Culinary Delights How and what we eat lies at the heart of who we are. Food plays an integral part in our daily life. We think about food, when to eat, what to eat and who to share a meal with. It’s also an integral part of how we celebrate special occasions. But it goes further than preparing a beautiful meal... From a health perspective, it’s clear that cooking your own food gives you ultimate control over what you put into your body, and you can make adjustments according to your own taste and nutritional needs. “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own 10 sue
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Your
easycookingBlog... from Nina’s kitchen
Text & Production Adele Minnaar Images Nina Timm / Shutterstock.com / googleimages.com
Ray would love to introduce our readers to a foodie-extraordinaire of note. Nina
Timm from www.my-easy-cooking.com is famous for making women’s lives all over the world’s so much easier. Imagine you are coming home from work at 17h30 and you are able to provide a healthy and wholesome meal for your family at 18h00. With Nina’s help this is all possibly. How can this lady accomplish such a feat? By sharing her vast knowledge of food with her readers through her award winning blog. In her own words here is a recollection of her success story. “I started my career as a speech correctionist, and for many years taught children with learning as well as physical disabilities. Although my initial career choice had nothing to do with food, this passion for food and cooking had been instilled in me from a very young age.
less does not get published on her site. (only one in 2 years!) As part of the ‘PR campaign” surrounding her talent, she started blogging on Food24, Facebooking and Twitting and above all expectations she has in less than a year become their #1 ranked blogger. She has been a featured publisher on Foodbuzz and has been referred in the Woolworths Taste magazine as Site with Best Food Photography. She has been an ambassador for Kleine Zalze Wines and a finalist in The Fairview cheese Bloggers Competition. Nina tries not to get involved with competitions. “I believe that there are many that are specialists at specific dishes or genres. I prefer to aim for high quality consistency and images, constantly pushing my abilities and my readers taste buds.”
My Mom and Gran are excellent cooks in their own right and the social aspect of food has always played a large role in our home. After raising two wonderful children out of their toddler phases, my new career path was ignited by an emergency birthday gift which has after about 3 versions become... www.my-easy-cooking.com. My husband suggested that I started a website to make my arsenal of food knowledge available to everybody. For a complete computer novice like me, that was quite a challenge, but through trial and error I have managed to put a few websites together that I can be proud of. My Easy Cooking is a phenomenon in the South African blogging and amateur food photography.” Genetically predisposed to cook and entertain with wholesome enthusiasm, she has over a few years built up a cult following of folks from all over the world who are continually amazed by the variety of recipes, ideas and tips she disseminates with gay abandon. M
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A wife and mother of 2 she has every meal scored with or without her asking and anything scoring 7 or
Even though this is Nina’s outlook, this has not stopped her from being nominated for the food blog of the year twice. She was a guest speaker at the first SAFB Conference and was privileged to be a special guest at the Eat In as well as the Eat Out Awards. She has had the privilege of ending off the Year by being invited to test Reuben Riffle’s new menu at the One & Only in the V&A in Cape Town. Nina is a South African cook at heart, but more often than not she will fuse her dishes with a Mediterranean flavour or go all out international where she introduces readers to things they barely are able to spell let alone believe they could make it.
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Proof of her Cape Town roots is her most read post for Breyani which had in excess of 27 000 hits over 48 hours. Ray asked Nina to provide our readers with easy to accomplish meal solutions for an entire week… Congratulations! Your blog has won numerous awards. Describe your feelings when you heard the exciting news for the first time. I have never been one for chasing awards. The fact that someone out there thinks highly of my work, flatters me, but I get as much satisfaction from a frantic phone call, just before dinner that says: “Nina, help, I burnt the meat, what now?”
Wisely, I do believe in buying organic and freerange products, but the average household that my website is aimed at, has a budget, so I must always be mindful of that. I hunt around for the best producers of lamb and chicken and build up a relationship with them. Fresh vegetables I buy from the market and herbs I grow in my garden! You rate each dish that you prepare before submitting it on your block. Please tell us more about this rating process.
