Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Meat
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos

Whole baked tilapia with flat-leaf parsley and garlic

by Jeanne Horak on November 12, 2008 31 Comments in Fish, Gluten-free, NaBloPoMo 2008, Weekend Herb Blogging

Whole-baked-tilapia

Saga update:

Visits to my house by British Gas this week:  3

Hours spent at my house by British Gas this week:  +/- 7

Futile phonecalls to Landlord this week: 3

Number of tops I’m wearing as I type this:  4

Pairs of socks I’m wearing as I type this: 2

Number of working boilers in my house at the moment:  0

Number of warm hands and feet:  0

Number of happy thoughts:  0

Last night I joked about it, tonight I did it: I ran the new washing machine on its hottest cycle and leant up against it for warmth. And that’s all I want to say about that.

For many people, whole fish represents some sort of culinary final frontier.  Some people refuse to buy or order it “because of the eyes” (!).  Others find it hard to take home a meal that resembles almost exactly the beast it used to be in life.  And yet others are just plain nervous about how they are going to cook it.   Happily, I don’t fall into any of these categories and recently I find that we’ve been buying whole fish more often.  You get more fish for your money, which appeals to Nick 😉  One way of treating them is to fillet them (not that hard but takes practice so as not to waste too much meat), but I prefer to cook them whole:  skin, eyes and all! Cooking a whole fish is so childishly simple and yet bringing it to the table always elicits compliments.  Guests seem to think you’ve done something truly amazing by cooking a whole beastie from the deep!

Tilapia is not really a fish I grew up with.  In South Africa in the 1970s when I was a kid, fresh fish was either hake (if you weren’t particularly wealthy); snoek (if you lived in Cape Town); or kingklip or sole (of you were wealthy).  Tuna was something you got in a tin, as were pilchards.  And although my horizons did broaden beyond the fish of my childhood, I don’t think I tried tilapia until I came to London.  So although the rest of the world might have been munching away on them for decades, tilapia are still a novelty to me.

Tilapia form part of the cichlid family of fish, grow to about 10-30cm in length, and are prized for their firm, sweet flesh.  Here are some things that I’ll bet you didn’t know about them:

  • they can live both in fresh and brackish water;
  • the name tilapia is a Latinisation of thiape, the Tswana word for fish;
  • they are ideally suited to aquaculture because of their adaptability, but the water temperature where they live has to be heated to tropical temperatures.  One way that this is done is by uising waste heat from power stations and factories;
  • unusually, adult tilapias care for their young, sometimes by gathering them in the parent’s mouth for safekeeping (called mouth brooding); and
  • tilapia were introduced in Kenya to control the mosquito population, as they consume mosquito larvae.

I was particularly pleased to read the bit about aquaculture, as this means that tilapia are sustainable and I can enjoy them more often – hurrah!

This recipe is incredibly simple and relies mainly on the tilapia’s sweet flesh and the classic combination of garlic, parsley and lemon. Flat leaf or Italian parsley is thought by some to have a better flavour than its curly cousin – and this is borne out by chemical analysis, which has shown that it contains a higher concentration of essential oil.  It is also able to withstand heat better and retain its flavour – so it’s perfect for this dish.  I served mine with celeriac remoulade but the choice is yours:  roasted geen beans; roasted cherry tomatoes; sweet potato fries – or whatever takes your fancy.

20080828 - WHoleGrilledTilapiaCollageWeb

WHOLE BAKED TILAPIA WITH FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY AND GARLIC (serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 whole tilapia, cleaned
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
30g butter, softened
a large handful of flat-leaf parsley (stalks and all)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.  Prepare two squares of aluminium foil large enough to completely weap each fish and spray with a little olive oil on the shiny side.

Mix together the softened butter, garlic and lemon juice.

Rinse and pat the fish dry, including inside the body cavity.  Lay each fish in the centre of its piece of aluminium foil, on the shiny side.

Season with salt and pepper inside the body cavity, then spread half the butter inside each fish.  Lay the onions on top of the butter inside each fish’s body cavity and top the onions with a flat-leaf parsley.  Make 2 slashes in the skin on the top surface of each fish.

Sprinkle the skin of the fish with salt and wrap each fish in its foil parcel.  Place on a baking sheet in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the fish is just cooked.  Carefully open each parcel (be careful not to lose the juices!) and place under the grill for a further 5 minutes to brown a little before serving.

