fine food and wine
MAGAZINE AUTUMN 2021
15 harvest table recipes taste Malta the flow of FINE WATER ed's3 letter AMUSE BOUCHE
As I watch a few of the leaves falling off fill of the fabulous recipes that have international amuse bouche 4 the tree in front of my office (kitchen!) been shared by chefs. Celebrated and flavours window, I know that Autumn has global icon, chef Chantel Dartnall of A WALK THROUGH local32 travel arrived. I sneak a sideways glance Restaurant Mosaic, is also about to MY MALTA THE SOUL at the basket of figs, pears and get wings, but before she goes, she business46 avocadoes ready to be transformed shares her Autumn inspiration. Fitting, OF SAFARI boomers into something mouthwatering, and I as she has inspired so many young STEPPING UP am happy. One minute writing, the next chefs to enter the industry, and stirred TO THE PLATE cooking, and then everyone feasting – other chefs to explore botanical cuisine drinks14 trolley there’s nothing more gratifying than and to up their games. In the next THE FLOW OF gourmet40 feeding people, connecting at a table. issue, I will share the story of her last We hope that you enjoy every page of supper. I am sure it will be a stellar, if FINE WATER getaway our ‘harvest table’ edition. bittersweet, occasion. FRENCH LUXE COOKING 2152 minutes with This is the year in which many careers Meanwhile, stay safe and enjoy this will pivot and new careers will be culinary spread. MUNASHE pioneered. Read the exclusive story Gourmet Guide’s 20 KWARAMBA, of South Africa’s only certified water kitchen A TIME TO RE- sommelier and the flow of the fine- Jenny Handley HARVEST TABLE celebrity42 INVENT water movement. Sommelier-turned- guest chef chef Munashe Kwaramba too is sure to A ROAD TO inspire you. ROCAMADOUR BY CHEF Private chef, Debbie Schembri, shares her personal perspective of Malta. A gourmet30 garden CHANTEL haute56 reads recent and successful graduate of the AUTUMN PICKINGS DARTNALL A CAPE TABLE Gourmet Guide online food-writing Tune in on Saturdays at 10h45 for course, she too decided to spread her a dash of delicious – join me as I wings and multi-skill herself. interview chefs, restauranteurs, winemakers and producers to Meet the team Contact details We are all working harder, at home, discover what is new and exciting Editor - Jenny Handley P.O. Box 32216, Camps Bay, 8040 on the culinary landscape. Editorial direction - Clare O'Donoghue [email protected] then ever before. An army marches Production and copy editing - Natalie Brock www.gourmetguide.co.za on its stomach, so be sure to get your Proofreading - Kristen Brock jhp_gourmet_guide Contributor - Debbie Schembri jenny_handley Wine consultant - Brent Bartlett Jenny Handley Performance Design and layout - Wilna Combrinck Management Sales - Shirley Roos and Jeanne van Rooyen Stock images from unsplash.com 3 JHP Gourmet Guide™ a walk through my
Private chef, Debbie Schrembi, shares her sensory interpretation of living on Maltathe island of Malta. IT’S THE SMELL OF WILD FENNEL smell of incense as I bow into a church AND THYME GROWING FROM to escape the savage sun. It’s the crevices in the garigue rock, the wind pungent aroma of carob pods catching whipping my hair as I peer over the me by surprise in September, washing edge of my island. It’s the sunny smell me with autumnal nostalgia. It’s the of sand sweeping through car windows calming perfume of orange blossom on the way to the beach, chilled Cisk flowers in the Spring, reminding me beers rattling in the back. It’s the heady that brighter days are to come.
5 ‘I smell Malta, I taste Malta, I feel Malta’
It’s biting into a tomato so ripe it bursts, uneven steps and up slippery slopes, sweet juices running shamelessly down alone with my thoughts. It’s the balmy my chin. It’s handfuls of fennel seeds hug of a Summer evening, sitting thrown unapologetically into everything with my friends watching the sun go I cook. It’s splitting a broad bean pod down, sipping on warm white wine. It’s open, nipping the skin with my teeth, aimless drives through the countryside, and chewing on the green sweetness rubble walls and impossible shades of within. It’s the salty kiss of the sea green and yellows, fields choked with on my puckered lips. It’s burning my artichokes, farmers sweating away. It’s tongue on a Maqrut because I’m too having the beach to myself in Autumn, impatient to taste the caramelised giggling as I dive into the still-warm date filling encased in fried pastry. water, feeling alive. It’s marvelling It’s jammy figs splitting at the seams, that I’m in a t-shirt in December yet drizzled in liquid gold honey; of milky, swearing that its freezing cold in fresh sheep ġbejna cheese wobbling January, even though it’s 8°C outside. like a perfectly set panna cotta. It’s It’s the happy sound of fireworks in struggling to decide between a ricotta Summer at ridiculous hours of the day. or a pea pastizzi and ordering two of It’s winding through impractical, narrow each, then lazily wiping my greasy village roads wondering whether this is fingers on my shorts. It’s a hunk of the time my car gets wedged. Maltese sourdough bread, crusts on the right side of burnt, dredged in The Malta I live in is one of time, peppery olive oil, that tastes like home. marked by the produce poking through the earth. Piles of muddy Jerusalem It’s the quiet calm of wandering the artichokes and oranges for Winter, streets of Valletta after dark, down stems of punchy fresh garlic, broad
For a refined but unpretentious taste of what Maltese products are capable of producing visit Bahia in Lija, or Briju in Gzira.