What’s your family’s regular comfort meal?
My husband and children are the judges every night. It started off as a joke after watching Masterchef, but now it helps me to “keep it real”. I have one rule at the table: No one may say “Yuck”.
Without a doubt, mutton curry. I buy my lamb from a farmer near Bredasdorp and when the meat arrives at my house, I have to pack it in bags to pop in the freezer. There are always bits and bobs (I call it los vleisies) that do not fit with other meat cuts.
The food was prepared with respect and should be treated like that. They may tell me why they do not like things; it is too salty, too spicy etc. My children have build up a wonderful taste palate because of this!
Pieces of the neck, the rib and even some shanks. These bits and bobs make the most amazing lamb curry. So whenever my children or husband see the meat arrive, they know, mutton curry is on the menu!
When you’re designing a complete meal, what factors do you take into account? How do you achieve harmony/balance?
You’re stranded on a desert island. What five foods would you want with you? What would you make? Olive oil, lemon, butter, sugar and vanilla. I would cook the fish fresh from the sea, flavoured with the lemon and olive oil. Serve it with wild herbs, sprinkled with vinaigrette of olive oil and lemon.
For a three-course meal it is important that not every course be rich and filling. I like to have a theme, for instance a typical Italian meal will consist of bruschettas with meatless toppings such as grilled aubergines, grilled tomatoes etc. The main course could be comforting lamb shanks served on creamy polenta and Parmesan and for dessert, I will serve simple grilled plums with vanilla ice cream and chopped pistachios.
For dessert, I will caramelise the fresh fruit available (pineapples or paw-paws) with vanilla sugar! What are your 5 most essential tools in your kitchen at the moment? A proper set of sharp knifes - blunt knifes are one of my pet hates. My custom-made butchers block. My Phillips Air-fryer. A big solid pan that can go in the oven and Griddle pan. What are the 5 most essential ingredients in your kitchen at the moment? Lemons - I love them. Different kinds of salt - Shiraz salt, lava salt, sea salt, herb salt. Ginger/garlic and fresh herbs. Masala dabba - an Indian tin filled with all the essential spices. 90% of what a chef does is buying the best possible ingredients. How do you choose your suppliers? 10 sue
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Melanzane Parmigiano
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Monday
Ingredients For the tomato sauce 2 tins of Pomodore Tomatoes 2 sachets of tomato paste 1 large onion, finely chopped 2-3 cloves crushed garlic olive oil 125ml white wine a little water if needed a big handful of fresh basil salt / pepper about 1-2 tsp sugar Heat a skillet and add the oil, onion and garlic and sauté until onion and garlic are soft and translucent. Take care not to burn the garlic otherwise it will leave a bitter taste in the sauce. When onion is cooked, add all the basil as well as all the other ingredients. Let the sauce simmer and reduce down to a thick concentrated sauce.... almost chunky like chutney. Remove the basil after cooking if it bothers you. I leave it in, because we do not mind it.... For the egg plant 1 small eggplant per person or 2 very big eggplants Olive oil Salt / pepper Dry oregano
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese Preheat oven to 180°C. Slice the eggplant thinly in discs and brush on both sides with olive oil. Season with salt / pepper and oregano. Place on a baking sheet and bake until soft and slightly browned. Now place one piece of eggplant in an individual oven proof dish and top with some of the tomato sauce, a little parmesan and some mozzarella and repeat the layers until you have about 3-4 slices on top of each other. Top with Mozzarella. Repeat with the other portions and bake the Eggplant Parmesan in the oven for about 10-15 minutes and eat immediately with lots of bread to not let any of the delicious juices go to waste. If you prefer you can make one big dish instead, just layer the ingredients in a big ovenproof dish. Interview Continued..
