Including chicken that can be roasted in four different ways!

Gammon roast spiced with rum, pineapple and star anise

Serves 8-12  Total Time 2 Hr 10 Min

For The Gammon

• Smoked gammon, deboned 2kg
• Ginger ale 2L
• Pineapple juice 1L
• Bay leaves 3
• Peppercorns 8

For The Glaze

• Pineapple juice 1 cup
• Honey 3/4 cup
• Dark rum 1/2 cup
• Star anise 2-3
• Cinnamon 1 stick

For Serving

• Fresh coriander handful
• Fresh cherries handful
• Pomegranate rubies handful

Method

1. Place the gammon in a large pot. Add the ginger ale, pineapple juice, bay leaves and peppercorns.
2. Pour in enough water to cover the gammon completely.
3. Bring it to a simmer and cook the gammon for 20 minutes per 500g.
4. Remove the meat and allow it to cool slightly so that you can handle it.
5. Remove and discard any netting and the skin while it is still warm.
6. Score the fat (take care not to cut through to the meat). If you want to, stud your gammon with cloves.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the glaze ingredients in a pot and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened.
8. Brush the gammon with some of the glaze and let it roast for 20-35 minutes until the fat is golden-brown all over. Glaze the roast every 5 minutes.
9. Serve the sliced gammon with coriander, cherries and pomegranate rubies scattered around it.

Top tip

The alcohol will cook away and leave a molasses flavour, so this is a family-friendly recipe. If you want to leave out the rum, use half the honey and add 1/4 cup dark-brown sugar.

Sliced steak and antipasti platter

Serves 8  Total Time 40-45 Min

For The Dressing

• Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained 240g
• Capers 8
• Garlic, finely grated 1 clove
• Fresh chilli, chopped a pinch (optional)
• Fresh parsley or coriander, chopped handful
• Lemon juice 60ml
• Lemon zest 1
• Olive oil ½ cup
• Rump 4 (200g each)
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Oil for frying
• Fresh rosemary 2 sprigs
• Garlic, crushed 2 cloves

For Serving

• Fresh rocket 200g
• Microherbs handful
• Olives handful
• Fresh basil handful
• Roasted tomatoes handful

Method

1. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and capers and toss with the garlic, chilli, herbs, lemon juice and lemon zest.
2. Add the olive oil or, if you like, use some of the sun-dried tomato oil.
3. Set the dressing aside to allow the flavours to develop.
4. Season the steaks well.
5. Heat a pan until smoking hot, then add a glug of oil, the rosemary sprigs and the crushed garlic.
6. Fry the steaks for 2-3 minutes each side and for a minute on each edge.
7. Remove the steaks from the pan and spoon over some of the flavoured oil. Rest meat for at least 10 minutes.
8. Slice the steak, place it on a board and drizzle with the dressing. Serve it with the microherbs and rocket, and dotted with a few olives, basil and roasted tomatoes.

Top Tip

Don’t cook your steaks straight out of the fridge. The meat ‘relaxes’ when you bring it to room temperature, making it more tender.

Baked yellowtail with fragrant rice stuffing

Serves 4  Total Time 45 Min

• Olive oil 2 tbsp + extra for drizzling
• Baby fennel, thinly sliced 200g
• Baby leeks, sliced 200g
• Small red onions, roughly sliced 2
• Garlic, chopped 2 cloves
• White wine or vegetable stock ¼ cup
• Cooked brown basmati rice 1 ½ cups
• Lemon juice 120ml
• Wholegrain mustard ½ tbsp
• Fennel leaves, chopped 1 tsp
• Fresh coriander, chopped 1 tsp
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Whole yellowtail, butterflied 1 kg
• Lemon slices for garnish
• Green salad for serving

Method

1. Heat the oil and fry the fennel, leeks and onions for 2 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so until fragrant
3. Add the wine or stock and simmer for a minute. Remove from heat.
4. Add the rice and stir through the lemon juice, mustard, fennel and coriander. Season well and cool.
5. Place the fish on a baking tray and season it on both sides. Fill the fish with the rice mixture, fold it closed and top with the lemon slices. Secure with butcher’s string.
6. Drizzle the extra olive oil over the fish’s skin. Cover it with foil and bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake for 10-12 minutes until the skin is crispy. Serve warm with a green salad on the side.

Top tip

This recipe also works well with hake or snoek.

