Howzit chommies 👋, it’s the end of an era!
Mush is going to the UK! By the end of this week Tessy and myself will officially be living in the UK. Something we have wanted to do for a while now and it’s finally happening. We are both full of excitement about the new adventure but finding it hard to say goodbye to a country we love so much. Not to mention the stress and nerves that come with moving your entire lives to a new continent…yet again. But we are up for the challenge and ready to enter the cold with a smile on our faces!
Of course this will never be our final braai! However it does mark the end of an incredible era for both Tess and myself. And so it’s more of a tribute to our deep rooted love for this incredible country that we are leaving this week.
For those that don’t know what a braai is, it is essentially a cultural, unfiltered method of cooking directly over the flame. Yes you could call it a BBQ, but frankly that’s just insulting to how much better a braai is than a barbecue. A braai is so much more than cooking over the fire, it’s an entire experience of being with family and friends around a fire with the meat on the go, drinks flowing, music grooving and grannies waffling. Something I’m going to miss very much while living back home in the UK.
Listen, that’s not to say I won’t make a braai in the UK and stand outside in the cold turning the meat! I’ll do it! It’s forever a part of my family traditions.
This recipe is Tessy’s favourite style of braai. Everything you see is done exactly how she requested it to be. Perfectly braaied lamb chops with a vibrant, zingy mint sauce, her current number one salad; goats cheese and pea. Her family’s famous braai toasties with chilli and basil. Then a creamy potato bake and a boerewors starter, hot off the braai. A woman with taste if I don’t say so myself.
all recipes below:
lamb rack with mint sauce
boerewors
potato bake
braai toasties
goats cheese, avo and pea salad
How to buy your lamb
When it comes to buying a lamb rack like this, you will need to go to a butcher. The reason being is that you need to buy a “chined” rack of lamb. This is where the butcher slices through the backbone of the chop with a saw, so that you can easily slice through later on. Without doing this, you simply wouldn’t be able to serve individual chops without them looking like a feral animal attacked them first.
Potato bake upgrade
A classic move in my wife’s household is to layer mushrooms and sliced onion into the potato bake. It takes it to a whole new level and is definitely worth trying if you like those flavours.
Toasties on the braai
For the best results when making toasties over a fire, use a flip grid. It makes turning effortless and keeps all the filling where it belongs — inside the sandwich, not feeding the flames.
Cook the toasties slowly over low heat. Start higher above the coals; the bread will begin to dry out rather than toast, while the cheese slowly melts and starts to ooze. When the cheese is oozing out the bread, you know you’ve done it right.
Flip as many times as needed and rotate the toasties around the braai for even colouring. Once the cheese is fully melted, move them closer to the coals to get proper colour. You’re aiming for crunchy, toasted bread with hot, gooey cheese in the middle - no shortcuts.
Ingredients:
500g Boerewors
Method:
Braai quickly over high coals, turning once. Allow one side to caramelise really well then flip to finish. I like my wors a touch pink in the middle so I treat it like a thin steak.
Serve as a tasting starter for the best result.
Ingredients:
Lamb
6-8 rib Lamb Rack - tip trimmed & chined (explained above)
Microgreens for Lamb garnish
Baste
3tbsp/45ml Olive Oil
2 sprigs Rosemary, leaves only
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Lemon, zested, segmented & juiced
Mint Sauce
Handful Mint
Handful Parsley
1tbsp/15ml Capers
3 Anchovy Fillets
3tbsp/45ml Olive Oil
1tbsp/15ml Red Wine Vinegar
2tsp/10ml Honey
Squeeze of Lemon
Method:
Lamb Rack with Baste
Pat the lamb rack dry and season generously with salt.
In a small blender, combine the olive oil, rosemary leaves, garlic, lemon zest, segments and juice. Blitz into a sauce.
Rub the baste all over the lamb and set aside at room temperature while the fire heats up.
Braai over medium-low coals, fat-side down first, until nicely caramelised. Then continue to cook slowly, bone sides down for around 60-90 minutes, making sure to continually baste with the sauce throughout. You want the lamb fat to drip away while not overcooking the middle, so keep the heat low and consistent. I explain how I build my braai to have a continuous flow of coals in the above newsletter.
Rest the lamb for at least 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil.
Slice between the bones then serve on a bed of mint sauce and garnish with microherbs.
Mint Sauce Method
Add mint, parsley, capers, anchovies, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey and lemon juice to a blender.
Blitz until smooth.
Taste and adjust acidity or sweetness if needed.
Set aside in the fridge — it gets better as it sits.
Ingredients:
Potatoes
4 Potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Cheddar Cheese - on top
Handful Thyme, leaves only
Bechemal
15g Flour
15g Butter
1 cup/250ml Cream
1 cup/250ml Whole Milk
Pinch Nutmeg
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring into a paste. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in enough milk until the mixture is loose and smooth. Return to a low heat, add the remaining milk and cream then continue to cook over low heat while stirring constantly. Cook for around 10 minutes until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Add the garlic then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then contact wrap and set aside until needed.
Slice the potatoes on a mandolin if you have one. Layer sliced potatoes,in a cast iron pan or baking dish. Pour over the béchamel and top with a generous layer of cheddar and finish with a sprinkle of thyme leaves.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and cook until golden and bubbling, around 10 minutes.
Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients:
Ciabata Loaf
Mature Cheddar Cheese, sliced
2 Tomatoes, sliced
½ Red Onion, thinly sliced
Handful Basil Leaves
Method:
Slice the ciabatta and build the toasties in the following order: cheddar, onion, tomato, basil, an optional hit of chilli, more cheese, then close the sandwich.
Toast on the braai grid over medium-low heat, using a flipgrid. Let them cook slowly so the cheese has time to melt properly. If the cheese isn’t oozing before the bread is toasted, you’ve rushed it.
Once the cheese is fully melted, move the toasties closer to the heat to get good colour on the bread in the final moments.
Remove, cut in half and stand on their sides to stop the bread from going soggy.
Ingredients:
Salad
350g Italian Mixed Leaves, torn
70g Goats Cheese, crumble
150g Frozen Peas
1 Shallot, sliced
1 Avocado, cubed
Dressing
2tbsp/30ml Olive oil
1tsp/5ml Apple Cider Vinegar
1tsp/5ml Honey
1tsp/5ml Dijon Mustard
1tsp/5ml Lemon Juice
Method:
Salad & Dressing
Blanch frozen peas in boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes, then drain and cool.
In a large bowl, combine Italian leaves, peas, shallot, avocado and goat’s cheese.
Whisk all dressing ingredients together.
Dress just before serving.
Equipment Needed
Braai + wood/charcoal
Braai tongs
Grill grid
Cast iron pan or ovenproof dish (for potato bake)
Blender or food processor (for mint sauce)
Braai flipgrid (for toasties)
Foil
To Serve
Pile everything onto the table:
Lamb drizzled with mint sauce
Sliced boerewors
Spoonfuls of potato bake
Toasties stacked high
Big fresh salad on the side
Hope you enjoy!
See you on the other side.
Mx
