Zola Nene’s third book celebrates the diverse cultural heritage of South Africans through the wonderful tradition of sharing meals. In Simply Seven Colours, Zola gives praise to the uniquely South African seven-colour concept with a selection of more simply delicious recipes that tap into the heart of our food nos-talgia, with a focus on going back to basics. The idea of Simply Seven Colours is for you to create your own unique seven-colour menu, by picking recipes from different chapters or ‘colours’. This book is sure to bring you more simply delicious joy.
JUMP TO RECIPE
Rice & Baby Marrow Fritters
Makes: 8–12
4 cups cooked rice, cooled
2 cups grated baby marrows
125 g cottage cheese
2 spring onions, chopped
2 eggs
30 g fresh herbs (parsley, chives, coriander, dill), chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for frying
In a large bowl, mix together the rice, baby marrows, cottage cheese, spring onions, eggs, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Dollop spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and fry until golden on both sides. Don’t flip the fritters until they are golden and crisp on the first side (about 3 minutes), or they might break apart.
Chorizo Mac & Cheese
Serves: 4–6
250 g chorizo sausage
1 Tbsp olive oil
80 g butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups milk
200 g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
500 g macaroni or penne pasta
1 punnet (250 g) cherry tomatoes, sliced
Handful fresh basil, chopped
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Chop the chorizo into pieces and add them to a pan, along with the olive oil. Fry over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, or until crisp around the edges. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and bubbles. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in about three quarters of the grated cheddar cheese, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water for 6 minutes, then drain – don’t overcook the pasta at this stage, as it will continue to cook in the oven.
Stir the cooked pasta and fried chorizo into the sauce. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
In a bowl, mix together the sliced cherry tomatoes and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter this over the pasta.
Bake in the oven for 20–30 minutes until bubbling, and the cheese is melted and golden-brown.
Mushroom & Garlic Samp
Serves: 4
2 cups dried samp
4 cups water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced
½ punnet (125 g) button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp dried origanum
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
Wash the samp, then add it to a pot and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for about 1½ hours, or until the samp is tender. (You might need to top up the water during cooking.) Drain the cooked samp and set aside.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, onion and mushrooms. Sauté until they have softened and begun to brown around the edges. Add the garlic and origanum, and sauté for another minute.
Add the cooked samp and stock, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Season the cooked samp with salt and pepper before serving.
Curried Lamb Shanks
Serves: 4
4 lamb shanks
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 dried chilli (or ½ tsp dried chilli flakes)
1 star anise
2 cardamom pods
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
2 Tbsp Zola’s Feasts Fragrant Curry Powder
300 g cherry tomatoes (or regular tomatoes), puréed or chopped
600 ml lamb or beef stock
Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper.
Heat a pot and add the oil. Add the shanks and brown on high heat until golden on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside.
To the same pot, add the onions, dried chilli, star anise, cardamom and thyme. Cook over medium heat, until the onions are soft and caramelised.
Lower the heat and add the garlic, ginger paste, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, and curry powder. Gently cook the onions and spices for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes and stock, then bring to a boil.
Return the lamb shanks to the pot. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 3–4 hours, until the sauce has thickened and the meat is tender and falling off the bone. (You can also cook the shanks in the oven at 160 ºC for 3–4 hours).
Egg Chutney
Serves: 4
Water, for boiling
8 large eggs
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chilli powder
1 Tbsp Zola’s Feasts Fragrant Curry Powder
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
Salt, to taste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the eggs and simmer for 8 minutes. Then, remove the eggs from the boiling water and plunge into cold water for about 5 minutes. Once they are cool to the touch, peel the eggs and set them aside.
Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic, and sauté until the onion softens and starts to brown around the edges.
Lower the heat and add the chilli powder and curry powder. Sauté for a minute. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook over low heat for a couple of minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and sugar, then season with salt. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the boiled eggs to the chutney and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the coriander and serve with rice.
Strawberry Upside-down Cake
FOR THE STRAWBERRIES
¼ cup castor sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup butter, melted
Juice of 1 lemon
250 g fresh strawberries, sliced
FOR THE SPONGE
120 g butter, softened
120 g castor sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (use the same lemon from the strawberry mixture)
2 eggs
175 ml plain yoghurt
160 g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Plain yoghurt and vanilla extract, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
Line a 20 cm cake tin with greaseproof paper.
To make the strawberries, combine the castor sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, lemon juice and strawberries in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the cake tin.
To make the sponge, cream the butter, castor sugar and lemon zest.
Whisk together the eggs and yoghurt.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Fold the dry and wet ingredients alternately into the creamed butter and sugar. Spoon the mixture carefully over the strawberries in the cake tin, then bake for 40–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out. Leave to cool completely, then serve with a dollop of plain yoghurt mixed with vanilla extract.
Extracted from Simply Seven Colours by Zola Nene, out now.
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