WHB3Logo I’m submitting this post to Heather of Diary of a Fanatic Foodie who is hosting this week’s edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, the event founded by my friend Kalyn and now run by the lovely Haalo.

Follow me every day in November as I complete National Blog Posting Month – a post a day, every day, for 30 days! Here’s what I’ve written so far.

More deliciousness for you!

  • Moroccan spiced lamb breast with herb couscousMoroccan spiced lamb breast with herb couscous
  • Baked salmon fillets with smashed olives, flat leaf parsley and garlicBaked salmon fillets with smashed olives, flat leaf parsley and garlic
  • Garlicky (and very easy!) roasted aubergine dipGarlicky (and very easy!) roasted aubergine dip
  • Spicy lentil, radish and parsley saladSpicy lentil, radish and parsley salad

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Apple and blackberry crisp
Chicken, sun-dried tomato & mustard pasta sauce »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Elra says

    November 13, 2008 at 3:44 am

    Oh this is so not funny, I am so sorry that your problem with the broiler still going on! I wish you luck, Jeanne. Stay warm, even if this mean lean up against your warm washing machine.
    My husband and my son, will not touch this fish. My husband will only eat salmon and snoek, and my son will only eat salmon. They love salmon so much, that they don’t mind if I cook it everyday. I, on the other hand will eat any kind of fish. I just love fish and grew up with many different kind of fish. In Indonesia, we marinate it for a few minutes with garlic, turmeric, ground (not powder) coriander seeds, then grill it over the charcoal. Serve with “Sambal Kecap Manis” (shallots, fresh Thai chilies, sweet soy sauce, and limes) Delicious!
    Cheers,
    Elra

    Reply
  2. Manggy says

    November 13, 2008 at 4:57 am

    Oh, to be like a Tilapia and live next to a power plant, huh? Some humor there to warm you up 🙂
    I grew up eating whole fish too, especially Tilapia. I love the flesh, especially when it’s fried, but my problem is the flesh around the stomach area tastes funky. I don’t even wanna think about it so I just eat around that.

    Reply
  3. Lien says

    November 13, 2008 at 5:49 am

    You’re brave to type this story with stone-cold fingers! If you’re cold you’re allowed to do anything to get warm!
    My first whole fish was served to me in Israel on the banks of the lake of Galilea. I was shocked, horrified and didn’t eat anything of it! But hey I was a child then. I don’t get bothered by it now anymore, I just wouldn’t dare to serve it whole to my children, they would run…

    Reply
  4. Kit says

    November 13, 2008 at 7:04 am

    You make it sound so simple – I’m going to have to start cooking fish like this. I don’t have a problem with the eyes – it’s the bones all over the place that put me off cooking whole fish myself, that and the fact we don’t have a fresh fish supplier anywhere near. My girls love line fish in butter sauce whenever we go out for a meal, my son just likes kingklip nuggets.
    Fingers crossed for your boiler – hope you’ve got lots of hot water bottles.

    Reply
  5. nina says

    November 13, 2008 at 9:17 am

    Don’t dream about sunny SA, we are having winter all over again….wind, storm,rain and cold nights, so I am with you….
    I am the only one in the family who are not put off by “the eyes”. I love the “more fish for your money too”. I have just been to the shop and chicken are now R5/kg..no longer a cheap meal!

    Reply
  6. nina says

    November 13, 2008 at 9:18 am

    ..sorry R50/kg not R5!!!!

    Reply
  7. nina says

    November 13, 2008 at 11:02 am

    I do not know what happened to my comments earlier. I just wanted to say that I posted my recipe for Worldwide blogger Bake-off and copied your ideas on this cause.If you mind, I will take it off immediately!

    Reply
  8. johanna says

    November 13, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    this is the kind of situation where i’m glad we have a working fireplace. and a spare electric radiator in the garage which i can pull out at any given moment. would you like me to bring that along on sat (the radiator, i mean)? 😉

    Reply
  9. Antonia says

    November 13, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    I love the image of you having to warm up next to the washing machine (…though I now feel bad for laughing at your expense). I really hope that it all gets fixed soon and you can warm up!
    I’ve never eaten this fish and have to admit (with much shame) that I’m a bit rubbish at cooking live fish. You guess correctly, it is all to do with those beady eyes looking at me! I really must grow up and give it a go soon…

    Reply
  10. courtney says

    November 13, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    Wonderful. I do wish I could get CS to eat more fish. Maybe I will do this as Tilapia is such more milder in flovor. I love to roast a whole fish.

