If anyone has looked at the weather report for this weekend (in Cape Town anyway) you would’ve noticed that cold front is officially in. It’s time to break out those old soup recipes, the ones that make the cook feel like he or she is standing over a life altering cauldron.

This Tuscan-style tomato and bread soup is pretty much like a bowl of Italy in your lap. Its intense tomato flavour, whole rosa tomatoes and anchovies is set to warm you from the pit of your belly to the tip of your nose. Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C, perfect for cultivating those flu fighting antibodies.

As a side note, sauvignon blanc is a surprisingly great combo with tomato. Something quite magical happens with the acidity in the tomato and the freshly cut grass of the this varietal get together. Try it out with this dish for a winning combination.

• 500g ripe cherry tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• a large bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
• the best extra virgin olive oil you can find
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes
• 500g or 2 large handfuls of stale good-quality bread
• 8 anchovy fillets to garnish

Prick the cherry tomatoes and toss them with one sliced clove of garlic and a quarter of the basil leaves. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put them in a roasting tray and cook in the oven at 180ºC for about 20 minutes. This dehydrates the tomatoes and intensifies their flavour. They’ll punctuate the end product with deeply satisfying flavour.

Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pot and add the remaining garlic and the basil stalks. Stir around and gently fry for a minute until softened. Add your tinned tomatoes, then fill the tin with water and add that to the pot. Break the tomatoes up with a spoon, if need be, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Tear the bread up into thumb-sized pieces and add them to the pan. Mix well and season to taste. Tear in the basil leaves and let the soup sit on a low heat for 10 minutes. By this time your roasted tomatoes will be done, with juice bursting out of their skins, so remove them from the tray, remembering to scrape all the lovely sticky bits from the bottom. Pour them into the soup with all the juices, basil and oil from the tray.

Give the soup a good stir – you’re looking to achieve a thick, silky, porridgey texture, so feel free to adjust it with a little water. Then remove it from the heat and add 6 or 7 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Divide between your bowls and serve with a little extra basil torn over the top and 2 anchovy fillets per serving. The most important thing with this soup is that you have a wonderfully intense sweet tomato basil flavour.

Maple Lime dressing

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

The juice of one whole lime ( more if the lime is not juicy!)

asian pear and persimmon salad with celery leaf and blood orange dressing

blood orange over radish micro greens with shallots and white pine salt. meyer lemon walnut oil dressing

sauteed hen of the woods with fermented black garlic over chopped parsley salad with bergamont lemon and olive oil.

Pomegranates are not just those ruby beauties that float in glasses of bubbly. They’re high in vitamin C and are in season during winter. Throw a handful of seeds into yoghurt or cereal and let those tart juices fill you with goodness.

Every child’s nightmare, the wily Brussel sprout, is packed with vitamin A, C and folic acid that all boost the metabolism. Trim the outer-most leaves and roast them in the oven with whole cloves of garlic or toss them with soy sauce and match sticks of fresh ginger or, and this might be your favourite as well, fry off some lardons, parma ham or chorico and add some pecorino and salad leaves for a dish that is colourful, flavourful and simply delcious.

Kiwi’s are by far the fruit with the most character. Those soft furry skins that protect the lime green flesh add that zing to any dish or table. They’re also packed with that key ingredient, Vita-C. Use them to make homemade yoghurt, to top cheese cake or add some chopped coriander and jalapeño chilies to some diced kiwi for a rather festive salsa.

Images from Mens Health

]]> http://www.chefswarehouse.co.za/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1518 0 http://www.chefswarehouse.co.za/blog/?p=1511 http://www.chefswarehouse.co.za/blog/?p=1511#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 07:34:11 +0000 capetownchef http://www.chefswarehouse.co.za/blog/?p=1511 As the nights get longer than the days and evenings beckons for gluwein, fires and warm slippers, we begin to move back toward the home. Entertaining in a space shared by your family is a special time because the space has a natural warmth about it.