On your blog, who would be your “ideal diner?” The average South African family. It gives me endless pleasure to empower a working mom, who gets home at 17h30 and must eat by 18h00 in between doing homework, doing washing etc, to cook an affordable hearty meal for her family. What’s is your favourite newly discovered ingredient? Smoked Paprika. It is amazing how even as little as ½ a tsp can make a world of difference to your food. Are you curious of other cuisines (Chinese? Italian? Etc.). Yes indeed, I love Thai, Indian, Greek, French Provençal. 10 sue
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Melanzane Parmigiano / Parmesan Stacks (serves 4)
About 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
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After the indulgence of the weekend, we normally try to avoid meat on a Monday, but it does not mean your meal have to be boring at all!
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Greek Tomato Tarts
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Tuesday Tomatoes are not only the most versatile of all the vegetables, but it is the most rewarding thing to plant in your garden. A few plants will yield plenty of plumb juicy tomatoes.
Greek Tomato Tarts with Kefalotiri and fresh Rocket Ingredients - 4 medium sized tarts. 400gr cocktail tomatoes - if you use different colours, it is even prettier salt / pepper a few glugs of olive oil fresh mint and thyme - chopped a splash or two of good balsamic vinegar 1 roll of puff pastry, egg wash Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Cut out 4 rounds from your puff pastry and then pinch the edges together between your thumb and forefinger to make an edge. Use your imagination to make a pattern! Now halve or quarter your tomatoes and mix with all the other ingredients except the egg wash. Place spoonfuls of the mixture on the pastry cases and brush the pastry with the egg wash. Bake until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. Serve with a simple salad of fresh rocket and a light vinaigrette and Kefalotiri cheese! If you cannot find Kefalotiri Cheese, Feta will be ok to use!
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Citrussy Chicken Curry
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Wednesday By Wednesday you should have a serious craving for warm and comforting food and in my house this means some kind of curry. Citrussy Chicken Curry (serves 4) Ingredients 1 free-range chicken - cut up into portions 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 large onion - chopped 1 clove garlic - crushed 1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger - grated 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp dry ginger 1 tsp turmeric 2 heaped tsp curry powder 1 liter chicken stock 1 tin or cherry tomatoes 100gr candied citrus peel - I used Moirs about 1 tbsp flour salt/pepper if needed sultanas optional fresh Coriander for serving Heat some oil in a cast iron pot and sautĂŠ the onion, garlic and ginger. Add all the dry spices and stir for a minute or so. Add the chicken and brown the pieces slightly in the curry onion mix. Add the stock, place the lid back on the pot and allow to slowly cook for about 40 min. Add the citrus peel and tomatoes and just allow to heat through. If needed, you can thicken the sauce slightly with the flour that you mix with a little water and then add to the curry mixture. Allow to come to boil and thicken. Serve with fresh coriander on a bed of fluffy rice.
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Beef Tacos Thursday If you have children in your house, especially teenagers, spoiling them with “junk food” scores you major brownie points. Tex Mex is always a popular choice! Beef Tacos (enough for about 1012 taco shells) Ingredients 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 onions finely chopped 4 cloves garlic - finely chopped 1 tsp chili flakes 1 Tbsp ground coriander 1 Tbsp ground cumin 1 kg lean beef mince 1 red pepper, chopped 2 cans chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup tomato ketchup 1/4 cup tomato paste 1 cup water 25gr dark (70%) chocolate 2 cans red kidney beans salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in pan. Sauté the onions until soft, add garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add chili, coriander, and cumin and stir well. Toss in the meat and brown. Stir in red pepper, chopped tomatoes, tomato ketchup, paste, water and chocolate and mix well. Simmer
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Friday for 45 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Add kidney beans and season well. Transfer to serving dish.
Who wants to cook for hours on a Friday night? These easy fish cakes are a breeze to make, but is full in flavour and nutrition!
Place the beef and small bowls on the table with guacamole, tomato salsa, grated cheese, coriander, shredded lettuce, chili and some sour cream and let the good times roll!
