RECIPE | Whip up this easy, delicious Braai Day platter

It’s the kind of platter that gets the party started. Something that doesn't take hours to put together, it’s fun for everyone to get involved. Featuring a rainbow of colours, think of it as an artist’s palate and instead of paint use seasonal produce to create a picture of deliciousness.

The star attraction is affordable local avos.  They can be sliced, diced, smashed and puréed to be used in a multitude of ways. The best for this platter is to jazz up the veggie bites by adding a generous dollop of avocado and feta dip. And if you want to hot things up, add a dash of your favourite chilli sauce, chopped fresh chilli or dried chilli flakes to the dip.

BRAAI DAY GRAZING PLATTER

Serves: 6-8 as a starter

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados, peeled and stoned

Avocado or olive oil to drizzle

Drizzle lemon juice or vinegar

Crudités (such as carrots, celery, cucumber, baby tomatoes, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes)

Pita bread, savoury biscuits, crisps or slices of sour dough bread

Basil or coriander pesto, homemade or store bought

Whipped Avo & Feta Dip:

One ripe avocado, peeled and stoned

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

A handful of flat leaf parsley plus a little extra for garnish

240g soft feta, drained

125ml (½ cup) imazi or plain low-fat yoghurt

Method:

1. For the dip, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. To serve, slice the avocados and arrange on a platter and drizzle with oil, lemon juice or vinegar. Arrange the crudités and other accompaniments on the platter.
3. Spoon the dip into bowls, top with a dollop of pesto and serve immediately.