Here are few ideas for dishes that may become staples this season. They’re also all one-dish-wonders, which means less washing up.

1.Glazed Cornish Hens With Pomegranate-Rice Stuffing

2. Sardinian Spaghetti

3. Fried Fish with Smashed Chips

5. Mulled Wine

5. Guinness Sundaes

Thanks to The FoodNetwork.com for the recipes and images.

There has been much hype with the announcement of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Michelin Stars were in full flare as the judges once again chose Rene Redzepi’s Noma for its 3rd consecutive win. It really would be an interesting state of affairs if the hallowed, El Bulli, was still operational. El Bulli, as the current leader, with 4 straight wins for the Worlds number 1 restaurant has been missed in the competition. To us anyway.

Amongst the Top 100, our very own Margot Janse from The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais and Luke Dale Roberts from the Test Kitchen and The Pot Luck Club,were both placed in 57th and 74th places respectively. Congrats to you both.

Take a look at the full list here.

If there is one neighbour that knows their cuts of meat, it has to be Caveau Wine Bar and Deli. Languid afternoons spent in the courtyard with the best steak tartare in the city and a glass of well-chosen vino, really is what they’re all about.

Here are a few tips for choosing, cooking and enjoying their signature cut, Sirloin. Be warned, reading further may induce some serious cravings.

What to look for when choosing SIRLOIN as your cut of meat:

• When choosing a steak, sirloin is a fine choice due to its tasty, melt-in-the-mouth succulence. Good sirloin has just the right amount of fat and nice marbling. Look for steaks with fine texture and firm to the touch.
• Age of the steak is important, as the hanging process develops the flavour and tenderises the meat. So ask your butcher how long the beef has been hung for. As a rule, 21 days as a minimum and 35 days as a maximum is a good range to go for.
• You want the color to be a deep cherry red color, and by all means stay away from gray meat
• Look for a steak that has marbling. It is the thin threads of fat running through the meat that makes it Prime and gives it that incredible flavour (Not to be confused or mistaken for sinew) This melts when heated, helping the steak to baste itself from within as it cooks.
• A good layer of creamy-white fat around the top of sirloin steaks is essential.
• There are two different types of aging processes for meat, Dry-aging and Wet-aging. The difference being a matter of flavour and texture. However, avoid meat that has no aging and is too fresh.
• Where possible, avoid buying pre-packaged meat; rather buy fresh from the butcher counter. If you do buy packaged meat, stay away from any with excessive moisture, tears or that are past their sell by date

Five steps to cooking the perfect SIRLOIN steak:

1. Heat your griddle or frying pan over a high heat, until smoking hot.

2. Lightly brush the sirloin steak with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Don’t griddle more than two sirloins at a time, and keep them spaced well apart. If you add more than two sirloins to the pan at once, the temperature will drop and the steak will stew, rather than fry. Ensure to place the sirloin on its side first to cook the fat before grilling the rest of the steak.

4. Don’t turn the steaks until good seared markings are achieved, then turn them over and cook on the other side.

5. You must let the steak rest for about 2-3 minutes before serving, to allow the juices that have been drawn to the surface to relax back into the meat , and any excess juices to be left behind.

92 Bree Street ,Cape Town

Heritage Square

(021) 422 1367

Stefan Marais

Another one of our talented neighbours is Society Bistro on Orange Street. A mere stones throw from our wooden doors lays an oasis of French and Italian-inspired delicacies. Expect Chicken Liver Parfait, Ricotta Gnocchi and Laquered Pork Belly with orange, braised fennel and buttered mash, all served in a relaxed manner, in keeping with the ethos of bistronomy.

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

“This is one of my all time favourite recipes and I always cook this dish in the autumn and winter.” says head chef, @StefanMarais.