    Reply
  11. courtney says

    November 13, 2008 at 5:09 pm

    And I hope it does get better this week. You know you can sue the landlord if he doesnt resolve this in timely manner. Or at least threaten him.

    Reply
  12. Peter says

    November 13, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Whole fish are the best way to enjoy fish and you’ve adorned this with minimal ingredients – I like that.

    Reply
  13. Darius T. Williams says

    November 14, 2008 at 12:16 am

    Wow – that fish looks sooo good. And you know what’s great about it is that you’ve only got a few ingredients – that shows that you’re highlighting the great flavors of the fish. I bet that’s good!
    -DTW
    http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

    Reply
  14. DocChuck says

    November 15, 2008 at 1:04 am

    Wy wife (a medical doctor) loves tilapia and she encourages me to eat fish often.
    But, lately we have had difficulty finding tilapia that is NOT imported from china.
    Dr. E does not permit any food imported from china into our home.
    Do you or your readers have suggestions for sources where tilapia can be purchased that is not imported from chinese fish farms?

    Reply
  15. Elaine says

    November 15, 2008 at 1:36 am

    I need to commend you on beautiful picture of whole fish; head and tail included. So many people are grossed out by the fact that fish have heads or when we present cooked fish with its head intact!
    Btw, that’s one fresh looking tilapia you got there and I can only imagine how sweet and fresh it’s flesh must has been 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  16. [eatingclub] vancouver || js says

    November 15, 2008 at 1:37 am

    Sorry to hear about your boiler problems. Ugh. We had a boiler problem in the old house and were out of heat for several days a few years ago and it was h-e-double hockey sticks.
    On the other hand, I love whole fish and your tilapia looks positively delish.

    Reply
  17. Kevin says

    November 15, 2008 at 2:24 am

    I have not tried cooking a whole fish yet. I am going to have to get to it soon.

    Reply
  18. Chocolatesa says

    November 15, 2008 at 2:43 am

    The way you tell about the dead boiler saga is funny, even though experiencing it must not be 😛
    I’m like you in that I have nothing against whole beasties cooked in their original shape. I once knew a cashier who was afraid of any food that came from an animal and still in it’s original form, i.e. lobster, whole fish, rabbit, etc. She’d gasp and back up and call one of the bag boys to scan it for her! lolll. She wasn’t working in the right kind of job! lol.
    I once had amazing baked tilapia and have been meaning to make it ever since. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll make this soon!

    Reply
  19. MrsDocChuck says

    November 15, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    Sorry for my husband’s gruff post. He’s not been himself lately as he is awaiting a large wire transfer that has not yet arrived.
    I’m not a real doctor. I’m a nurse. Even so, I consider tilapia — or any foodstuff imported from China — to be potentially toxic. Much of their commercial fishing occurs in filthy, garbage-strewn waters.
    We’ll not eat that, thanks.
    I am sure you could substitute USA farm-raised catfish for the tilapia, though, just to be sure.
    This looks to be a delicious recipe. Thanks.

    Reply
  20. Robyn Vickers says

    November 17, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Oh, you poor thing. Goodness.
    But that fish, I have to say, looks divine.
    Hope they get their ducks in a row before they freeze.

    Reply
  21. Iris says

    March 10, 2010 at 6:59 am

    I made this once for my boyfriend and it was so successful that we use this as a reference now every time I cook Tilapia but we mix it up with a lot of variations, various different herbs inside, fresh thyme, bell pepper and various seasonings on the outside. Thanks. 🙂

    Reply
  22. Cindy Harvey says

    February 17, 2011 at 3:14 am

    Thank you so much for posting this recipe! Tonight my 5 yr old washed, dried, and stuffed two whole Tilapia for the family to eat this evening. There was much giggling and “ewww I touched it’s eye!” but she successfully completed the job and was quite pleased with herself =).

