I’m a huge supporter of anything home-grown and food-related and in this case, it’s our very own world-class chef. Chef Jackie Cameron has been working up in the Midlands at Hartford House since 2002, and last year the incredible meals prepared at Hartford led to the establishment being listed in the top ten best restaurants in South Africa. And now you can have the opportunity to produce some of those meals at home. I have bought my own copy of this book and it’s a delight. It ranges from accessible and simple to prepare recipes for salads and muffins to the more complex but easy to understand duck confit and oxtail risotto. And speaking of the risotto, that was the dish that Hartford and Chef Jackie prepared for this year’s Taste of Durban and it was a huge hit.
Get a, ahem, taste of one of the recipes in the book by clicking on the link for this downloadable recipe PDF here: crepes filled with orange chocolate mousse. (link courtesy of Penguin Publishers)
If you want to win a copy of this book, signed with a cute message, all I need you to do is leave a comment on this post with a valid email address telling me your name and what your favourite home-cooked meal is. A winner will be chosen by random draw. Competition closes September 30th 2013. This competition is for South Africans only.
In case you can’t wait to win and just want to buy the book, it’s available online at Takealot, Loot and Kalahari and in stores like Exclusive books. But enter anyway, because Christmas is coming 😉
It would be a difficult choice between my mom’s chicken soup with noodles or kneidelach or my spaghetti bolognese. Both are my comfort foods and either one will warm my body and my soul
My favourite home cooked meal is Lasagne. Nothing tastes better than cooking it yourself.
I would have to say Macaroni and cheese, bits of bacon and mushrooms.. Its a hit with everyone in my family, young and old..
My favorite home cooked meal has to be chicken a la king. Left overs can be turned into a delicious chicken pie for the next day.
My mom’s lemon chicken is the yummiest dish ever! It’s a family favourite!
My favourite meal to make at home is pizza with homemade yeast dough and a variety of fresh toppings…
My favourite home cooked meal has got to be Chicken ala King. Made with cream of chicken soup powder and no mushrooms (important because mushrooms are gross). Its quick and tasty, and reminds me of dinners as a kid.
My favourite home cooked meal has to be a hearty stew! Full of tender meat (lamb or beef!) and squishy veggies, served over a mix of brown & white rice, or couscous. Each stew is different, the mix of flavours determined by whatever is available.
On a side note, my hubby and I took our first “2nd honeymoon” in 2002, when Jackie started at Hartford … it was our 10th anniversary, and we stayed at Hartford House! We didn’t meet the chef, unfortunately, but we did sample her cooking 🙂
So winning this book would be really special for us … just saying!
Jacs, you need to visit again sometime soon…a lot has changed since then!
This blog post is a kick up the rear for me! I have to still review this book but I have been inundated with other stuff and so have put all my recipe books aside. This week I will change that 🙂
The satisfaction of a simple pearl barley risotto with some black pepper and loads of parmesan and a selection of fresh herbs from my garden is my go-to dish. Quick to make, fairly healthy and it satisfies on so many levels!
My mother-in-laws mint flavoured Chicken-a-la-king. Out of this world!!
Just one? My all time favourite home cooked dish is my husband’s Prawn and Coconut curry which he makes from spices we buy every time we are in Durban. It is the same dish he wooed me on, so its nostalgic, romantic and wonderfully delish.
Favourite home cooked meal to make for others is Spaghetti Ragu, 2 kinds of mince, almost a bottle of red wine (enough left over to drink while cooking 😉 fresh pasta and lots of love!!! Favourite meal to have made for me hands down moms Veggie “Stoup” with Dumplings especially when i feel a little under the weather x
these comments are making me salivate.
my fav home cooked meal is a simple creamy chicken and exotic mushroom pie… complete with lattice top. served with a herbed salad with feta and apple shavings.. cooking the chicken thighs bone in and then shredding it is the only time consuming part of it.
i season and marinate the chicken slightly (including rubbed in a garlic paste), put it in a hot pan to brown it (bone in)
when brown i turn down the heat and let it cook for a few minutes, lid on, then add the onion in, let that cook down more until chicken is almost cooked through.
