• Hubbard Squash is always a good indicator that cold weather is on its way. The largest of the winter squash, hubbards are often cut up and sold in…

    To drink: The richness of the truffles, gnocchi, cheese and butter call for a voluptuous wooded Chardonnay. Cook’s tip: If you can’t find Kalahari truffles, substitute with 30ml of truffle oil, drizzling a little extra truffle oil over the dish before serving. Alternatively, you can substitute the Kalahari truffle with 30g of dried porcini mushrooms – first soak the mushrooms in boiling water until reconstituted, then fry in warm oil just to seal. Chop up the mushrooms and add to the potato mixture. Step 1: Melt butter in a pan and add sage leaves, when it is golden brown add…

    With cold weather slowly but surely making it’s way into our lives it’s time to get into the kitchen and making the kind of food that suits this…

    Pure & Special (Roli Books, R472): Award-winning author of Pure & Simple, Vidhu Mittal has published another great collection of Indian vegetarian cuisine. With a focus on gourmet, rather than home-made, it elevates vegetarian fare to a whole new level with dishes like lotuspearl kebabs and sesame milk fudge temptation. Enticed? Highlight: Each recipe contains step-by-step photographs as well as tips and notes from the author.

    Toro Bravo (McSweeney’s, R476): This is the unique story of chef patron John Graham and the building of his great Spanish restaurant, Toro Bravo, which has garnered a cult-like fan base in Portland, US. Filled with quirky insights into the personalities behind the scenes, it offers recipes for the eclectic Spanish dishes served at Toro Bravo, as well as a great Spanish cocktail section. Highlight: Be prepared to laugh out loud… a lot!