7 beans, and vibrant orange loquats for speak of resilience, resourcefulness, Spring. Scarlet plums, fuzzy peaches and humility and that often reference and truckloads of watermelons signal a once-deeply religious community. Summer and magenta pomegranates, Several foods arose from dietary the size of your fist, usher in Autumn. restrictions imposed by the church and She dictates what I eat and when I eat some are only prepared at a particular it. To me it is less about the ‘traditional’ time of year. Kwarezimal, a delicious food of Malta but what I can do with confection of ground almonds and the produce she provides. That, to brown sugar scented with citrus zest, me is Maltese food. There are dishes cinnamon, orange blossom water that warm and comfort you at the and drizzled with honey, reference right time of year. A steaming bowl of the 40 days of Lent and is only baked Kusksu being the perfect example. It is then. It also demonstrates the curious a simple, yet filling meal, cooked in the combination of Christian and Arabic earlier, colder months of Spring or later influences as the citrus, orange in Autumn, when you are looking for blossom, and spicing were introduced something both comforting yet bright. after Turkish invasion. It is not quite a stew, nor quite a soup and is made from a base of tomato conserve, onions and garlic, packed As Maltese we are a full of broad beans and pearl couscous people of contradictions, at and often topped with a fresh goat’s cheeselet known as ġbejna. once abrasive yet deeply caring, qualities reflected in As Maltese we are a people of contradictions, at once abrasive yet our language; a mesmerising deeply caring, qualities reflected in our language; a mesmerising hybrid of hybrid of jarring Arabic jarring Arabic sounds with a melodic, sounds with a melodic, Latinate lilt. Our history seeps into everything we do, from the language Latinate lilt. we speak to the food we cook. There are staple dishes that tell a story But not all our food talks of restraint. about our past, shaped by the flavours On the contrary we seem to have introduced by the myriad rulers who embraced newfound abundance and governed us before we gained our are guaranteed to leave any meal independence. There are dishes that ready for a post-prandial nap! We are
9 This is my country, that I know so well, yet so little, MALTA BELLA waiting to be rediscovered
with every visit. The Republic of Malta, an island off southern Europe in the Mediterranean Sea, is actually an no strangers to carbohydrates. Whether archipelago. It lies close to Italy, it is roast potatoes with fennel seeds just 80 km south, and 284 km and onions, a baked pasta dish of penne east of Tunisia. in a meat ragu wrapped in pastry called Timpana; or the Gozitan ftira, sourdough It is the world’s tenth smallest stretched into a pizza base that wraps country in area, with the capital around the edges of layered potatoes, of Valletta being the smallest tomatoes, onions and tuna, anchovies, national capital in Europe. olives and capers, we have you covered. Maltese is the official language, My Malta is the rustically charming with English as the second country I choose it to be. Admittedly, official language. Malta has a I often need to put on my rose-tinted population of about 500 000 glasses to better see the colours that people. I know are there, hidden under the dirty politics, frenetic urbanisation and The typical, mild Mediterranean congestion that is real life. But I know weather is dramatically hotter that my version also exists and will in the height of Summer (June AUTUMN IS ONE OF continue to do so if I look for it. Mine is a to August), and the peak travel THE BEST TIMES TO country of simple pleasures. Of smeared period. Long, sunny days make VISIT MALTA AS IT tomatoes on bread dunked in olive oil. the island very humid. IS STILL INTENSELY Of vegetables being sold from the back Maqrut is a cookie from the SUNNY, AND A of a truck at the side of the road. Of cuisines of the Maghreb and BEAUTIFUL SEA fresh fish cooked on a cheap disposable Malta. It is filled with dates and BREEZE SWEEPS BBQ on the beach. This is my country, nuts or almond paste. The name OVER THE ISLAND. that I know so well, yet so little, waiting is derived from its characteristic IT IS COOL ENOUGH to be rediscovered with every visit. diamond shape. FOR WALKS IN THE There are many different versions of COUNTRYSIDE YET Malta – but only this one is mine. STILL WARM ENOUGH FOR A REFRESHING DIP IN THE SEA.
10 kusksu
INGREDIENTS METHOD
olive oil 1. Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large pan 2 medium-sized onions, and soften the onions and garlic for about 10-15 thinly sliced minutes, they should be golden but not dark. 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour 3-4T tomato paste in the water, stir in the beans and bay leaves and 1.5L water season with salt. Simmer for about 30 minutes or 350g broad beans/fava until the beans are al dente. beans, fresh or frozen, 3. Add the couscous and cook on low heat for about shelled, the outer skin 10 minutes, stirring once in a while. Add in the peas, removed take the pan off the heat, cover and let it sit for 2 bay leaves about 10 minutes. Season to taste. salt and pepper to 4. Gently crack the eggs and goat cheeselets into the season hot soup and let them cook, covered, on low heat 100g pearl couscous, for a few minutes. sometimes known as 5. Dish out and garnish each plate with a good Israeli couscous sprinkling of Parmesan and cracked black pepper. 200g peas, fresh or kwarezimal frozen, shelled SERVES 4 as a main course 4 eggs 4 small fresh goat cheeselets (like Maltese INGREDIENTS METHOD Gbejna or soft Chèvre) Parmesan, freshly grated 200g ground almonds 1. Combine all the ingredients, except the garnishing 200g plain flour, sifted ingredients, and add just enough water to make a 180g sugar tough dough. 1t ground cinnamon 2. Knead lightly and form into 5 oval shapes and ½t orange flower water flatten down to 5cm thickness. grated zest of 1 lemon, 3. Place on a baking tray and pop into an oven 1 orange and 1 mandarin preheated to 180°C. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 4T honey, plus extra for 4. While they are still warm drizzle with more honey glazing and sprinkle them with the crushed pistachios and crushed pistachios and almonds. almonds for garnishing MAKES 5 12 EXCLUSIVE
the flow of
South Africa’s only Certified Water Sommelier is about to Finechange the wayWater you feel about water.
It is during a water tasting that you neutral taste, medium-minerality waters realise that water is not just water. The have a classic water taste where high- torrent of lively debate stimulated by minerality waters have a more substantial a tasting of Fine Water brands from & distinctive taste. across the globe, paired with chocolate, is contagiously memorable. You may think that there are only two answers The experience of drinking to the question fired in restaurants, ‘What water would you like to order?’. water should be as close as Still or sparkling? Not so. There is a possible to that of drinking world of discovery awaiting you. When drinking Fine Water, best appreciated water at the source. at room temperature, there are myriad options – would you like glacial water from the Arctic, or from the Cradle Water has a story. “I get to share the of Humankind? A cuvée water from magic of water with people, creating an Germany that has a popping cork, a emotional connection with the source and celebration all on its own? How about growing the appreciation for water,” claims a unique water that originates from the Candice Jansen van Rensburg exuberantly. snowmelt of the Chachani volcano in “Water is not just water. There are some Arequipa in Peru? water sources that can be found in the most remote locations on the planet and Like wine, water’s unique taste stems these are as unique as you are. From cold from its terroir, the geographical artesian springs to volcanic origin waters, CANDICE JANSEN condition at the source. Very low- no two water sources are the same. Each VAN RENSBURG, minerality waters have a very light and brings its own magic to the table.” SOUTH AFRICA’S ONLY CERTIFIED WATER SOMMELIER. 15 Socosani, Peru.
vintage, temperature, food pairings and elegant stemware for the epicurean WHAT IS FINE WATER? setting. Fine Water represents luxury and significantly enhances an enjoyable fine-dining experience. Water Service should raise the appreciation of water. comes from a natural Fine Water Water should also never be served with source and is an unprocessed a lemon wedge, in a tumbler or mixed product; holds Fine Water with ice from another source, these are experience, has a story to tell just no-no’s.” Candice states candidly. and gives wellness. Imagine “It should be savoured and enjoyed as drinking water from the Amazon a beverage for its taste, mouthfeel and or holding an iceberg in your experience.” hand? Water makes up more than 60% of the adult human body and keeping hydrated on natural A time to pair waters is vital for our wellbeing. Fine Water paired with wine enhances Vichy Catalan, Spain. Water is packed with minerals; the nuances of the wine – all subtle the mineral composition of water complexities are brought to life. is known as TDS. Total Dissolved When it comes to wine and water, Perlage, Poland. Solids. Some water sources, like only still water is appropriate. Still Lofoten, Arctic rainwater, have very low TDS waters with low minerality are best Water, Norway. levels, because the water never paired with white wines, red wines touches the ground, making the are accentuated with medium-to-high minerality of the water very low. minerality waters. Why indulge in a Higher TDS waters have a more luxurious bottle of wine only to spoil the distinctive taste due to a higher lingering tones with anything other than mineral content and can often be Fine Water. associated with volcanic activity. Fine Water is paired with food to match or contrast taste profiles and to create exciting flavour dynamics. A wonderful example of pairing water to a starter course would be a light seafood dish paired with a still water. The absence Fine dining just got finer of bubbles will allow you to focus on The experience of drinking water the delicacies of the meal and the should be as close as possible to that subtleness of the water. A softer water Primal Artesian Water, South Africa. of drinking water at the source. This is which is low in calcium and magnesium Svalbardi, Polar ISKILDE, Denmark. why Water Service 101 is a vital part of but with higher silica levels can offer Iceberg Water, Norway. Candice’s role as a Water Sommelier. a delicate sweetness to accompany “Fine Water etiquette describes selected desserts.