    Reply
  23. Stephanie says

    January 21, 2013 at 4:24 am

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I had no idea where to start but when i saw tilapia on sale for less than two dollars each i knew i had to find a way to cook them! This was delicious and easy to make! Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      January 23, 2013 at 11:25 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it – such a quick and easy way to cook this tasty fish 🙂

      Reply
  24. thomas schultz says

    April 1, 2013 at 2:40 am

    it seems there are a few typos in your recipe…..it says preheat oven to 200 degrees…should this read 500? I have researched a couple other recipes online, and they say broil at 500 for about 20 minutes. 200 degrees seems to cool of a temparature to cook fish.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      April 10, 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Hi Thomas – thanks for the comment. No, no typos in the recipe. My recipe requires you to heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius which is correct – I can’t think of anything you’d conceivably cook in a domestic oven at 500 Celsius. The Fahrenheit equivalent of 200C is about 400F – so maybe you are thinking of the Fahrenheit temperature?

      Reply
  25. nalesniki przepis says

    December 10, 2015 at 11:11 pm

    Thank you for such a quick and simple AND DELICIOUS recipe.

    Reply
  26. Murugi says

    June 24, 2017 at 12:10 pm

    I’m one of those who don’t like the eyes n head thing but today I got brave n bought whole fish complete with the eyes n I’m going to try your recipe, it sounds easy.

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit
  • The Melusine
  • Potted smoked salmon with quick pickle apple slaw
  • Discovering the wines of Pays d’Oc
  • Cranberry pistachio Bircher muesli – a Pret-a-Manger fakeaway
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
  • Myristica Grenadian supperclub
  • 8 favourite Singapore food experiences

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
How to sautée Brussels sprouts
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert

Featured on

Also available on

"Spring fever, my heart's beating fast. Get up, ge "Spring fever, my heart's beating fast. Get up, get out, Spring is everywhere" - Elvis Presley

What better way to celebrate the day when the clocks go forward to British Summer Time than with  a glorious photo of St Paul's Cathedral shyly peeping out from a cloud of pink cherry blossoms against a perfect blue sky! 🌸🌞

London is awash in glorious blossoms at the moment, from Greenwich Park in the east to Kew Gardens in the west, and the fun part is trying to catch each type of tree just when the blossoms are at their best.

The cherry plums have been exploding into clouds of small white blossoms and sweet fragrance for a few weeks already; and the early flowering cherry trees, camellias and magnolias are coming into their own right now. Plus we still have the late-flowering cherries, rhododendrons and wisteria to look forward to!

Do you have a favourite Spring tree or park for blossoms in London? Let me know in the comments 🌺

And please remember to share, save or like my posts if you want to see more of me in your feed 🙏
"The essence of being human is that one does not s "The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection" 

I wonder what the author if those words would have made of the age of Instagram? We are fed an endless stream of perfect images of perfect bodies and perfect lives. In the back of our minds we KNOW this is not reality, but still the subconscious yearning for this imaginary world of perfection persists. Humans are funny that way.

But so often in life, things fall short of the perfection we imagined - seemingly perfect relationships fail, cakes look nothing like the picture in the book, clothes that looked good on the internet look ridiculous on our bodies, the wrong turn we took meant we never got to our planned destination.

Falling short of perfection is part of life. The big question is how you deal with it. Do you throw your hands up in despair and berate yourself for failure? Or do you find the positives in the imperfect outcomes of your plans? 

This photo taken almost exactly 4 years ago was meant to be a "perfect" Instagram shot of me in my signature pose, on a perfect sunny day on snowy ski slopes. Instead, as @explorista snapped the photo, our ski instructor decided to throw handfuls of snow at me - but as it turns out, this "imperfect" shot turned out to be my favourite of the day 😍

Do you find joy in life's imperfections?
What's your favourite way to eat cauliflower? Up What's your favourite way to eat cauliflower? 

Up until about a week ago I would have said cauliflower cheese... but all that changed when I made this low-carb cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit... I first made cauliflower steaks years ago, before cauliflower started enjoying its 15 minutes of fame, as a main course for vegetarian friends. But it wasn't till last week when I wanted to make Welsh rarebit for St David's day and discovered I had no bread that it struck me that cauli steaks would make the perfect base for Welsh rarebit! It's totally indulgent - like pouring a beery cheese fondue over your cauliflower - and totally addictive. You can find the full recipe in the link in my profile,  or SAVE this post for basic instructions! Remember to tag me if you try it -I'd love to see 😊

* Slice two 1cm steaks vertically from the middle of a large cauliflower, season and fry in  butter and oil till browning slightly.