Fish Cakes
If you could not be bothered to make your own taco shells, buy them ready made, but I did feel a sense of accomplishment for trying. Tacos 2 cups cornmeal ½ tsp salt 260ml water Mix cornmeal, salt and water to form smooth dough. Separate in 12 pieces and form balls. One at a time put dough between two pieces of wax paper and flattens onto a disk using a rolling pin. Heat ungreased frying pan over medium-high heat for about two minutes. Bake tortillas, flipping constantly until dry and light brown specks appear.
Ingredients 1 425gr tin of pilchards in tomato 125ml oats 2 eggs 1 onion, finely chopped a big handful of chopped coriander, parsley or mint Mix the pilchards, oats, onion, coriander and eggs together and form small patties. Fry in shallow oil and drain when ready. Serve with a simple green salad and some oven-fries!
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Fish Cakes
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Lamb Chops with Rosemary
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Saturday Traditionally South Africans braai on a Saturday night. Lamb Chops with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon Ingredients 8 lamb chops 3 cloves of garlic 1 lemon a few sprigs of rosemary salt/pepper olive oil Place the garlic in a pestle and mortar and bash until it becomes a paste.
Abigail Donnelly - Editor of the Eat Out Magazine. I dedicated a whole post to her, she is my foodie hero! Food + Passion = Abigail Donnelly. Her warm, humble and honest approach to food is admirable! Can your avid fans expect a cookbook from you in future? (We can’t wait!) Most definitely! What behind-the-scenes secret can you tell us about “My Easy Cooking”? Ha-ha, one member of my family gets the perfectly styled plate of food (the one that you see on the web). The others are not terrible, but this one is perfect. We take turns, who get that meal.
I love Cornflakes and cold milk. There, secret is out! Your logo is so original – For the chef in all of us – and speaks a thousand words… about your passion for people and cuisine and that you like to encourage every person to try their hand at cooking. Am I right? Please tell us if you feel that through your blog you have accomplished your goal / goals? I really do love inspiring other people. Normal people who say they can’t cook. I think we all can and I find great pleasure in teaching people easy do-able skills.
Close and leave in fridge for at least ½ hour, although overnight is best! Cook these chops on a griddle pan or the open fire. When you are ready to cook the chops, remove from the bag and scrape off the excess marinade. Heat your griddle pan until it is very hot and grill the chops to perfection. Grill the chops about 2 minutes or less per side, turning only once. Enjoy!
The feedback that I get through comments, phone calls and emails, is positive and reassuring, so I think I am on the right track! 10 sue
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Who in this industry’s work do you admire and why?
What is your biggest culinary guilty pleasure?
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Interview Continued...
You can add some coarse salt that will help the process somewhat. When it is a soft paste, add some olive oil and mix. Add some lemon juice and you are ready to go. Place the lamb chops in a Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over it.
Sunday Sundays are for families to get together around the table and celebrate life and love. What better way than to make an old fashioned lamb roast with all the trimmings. Sweet potato, roast potatoes, cauliflower with white sauce and of course dessert!
Leg of lamb Ingredients 1 Leg of lamb - mine was about 1.8kg - gland removed... ask your butcher 4 tsp salt 1 teaspoon whole coriander - dry roasted and crushed in a pestle and mortar pepper lemon infused olive oil rosemary 3 clove of garlic - peeled and cut into slithers Preheat oven to 200째C.
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Rub the meat with the olive oil and then rub in the spices and the salt. Make incisions with a sharp knife and insert some garlic and small sprigs of rosemary. Place the leg of lamb in a casserole dish with a lid and place in the oven for about 1 hour. (NO WATER!) After an hour turn the heat right down to 100째C and let the meat roast for another 2-3 hours. Just before serving, drizzle with some more olive oil and place in a HOT oven for about 10-15 minutes, just to brown slightly. Your meat will fall off the bone! rm
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ecosystem whose balance has been sufficiently tipped to jeopardize the existence of a number of key species. 85% of the world’s fish stocks are either overexploited or exploited to their maximum (2010 United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation report).
