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Expecting guests this weekend? Never fear, these easy entertaining recipes will ensure that everyone is well fed \u2013 and you remain stress-free.<\/p>\n
Churros<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 cup water<\/p>\n \u00bd cup butter<\/p>\n 2 tbsp white sugar<\/p>\n \u00bd tsp salt<\/p>\n 1 cup cake flour<\/p>\n 2 eggs<\/p>\n 1 tsp vanilla essence<\/p>\n 1 litre of sunflower or canola oil<\/p>\n 2 tsp ground cinnamon mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar<\/p>\n Chocolate sauce, for dipping<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n Heat the water in a saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.<\/p>\n Stir in the butter until melted, then add the sugar and salt, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.<\/p>\n Add the flour and combine until you have a smooth dough.<\/p>\n Take the saucepan off the heat and let the dough cool down.<\/p>\n Whisk the eggs and vanilla essence together in a bowl.<\/p>\n Slowly add the egg mixture to the dough while mixing with an electric hand-mixer on medium-high speed.<\/p>\n Fold a piping bag halfway down, place it in a jug or beer mug and fill it with the dough.<\/p>\n Roll up the folded part and close it tightly by tying a knot at the top, just above the filling. (This keeps the filling compact.)<\/p>\n Place the piping bag in the fridge to cool the dough \u2013 chill it for about an hour for the best results.<\/p>\n Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot on medium heat.<\/p>\n Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and do a test to make sure it comes out of the piping bag nozzle perfectly.<\/p>\n Carefully and gently squeeze the churro shapes into the oil, nipping the ends with a pair of kitchen scissors.<\/p>\n Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden, then place in a bowl lined with paper towels.<\/p>\n Toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar to coat evenly.<\/p>\n Serve warm with chocolate sauce for dipping.<\/p>\n Corn dogs<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n 3 heaped tbsp cake flour, plus 1 tbsp extra for coating<\/p>\n 3 heaped tbsp maize meal<\/p>\n 1 tsp baking powder<\/p>\n 1 tsp salt<\/p>\n 1 tbsp sugar<\/p>\n 1 tsp nutmeg<\/p>\n \u00bd tsp turmeric powder<\/p>\n \u00be cup buttermilk<\/p>\n 2 eggs<\/p>\n 3 Vienna sausages<\/p>\n 1 litre of sunflower or canola oil<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n In a large beer mug, combine the flour, maize meal, baking powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and turmeric.<\/p>\n Add the buttermilk and eggs and whisk into a smooth batter.<\/p>\n Cut the viennas in half and push a skewer into each from the cut side until almost at the top but not poking through.<\/p>\n Spread the extra flour on a plate and coat the viennas well, using a spoon to get to the edges.<\/p>\n Fill a large pan or pot halfway with oil and heat on medium heat.<\/p>\n Dip the viennas in the buttermilk batter one at a time, rotating the skewers to coat evenly. Allow excess batter to drip off.<\/p>\n Fry the corn dogs in hot oil for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally.<\/p>\n Remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels.<\/p>\n Serve slightly cooled with tomato sauce and mustard.<\/p>\n Tips: If you have a yellow corn meal (or polenta), use it instead of maize meal and leave out the turmeric powder.<\/p>\n To add extra deliciousness, swap viennas for cheese grillers.<\/p>\n Gammon<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n 1.5kg-2kg boneless gammon, uncooked<\/p>\n Bunch fresh thyme<\/p>\n Bunch fresh rosemary<\/p>\n 2 tsp fennel seeds<\/p>\n 1 tsp coriander seeds<\/p>\n 1 tsp cloves<\/p>\n 6-8 cardamom pods<\/p>\n 6 cloves garlic<\/p>\n 1 onion, chopped<\/p>\n 1 tsp black peppercorns<\/p>\n Glaze<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00bc cup honey<\/p>\n 1 tsp salt<\/p>\n 1 tsp pepper<\/p>\n 1 tbsp mustard powder<\/p>\n 1 tbsp lemon juice<\/p>\n Garnish: springs of thyme or rosemary<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n Place the gammon in a large pot and cover it with water.<\/p>\n Add the thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, cardamom, garlic, onion, and peppercorns.<\/p>\n Put the lid on and cook the gammon for 45 minutes on medium heat.<\/p>\n Remove the gammon from the pot and place it on a clean chopping board to cool down. Spoon the garlic out of the pot and set aside for later use. Discard the cooking water (or see the tip below).<\/p>\n Remove the net from the gammon and use a sharp knife to gently score the fat: cut diagonal lines from top to bottom (and, if you like, in the opposite direction to make diamond shapes).<\/p>\n Place the gammon in a roasting pan and insert the reserved cloves of garlic into the corners of the cuts.<\/p>\n Heat the oven to 180\u00b0C.<\/p>\n Combine the glaze ingredients in a jug or mug and pour over the gammon.<\/p>\n Roast in the oven for 1 hour or until cooked through.<\/p>\n Rest the meat for 15 minutes before carving.<\/p>\n Serve hot with sides of your choice.<\/p>\n Note: Sometimes gammon is sold pre-cooked and glazed. Look for the raw untouched gammon.<\/p>\n Tip: You can save the gammon cooking water to use as stock. Freeze it in ice-cube trays and add it to soups, sauces, and stews.<\/p>\n Recipes are taken from Neo Nontso\u2019s latest cookbook titled \u2018@dinewithneo \u2013 my insta feast\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n Have you checked out the latest IOL Food & Drinks digital magazine? Read it here.<\/p>\n