April 2, 2018
FEATURES
www.witness.co.za
Adding his unique
touch to dishes
Cooking keeps
him on his toes
JACKIE CAMERON
THE Jackie Cameron School of Food
& Wine #20172018 students are well
into the practical placement segment
of our curriculum, and the #20182019
are progressing through the course ma-
terial proficiently, and in good time.
Over the next few months, I shall in-
troduce you to the current students.
Each will share a family favourite recipe
and we’d be grateful if you’d try them
and then e-mail the school with your
comments. Previous students found
this to be a very beneficial and helpful
exercise.
Clifford Thwala and I have been in
contact for a long time. He had his own
catering company offering traditional
food and providing catering services to
schools, municipalities, government
functions, police stations as well as pla-
ces of safety in the Zululand area. Be-
lieving he had not reached his potential
and that there was so much more to
learn, he contacted me.
“The food industry, especially fine
dining, excites me,” said Clifford who,
for the past five years, with no profes-
sional skills, has been catering in Kosi
Bay in northern Zululand.
“After graduating at Jackie Cameron
School of Food & Wine, I plan to focus
on being one of South Africa’s top
chefs,” he said, adding that through his
skills he will give back to the country’s
culinary world by serving mouth-wa-
tering food, thereby ensuring that
South Africa can compete with the
world’s best countries in tourism as
well as in food and fine dining.
Clifford is sharing a delicious fish
recipe, with his own mushroom risotto,
seasonal vegetables and his own tartare
sauce. Such a tantalising dish with un-
complicated flavours. This recipe is
close to his heart because its flavours
and combinations are very distant
from those he grew up with. He always
says his journey with food has kept him
on his toes, and that he relishes explor-
ing and working with combinations
that are unfamiliar to him. And then he
adds his unique touch.
I applaud Clifford for his aspirations
FIVE WAYS TO AWAKEN YOUR SENSES IN THE MORNING
YOUR mornings set the tone for the
rest of your day. While everyone’s
morning routine is different, we all
share a sense of ritual; each person
has morning customs, habits and set
methods for completing daily tasks
before heading out the door.
As our lives are defined by a sense
of urgency — rushing to get to work,
to school, to appointments, to
achieve our goals — ensuring that you
have a productive and relaxing morn-
ing mitigates the manic and sets you
up for the day ahead. Here are five
ways to awaken your senses in the
morning to start your day on a high
note.
Wake up and smell the coffee
The most common, yet most often
dramatically different, ritual we per-
form each day is the morning coffee.
Whether your morning coffee con-
SHAINA HERMAN
BY 10 am, our Food24 team are
already itching for eats. We start
scrabbling through our desks to
see what treasures we can find.
Today I found a tablespoon of
chia seeds, three lemons and
oats, not the worst it’s ever
been, but certainly bleak for
someone who forgot her lunch.
This pretty much happens every
day.
The solution: start a desk
pantry, stocking it full of durable
and delicious go-to options. The
first step is filling up your draw-
er with a few of these staples.
Roasted nuts
A handful of mixed nuts can hit
the spot during an afternoon lull.
• Dried fruit
Goji berries, raisins, mango or
apricots hit the sweet spot
when sugar cravings take over.
Dried fruit is great with nuts
and amazing chopped up and
put into oats.
• Apples
Compared to other fruit, apples
have an incredible shelf life. All
THE WITNESS | 11
Eating off plates that are a different colour
Clifford’s pan-grilled green-
from your food could help you to eat less.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED
listed fish with mushroom
risotto, tartare sauce and
vegetables.
Risotto makes up to six
portions.
Six tricks
Ingredients
25 ml olive oil
to eat less
1 large finely chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves HOLLY KLAMER
1 tablespoon of paprika
250 g mushrooms, sliced
250 g risotto rice MOST people will agree that a successful weight-loss
150 ml white wine plan includes a healthy diet and movement. Luckily,
Pinch of salt and black pepper what you eat and how much you move are the factors
500 ml home-made chicken you can control. Maybe you’re already doing this, but
stock or fish stock did you know that there are some unusual ways to
Sprig of thyme help boost weight loss that you probably haven’t
Sprig of coriander heard of?
2 tablespoons salted butter Best of all, these tips aren’t fads; they are actually
50 g grated Parmesan cheese backed by research.
Keep in mind incorporating these unusual ways for
Method weight loss won’t alone get the kilograms to come
Heat the pan before adding ol- off. However, adding them to your current routine
ive oil. Fry the onions until they may give you the extra boost you’re looking for.
are soft and add crushed garlic.
For colour and flavour add paprika, SMELL MORE VANILLA
then mushrooms, and stir all in- Taste and smell go hand in hand. If you smell some-
gredients at medium heat. After thing delicious, chances are it will encourage your ap-
stirring for a minute, add the risot- petite for that food. The opposite is also true.
to rice and white wine. Season If we smell something revolting, appetite usually
with salt and pepper, give it a stir, goes down.
let it simmer for a few minutes Smelling vanilla may actually help calm dessert
and then start adding hot chicken cravings. This sweet scent has a calming effect on the
stock in small portions, stirring con- part of the brain where cravings live, which can help
tinuously, until the risotto is moist curb your appetite. The study was done in St George
and cooked perfectly — about 30 to Hospital in London, and researchers found those who
40 minutes. wore vanilla-scented patches lost more weight than
For rich aromas, add thyme and coriander and ingredients, minus the extra butter and lemon zest. those wearing no patch or a lemon patch. Researchers
finish the dish by adding butter, grated Parmesan Coat the fish in seasoned flour before searing in believe the sweet smell of vanilla helped appease the
cheese and garnish. melted butter with lemon zest for few minutes on need for something sweet, and participants who
Clifford Thwala. each side, until cooked. smelled vanilla were less likely to overeat sweets.
PHOTOS: KAREN E. PHOTOGRAPHY Fish x 6 250 g (any Sassi green-listed fish, So if sweets are your guilty pleasure, getting a vanil-
of your choice) Sauce la-scented air freshener or candle could help you resist
to be the best he can be, for himself and I always look forward to hearing from Makes six portions Tartare sauce with Clifford’s twist the temptation.
for the betterment of his family. He has you, so please communicate via e-mail: Into a cup of home-made mayonnaise, add two
a lovely wife, Kim, who provides a jackie@jackiecameron.co.za Ingredients grated gherkins and finely chopped parsley, one ta- EAT OFF DIFFERENT-COLOURED PLATES
sound support base, and an endearing • Jackie Cameron is the owner of 50 ml olive oil blespoon lemon, two teaspoons Dijon mustard and The food you serve on your plate certainly makes an
daughter, Zenny. Jackie Cameron School of Food & 3 garlic cloves crushed a ¼ of a finely chopped red onion. impact on weight.
We have started cake icing with Pam Wine in Hilton, KZN. 1 sprig of thyme, lemon zest and extra for searing Mix everything together and serve. However, research from Cornell University also
Alty and we all look forward to viewing Inquiries: admin@jackiecamer 2 tablespoons salted butter and extra two table- suggests the colour of your plate can make a difference
the video clips of Clifford presenting on.co.za spoons butter for searing Veggies on how much you eat. Researchers found when study
his cakes to his super-cute daughter. • Food assistant and recipe developer: Salt and pepper 1,2 kg baby carrots participants ate off same coloured plates as their food,
I’m excited to witness him evolving Clifford Thwala Flour, white, for dusting with salt and pepper Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and black they served themselves about 30% more food.
on this course and to see the doors • All photos taken by: pepper and roast in oven for 20 minutes. When study participants ate off different coloured
opening for him. I know they will. Karen E Photography Method Serve all components together for a family of plates from their food, they served themselves less
Here’s to each of the students reach- 060 862 2338 For about one hour, marinate the fish in the above six. food. This difference in how much you eat off of plates
ing greater heights than they ever www.karene.mekephoto500 could help or hinder weight-loss efforts.
thought possible. @gmail.com Want to take it a step further? Contrasting plates
with the tablecloth also seemed to further help lower
food intake. Other studies have suggested blue plates
could help lower food intake. This is probably because
the vast majority of foods are not blue, meaning no
cravings in the brain are triggered.
sists of sitting at your dresser doing shaping our moods and our reality. Tantalise your taste buds
your makeup, grabbing a travel mug This is directly related to what we Take the time to really taste your CHANGE WHO YOU EAT WITH
full of your favourite brew, sharing a are visually stimulated by. Before you breakfast or coffee, no matter what Who you eat and socialise with can impact your own
leisurely breakfast with your loved spring out of bed, take a couple of your morning is like. lifestyle patterns. A study noted that if a friend is
one or meeting friends at the local minutes to watch something or read obese, chances are the other friend becoming obese
coffee shop, the ritual itself is as im- something that makes you feel good, Feel refreshed can increase up to 57%.
portant as the beverage. It grounds to get those happy hormones flow- The best way to invigorate your sens- An obese spouse can also increase risk for your own
us and solidifies a primal connection ing. Further to this, light does won- es in the mornings is by taking a hot weight gain.
we need to have with ourselves, for ders to lift our moods. Yank those shower. Jumping in the shower has a Researchers suggest the portions others eat around
within that ritual, we are the master. curtains open and treat yourself to way of shocking your system and us can also become a norm. This doesn’t mean you
We have the power and we control some sunshine before stepping out. getting your circulation going. If you need to find a new group of friends, but it means to
the outcome. There is pleasure and don’t have the time for a full wash, increase your awareness of environmental cues
connection with what is important to Listen to music at the very least give your face a around you.
us in our coffee moments. Our coffee There’s no better way to stimulate thorough clean and finish off with a
may be vastly different, but the feel- your mind in the morning, without splash of cold water. You’ll look and WRITE DOWN OR TAKE A PICTURE OF
ing is the same. So take a moment exhausting it back to sleep, than by feel more awake and refreshed than EVERYTHING YOU EAT
to stop, smell the coffee, and make listening to music. Even ambient you would if you’d just rolled out of Many weight-loss programmes suggest tracking your
the day matter. noise is proven to increase creativity bed. Happiness is a habit. By incorpo- food intake by writing it down to keep you honest
and productivity. Curate a playlist of rating these five steps into your about how much and what you are eating.
See the brighter side your favourite upbeat songs to im- morning ritual, you have the opportu- It can also show where you are sneaking in extra
We are more inclined to be at a level prove your mood and get you going. nity to make the most of your morn- calories or larger portions of food that you don’t real-
of brain activity — the alpha Pyjama dancing and hairbrush-singing ings and maximise your mood for the Take a moment to stop, smell the coffee, and make the day matter. ise.
level — that is most powerful for are optional. rest of the day. — Supplied. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Another way to track your food intake is to take
a picture of it. A University of Wisconsin-Madison
study suggests that taking pictures of food before you
How to make sure you’re not hungry at work eat it can serve as an encouragement to change your
diet. Taking a picture is immediate, whereas filling out
a food diary is often done hours after eating. If you
fruit is great, bananas, pears, into our mouths. This should be endless cups of coffee and tea. have to take a picture of everything you eat, it makes
and peaches work, but need to one of your top desk pantry sta- you stop before eating and think about your choices.
be eaten within a few days and ples. • Oats
shouldn’t be kept in your dark Take the entire bag of oats and LEAVE THE SERVING DISHES OFF THE TABLE
desk drawers if they are at all • Salt and pepper leave it at your desk. Make it in Many slight changes in your environment can make
ripe. Be sure to wash them first. Simple essentials to add flavour the microwave or use boiled ket- eating healthier the easier choice.
to your tuna or other canned tle water by using a one to half Many times when food is out of sight, it helps keep
• Corn or rice cakes items at your desk. water ratio. For example, half it out of mind. One small change you can make for
If you keep your corn cakes in cup oats to quarter cup boiling encouraging smaller portions at meal times can be
an airtight container they will • Biltong water. Add your sweetener or to change where you keep your serving dish.
last for ages. If you don’t, they A hearty portion of snap sticks fruit, cover and let sit for a few Leaving the serving dish on the stove instead of
will go stale very quickly. A per- or droewors is perfect for a pro- minutes until creamy. Add a ta- on the table could help you keep your portion size
fect base and bread substitute. tein pick-me-up, not that we blespoon of milk if available. down. Instead of reaching for seconds right away on
wouldn’t eat all of it on the first the table, you need to make an effort to get more from
• Marmite or Bovril and day. Note, be sure your biltong • Granola bars the kitchen. This can also help slow down your food
Melba toast source is fresh and reliable. You can buy them, but we sug- intake to give your brain enough time to register when
Any type of cracker will do with gest making the recipe for no- No-bake nutty choc-chip cereal bars and vanilla essence in a large mixing you’re full.
this savoury salty snack. Spread • Beetroot crisps bake nutty choc-chip cereal bars bowl set over a pot of gently simmering
a little Marmite on a crispy A great alternative to potato on this page. The recipe makes Ingredients water and whisk until smooth and melt- DIM THE LIGHTS WHEN YOU EAT
cracker; it’s simply scrumptious. crisps, veggie chips like sweet 24 so you’ll have them for about 200 g coconut marshmallows ed. Whisk in the peanut butter and re- If you go to any sit-down restaurant, chances are the
potato or beetroot will give you two weeks, if they last that 2 Tbs butter move it from the heat. lights will be dimmed. Contrast that with a fast-food
• Olive oil and balsamic a little burst of sweetness dur- long. 5 ml vanilla essence Combine the Otees cereal, cornflakes restaurant, or even your own home, and the lights are
Olive oil is brilliant for a fresh ing any mid-afternoon slump. 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter cereal, oat bran and raw almonds in a probably a lot brighter.
loaf of bread with some of that • Couscous 3 cups Otees cereal large bowl and toss to combine. Add it A 2012 study found just changing how dim the
cracked salt and pepper (that • Tuna and a can opener All you have to do is measure a 3 cups cornflakes cereal to the melted marshmallow mixture and lights are in a fast-food restaurant helped people eat
you’ll also have at your desk). Definitely keep a can opener at quarter cup of couscous to a 1/2 cup oat bran stir to combine. Press it into the lined tin less food. What they ordered didn’t change, but how
Great for a sad salad that you your desk. Tuna is versatile, can quarter cup of boiled kettle wa- 3/4 cup raw almonds until packed tightly and evenly. Sprinkle much they ate did.
didn’t dress ahead of time. be added to your rice cakes, ter. Drizzle one teaspoon of olive 2 Tbs choc-chips the choc-chips on top and press it in Researchers found dimming the lights lengthened
crackers or in a bowl with some oil over it, mix it and then let it with the palms of your hands. the eating time, suggesting a more relaxed atmos-
• Peanut butter or any nut salt, pepper and a drizzle of ol- sit, covered, without stirring, for Method Refrigerate for at least two hours or phere increases satisfaction and decreases how much
butter ive oil. five minutes. Fluff it up with a Line a 33 cm x 24 cm baking tray or rec- overnight until firm. Peel off the baking food you eat.
We love peanut butter on ap- fork and add a bit of salt and tangular dish with baking paper. paper and slice into 24 squares and store While this study was in a restaurant, dimming the
ples, bananas, toast, rice cakes, • Sachets of hot chocolate pepper. Combine the marshmallows, butter in an airtight container. lights in your own home could have the same effect
crackers, or just spooned directly A treat when you get tired of — Food24. on food intake. — Popsugar.