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IN VOGUE

FOOD STYLING DEPENDS ON COLOUR. VIVID REDS, BRIGHT YELLOW OR ORANGE AND THEN THE POP OF GREEN. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REMOVE THOSE VIBRANT ELEMENTS? AND THE QUESTION REMAINS: IS THE FOOD AS TASTY?

It’s well known that you eat with your eyes first. I’m a huge advocate for “eating the rainbow”, but in this issue I’m deviating from my usual style to try something a little different – dishes of the monochromatic variety!

On the savoury side I’ve put together a wholesome chicken bowl which I believe answers the question of tastiness versus visual appeal. What it lacks in colour it makes up for in flavour thanks to the delicious macadamia dukkah and punchy Dijon vinaigrette that are added to the dish. In fact, double up the quantities of these when you are making it and keep the leftovers in the fridge to add to your salads! Serve this chicken bowl up as a filling, healthy lunch or as a light and easy supper. And you cannot underestimate the impact that the dark rice has!

Dessert is a true two tone affair and I’ve used charcoal to colour the digestive style cookies for these black and white s’mores. (It does make baking them a little tricky, as you can’t use the colour of the cookie to help gauge whether they’re done, but check for a set centre and edges and you’ll be good to go.) These are grown up s’mores with a dark chocolate and marshmallow filling. And don’t worry if you don’t have the braai going – you can toast the marshmallows over a gas flame, or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds until they’re deliciously gooey. Enjoy!

CHICKEN AND RICE SALAD BOWL Serves 2

FOR THE MACADAMIA DUKKAH: 45 ml macadamias 15 ml flaked almonds 10 ml white sesame seeds 5 ml black sesame seeds 5 ml ground cumin 1.25 ml ground coriander Pinch of salt

FOR THE DIJON VINAIGRETTE: 30 ml apple cider vinegar 60 ml olive oil 10 ml Dijon mustard 1.25 ml garlic paste Salt and pepper to taste

TO ASSEMBLE: 2 cups small cauliflower florets Olive oil for drizzling Salt 2 free range chicken breast fillets 125 ml black rice, cooked

1 Start by making the dukkah. Place all of the dukkah ingredients in a food processor and blitz until combined and finely chopped. Set aside. 2 Place all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Alternatively place the ingredients in a jar, pop the lid on and shake vigorously for a few seconds to combine. Set aside. 3 Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a small baking tray with baking paper. Arrange the cauliflower on the tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Roast the cauliflower for 30 minutes. 4 While the cauliflower is roasting prepare the chicken. Coat the chicken fillets lightly in the macadamia dukkah. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the fillets until cooked through. 5 Divide the black rice between two bowls. Slice the chicken fillets and arrange on the rice along with the roasted cauliflower. Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with extra dukkah before serving.

Teresa Ulyate is a multi-tasking working mom who juggles a job, children and a blog cupcakesandcouscous.com

CHARCOAL S’MORES Makes 10

250ml whole meal wheat flour 30ml activated charcoal 2.5ml baking powder 60ml light brown sugar 100g butter, cubed 25ml milk 10 squares of dark chocolate 10 white marshmallows

1 Combine the flour, charcoal, baking powder and light brown sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and rub together until incorporated and the mixture starts to clump together. (You can do this step by hand or use a food processor.) 2 Add the milk and mix until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 3 While the dough is chilling preheat the oven to 170ºC and line a baking tray with baking paper. 4 Place the disc of dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll out to a thickness of about 4mm. Use a 6-7 cm cutter to cut out circles, and arrange these on the baking tray. 5 Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, or until the edges and centres have set. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. 6 Place a square of dark chocolate on 10 of the charcoal cookies. Toast the marshmallows over the braai until soft and starting to char. Quickly pop a hot marshmallow onto each piece of chocolate. 7 Top with another cookie, press down lightly and enjoy immediately.

NEWS

DIARY

LOCAL IS LEKKER FOR SPIER Spier is –with Delheim and Simonsig – one of the three pioneers of the Stellenbosch Wine Route. The historic property which boasts more than just a winery and tasting centre (conference centre, hotel, amphitheatre, multiple restaurants) is virtually a one-stop-shop in the winelands and truly has something for everyone.

