Types of wine to pair with your braai
Pairing the right wine with delicious braai flavours compliments both the flavour of the food and the wine.
Steak and lamb braai
When red meat is on the braai menu it is best accompanied with a red wine to compliment the meal. Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz are deep flavoured wines that go extremely well with beef or lamb. The flavours of red wine are bold which helps cut through the fat and caramelise the fat of lamb or steak into flavour.
Chicken and fish braai
White meat is a perfect combination with white wine. A crisp, fruity wine like a sauvignon Blanc compliments a fish or chicken braai. White wines tend to pair well with lighter flavour not to upset the balance upon the appetite.
FOR STARTER’S
Haloumi Fries with dip
Crispy, salty, cheesy and utterly moreish, these make for a perfect braai starter!
Ingredients
Dipping sauce
125g red pesto
300g full cream plain yoghurt
30ml (2 tbsp.) olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the dipping sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized serving bowl and season to taste. Set aside at room temperature until needed.
Haloumi Fries
320g block haloumi
150g cake flour
2 eggs, beaten with a pinch salt
85g panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, to shallow-fry
Salt, to taste
Instructions
For the haloumi fries, slice your block of haloumi into sticks of about 7cm x 1cm.
- Place the cake flour in a bowl, the beaten eggs in another bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Line a small chopping board or tray with baking paper.
- Crumb your haloumi sticks by dipping one into the cake flour, followed by the beaten eggs and then the panko breadcrumbs. Lay the crumbed haloumi stick on the chopping board or tray lined with baking paper. Repeat these simple steps until all of the haloumi sticks have been crumbed. Refrigerate the crumbed sticks, 15 minutes.
- Just before serving, pour the vegetable oil into a deep pan to come about 3cm up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat to about 180˚C. (Use a sugar thermometer to check the temperature, although it doesn’t have to be exact; your oil is ready when you add a crumbed haloumi stick to the oil, it bubbles immediately and turns a golden brown colour within about 1 minute.)
- Shallow-fry your haloumi sticks, about 1 – 2 minutes in total, turning occasionally with tongs to fry evenly. The fries are ready when they are golden brown and crispy. Fry the sticks in batches, if necessary, so as to not overcrowd the pan.
- Drain the haloumi fries on paper towel and sprinkle with salt to taste. Give the dipping sauce a good stir and serve the haloumi fries warm with the dipping sauce alongside.
MAIN MENU
Beef entrecote with Bordelaise sauce
Beef entrecote is a deliciously tender cut of meat that’s the perfect steak. The flavourful sauce with delicious dry wine is perfect with this tasty meat.
Serves 4
Cook Time: 30 Min
Ingredients
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 200g entrecote steaks
30ml (2 tbsp.) olive oil
Sauce
50ml butter
3 shallots, finely chopped
500ml (2 cups) red wine
250ml (1 cup) beef stock
80g bone marrow
10ml (2 tsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season the steaks and rub with the oil. Heat a non-stick pan and fry the steaks for 2 – 4 minutes on each side, depending on your preference. Set aside to keep warm.
- For the sauce, melt 30ml (2 tbsp.) of the butter in a pan and cook the shallots until soft. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and bone marrow and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half again.
- Whisk in the remaining butter and the parsley and season. Serve the steaks with the sauce.
Traditional Greek roast lamb with potatoes
Serves: 10 – 12
Cooking Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups water
125ml (½ cup) olive oil
Juice of 6 – 7 lemons
2, 5 – 3kg leg of lamb
Salt and freshly ground black
Pepper, to taste
2 – 3 garlic cloves
- heaped tbsp. oregano
1,5kg potatoes cut into large chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Mix the water, oil and lemon juice in a large bowl and rub onto the lamb, coating the whole leg. Rub the lamb with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano, and place in a baking pan, pouring in the remainder of the marinade. Cover the pan tightly with heavy duty foil and place in the preheated oven.
- After an hour turn the lamb over, cover tightly again, reduce the heat to 150°C and bake for a further 2 hours.
- Turn the lamb carefully as it will be very tender. Add the potatoes to the pan, sprinkling them with salt. Once again, cover the pan tightly and cook for another 2 hours.
- Shake the pan to move the potatoes around, remove the foil, increase the temperature to 200°C and roast until the potatoes are golden brown and the lamb has browned.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
DESSERT
Braai Boy Dessert Pie
Serves 6-8
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Ingredients
2 x 400g rolls of puff pastry, defrosted
1 x 360g tin Nestlé Caramel Treat
1 x 410g tin pear slices (syrup or juice drained)
1 handful pecan nuts
Fresh cream or ice cream, to serve
Instructions
- Roll out 1 of the rolls of puff pastry onto a clasping braai grid. Liberally spread caramel on the puff pastry. Layer with the pear slices. Crush the pecan nuts and sprinkle this over. Cover with the remaining roll of puff pastry and close your grid.
- Place over a medium to low fire and turn regularly. Your braai pie is ready once the puff pastry is puffed and golden and cooked through. Remove from fire and cut into slices using the grid marks as a guide.
- Serve with fresh cream or ice cream.
Source: Caxton Magazine – Food and Home Entertaining
