Cape Argus E-dition

In the kitchen with a celeb chef

BUHLE MBONAMBI buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za

A FEW weeks ago I got an invite for a cook-along with celebrity chef, restaurateur and My Kitchen Rules SA (MKRSA) co-host and judge

David Higgs. I quickly accepted. A few weeks ago too, I had joined the M-Net show's launch of the third season of MKRSA, which premieres on Sunday at 6pm – and where

Higgs and his co-host, J’Something, cooked a simple shitake mushroom and edamame beans ramen dish.

But this time we were going gourmet.

Higgs has signed up with meal kit company, UCook, to curate dishes from his award-winning restaurants, Marble and Saint, and also his book, Mile 8.

I often remind myself that I need to go to all the top restaurants in the country so I can write with authority on South Africa's restaurant culture. My heart broke when Restaurant Mosaic closed. I had been planning to go last year before Covid-19 hit. The plan was to do Restaurant Mosaic first, and then end the weekend with Marble, which I had heard good things about.

As I prepared the ingredients of what we were going to make – Higgs’ Emerald Risotto with goat’s cheese, truffle zest and mushrooms, I realised that finally, here was my chance to sample something prepared by Higgs, even though he would be on a video call, and I in my small, barely-lit kitchen.

But what I got was what many patrons of his restaurants will likely never experience – tips on how to make the dish better. It’s great to have the recipe with you, sure, but the little tips that Higgs shared, which required one to deviate from the recipe, made the experience so much better.

And the biggest tip he shared was one that my mother believes in – “Don't overcook! It loses colour and nutritional value. We sometimes forget that we eat for goodness, for goodness sake!”

He also shared the fact that green veggies love salt and adding a pinch of it is good for the colour, and that we should all learn to cook by feeling. “It's not always a direct science – it’s important to give food time to breathe.”

I've always felt so out of place at fine dining restaurants. While the food looks great, I always feel weird when I have to dig in. It's like destroying art. Weird, I know.

And yet, in the comfort of my home, there were none of those feelings. Here I could have fun with gourmet food and take the pretence out of it. Instead, it was just a hearty home cooked meal that left me feeling very warm and fulfilled. I just couldn’t help smacking my lips as I dug into the risotto. It was that good!

Fans of the chef can order the Higgs UCook meal kits, currently available, with orders closing on September 22. The second week’s menu goes live on September 22 and orders will close on September 29.

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2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

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