16 flavours and aromas. In discerning fine- combine your love of A refined beverage dining establishments you’ll see the With chocolate, sparkling and evolution of the Water Menu alongside effervescent waters are winners as and as crucial to the experience as the the small bubbles of an effervescent food and wine menus. Candice has the water cuts through the chocolate privilege of curating the Water Menu without disturbing the sensation of and sourcing the brands. “At OriginFloe the chocolate. Surprisingly delightful! we roll out the experience, create the Artisanal crafted cocktails with ice magic and watch the fireworks!” benefit greatly in taste from carefully- chosen Fine Water. One-on-one tuition, with personal guidance and feedback. Dining with Fine Water is one thing, but VISIT www.originfloe.com to f & THE POPULARood AND SUCCESSFUL wine the true mark of water connoisseurship find out more about the Fine GOURMET GUIDE ONLINE FOOD- is changing waters for each course, Water movement and how to get writing course allows you to choose DISCOVER AND DEVELOP highlighting the subtle differences and your hands on these incredible between writing about food or wine A LOVE OF WORDS creating blissful enjoyment. Fine dining brands. This is your go-to for for your assignments – you decide. will never be the same again. Now is Water Menu creation, and to Graduates get to write for the Gourmet the time to forget that water is only for book unforgettable water tastings Guide magazine. hydration. It’s time to start loving and for private events. Eight modules creatively appreciating it as a refined beverage presented – each chapter with interesting properties, appealing SIGN UP TODAY – VISIT transports you to an exotic www.gourmetguide.co.za location, so that it’s creativity all the way.
The 12 assignments will stimulate and challenge you. Feedback is one-on-one to ensure that you work at your own pace.
All this with your own personal, experienced and qualified facilitator, Jenny Handley, the Gourmet Guide. Gourmet Guide’s kitchen
Regular demo's in the Gourmet Guide kitchen are hands- on and helpful, practical and fun, encouraging the harvestconfidence to play with recipes. table
THE AUTUMN HARVEST RECIPES ARE QUITE INTERCHANGEABLE, EASY to adapt to whatever ingredients you DID YOU KNOW? choose. These have been selected as they can be made in advance, and ‘sit’ well on a harvest table – none of them are precious. Ring the changes: PEARS These are the star of the Autumn • Try avocado instead of butter or sour show, able to hero many a sweet cream in your pastry. or savoury dish. Deciduous, they are a member of the same • Add cheese for flavour. family as cherries, raspberries and the almond. They ripen The tart uses avocadoes as the fat • best at room temperature, and content, but your filling and topping should you wish to arrest the can make use of whatever greens you ripening process, pop them into find at the market or pull out of your the fridge. To speed up ripening veggie patch. place next to a banana. To check • Match your veggie and cheese – if ripe, simply squeeze next to broccoli works well with feta, and the stem – they should be soft. spinach works well with blue cheese. They pair (pear!) well with lemon, chocolate, cheese, chicken, port, • The pesto for the impala dish can use walnuts and many spices. Instead a variety of greens or nuts. of marrying them predictably with cinnamon and nutmeg, have fun • Nuts too are interchangeable – if you and try star anise, cardamom or don’t have almonds, feel free to use juniper berries. cashews or even pumpkin seeds.
20 21 prosciutto-wrapped fillet of impala, with olive pesto
INGREDIENTS METHOD
Fillet Fillet 1kg fillet of impala 1. Marinate the impala in half the oil and herbs for a 150ml olive oil few hours, or overnight. handful of fresh herbs 2. Place the prosciutto on a large piece of baking pesto paper, in a single layer. 80g prosciutto 3. Cover it with pesto. 4. Place the fillet on top, and roll carefully, on the paper. Hot lentil salad 5. Seal the fillet roll in the paper and twist the edges. 2 red onions, sliced 6. You can pre-prep to this stage and keep in the fridge. (or large bulb of fennel) 7. Preheat oven to 180°C. 2C cooked lentils 8. Remove the fillet roll from the paper and place in an 100g cherry tomatoes oven tray. 1 preserved lemon, 9. Surround the fillet with sliced onion, fennel and rinsed and chopped cherry tomatoes. 10g basil for garnishing 10. Season, and sprinkle with remaining olive oil. 11. Bake for 15 minutes – do not overcook. 12. Rest before slicing into 2cm slices.
Hot lentil salad 1. While the fillet is resting, add the lentils and preserved lemon into the oven pan and combine gently – this will form your side dish. 2. Place the lentils on a serving platter. 3. Top with slices of the fillet. 4. Garnish with basil.
SERVES 6
Alternative: use ostrich mince instead of impala fillet.
Wine pairing: Delaire Graff Estate Botmaskop 2018
Images by Sam Linsell 23 OLIVE PESTO HORSERADISH This, one of the ugliest roots, is INGREDIENTS a member of the mustard family. 70g pitted black olives The long, knobbly root has no 100g feta aroma until it is cut, and then as 70g basil its sulphur content mixes with air 100g raw almonds it loses a little of its zing. Good to 1 clove garlic, peeled work quickly. Should you need salt, pepper to keep it in the fridge, do so in 100ml olive oil a damp towel. You can freeze it and grate when needed. It adds METHOD a wonderful zest and punch to Put all ingredients into a blender, mayo and cream cheese. To and blitz quickly while adding the make your own wasabi, mix 2 olive oil – you want to retain the teaspoons of grated horseradish nutty texture. with 1 teaspoon of mustard, a few drops of soy sauce and 1 chopped MAKES 1 JAR anchovy fillet.
ALMONDS Contrary to popular belief, almonds are not nuts, but drupes, stone fruits like peaches and plums. They offer good satiety value, so are a healthy snack that will keep hunger pangs at bay. They freeze well. Almond flour is gluten-free, and almond milk contains no cholesterol or lactose.
