When in a rush, I admit it right here, sometimes I cheat .

One of my favourite easy to do recipe is to get a store bought rotisserie chicken (we all know about them, the ones the supermarket make on site in the in-store rotisserie that truly lacks flavour).

Add one cup of Chaloner Plum and Onion preserve to supermarket chicken, at 350 for 15 min uncovered. Try it!

Barbecue can mean two things to me, out on the deck with the family and some homemade sirloin burgers, or it can mean a developed flavor from wet and dry marinades or sauces. Barbecuing without the influence of marinades and sauces really means grilling to me. I know, your still doing it on the barbecue, but the flavor you are trying to achieve is a cleaner flavor of the grill.
“In this recipe there is no grilling on the open flame, but when you experience the smoky flavor with the zing, you think and taste Barbecue.”
Braised Short ribs
2 kg of 2 by 8 inch pieces
1 bottle of QGourmet Smokey BBQ Cooking Sauce
2 sliced onions

In large surfaced pot, heat 2 oz of vegetable oil. Caramelize the ribs until golden and remove from heat. Repeat this step three times in total: we wish to achieve total caramelizing without burning the protein. Once the ribs are removed for third and final time, add the onions to the pot and cook until they are translucent. Place the ribs in a 4 inch hotel pan and cover with the onions, then cover with the ribs with the BBQ sauce and cover pan with tight fitting foil. Braise the ribs in a preheated 325’ degrees oven for four hours or until tender. When the doneness is perfected, separate ribs from sauce and remove bones from ribs. Pull the rib meat with a fork to create strand texture. Set the ribs and sauce to cool in a proper container. Use the Qgourmet Smokey BBQ Cooking Sauce to reheat the rib meat.

 
Cape Town exceeded my expectations beyond anything I could have imagined. Definately as beautiful as any of the famous favourite cities I’ve visited, including, Valdarno, in Toscana, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, East Hampton, New York, to name a few of my spots.

The beach at Camps Bay is a must see, and the cape penninsula in bereathtakingly stunning.

Sadly I did miss the Table Mountain experience What happened there Perry Chaloner to the promise of taking your customer on that tour? Next time I geuss when I’m back with the family.

My best trip was driving to Frenchok with Adrienne of Verlaque Fine Foods, it was a perfect afternoon, nice weather and the views along Cape point was wonderful.

And then there is the amazing food….

Another fabulous Cape Town find or re-discovery is our popular Mango & Chilli Balsamic Vinegar from Verlaque.  I got a wonderful view of the factory where local woman make these decadent dressings by hand.  To see the stove where the process starts, through to the final application of the labels feels like its made in my own kitchen, except much larger.  I then proceeded onto the tasting area where a table of new delicacies awaited me.  I could feel and taste the love.

Look out for a Verlaque event at the Canadian Food Show this spring.

In 1993, I wrote a research paper with the opening statement: “This paper comes on the eve of profound political change in South Africa…” Advance 15 years and there are tremendous political changes here — good, bad and indifferent. However, my quest this time is not to investigate F.W. de Klerk’s government and the Apartheid regime…it’s to discover fabulous foods from South Africa — what has been opened to our side of the world since sanctions lifted.This is my first visit to South Africa. Now that I’ve tasted the exotic African culinary delights…in the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenegger…I’ll be back.Thus far the perfect sunny days ends with “sundowners,”(indulging in an array of delicious cocktails)while watching the sun set. Words cannot express the stunning Cape Town vistas so I’ve attached a picture.

South African wines have garnered much world respect over the last ten years. Why is that so? It’s the same reason that delicious South African items like our Chaloner fruit preserves are so remarkable. There is something, some intangible spiritual ingredient in the South African soil that lends itself to a deep, intense flavour in all its fruits. This makes the South African food items outstanding and different from the other varieties we source from China and even though I am patriotic to Canada –my home — the flavours are more intense than the anything we find in the Great White North.

This week I will be writing on Fabulous Finds in Cape Town, sharing this incredible and delicious journey.