December can be pretty crazy, and figuring out what to cook for all the guests at your house on Christmas Day is one of the most stressful parts. I love to cook, so while I don’t want to prep something that will have me flustering around all day, I also don’t want to buy everything ready-made. That’s where the UCOOK Christmas meal delivery box comes in.

By Roxy Greeff

The increasingly popular meal delivery service has teamed up with world-renowned chef Franck Dangereux and Yuppiechef to bring you something has never been seen before in South Africa: A Christmas meal delivery box. The box will arrive on your doorstep a few days before 25th December and you’ll find it filled with a pack of recipe cards and all the ingredients needed to whip up a feast that can cater for up to 16 guests.

This means, first of all, that you won’t be standing in those long queues of last-minute December shoppers at your grocery store. I’ve spent multiple years running around from store to store because they are sold out of glace cherries everywhere, and the only gammons and ducks left couldn’t feed a table of four, nevermind my massive family; so skipping queues is the biggest winner in my book. Secondly, you know you’ll have everything you need.

You may know Franck as the previous head chef at La Colombe, and he now owns the well-known FoodBarn in Noordhoek. Drawing inspiration from his French heritage, his Christmas menu includes a smoked salmon rosti starter, up to five sides (including the best ever roast pots) and your choice of duck, fillet, chicken or pork belly. Each recipe is completed with his personal touch and detailed nuances, from the foraged pine needles in the pork belly to the pink peppercorns native to SA.

I chose the duck option so keep reading to see what I got up to while cooking, and to take a sneak peek at what you can expect to find in your very own box. There’s also information on how to get your order in.

STARTERS

Smoked salmon potato cakes with herbed créme and pink peppercorns

This was the first time that I had made potato cakes and I couldn’t believe how easy it was. The local pink peppercorns lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle also add a deliciously unique touch.

MAINS

Ratatouille provençal

This is a hearty, tomatoey dish loaded with goodness and a main option that your vegetarian guests won’t be able to get enough of. I particularly loved cooking all in veggies and caramelising them separately for an intense boldness in flavour, and a sweetness to offset the acidity from the tomatoes. Serve it up with a nice big bowl of herbed rice.

TIP: I ate the leftovers piping hot on buttered toast the next day and it was amazing.

Roasted duck with orange (Canard roti à l’orange)

When you watch cooking competitions on TV, they always make a big fuss about how difficult it is to cook a duck perfectly. It wasn’t. Follow the instructions to the letter, and you’ll have a tasty bird on the table in under two hours.

SIDES

Chickpea and lentil salad with mint and parsley

My family actually reached for seconds of this side. Whip it up in under 10 minutes and top it off with the most amazing cumin dressing (I’m obsessed). This is another great option for lunch the next day.

La grande salade verte (The big green salad)

Three ingredients, a dressing and you’re done. Quite a few people told me this is the best salad they’ve ever tasted. Plus, you’ll get to learn to make home-made croutons!

Asparagus with almond butter and Parmesan (Asperges verte au beurre d’amande)

Another one that comes together in minutes. Make sure you keep a close eye on that asparagus as it can go soggy very quickly (and no one wants that). I ran mine through cold water immediately after blanching to prevent further cooking.

The best roasties ever

It wasn’t in the instructions, but I used the leftover fat from the duck (what I didn’t use in my gravy) and I cooked them in the same pan I used for the duck. Because what’s better than potatoes roasted in duck fat, right?

Are you sold yet?

To order your own box, all you have to do is head over to UCOOK.co.za, select how many you are cooking for and choose your protein/s. Your box will be delivered to your doorstep on 22nd December and you’ll be good to go! And if you buy selected Christmas gifts and feasting necessities from Yuppiechef, you’ll get 30% off your UCOOK Christmas box. Enjoy!

The post The UCOOK Christmas meal delivery box is this year’s festive must-have appeared first on MyKitchen.

Okay, I’ll admit, I can be lazy in the week when it comes to making supper. Technically, it’s not really laziness that’s my biggest problem – my imagination is lazy. Sometimes, just sometimes, after a long day at work, the last thing I am capable of doing is making decisions between chicken or beef; roast or spag bol. We’ve all been there. So when Gutsy Green called me to tell me all about the new start-up, I was all ears.

By Heather Ingarfield

With a strong focus on home cooking and convenience, Gutsy Green delivers all the ingredients for three delicious suppers, plus their recipes, to your work or home, so you don’t have to worry about digging deep into the trenches of your mind to think of something to cook up for dinner, nor do you have to worry about shopping or wastage (the ingredients come pre-portioned). Oh, bonus, they only use organic vegetables and free-range meat.

The convenience of knowing what was for supper, and that I absolutely, most definitely, had all the ingredients, was nothing short of miraculous for me.

First of all, before I go any further, there are options. For all the indecisive folk out there, you get to personally select your menu from the 9 options that will be presented in your inbox. I spent a few minutes drooling over the options, before choosing – in no particular order – these 3 winning dishes: Spicy hoisin chicken meatballs; Salmon and aioli burgers; and Earthy biltong and Parmesan risotto.      

SPICY HOISIN CHICKEN MEATBALLS

The prep was pretty easy for this one: a bit of chopping, bit of dicing, bit of mixing, bit of rolling and some frying. The recipe suggested you serve this with rice, which was sent in the pretty brown box, but the sauce wasn’t plentiful enough to coat the rice, so I’d suggest either bumping up the sauce a little, or serving the balls with a juicy veg. But then again, rice is literally my last choice of starch, so I may be slightly prejudiced.

Speaking of quantities, this meal was the only one where the pre-portioned servings of ingredients were not quite enough to make the recommended number of servings (I only managed to roll out 6 meatballs, as opposed to 12), but owner Kyle Moore says they are working on being as generous as possible to allow customers to have lunch for the next day. Aaaah, someone who understands the leftover lunch game.    

SALMON AND AIOLI BURGERS

I was probably the most excited for these – and my excitement sky-rocketed when I pulled out the massive hunk of pinky salmon. It was to be chopped up and mashed together with some garlic chives, garlic, shallots, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, then formed into two sizeable burger patties and fried for 4 minutes per side. I know the delicate flavour should not be overwhelmed by big flavours, but I was sceptical about the lack of additions to the patties… However, when smashed on to the bun with some of the lemon and garlic aioli, everything comes together to form a fresh, zesty and rich burger that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The beauty of this concept is that I now have the recipes, printed on handy little colourful recipe cards, for when I get my hands on another hunk of salmon.     

EARTHY BILTONG AND PARMESAN RISOTTO

When I first chose this one, I did so with some trepidation. I love risotto, but making it on an ordinary Wednesday night after a day in the office and then a heavy gym session didn’t sound like my idea of fun. But, I chose it anyway because, well, I do love risotto! And I’m glad I did… Maybe it’s my mind playing tricks on me, or maybe I’ve only ever made the fussiest, faffiest risottos before, but this one was incredibly easy and quick. I didn’t feel the need to pitch a tent next to the stove, I didn’t grow a bicep stirring for hours – actually, my biggest problem was trying not to drink the wine meant for the risotto. Kidding.

The end result was very close to its description: earthy flavours, with the biltong and Peppadews taking centre stage among a cast of creamy Arborio rice, tomatoes and Parmesan. If anything, it could have done with more Parmesan, but then I am a bit of a cheese glutton…    

The post Going Gutsy Green appeared first on MyKitchen.