25 Image by Sam Linsell broccoli and basil tart with avocado pastry
INGREDIENTS METHOD
Pastry Pastry 1 ripe avocado 1. Preheat oven to 200°C. olive oil to make up 100g 2. Mash the avo and mix with the oil in a medium- 200g cake flour sized mixing bowl. 1.5t baking powder 3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. salt 4. Mix the water in with a pastry knife. 2T water 5. Turn out onto a lightly-floured board, and knead. 6. Leave, covered, for ½ hour to relax. Filling 7. Roll out to about ½cm thick on a lightly-floured board. 2C cooked broccoli or 8. Turn back over your rolling pin to place over a 300g frozen peas 32cm loose-bottomed flan tin. salt 9. Allow an overhang - this will cement the pastry and freshly-ground black prevent the need for baking blind. pepper 10. Prick holes in the bottom of the pastry. 100g cheddar cheese, 11. Bake for 10 minutes. grated 6 XL eggs Filling Topping 1. While the pastry is cooking whisk or blitz the filling 150g smoked salmon ingredients together. 12 capers 2. Pour into the warm pastry case and bake for a 100g smooth cottage further 10 to 12 minutes. DID YOU KNOW? cheese 3T grated horseradish light, frothy greenery for Topping garnishing – fresh 3. Tear the salmon into strips and gently arrange on AVOCADOES These fruits have no cholesterol herbs like dill, or pea the tart. or sodium but are high in shoots 4. Top with capers, horseradish cream and shoots/herbs. monosaturated fats and SERVES 8-10 potassium. Their flesh contains 30% oil. Avocado oil has low Wine pairing: Delaire Graff Estate Sauvignon acidity and a high smoking point, Blanc 2020 so is good for cooking, not only dressings.
26 Image by Sam Linsell upside-down pear, cardamom and thyme dessert
INGREDIENTS METHOD
Stewed pears 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 4 pears, chopped 2. Combine all ingredients except for ginger for 6 sprigs thyme stewed pears in a pot and bring to a simmer. Cook 3 star anise for 10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. 1 stick cinnamon Remove aromatics, but don’t throw away. 5g cardamom pods 3. Thinly slice pears on a mandolin. Place slices on 50ml water the bottom of a 24cm cake tin. 70g crystalised ginger, 4. Add butter and sugar to a mixer and cream for finely chopped 10 minutes. 5. Add eggs, flour, baking powder, cardamom, red Cake wine and salt, and mix slowly until combined. 2 pears 6. Pour batter over the thinly layered pears and bake 100g butter for 35-40 minutes. 350ml sugar 7. While the cake bakes, in a pot, on a low heat, 3 eggs combine cream, castor sugar and herbs from the 2C flour stewed pears. Allow to simmer but do not boil. 2t baking powder Strain but keep herbs for decoration. 1t ground cardamom 8. Remove cake from oven and pour glaze over ½C red wine while hot. salt to taste 9. Leave to cool. Flip over to serving plate and decorate with sliced pears and herbs. Glaze 1C cream 75ml castor sugar Alternative: one can use thinly-sliced grilled pear pieces as a topping.
SERVES 10
Wine pairing: Delaire Graff Estate Sunburst Noble Late Harvest
Photography by Sam Linsell, renowned food personality, author and photographer. www.drizzleanddip.com
28 Images by Sam Linsell the
garden
GONE ARE THE DAYS OF PREDICTABLE SEASONS. THEY, like everything else, are changing! WHAT TO PLANT? As theautumn days start to shorten it is time to pick apples, avocados, figs, granadillas, grapefruit and grapes. Now is the time to plant greens. Tomatoes too. Citrus fruit will be ready The easiest is rocket, which for harvesting, here to weather Winter. grows like a weed, and quickly Paw paws, pears, pineapples, plums, too. The flowers make a beautiful pomegranates, quinces, sweet melon garnish. Pak choi is also a quick and watermelon are still ripe and grower. Put some lettuce in the sweet to the taste, perfect for use in ground, radishes, spinach and both sweet and savoury dishes. turnips. Water well on the days Vegetables expected to be making an that still feel like Summer… appearance include aubergines, baby marrows, beans, beetroot, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Butter beans, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, mange tout, leeks and mushrooms heroically take their place on the stage. Parsnips (perfect for vegetable chips as you settle into more couch time), peppers, radishes and spinach will become more prolific.
30 GETTING UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL never encountered before. After sharing WITH THE BIG FIVE WAS PART OF my thoughts and learnings with chef the plan, but more importantly, to Alewyn Malan about the edible white truly absorb the sounds of silence berries, bright red sour plums and wild and nature. Inspiration comes to a aniseed, a menu celebrating sour plums quiet mind, and Tintswalo prides itself miraculously appeared. on inspirational settings. Seamless travel is only one of the drawcards of One game drive saw this two-man team this destination – a direct flight from operate like a Formula-One pit duo as Cape Town to Hoedspruit and then they deftly fixed a puncture with minimal a 45-minute drive in the charming effort, in the searing heat, with a dash company of Erick Ubisi, who was to be of speed. Their palpable excitement our guide and teacher for five days. matched mine as we viewed a pride of lions looking lean before a kill. The next Each drive started with Erick saying, “I day we spotted them elsewhere, bloated am reading the morning newspapers”, and lazy after a hefty meal, with each as his eyes followed the tracks on cub rubbing up against the lazy lion as the road. He has honed his extensive they made their way to the shade of the knowledge of flora and fauna in a trees – dubbed a ‘cheap hotel’ by Erick. decade at the lodge and perfected the Seeing many a lonely wildebeest grazing instinct of giving guests exactly what with impala and dazzles of zebra well- they need to know, not more, with demonstrated the collective noun for this charm. His fables and ancestral stories unattractive breed – an implausibility. At of the marula tree were meaningful and sunset, a coalition of cheetah posed close enlightening. Sunset drinks and snacks by for us on the rocks, a crash of rhinos, were heralded with his welcome, “Born herds of buffalo and elephants, and a up a tree”, instead of ‘bon appetit’. He journey of giraffe graciously waited for and tracker Pardon Mokoena quickly cottoned onto my insatiable curiosity about natural ingredients, and every game drive included the introduction the soul of to a berry or bush (and birds) that I had
TINTSWALO means ‘the intangible feeling of peace, love and gratitude bestowed Jenny Handley headed to Tintswalo upon someone who gives you a Safari Lodge to feed her soul and meaningful and worthy gift’. respondf to the call of the bush. sa ari32 us to take our photographs. They were sumptuous Explorer suite (complete with easy to sight, but the tiny chameleon its own plunge pool), to the delectable spotted in the dark as we neared the pastries and Alewyn’s ‘best’ buttermilk lodge chasing hares in the headlights, rusks laid out with coffee and freshly was not. Neither was the black mamba squeezed juices before sunrise. Every twisted in a tree, both testament to true meal was an occasion, with a plethora bush eyes that Erick and Pardon have. of culinary offerings. The light or loaded eggs Benedict became a favourite, and the French toast with bacon, banana, Born up a tree syrup and sesame seeds will be lauded Chef Alewyn prides himself on his by my man in perpetuity! Lunches, plating and expresses himself with a from platters to three-course meals, light touch. The fact that he studied as were light. The simplest dishes crafted an engineer before cheffing called, is from melon were hits – grilled melon obvious on each plate. “I get to express cubes with feta and balsamic, and the myself on a plate,” he states. Safari cold, minted-melon soup. Simple yet cuisine is often heavy, but here the delicious. The ubiquitous boma dinner contemporary take on bush cuisine was different to any other experienced is perfect for the high temperatures. before. Here too the ethos of ‘lighter is Rounding the corner on an early- better’ was showcased; flexitarians were morning game drive to discover that kept happy, and the ice-cream sticks breakfast camp had been set up in the coated in Swiss meringue and finished banks of a river, and to be treated to a at the table with flame by Alewyn, sumptuous meal there to start the day, illuminated every smiling face in the was a highlight. My dish of perfectly flickering lantern light. creamy scrambled eggs, venison sausage threaded onto a skewer with tomato and chakalaka, followed fresh Inspiration comes to a fruit, yoghurt and home-made granola. Home-and-hand-made is what happens quiet mind, and Tintswalo here. Being in the bush dictates that all prides itself on inspirational dishes are made from scratch, and it shows. From the ginger biscuits in our settings.
