Book Corner: Justin Bonello Cooks for friends

Claire Sebastiao lives in Johanesburg, has a dog called Molly and loves to cook. She recently won a KitchenAid Stand Mixer in our Enkosi Cookathon cooking challenge, and put it to the test when we asked her to review Justin Bonello Cooks for friends.

It was with great anticipation that I cracked open everyone’s favourite homegrown cooking personality Justin Bonello’s latest offering to the world of South African cook books, Justin Bonello Cooks for Friends. Being familiar with Justin’s previous offerings I was hoping that the recipes would reflect his easygoing, fun-loving approach to cooking.

This book does not disappoint, in fact, it totally exceeded my expectations. As indicated by the title, it is full of recipes just begging to be made and enjoyed with friends. The first thing that struck me while paging through the book is that it is very South African (with recipes for South African classics like biltong, boerewors, smileys and bunny chow), but without trying too hard to come across as South African. It simply shows what one person who happens to be South African likes to eat with friends and in so doing reflects aspects of life in South Africa that many of us share.

With sections like “Strandloper” and “Bos Kos”, it is no surprise that a lot of the recipes are focused on cooking outdoors, but most can be adapted to the less-primal indoor kitchen. Justin is clearly concerned with being better informed about where our food comes from, which is the driving force behind the seafood-centric “Strandloper” section, all about how to catch and eat your dinner on the beach.

There are also plenty of recipes that make the best of land-based animals and even some dishes that you can feed your vegetarian friends (the warm tomato salad is the first thing I am going to make when my garden tomatoes finally ripen). I was impressed by innovative ideas like using a paint can as an oven and smoker (genius) and making pies on the braai. That’s right, pies, on the braai. He even includes some recipes inspired by Mocambique and a few delicious sounding desserts. There really is something for everyone in the book.

The photos included are abundant and appealing. There’s a great mix of process and final dish shots, interspersed with happy faces and landscapes. Sometimes cook books are all about the actual recipe, but in this case, the stories about the recipes are entertaining and definitely worth reading. Don’t miss the tips included at the beginning and end of some recipes or you may overlook great pieces of advice such as “anyone who asks for it well done should be sliced up and put on the braai themselves” and “I have only one real rule in the kitchen: if I cook, I don’t clean up”.  Fair enough.

Justin’s book is perfect for people who love to cook outdoors, but are tired of the same old chops and wors on the braai. I hate to pigeonhole it, but if you know a man who a) enjoys cooking even a tiny bit and b) likes fire, then you are doing him a great disservice by not buying him this book. That’s not to say that the ladies (of which I happen to be one myself) won’t enjoy it, but rather that this is one for everyone.

Thanks, Claire. Good to hear some thoughts from the ground on Justin’s latest. Check out Claire’s post on how to make boerewors from scratch if you’d like to try a recipe from the book – and if your appetite has been whet see more of Justin’s cook books and read our interview to find out what he’ll be up to in 2012.