Like it’s author Duncan Welgemoed, the ‘Africola’ cookbook is bold, colourful and sweary – but full of delicious, flavour-forward recipes.
Well folks, by anyone’s estimation it’s been a bit of a shit year for most things, but here in Adelaide it’s been a bloody brilliant year for local cookbooks from a couple of our favourite restaurants.Back in September Durkhanai Ayubi and Farida Ayubi’s gorgeous cookbook “Parwana” was released, telling the story behind their family Afghani restaurant, and this week high-profile Adelaide chef Duncan Welgemoed released the “Africola” cookbook, sharing some of the dishes that have made him so well known nationally and internationally.
For foodies, Duncan will need no introduction. Since 2014 his restaurant ‘Africola’ has been turning heads with it’s bold, punchy and exciting food, inspired by his South African heritage. Like his food, Duncan is brash – he likes to style himself as the bad-boy of the Australian culinary scene, and is well known for shooting from the hip, unreservedly delivering his opinions on his industry and the people in it.
However, he backs up his audacity with some serious culinary chops. The recipes between the covers of this eye-catching tome include an amazing array of meats, seafoods, as well as the intensely flavourful vegetable dishes that the restaurant is so noted for. There’s an excellent sweet section tucked in the back, preceded by my favourite part of the book – 35 recipes for the most delicious condiments, sauces, vinegars, relishes that you’ll find anywhere. If the savoury treacle, black mustard, or fig and agrodolce recipes don’t get you salivating, then you are dead to me. ?
Image from Africola by Duncan Welgemoed, photography by Simon Bajada. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.
Like it’s author, ‘Africola’ the cookbook, is bold, colourful and sweary, so don’t say you weren’t warned. But behind all that attitude, there is an excellent selection of recipes in the Africola cookbook that are easy to do at home – you’ll be punching out big, flavour-forward dishes before you can say ‘Welgemoed’. Start with The World’s Greatest Roast Potatoes for Total Idiots. As Duncan says, you can’t fuck this one up.
The World's Greatest Roast Potatoes for Total Idiots
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg good roasting potatoes, like Diane, or large Kipfler potatoes, peeled, cut in half, and rinsed until the starch is washed off
- 200 gms rendered pork fat, or lard
- 50 gms paprika
- 5 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
- 10 cloves garlic, crushed in their skins
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Boil potatoes for 10 minutes, or until just soft.
- Add the fat to a hot, heavy-based saucepan and place over high heat, then add the drained potatoes, flat side down. DON'T BURN YOURSELF, OR SET FIRE TO YOUR HOUSE.
- Get a crispy golden colour on all sides. Once all are crispy, transfer the potatoes to a baking tray.
- Drizzle with a little of the warmed fat, then sprinkle with the paprika, thyme leaves, garlic, sea salt and black pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally until they are super crispy and dried out a little. The centre will be like mashed potato and pretty much the best vehicle ever for all kinds of sauces, gravies, meat juices, whatever - all of it.
