It’s that time of the year when you ditch the calorie-counting and feast.
As such, “My Festive Menu”, which starts on SABC3 on Friday, is worth checking out.
After all, while traditions need to be upheld, family get-togethers don’t have to be monotonous.
And that’s where the celebrity chefs on the show help the most with tips on preparing everything from those five-course meals and festive cocktails to tapas and those must-have braais.
In today’s episode, chef and TV host Lentswe Bhengu hosts an upmarket, urban Christmas. And he has curated a tapas-inspired menu to whet the appetite of his friends and family.
He will be plating grilled yellowtail, chicken breasts stuffed with bacon and currants and served with risotto balls. He ends it off with a delectable dessert platter.
Next Friday, The Lazy Makoti (Mogau Seshoene) hosts a festive urban green Christmas dinner for her sister Mosa Malesoane Seshoene. And they have herby dombolo, a medley of Sunday greens, rice-stuffed fish, a lamb roast, beetroot and fig salad and a summer berry trifle.
Talk about tantalising.
Lorna Maseko also prepares a stuffed leg of lamb for her episode next week. She adds spinach, tomato, chilli and biltong jam, a millet tabbouleh and greens to her elegant feast.
What’s great about the show is the diversity of options. In her episode, Kamini Pather prepares an Italian-inspired menu.
Think roasted black garlic, exotic tomato bruschetta, home-made pasta, ravioli stuffed with ricotta and an olive oil and lemon sorbet.
Last but not least, Yolani Abrahams goes very rustic with her celebrations as the family join her on the farm.
The menu includes a spitbraai with Karoo lamb, South African roosterkoeke, a nectarine salad, roasted beetroot salad, caramelised heirloom sweet potato, and a three-layer pavlova filled with summer berries.
All this talk of food has made me rather ravenous. But I’m definitely going to tune in and so should you.
“My Festive Menu” airs on SABC3 on Fridays at 5.30pm.