34 SPRINGBOK TARTARE springbok tartare
INGREDIENTS METHOD
Springbok Springbok 300g springbok loin 1. Chill the meat in the fridge. Chop finely. 2 large eggs 2. Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix 3t wholegrain mustard with a fork. 3t Dijon mustard 3. Add the meat, mix and season. 2t capers 2T finely chopped onions Pickled shimeji mushrooms 2T finely chopped 1. Place all ingredients except mushrooms, olive and parsley truffle oil in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. 2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. TINTSWALO SAFARI 2T finely chopped Sweet dreams gherkin 3. Add mushrooms and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Every night at turndown a story about LODGE in the Manyeleti 1T olive oil 4. Strain all ingredients and add to oil. the bush, or the explorer after which Private Game Reserve shares beetroot powder 5. Add a splash of truffle oil if desired. the suite is named, was left on our an unfenced boundary with the salt and pepper to taste pillow. Or the Victorian slipper bath Kruger National Park. There are filled with hot water and bubbles, and six ‘Explorer’ king suites boasting Pickled shimeji Plating candles lit. It’s this kind of attention privacy along the banks of a mushrooms Garnish with mixed leaves and serve with garlic- to detail and teamwork that made river. The Tintswalo Manor House 150ml vinegar rubbed toasted bread and a pickled quail egg. our week unforgettable. Dedication offers a fully-catered villa option 100ml water too – after nine unforgettable game for groups and families. 2T sugar SERVES 6 drives, determined to see a leopard, small stick cinnamon our final excursion had us following The other luxury Tintswalo bush 1t peppercorns leopard tracks off-road through lodges, both in the Waterberg, are: 2 star anise untamed bush into a riverbed for this 1t whole cloves • Tintswalo Lapalala, a tented unrivalled pleasure. As we were saying 1t salt camp. our farewells an elephant was spotted 150g - 200g shimeji • Tintswalo family lodge in lumbering towards the spacious deck. mushrooms Welgevonden, ideal for family Staff quickly turned a hose on so that ½C olive oil getaways. we could witness a majestic elephant splash of truffle oil SA residents can experience Tintswalo quenching his thirst, undeterred by our at special rates until 19 December 2021. spellbound presence, a few metres Garnish away. Another meaningful gift from mixed leaves Mother Nature, shared in the unique bread Tintswalo way. garlic pickled quail egg
36 37 lamb chops
INGREDIENTS METHOD
2 large garlic cloves, 1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade add crushed the garlic, rosemary, thyme, balsamic, sugar and 1T fresh rosemary leaves salt. Pulse until combined. 1t fresh thyme leaves 2. Pour in the olive oil. 1t balsamic vinegar 3. Rub the marinade on both sides of the lamb chops 1 brown sugar and loin let them marinate for at least 1 hour in the coarse sea salt refrigerator. ½C extra virgin olive oil 4. Remove from refrigerator and allow the chops to 4 lamb chops, about come to room temperature; it will take about 20 2cm thick minutes. 1 lamb loin 5. Heat a grill pan over high heat until almost smoking, add the chops and loin, and sear for about 2 minutes. 6. Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3½ minutes for medium.
SERVES 4
39 French brasserie oxtail stew
INGREDIENTS METHOD
Fancy a gourmet getaway? 75ml extra virgin olive oil 1. Using a large casserole, heat the olive oil and the Marlene van der Westhuizen 1T butter butter, add the oxtail and fry carefully on all sides. isx a Capetonian chef and 2kg oxtail, cut in portions 2. Remove the meat and deglaze the pan with a little lu e cooking 2C white wine of the white wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate author who hosts cookery 6 shallots, peeled and before adding the shallots, carrot and garlic. Stir courses in Green Point, and chopped and cook all the ingredients together for about 6 leads culinary tours to Charroux, a 3 carrots, peeled and minutes. sliced in pennies 3. Return all the meat to the casserole and pour the medieval village in France. 2 garlic cloves, peeled rest of the wine over the meat. and chopped 4. Bring to a gentle boil, allowing the alcohol to 800ml canned tomatoes evaporate, before adding the tomatoes, bouquet bouquet garni garni, orange zest, bay leaves, cinnamon and star zest of half an orange anise. 2 bay leaves 5. Add the stock and simmer gently until tender. * 2 cinnamon sticks 6. Taste and season accordingly before serving with 1 star anise fresh crusty bread or creamy polenta. 1L chicken stock salt and pepper * You can add a little water when needed. SERVES 6
LOCAL TRAVEL WITH MARLENE Taste the Auvergne countryside on the Hermanus coast at Auberge Burgundy from 8 to 11 April 2021. Book for this three-night, on [email protected].
40 Image by Johan Wilke van der Westhuizen Image by Renier the soul of
road to
Chantel Dartnall of Restaurant Mosaic shares her Autumn Rocamadourinspiration before she sets off to create more magic.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T HAND To merely travel is to journey from MY MOM A VIDEO CAMERA WHILE place to place. To travel well is to travelling by car between Cahors and behold and embody the spirit of Rocamadour in Autumn. I made that the destination. One must allow the mistake once and I still have evidence experience to plant itself deeply of a mind-numbing blur of colour and within and grow into a nostalgia to movement, emulating one of Turner’s unearth later. canvasses at the height of his creative energy. But it was during this journey My aim at Restaurant Mosaic has through France that the seeds of a new been to translate experiences with creation began to sprout. Along the botany into dishes for diners to spine of the winding road, nature was encounter the essence of nature. shedding her coat of leaves, creating a Autumn, with its display of splendour, cosy duvet stitched with bright amber, is an ode to things that once were burnt sienna, marigold and ochre around and a reminder that there is beauty her roots, preparing for the harsh in change. Even as the 15 year- onslaught of winter. long season of Restaurant Mosaic comes to an end, may The Road to As we meandered, the vision of a Rocamadour continue to remind you dish that would capture this strikingly that there is much magic to be found beautiful landscape weaved together in in our world. my mind’s eye.
42 43 chocolate log
INGREDIENTS METHOD
Mousse Mousse 60g butter 1. Melt the butter and chocolate together over a 120g dark chocolate double boiler, over medium heat. 2 egg yolks 2. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in one 3 egg whites egg yolk at a time. 3. Whisk the egg whites in a mixer until stiff peak Chocolate coating and gently fold into the chocolate mixture until 60g dark chocolate completely combined. 4. Place mousse in a piping bag and allow to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours. 5. Once the mousse is set, pipe the chocolate logs into desired size, and freeze overnight.