Recipe: Slow Braised Ox Tongue in a Parsley and Caper sauce with Dauphine potatoes

For the Tongue:

• 1 Corned Ox Tongue (You can also use fresh tongue and salt it in your own brine for a week)
• 3 Carrots
• 3 Sticks Celery
• 1 Onion
• 1 Bulb of Garlic
• 1 Small bunch of Leeks
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 10 Whole Black Peppercorns

Soak the Tongue in cold water for 2 hours, (this helps to draw out any excessive saltiness) place in a large thick bottomed pan with fresh water.  In the meantime peel and cut all your vegetables and add to the pot.  (Just cut the garlic bulb in half)  Add the bay leaf and peppercorns and place on a gentle heat.   Cover the pot and bring to a light simmer, turn the heat down slightly and let the pot gently ‘prit’ away for more or less three hours (depending on the size of the tongue)  Use a paring knife and insert into the tongue to feel if it has cooked – you want it to still be firm but soft.  Remove the pot from the stove and let the tongue cool down in the liquid.  Don’t take it out straight away as this will cause the tongue to go tough and chewy.  Once lukewarm, remove the tongue from the cooking liquor and peel.  Reserve the tongue and the cooking liquor.

For the Sauce:

• Tongue cooking liquor
• 200ml Full Cream
• 60g Capers soaked in brine
• 30g Flat leaf Parsley

Soak the Capers in fresh water for an hour to remove any excessive saltiness, then drain and reserve.  In a large pot, reduce the cooking liquid by two thirds, then add the cream and bring to the boil.  Let the sauce reduce down slightly and add the capers.  Slice the tongue into required thickness and add back into the sauce.  Roughly chop the parsley and add to the sauce just before serving.  Taste, taste, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.  (A Squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of Dijon mustard can also be added to the sauce if Capers aren’t really your thing)  Serve with Dauphine potatoes or buttery mash.

For the Dauphine Potatoes:

As their name suggests, these are royal little potatoes, try one and you’ll see why!  This makes a large enough batch to keep some in the freezer (at least a month in an airtight container) for the next time you need to impress guests or just feel like spoiling yourself

• 500g Choux pastry (see below)
• 500g Cooked Potato Puree (cook 1kg potatoes)
• 150g Corn flour
• Salt, White Pepper, Nutmeg

Pierce the skin of each potato with a fork and bake in a 160C oven until cooked through. Scrape the potato out and pass through a sieve or moulis.  Weigh out 500g of Potato Puree and 500g of Choux pastry and fold together.  Season to taste with salt, white pepper and freshly ground Nutmeg.  If you want to be cheffy, Quenelle the potato with two spoons and roll in corn flour. If you don’t want to get all fancy, just roll the mixture into balls and roll in the corn flour.  Deep fry when needed.  (If you are freezing them – deep fry straight from frozen at around 170°C)

To make quenelles: Take a scoop with one teaspoon, and then pass it into the next spoon by turning it over against one another. Continue turning the spoons to shape a neat 3 sided oval (a quenelle)

Choux Pastry

• 500ml Water
• 125g Butter
• 250g Flour
• 7 Eggs each

Place the water and butter in a pot and bring to a boil.  Sift in the flour and cook mixture out for at least 7 minutes on a medium heat until it just starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.  Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the eggs one by one.   Remove from the pot and cover with cling film.

Stef might’ve wanted to lead with this but I think we all understand what he means. “I know it seems like a lot of work, but really it isn’t. This is a great dinner party dish because you can get all your ducks in a row well in advance.  Make the potatoes a week or two before and keep in the freezer, cook the tongue the day before, get the sauce ready.  All you need to do on the night is slice the tongue, finish off the sauce and fry the potatoes!  Any leftover tongue on a sarnie with some mustard, pickles and tomato is a treat!  If the weather turns hot all of a sudden, serve with salsa verde and a simple potato salad…yum!”. Really does sound deelishss. Thanks Stef.

In keeping with our locavouring theme, one of our friendly neighbours are the people that keep us in good supply some of thee finest craft beer. Brewers&Union, or  &union to the locals, that flock there every other night of the week to listen to bands with folky melodies played in admirably tight jeans that are colour coded with their shoes and artistically groomed facial hair. Yes, it’s a hipster hot spot on Bree Steet.

