We have blogged about Justin Bonello before and we will blog about him again… Justin Bonello has just launched another brilliant cook book. If you follow our twitter stream then you will know that for a solid hour on Thursday evening I tweet about nothing else but the happenings that are occurring on The Ultimate Braai Master, Justin Bonello’s very own home-grown reality show. And for our overseas readers, who don’t know what a braai is… we define it right here.
We have two copies of Justin Bonello’s Ultimate Braai Master to Give Away to our readers… read on to find out how to enter…
Teams have been pitted against each other week after week as they travel South Africa, and we get to watch the glorious country side, and they have to braai… in any and all conditions. Each week the food gets better and better, the teams have raised the braai to a new level of cuisine – without losing their touch on old favourites like boerewors and chops. We are in the final weeks and dying to know who the winners will be…
Well we got our fire lit and we have been braaing night, after night, after night…
I recently attended his book launch in Cape Town… where we heard the inside scoop on and behind the scene factoids on the TV series and the book. The book is published by Penguin Books South Africa and they have given me to copies to give away to our lovely readers…
Here are se7en + 1 things I love about Justin Bonello books…
- His books are never just a cook book and always filled with awesome photographs that make you proud to be living under an African sky. These are travel books disguised as cook books that will make any South African on the far side of the world quite homesick and honestly if you have ever visited South Africa then his cookbooks are well worth grabbing as a moment!!!
- It is so good to have superb quality local cook books… yes we love overseas chefs and their books, of course… but it is so good to have cook books with your own local ingredients and your own local language… home grown is just so comfortable.
- Even though he brings out a book a year, he never compromises on quality… the paper always has a lovely unique crunchy recycled feel.
- The recipes in his book suit all kinds of cooks: extremely easy recipes for armchair cooks who want to try something and recipes that can get a lot trickier for chefs at heart.
- His recipes never skimp and feed our whole family easily, we’ve never had to double up!!!
- The heaps of useful tips… that regular folk, who cook meals all day and everyday can actually use…
- Just because all the recipes in the book were made on a braai doesn’t mean that you have to do the same… all the recipes are really easily adaptable and can be cooked in the oven or on the stove top as well…
- This book is packed with braai tips: The right temperature for your coals; The correct wood; What size potpie you need (think that one of those is now top of our Christmas list!!!); Smoking ovens, Pit ovens; Marinades… it just doesn’t stop!!!
We met up with him at Pick ‘n Pay… proud sponsors of the show…
He delighted in telling my kids about the good and not so good bits they had cooked as part of the pub-grub classic the night before… They were rewarded for listening with a giant hug!!!
Meanwhile we have been cooking up a storm and working our way through his recipe book – figuring out what works, which recipes will become part of family lore… and which we will never cook again!!!! We tried amain course, some sides, a fish recipe, breads and an apple tart to die for:
- Greek Styled Braai’d Lamb: Well what is not to love about a deboned leg of lamb that has marinated on yogurt and a gathering of greek herbs… and roasted on the braai and a vinaigrette, that I never would have made if I wasn’t reviewing the cook book… and it turned out fabulously – made the dish in fact!!!
- Thai Fishcakes in Banana Leaves: This recipe was a bit of a mission, it looks fantastic and it tastes fantastic… but we first had to find some banana leaves – not as easy as you might think when you live in the South Peninsula, and wrapping parcels in banana leaves is not as easy as it looks… Have to say the result was delicious and I will definitely eat this if somebody else makes it for me!!!
- Bashed Herb and Roasted Potato Salad: This recipe has changed the way we eat roast potatoes, we will never go back!!! Totally easy and doable, and we have made them every other night since the first time we tried them!!!
- Onion Rings and Chilli Poppers: Little side dishes that make a meal memorable… I have tried to make onion rings for years and I finally know how… the secret is not so much the slicing of the rings… And Chilli Poppers is already a family favourite, but this is a much simpler version… and just as delicious!!!
- Tartar Sauce: We will never buy this again, chop all the ingredients up and toss them in mayonnaise and I am telling you, as usual, fresh and home grown is so much tastier!!! There is a permanent jar in our fridge now!!!
- Pimp my Braai Broodjie: Click on the link to see these recipes… Totally yummy food…
- Lamb Pitas: stuffed with shredded lamb, feta and tztziki;
- And Mafia Meatball Subs: Since my family never says no to meatballs this one was an instant winner…
- And Breads: Since we make bread everyday anyway it was easy to to bring pop these breads into our repertoire… and so nice to have a change of flavour and a bit of variety!!!
- Amaize Balls: My kids are South African, it is in their blood to love maize meal porridge!!! But to to turn it into rolls really rocked their socks of and I can see this happening whenever we have a braai now… imagine them dripping with honey… or scooping up chakalaka, which is a spicy vegetable relish, with beans and tomatoes.
- The Honey Bread: Well… Everything to love!!!
- Beer Bread: I’ve been making since I was a student – quick and easy, my kids were amazed that you could pour beer into flour and get tasty bread out of it!!!
