Innehållsförteckning för Easter 2025 från Woolworths TASTE

NO ONE DOES A LONG WEEKEND THE WAY WE DO. Because we've earned it. While the rest of the world gets to enjoy a stress-free, mid-year break, most South Africans’ annual holiday features such killjoys as overseas tourists, visiting relatives and festive obligations. So, the fact that we get more public holidays in March and April than the rest of the world is totally justified. And, as a result, we've perfected the art of the long weekend. Weekends away chart the passing of the years in a way that longer holidays don't. Maybe they're precious because they're fleeting, or maybe it's because they're too short to turn into the full-blown feuds that can erupt when you put eight people with different dietary requirements into the same house for more than…

CRUNCHING THE WEB Chances are you've found yourself scrolling through your fair share of Dubai chocolate-bar content recently. And, since FoodTok loves a good spin-off, the crunchy-creamy combo of pistachiopaste, kadayif pastry and chocolate is making its way into spreads, s'mores, cakes and croissants. Our favourite iteration? Dubai chocolate eggs. Because who doesn't like chocolate for breakfast?…

Seeing is disbelieving at Epice restaurant in Franschhoek, where chef Charné Sampson plates up a dessert that looks so similar to the real thing, it defies reason The backstory Charné's points of departure were the classic flavours of lemon meringue and banoffee pie – desserts she was obsessed with perfecting in high school. “The aim is for the dish to have a subtle banana flavour but still pack a punch,” she says. “The banana is a humble fruit you grow up with in your lunchbox and can easily forget about, but it's definitely making a comeback, showing up on local dessert menus with flavours such as coffee and coconut.” The peel Made with lemon curd, which Charné describes as the perfect banana peel colour, the “peel” is dotted with tonka…

Katie Bailie, senior category wine buyer for Woolworths, is responsible for selecting the great vintages and varietals you ’ ll discover at WCellar. 1 Babylonstoren Chenin Blanc A crisp, dry wine that's fruitdriven and juicy, this refreshing Chenin features lovely guava, pineapple and winter melon flavours, which are rounded off with a hint of fresh gooseberries and Packham pear undertones. Serve with salads, yellow fruit, vegetable dishes and light fish dishes, or simply on its own. R149.99 2 David Nieuwoudt Piekenierskloof Cinsault Rosé I recently spent some time in the magical Cederberg and visited the wine estate that produces this sophisticated rosé, which is exclusive to Woolies. It has a gentle spice, which I love, and really captures the flavours of old, unirrigated bush vines. Plus, it's perfect with seafood…

I am in my boiled egg era. I never thought I'd say this. Mid-fifties and scouring the interwebs for recipes featuring the humble boiled egg. My mother was partial to boiled eggs. I didn't share her passion. They were the food of diets and deprivation. They would sit, cold and peeled and rubbery in the fridge, waiting for the moment when you were almost fainting with hunger before being miserably eaten with a few slices of watery cucumber. I also have memories of cold, blueyolked boiled eggs wrapped in foil on long road trips. These are not fond memories. I far preferred it when Marie made me bottereiers (buttery fried eggs) or softly scrambled ones. She also made fancy stuffed eggs for dinner parties. Which, while impressive, always seemed like…

CHOCOLATE MERINGUES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATEAND-BROWN BUTTER SAUCE “This is such an easy dessert to serve in so many ways. It can be plated more classically, as I have done here, or broken up and served Eton Mess style. You could also add your favourite crumble or some baked yoghurt – the flavours are easy to pair with a variety of other elements.” Serves 6 to 8 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 2–3 hours For the meringues: free-range egg whites 5 cream of tartar ¾ t caster sugar 150 g icing sugar 70 g, sifted cocoa powder 30 g, sifted dark chocolate 50 g, melted, plus extra for coating For the white chocolate-and-brown butter sauce: white chocolate 150 g pouring cream ½ cup brown sugar 50 g butter 100 g, browned  lemon 1, zested and juiced Maldon salt,…