* Oven bake for 10 mins at 200C while you mix grated cheddar, melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and beer. (The Duvel Belgian ale works a charm, BTW!).

* Spread the cheese mix generously over the 2 steaks and pop under a medium grill until golden and bubbly

You're welcome 🤩
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - or happy St David's Day if Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - or happy St David's Day if you don't speak Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

March 1 is the day on which the Welsh people celebrate their patron saint, St David, and one of their traditions is to wear a daffodil, the national flower of Wales. Here are five daffodil facts to impress your Welsh friends:

🌼 There's no difference between a daffodil and a narcissus. Daffodil (or jonquil) is simply the common name for members of the Narcissus genus, so all daffodils are narcissi.

🌼 There is only one species if daffodil that is native to the UK - Narcissus Pseudonarcissus, or wild daffodils. You can spot them by the fact that their outer 6 petals are a paler yellow than the central trumpet, and they are usually smaller than the showy, giant yellow commercially grown daffs. 

🌼 It's not entirely certain how the daffodil came to be the national flower of Wales - one theory is that they are one of the few flowers in bloom on 1 March. Another is that the daffodil is less... antisocial to wear than the other Welsh national symbol, the leek 🤣

🌼 Daffodils are the official 10th wedding anniversary flower.

🌼 Daffodils contain a poisonous sap - keep away from pets and if mixing daffodils in a vase with other flowers, let them stand in water separately for 24 hours first I case they affect the other flowers. 

Are daffodils your favourite Spring flower? Or do you prefer something else?
As a girl who lived more than half her life in the As a girl who lived more than half her life in the African sun, February and March are the hardest months for me to bear in the UK. All the excitement of Christmas and New Year has faded; the credit card bill has arrived; the sun is still setting before I finish work; and the snow that we all hoped for at Christmas finally arrives and disrupts everything. This is why, every year in Feb/March since I moved to the UK (other than the year I broke my femur a week before I was due to fly!), I decamp to South Africa for 2 weeks to visit my family and get my fix of vitamin D (and vitamin Sea!).

This week I should have been here - the Beacon Island hotel in Plettenberg Bay, which I have been visiting since I was about six years old. It is where I go to lift my spirits and clear my head. But for the last 2 years, Covid has meant that I have not been able to go home - or see my family. 

For the most part, although I miss travel, I am secretly quite liking taking a breather and being able to be home without FOMO for a while. But not being able to see my family has been incredibly hard, particularly as I have no family in this country.  And my blood boils at people bending the rules (a dentist appointment in Tenerife when you live in Manchester? Seriously??) to go on holiday while I have not seen my clinically vulnerable brother in two years. Covidiots.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that as soon as vaccinations are widely rolled out and international travel becomes practical again, I will be on a plane to South Africa so fast it will make your head spin.

Where will YOU head to first once we are able to travel again,  and why?
Love is in the air... 💕 Are you making a speci Love is in the air... 💕

Are you making a special dinner for your sweetheart tonight? This potted hot-smoked salmon with a pretty pink apple and red onion pickle is easy to prep and oh-so-delicious! It's also gluten-free if you serve it with GF crackers. Full recipe now on the blog - tap the live link on my bio to view. 

Are you doing anything special to celebrate today? Let me know in the comments! 💖
Ready for a wine tasting? 🍷 [Press trip] Back Ready for a wine tasting? 🍷

[Press trip] Back before Covid put our lives on hold, I spent a few days in the Languedoc-Rousillon wine region of France learning about (and tasting!) Pays d'Oc IGP wines. 

Want to learn more about the region's wines? Read on, swipe through the images (remember to  bookmark this post to refer back to later) - and click the live link in my bio for the full blog post! 

🍷 The Languedoc-Rousillon region is the largest wine producing region in the world, and produces about a third of all French wine. Pays d'Oc IGP is a classification region within Languedoc-Rousillon, with vineyards that take up over half the total vineyard area in the Languedoc-Rousillon region. Pays d'OC IGP wines account for about 20% of the total of all French wine produced.

