Charred meat, creamy potato salad and crispy garlic bread are always winners. But adding in these mouth-watering recipes will impress your guests without adding any extra stress in the kitchen..
Fire-baked oysters with herb butter
Ingredients
For herb butter
- 125g butter, melted
- 1 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp green Tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Oysters
- 12 oysters
- Smoked salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the other ingredients and stir.
- Pop the oysters on the grid and wait for them to “pop”. Take them off the grill and remove the lids. Spoon in some herb butter, add a little smoked salt and pepper.
Tandoori aubergines with mint tzatziki
Ingredients
Aubergines
- 4 medium aubergines
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) tandoori paste
- Salt to taste
Mint tzatziki
- 500g Greek yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 handful fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- Halve the aubergines and make a criss-cross pattern into the flesh. Combine the olive oil and tandoori paste and rub it onto the aubergines.
- Season with salt, place into an ovenproof dish and pop into the oven for 30 minutes, flesh-side up.
- Cover the dish with foil and continue to bake until really soft and tender, about 10 minutes.
- To make the tzatziki, combine the yoghurt, garlic and mint, season to taste, then refrigerate until needed.
- Serve the aubergines with mint tzatziki and poppadoms.
Sweet and sticky sweet potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 bunch parsnips or 4 sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Black sesame seeds, for serving
Basting sauce
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 knob fresh root ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small fresh red chilli, finely chopped, seeds in
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150 °C or if you prefer, fire up a braai.
- Cut the parsnips into long wedges, rub with some oil and place into a large roasting pan. Keep to one side.
Basting sauce
- Combine all the basting sauce ingredients and cook in a saucepan set over moderate heat until thick and syrupy.
- Brush the vegetables with the basting sauce and roast or braai until tender and caramelised, about 30 minutes. Brush regularly with the basting sauce.
- Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and serve.