Even if you aren’t part of the circles of hipster cool kid, it’s a great place to have a beer and of course, a snack. The newest addition to their menu is the Classic Chicken Mayo sandwich that’s served on a Kitka bun, which is slightly sweet to compliment the apple smoked free range chicken breasts. Add to that, lashings of free range homemade mayo,  thinly sliced tomato and some baby leaves and everyone’s happy.

If you aren’t satisfied with the image (yum) and the description (double yum), take a look at the video here

Another way to decrease that foot print is to eat and support local restaurants and food suppliers. In simple terms, you drive less so you spend less on the overall experience as well as generating a sense of community in your neighbourhood.

We’ve decided to do exactly that, support our friends who’ve set up shop just down the way. Frankie Fenner was our first and in the next few weeks we will be posting recipes and info about Jason Bakery, Caveau, Brewers and Union, Society Bistro and many more. So keep reading for the inside scoop…

While there are always lots of sugary treats going ’round at Easter time, there is always room for more. This recipe for vanilla sugar biscuits from Roxanne Floquet, dear friend and brilliant cake designer, bring back those childlike wiles.

Ingredients:

800g cake flour

200g cornflour

500g salted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

300g castor sugar

200g icing sugar

3 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract / seeds

Method:

1.)   Mix the butter, castor sugar, icing sugar & vanilla together until just combined.

2.)   Gradually add the eggs.

3.)   Add the flour and bring the mix together until just combined. Don’t overwork the mix, wrap it in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.

4.)   Roll the cookies to 4mm thickness & cut out your desired shapes, chill for at least half an hour and bake at 175ºC for 10-14 minutes until the edges have just browned.

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

40g egg white powder or 9 egg whites (skip step one of the method)

250ml water

1.7 kg – 2kg icing sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Drop of lemon juice

Method:

1.)   Mix the water slowly into the sifted egg white powder with a whisk making sure that there are no lumps.

2.)   Place 1.7kg of the icing sugar into a clean dry mixing bowl and add all of the egg white mixture through a sieve.

3.)   Mix on the lowest speed for 3-4 minutes.

4.)   Check the consistency. Add more icing sugar if the mixture looks too soft.

5.)   Mix for another 2 minutes until the icing reaches stiff-peak consistency.

6.)   Place into a grease-free container, cover with a damp cloth and an airtight lid or cling film.

7.)   Store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Remember to defrost before using.

Biscuit Decorating Method

- Start piping the outline of the biscuit with a semi-stiff consistency icing lifting the nozzle & letting the icing fall out of the bag in the direction you guide it. To end, release the pressure so that the icing stops flowing out of the bag before you reach your end point and then place the nozzle or tip of the bag down again, otherwise you’ll end up with a big blob of icing at the end of the line.

- For the outline of the biscuits you will need a semi-stiff consistency icing. Spoon out a small amount of icing onto a flat sheet and adjust the consistency of the icing by dipping a small palette knife into a measuring jug of water, adding a few drops at a time to the icing. Add your desired food colour at this point and paddle the icing back and forth so that it is thoroughly mixed. Using the palette knife, gather up the icing and place it into your piping bag on the opposite side of the bag to where the seam of the bag is, otherwise you will unravel your bag.

- Snip the tip off your piping bag using sharp scissors creating a small hole, being sure not to cut it skew or the icing will come out skew. The line of icing that you pipe out of the bag should measure about 2mm in order to create a good border around the edge of the biscuit. If your line is too thin then the runnier icing you use to fill the space inside will flood over the edge of the biscuit.

- Once the border is dry you are able to fill in the biscuit using a runnier consistency of royal icing, simply by adding more water to your icing. You can use piping bags or plastic bottles to store the “flooding” icing.

- Allow the flooding icing to dry completely (at least half a day) before piping detail with a stiffer consistency on top.