TOPSI VENTER

An entertaining legend in her time and much loved
and admired food icon on the South African scene. 

 

 

One of the world’s internationally renowned writers, Robert Carrier, first came across Topsi Venter in the glamorous pages of his favourite magazine, ‘Cote Sud’, featuring an enchanting woman who ran and cooked at a marvellous Cape house in Paarl called ‘Roggeland’. Carrier’s first visit to South Africa and his first experience of Topsi’s delightful style only reinforced his enchantment. 

 

"Topsi cooks with a painter’s eye. Her whimsical way of jotting down a recipe, her style, her daring and innate good taste," says Robert Carrier. Some years back Topsi wrote ‘Fooding about with Topsi,’ which illustrated her delightful wit and style and eclectic way with food.

 

Topsi is much loved and when she recently needed major surgery there was a great surge of support and the entertainment and restaurant industry, food writers, cookery schools and wine estates generously honoured her with a benefit held in Cape Town, orchestrated by John Jackson with the unstinted support of Myrna Robbins and Flower Walker. This was a remarkable evening for a remarkable woman from a family that played an integral part in the rich history of South Africa.  

 

The life and times of Topsi Venter, in her own words,
makes fascinating reading and it begins…

 

1930 was not a good year in the Free State – a dreadful drought, high unemployment, the Great Depression of 1929 hit very hard. I was born on 26th November 1930 – my father having been the mayor for three years. He always said that was a blessing because for the lawyers in Bloemfontein there was very little work. The City Council presented a beautifully crafted Silver Cradle for the newest arrival, which was frequently used by my mother for her prize roses! Eddy (my father) – we children never called him anything else – did sterling work in finding employment for the impoverished farmers.

 

Eddy was a Grey College scholar who had gone on to the Free State University and his father who was a lawyer in Harrismith, decided that London was the legal centre to further Eddy’s education. He became an advocate at the Inner Temple in London.

 

He came back to SA to marry Eugenie Steyn (born 1896) the only daughter of the then President of the Free State Republic N.T. Steyn’s younger brother, Jan Steyn (of the legal firm Steyn & Vorster) and his Italian wife Antonette Vergotin; fondly called Dolli.

 

Dolli was petite, with dark curly hair and game for the largest motor car available, During 1929 she was a Commandant in the SAWAS’s Auxiliary Service, and after the 1918 War she had become the leading light for the Red Cross Service and she originated the Easter Stamp Fund, the funds being used to finance recovery homes for the children of TB victims, and she was good at this! She was always well dressed - coloured stockings to match, with an amazing hat on her head – she could convince anyone to hand over the cash!

 

Back home there were four of us; Dodo (Eugenie) Cleo (Cleothilde), Jan Steyn and Moi – Topsi (Pauline) we all lived through interesting time, Dodo through Cape Town University Ballet School. 

 

Cleo, the best looking one, became a gymnastic teacher; Jan Steyn de Beer could solve the local landowners soil problems and I was sitting on red rocking horses with bows in my hair.

 

Eddy was made a Judge of the Supreme Court – he was highly regarded as he spoke all the African languages, spoke Latin, wrote excellent judgements and was also concerned about the fate of the person in the dock.

 

It was in 1939 that Mother decided we should live in town (Bloemfontein) and not several miles out of town on a farm, which had meant continual backwards and forwards travel for both parents. A house was bought and christened “Vergenoed” at 1 Essex Street, a lovely Tudor – styled house with a wooden sate roof. And every 6 months. Mother planted another tree – we had Jacarandas, Persimmons, Quinces, Pomegranates, a small vineyard and a veggie garden – while all the time my father climbed the legal ladder to become Judge President of the Free State and Dolli’s social duties increased a pace, which she never complained about. We all seemed to grow up very quickly moved into adulthood, gathering knowledge, friends and expanding our interests.

 

Where did my first 21 years go? I got married amid howls of disapproval – so I packed my bags and disappeared to Joeys where all my best friends were living. I found a mentor, Rita Elferint and a job. Rita taught me discipline in the workplace and I joined the National Council for the Care of Cripples. Shades of my mother! I learnt how to cope with the media, photographers et.al.

 

Then I was made an offer by the Dried Fruit Control Board and for the next 20 years I grew into the wonders of living with food. But in between dried apricots and brandy soaked prunes I got married to Pieter Venter, an extremely hands on and likeable man. He was the ex-husband of the now famous Ingrid Jonker. Their daughter Simone soon became a permanent member of our family and when our daughter Danielle was born in 1964 the two girls bonded with only 7 years difference between them, and Simone spent a further 10 years with us. Our cottage in Craighall in Johannesburg became a mecca for writers, poets and those treading the boards. Every Friday night we did a dinner for 8 – 10 guests and my food became quite the talking point.

 

The years went past happily – Danielle was an excellent scholar and a fine horse rider. Simone enjoyed her ballet and we hoped she would stay in that direction professionally. Piet and I grew apart and we separated when Daniele was 12. But the Dried Fruit Board kept me very busy with banquets for the Oppenheimer’s Art Exhibitions for Walter Battiss and lectures in Pitsonderwater. When Piet died Danielle was in Matric and the next year 1983 she gone to study law in Stellenbosch, insisting that I come to the Cape too.

