A braai to me has always been a social call, where everyone you care about gathers around a fire, drinks till they are merry and cooks enough food to feed a few armies. They are always fun occasions that usually result in a slight head ache and a large amount of leftovers.
However, I have a group of friends (I'm sure I'm not the only one) who use the word as an alibi for a massive piss up. There is always a
fire involved, but the whole thing revolves more around beer than food. If we're lucky at some point someone will 'cook', but if and when they do, they are usually so sloshed that the meat either ends up
burned or isn’t really cooked at all because they are trying to braai on the
same coals they lit 5 hours ago.
At some point during these nights I usually sneak into the kitchen and eat the potato salad, which I know is safe as I always bring
it along.
The thought of attending another one of these big
fire, marathon drinking events made me cringe a little. What happened to braai’s
where food came first and beer came thereafter? I mean don't get me wrong, a braai without any beer wouldn't really be a braai, but what about those braai's where we would plan to eat good food and look forward to eating? I loved
those braai’s.
The smell of burning wood, the slightly smoky taste of the
meat, the potatoes, veggies and salad waiting patiently in the kitchen and obviously a glass or two(probably
3 or 4) of crisp, cool white wine in hand.
The thought of that reminded me of one of my
favourite braai’s I’ve ever had...
One weekend in Fronsac, the bosses had gone to Marrakesh and
left us with the kids. Having no one to cook for I had one of the most incredible
days ever. I started off at the market, enjoyed a bucket of coffee and a pain
au chocolat, and then went shopping for fun. I spent most of the day lounging
around the pool and reading my book, and when the au pairs had put the kids to
bed we cracked open a bottle of Rose and braaied.
 |
| Chicken Carving |
The menu consisted of Spatchcocked Harissa Chicken, Green
Gremolata Potato Salad and Spiced Roasted Cauliflower with a Lime Yogurt.
 |
| Dinner with a Beautiful View |
 | ||
| Harissa Chciken, Green Potatoes and Spiced Cauli |
It was an absolutely incredible and unforgettable day, full of good food, fun in the sun and many laughs with some great friends. Just because I have to suffer tonight, doesn't mean everyone else does...
So I figured seeing as the weather is beautiful, and if I could I would have this kind of braai, I'd share these recipe's in the hopes that someone out there will enjoy them and make a few great memories of their own.
Click the links below the photos to see the recipes :)
HAPPY FRIDAY AND HAPPY BRAAIING!
No comments:
Post a Comment