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CAPE TOWN
FOOD
The way we
eat in Cape Town today
by
Phillippa Cheifitz
Photography by Jac de Villiers
  
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"There are many beautiful places in the world, but having travelled
east and west and lived north, I believe that there is no other city as exquisite as Cape
Town," says Phillippa Cheifitz, well known South African food
writer.
In Cape Town
Food, Phillippa has shared with us the most delightful account of
living and eating in
this enchanting setting, a city which has a long and fascinating history. Phillippa
conveys in her book the sense of ease and relaxation that the Cape is
known for. A pace of living and eating that meanders rather than rushes.
A city where you can experience the tranquility of the winelands and the
serenity of seascapes all within a few lazy hours.
Phillippa Cheifitz
leads us through a style of eating that reflects the myriad and diverse strands of a food culture, brought
to the Cape by settler's that arrived in successive waves over the centuries.
The Portuguese, Dutch, British, French Huguenots and of course the spice
was added by the Malays and Indonesians.
Cape Town Food
has cleverly been divided into chapters that offer 'catch of the day',
'the market place', recipes using our youthful but high quality
olive oil, cheeses, intriguing spices, historical vineyards and
naturally includes 'the great outdoors' in a capricious but
blissful climate. Recipes mirror the broad picture of leisurely dining at a Cape
Town table.
SHOWCOOK has chosen
dishes from 'between the vines', a chapter that brings South
Africa's great Constantia vineyards into focus.
 BETWEEN THE
VINES
It is recorded that on 2 February 1659 wine was made for
the first time in the Cape. Jan van Riebeeck was delighted with the way grapes
flourished. Varieties from all over the world were successfully grown, and Van
Riebeeck himself developed the still much-loved hanepoot grape, with its
honey-sweet distinctive flavour. The expertise of both Simon van der Stel, who
came as governor in 1679, and the French Huguenots, in 1688, did much to improve
the quality of wine. Visitors to the Cape praised the Constantia wines. One
reads of their popularity in England in the novels of Jane Austen, and Napoleon
is said to have enjoyed Constantia wine during his exile on St Helena. Today
South African wines hold their own internationally, winning awards and
increasing export orders.
roast duck with
sultana grapes and hanepoot sauce
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duck (about 2 kg)
salt and milled black pepper
1 onion, peeled and quartered
a few sprigs each celery and parsley
1 cup sultana grapes
for the duck stock
1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 stick celery, all roughly chopped
oil
giblets and wing tips (from duck)
2 cups water
a few sprigs parsley
for the sauce
4 Tbsp runny honey
6 Tbsp wine vinegar
1 cup duck stock
2 Tbsp cornflour
4 Tbsp brandy
1 cup unsweetened hanepoot grape juice
1 cup sweet hanepoot wine
Remove any visible fat from the duck. Prick well. Season inside and
out. Fill the cavity with onion and herbs. Place the bird breast-side up
on an oiled rack in a roasting pan. Pour water into the bottom of the pan
to prevent smoking. Roast at 220°C for 30 minutes, then reduce to 190°C.
Turn the duck over, prick again and roast for 1 hour. |
Remove from the oven and
drain the fat and water. This may be prepared in advance.
About 45 minutes before
serving, quarter the duck, discarding the backbone and flavourings, and
place it skin-side up in an ovenproof dish. Pour over sauce and roast at
200°C for 30 minutes, basting, until the meat is tender and the skin
golden and crisp. Add grapes 5-10 minutes before cooking time ends.
For the stock, soften
the vegetables in a little oil. Add the giblets and wing tips, and cook
until nicely browned. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer
gently for 1 hour. Strain and set aside. Check seasoning.
For the sauce, boil
honey and vinegar in a heavy saucepan until syrupy. Remove from heat and
add stock, stirring constantly. Mix the cornflour and brandy to a smooth
paste and stir into the sauce. Still stirring, simmer until the sauce
thickens. Stir in the grape juice and wine and bring to the boil. Reduce
slightly. Add seasoning to taste. Check that the sauce is pleasantly sweet
and sour, adding lemon juice, if necessary.
for 4
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guinea fowl and red cabbage casserole
Try pheasant when in season,
as a change from guinea fowl. |
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1 guinea fowl with giblets, cleaned and trimmed
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and milled black pepper
4 rashers rindless streaky bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
3 or 4 sprigs parsley, chopped
3 or 4 sprigs thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups chicken stock
grated nutmeg
2-3 juniper berries or allspice
1 stick cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp butter
for serving
roasted potatoes
for garnishing
fresh thyme |
Remove the backbone of the bird and chop into 2 or 3 pieces. Cut the
bird into 4 portions and brown in oil in a heavy casserole. Remove and
season. Brown the liver, backbone pieces and giblets, remove and set
aside.
