Don’t forget that tomorrow is National Braai Day, the most important public holiday on our calendar. It doesn’t matter what you braa, but you have to braai something!

You can do some seared tuna

or some wors

How about smoked chicken on the Weber?

Don’t forget the garlic bread

And if you need any help, here is a step by step guide.

Hi all

Please read the important message below from the Tongmasters. Remember that 24 September is National Braai Day, and officially the start of the new braai season. As usual, we will be celebrating in style, so watch this space.

Braai Day

Don’t you love this chilli from my garden – just a little rude?

Rude Chilli

The braai is probably one of South Africa’s most traditional meals. It is practised by all cultures in South Africa, and as often as possible! Probably the only thing that will prevent a South African from having a braai is a rugby game, in which case they will probably simply braai before or after the game!

If you drive through any suburb in South Africa on a summer weekend, you will smell the delicious smell of grilling meat.

Braaing is a very casual and social affair, but there it is taken quite seriously by the cook. You simply NEVER interfere with somebody else’s braai without asking them very politely first (even if the meat is burning!)

So, what exactly is a braai?

Very simple really, it is a South African BBQ. However, it is almost always cooked on wood or charcoal – very seldom on gas. A braai will typically consist of one or more of the following:

• lamb cutlets (chops)
• sausage (boere wors – literally farm sausage made from beef)
• traditional pork sausages
• beef steak
• chicken pieces or kebabs
• beef or pork ribs

Let’s get going

You will need a braai (in which to make the fire). Many public picnic sites have brick braai’s available, or a Weber will do. You will also need wood or charcoal – we often buy “brikettes”, which are small round compressed pieces of charcoal.

Blitz, which is a paraffin-based firelighter, helps to get the fire going, but if you are a boy scout, matches and an axe will do!

Put a few pieces of the blitz (firelighter) onto the grid

Light the blitz. and give the coals a few minutes to start burning. Note that with the braai, you will always use “direct heat”.

Lighting the wood fire

Some nice coals starting to burn – it should take about 40 minutes to get good coals.

While waiting for the wood to burn, cook some garlic bread on the fire.

Garlic bread ready to eat – yummy!

From top to bottom - wors (beef sausage), chicken, and chicken kebabs in the front. You can also see some ostrich kebabs at the top on the far right.

Braaing is thirsty work – you will need plenty of liquid refreshments

When you can hold your hand above the grid for three seconds, you are ready to cook. Put the meat onto the grid, turning every few minutes or so.

Looking good – almost ready to eat.

After about two beers (40 minutes or so), you are ready to eat, so dig in!

Ready to eat – looks great, doesn’t it?

After a good braai, the plates will be empty!

One more think, we often have “bring and braai’s”, in which the host supplies the fire, rolls and salads, and the guests all bring their own meat and drinks. Simple and easy.

For Lois’ birthday, I bought her a fantastic recipe book – the Martha Stewart Living cookbook. Everything that we have tried in it so far is fantastic. Here is something that we recently took to a braai – cherry tomato pie with gruyere crust. The recipe is below/ Tomatoe filling

Here is the filling – cherry tomatoes, basic, garlic and onions

Pastry Brush

 

Don’t you love our pastry brush – a gift years ago from Julia. Recycled Rolling pin

So we don’t have a rolling pin, but you can always improvise!

Pastry BrushMore of the pastry brush - egg all over his face! Finished!

Here is the finished pie - yummy!

 

Ready to eat

Ok, here is the recipe – sorry it is not metric, you will have to convert:

MAKES ONE 10-INCH PIE; SERVES 8

Gruyère cheese and cherry tomatoes provide a savory version of that summer classic, the double-crusted fruit pie. Resist the temptation to eat this pie straight from the oven. Wait until it has reached room temperature; the juice from the tomatoes will have had time to collect. Serve it as a light lunch or as a side dish.

Ingredients

• 2¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 2½ teaspoons sugar
• 1¼ cups grated Gruyère cheese
• 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds assorted cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg

Method

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine 2½ cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 cup grated cheese. Add 1 cup butter pieces; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With machine running, gradually pour ¼ cup of ice water through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without becoming wet or sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount of the mixture together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
2. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.
3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.
4. Place tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss with remaining ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1½ teaspoons sugar, and the basil and pepper; when the onion mixture is cooled, add to tomato mixture; toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to a deep 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out half the dough into a circle 1 inch larger than the pie plate. (The remaining dough may be frozen up to 2 months for later use.) Transfer rolled dough to top of plate; tuck in edges to seal. Make 3 to 4 small slits in the top crust; form a decorative edge.
6. In a small bowl, mix the egg with 1 teaspoon water for an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the crust; sprinkle the crust with the remaining ¼ cup of grated cheese. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet to catch drips; bake until the crust is golden and the insides are bubbling, about 50 minutes. Bring to room temperature, and serve.