It’s fair to say that over the past few weeks we’ve all come to realise the world will never be the same again; many things will be done differently, many serious things. Along with those, I am adding the way I mash sweet potatoes.

Lockdown and the inability to eat out at restaurants, get a takeaway or delivery, or even a garage pie now (although not many folks are out at 3am, which is the optimal time to eat one), has sent South Africans into their kitchens, with varying measures of success. For some reason, we’ve gone brood-befok (I know, I know – bread crazy, I couldn’t resist), banana bread in particular. I cannot fathom the reasons for this. “It’s because people have bananas that are going off,” suggested someone. To which I replied: “I know a guy who bought unripe bananas SPECIFICALLY to let them go brown to make bread.”

There are plenty of fairly competent home cooks, even great ones, but for every 10 (randomly picked number) of them, there is at least one (also random and entirely without scientific basis) who has no idea what to do with a stove and an egg. Don’t eat it raw, for heaven’s sake. Not because it’s dangerous (how do you think aïoli is made?) but because it’s just plain stupid. Rather nominate someone to share their top 10 music albums, which comes with its own pressure, but it’s still preferable.

With loads of real live professional chefs and cooks sharing recipes, tips, live Insta and Facebook videos, and hosting groups on social media, the culinary-challenged have a wide and strong support network. There’s no reason why we can’t all whip up something appetising for dinner, other than perhaps not having a pantry full of exotic or obscure ingredients. You know it’s true when there’s a meme…

Some of those chefs have volunteered such services, and others have been roped in here. I gave them a list of ingredients I have (a kind list, to be fair) to see what they’d come up with.

The List

The ingredients for Jason Whitehead’s sweet potato boats. (Photo: Bianca Coleman)

Tinned tomatoes

Iceberg lettuce (boring AF I know, but it also lasts for ages in one of those old Tupperware crispers)

Onions, garlic

Soft citrus, lemons

Mushrooms

Cream cheese, mascarpone, feta, halloumi, Brie, Cheddar (I like cheese)

Sweet potatoes (a ridiculous amount owing to a special at a certain vegetable retailer just before lockdown, and thankfully they last for ages)

Streaky bacon (because all other kinds are evil)

I added that I have pantry staples, like oils and vinegars, stocks, herbs and spices. When Jason Whitehead said he’d be open to suggesting recipes to the public at large, there were a few more items on that list but he homed in on the best ones. “Ooooh, this is a really nice little selection you have here,” he said. “I would make sweet potato boats.”

Jason Whitehead’s Cheesy Mushroom and Bacon Sweet Potato Boats

Jason Whitehead’s sweet potato boats as made by me. (Photo: Bianca Coleman)

Using a fork, poke holes into your sweet potato, then rub them with some olive oil and season with salt.

Wrap them in foil, then pop them into a preheated oven (190℃) and bake for about 45 minutes, or until cooked through, depending on the size of them.

Chop your bacon into smallish pieces and fry them in a little bit of oil until they are nice and crispy, then place on kitchen towel to absorb excess fat.

Finely chop your onion and season with a little salt and pepper, then fry in the same frying pan (with the leftover bacon fat) until they become soft, not browned.

Slice up your mushrooms and add to the frying onions and sauté for about a minute, then add in roughly chopped garlic.

Roughly chop up two fresh tomatoes and add to the pan. Continue to fry until the tomatoes start to break down and any liquid is evaporated, then set aside.

Once your sweet potatoes are cooked, remove them from the foil and slice them in half lengthways. Scoop out some of the flesh, leaving the skin intact (keep the scooped out sweet potato flesh to make sweet potato mash for another dish).

Place the sweet potato “boats” onto a baking sheet lined with tin foil, empty cavity facing up, and drizzle with some olive oil and season with some salt.

Fill your boats with the tomato and mushroom mixture, then top with slices of Brie or crumbled feta (or both) and place under a grill for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just about to brown.

Remove from the oven and top the boats with crispy bacon and serve. 

If you have any chives, finely slice them and sprinkle on top. 

Chef Jason Whitehead. (Photo: Supplied)

Ever since I discovered the harmonious relationship between sweet potatoes and bacon (cut the potatoes into wedges, wrap with bacon and bake in the oven at 180℃ until done, you’re welcome) I’ve appreciated their combination. This was a new spin on that, and one which was utterly divine, and I would never have thought of on my own. While I know my way around a kitchen and a recipe, I’m simply not MasterChef mystery box material.

Whitehead is launching an e-book on Friday, April 24, 2020 called My Lockdown Cookbook. “It’s a diary of sorts, with stories and recipes from a chef in quarantine,” he said. “Readers can expect 30 easy-to-make recipes – some more challenging than others – varying from very basic ‘End Of The Month Salticrax’ to beef ragu, basil and mascarpone raviolis, with pictures, and in essence, a fun escape from reality. “Fifty percent of all sales will be donated to Streetscapes which will result in close to half a million rand if we reach the goal of selling 10,000 copies.”

Whitehead previously co-authored Tasty WasteNOTS with Sally-Ann Creed. I asked him what sort of immune-boosting fresh ingredients we should be adding to our shopping baskets.