FIRESIDE MUSSELS IN FENNEL-ANDCOCONUT BROTH “I find making my own chilli paste really satisfying, especially because it only takes about five minutes from start to finish. It's fragrant and soft and complements the mussels beautifully.” – Hannah Lewry Serves 4 EASY Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 25 minutes For the paste: fennel 1 large bulb, chopped garlic 3 cloves green chillies 2 fresh coriander 30 g spring onions 100 g olive oil 3 T sea salt 1 t olive oil 2 T coconut milk 2 x 400 g cans fresh mussels 1.5 kg, cleaned lime, for serving bread, sweet potatoes or rice, for serving spring onions, to garnish coriander, to garnish chilli, to garnish 1 Roughly blend the ingredients for the paste. 2 Transfer to a large wok or potjie over smouldering coals and add the olive oil. 3 Gently fry for 5 minutes,…

Go easy on the oil Stop vegetables from drying out by lightly tossing them in oil – not too much as oil dripping onto the coals can cause flare-ups – then season. Know your veg Some vegetables, like asparagus, take a few minutes and others, like potatoes, need more time. Cooking over too high a heat for too long will char them on the outside while they will stay raw inside. Rather sear your veg over hot coals, then move them to a cooler part of the grid to finish. Use skewers or a basket Keep smaller vegetables like cherry tomatoes from rolling around (and falling though the grid) by skewering them or using a grill basket. Alternatively, use a baking sheet or fold a long piece of heavy-duty foil…

If you're using a kettle braai such as a Weber, remove the lid and open the vents. Break a few firelighters into small pieces and place inside the braai. If you're using charcoal, build a pyramid on top of the firelighters. If you're using wood, start the fire with smaller pieces of kindling. Light the firelighters and, once the fire is burning, add more charcoal or wood. The coals are ready when they've turned grey. If you're using wood, you want glowing coals, not leaping flames. To turn your kettle braai into a smoker, try the snake method. Build a double row of briquettes leaning against each other like dominoes in a semi-circle on one side of the braai. Light the charcoal on one end and let it burn like…

What's happening online? @WWTaste MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SWEET TREAT HOW TO WIN! Sign up before 31 May 2025, and you stand a chance to win a R1 000 Woolies gift card. Visit taste.co.za/newsletter-sign-up to sign up. We promise not to spam you!…

BREW NEWS What? Miso coffee Why? The funky, slightly sweet umami flavour of the fermented soya bean paste offsets coffee's bitter, acidic notes and yields a rich, creamy texture. Trust us. EASTER TREAT YO'SELF Your long-weekend brunch goals, achieved. (Minimal prep required) HOW ‘NDUJA DO? The Italian spicy sausage spread on everyone's lips is tricky to pronounce, but dead easy to enjoy. Play a riff on American chef Nancy Silverton's famous chopped salad and whisk into a vinaigrette to dress lettuce, chickpeas, provolone and radicchio. Dollop onto pizza with fior di latte, Parm and fresh basil, à la Cape Town's Pizza Shed. Or channel FoodTok's latest flavour obsession and spread on buttered toast, drizzled with hot honey. R149.99 for 120 g BUZZWORD ALERT! REGENERATIVE Hailed as “the new ‘sustainable’”, the…

How do you like your eggs? Medium-poached; sunny side up if fried. In close proximity to a latke and always with Worcestershire sauce. Brew of choice? A cortado with oat milk. Preferably Deluxe coffee and Oatly milk. Kleinsky's pastrami or lamb bacon? That's like asking which is your favourite child. I love them both in equal measure. Pastrami on rye with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing. Lamb bacon on potato latkes with poached eggs and Hollandaise. Wrong-but-so-right flavour combo? Peanut butter and extra-crispy bacon. Served on rye. Just trust me… Bagel bias Always toasted unless I've just pulled it from the oven. My go-to is our California bagel (smoked salmon, wasabi cream cheese, avo, pickled ginger, sweet soy reduction), but I'm also loving a jalapeño schmear at the moment.…

THE EASTER-SPICED ESPRESSO MARTINI Get your sugar high (or caffeine fix) with a whisper of spice and a layer of frothy cream courtesy of this espresso martini 2.0 Make a spiced simple syrup by dissolving 120 g light brown sugar in 4 T boiling water. Steep with whole cinnamon, cardamom and cloves until fragrant. Strain and cool. Beat 6 T cream * with 1 T spiced syrup and a pinch of salt until light and airy (no peaks!). In a shaker with ice, combine 6 T vodka, 4 T coffee liqueur, 4 T fresh espresso and 2 T spiced syrup. Shake well and strain into two martini glasses. Slowly pour the spiced cream over the back of a teaspoon until it forms a layer on top of the martini. Dust…