Roast chicken in 4 different fabulous ways

These short order recipes will get you cooking faster. Make one or all four of these roast chickens, depending on how many guests are at your table

Moroccan-spiced roast chicken

Serves 4-6  Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Using a pestle and mortar, crush together 2 tbsp of regular or smoked paprika,
1 tsp each cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon,
1 tbsp each coriander seeds and cumin seeds,
1/2 tsp each ground cloves and nutmeg,
2 tbsp light brown sugar,
2-3 chopped cloves of garlic,
1 tsp each salt and grated fresh ginger until well combined.
Coat 1 whole chicken (giblets removed) with 2 tbsp olive oil and apply the rub, taking care to evenly coat the chicken.
Place it on a greased baking tray, cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and roast for a further 30 minutes or until cooked through, basting the chicken every 10-15 minutes with either 1/4 cup of melted butter or the pan juices.

Orange, lime and fennel roast chicken

Serves 4-6  Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Generously season 1 whole chicken (giblets removed) with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
Combine 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp chopped fennel fronds plus the grated peel of 1 orange and 1 lime.
Rub the mixture over the chicken, taking care to coat it evenly
Place 1 sliced fennel bulb, 1/2 a garlic bulb, 1 sliced orange and 2 sliced limes on a greased baking tray
Arrange about 6 citrus slices on top of the chicken and secure them with string.
Nestle the chicken on top of the fennel fronds and roast for about 30 minutes, basting every 10-15 minutes with 1/4 cup melted butter and 80ml orange juice.
Cover with foil and roast for another 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

Bacon-wrapped roast chicken

Serves 4-6   Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Season 1 whole chicken (giblets removed) with salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Coat it with 2 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp chopped thyme.
Wrap 200g of streaky bacon slices around the breast area in a lattice pattern, making sure to cover it completely.
Secure the bacon in place using toothpicks.
Place the chicken breast-side up on a greased baking tray.
Roast for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and roast for a further 30 minutes. Baste it with the pan juices every 10-15 minutes.
Remove the toothpicks from the bacon before serving.

Top tip

Wrapping the chicken in bacon ensures that the breast does not dry out as quickly. Streaky bacon is best because of its high fat content.

Brined and butter-basted roast chicken

Serves 4-6  Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Place 2L of water, 1/3 cup coarse salt, 2 halved lemons, 2-3 bay leaves, a handful of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage work well), 1/2  a garlic bulb, 1 tbsp mixed peppercorns and 3 tbsp honey or white sugar in a large pot and bring to the boil.
Stir the mixture until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Cool completely
Place 1 large whole chicken (giblets removed) into the cooled liquid and leave in the fridge overnight.
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
Combine 1/3 cup of melted butter, 2 grated cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice to make a basting sauce.
Place the chicken on a greased baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the sauce.
Cover with foil and roast for a further 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

Top tip for the roast chicken

Remove the foil 20 minutes  before the end of the cooking time to crisp up the skin.

Braaied leg of lamb with zesty gremolata

Serves 6-8  Total Time 1 Hr 10

For the lamb

• Garlic, grated 4 cloves
• Salt 1/2 tbsp
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• Coriander seeds, toasted 1 tbsp
• Olive oil 2 tsp
• Fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped 3 sprigs
• Leg of lamb, deboned 5kg

For the gremolata

• Flat-leaf parsley, leaves only 20g
• Garlic 1 clove
• Salt and coarsely ground pepper
• Lemon zest 1
• Lemon juice 30ml
• Olive oil 15ml + extra for tossing
• Anchovies, finely chopped 2

Method

1. Use a mortar and pestle to create a paste using the garlic, seasoning, coriander seeds, olive oil and rosemary.
2. Rub it all over the lamb and rest for 20-30 minutes to bring the meat to room temperature.
3. Grill the meat over medium coals. You should be able to hold your hand over the coals for 5 seconds. Turn the meat regularly for 10-12 minutes. Remove it from the coals and wrap in foil.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes or cook in a kettle braai until medium rare. Rest the meat for about 10 minutes.
5. Finely chop the gremolata ingredients and then toss with oil.
6. Serve the meat thinly sliced with the gremolata on the side.

Top tip

Choosing a deboned leg of lamb will speed up the cooking time. Ask your butcher to do it for you. That being said, opting to cook a leg of lamb on the bone will add flavour.