PUMPKIN, SPINACH
& PARSNIP TAGINE
With Chermoula Couscous Fritters
The
Palace, Executive Chef Peter Washbourne
A tagine
can be prepared with meat, fish or vegetables. A stew, named
after the earthenware pot it is cooked in. This vegetarian version is
spiced with harissa, a hot condiment that adds real zest to dishes.
2
tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
1½ tsp harissa
1 tbsp tomato purée
350 g parsnip
400 g canned chopped tomatoes, drained
450 ml chicken or vegetable stock
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to
garnish
150 g fresh spinach, washed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chermoula
Fritters:
50 g couscous
100 ml hot water
25 g fresh coriander
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp pine kernels, toasted
50 g feta cheese, finely dices
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
150 g fine white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp plain flour
vegetable oil for deep frying
(Serves 4)
Heat the
oil in a large pan, add the onion, garlic, ground coriander, cumin and
pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes over a moderate heat until just beginning
to brown. Add the harissa and tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes. Add the
parsnips, stir well and cook for a further 2 minutes, then stir in the
chopped tomatoes, stock and fresh coriander. Bring to the boil, reduce the
heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until tender and
the sauce has thickened. Add the spinach and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Fritters:
Place the couscous in a large bowl and pour over the hot water.
Leave to soak for 10 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed, and
then fluff up with a fork. Place the coriander and garlic in a small
blender with the olive oil and spices and process to a thick purée. Add to
the couscous, along with the toasted pine kernels and feta. Season to
taste and bind with half the beaten egg and half the breadcrumbs to form a
firm mixture. Shape into 12 small balls. Dip each one into the flour, then
into the remaining beaten egg, and finally into the remaining breadcrumbs,
ensuring that they are evenly coated.
Heat
some oil for deep-frying until it is hot enough for a small cube of bread
to turn golden in 1 minute. Add the fritters a few at a time and fry for 3
minutes, until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm
while you fry the rest.
Serve
the tagine with the couscous fritters, garnished with fresh coriander.
BUTTERNUT & WILD MUSHROOM
LASAGNA
(Not illustrated)
The
Palace
900 g
butternut, peeled, halved lengthways, seeded and sliced into
thin crescents
20 ml olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 ml generous basil pesto
600 g mushrooms, any combination (200 g each oyster, porcini and button)
170 g lasagne sheets
20 g garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 ml tamari or soy sauce
120 ml crème fraîche
600 g spinach
30 g Parmesan grated
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
60 g Gruyère or Emmenthal finely grated
Begin
by roasting the butternut squash slices in a preheated oven at 230°C
using 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. They
should be tender and gently caramelised around the edge in about 20
minutes. Allow them to cool for
just a few minutes before gently turning in the pesto.
Meanwhile cook the pasta sheets in plenty of salted, oiled boiling
water, following manufacturer’s instructions.
When
the pasta is ready, lift it out carefully and lie flat on a board, ideally
lined with baking paper. Keep
the sheets covered with more paper or a damp tea towel until you are ready
to assemble the lasagne. Slice the
cleaned mushrooms and fry them in 1 tbsp olive oil with two-thirds of the
thinly chopped garlic and tamari.
When
they are cooked and releasing some of their juices, add 1 tbsp crème fraîche
and simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce. Set
aside. Wilt the spinach (no liquid
added) over a gentle heat. Then
cool and press out the excess liquid. Add grated Parmesan,
remaining garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper and 4 tbsp crème fraîche.
Preheat
the oven to 190°C. To assemble the
dish, place about two-thirds of the roasted butternut squash on the bottom
of an ovenproof dish about 20 x 16 cm. Cover this with 2 sheets of lasagne.
Continue,
alternating the different vegetables with the pasta. Reserve a little of each vegetable as you go.
Now cover the top sheet of pasta with these and the remaining 3 tbsp
crème fraîche. Cover with the
grated Gruyère or Emmenthal and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes
until the cheese is gently melted and golden.