Revamped and rejuvenated towards the end of 2019, the Spier Farm Café, housed in a gabled Cape Dutch building, now serves breakfast and lunch against the backdrop of rolling lawns and nearly 300-year-old majestic oak trees on the farm’s historic werf.

The Spier Farm Café’s Chef, Hennie Nel, is passionate about cooking honest, authentic and unpretentious food using top quality ingredients. Passionate about the environment, he and his team recycles as much as possible, sending minimal waste to landfill.

In keeping with Spier’s sustainability ethos, local and ethical sourcing is also a priority. Farmer Angus McIntosh supplies the Café with meat reared on Spier’s pastures (without hormones or routine antibiotics) as well as eggs laid by happy, outdoor-roaming hens. The Café’s fresh bread and exquisitely flaky croissants are baked a stone’s throw away, at Vadas Smokehouse and Bakery.

Star of the breakfast menu is the Eggs Benedict but it’s closely rivalled by the sourdough waffle with dark chocolate, raw honey and cream. Adding to the enjoyment are freshly squeezed daily juices or expertly poured Tribe coffee in cups handcrafted by Kleinmond-based ceramicist Corinne de Haas.

The signature lunch dish is the 200g beef burger with yummy pork fat fried potato roasties. A fantastic option for family-style sharing is the Farmer Angus rotisserie chicken accompanied by wholesome potatoes and veggies.

“We want every diner to enjoy themselves here, and to leave happy and satisfied,” says Nel.

This commitment means ensuring a wide range of mouthwatering options for vegetarians and vegans too. Be sure to try the colourful vegetable tartine and nutritious cauliflower and harissa grain salad.

The Spier Farm Café serves breakfast from 8.00 to 11.00 and lunch from 12.00 to 15.00 from Tuesday to Sundays.

FARM TO TABLE Paarl wine estate Avondale is one of the most holistic and environmentally ethical farms in the country. Owner Jonathan Grieve is a believer in working with, rather than against, nature.

Consequently the emphasis is on a varied biodynamic system with ducks, cattle, fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, compost heaps, cover crops and special preps all forming part of the daily activities and life on the farm.

It also allows Avondale to celebrate its farm to fork philosophy and to share that with paying customers at their restaurant Faber. On March 8 there will be a Field to Feast celebration.

“Each event is a unique experience of the Avondale Estate with a journey through the vineyards and food garden,” Grieve maintains. Guests attending will hear entertaining – and real! – stories about how the food is produced and the wines are made in harmony with nature.

To book or find out more information, call 021 863 1976 or email wine@avondalewine.co.za.

SWEET TOFFEE AND NOUGAT TREATS Worcester, sadly, is not a town visitors beat a path towards. It’s the home of one of the world’s largest brandy cellars as well as an equally world-renowned school for the blind.

But it’s also where Overhex wine cellar can be found, just a short drive out of town in the direction of Robertson.

And Overhex is trying to tempt visitors to their cellar door by offering them decadently sweet treats: toffee and nougat specifically.

At the heart of the Mensa range is storytelling and technology, and when combined with indulgent little morsels, it makes for an ideal spoil. Making new memories and getting to experience something unique is just an added bonus.

The Mensa Sauvignon Blanc is paired with a zesty lemon toffee – since zesty fresh citrus is one of the signature elements of the wine. And the toffee brings its own creamy

charm to the pairing party...

With its distinct red berry notes, the Mensa Chardonnay Pinot Noir is a hit with strawberry nougat. Similarly, the bold dark chocolate and blackberry in the Mensa Cabernet Sauvignon are elevated by a luscious dark chocolate toffee.

Mensa is also vegan friendly and matches well with a good book or can be comfortably enjoyed while swapping stories with besties at the book club.

The Mensa Sweet Pairing Experience is available at the Overhex Tasting Room for R45.

POPPING POSTHARVEST CORKS Every year, the makers of South African bubbly are the first to harvest. That’s because grapes for bubbly – or Methode Cap Classique if made in the traditional French Champagne way – need to be less ripe than those used for still wines. It’s all about the acidity.

