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Cookin' up South African sunshine
Clare Latimer shows how to make a couple
of Cape Town favourites
I AM lucky enough to have just come back from a wonderful
restful holiday in South Africa.
I don’t think there is anywhere in the world that has
such good food as around Cape Town and the winelands, and the
prices are unbelievably reasonable.
One night we went to Le Quartier Francais, the gourmet restaurant
in Franshhoek (you book weeks in advance) and the bill for the
tasting menu with wines to compliment the food came to £26
per head.
After all this eating and drinking in the Cape Town area we
then ambled along to Knysna and on to the Addo Game Reserve
near Port Elizabeth but the gem of the whole holiday for me
was a farm between Franshhoek and Stellenbosch called Lekkerwijn
(yes, it took me two weeks to learn how to pronounce it and
then to remember it as well).
It is a 1790 Cape Dutch homestead where the family have always
lived.
The furniture is stunning and you are accepted as one of the
family the moment you arrive.
Peacocks and guinea fowl trim the lawns and the sweet dog rounds
them up in her fashion early evening to everyone’s amusement.
I don’t have the space to go on but check it out on www.lekkerwijn.com
and go out of your way to stay there. It is idyllic.
Bobotie
This is a South Africa dish and there are many ways to cook
it but here is my version that I have used for years.
A great many South African dishes are very sweet so if you are
not so keen then leave out the sugar, but it is worth adding
the chutney.
At Lekkerwijn they serve it with slices of fresh melon, avocado
and bananas in big chunks.
I had never had this before but it was perfect. I suppose it
is the basic version of salsa that we now see everywhere.
Ingredients
Serves 6
One tbsp oil;
Two onions, peeled and chopped;
Two tsp curry powder;
900g lean minced beef;
Half a tsp ground cloves;
One tsp turmeric;
One tbsp vinegar;
Half a tsp freshly ground nutmeg;
One tsp ground ginger;
One tbsp mango
chutney;
Handful of flaked almonds;
One desp brown sugar (optional);
Salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Little stock to moisten.
For the topping
Four eggs, beaten;
Eight fl oz milk.
Method
Preheat the oven to 190¾C/375¾F/Gas mark five. Heat the oil
in the saucepan, add the onions and curry powder and cook slowly
for three minutes to soften the onions.
Add the mince and stir well. Add the remaining ingredients and
stir again. Pour into an ovenproof dish and smooth over the
top. Mix the eggs and milk, then pour over the meat mixture.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown,
then reduce the heat to low until ready to serve.
Courgette and sweetcorn soup
This was served to me in a lovely restaurant in Knysna.
The combination of the two mixes very well and gives a creamy
texture and flavour.
Add more liquid if you wish and then serve with nutty brown
bread.
Ingredients
Serves 6
Knob butter;
Little oil;
One onion, peeled and chopped;
225g courgettes, topped and chopped;
225g tinned sweetcorn, drained;
15 fl oz vegetable stock;
15 fl oz milk;
Salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Few drops Tabasco (optional);
Five fl oz double cream.
Method
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the oil and onion
and cook for three minutes.
Add the courgettes and sweetcorn and mix well. Add the stock,
milk, seasoning and Tabasco and stir again.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the courgette
is cooked.
Leave to cool slightly and then whiz in a blender until smooth.
Test seasoning and then stir in the double cream. Reheat to
serve.
Clare’s Kitchen
41 Chalcot Road
Primrose Hill, NW1
Tel: 020 7586 8433
www.clareskitchen.co.uk
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