Serve with a fresh green salad.
STUFFED
QUAILS
La
Residence, Johan de Villiers
6 deboned
quails
4 Granny Smith apples
1 stick celery with leaves
juice and peel of 1 lemon
50 g hazelnuts
nutmeg
sea salt and milled black pepper
250 ml dry white wine
Stuffing:
Peel apples and dice. Moisten with lemon
juice. Dice celery stalk and leaves. Toast hazelnuts in a dry pan, cool
and chop coarsely. Combine with the lemon peel and a
grating of nutmeg. Season the quails with salt and pepper. Fill the
cavities of the quails, shaping the breasts neatly. Skewer to secure the cavity
openings.
Arrange
the quails in an ovenproof dish. Cross the legs and secure. Pour white wine over the birds, cover with a lid or foil and
place in the oven at 200°C. Baste after
twenty minutes. Cook for 45 minutes keeping them covered. Cook uncovered
for further 45 minutes, basting frequently.
The
juices will reduce while the quail brown beautifully. If necessary the
juices can be reduced further and then enriched with cream or butter added.
Serve the quail on a bed of fluffed up cous-cous.
SAVARINS
La
Residence, Johan de Villiers
300
g flour
4 tbsp warm water
15 g compressed yeast or 2 tsp dried
4 eggs
25 g sugar
5 ml salt
150 g unsalted butter, softened
Syrup:
250 g sugar
600 ml water
juice and peel of half a lemon
Sift
flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in warm water.
Sprinkle yeast over the water and allow to stand for 5 minutes, or until
yeast is dissolved. Add beaten eggs, sugar and salt, stir using a wooden
spoon,
gradually drawing in the flour to form a smooth dough. Flour your hands
and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until dough is very elastic. Cover bowl and
stand in a warm place for three quarters to one hour or until doubled in
bulk.
Set
the oven at 200ºC. Beat the softened butter into the risen dough until
dough is smooth. Fill the mould (or 10 mini-moulds) by one third, cover
with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 - 35 minutes, or
until risen to the top. Bake in the heated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or
until the savarin is brown and shrinks from the sides of the pan.
N.B:
Reduce time drastically for mini-moulds. The savarin can be baked ahead
and stored for up to 3 days. A few hours before serving, warm it to be
tepid in the oven and soak with the syrup.
Syrup:
Heat the sugar in water until dissolved,
bring to boil, add lemon peel and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the
heat, add lemon juice and, if possible, place savarin in the very hot
syrup in the saucepan, spooning the syrup up over the savarin to absorb
as much as possible. If the savarin cannot be placed directly into the
hot syrup, put it (or them!) on a rack over a tray and keep spooning the
hot syrup over, reheating any that falls into the tray, until all the
syrup is absorbed - the savarin will swell and become very shiny. Serve
with fresh fruit and crème fraîche.
STRAWBERRY
CHEESECAKE
Cybele
Forest Lodge & Spa, Executive Chef Vivia Weimar
150 g
castor sugar
juice and zest of 4 lemons
500 g mascarpone cheese
2 egg yolks
250 ml fresh cream
3 tbsp/75 g/6 leaves gelatine
5 ml vanilla essence
250 g fresh strawberries, chopped in quarters
Crust:
Crush a packet of Digestive biscuits and mix with 150 ml melted butter and
press into a greased 23 cm pie dish.
Mixture:
Mix castor sugar,
lemon juice and zest, egg yolk and mascarpone cheese in electric mixer.
Mix gelatine with 3-4 tbsp water and dissolve over low heat Add
dissolved gelatine slowly to cheese mixture, then add the cream and
vanilla essence, mix well, then add the strawberries. Pour into crust and
chill in refrigerator until set.
Optional:
Add one can of
strawberries, drained and blended before adding the fresh strawberries,
this will add flavour and colour to your dessert.
Viva
Weimar used individual moulds for her dessert but the strawberry
cheesecake is equally successful prepared this way.