So bubbly makers began picking and vinifying their grapes the second week of January and as a result, by March their work is almost done and dusted – just as most other wine farmers are getting fully into the swing of things.

There’s one event which promises to see the corks fly in celebration of the hard work being over. Dubbed the PostHarvest Proe Party, this festive fling will feature a tasting of top-notch Cap Classique wine over lunch at Genevieve MCC’s owner Melissa Nelsen’s farm near Bot River on Saturday, 7 March.

“We’re pulling out the stops for this one,” said Melissa. “Cap Classique, like the best wines, takes time to make and reflects the seasons. To open a bottle is to taste the sunshine of a particular year and that’s exactly what’s on offer at the Proe Party.”

A large part of the excitement for this tasting extravaganza is that it will happen at the home of Genevieve MCC, a venue new to many. For years, grapes for Genevieve MCC came from pockets of Chardonnay across the region, albeit always from Bot River. In 2017 however, Genevieve MCC finally found a home when Melissa discovered a working farm where her dream for a space to give visitors the “MCC experience” became a reality.

It all began in 2010, when the first Genevieve MCC was released – a product of the 2008 vintage. Melissa had always had a love for bubbly and when the opportunity arose to make it, she jumped.

Genevieve is her second name and the patron saint of Paris, making Genevieve MCC the perfect link between great South African Cap Classique made in the style of French Champagne.

Places are limited so booking is essential. The festivities kick off from 12h30 on March 7. To book, simply send an email to melissa@genevievemcc.co.za.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS Cape Town residents are lucky enough to have Durbanville Hills winery virtually on their doorstep.

Cellarmaster Martin Moore and his winemaking team are throwing open the winery doors this year, allowing members of the public a sneak peek at what happens in a working cellar during harvest. It’s a two month period where winemakers get to do the one thing they do best – turn grape juice into wine!

Every Wednesday until 18 March Durbanville Hills will welcome visitors to the cellar at 18h30. The experience will include the chance to taste fermenting juice straight from the tank

– while the yeast is still doing its work and converting all the grape sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Guests will also get to sample wines straight from the barrel in another sneak preview as these wines will only be released later in the year after being bottled and labelled.

The evening is then finished off with a two course dinner and wine at the winery’s award-winning restaurant The Tangram.

The cost is R315 and bookings are essential and can be made by calling Aidan Samuels on 021 558 1300 or by emailing him aidan.samuel@durbanvillehills.co.za. www.durbanvillehills.co.za

TOPS AT SPAR WINEDERLAND!

Warm seas, balmy breezes, shorts and t-shirts. That’s what a tough Durban winter is like from May to September!

And the country’s premier coastal city holiday destination is also the first to kick off the annual TOPS at SPAR wine show, with the 2020 event promising new and exciting features.

SPAR Group Liquor Manager Mark Robinson said, based on the success of the series of 2019 events held nationwide, the SPAR Group was expanding its presence. “With its refreshed identity and renewed enthusiasm for bringing you a taste of what the winelands has to offer, you’re guaranteed a quality wine experience!”

The first WINEderland event in Durban, from 7 – 9 May will see a dedicated food element included for the first time – although precise details are not yet known.

The TOPS at SPAR wine show is now in its 14 th year and seven events will take place nationwide during the course of the year.

“We invite our guests to step into the South African winelands: to experience the beautiful landscapes, drink in the rich aromas, meet the colourful characters, and most of all, indulge in our globally celebrated wines,” said Andrew Douglas, show owner and producer.

The WINEderland Tour kicks off in Durban from 7 to 9 May, followed by Johannesburg from 4 to 6 June, Cape Town from 9 to 11 July, Port Elizabeth from 30 July to 1 August, Pretoria from 1 to 3 October, East London from 5 to 7 November, and ending off in Nelspruit from 26 to 28 November.

Each three-day event offers something for almost every wine lover: interactive wine theatres, show specials, and free sip-n-ship service along with a massively popular social opportunity to have a great night out with friends. This year, the show has an extensive brand refresh that delivers all the excitement of stepping into the winelands.