Chocolate coating 1. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. 2. The chocolate must be just below body temperature, to avoid the mousse from melting when brushing the logs. 3. Use a paint brush to paint a thin layer of chocolate on the frozen logs. Remove only one log at a time from the freezer. 4. Place logs in the fridge when painted in an airtight container on a sheet of baking paper.
SERVES 4
* This is one component of the recipe. For the full recipe, visit our website.
44 45 stepping up to
Many of the chefs at Plated restaurants have used every ounce of innovation to re-invent business during the crippling COVID-19 restrictions. Here are a few of the theirplate bright ideas that are sure to tempt you into returning…
THREE PLATES TWO PLATES
Three-plated INDOCHINE is taking Two-plated CAMPHORS AT diners on a culinary journey through VERGELEGEN have a new Sunset Tapas Asia with their new Travellers’ Menu & for two – enjoy a gorgeous sunset with Diner’s Passport. Until September this a glass of wine and extended hours to year Head chef Virgil Kahn will take enjoy the menu. Chis Erasmus and the you with him to a different country each FOLIAGE team have opened a deli, month. Explore the spices of Malaysia, and their Sunday lunch specials for the balance of Indonesia, the skill of take away or sit down, are a winner. We Japan and more. Also boasting three all love shopping – the FYN shop and plates is LA COLOMBE, where their experiences can be delivered to your carefully-crafted Dine-In Experience home, including bowls and dinnerware has impressed many a discerning diner etc. Watch out for ‘Stickman by FYN’, not wanting to venture out. Luke Dale yakitori and ramen, also to be enjoyed Roberts has always been heralded for in your home. LA PETITE COLOMBE his impressive, pioneering spirit – seen has relocated to their beautiful new now at TEST KITCHEN (ORIGINS) home at Leeu Estates in Franschoek. where the TTK Burgers are being THE POT LUCK CLUB is now open for launched week by week. Sunday brunch and Sunday evenings for
46 47 Image by Chefs Warehouse Winebar & Pinchos Image by Chefs Warehouse dinner. Find out about the Pot Luck Club curated and prepared a delicious Flavours grown in-house! WOLFGAT three-course meal that is delivered is now offering Strandveld lunch with in a box. Following the same food a side of shopping, limited range of philosophy based on quality local bespoke Wolfgat stoneware crockery, produce and South African cooking, linen napkins, some of their signature Bertus and Adele Grewar launched pantry items and prints of chef Kobus’ Abundance Catering – with an aim to lockdown paintings now available. wow guests with delicious food at any type of celebration and event.
Chef Darren Badenhorst of LE COIN FRANÇAIS is providing dining experiences in the comfort of diner’s ONE PLATE homes for a minimum of eight people. Watch out as he expands his culinary expertise into other establishments in the culinary capital of Franschhoek. One-plated restaurants are revving the changes too: Ever-innovative chef and restaurateur Liam Tomlin and head chef Gordon At AUBERGINE chef patron Harald Logan have introduced the Spanish Bresselschmidt and his team are tapas or ‘pinchos’ concept to CHEFS currently offering a lunch special of WAREHOUSE in Bree Street. Pintxos 10% off your full bill for food and wine (or pinchos) are small snacks, spiked at Aubergine where the food follows with toothpicks and different recipes the fine wines. Choose from the a are served in Spanish bars, originally la carte or tasting menus, with an created to pop on top of your wine optional wine pairing. Eat alfresco on glass. On the menu? Fire-roasted the terrace or book one of the private pimentos, whole tuna belly and paella areas for small to medium groups. to share, sardines on toast, oysters, COOBS, one of Johannesburg’s croquettes, tortillas and kilo mussels – favourite restaurants, has a new and a whole Iberico ham to be sliced home in their slightly quirky premises on request. The chefs will be serving, 1. Donate to StreetSmart in Parktown North, adjacent to Il so a touch of theatre will add to the 2. Sign up your establishment/business Contadino. The new EIKE food fun. No reservations, so get there early sessions with Bertus Basson shows and wait at the new wine bar. 3. Become a Corporate Sponsor you how to cook amazing meals with everyday ingredients available 4. Volunteer your skills locally, all available to stream from your account on their website. Chef Kyle and his team at Eike have
Find out more by visiting 48 www.streetsmartsa.org.za 1 smallbunchflatleaf refreshed 60g peas, blanched and 4 chicken thighs 100g sofrito 2 piecesorangepeel 400g rice 2 garliccloves,peeled 1 largesprigthyme chopped onions, 200g 1 pinchdriedchilliflakes ½T driedoregano 1 pinchsaffron ¾T paprika 50g chorizo, dicedinto 2T oliveoil 3C chicken stock 50ml whitewine deveined 8 prawnsinshell, 250g blackmussels INGREDIENTS paella By LiamTomlin ofChefsWarehouse Winebar&Pinchos parsley, finelychopped and chopped ½cm cubes
8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. METHOD
pepper andpaprika. thighs. Lightlyseasonwithsalt,freshlyground While thepaellaiscooking,cookchicken stir thepaella. 15 –18minutes.Fromthispointonwards, donot the heattolowandcookpaellauncovered for pepper. Bringtoboil,stirringoccasionally. Reduce and lightlyseasonwithsaltfreshlyground Add thestockandstirinorangezest, sofrito continue tocookforafurther3minutes. garlic havesoftened,thenaddtherice, and Stir andcookfor3minutesuntiltheonion chilli flakes, onion,thymeandgarlic. until justcoloured.Addpaprika,saffron,oregano, olive oil.Whenhot,addthechorizoandfry, stirring Place apaellapanovermediumheatandadd chicken stock. through afinechinoisandaddtheremaining with adampclothandsetaside. Pass thestock in abowltocatchallthestock.Covermussels Remove fromheatandtipintoacolanderplaced until themusselsopen,takingcarenottoovercook. 300ml ofchicken stockandcookfor3-4minutes the mussels,coverandbringbackuptoaboil.Add Bring thewinetoaboilinshallowsaucepan,add ready touse. Cut eachprawninhalf, coverandrefrigerateuntil ready touse. any broken mussels.Coverandrefrigerateuntil running watertoremoveanysandandgrit.Discard Scrub andde-beardthemussels.Rinseundercold 50
Image by Chefs Warehouse Winebar & Pinchos SERVES 4 12. 11. 10. 9.
