The festive season is when people gather, feast and celebrate, but it’s also when the kitchen can feel daunting. So KARLA DE BOD asked four of the finest local chefs to share what celebration tastes like to them, and how we can bring a touch of culinary magic to our own festive tables.
CHEF SHAUN SCROOBY: VUUR
Shaun maintains that the best way to celebrate during the festive season is outside, next to the braai. That’s hardly a surprise, coming from a man renowned for his incredible fire-cooking skills.
The chef at VUUR restaurant on the Remhoogte Wine Estate adds, “The festive season is all about being together and I am a sucker for a good old braai. It’s when you enjoy a drink or two with friends and loved ones, often next to the pool. We love fish on the braai and in our quest for a healthy lifestyle we tend to braai as much fish as we can.”
This holiday season, Shaun is keeping it simple with the potjie of the summer: a seafood paella packed with flavour. “Great seafood and a quality stock take rice to the next level. Try and cook it until all the stock has evaporated and you hear the rice pop,” he advises. “When you hear that, you will have a lightly caramelised rice layer, called soccarat, at the bottom of the pan.”
Paella, Shaun adds, is best enjoyed with a glass of chilled Chenin Blanc. “The fresh sea flavours coming through and the crispness of the wine just work so well together. Then all you need is a slice or two of toasted ciabatta topped with olive oil and salt to mop up any leftover sauce.”
Shaun goes on to recommend that the best way to cook at a specific time of year is to let the season speak for itself. Select seasonal fruit and vegetables and combine them with proteins to create light dishes with good flavour.
“Summer is the best time of year and we are so fortunate to have an abundance of quality produce then,” he says. “Buy seasonal and use what is available. Light a fire and try to get inventive with things from the ocean on the braai.”
CHEF CHARNÉ SAMPSON: EPICE FRANSCHHOEK
Combining spice with memories, Epice‘s Charné brings warmth and heritage to the festive table. Her grandmother’s vegetable potjiekos always comes to mind, she says, when she thinks of summer and celebration.
“My grandmother’s vegetable potjiekos with rice and pickled beetroot – you can’t leave out the pickled beetroot. It’s what she always made when we all went camping or caravanning in Fish Hoek,” she remembers. “My family and I would spend the day swimming and relaxing on the beach and then go back to the campsite to find the potjie ready.
Reminiscent of the homeliness of potjiekos, Charné’s favourite dishes to cook during the holiday season are ones that are moreish or comforting, like a lamb knuckle curry with rotis and sambals. For a lighter, more refreshing meal, she enjoys prawns in a Cape Malay dressing with red onion, mango, mint, salad leaves and pomegranate seeds.
If you’re keen to try something new, she recommends lobster rolls. “It’s so easy. Buy brioche rolls from your local store, clean a lobster or crayfish and pop it on the braai, then finish off with garlic butter, fresh parsley, some lemon juice and a tasty mayo. Need a bit of spice? Add some pickled jalapenos. Want more crunch? Add crisp gem lettuce. You can’t go wrong!”
Gathering in a home or other favourite space is a big part of Charné’s celebration and she introduces a sense of place to her festive menu by using seasonal ingredients and creating light dishes with fresh flavours of spice, balanced with some acidity and creamy elements.
“This festive season, keep your menu simple,” she says. “Fresh, tasty salads are a winner in hot weather and also quick to make, so you’re not slaving away in the kitchen but are enjoying the outdoors.”
CHEF JESSICA VAN DYK: POST & PEPPER
Having grown up in the Kalahari, Jessica has an extra appreciation for the ocean and the dishes that come from it. Think fish braais and seafood platters, as well as complementary Mexican spreads with vibrant colours – and, of course, sunset drinks.
“I didn’t have a lot of fish braais when I was young, but the few summer fish braais we had were always so delicious and I remember them fondly,” says Jessica. “Braaied prawns or yellowtail – even a visit to an Ocean Basket – that was always something we did in summer or on holiday.”
For Jessica, chef at Post & Pepper in Stellenbosch’s Plein Street, food is all about memory and emotion, so she always aims to cook with flavours she grew up with. These include the classic sweet mustard and cinnamon, Christmas-spiced duck or gammon, with fresh fruit and trifle-inspired desserts.
Not much personal cooking happens during the restaurant industry’s silly season admits Jessica, but she swears by her pork belly and a flavour-packed grazing platter. “My pork belly is always a firm favourite and a hit with my family, and I also enjoy a prawn on the braai,” she says. “Other than that, I pack a mean cheese and grazing platter, full of all the snacks – charcuterie and dips and deliciousness. That is probably my ultimate go-to item.”
Jessica and her husband often make up a mini platter at home, pour a good wine and sit down to enjoy the snacks, too busy eating to talk. “It’s definitely our favourite thing to do in summer when we have a day off.”
Creating a food spread where guests can ‘build their own’ plates or a braaied protein of some kind with cold sides and salads is Jessica’s go-to tip for keeping festive dining stress-free yet special. Her favourite element in such a spread? Bao buns with as many pickles and crunchy toppings as possible.
For most chefs and hospitality professionals, the festive season is the ultimate food moment of the year, and every year it’s the most crazy and overwhelming time, says Jessica. However, the dishes created and served make it worthwhile.
“Food is so powerful. When you do get a moment to breathe and you sit around a table with your people – whether with a simple braaitjoppie and braaibroodjie or a massive spread of the best festive meats and sides – it removes all stresses and brings us back to the present,” she points out. “It’s called ‘the silly season’ for a reason.”
CHEF FABIO DANIEL: RUST EN VREDE ESTATE
For Rust en Vrede‘s Fabio, the festive season calls for nostalgic yet sophisticated dishes. His Italian roots now go deep into the Winelands’ terroir, so he recreates European festive traditions with a refined South African twist.
“I try to bring festive flavours into my summer menu by introducing spices like cloves and cardamom, or festive fruit such as cherries,” says Fabio. “They work well for our summer as well as for festive flavour.”
He enjoys serving seasonal seafood like crayfish, instantly bringing the West Coast to the table. Alongside fresh seafood, a touch of citrus from Citrusdal and a glass of Donkiesbaai wine – the name comes from the coast, the wine from Piekenierskloof – complete the sense of terroir on the plate.
Fabio’s personal holiday favourite is Spaghettoni ai Frutti di Mare e Limone, a simple seafood pasta dish made with prawns and mussels. “You can make an olive oil, garlic and chilli sauce, adding some white wine and the stock from steaming the mussels and prawns,” he explains. “To finish, just add parsley and lemon zest and then enjoy the pasta with a bottle of crisp white wine. For me, that’s summer perfection, best eaten alfresco.”
Dessert, he claims, should never be forgotten. His recommendation for the festive table is panettone, a traditional Italian bread made with eggs, fruit and butter. “Panettone is lovely, light and fluffy and you can eat it every day without feeling like you’re overeating,” says Fabio. He recommends taking it to the next level by adding chocolate chips to make chocottone, a sweeter and more decadent version.
To keep yourself and your kitchen calm and under control, the chef advises that preparation is key. “Do everything that can be prepared ahead of time,” he says. “Then when the crowd arrives, you apply the finishing touches and it looks like you’re a superstar. And don’t let anyone else get involved in your kitchen. Be a dictator there!”