- Apple Tart: This recipe came from one of the judge’s aunts: Tannie Hetta… and at first we thought: hmmm, apple cobbler… but the vanilla syrup made with cream and sugar and fresh vanilla… well it takes this recipe to a totally new level!!! WoW… We wish we had a Tannie Hetta after trying this apple tart!!!
Yup this book has more than a few feasts between the covers…
This GiveAway works in the usual way, we are giving you two weeks to enter… comment before the end of play on 5 December 2012, and we will draw and publish the winners on the 6 December 2012. I won’t respond to your comments as I do on our other posts because I don’t want to be included in our own giveaway. Our GiveAways are open to everyone world wide, so good luck and happy commenting!!!
If you would like a second chance to win a copy of this book: Then you are Welcome to Join our Save the Rhino Campaign… A donation to our Save the Rhino Campaign gets you an extra entry into the GiveAway.
We really want to thank Penguin Books South Africa for giving us this book to review, and the books to GiveAway. They did not pay us to say it was fabulous, that opinion was all our own!!!
My mouth’s watering already! I’d love to win this!
looks lovely! I would love to win
I think Justin Bonello and his recipes are awesome! – would love to win his cook book.
This sounds like a fabulous recipe book! Enter me please.
This looks like a book that would just help me make the most delicious food!
This book looks phenomenal: he should take you all on tour with him! And that tart/cobbler. And the beer bread? Drooling!!
Looks great!
All the recipes look amazing and doable. Makes me want to get cracking on the BBQ again – got to love Australian summers with 40 degree days.
We would love to win this!
This would be such a great gift for my friend from SA who lives in the US.
Yum, Yum. Goodness, the food looks just deliscious!! A fun family time is BRAAI -ing!
Sounds like a lovely book to have! I am going to try again! Yes, yes!
New cookbooks are so fun! And a little bit of travel mixed in is just perfect.
Oh my – everything looks so good. Chilli popper for breakfast?
My family and I never miss an episode of Braai Master, we love it and are quite sad to see contestants go. We would love a copy of his book; the receipes look sooo yummy!
I would really love to win this book!We would like to cook it your way in this part of the WORLD!Some of Braaing in Slovenia!YEY!!!
sounds like a great win!
Those dishes look superb! Can’t wait to try some. However you must have some sort of weird time machine – competition closes on 5 December 2012, and the winners will be drawn and published on the 6 October 2012! 🙂
O my, so delicious!
this will inspire to many more braai’s!
Love the show, would love the book 🙂
We would love to have some new recipes to try and broaden our taste palettes. Please enter us in the drawing.
Oh my. My mouth was watering all the way through, but it was the vanilla sauce with the apple tart that tipped the kitchen scales. I’m officially intrigued. Love this giveaway.
Love this blog post and all the recipes you guys made look so delicious. Looks amazing. Thanks for sharing
Oh my goodness! This will be the best Christmas gift ever!
Please pick me???
Yes pleeeeeeeease!
Would be great to have some new recipes to throw onto the braai this summer!
This book looks great. We have been cooking outside more lately. We could use some good advice and recipes.
I’ve decided that this is the year for me to learn to braai and turn it into a female “sport”. Well at least until I’ve taught my two boys to take over!
This book is just what I need to kick our braiis up a whole new level!!
What a fantastic book. Would love to try out some of these great recipes, your photos are just fantastic!
I would really love this one. The recipies look wonderful…
Oh WOW!! What a fantastic giveaway:) Please enter me!
Kelly
What a treat this would be! We LOVE braaing!
Oh I would love this book. Our family lives to Braai…..
Cool! This looks so awesome!
How cool – wish I could watch the show here!! The book sounds amazing and regardless of the give away, I will definitely check it out. I think the Herbs need to introduce braaing to Flintstone! 😉
this looks like a fantastic book to have….off to braai now…
Wow those recipes look delicious! Please enter me! Thank you!!!
That book looks lovely – would love to cook up a storm from it!
What a lovely recipe book. Just right for us South Africans who love a good braai 🙂
The book looks to me awsome! Our family loves to braai,this book would come in handy!!!!
We have watched EVERY single show and let our kids stay up to watch it. It has been their first TV series! We LOVE braaimaster!
Id love to know how to braai!
I am not entering the contest. I just wanted to comment on how wonderful your cooking and pictures are. I came looking for your walk around town and saw those mouth watering photos! Amazing!!
wow – sounds fab and our braaiing needs inpsiration!
a wonderful gift!
mmmmm…would LOVE some new braai inspiration!
Oh, we’d so enjoy this book! Ever so curious to see if it’s like our barbequeing.
What a fantastic review! Seven +1 welcome around my braai anytime….
Hay Justin – Totally loved reviewing your book… Thanks for the fabulous interview!!! Have a great day!!!
i would love a copy of this book
And where do you find the Banana leaves around our area ?
would love to try out his recipes, would enjoy this book.
We braaied with you on Wednesday, so that puts us in the running for a ‘braaibook’ doesn’t it?,
Sounds sooooo awesome. My family loves getting together and braaing, especially new and interesting dishes. Bonello’s book will be a useful nudge nudge, wink wink.Thanks for the review.
Oh, wow the recipes all look so fun and yummy!