I overheard a conversation the other day in which a woman claimed that she “sort of likes load-shedding”… insert wide-eyed emoji. I thought I was mistaken but it appeared that she found it “quiet and peaceful and romantic”. I might understand this sentiment if she had never before experienced the joy of electricity, but in the 21st Century?!
Definitely one of the most challenging things about load shedding is that cooking meals becomes a strategic, tactical and highly planned affair. And let’s be honest – who has time for this sort of brain power after a long day of work? Thankfully there’s a cool little app called Grid Watch that eliminates some of the guess work but thoughts and questions that might go through your mind are…
“How long does the dish I want to make need to cook?”
“What in the dish needs the application of heat?”
“Can I get home in time to administer said heat before the electricity goes?”
“Is it raining tonight or is it safe to light a braai?”
We’ve got a great list of one-pot winners that can (most of them!) be cooked on a gas hob. The Food24 team and I have rounded up a few more dishes that are easy to cook if you have gas. No oven or electricity required! (For those that don’t have gas, next week we might share some candle cooking ideas… soft melted marshmallow anyone?)
For now, here are our favourite recipes for a quick gas hob meal!
Creamy taglietelle with bacon and mushrooms
Chicken and butterbean casserole
Curry cream chicken and courgettini
Eggs poached in spicy tomato relish
Tomato, spinach and coriander dahl
Bangers and mash with a sweet chilli glaze
Mushroom, Cheddar and corn wraps
And if you really can’t be bothered to cook at all… there’s always salad!
Yours in matchsticks and fully charged laptops,
Tessa