CHEESE PUFFS WITH OAK-SMOKED STANFORD CHEESE “These are deliciously moreish and can be served drizzled with honey, or you can halve and stuff them with a savoury filling such as flavoured cream cheese.” Serves 6 to 8 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 45 minutes butter 230 g water 2 cups flour 240 g, sifted salt 1 t free-range eggs 8 Woolworths oak-smoked Stanford cheese 200 g, grated, plus extra for topping (alternatively, use Gruyère) honey, for serving (optional) 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. 2 Melt the butter in the water in a saucepan over a medium heat, then bring to a rolling boil. 3 Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add the flour and salt. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a…

As the Al-Widaa plays over the radios of Muslims across the country, a bittersweet feeling coupled with excitement fills the house. Bitter, because the month-long fast of Ramadan has ended and sweet, because it signals that the next day will be Eid. The first order of business in our home is replacing the everyday gingham tablecloth with the cream-coloured, embroidered, Egyptian one that my sister brought back from her travels. Next, we take the “visitors” glasses out of the cupboard and give them a wash and polish, before reaching up to take the dessert bowls off the shelf alongside. The same bowls we've used for special occasions for the past 15 years. We bring out various platters and crockery, two platters for biscuits, a bowl for chips, a bowl for…

Stuff a whole snoek with garlic butter mixed with pomegranate molasses, chopped spring onions and parsley, then braai. To cook small fish such as silvers or bream, skewer them and cook over medium coals. To cook a whole yellowtail, wrap it in greaseproof paper, then six layers of wet newspaper. Place directly into medium coals and cook for 20 minutes on each side. Remove from the braai, then cut open the paper. Insert a fork into the thickest part of the fish and twist. If the fish flakes, it's cooked. If it's still opaque, return to the braai with the paper open and cook until flaky. The best way to braai prawns is indirectly in a cast-iron pan, or directly in the coals. Fish is cooked when it is no…

T-BONE WITH CAFÉ DE PARIS BUTTER Serves 4 EASY Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes For the café de Paris butter: olive oil 3 T onion ½, chopped curry powder 1 T butter 125 g, softened parsley 50 g, chopped garlic 1 clove, crushed lemon ½, juiced Worcestershire sauce 2 T anchovy fillets 3 capers 1 t Maldon salt ½ t freshly ground black pepper 1 t thyme 1 T chopped ground ginger ½ t free-range egg yolk 1 T-bone steaks 2 x 500 g, at room temperature butter 3 T, softened sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 To make the café de Paris butter, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion with the curry powder until soft. 2 Add the cooked onion to the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Wrap the butter in baking paper and place…

Comedian and Oranjezicht City Farm Market stalwart Tracy Klass swapped flour for potato and matzah flour in this SA take on a pumpkin pie for Pesach. A kugel is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish, often served on Shabbat and special holidays – if you have never had the pleasure. They're dense, deliciously carb-laden casseroles that can be savoury or sweet. This one is served alongside the main, and after tasting it, we can confirm it might be the highlight of the Seder (or any) meal. Butternut kugel Watch out for the howto video on TASTE's social channels this April.…

“I've been saying yes to a lot of things that scare me this year. The most spine-chilling so far has been agreeing to cook alongside my exceptionally talented friend, Vusi Ndlovu, in his very smart, very silver kitchen for Easter lunch. He brings that ‘Yes, Chef!’ sternness to the gig, while I offer more of a ‘Bro, chill…’ vibe to the collaboration, which I know he finds very amusing. I've always made the Easter period about feeding the people I love the most – in previous years I would prepare a giant batch of pickled fish, ginger beer and bread rolls, and invite friends who didn't have family in the city. I've always liked to keep this holiday collaborative and cook large, as uNcinci – my maternal grandmother – always…

