Veld to fork. Slow food from the heart of the Karoo, by Gordon Wright

Veld to fork. Slow food from the heart of the Karoo, by Gordon Wright. Random House Struik Lifestyle. Cape Town, South Africa 2013. ISBN 9781432300937 / ISBN 978-1-4323-0093-7

Schooled in the Karoo oasis of Graaff-Reinet, Gordon Wright's passion for good Karoo food was fuelled by countless hours around Aga stoves on timeless Karoo farms, a mother who never stopped cooking and a few influential Siessies and 'other mothers' along the way. The author of the cookbook Veld to fork and his wife Rose own and run the internationally renowned Andries Stockenstrom Guesthouse & Gordon's Restaurant in the picturesque town of Graaff-Reinet in the heart of the Great Karoo.

Gordon Wright  

Slow-roasted basil chicken

I got a similar idea from one of my food heroes, Jamie Oliver, where he stuffs chopped herbs under the skin of the breasts, lie has such an obvious passion for what he does and he really wears his heart on his sleeve. We are of similar age and I enjoy the way he throws himself into cooking and makes it such fun, which it is. I believe cooking should be good, honest fun and as simple as possible. Roast chicken is one of the all-time classics. All through the ages, from the time of the caveman, when he roasted his first bird on the very first fire, through the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance and to the modern era, humankind has always searched for the perfect roast chicken. Okay, I may be exaggerating a tad, but you get the gist. We love roast chicken and now I have one of the best recipes in the history of roast chicken-kind for you. It works really well in the oven, but is absolutely superb cooked in the kettle braai over indirect heat with 25 briquettes on either side. Try it, you'll be convinced.

1 whole chicken
10 fresh basil leaves
6 fresh sage leaves
A good dollop of olive oil
5 sprigs fresh rosemary (finely chop 1 sprig)
Coarse salt
Cracked black pepper
1/2 lemon

Using your finger, carefully separate the skin from the breasts and slide the basil and sage leaves in-between. Make sure the skin is nice and dry, then pour a dollop of oil into a mortar and pestle, add the chopped rosemary, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon, and give it a good stir. Using your hands, rub this mixture all over the bird, then salt and pepper the cavity and stuff the lemon and rosemary sprigs inside. Truss up with string so that everything does not fall out. When the kettle braai or oven is hot (the oven should be preheated to 230°C), pop the bird on a roasting tray and roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it is crisp and golden and the legs pull free easily.Take out and leave to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with roasted potatoes, roasted veg and gravy made from the pan juices (see page 58). SERVES 4

This is an excerpt from the cookbook: Veld to fork. Slow food from the heart of the Karoo, by Gordon Wright.

Title: Veld to Fork
Subtitle: Slow food from the heart of the Karoo
Author: Gordon Wright
Publisher: Random House Struik
Imprint: Lifestyle
Cape Town, South Africa 2013
ISBN 9781432300937 / ISBN 978-1-4323-0093-7
Softcover, 22 x 26 cm, 160 pages, 100 colour photographs