 

And all the food people who came forward to help! The remarkable Annette Kesler of Fair Lady showed me the ropes, even how to cook in the middle of a mielie field, and how to get Billie Gallagher, surrounded by red roses and the biggest platter of rare roast beef, to smile!

 

And all the remarkable functions we arranged. Eventually all the ‘ pushers and pullers’ in the food world decided “Restaurant Time” and two hours before I opened the doors at 133 Hatfield Street, in Gardens in Cape Town, Annette named it ‘ Hatfield House’.

 

After that came John Jackson’s and Keith Blake’s newly restored ‘Valkenburg Manor House’ with ‘Rosenfontein’ and the ‘Wild Fig’, which I originated. Then came the move to Paarl and the beautiful guest house called ‘Roggeland’. Then a time with Hannes at Meerlust before moving on to Franschhoek and opening ‘TOPSI’S’ where my daughter Danielle has spent many happy years cooking expertly with me and to whom I have now handed the restaurant to her to cherish and guard. How privileged I’ve been to have all these wonderful opportunities!

A few leaves from ‘Fooding about with Topsi’ to savour.

 

FLOWERS OF THE COURGETTE

 

 

2 flowers per person as starter
2 egg yolks
540 ml iced water
260 g plain flour
4 cups (1 litre) peanut or canola oil

 

 

Try and find courgette flowers with a small fruit still attached. The flowers stay fresher while still attached. Blow onto and inside the flowers in case of lurking insects. Ten minutes before serving, heat oil in heavy pot. To make the batter, break yolks into a jug, pour the water on top and mix with a pair of chopsticks. Sift flour onto a large piece of paper. Pour this into the jug all at once and prod and mix the batter for no more than 10 seconds. It should be lumpy with unmixed flour floating around on top. If you want a feather - light batter, that’s the way it should be! To test the oil, drop a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it rises spinning to the surface, the oil is ready. 

 

Dip flowers one at a time into the batter and allow much of it to run off into the jug. Carefully slide the flower into the oil and cook until golden, then flip over with chopsticks and cook the second side. Remove a tray line with crumpled paper towels. Continue until all flowers are cooked. Serve just as they are all done. It is the best way to appreciate the flavour. maybe served with a homemade mayonnaise with a touch of mustard.

 

‘A toast to Topsi, that inimitable doyenne of South African
 cuisine, to all the artists who contributed to this book, and
to the winemakers whose wines will serve to enhance
your pleasure’  by Gerrie Wagner - Winecorp 

 

VENISON MEDALLIONS WITH A STUFFING OF WALNUTS AND ORANGE RIND 

 

Walnut Stuffing:
60 g butter
2 onions, finely chopped
100 g walnuts, finely chopped
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
30 ml grated orange rind
50 ml port

 

Venison:
6x 200 g thick venison medallions
wholegrain mustard
coarse black pepper
olive oil
butter

 

Melt butter, add onions and cook slowly until soft, not brown. Remove from heat, add walnuts and beaten eggs. Return to heat and when mixture thickens, add parsley, orange rind and Port stirring well to blend. Allow to cool slightly. 

 

Cut a lengthwise slit in the Venison medallions. Rub inside and outside with a good mustard and black pepper. Fill the pockets with a little stuffing and tie with string. Put medallions in a large saucepan, brush with olive oil and brown. Put the saucepan into a pre-heated oven at 150ºC and cook slowly for 20 minutes. 

 

Keep testing all the time because the meat must be rare to just medium. Let it rest in the warm oven for 5 minutes. (If your guests prefer medium to well done, serve them chicken!) .You need to serve the venison with either a Potato and Cream Bake or with Tagliatelle tossed with cream and port.   

 

HOT BANANAS IN RUM

 

9 bananas, peeled and thickly sliced diagonally
120 g brown sugar
310 ml orange juice
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1/2 cinnamon stick, in small pieces
45 ml brown sherry
60 ml red rum
30 ml butter

 

Place banana pieces in buttered oven dish. Pour over juice and liquor. Sprinkle with sugar and spices. Dot with butter pieces. Bake slowly in an oven at 120ºC, basting occasionally until soft. Remove bananas from dish onto warm plates. Pour sauce into pan and boil rapidly to reduce a little. Serve with a nutty ice cream or even a banana ice cream. Pour the hot sauce over and around the bananas. Garnish and serve at once.

 

We have tried this dish using Van der Hum and a sprinkling of dried ‘naartjie’ (clementine or tangerine peel) - equally good and ‘baie smaaklik’.

‘Fooding about with Topsi’ is the first edition of a proposed international series of cookbooks. Every book will have a specific theme: exploring the atmosphere of a certain city, comparing similar locations, revealing more about a specific personality colour or ingredient. ‘Fooding about…’ joins together the art of food, wine and paper.

 

For this reason, cook-ups were held at the Eie Ruimte Publishing House - evenings of inspiration for 26 artists who observed Topsi at work as she put her recipes to the test. 

 

 

Published by Eie Ruimte Publishing 

Photography by John Blignaut
Artists illustrations by Marike Kruger, Peter van Straten,
Beezy Bailey, Wendy Malan, Lyn Smuts, Vicki Cruywagen, Lyndi Sales