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AT HOME WITH GARTH

In a new series on SHOWCOOK, Garth Stroebel, one of a small band of South Africa's leading chefs, both respected and admired throughout the industry, takes us on a culinary journey.

BILTONG-FLAVOURED SPRINGBOK LOIN
set on a potato and butternut cake

‘Biltong, the air-dried meat that’s integral to the South African way of life, inspired this flavourful recipe – which is bound to please local palates! Cardamom, coriander and juniper, pulverized in a pestle and mortar, give the dish its characteristic biltong taste; the potato-butternut cake and beetroot jus add earthy sweetness and colour.’

30 ml freshly ground black pepper
15 ml juniper berries
5 ml cardamom seeds
15 ml coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic
4 x 130 g cleaned springbok loins
100 g butter
1 bok choy, halved and leaves separated
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
50 g red onion marmalade*
crispy fried onions and
rosemary to garnish

Potato and butternut cakes:
400 g potatoes, unpeeled
100 g butternut, peeled, cut into
1 cm cubes and cooked
zest of 1 lemon, caramelized
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
flour for coating
2 eggs, beaten
fresh white breadcrumbs from
1⁄3 loaf of bread, crusts removed
125 ml beaten rice (available from most Indian food stores)
100 ml clarified butter

Beetroot jus:
200 ml venison jus*
80 g cooked beetroot, cut into
1 cm cubes and caramelized

Serves 4

For the springbok:
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Using a mortar and pestle, grind together the pepper, juniper berries, cardamom, coriander seeds and garlic. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Seal the springbok loins in a little of the butter in a hot pan, then season with the spice mixture. Place in a roasting pan and roast for about 6 minutes until medium-rare. Any remaining spice mixture can be kept in a sealed jar for later use.

For the bok choy:
In a pan, sauté the bok choy in the remaining butter for 2 minutes, and add seasoning. Set aside until needed.

For the potato and butternut cakes:
Boil the potatoes in sufficient water to cover for about 20 minutes or until soft. Peel, cut into quarters and mash. Add the butternut and caramelized zest to the mashed potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roll the mixture in your hands to form 5 cm diameter cakes. They should be about 2 cm thick. Leave to cool in the refrigerator. Remove and roll in flour. Brush with beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs mixed with beaten rice. Fry the cakes in clarified butter until golden brown and crispy.

For the beetroot jus:
Prepare the venison jus and add the cubed beetroot to make the sauce.

For the final presentation:
Place a potato-butternut cake in the centre of each plate and spoon some red onion marmalade on top of it. Remove the bok choy from the pan and place it on top of the marmalade. Slice each loin lengthways into four slices and stack on top of the bok choy. Drizzle the plate with the heated beetroot jus and garnish with crispy fried onion rings and sprig of rosemary. Roasted root vegetables are a great accompaniment for this dish.

RED ONION MARMALADE

8 red onions, peeled and sliced into rings
50 ml olive oil
300 ml red wine vinegar
500 ml red wine
400 g sugar
4 bay leavers
a small handful star anise
6 whole cloves
10 ml coriander seeds
4 sticks cinnamon
½ head garlic
½ handful fresh thyme

Fry onions in a saucepan in the olive oil. Add the vinegar, red wine and sugar and bring to the boil. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the wine and vinegar have evaporated and the marmalade has thickened. Any leftovers can be bottled in a sterilized glass jar and should keep for about a month in the refrigerator.

Chef’s Note: Red onions are sometimes hard to find so white onions can be substituted. This is a relish that can be used with just about any meat and is especially good with stronger flavoured meats such as venison and game birds.

VENISON JUS

50 ml oil
500 g venison bones, chopped into 1cm pieces
200 g venison trimmings
100 g mirepoix (chopped carrots, onions, celery and leeks)
400 ml red wine
50 ml tomato paste
600 ml brown chicken stock
4 juniper berries
100 g sliced button mushrooms
30 ml redcurrant jelly
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Pour the oil over the bones and place them and the trimmings in a roasting pan. Roast the bones and trimmings for 30 minutes until dark brown. Drain the excess fat and add the diced vegetables. Return the bones and vegetables from the oven and transfer to a large saucepan on the stove on medium heat.

Use the remainder of the wine to deglaze the roasting pan on top of the stove, removing the caramelisation. Add this to the saucepan. Add the tomato paste and stir the mixture thoroughly so that so that the tomato paste browns. Add the stock and juniper berries. Leave to boil for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve or chinois. Return the sauce to the saucepan and add the sliced mushrooms and the redcurrant jelly. Bring back to the boil. Taste the sauce and season if necessary. Strain again through a fine chinois. The sauce is now ready to use.

At the South African Chefs Academy Paul Hartmann and Garth Stroebel between them have a wealth of experience and are dedicated to providing aspirant chefs with the diverse skills they will need to enter the industry.
For more on Showcook See FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Modern South African Cuisine
By Garth Stroebel
Photography by Neil Corder
Published by Struik
For further information see Cook's Corner

Do see Garth Stroebel in Altitude in-flight magazine on Nationwide Airlines.
www.altitudemag.co.za

See more At Home with Garth

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