When readytoserve, garnishwithparsleyandenjoy. stay niceandmoist. allow thesteamtofinishcookingriceandreheatmusselsgentlysothey top ofthepaella.Remove paellafromtheheatandcoverwithaluminiumfoil Add thepeasandcookforafurther5minutes,spreadmusselsevenlyover colour, thenturnandcooktheothersideofprawn. to gentlycookthem.Cookforafewminutesuntiltheshellstake onalightorange the rice, placetheprawnsontop, fleshsidedownandallowtheescapingsteam When themajorityofstockhasbeenabsorbedandsmallholesappearbetween paella, placingthepiecesevenlyaroundpan. and crisp. Turn thechicken overandcookforafurther2minutes.Transfer tothe the chicken skinsidedownandcookfor4–5minutesuntilevenlybrowned Heat somevegetableoilinaheavy-basedsaucepanovermediumheat.Place a time to Munashe Kwaramba earned a loyal and then followed him when he following as head sommelier at Le opened Le coin Français, is one of my coin Français in Franschhoek. Now greatest mentors. As a member of the he is proving himself as a chef at Hari Black Cellar Club (BLACC), I’ve been Kitchen, an Afro-fusion eatery at Topiary on the judging panel of the Rosé Rocks Wine Estate, a boutique winery on the competition for the past three years outskirts of Franschhoek. alongside a giant in the South African wine industry, the late Alan Mullins. HOW DID YOUR LOVE AFFAIR WITH WINE BEGIN? 2021 IS THE YEAR OF THE SIDE HUSTLE – WHAT’S YOURS? re-invent Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, I left home in 2014 at age 18 to do a I have my own fledgling wine label Diploma in Electrical Engineering at called The Global Sip, made from Stellenbosch University in Cape Town. grapes sourced in Franschhoek. The My first holiday job was at Grande first two vintages were bottled at Four Provence where my love affair with wine Paws and thereafter at Haute Espoir. began. I like to say that wine found me! All going to plan the 2021 vintage I’ve been in the Franschhoek winelands will be made at Topiary Wine Estate for seven years now and absolutely love under the guidance of master wine it for the natural beauty, stellar cuisine maker Philippe Colin, the acclaimed and premium wines, a combination Burgundy and Chassagne-Montrachet that’s like nirvana for any sommelier. Chardonnay producer from France who has owned Topiary since 2014. I WHAT TRAINING, EXPERIENCE AND also own a food truck serving Mexican- AWARDS HAVE HONED YOUR SKILLS? style food, often found at the Saturday I interned at a number of excellent morning market in Franschhoek. restaurants, notably at La Colombe with Joseph Dhafana. I studied at the Cape WHAT DOES ‘HARI’ MEAN? Wine Academy in Stellenbosch; got my Hari is named after a traditional clay WSET 3 qualification (the Wine & Spirit pot used in most rural kitchens in Education Trust) and completed my Southern Africa. It reminds me of sommelier training at the South African days spent in my late grandmother’s Sommeliers Association. In 2017 the kitchen – she inspired my foray into South African Sommelier Association the realm of cuisine. At Hari, my first 21 minutes with sommelier and chef named me as one of the top 10 best venture as a chef, I want to create food young sommeliers in South Africa. for people – to share authentic, top- notch dishes inspired by African and WHO HAS INSPIRED YOU? world cuisine, simple and delicious. Darren Badenhorst, who I worked with Munashe Kwaramba at The Restaurant at Grande Provence, www.topiarywines.co.za 52 53 mutakura MUTAKURA
By Munashe Kwaramba of Hari Kitchen Matakura means ‘carry through the day’ in Munashe’s native Shona language. Samp is distinguished in Africa by the abundance of corn, beans and root vegetables that are major staple foods mostly in the southern region of Africa.
INGREDIENTS METHOD
2C samp 1. Mix samp and beans in a bowl and rinse to get rid ½C sugar beans of the starch. 2.5L water 2. Put the stove on medium to low heat, add the water 3 garlic cloves in a pot with samp and beans and cook for 1 hour. 150g butter 3. Peel, smash and finely chop the garlic. Heat a frying 475g diced beef pan. When hot, add the butter, diced beef and sear 1 red onion, finely it. chopped 4. Add garlic, onions, carrots, green pepper and lastly ½ green pepper, the tomatoes. Season and sweat for 2 minutes. chopped 5. After an hour mix the beef and samp together. 2 green chillies, finely Reduce the heat to low and add 1 cup of water and chopped cook for another hour. 3 carrots, sliced ½cm thin 6. Remove from heat, top with spring onions and 2 tomatoes, chopped enjoy with company and a good glass of red wine. 1t salt 1t milled pepper SERVES 6 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
An understanding of the nature of what you are making is more important than a slavish search of authentic ingredients, though in some cases substitution is not an option.
54 55 roasted cauliflower with rosemary cream
By chef Michael Cooke of two-plated Camphors restaurant Cauliflower and rosemary are a special flavour combination. Since the cauliflower caramelises, a hardier herb (like rosemary) haute reads is required to bring it to its peak flavour. To ‘stuff’ the dumplings, we’ve used cauliflower purée but you can use a variety of fillings. The dumplings can also be served as an interesting and unforgettable snack.
INGREDIENTS METHOD
Cauliflower purée Cauliflower purée 120g butter 1. Heat the butter in a pot until melted. 1 head cauliflower, 2. Add the cauliflower, pour in water to cover it, put roughly chopped the lid on and cook until tender. about 2L water 3. With the lid off, cook out all the water until the salt and ground pepper cauliflower caramelises in the butter. 4. Blend cauliflower until smooth and season to taste. Cauliflower dumplings 1C water 250g butter Cauliflower dumplings 1t salt 1. Heat the water, butter and salt in a pot until the 400g flour butter has melted. 8 eggs 2. Add the flour, whisk so that it doesn’t go lumpy and 100g fine breadcrumbs cook for 2-3 minutes. (store-bought) 3. Transfer to a stand mixer and, using the dough 100g white sesame seeds hook, add 1 egg at a time to the mixture until vegetable oil, for deep- thoroughly combined. A CAPE TABLE BY VERGELEGEN IS MORE THAN A RECIPE BOOK, IT IS A frying 4. Roll the dough mixture into golf-ball sized COLLECTOR’S ITEM THAT LEAVES YOU BREATHLESS FROM THE LUXURY GIFT dumplings and place on a tray. Refrigerate for box and textured cover to the last breath-taking visual. Recipes by chefs Michael about 30 minutes or until set. Cooke, Michael Bridgeman and Roger Hindley are imaginative, some aspirational, 5. Roll the balls in a mix of breadcrumbs and sesame others accessible. The heritage and gardens of the estate, the wine and hospitality seeds until evenly coated and its natural environment have been crafted into words that do it justice, by Clare O’Donoghue. 56 57 Rosemary cream 6. Deep-fry at 180˚C (medium-high) until golden. ROASTED CAULIFLOWER 4 shallots/baby onions, 7. Place on paper towel to drain and cool. WITH ROSEMARY CREAM sliced 8. Using a knife, make a small incision in each 4 cloves garlic, roughly dumpling and pipe a generous dollop of the chopped roasted cauliflower purée inside the dumpling. butter, for cooking (Keep some purée for serving.) 50g fresh rosemary sprigs 100ml medium-cream sherry Rosemary cream 1C white wine 1. Sweat the shallots and garlic in butter in a pan, 400ml pouring cream keeping the lid on, until they’re soft salt and ground pepper 2. and translucent. 3. Add the rosemary and cook for 2 minutes. Caramelised cauliflower 4. Deglaze by slowly adding the sherry over a low 1 head cauliflower heat, and reduce until the pan is dry. 2 cloves garlic, crushed 5. Add the white wine and reduce by two-thirds. 1 sprig rosemary 6. Pour in the cream and reduce by two-thirds again, 1T butter until you have a thick sauce. about 2L water 7. Strain through a sieve to remove rosemary and season to taste. For serving (optional) fresh herbs grated Parmesan Caramelised cauliflower lemon zest 1. Slice the cauliflower into 2cm-thick ‘steaks’ and place in large pot with the garlic, rosemary and butter. 2. Add just enough water to cover the cauliflower and simmer on a low heat. Allow the water to cook out and the cauliflower to caramelise. 3. Remove pan from the heat and let cauliflower cool before using a spatula to lift the ‘steaks’ out to serve.
