eatdrinkcapetown

Keftas, koftas...just another name for deliciously fragrant, mildly spiced lamb meatballs beloved throughout the Levant. The recipe below was adapted from the one in Sabrina Ghayour's Persiana cookbook, and it was made by my teenage daughter to celebrate her return to a carnivorous lifestyle (sigh of relief from Mom, who'd...

You can't say you've been to Cape Town good and proper unless you've had a Gatsby. Forget your fancy sunset cocktails at your glamorous hotels and your twee canapés at cocktail parties; forget your hipster single origin organic lattes and your raw juice bars: Gatsbys are where it's at if...

I first learnt to make this version of hot-hot-hot harissa paste many moons ago, when I was cook/presenter of a TV cookery series. Our guest for one episode whipped up some harissa and chermoula in her kitchen while her home-made bread was baking in the oven. I can't remember...

I was sent a copy of Sabrina Ghayour's fabulous cookbook Persiana by my dear friend Karien all the way from Scotland - what a lucky girl I am! - and needless to say, my mind is on fire. Like everyone else, all I want to cook is Sabrina's gorgeous...

If, like me, you're an acolyte of Persian cook and writer Sabrina Ghayour and the intoxicating Middle-Eastern recipes in her new cookbook Persiana, you'll be needing some Moroccan ras el hanout spice blend sooner or later. I originally published this much simplified ras el hanout recipe below in my book...

Ceviche is a dish of South American origin, whereby spanking fresh fish straight from the ocean is bathed in citrus - mostly lime - juices to lightly 'cook' it. The lavish addition of finely chopped fresh coriander, sweet red and yellow peppers and chilli is standard; some recipes also...

Love you some crisp and crunchy fried chicken? Here it is! We're eclectic eaters in my house. There's me, living mainly on plant food, raw juices and wishful thinking, my teenage daughter the recent convert to vegetarianism, my teenage son who likes all food as long as there's plenty of...

I consider it a mark of a true connoisseur if someone loves offal. Or variety meats, as the Yanks call it so daintily. It's not an easy thing to prepare well, let alone love to eat, but seeing as I grew up in the country with a dad who...

Sticky, chewy, crunchy and luridly coloured, Rice Krispie Marshmallow Treats have no nutritional value and a load of sugar, which makes them perfect for a children's party. I once came across a very sad little boy whose mum had sent him to a kiddies' birthday party with a small plastic...

There isn't a child alive who doesn't love a Rocky Road. Or a grown-up, for that matter. Unhealthy, I hear you say? Far from it! Dark chocolate is practically the poster child for the antioxidant brigade, brazil nuts are packed with cancer-fighting selenium, marshmallows remind you of the happy...