Images Sam Petersen, Jaco Barendse, Peter Chadwick
The state of our oceans Can we safe it?
Many nontarget fish or endangered species of albatrosses, sharks and turtles are accidentally caught as bycatch. Globally, it is estimated that approximately a quarter of what is caught is thrown
The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI)
Placed at the interface between civil society, the private sector and government, the program has the unique ability to work across the seafood supply chain to address this challenge in the holistic manner required.
The ocean has always been viewed as a bottomless resource but the reality is that marine resources are finite.
Today, however, the ancient tradition of fishing has in many cases left in its wake dangerously depleted fish stocks and an
THE SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES PROGRAMME back, often dead, and wasted (2010 United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation report). Marine ecosystems exist in a delicate balance – therefore harvesting a species can have implications for the function of the entire system.
The Sustainable Fisheries Programme (SFP) forms part of the WWF Sanlam Living Waters Partnership, a holistic approach to implementing meaningful marine conservation in South African. It contributes towards two of the Partnership’s targets for the marine sector, which are to:
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The ocean provides us with tremendous and often unseen economic, social and cultural benefits; it acts as a vast highway for commerce, it provides a place for recreation and, importantly, it supplies food or income for 2.6 billion people worldwide.
Although this problem may seem insurmountable, it is not and the WWF Sustainable Fisheries Programme is in a unique position to provide practical solutions.
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Text SASSI
Despite global efforts to address this challenge, our marine resources continue to dwindle, and it has become abundantly clear that different management strategies are necessary for the sustainable use of our marine resources.
Apply an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in South Africa and reduce the impacts of destructive fishing practices to acceptable levels. Restore at least half the over-exploited fish stocks to sustainably managed levels, whilst maintaining or improving the state of other stocks. The Sustainable Fisheries Programme aims to meet these objectives through activities, which can largely be divided into a) how fish are caught and b) how fish are traded. The Responsible Fisheries Programme (RFP), which works directly with the fishing industry and resource management, addresses the former component whilst the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI), which focuses on retailers, restaurants, chefs and consumers, largely addresses the latter.
Figure 1: The seafood chain of custody Create awareness on marine conservation issues.
This is being achieved through: Facilitating multi-stakeholder Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) workshops to stimulate the implementation of an EAF.
These objectives are realised through a number of different avenues, which are all dependent on whether the target audience is comprised of restaurants, retailers and seafood suppliers, or the consumer.
The development of an EAF tracking tool to track an EAF, Participating on various government working groups, and Providing input into policy and legislation.
Restaurants, retailers and seafood suppliers
The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI)
The main goal of SASSI’s Participation Scheme is to shift demand away from overexploited fish stocks towards more sustainable choices and to encourage voluntary compliance with the law amongst seafood traders.
SASSI has three main objectives: Promote voluntary compliance
with the Marine Living Resources Act of 1998 through education and awareness. Shift consumer demand away from over-exploited species to more sustainable options.
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SASSI’s work with participating seafood traders incorporates a comprehensive strategy to help these participants change their seafood procurement policies, improve their seafood labelling and implement training for their staff, whilst communicating their commitment to sustainability to
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Contact
both their staff and customers alike.
Janine Basson | Manager: Seafood Consumer Outreach
Consumers Up until now, very little information has been available to consumers about the harmful environmental impacts related to the seafood they enjoy.
WWF Sustainable Fisheries Programme +27 21 421 9167 +27 79 505 4059
To help consumers make informed seafood choices, SASSI has compiled a seafood guide to facilitate choices that are better for the environment.
