Cooked in the Karoo by Justin Bonello - book review & give-away |

Justin Bonello recently launched his latest cookbook, Cooked in the Karoo. In this culinary adventure, Justin and his crew went on a two-year journey into South Africa’s backyard to rediscover the Karoo. Their mission was simple: walk in the people’s shoes, cook with them and tell their stories. While there, they also experienced the incredible hospitality of the people, witnessed their daily struggle to survive and tasted their delicious dishes.

Cooked in the Karoo is the kind of book that will make you want to pack up your car and travel to this unique, arid and beautiful land. It is a place where you will rediscover the importance of reconnecting with the essential things in life: good food, good friends and creating lasting memories.

Justin Bonello’s new cookbook – Cooked in the Karoo

My review

I really like the layout and design of Justin Bonello’s Cooked in the Karoo, it is simple and clean yet earthy at the same time, which is perfect for the content and for the essence of the Karoo. It is filled with easy to follow wholesome recipes, from salsa’s to desserts to springbok shanks…it illustrates the spirit and nature of the Karoo superbly.

What I love most about Justin’s new cookbook, is that it is more than just a plain and simple recipe book. It is a cookbook, filled with mouth-watering recipes, as well as being a storybook, filled with exciting and interesting stories of and from the Karoo. Below, I have included a photograph of such a story…it is about Justin Bonello flying a microlight in Jasenville. I feel that these stories give the cookbook a little soul and make it a little more heartfelt and special, if that is at all possible! They also give the recipe book a unique quality, which makes it a must have in any South African kitchen or any international kitchen, if you have a love for good, hearty South African cooking.

Cooked in the Karoo, retails for approximately R340 and is available from all leading book stores. For more information on Justin’s new book, visit Penguin Books.

Justin Bonello’s new cookbook – Cooked in the Karoo

More about Justin Bonello

Most of us, know Justin from his cooking and travel shows, Cooked and Ultimate Braai Master. He has now published seven cookbooks books including Cooked in Africa, Cooked – Out of the Frying Pan, Cooked – Weekends Away, Justin Bonello Cooks…for Friends, The Ultimate Braai Master, Roads Less Travelled and Cooked in the Karoo. Justin is the kind of guy that is always messing about with the braai, burning his fingers on one hand and has a beer in the other; or is in the kitchen fearlessly experimenting with flavours and ingredients. He is the Ultimate Braai Master.

For me, Justin is everything braai and is therefore the perfect tie-in for a blog post this week, as it is National Braai Day tomorrow, Wednesday 24th September!

Give-away

In celebration of Heritage Day or what we South Africans call National Braai Day, I will be giving away one copy of Justin Bonello’s Cooked in the Karoo cookbook to a lucky winner. All you need to do is comment below and tell me what is your favourite braai spice. Competition runs from 23rd September – 30th September 2014. Winner will be chosen by lucky draw.