TASA Bush Cook competition – Sense of Africa

Here is the detailed winning recipe and ingredients list which was prepared by Sense of Africa’s Vicious Delicious team at the TASA Bush Cook Competition.

Says Marina: “This was the first time we took part in the Bush Cook Competition, and I must admit, it was quite a challenge to throw an entire meal together on the fire! We are all accounting people and none of us really have any master-chef experience, but this was an amazing opportunity to experience something different and acquire new tricks.

We aimed at devising a meal we were all comfortable with; in other words, the food we grew up with. And that’s what we did, except for our dessert (Crêpes Suzette), which proved quite challenging to cook out in the open! I attempted a few test runs at home, and must admit: the first time the crêpes actually came out the way they were supposed to, was on the day of the competition!

In the process we gained extra entertainment skills, not to mention a few tricks to show off to our friends at the next braai. At Sense of Africa our motto is to go out to win, and have fun in the process, and that’s exactly what we did, having ourselves a whole load of fun!”

And next year? Marina admits that her team is working their brains overtime and that they’re already looking for ways to make their favourite oven-made starter fireproof. “We want to keep our title, so we must blow the judges away with our newly acquired skills!”

The team walked away with the TASA Bush Cook Floating Trophy, Air Namibia Regional flight tickets for each team member, 4 x FNB picnic blankets and 4 x Cymot Nr 3 Branded Potjie Pots.

Starter

Butternut soup

Method

• Cut the butternut in half and remove the pips, stuff with chopped onions and garlic, and smother in generous amounts of butter. Cover with foil and place on hot coals.
• Boil some cream with water, scoop out the butternut from the skin, add to the cream mixture, add more cream and water, a teaspoon of grated ginger, and vegetable stock. Mash the butternut and mix well.

Main course

Vegetable kebabs served with chicken-breast wraps of gherkins, cheese and ham, covered with bacon and served on a bed of mashed potatoes, with cherry cabernet sauce.

Ingredients

• Peppers, baby marrow, sweetcorn, mushrooms, pineapple, onions
• Chicken breasts, gherkins, cheese, bacon and ham
• Potatoes, baking powder, milk and butter
• Cherry preserve, Cabernet red wine, garlic, thyme, black pepper and salt to taste

Method

• Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and string on a skewer. Put on the fire and braai until done.
• Spice the chicken breasts and wrap around the ham, cheese and gherkin. Roll up and cover with two slices of streaky bacon. Pierce with a toothpick to hold together. Place on the grid over hot coals and braai for about 20 minutes.
• Peel and cut the potatoes and place in a saucepan of boiling water. Cook until soft. Mash the potatoes, adding milk, butter and baking powder.
• Heat cherry preserve, Cabernet, garlic cloves, thyme, pepper and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and simmer for about five minutes. Take off the heat, remove garlic cloves, and serve.

Dessert

Crêpes Suzette 

Method

• Mix together the flour and salt. Whisk sugar and eggs until pale. Add 1.5 cups of milk, vanilla extract and orange zest to the flour mixture. Place a spoonful in a pan and cook for about 45 to 60 seconds, or until golden brown. Flip over and cook the other side for 20 seconds. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• For the sauce, bring orange juice to the boil. Add sugar. Cook until the sugar is melted, remove from heat and add Cognac and orange slices. Place the crêpes into the pan with the orange juice and orange sections. Leave for a minute to absorb the juice. Remove the crêpes and place on a plate. Spoon on some of the orange slices and top with whipped cream.