086 723 4681 jbasson@wwf.org.za www.wwf.org.za/sassi rm
Please refer to this attached guide to make informed choices next time you buy fish or eat out at your favourite restaurant. The SASSI list informs consumers about the conservation status of recreational ‘no sale’ species, popular fish species through a or from severely overexploited ‘traffic-light’ system: stocks and unsustainable fisheries. This system thus allows consumers to consider their seafood choices from an ecological perspective. Together we can make a world of difference and save our oceans to still be enjoyed by the future generations…
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Green-listed species are the best choice, orange-listed species should be viewed with concern, either because of the sustainability of the species or because of impacts on the marine environment by the fishing method, and red species are either illegal specially protected and
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R oberto De Carvalho
Text The PR Team Images Roberto’s
Signature R estaurant on Long Street
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Renowned
Executive Chef, Roberto De Carvalho, a member of the Chaîne des Rotisseurs as Maitre Grillardin and part of the South African Culinary Olympic Team, has opened his first 60 seater restaurant on the corner of Hout and Long Street, Cape Town, aptly called ‘Roberto’s Signature Restaurant’. Roberto, well known for his unique, Mediterranean and Portuguese cuisine with a healthy mix of eclectic South African touches is also famous for bringing Fynbos infused cuisine to the public and over the years he’s gained an impressive reputation
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on the local and international market while representing South Africa at numerous culinary events. Aside from the signature menu which offers many vegetarian options, a theatre menu has also been created for those on their way to the theatre upstairs. Comments Roberto De Carvalho, “I’ve always wanted to create a place where people could enjoy traditional cuisine whether it’s Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Italian or African influenced. I hope this new restaurant will encourage people to kick back
and relax and truly enjoy a meal with friends and family without unnecessary formalities and in doing so bring back the culture of simply sharing a meal together. I also didn’t want the cuisine to be categorised but rather explain it as a celebration of global cuisine.” The historical building that is now home to Roberto’s Signature Restaurant was once the YMCA built in 1883 by Charles Freeman and to complement the history, yet welcome modern day décor and design, the layout has remained the same.
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Presented on a tranquil palette of whites, taupe, leather, suede, sand, driftwood and terracotta, embraced by white, flowing drapery, the bespoke décor at Roberto’s creates a calming refuge from today’s busy lifestyle – and exemplifies a casual, Mediterranean style and feel. Roberto’s is framed with tall hedges to offer privacy and create a typical sidewalk café or bistro atmosphere one would find on many of the avenidas in Lisbon, Madrid, Athens, Milan etc. This offers guests the opportunity to also dine alfresco and enjoy the energy of Long Street. Drinks in the lounge bar area are the perfect start to an evening. Relax in leather chairs while learning more about Roberto and his impressive career history with memorabilia showcased on the walls. Or take the time to view the impressive, custom built ‘parede do vinho’ (wall of wine) while looking through the menu and enjoying an aperitif. This vibrant area is the perfect introduction to the serenity of the main restaurant. Open for lunch and dinner, except Monday, Roberto’s can also facilitate boutique meetings during the day with one of Roberto’s signature menus to match any occasion.
Central MusselsPark in a divine in Maysauce
Opening hours: Monday – closed Tuesday – Sunday lunch from 11:30 – 14:00 Evening – 17:00 - close Contact 44 Long Street, Cape Town +27 21 – 424 1195 reservations@robertoDecarvalho.co.za info@robertoDecarvalho.co.za www.robertoDecarvalho.co.za Follow Roberto on Facebook or Twitter rm
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Text Nanita Chadha Images Timo Santala
Grand Chef Peter Tempelhoff The Greenhouse Effect Eat Out’s Restaurant of the Year
The Cellars-Hohenort’s award-winning gastronomic restaurant, The Greenhouse, expertly showcases Cape Town’s first Grand Chef Peter Tempelhoff’s acclaimed conceptual approach to cuisine. He is also a MasterChef Sa guest judge.
