Chef Wise

Dinner auctions an opportunity to buy the perfect Valentine's Day gift The World's 50 Best Restaurants' chosen charity, Farm Africa, is thrilled to announce that it will be auctioning exclusive, money can't buy dinners for two at four of Europe's most highly regarded restaurants. The dinners have been donated to Farm Africa by four restaurants that appear on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2013: Asador Etxebarri in the Axpe Region of Spain; Schloss Schauenstein in Furstenau, Switzerland; Piazza Duomo in Alba, Italy; and Vendome in Bergisch Gladbach in Germany. The dinners will be auctioned in stages with Asador Extebarri and Schloss Schauenstein going live on 30 January, and Piazza Dumo and Vendome following soon after on 2 February. Bidding is sure to be brisk as food lovers look to buy the perfect gift for their special one on Valentine's Day with dinner in some of Europe's most romantic dining destinations. A furth...

Now if you have never heard of a Bobotie or bobotjie it is a South African dish. It is a mix of mice spices, sweet dried fruits and all topped with egg-based top. It is the sort of dish that has so many influence in to that you do not know where to start. First brought to South Africa by the Dutch East India Company colonies in Batavia, from Indonesia call  Bobotok, adopted by the Cape Malay community, and has been cooked in the Cape of Good Hope since the 17th century. It then moved north with South African settlers to colonies all over Africa and can be found in Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. You will need. 1 onion 2 garlic cloves 500g/1lb 2oz Beef mince A dash of oil 2tbsp curry powder The juice and zest of 1 lemon 2tbsp mango chutney 75g/2½oz sultanas 75g/2½oz ground almonds Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 bay leaf 3 eggs 150ml/5floz milk 1tblsp plain flour 25g/1oz butter Now the one thing I will say is that it is up to...

Jollof rice is found throughout West Africa. Depending on who makes it be very hot and spicy or not, but it always full of tomato. I have read that it was the historic relative of jambalaya. Serve with fried chicken and a green salad and it makes a change from just rice. You will need 1tbsp olive or vegetable oil 2 large onions, sliced 2 x 400g/14oz cans plum tomatoes 1 red pepper 4tbsp tomato purée ¼tsp cayenne pepper 1tsp curry powder 1tsp garlic puree 1tsp ginger puree 1 bay leaf Fresh thyme 1 chicken stock cube 550ml/19floz of water 225g/8oz long-grain rice Salt and freshly ground black pepper It is a bit like cooking any rice dish like this start by heating the oil in a large pan. Then add the onions and cook until translucent. Now rinse your rice to get rid of any excess starch and add that to the pot, let it cook in the oil for a moment or two. Then add the cayenne pepper, curry powder, garlic puree, ginger puree, bay leaf and thyme. Let t...

Here is another sauce that you will find easy to make and if you like things hot then is perfect for you. From north Africa this is perfect to go in cuscus or as a side dip or in a lot of north African dishes. Also Harissa keeps well in the fridge, but be sure to cover it with a little olive oil to keep it from being exposed to the air. Ingredients 250g/9oz long, fresh red chillies Sea salt 3 heaped tsp ground caraway seed 3 heaped tsp ground cumin seed 1 tsp black ground cumin seed 4 cloves garlic 100g/3½oz roasted and peeled red bell pepper 2 tsp tomato purée 2 tsp red wine vinegar 4 tbsp olive oil 2 level tsp smoked paprika Now all depending on how hot you want your Harissa  will depend on how you prepare your chillies . Remove the tops of the chillies, now if you do not want lots of heat then do the following.  Slice the chilli in half lengthways.  Lay each chilli on a chopping board, cut-side up, and gently scrape away the seeds...