Add bacon, vegetables and herbs to the casserole and cook, stirring
now and again, until very soft, adding a little more oil if necessary.
Stir in the garlic. Return the browned portions and giblets to
casserole. Add cabbage wedges (packing in tightly), bay leaf and a
little seasoning. Pour over wine and stock. Add the spices. Sprinkle the
sugar and vinegar over the cabbage. Dot cabbage with butter, cover
tightly and bake at 190°C for about 1 hour or until tender. Remove
giblets and backbone bits, and discard along with whole spices.
Remove bird and cabbage to heated platter and keep warm. Add chopped
liver to sauce. Purée sauce and reduce over a high heat to a suitable
consistency. Check seasoning. Spoon over portions. Serve with roasted
potatoes and garnish with thyme.
for 2-4
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roast quails with baked pumpkin polenta
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8 oven-ready quails
salt and milled black pepper
fresh sage leaves
8 bay leaves
1 onion, thinly sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, smashed
olive oil
runny honey
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry wine
for serving
baked pumpkin polenta
rocket leaves
Wash the quails and dry very well. Season inside and out and stuff each
one with fresh sage leaves, a bay leaf, some thinly sliced onion and
garlic. Rub with olive oil and arrange in an oiled roasting pan,
breast-side up. Roast at 230 C for 15 minutes.
Drizzle with a little honey and pour over the stock and wine. Roast for
a further 10-15 minutes, basting once or twice, or until nicely browned
and tender. Serve with pumpkin polenta and rocket leaves.
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for the baked pumpkin polenta
500 g peeled and chopped pumpkin
3 cups chicken stock
grated nutmeg
salt and milled black pepper
1 cup instant polenta
olive oil
Simmer the pumpkin in the stock with a grating of nutmeg and some
seasoning, covered until tender. Drain, but reserve the stock to make the
polenta.
Make up the polenta according to packet instruction. Mash the pumpkin
and mix together with the cooked polenta. Check seasoning and turn into an
oiled baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 230°C for about 30
minutes, or until golden.
for 4-6
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braised lamb shanks with pinotage
Pinotage is South Africa's 'own' grape variety -
a cross between Cinsaut and Pinot Noir
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8 lamb shanks
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and milled black pepper
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 or 2 carrots, finely chopped
1 or 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 or 2 sprigs rosemary
1 stick cinnamon
3 cups beef or chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 piece dried naartjie peel
2 cups pinotage
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 or 2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup seedless raisins, soaked overnight in
brandy to cover
fresh herbs for garnishing
Wipe the meat with a damp, clean cloth, then pat dry.
using a heavy casserole, brown the meat in batches in 2 Tbsp oil. Remove
and season lightly.
Reduce heat, pour off the fat, and add the remaining oil,
onions, carrots, celery, rosemary and cinnamon. Cook gently for 10-15
minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and pale golden, adding a little
stock if necessary.
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Stir in the garlic and naartjie peel. Pour in the wine and bring to a bubble.
Allow to boil and reduce slightly. In a small saucepan stir the sugar
with 2 Tbsp water until dissolved. Allow to boil for barely a minute
until slightly syrupy, then remove from heat and add the vinegar.
Return the lamb and any accumulated juice to the casserole. Add the
stock, tomato paste and caramel-vinegar mixture and bring to a simmer.
If necessary add more wine or stock to cover. Cover with a sheet of
oiled greaseproof paper and lid and bake at 160°C for 1½ hours. Add
the brandied raisins and cook, covered, for another 30 minutes, or until
the meat is meltingly tender.
Remove the lamb and keep warm. Discard the rosemary, cinnamon and
peel. reduce the cooking liquids on the stove top, to intensify the
flavour. taste for seasoning and sweet-sour balance. Adjust if
necessary. Return the lamb to the casserole and reheat gently before
serving. Garnish with herbs. Serve with mashed potatoes (enriched with
butter and flavoured with orange juice) and a mix of steamed greens.
for 8
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