Here the tasting menu is inspired by the imagination, a place where anything is possible. The cuisine evolves and reinvents past classics resulting in dishes that surprise and leave a lasting impression. With emphasis placed on local produce and African flavours the tasting menu, paired with superb wines from the surrounding wine regions, will impress even the most seasoned diners. Limited seating, for just 45 people, ensures that each guest experiences the most intimate dining affair. 10 sue
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How did you get involved in this industry? I just loved cooking from my boyhood but never realised it could be a career option until my late 20’s. I spent most of my life travelling and working in different countries and studied economics at University before discovering my true passion for food. After training at the ‘Institute of Culinary Arts’ in Cape Town in 1996 I finished top of my class and was awarded a bursary to study at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. The rest as they say is history… Tell us about your culinary career so far. My first chef position was at Grande Roche Hotel, Relais & Châteaux, under the late Grand Chef, Frank Zlomke where I spent 2 influential years.
Ostrich Tartar
Two years followed in my first Michelin starred restaurant with long time mentor and friend Aaron Patterson of Hambleton Hall, after which it was back to London for a year at another one Michelin starred restaurant, Zafferano, owned by Giorgio Locatelli. In 2005 I accepted the position of Executive Chef at Automat in Mayfair, which gained instant applause as being one of the coolest places to eat in London, with some of the simplest yet finest food. Awards soon followed which included ‘Top Table in London in 2005’ and was nominated for ‘Restaurant of the Year 2005 by Harpers and the Queens Restaurant Awards’. Returning to South Africa in October 2006, I took over as Executive Chef at the award winning Grande Provence Wine Estate in Franschhoek. During my time there I was named ‘Sunday Times Chef of the Year 2007’, ‘Franschhoek Life Chef 2007’ and also elevated the restaurant to the ‘Eat Out Top 10 Restaurants in South Africa’.
In January 2008 I accepted the position to oversee the 3 Relais & Châteaux members properties within ‘The Collection by Liz McGrath’, boasting 5 distinguished restaurants. Since then I have been awarded 3 Stars in The Rossouw’s Restaurants guide and the Eat Out Winner award for The Greenhouse Restaurant. Between The Plettenberg, The Marine and The Cellars-Hohenort Hotels, I currently hold 9 Rossouw’s stars, more than anyone else in the guide’s history and indeed the country. Sand @ The Plettenberg has also won best Hotel restaurant on the Garden Route for 2 consecutive years by CXPress Newspaper, 2009 and 2010. What’s your regular comfort meal? A mild Chicken and Chickpea Curry with steamed fragrant rice, spicy sambals and Mrs. Balls chutney! Kitchen disaster stories are always interesting. Do you have a specific one to tell? In London we had an open kitchen at Automat - one Friday afternoon we were packed to the brim in the middle of service. Nitro Ice
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Ray’s Nanita Chadha spoke to the genius behind the concept.
What followed was London’s Quo Vadis with Marco Pierre White for a year.
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This intimate experience coupled with the unforgettable cuisine, where guests find themselves lingering over every bite of the extra-ordinary, creates a culinary story unique to The Greenhouse.
I was standing at the pass - which happened to be in the restaurant, there was nothing I could do except bury my head. Eventually after 15-20 minutes they got the power back, but not before half the restaurant had left without paying their bills! You’re stranded on a desert island. What five foods would you want with you? What would you make? It would be about survival and subsistence for me … Salt - for curing fish and vegetables. for some reason the electricity to the extractor fan was cut… needless to say that within minutes the restaurant filled with smoke, people started gagging and panicking. Then the fire alarm went off and the fire doors started closing… it was chaos.
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Sugar - for jamming fruit. Live ducks - eggs and roast duck are important to me. Corn- to fatten the duck liver for foie gras… to make maize meal for bread and pap and planting a crop Potatoes - very versatile, boiling, baking on a fire etc - planting a crop.
If you were being executed tomorrow, what would be your last meal? It would be a serious 7-course meal of all the forbidden or hard to get foods… Fugu Sashimi Blue Fin Tuna Tataki
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Scottish Lobster Tagliatelle Grilled Kobe Beef with white Truffle Risotto and seared Foie Gras
I don’t really have a favourite; all my ‘children’ are special in their own way!