“I am no dietician, but I can tell you about some of the ingredients that I always use when I feel like my body needs a bit of a boost,” replied Whitehead.

“Ginger – this may seem obvious, but what I should stress is that two little slices of ginger in tea is not really going to cut it. I like to juice big whole pieces of ginger and either drink it as a shot, or make a delicious tea with loads (I’m talking two heaped tablespoons full) of turmeric, honey and lemon juice.

“Oregano is a much underrated herb. It is a very powerful antiviral and antioxidant, especially if you consume it in an oil form. I often make oregano oil using about two cups of fresh oregano and one cup of extra virgin olive oil. Simply blend then strain it through a fine mesh sieve (and cheesecloth if you have, but not essential). Delicious over tomato-based pastas, pizzas or made into a salad dressing. 

“Lemon and garlic … seeing as though you’re not going to be going on any dates or to any social engagements any time soon, don’t be afraid to consume as much garlic as you can. It is antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal, and is much more potent when eaten raw. I still have a concoction I made last winter in my fridge (it lasts surprisingly well) which works like a bomb if you’re feeling a little under the weather.

“I took two whole organic lemons from my tree, chopped them up, peel and all, and put them in a blender. I added two whole bulbs of raw garlic cloves and about two thumb-size pieces of peeled ginger, and blended it all up together to form a paste. If it looks like the blender is taking a bit of strain, add a few splashes of raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to help it along. Eat it by the teaspoon full. And a pre-warning… it tastes vile, but it works like a bomb.

“Chillis are also a great antioxidant, and they are also quite high in vitamin C. People that know me, know how much of a curry-nut I am. I have a curry at least twice a week, and like them super-hot. If you are feeling under the weather, double up, or even triple up on the following ingredients in your curry recipe: garlic, ginger, chilli (if you can handle the heat, otherwise remove the pips and white pith, which is where all the heat is) and turmeric.

“Teas. My go-to teas are green tea and rooibos during the day, and chamomile in the evenings. I usually add loads of lemongrass (also a great antioxidant), lemon juice and a little bit of honey to my teas, just to make them a little more interesting.”

Sensible shopping is the way to go. We should only go out when we have to, or get on the home-delivery bandwagon. “My suggestion is to plan ahead,” said Whitehead. “Buy enough dry store goods/non-perishables to last for a couple of weeks, and then only venture out to the shops to get fresh goodies once a week.”

Whitehead said he has noticed so many people using this time in “inspirational ways, such as learning a new language, taking up painting or simply attending to household chores that they have been putting off for the longest time”. Do remember, this is not a competition and if your headspace is elsewhere, or you are unmotivated to put on clean tracksuit pants, that’s okay too. Be gentle with yourself, but if you are keen to up your cooking ante, Whitehead recommended Matt Manning’s Instastories (@MattManningChef) where he regularly posts recipe videos. “Also check out Zola Nene (@zola_nene) and Lorna Maseko (@lornamaseko) on Instagram for their great home cooking recipes,” he said.

Chef Franck Dangereux from The Foodbarn in Noordhoek. (Photo: Supplied)

For this next part, you have to read in a French accent, because it’s from Franck Dangereux from The Foodbarn in Noordhoek.

“Firstly, cooking is about giving … it’s a generous deed. You do it for the people you love,” he said, in gentle words of encouragement for the terrified-of-cooking. “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes! It will not be a disaster. Just enjoy the process, and involve those around you to help with little things like peeling and chopping,” he advised.

Like everyone else, Dangereux is baking bread at home during lockdown, and lots of vegetable/legume dishes like ratatouille, lentil dhal, baked beans or chickpea tagine. “We also often have roast chicken with homemade peri-peri, big salads and pasta! Lots of pasta! With tomato, with creamy sauces, with pesto…” he shared.

In Life Of Brian, Monty Python blessed the cheesemakers but I vote for sanctifying chefs. I sent Dangereux an email and within minutes he voice-noted (for which I am doubly grateful) me the following (in that French accent which makes me swoon):

“Okay. Cool! Nothing like a little challenge on a Monday morning.” He ran through the list and said: “So my suggestion with these ingredients is to do a quirky take on a cottage pie. So we could do a bacon and sweet potato cottage pie and serve it with a side salad of iceberg lettuce, onion and orange.

“The way to go about this would be, almost like the ‘mince’ sauce would be, you can make it by chopping the streaky bacon – tiny little dices – and you can sweat it with chopped onions and chopped garlic. Then when that is done and nicely cooked and the fat has rendered a little bit, you leave the fat in the pan and deglaze that with your tinned tomatoes. Put that with the bacon, onion and garlic and let it cook for a while.

“Oh wait! I see mushrooms! So you must add sliced mushrooms to that as well. You can be very generous with the mushrooms…and you need to cook it so it’s quite reduced and no longer ‘saucy’.

“Sweet potato – you need to peel them and cut them into large cubes and put them in water to cook without salt, and they need to be cooked until they are really very soft and at that point you need to strain them out. Then I would add the mascarpone instead of butter.”