🍷IGP stands for Indication Geographique Protegée, meaning it is a protected indication of origin and wines must be made only from approved grape varieties that must be grown entirely within the region's geographic boundaries.

🍷 Most French wines are named for their region (Bordeaux, Chablis, Champagne) but you won't see the name of the grape variety on the label. In response to consumer demand and the New World trend to label wines with grape varieties, rules were changed in Pays d'Oc in the late 1980s and Pays d'Oc wines now account for 92% of French varietal wines (e.g. labelled Chardonnay, Syrah, Viognier etc.).

🍷 There are 58 grape varieties that are allowed to be planted in the region but the Pays d'Oc IGP varietal wines to watch out for include Chardonnay, Rolle (another name for Vermentino) and Viognier among the whites; and Syrah, Mourvedre and Pinot Noir among the reds.

🍷 All wines labelled Pays d'Oc IGP are sampled and approved in a blind tasting by a panel of professionals, meaning the label is a guarantee of quality to the consumer. 

🍷 Producers that you should look out for include Gerard Bertrand, Domaine Gayda, Les Jamelles, Les Yeuses, Paul Mas and Domaine Aigues Belles.

First 📸: @everyglassmatters
New year's resolutions: waste of time or the way f New year's resolutions: waste of time or the way forward?

I have mentioned before that I don't really make new year's resolutions. There is always so much pressure to make them BIG lofty goals and this is essentially what dooms them to failure. Instead, for the past few years I have made a list of... affirmations? Mantras? I have yet come up with a word that does not make my toes curl 🤣

These are essentially reminders rather than goals - presets, if you like, for the year ahead. I keep them in a handwritten list next to my computer and when I don't know how to react to something or how to shake a mood, I read them and there is usually an answer in there somewhere. 

Given the bruising year last year was, and how 2021 has so far proven itself to be not much better, I really wanted to add something practical to this year's list to lift my spirits on days when I am down. And for that I borrowed shamelessly from the wonderful @gretchenrubin:

🌈  ACT THE WAY YOU WANT TO FEEL 🌈

And this photo is a reminder of how I want to feel on so, so many levels: hanging out with friends; dancing in the sunshine; wearing my favourite red dress; travelling (this was in Carouge, Switzerland); and surrounded by a rainbow of colour. I can't travel and I can't see friends, but I can dance in my kitchen, singing at the top of my voice wearing my brightest clothes. 

What strategies do you use to lift your spirits? I'd love to hear! 

📸 by @tasteofsavoie
If you, like me, are mssing your Pret-a- Manger Bi If you, like me, are mssing your Pret-a- Manger Bircher muesli during lockdown, you will want to bookmark this post right now! 🔖

I have learnt a few things during lockdown. I have learnt that I am more comfortable spending long periods alone than I had ever imagined; that I suffer a lot more from FOMO (fear of missing out!) than I would like to admit; and that pre-Covid I spent rude sums of money on commuting and barista coffee...! 

I also learnt that although I miss travel and social events and meals out, it is often the smaller things that you miss most acutely - the freedom to call up a friend you haven't seen in a while and inviting them over. Hugging (or even seeing) my family. And grabbing a macchiato and a Pret Bircher muesli on the way to work. Don't ask me why, but it became a small obsession of mine to create a fakeaway Pret Bircher during lockdown - and I think I have succeeded! Here's how:

For 2 servings you will need:
100g rolled oats
200ml milk or water
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds 
1 Tbsp shelled pistachio nuts
1 Tbsp dried cranberries 
2 small apples
175g plain yoghurt
Honey
Pomegranate rails

Mix the oats, seeds, nuts and cranberries together then add the milk/water and a pinch of salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

When ready to serve, grate the apples and mix them in with the oats and yoghurt (add a little extra milk to loosen if needed). Stir in honey to taste and serve topped with pomegranate arils and pistachios. Full recipe and more photos are available now on the blog - click the live link in my profile.

Did you try any fakeaway recipes over lockdown? Please let me know in the comments - I would love to hear about it!
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
Plum upside down cake
plum flapjack crumble
Sesame ginger Brussels sprouts
Jersey-royals-salmon-salad2 © Jeanne Horak 2019

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2021 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2021 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT