It’s Braai Day tomorrow, but I see no reason why we cannot kick off a day early and have braai for breakfast. Or plan this for tomorrow’s breakfast or brunch. Think about it: Light the fire while you’re having your morning coffee. Then get onto WhatsApp and send an emoji or three to your mates: ??? Planning a potjie here, what time are you guys pulling in? ????
After breakfast, keep the coals going while you go into the kitchen to prepare the meat and vegetables for your choice of a potjie (plenty of ideas here for that). You’ll need a dessert too, and Reuben Riffel has an amazing idea for that.
But first, what’s for breakfast? A boerie roll, what else? You need your favourite wors (good boerewors is precious, so buy the most delicious one, the one that you know will be moist and laden with coriander and black pepper, and no skimping on the juices).
But a good boerie roll needs more than just sausage.
It needs onion. Golden fried onion. That, with juicy boerewors, in a hot, crisp bun, is pure heaven. Now let’s add a few rosemary sprigs to the onions while they’re cooking, and cook them in butter.
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But… it’s still not enough. It needs a sauce, a relish, a little something to add that extra bit of, you know, something. But what? Mustard? Tomato sauce? Sweet chilli sauce? Any of those would do, but we can do better…
And I have an idea: once they’re cooked, turn the fried onions into a tangy sauce. It’s quick and, oh look … I have the recipe for you.
Tony’s Boerie braai rolls with tangy golden onion sauce
(Makes 4)
Ingredients
3 Tbsp butter
1 large white onion
5 small rosemary sprigs
1 liquid beef stock sachet
250 ml boiling water
60 g tomato paste
1 Tbsp Colman’s Hot English Mustard
2 Tbsp sweet balsamic reduction
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper
4 braai rolls of good quality
1 pack of lekker boerewors, about 600 — 700 g
Method
Slice the onion, melt butter in a saucepan, and cook the onion with rosemary sprigs until golden.
Add boiling water to the liquid beef stock, stir, and add to the onions. Stir in the tomato paste, mustard, sweet balsamic vinegar and sugar, and season with salt and black pepper.
Simmer until it has reduced into a lovely thick sauce.
If you have an air fryer, pop the bread rolls into it for 3 or 4 minutes to enliven them and crisp the outside. Slice in half and smear with butter. Otherwise, do it in the oven.
Meanwhile, when the coals are ready, braai your boerewors. Do I need to explain what to do next? I think not. Enjoy, man, and have a lovely Braai Day tomorrow. DM
Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido.
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