As the warmth of Summer gives way to the chilly days of autumn, many people hang up their braai tongs and pack away the charcoal in anticipation of more time spent indoors. I’m here to tell you that, that simply isn’t necessary. 1) Us South Africans have it pretty good when it comes to Winter. Of course it’s cold and if you’re in Cape Town, wet, but we don’t have to worry about blizzards and temperatures in the extreme minuses. We can, some days, be outdoors and 2) Braais are not just for chops and wors. You can make a bevy of culinary delights on an open fire and that’s where our friends at #Weber come in. I can’t tell you how much my eyes have been opened since receiving our Weber braai. I have always loved cooking over fire but in the last few months, our braai has been used double the amount it normally would have been. As the weather changes, you can exchange those crispy-fat lamb chops and succulent boerewors for curries, pizzas and sticky ribs. You can add smoky flavour to hearty vegetables and make chunky salads (steak salad more specifically) that will knock the doubt right out of any South African who feels chicken is a vegetable.
So this weekend C and I decided to expand our grilling repertoire a bit further and for the first time, made a pizza using the awesome Weber Gourmet BBQ system pizza stone. You guys, it was the BEST pizza I have had in a long time. Not only is it possible to get the Weber to near-pizza oven temperatures but the stone is an excellent conductor of heat and so, your base will be perfectly crisp. We added crispy bacon, garlicky mushrooms and crispy onions along with a slow-cooked cherry tomato and balsamic vinegar pizza sauce. It was mouth-wateringly delicious. Another recipe we played with was a really great, substantial and chunky steak salad. Which is, let me tell you, the best kind of salad there is. Slices of juicy, flavoursome steak on top of baby leaves (who are the lucky recipients of all those steak juices) along with creamy avocado and blistered baby tomatoes and chunks of goat’s cheese. Are you drooling yet? I love salads like these because even the meatiest of meat eaters can’t complain and even though they feel quite indulgent, are actually very healthy. All hail the mighty steak salad! And if you’re still unsure about how to use your braai to its full potential, fear no more. The geniuses at Weber are hosting a Grill Academy (say whaaat?!), which is like a braai cooking class, on the 10th of June in Randburg, Johannesburg and they have invited me along. If you’d like to join me, simply pop over to their website where you will get all the information about how to book etc. The first 15 people to book and pay using the promotional code : SIMPLYDELICIOUS will get a massive discount of R300 off per ticket. Expect all kinds of deliciousness and for your world to be rocked. This is going to be one awesome event. Just another reason why Weber is #bestinclass.