remove the chicken and shred.
put heat back up. add chopped exotic mushrooms (or just Shitake is great), lots of garlic (i used 4 cloves diced fine), and pepper, let that cook a bit (not forgetting to season along the way)
add back the chicken shreds to the mix, and little at a time i add cream and a chilli super finely chopped (seeds n all)
then its just rolling pastry and assembling… oven preheated to 180… pie in until fluffy and golden brown.
depending on my budget i sometimes cook the chicken and onion in white wine and add chives after the cream… sometimes add nuts to the mix… its limitless. but so easy.
Hi! My absolute favourite home-cooked meal is Mac & Cheese – nothing beats it when you need good homely food! Second favourite is risotto – yum!
My best home cooked meal is my Moms mac, mince & cheese. That 3 cheese mac covering that savoury mince has a hook that reels me back to my childhood days at home. Thankfully she’s still around and occassionaly drops off a dishful every now and again when she feels I need some and her timing is usually spot on!
My favourite home cooked meal would probably be any roast meat, with potatoes and yorkshire pudding and gravy… but then I do like a bobotie too 🙂
My favourite home-cooked meal? Oxtail Stew. Nothing beats a thick and sticky red wine, rosemary, garlic and tomato gravy coupled with good ol’ oxtail (cooked til it falls off the bone, naturally). SIMPLY DIVINE.
For me, few things beat a home made chicken pie – filled with lots of mushrooms and a creamy sauce. Dee-lish!!
My mom’s roast chicken with stuffing & roast potatoes!
My favourite recipe is my homemade soup with brown beans, shin and vegetables. I am employed as a housemother at a centre for mentally handicapped adults and they love the soup. I would love to win Jackie book as I cut out recipies from the witness and as they are delicious
Wonderful, the WITNESS…this is where it all began. All the best
Every Sunday evening we make the world’s best (yes … totally biased) Macaroni and Cheese. With LOTS of crispy bacon, and breadcrumbs.
And when I say “we”, you know what I really mean is that “I make it, while Marc keeps the couch warm.”
My all time favourite home cooked meal, which I make my mum cook every year on my birthday, is slow roasted lamb shanks in a rich tomato base, served over couscous. Its a winner. Anything out of my mums kitchen is a winner. Now just to keep harnessing and learning her skills…
xx
Tipsy Tart
There are so many favourites in my book. If I have to choose, it will be my mom’s Goulash. It is such a special recipe in our family that my dad asks that my mom makes it for him on his birthday every year. Favourite part is dunking crispy bread into the sauce. mmm!
Oh Wow! I recently spent two nights at Hartford House and enjoyed the most dee-vine food! Three course breakfasts, FIVE course dinners (completely different every night) – every course absolute perfection! Jackie herself was so friendly and gracious and took the time to explain every detail behind her menus. The guinea fowl was amazing!
My favourite home-cooked meal would have to be a good old Sunday roast lamb, with all the trimmings:) Roast potatoes in particular!
Thanks so much for your kind words, so appreciated! Glad you enjoyed!
You can’t beat a roast leg of lamb with all the extras.
A perfectly cooked risotto or a yummy rich beef/lamb stew with french loaf on the side. And in summer a chicken salad with roquette and orange segments! So good!
It would without a doubt be my moms veg and bean soup. After moving out I crave it during these cold days. Lucky she loves me enough to
My favorite home cooked meal would have to be either chicken and broccoli casserole that my mom makes from an ancient tuppawear cookbook (we’ve made it so much she knows the recipe by heart), and then pork chops (either just grilled or in a brown onion, tomato saucy style gravy) with a baked potato and veg.
My favorite home made dessert is de finely my apple caramel tart… It is delish!!!!
My ultimate home cooked meal is a thick piece of fillet steak, prepared medium rare with a dollop of herb butter on top, lemon zest and rosemary seasoned shoestring fries and mange tout!
Moms tandoori chicken with homemade naan bread (indian flat bread)