Dangereux said to do this in a bowl with a “little” mascarpone, but to be fair, he didn’t give specific measurements for anything so I followed my heart with two big spoonfuls. I regret nothing. Add a little touch of sugar, a little bit of salt, and if you have, a little bit of cinnamon, said the chef.

“It won’t be as stiff as normal potatoes but I don’t think that’s a train smash,” he said.

Dangereux take on cottage/shepherd’s pie. (Photo: Bianca Coleman)

To assemble, Dangereux said he would use a gratin dish. Of course he would. What the heck? I don’t have such a thing. Turns out I do – it’s really just a shallow ovenproof dish which you use to put things under the grill, but sounds better and fancier in French. 

“Put the bacon mixture at the bottom. I see there’s feta as well, so I would crumble some of that on top. Then a nice thick layer of sweet potato mash, and crumble some more feta on top. That’s done. That can go in the oven.”

To serve, Dangereux described a very simple salad of iceberg lettuce, onion, and orange segments (peeled and sliced in a cheffy way), and I can see where he was going with that. The bacon pie was beautifully rich and the citrus would have cut through that, and the lettuce would be crunchy for texture, bringing the necessary balance, but I was so excited by the mascarpone mash, and how delectably caramelised and bubbly it turned under the grill, I completely forgot about the salad (sorry, Franck).

When I mailed him to say it had turned out brilliantly, he said “Great! Glad to hear! You obviously cooked it well!” And if that’s not the nicest, kindest thing a chef (and such an excellent one) has said to me, then I don’t know.

So there we have it: two different dishes with the same ingredients, both of which I’d happily make again.

Chef Nic van Wyk from Haute Cabrière in Franschhoek. (Photo: Supplied)

Chef Nic van Wyk came on board for the challenge with his recipe for pan fried halloumi with citrus and honey sauce, which is on the tapas menu at Haute Cabrière in Franschhoek – somewhere to look forward to returning after lockdown. I love squeaky halloumi, but it must be served hot. I keep all my streaky bacon rendered fat, and a spot of this in the pan elevates the halloumi to new heights.

Nic van Wyk’s pan-fried halloumi 

The halloumi which I had at Haute Cabrière. The bowl alongside is pork kaaings (or kaiiings, the dictionaries are undecided). These delicious morsels were described by Hildegonda Duckitt as ‘the dry scraps of any minced sheep-tail fat or suet after it has been fried, and the boiling fat drained from it’ which should explain what they are, and they are available on the tapas menu, with bread. (Photo: Bianca Coleman)

Ingredients

Halloumi cheese, cut into 2cm x 2cm x 10cm fingers, you will need 3-4 fingers for a snack per person (you might feel like you want more but trust me – I have been that greedy – it’s just the right amount)

Any flour for dusting (not critical) 

Oil and butter for frying 

A pinch of Za’atar, or dried organum 

For the sauce 

Juice of one lemon 

Juice of half an orange

3 tablespoons honey, warmed up in microwave till runny 

100 ml olive oil, a nice green or peppery oil works well 

Salt and pepper 

Method 

For the sauce, combine the honey and the citrus juices in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to form an emulsion. Season and set aside.  

For the halloumi, warm up some oil and butter in a pan, not too hot. If you are using flour, mix in the organum or za’atar and lightly dust the cheese before frying. If you are not using flour, just dust with the herbs once you have fried the halloumi. Fry the cheese in batches until you have a nice golden brown colour on all sides. Remove and place on paper towel. 

To serve, plate the cheese and dress with the set aside dressing. This can also work on a bed of well-dressed (with the set aside dressing) lettuce for a light salad. Any seeds on hand can also be added for some extra crunch. 

“I think it is good that people are gently forced to cook! We will all emerge a bit healthier and mindful of food availability and how we spend and consume and hopefully make better decisions on that going forward,” said Van Wyk. “A home-cooked meal you have made yourself is satisfying and an achievement. Jamie Olivier has some great quick and simple recipes that are perfect to start off with if you are intimidated. Donna Hay and even Kook en Geniet are also winners. Recipes with up to five ingredients are great to get the hang of, and build confidence to explore.”

When it comes to stocking the pantry, Van Wyk said he likes interesting condiments and items that can add something special to a dish: capers, anchovies, smoked paprika, a good jar of pickles. “A few good cheeses are also great – include a hard cheese. Sherry vinegar is a must for me! I like grains – barley and lentils are a favourite.” 

Being a chef, Van Wyk said he has never eaten so much at home as he and his family have now. “I am used to skipping breakfast and then tasting food the whole day, and being happy with toast for dinner! We are now eating three meals a day, with snacks! 

“A one-pot-wonder is good that lasts up to three days. I also get a veggie box once a week, so try to work with that too. We had green peppers for days, so pickled them and have been enjoying salads with them. You can also pickle aubergine which can work the same in salads. 

“I am also indulging in pap – savoury and then as a pudding with butter, sugar and milk. We have braaied a lot, and have been making lots of bread.”

He has no idea about the banana bread, said Van Wyk. “I missed that memo, but did make one after seeing all the posts on it. We didn’t have a bread tin so we made a giant banana bread cake that we enjoyed fresh and toasted for days.” DM/TGIFood