Chocolate Gateaux with fresh Yuzu Jelly and Gold Ice cream
Smoked Ostrich Tartare with oysters served from an ostrich shell.
What is the most essential item in your kitchen?
Abalone Carpaccio.
Common sense!
The look of a plate is very important. What do you
my mate Luke also does a good boiled egg at The Test Kitchen. When you’re designing a complete meal, what factors do you take into account? How do you achieve harmony/balance? The balance of flavours is crucial - salty, sweetness and acidity. What’s your favourite kitchen tool? My Masamoto Sashimi knife that Grand Chef Mikuni chose for me at Tskiji fish market in Tokyo is
Banana Dessert
What do you cook at home that you never cook at the restaurant? Spicy Curry. 90% of what a chef does is buying the best possible ingredients. How do you choose your suppliers? We hunt around for the best ones, get to know their philosophies and commitment to quality and build a long lasting relationship. Cooking is mostly learned in a kitchen from masters. With whom did you learn the tools of the trade? Marco Pierre White and the late Frank Zlomke of Grande Roche taught me intrinsic cooking.
Nitro Ice
consider your best colour, texture and taste matching?
essential in my cooking.
One eats with the eyes first. Abalone Carpaccio with seared tuna, pickled Asian mushrooms, cucumber, crispy seaweed and powdered dressing.
Yardstick Pinot Noir
Are you curious of other cuisines (Chinese? Italian? Etc.). Have you ever adapted a recipe from another country? We do it all the time; exotic tastes and combinations are very prevalent in my cooking, loads of Italian, Japanese and some Chinese find their way into my menus all the time.
Name three great wines you love to drink.
Moet & Chandon Klein Constantia Madam Malbrook 2004 In your restaurant, who would be your “ideal diner?” They are all special, but out of all the world’s population, I would love to have our very own Madiba for dinner.
Where do you go when you want to eat at a restaurant?
If you weren’t a chef, or in the food business, what would you be?
We love Nobu for great Japanese and Barussos for excellent pizzas;
An astronaut. 10 sue
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Roast Ortolan in its own broth
What do you consider to be your best creations, and what are the classics that you like to feature on your menu?
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Shark Fin Soup
What’s the largest number of people you’ve ever cooked for, and how many different dishes were served?
when you have a booking for a luncheon party of 20 in September month (Nobody is allergic to anything)
Not that many, every year I cook for about 700 at The Table of Peace & Unity on the slopes of Table Mountain, it is a great charity event and we serve about 2100 plates in just over an hour.
Menu
What did you learn from your mother/grandmother that you use every day in the kitchen.
Wine Klein Constantia Brut 2007 Local Water Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
Be patient when cooking.
Avocado mousse, dehydrated heirloom tomatoes, olive oil powder, dehydrated black olives
What’s is your favourite newly discovered ingredient?
Wine Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2010
I have started to appreciate Bergamot and Hibiscus lately both is flavourings for teas and is great in sauces and desserts.
Slow Cooked Karan Beef Sirloin
Please give us a complete menu
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Canapés
Pomme fondant, Jerusalem artichoke puree, red onion marmalade, young turnips & carrots
Wine Yardstick Pinot Noir 2010 Toasted Almond Bavarois Bitter chocolate square, Rooibosreduced milk ice cream, Rooibos tea poached pear Wine Vin de Hohenort 2007 Over the last 3 years Peter has also had the good fortune of working with some of this generation’s greatest chefs, including - Joel Robuchon, Anne Sophie-Pic, Michael Caines, Kyomi Mikuni and Yoshi Takazawa. The Greenhouse is open for dinner, Tuesdays to Saturdays +27 21 794 2137 reception@cellars-hohenort.co.za Visit www.petertempelhoff.com rm
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