Gourmet Braaibroodjie

It seems that no matter how far the human race has evolved, we are still intrinsically connected to our Palaeolithic roots, where women portray the roles of hunter-gatherers, and men….make fire. Americans do it in style with their state-of-the-art barbeques; the Australians on the other hand like to throw some shrimp on the barbie, and we South Africans have perfected the delicate art of braai. And what is a South African braai without its best supporting actor, the braairoodjie? This South African braai staple is usually served on white or brown bread; spread with lashings of butter on the outside, and thick, juicy slices of tomato, onion and cheese placed on the inside. All that is left to do is keep your salivating mouth occupied with an ice-cold beer, until the bread is nice and toasted on the outside, and gooey in the middle. In celebration of Heritage Day, and National Braai Day, I gave the humble braaibroodjie a gourmet twist, while still retaining its cheesy soul. My version of the braaibroodjie is made with sourdough bread, slow roasted tomatoes, red onion marmalade and buffalo mozzarella. Long live the braaibroodjie!

Ingredients:

Sourdough bread, sliced

100g buffalo mozzarella, sliced

slow roasted tomatoes (see recipe underneath)

red onion marmalade (see recipe underneath)

butter, to spread

watercress, to serve

Method:

Spread the slices of sourdough bread with butter. Turn the slices around, and spread generously with the red onion marmalade.  Add the slow roasted tomatoes and sliced mozzarella, and place on the grill until the bread is nicely toasted and the mozzarella is melted. Serve with watercress leaves to add some freshness and bite to the braaibroodjie.

Red onion marmalade

Ingredients:

1kg red onions or regular onions

2 garlic cloves

70g butter

2 tbsp olive oil

70g golden caster sugar

1 tbsp fresh thyme leave

175ml sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Method:

Halve and thinly slice the onions, then thinly slice the garlic. Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter. Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves and some salt and pepper. Give everything another really good stir and reduce the heat slightly. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated; they're really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Pour in the vinegar and simmer, still uncovered, over a medium heat for 10-20 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour. Leave the onions to cool in the pan, and then scoop into sterilised jars and seal. Can be eaten straight away, but keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Slow roasted vine tomatoes

Ingredients:

12 small tomatoes, on the vine

2 tsp thyme, leaves finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

olive oil, for drizzling

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a small bowl, combine the thyme, garlic, salt and ground black pepper. Place the tomatoes in a roasting tray, just big enough to hold all the tomatoes. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, and add the thyme and garlic mixture into tray. Give the tomatoes a thorough mix through with your hands, and roast the tomatoes for 20-30 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened.