Maseko

“I’m a chef school dropout, not a beauty school dropout,” celebrity chef Lorna Maseko tells me at an event ahead of the launch of season two of her cooking show, Homegrown Tastes SA. Always beautifully dressed and wearing a full face of impeccable makeup, I wouldn’t dare accuse her of the latter.  

“I went to chef’s school for three months, hated it and quit,” she elaborates.

A retired prima ballerina and former Top Billing host, Maseko’s love for cooking was sparked when she took part in the 2015 edition of South Africa’s Celebrity MasterChef.

She went on to host Top Chef SA, The Hostess with Lorna Maseko and Homegrown Tastes SA and she’s just finished shooting Top Chef America.

While Maseko says choosing a favourite dish from the show is difficult, she recalls cooking with some fascinating ingredients.

“The show is like a dictionary for me — a South African Bible — because I’m learning so much. It also has me discovering ingredients that I would never have known.”

Some firsts for her on the show were learning about and cooking with abalone, turning Mopani worms into flour and making a dessert with donkey’s milk.

But when the celebrity chef is cooking at home, she likes to keep it simple. One of her favourites is oxtail. “I like to eat Michelin but when I’m cooking, I keep it simple.” It’s also her best kitchen tip to home cooks: “Do what you want and keep it authentic.”

Here, Maseko shares three delectable recipes from the new series to bring the taste of Homegrown Tastes SA into your kitchen.

CHICKEN LIVERS WITH PICKLED VEGETABLES

Serves: 4

Pickled vegetables:

80g mix of vegetables  — carrots, radish, cucumber, onion, cabbage, cut into pieces

15ml (1 tbsp) rice vinegar

20ml (2 tbsp) water

5ml (1 tsp) salt

5ml (1 tsp) sugar

1 red chilli

2.5ml (½ tsp) coriander seeds

1 bay leaf

Chicken livers:

1 x 250g tub chicken livers, cleaned, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

50g (100ml) flour

10ml (2 tsp) chicken spice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

30ml (2 tbsp) canola oil

2 large onions, sliced

60g butter

2 fresh chillies, seeded

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

A splash of white wine and brandy, optional

Method:

1. Combine all the vegetables in a glass bottle with a screw top lid. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Cover and set aside to pickle while you make the chicken livers.
2. Pat the chicken livers dry using kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
3. Combine the flour and chicken spice and coat the chicken livers.
4. Heat the canola oil in a pan over medium heat then add the butter.
5. Fry the chicken livers until golden brown. Remove the livers from the pan and fry the onions, garlic and paprika. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and chicken livers. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Serve the chicken livers and pickled vegetables with roasted vine tomatoes; fresh herbs such as coriander, spring onion or parsley; and fresh bread.

KAROO LAMB KEBABS WITH BRANDY & COKE SAUCE

Serves: 4-6 

Ingredients:

8-10 kebab sticks

600g cubed boneless leg of Karoo lamb

Salt and pepper

45ml (3 tbsp)  olive oil 

30g (2 tbsp)  butter  

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

3 sprigs, rosemary

Sauce:

30g (2 tbsp) butter

250ml (1 cup) cola cooldrink 

60ml (¼ cup) brandy 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 finger fresh  ginger, grated 

30ml (2 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce 

15ml (1 tbsp) mint jelly 

30ml (2 tbsp) parsley, chopped 

Micro herb salad to serve

Method:

1. Soak kebab sticks in water for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Skewer onto kebab sticks.
3. Heat a pan and place the skewers into the pan and sear on  each side 'til browned. Once browned add in the butter, garlic and rosemary. Toss and place into the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on preferred doneness. Remove from the oven and allow to rest while you prepare the sauce.
4. For the sauce, place all the ingredients except the mint jelly, parsley and salad  into a saucepan and heat until the sauce starts reducing and thickening slightly. Finish off the sauce by stirring through the mint jelly and fresh parsley.
5. Serve the skewers on a bed of micro herbs and either pour the sauce over the skewers or serve alongside the skewers for dipping.

AMASI CHEESECAKE WITH CHERRIES

Makes: 1 cake

Base:

210g  ginger biscuits

100g butter

50g caster sugar

Cheesecake filling:

860g cream cheese

200g caster sugar

6 eggs, beaten

30g (4 tbsp) flour

340ml Amasi, whisked till smooth

30ml (2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla paste

Caramel:

100g brown sugar

50g butter

50ml Amazi, whipped until smooth

15ml (1 tbsp) water

Garnish:

Fresh cherries, pitted or other seasonal berries

Icing sugar

Whipped cream for serving, optional

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Combine the base ingredients in a food processor and process 'til you have crumbs.
2. Line a 22cm loose-bottomed baking tin with baking paper and spray with cooking spray then line the tin with the mixture using your fingers to press into the base of the tin.
3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar for the filling on a medium speed for 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined. Slowly add the amasi, lemon juice and vanilla and mix until smooth.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared base and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the cheesecake is firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the centre. A good idea is to bake this the day before it is needed, cool, cover and refrigerate.
6. For the amasi caramel, heat the sugar and butter in a pot, use a wooden spoon to swirl the butter around while it melts. Simmer on a low heat until the sugar caramelises. Remove from the heat then add the water and amasi. Set aside to cool.
7. To assemble place the cheesecake on a cake stand and carefully pour the caramel over then decorate with the fresh cherries and dust with icing sugar.
8. Serve sliced with cream if desired.

• Catch 'Homegrown Tastes SA' on BBC Lifestyle, DStv channel 174 on Wednesdays at 8pm.