Recipes by: Derick
Derick's 3 Course Braai Meal
Starter
Sicilian Charred Flatbreads with Ricotta Cheese-Spread
Dough
3 cups white bread flour
1.25 cups hot water
1 tablespoon sugar
10 g instant yeast
1.5 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
- Dissolve the sugar in the hot water. Add the yeast and allow to bloom for 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl create a well in the center of the flower and add the yeast mixture. Mix through and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Turn out on a work surface and add the salt. Using your hands work the dough until the salt is fully incorporated.
- Add the olive oil and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Set aside in a greased bowl and allow to rise to double the size – roughly 60 minutes.
Charred Vegetables
3 fennel bulbs sliced thinly
1 can artichoke hearts halted
1 whole lemon cut in thin slices
20 g parsley chopped
20 g thyme chopped
20 g origanum chopped
Zest from one lemon
Dash of olive oil
A squeeze of lemon
Cracked black pepper and salt
- Dress the sliced vegetables with olive oil and salt. Grill on a very hot grill on very hot coals to give them a good char. Remove and allow to cool. Chop into fine bits and dress with the chopped herbs, lemon zest olive oil and seasoning.
- Get a fist full of dough and create an indent with your thumb. Add a teaspoon of the chopped chard vegetables and fold into the dough. Gently create flatbreads with your fingers ensuring that the filling is distributed throughout the bread. Rest on parchment paper and allow to rise for 60 minutes.
- Gently place the Levant flatbreads on a grill and brine over low heat calls white calls until golden brown and risen. Don’t over handle the raw flatbreads.
- Serve with ricotta cheese and a zesty herb dressing.
- ENJOY!
Main
Potbrood with Cottage Cheese, Gorgonzola and Port Figs
Dough
3 cups white bread flour
1.5 cups hot water
1 tablespoon sugar
10 g instant yeast
1.5 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Filling
200g smooth cottage cheese
150g Gorgonzola cheese
400g dried figs
1 cup port
- Dissolve the sugar in the hot water. Add the yeast and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl create a well in the center of the flower and add the yeast mixture. Mix through and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Turn out on a work surface and add the salt. Using your hands work the dough until the salt is fully incorporated. Add the olive oil and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Set aside in a greased bowl and allow to rise to double the size – roughly 60 minutes.
- Reconstitute the figs by gently boiling in the port over medium heat for 20min. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain and save any port drippings.
- When the bread dough is proofed, gently flatten out a rectangle roughly 50 x 30 cm in dimension on a well floured work surface. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the prepared dough. Flake the gorgonzola over the top. Arrange the port figs over the dough and roll length into a sausage. Use a dough cutter or large knife to split the sausage down the centre. Brade the two lengths over each other.
- Prepare a 30cm flat base cast iron pot for the Dutch oven. It must be very very well greased (don’t use butter it will burn)
- Arrange the braided bread around the walls of the pot, leaving a space in the centre. Pinch the ends meeting together to form a ring. Allow to final proof in a warm place for 60 – 90 Min.
- Prepare your fire. I use charcoal briquettes for better heat control. Once they are all ignited, stand a pot stand or two bricks on their side near the fire (this will give you 8 – 10cm clearance.
- After the final proof, place the pot on the stand and move 3 or 4 briquettes under the pot evenly spaced. Then place about 8 briquettes on the lid of the pot. Space them as evenly as you can (the heat comes mainly from the top) if your bread has risen quite high reduce the number of briquettes on the lid.
- Bake for 45min, rotating the pot a quarter turn every 15 min or so. After baking, drizzle the port drippings over the bread.
- Serve straight from the pot with perfectly braaied ribeye steak and charred veg. Maybe a gremolata or Salsa Verde as well.
- TIP: I love the sweet savory combination in this bread, but you could replace the figs with a generous dusting of biltong shavings, also delicious!
- ENJOY!
Dessert
Pear Tart Tatin in a Pot
Pastry
2.5 cups (350g) All purpose flour – chilled
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 cup (226g) Cold butter, cut into 1,5cm cubes
1/4 – 1/2 cup (80-120ml) ice water
- Keep everything cold and work quickly: In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt and sugar until mixed. Add the butter and blitz till the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds) Continue blitzing while pouring 1/4 cup (60ml) ice water into the feeding shoot – till the dough just comes together when pinched – add remaining water if needed. You should still have small clumps of butter visible in the dough. This all happens fairly quickly so more doing and less thinking.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather into a ball – do not knead the dough and be quick about it. Divide the dough into two parts, flatten into discs, wrap in click film and refrigerate for 30min to an hour (This will re-chill the butter and allow the gluten in the flour to relax)
Filling
4 or 5 ripe pears cut into thin wedges
Zest from one orange
Juice from one orange
50g butter
2 Tbsp sugar
- Heat a very well greased 20cm flat base cast iron pot on the fire. Heat the zest, juice, butter and sugar to form a light caramel. Remove from heat and arrange the pear wedges evenly over the base.
- Roll out a disk of the crust pastry to 22cm in diameter. Transfer over the pears and gently tuck the edges around the filling.
- Prepare your fire. I use charcoal briquettes for better heat control. Once they are all ignited, stand a pot stand or two bricks on their side near the fire (this a will give you 8 – 10cm clearance.
- Place the pot on the stand and move 3 briquettes under the pot evenly spaced. Then place about 5 or 6 briquettes on the lid of the pot. Space them as evenly as you can (the heat comes mainly from the top)
- Bake for 30min, rotating the pot a quarter turn every 15min or so.
- Serve straight from the pot with pouring cream or ice cream.
- ENJOY!
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