The summer holidays are winking, but often we pay the price after all the eating and drinking amid the merriment of the festive season.

To keep the nation in good shape these holidays, a pharmaceutical company, whose focus centres on healthy living, has developed more than 30 mouth-watering braai recipes in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, as part of the Cooking from the Heart cookbook series that will keep festive season calories in check.

This week we give you this delectable recipe:

 VEGGIE SKEWERS

These skewers are delicious when braaied over the coals.

• 125 g button mushrooms, halved
• 3 baby marrows, thickly sliced
• 200 g baby tomatoes
• 1 green, yellow or red pepper, seeded and cut into large cubes
• 15-20 bay or fresh lemon or lime leaves (optional)
• 8-10 metal skewers or wooden kebab sticks, soaked in water for 30 minutes
• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive or canola oil
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tsp (10 ml) each chopped fresh thyme, origanum and parsley
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed black pepper to taste
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt

1. Place mushrooms in a shallow dish and cover with boiling water. Soak for 8-10 minutes to prevent the mushrooms from breaking apart when skewered. Drain well and pat dry.
2. Thread mushrooms and veggies onto skewers or kebabs sticks, alternating the different veggies for a colourful end result. Add 1-2 bay, lemon or lime leaves in between veggies.
3. Mix oil, lemon juice and rind, herbs and garlic together and season with pepper.
4. Brush oil mixture onto skewers on all sides and marinate for 30 minutes. Season skewers with salt.
5. Grill over medium to low coals or until the veggies are just cooked, but not too soft. Brush with more of the marinade, while braaiing, if necessary.
6. The kebabs can be served with the pea and yoghurt dip or cottage cheese dip. Serve with a protein-rich vegetarian dish for a balanced meal.

 Tips

1. Add pineapple to the skewers for a sweet flavour – it is delicious with pork or chicken.
2. A pinch of cumin or paprika or a chopped chilli can be added to the oil mixture if preferred.
3. For a different flavour add 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated fresh ginger or add 1 tsp (5 ml) mild mustard to the oil mixture.

The Gourmand

What’s beef?

Beef is when you need two gats to go to sleep

Beef is when your moms ain’t safe up in the streets

Beef is when I see you

Guaranteed to be an ICU (I see you) one more time

What’s beef?

THAT’S the American rap legend B.I.G for you there!

Listening to music while cooking always makes the culinary arts more enjoyable.

From the slow-paced to the high-tempo genres, it’s all suitable for the kitchen.

That’s how to a certain extent I got hooked to hip-hop: jamming hit after hit while busy chopping celery and onion and preparing marinades, you name it.

The song What’s Beef? by the late Biggie Smalls inspired me to present this week something on arguably the most popular meat in our country and elsewhere around the world: beef!

Of course, in hip-hop or street lingo, when rappers aren’t good enough lyricists to have fans or just want some publicity, they will copy Tupac and Biggie and set up a “beef” with another rapper.

Grudge or fight, if you like!

But in our kitchens we don’t “beef” with anyone.

Our business is to make you, our families and friends happy.

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle – be they cows, bulls, heifers or steers.

Most cuisines around the globe include beef as the main meat.

Beef meat can be cut into steak, roasts or short ribs, while some cuts are processed to make corned beef and wors.

Other cow parts that we enjoy include the oxtail, tongue, tripe, intestines, heart, brain, liver and kidneys.

There are thousands of beef recipes from every corner of the world.

Among my favourites, of course, is the beef pot roast dish.

I will be enjoying that this week and you too can!

Pot roast is a braised beef dish.

Braised?

Oh, braising simply means to cook by browning in fat and then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container.

It is a form of moist-heat cooking in which the item to be cooked is partially covered with liquid and then simmered slowly at a low temperature.

Braising relies on heat, time and moisture to break down the tough connective tissue collagen in meat, making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts.

The best equipment to use for braising would be a crock pot or a pressure cooker.

Tougher cuts such as chuck roast, top blade roast, seven bone roast, ribs, short ribs, brisket and shanks are popular cuts for this cooking technique.

When braising, the slow cooking tenderises while the liquid exchanges its flavour with that of the beef, resulting in tender, succulent meat.

Yummy!

It will take you 20 minutes to prepare and 10 hours to cook the following beef pot roast dish:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1kg boneless chuck roast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ canola oil
• 1 ½ cups beef broth
• ½ cup dry red wine
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4-5 medium potatoes
• 3 large carrots
• 2 celery ribs
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

METHOD:

• Season beef with salt and black pepper.
• Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together beef broth, wine, flour, tomato paste and Worcestershire; set aside.
• Place potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf into a slow cooker. Stir in beef broth mixture; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with beef.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or until meat is fork-tender.
• Remove beef, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion from the slow cooker; shred beef, using two forks. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Strain cooking juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan over medium heat; discard solids. Skim any remaining fat from surface and discard. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until desired thickness, about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve beef, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion with juices immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.