After bidding the old year farewell with a whole roast piglet and most of my friend Sakkie’s holiday stash of delicious Pinot Noir (which was supposed to last for another ten days), we woke up to…. the remains of Errol the piglet. Not surprisingly – somehow – nobody touched the head. But there was plenty of succulent pork left. The effervescent-in-the-kitchen tag team which is Sakkie and Prinses were on a weekend tour de force, with Prinses taking the lead on New Years day. Using a bottle of wine as a rolling pin and shop-bought pastry (don’t make pastry on a public holiday, especially in summer), Errol took his final curtain call as morish pork pies….
A salad was made…too… but it’s not pictured here. Even the crackling was crisped, chopped into slivers and added to the pulled pork. No artery-blocking scrap of goodness went to waste.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE…. and as a nod to the sea a few hundred meters from our too-full-to-swim bodies, Sakkie once again donned his apron and made a bouillabaisse. Which was so good I forgot to take a photo until my spoon scraped the bowl….
Yes, there’s more…. the Sunday we had a special lunch for my friends’ much-loved late father, Oom John, outside at a long table, with much laughter and could you guess – great food. I think a vegetable may have made a shy turn on the table. It was outnumbered by roast potatoes and more expertly prepared meat dishes. And Hannes offended all the foodies by reaching for that most hated of sacrilegious food fiends…. THE AROMAT!! Hannes NEEEEEE…
And was justly rewarded with a loose cap and a shower of highly addictive, fabricated taste enhancer…. VATSO Hannes, so MSG muishond!
But how could I forget… Prinses also made gougeres (fancy French accent on first ‘e’ which I don’t know how to do). Yes, can you believe that with Errol the piglet’s many incarnations, bouillabaisse and two braais, there was a quiet moment in the kitchen and a few empty tummy pockets that needed filling with this…. the most scrumptious choux pastry cheesy thingys that are perfect with a glass of wine.
What butter, eggs, flour and cheese can do for you....
As a snack. To tide you over between gargantuan meals…. because you can’t let your stomach shrink while on holiday. Who knows what’s cooking down the road…
I owe you the recipe for these little babies.
Gougeres...hmmmm...bah...magnifique!
After a weekend of food euphoria I had to leave Stilbaai…. or explode! Thank you to all the cooks, dishwashers, wine pourers, story tellers and especially to the six and eight year old aspiring spa ladies who insisted on practising their massage techniques on my weary feet… You’ve given me hope for 2011 and a few extra kilos to remember you by. Big love. Indeed.
Hey! I simply noticed another message in one other weblog that regarded like this. How do you know all this stuff? That’s one cool post.
Hey there! Thanks – but what stuff are you referring to…. life and food stuff? I’m no spring chicken…. (my ankles are photoshopped in the header pic hahaaa) But my blog is very new so I’m curious to know how you found it. Are you South African? Or did you bump into it on the great worldwide part of the web? Thanks for the cool comment. Happy eating. KV
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This is a really great blog. Thx to the auther
Good read. Do you have a Twitter page?
Thanks, yes, it’s @kitchenvixenSA
Yip, follow me @kitchenvixenSA
Fantastic perceptiveness