Hello dearest,
Greetings from blustery UK. Welcome to COOK WITH LERATO where we travel across Africa & beyond one delicious dish at a time. The exclusive recipe for the South African Malva Pudding from my new cookbook AFRICANA, as shared in our previous newsletter, went down a treat! With many of you racing to bake it and others who mentioned saving it for Christmas. I really don’t see any problem baking one a week for the entire holiday season. It might be a rich sponge with lush apricot jam, but it manages to be rather light at the same time even with the spiced cream poured all over. Thanks for sharing your photos, some via email and others through social media. Since working on my recipe almost two years ago while writing my cookbook, that recipe has become a Christmas staple in my home. I do hope you can enjoy it amongst all your other holiday and Christmas staples. And please keep those photos and messages coming.
Speaking of another super popular recipe, I am loving how confident many are becoming when it comes to cooking the West African classic that is Jollof. The recipe for my Smoky Jollof in AFRICANA is full proof, with lots of hand holding, tips and tricks, created for the main purpose of ensuring you grow confident cooking a flavourful dish every single time. When Hannah Harley Young, creator and presenter of the fabulous Crazy Sexy Food Podcast invited me for a interview in her lovely home in London, upon walking in, I was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by the familiar, enchanting, smoky and sweet aroma of Jollof. She had cooked the Smoky Jollof from the book and it was perfect! A tad spicier than I would cook it. And that’s the beauty of the recipe. You have the freedom to go as warm or as fiery as you wish.
Listen to us on this most enjoyable podcast (through your preferred podcast channels) as Hannah digs into my past, present and future, while I dig into a bowl of her crazy sexy Jollof!
Africana is available worldwide from the links below, including signed copies. The Americanised US edition is out in March 2023 and available to pre-order now.
Are we friends on socials? Check out my recipe videos for inspiration and please say hello and tag me when you try the recipes. I’d love to read from you.
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Travel with me on unique cooking holidays across Africa ~ GHANA 2023
Read about Cook With Lerato here and see previous posts here.
Crazy Sexy Jollof on this podcast episode