HONEYMOON
LEMON
CAKE
Cybele
Forest Lodge & Spa, Executive Chef Vivia Weimar
375
ml castor sugar
3 large eggs
160 ml vegetable oil
375 g cake flour
7.5 ml baking powder
2 ml salt
5 ml vanilla essence
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
Oven
on at 190ºC. Line and butter an 18 cm cake pan. Beat eggs and castor sugar until light and
fluffy using an electric beater. Gradually slowly add oil, cake flour
sifted with baking powder and salt. Add vanilla essence and lemon peel. Pour into the cake
pan and place in 190ºC pre-heated oven. Turn down the
temperature to 180ºC. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the cake
loosens from the edges of the cake pan. Remove from oven.
Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then turn cake out onto a cooling rack and
allow to cool before decorating.
Lemon
Frosting:
100 g softened butter
500 ml icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
5 ml vanilla essence
2 drops egg yellow food colouring
200 ml cream, whipped
2 tsp lemon peel
Beat the butter and icing sugar until light and
fluffy. Add lemon juice, vanilla essence and lemon juice. Fold in the
whipped cream and the lemon peel. Smooth over the icing and
finish with fresh flowers.
PEA
SOUP
Zimbali
Lodge, Executive Chef Phil Alcock
500
g peas
10 ml olive oil
100 g onion
1 tsp crushed garlic
10 g mint
750 ml vegetable stock
100 ml cream
1 tsp salt
(Serves 4-6)
Gently
warm olive oil in a saucepan, add onions and garlic and gently cook
without colouring for a 2 - 3 minutes until onions are translucent. Add vegetable stock and
bring to the boil. Add peas and mint and cook for 1 minute then season.
Blend in a liquidizer and pass through a fine sieve and chill quickly.
To serve place soup in a pan, bring to the boil, add cream and re-boil
for a minute or two then season. Pour soup into warm bowls and slip a poached egg
on each serving.
VEGETABLE
CURRY
Zimbali
Lodge, Executive Chef Phil Alcock
100 ml olive oil
20 g turmeric
40 g medium curry powder
60 g tamarind
40 g masala
20 g garlic
500 g tinned plum tomatoes
100
g button mushrooms
100 g baby marrows
200 g potato
120 g onion
120 g cauliflower
100 g broccoli
60 g green pepper
20 g fresh coriander
4 Roti
4 Papadums
400 g cooked braised rice
For
fish curry substitute vegetable for 600 - 800 g fish.
Heat
olive oil in a pan add all the spices and cook over low heat for 3 - 4
minutes.
Add garlic and tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes
stirring occasionally. Cook all vegetables separately. Boil salted water
when cooking reserve to one side. To serve, reheat curry base add
vegetables, bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes. Add fresh coriander
and serve with Roti and Papadums with braised rice.
To make curry milder in taste add
a large spoon of natural
yogurt and to increase heat add chopped red chillies.
COCONUT
AND RUM PANNA COTTA
Zimbali
Lodge, Executive Chef Phil Alcock
400
ml coconut milk
60 g sugar
5 ml vanilla essence
60 ml rum
2 tbsp or 4 leaves gelatine
Poached fruits:
200 ml water
100 g sugar
5 ml vanilla
8 litchis
1 peach
½ mango
8 strawberries
1 kiwi
(Serves
4)
Bring
coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and rum to the boil and remove from heat.
Soak gelatine in a little water to soften and stir in hot coconut milk
mixture until thoroughly dissolved. Pour into wetted moulds and
leave to set refrigerated for 6 hours.
Poached fruits: Bring
water, sugar and vanilla to the boil. Leave to cool. Peel and slice
fruits. Pour cooled sugar syrup over
fruits. Refrigerate.
To
serve, unmould and spoon the fruits around the panna cottas.
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TO HONEYMOONS
Production
SHOWCOOK.COM
Photography Franz
Lauinger