For serving 1. Place the caramelised cauliflower ‘steaks’ in the centre of four plates and neatly arrange the cauliflower dumplings around them. 2. Spoon a few dollops of the roasted cauliflower purée over. 3. Drizzle with rosemary cream and finish with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, grated Parmesan or lemon zest.
SERVES 4
58 59 bresaola
By Roger Hindley of Vergelegen picnics
INGREDIENTS METHOD
1.5kg whole beef 1. Place the beef in a deep tray. topside, trimmed 2. Use a wooden spoon to mix the salt and sugar 40g coarse salt together in a bowl. Use this as a rub to smother the 60g brown sugar meat, covering it on all sides. 3C red wine 3. Cover with clingwrap and place in the fridge for (Cabernet Sauvignon 2 hours. This will draw out any moisture in the beef. or Merlot) 4. Lift the beef out of the leeched-out liquid and pat 100g fresh thyme dry with paper towel. 5. Discard the liquid from the tray and return the beef to the tray. Add the red wine, ensuring that the meat is covered. 6. Return the tray to the fridge, covered with clingwrap, and marinate overnight. 7. The next day, lift the beef out of the liquid (the meat should have a deep-red colour from curing in the wine) and hang it in a biltong box, if you have one, or a store cupboard with a fan. 8. Allow the meat to hang and cure for at least three to four days, but it can also keep for up to two weeks. Bresaola, north Italian air-dried beef, is a brilliant part of any Serving suggestion: Best sliced super-thin and served antipasti offering. Making your as it comes. You could also add a little olive oil and own isn’t as scary as it sounds, lemon juice. and this wet cure could be your first step into charcuterie. The SERVES 4 trick is to use good-quality meat and trim it of all excess fat and • Make this three to four days before. sinew. Ask your butcher to do this for you, but also request beautifully marbled meat to ensure a rich, succulent, dark, BRESAOLA almost purple result. We just use thyme but you can experiment with different herbs and spices. 61 Duck breast Pasta dough slow-roasted duck ravioli 4 duck breasts 1. In a bowl or stand-up mixer, mix together the flour, salt and ground pepper eggs, olive oil and salt. with mushroom sauce 100g butter 2. Slowly add water until a dough forms that has a 2 sprigs fresh thyme, silky smooth consistency. leaves picked and 3. Remove and knead on a lightly floured surface for By Michael Bridgeman of Stables chopped 10–15 minutes until smooth. While it’s tempting to buy in, there’s nothing like the real deal 1 clove garlic, chopped 4. Place in a bowl, cover with clingwrap and leave to rest for about an hour. and these roast duckfilled pasta parcels of heaven will win you Mushroom sauce over for certain. This dish will take a bit of time to prepare but 2T olive oil the results are worth it. There are all sorts of gizmos you can use 1 medium onion, finely Duck breast in pasta-making but we believe in keeping it simple. Hone your chopped 1. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck salt and ground pepper breasts with cuts about 10mm apart. technique over time – your family and friends will love you for it. 250g button 2. Season to taste. mushrooms, sliced 3. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a cold 1C white wine frying pan. Raise the temperature to a medium 1C pouring cream heat and crisp for approximately 10 minutes, until INGREDIENTS METHOD golden-brown. Ravioli 4. Turn them over and add the butter, thyme and Slow-roasted duck filling Slow-roasted duck filling flour, for dusting garlic. As it cooks, baste the duck breasts with the 1T vegetable oil 1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C. pasta dough melted butter and herb mix for 10 minutes. 4 duck legs 2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and brown the slow-roasted duck filling 5. Remove from from the heat and leave the duck 1 large onion, chopped duck legs until golden. 1 egg white breasts to rest in the pan. 1 large carrot, chopped 3. Place the duck legs in a roasting pan. Add the 6. Once rested, finely slice in preparation for serving. For serving 2 celery sticks, chopped onion, carrot, celery, rosemary, thyme, whole garlic, 3L water 1 sprig fresh rosemary star anise, salt and pepper. Cover and roast for fresh herbs, for garnish 1 sprig fresh thyme 2 hours. Mushroom sauce 2 cloves garlic 4. Remove from the oven, set the duck legs aside to 1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion until 2 star anise cool and deglaze the roasting pan on the stove top translucent. 1t salt using a little hot water. 2. Season to taste. 1t black pepper 5. Use your hands to debone and shred the duck meat. 3. Add the mushrooms and wine and reduce by half 3-4T chicken stock 6. Place it in a bowl, along with the deglazed pan over medium heat. juices. Add stock until the mixture is moist, but be 4. Add the cream and reduce until thick. Pasta dough careful to not add too much liquid. 5. Keep warm until serving. 500g bread flour 7. Set aside until ready to use for filling the ravioli. 3 large eggs 2T olive oil Ravioli 1t salt 1. On a floured surface, divide the dough into two 50ml water portions. 2. Roll out one portion into a rectangular sheet, and hang it over a clean dishcloth rack.
62 63 3. Roll out the second portion of pasta into a rectangle. AVAILABLE AT VERGELEGEN 4. Evenly place dollops of duck filling along the AT R450. length of the sheet, about 2cm apart, leaving PUBLISHED BY QUIVERTREE enough space between each dollop to seal PUBLICATIONS. the ravioli pockets. (You should be able to make 20–24 ravioli.) 5. Brush exposed dough with some egg white. 6. Take the second sheet of dough from the rack and carefully place over the top of the dough already marked out with filling. Carefully cut out squares around the dollops of filling. 7. Use a small fork to seal the edges of each pocket all the way around and brush the ravioli with egg white. 8. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. 9. Cook the ravioli for 3–5 minutes (when the ravioli is ready, it will float to the surface). 10. Using a slotted spoon, remove and set aside. 11. Gently add the cooked ravioli to the hot mushroom sauce and ensure that they’re evenly coated.
Serving suggestion Portion out ravioli parcels and sauce into four serving bowls, top with the finely sliced duck breast (we kept it whole for the photo, previous page) and garnish with fresh herbs. We use lemon thyme or sage from our garden, but any herb that’s in season will do. If there are fresh figs available, we use those as garnish too.
SERVES 4
SLOW-ROASTED DUCK RAVIOLI 64 WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE Watch out for the Winter edition of the Gourmet Guide Let us tell your story. To expose your brand to our haute audience contact us on [email protected]. www.gourmetguide.co.za