Tireless in its quest for perfection, Woolworths has dropped a Best Ever lasagne – and it certainly lives up to its label. Product developer Thulisa Martins offers us a peek between the now-superior pasta sheets Slow and steady The rich ragù is cooked in small batches for a minimum of two hours, which contributes to the nonna's kitchen character of the lasagne. “It's a beautifully balanced sauce – rich, beefy and bursting with the sweet, reduced essence of Italian tomatoes,” says Thulisa. “A blend of fresh oregano, rosemary and basil infuses the sauce with aromatic warmth, while a splash of red wine enhances its depth.” Deep dive It took 20 months of research and recipe development to create a blueprint of what the Woolies team designated as the ultimate lasagne…

It started with jollof rice on Instagram. As much as I hate to give the algorithm credit, it has a way of driving new restaurants or chefs into your consciousness. Which is how I came across Ikoyi, a critically acclaimed restaurant in central London, named after a suburb in Lagos, where the signature dish appeared to be a unique take on jollof rice. So I started following the chef, Jeremy Chan, and discovered he wasn't Nigerian, or African at all, but born in Hong Kong to a Canadian mother and Cantonese father. He also studied in the USA before settling in Britain. Now that's third-culture cuisine, I thought, right? (I was wrong.) This was long after Jamie Oliver's fateful publishing of his jollof rice with vine-ripened tomatoes and lemon in…

There's something nostalgic and magical about a family road trip. It's more than merely packing bags, buckling seatbelts and hitting the open road for several hours of uninterrupted family time. It's about creating memories while embracing the unexpected, because as you might imagine, a lot can happen when you decide to load four families into cars for the long and scenic drive to the Kruger Park. The Easter period, when the long weekend combines with school holidays, is the perfect time for such a trip. In our family, this has always been a tradition that I've looked forward to at this time of year. We love road trips; they are an affordable way to see our beautiful country combined with all the privacy and comfort of doing so in your…

“I almost went viral once. I hosted a sandwich series on TikTok, where each creation required equal parts effort and determination – dombolo and braised oxtail toasties with Comté and cheesy béchamel leading the charge, followed closely by morogo-and-blue cheese sandwiches on seed loaf, and crispy samoosa toasties with crunchy, spicy paaper bites. I was surprised by how people responded to these dishes, and it became clear that the formula for success was a balance of comfort, nostalgia and the simple, familiar concept of a sandwich. It's no wonder, then, that sandwiches are experiencing a major global renaissance. Around the world, sandwich-focused establishments are popping up, each redefining the potential of the humble sarmie. There are the high-end (do people still say artisanal?) sandwich shops like The Dusty Knuckle in…

CAJUN PRAWNS ON A SALT SLAB “I'm not opposed to a juicy, spicy prawn cooked on the fire. I don't think anybody really is! This recipe is equal parts simple and dramatic – I love a salt slab and it's a really cool thing to place in the middle of the table. If you don't have a salt slab, don't fret – you can just as easily fry these in a pan or throw them straight on the braai.” – Khanya Mzongwana Serves 2 EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 5 minutes, plus 20 minutes’ marinating time Cooking: 10 minutes large prawns 8, deveined olive oil 1 T Woolworths Cajun seasoning 1 T smoked paprika 1 t garlic powder ½ t onion powder ½ t cayenne pepper ¼ t (or to taste) lemon 1, zested 1 Toss the prawns…

WAGYU WORS IN HARISSA SMOOR WITH ROASTED GARLIC BREAD “To get a juicy result, make sure that the coals are medium-hot. Turn the wors frequently for an extra-delicious char, which is made easy when you're using a hinged braai grid.” – Abigail Donnelly Serves 4 EASY Preparation: 25 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes For the smoor: olive oil 3 T onions 2, chopped Woolworths baby Rosa tomatoes 200 g garlic 4 cloves, chopped chopped tomatoes 1 x 400 g can  Woolworths chilli tomato paste 1 x 70 g can  Woolworths spicy harissa red pepper paste 140 g jar garlic 2 heads, cut in half horizontally olive oil 2 T butter 3 T, softened Italian parsley 3 T, chopped sea salt, to taste Woolworths thick Wagyu beef  boerewors 600 g  sourdough 1 loaf, torn into chunks 1 To make the…