Mixed veggie paella for the braai 

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 40 min 

Light up the fire and let this mixed veggie paella simmer on the braai while you enjoy a cold one with your mates. Sounds like an exciting time to us! 

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 cups long grain rice
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
200g sugar snap peas, steamed
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Handful parsley, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a braai pan over medium coals. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent.
2. Add the garlic, rice, paprika and chilli flakes and stir well. Then add the vegetable stock and chopped tomatoes. Allow to simmer, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, braai the peppers until charred. Then peel, remove the seeds and slice.
4. Add the peppers, sugar snap peas and chickpeas. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring until the rice is cooked. Season to taste.
5. Serve hot with lemon wedges and fresh parsley.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography by: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Cape snoek pasta paella 

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 55 min

We are a sucker for adding local flair to our favourite recipes, and this Cape snoek pasta paella is no exception! Make it as a weeknight family treat. 

INGREDIENTS
200 g chorizo
Olive oil, to fry
2 onions
1 red pepper
½ cup white wine
1 cup tinned chopped tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
250g orzo
300g snoek
3 cupschicken stock
1 cup parsley
1 tspchilli flakes, optional

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Fry the chorizo over high heat for 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Heat some oil over medium heat and fry the onions and red pepper until soft. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping all the bits from the bottom.
4. Add the chorizo, tinned tomatoes, and the garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the orzo and stir well.
5. Pour the pasta into a casserole dish. Place the snoek in the middle, add the stock and give it one big stir.
6. Cover and bake for 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked, and the pasta is al dente.
7. Sprinkle with parsley and chilli flakes to serve.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography by: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

West Coast paella 

SERVEs 4–6 // COOKING TIME 20 min, plus simmering time 

It is the perfect time of year to pop some seafood on the coals, and this ocean-fresh West Coast paella will have you firing up the braai right away! What are you waiting for? 

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
150g chorizo, sliced 5 mm thick
1 onion, peeled and cut into petals
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
4 10g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
500ml chicken stock, hot
250ml rice
500g West Coast mussels
250g prawns
250g hake, cubed
Salt and pepper
Handful parsley, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a cast-iron pan. Fry chorizo until the fat is released and the sausage is crispy.
2. Add onion, garlic, peppers and paprika. Cook for 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, sprinkle with sugar, and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the stock and rice to the pan and cover with a lid or foil. Simmer until most of the stock has been absorbed and the rice is almost tender.
4. Add the mussels, prawns, and hake. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened, and the prawns have cooked through. Add a little hot water, if needed.
5. Season, sprinkle with parsley and serve.