Source: This article was taken from the March 2011 issue of Food & Home.
Heavenly 3 Course Recipe
Starter
Olive and chevin tartlets
By TONI SCORGIE and NADINE WANER of THE TART Photographs by GRAEME BORCHERS
Serves 6: TIME: 30 mins
- 400g puff pastry
- 2 x 100g logs chevin goat’s cheese
- 80ml (1/3 cup) mascarpone
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme leaves
- 24 kalamata olives, pitted
- 24 green olives, pitted
- olive/avocado oil, to drizzle
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Roll out the pastry and cut into 6 equal-sized squares.
- Mix l00g of the chevin with the mascarpone and thyme. Spread the mixture on each pastry square. Bake until the pastry has puffed up and is golden, about 20 – 25 minutes.
- Remove the tartlets from the oven and top with the olives. Slice the remaining chevin log and place a slice on top of each tartlet. Drizzle with the oil, season and serve.
Main Course
Spanish Revolution Masterclass
By JODI-ANN PEARTON Photographs by GRAEME WYLLIE
Jodi-Ann Pearton was named Sunday Times Chef of the Year for 2010 and owns the Food Design Agency. Email info@fooddesign.co.za or visit www.fooddesign.co.za.
Basque in the warmth of this spicy Mediterranean stew
Basque country is a hot place. Many Basques, who live on the border between France and Spain, feel that they should be a separate nation with their own language and culture. This has naturally caused some heated debate over the years. There is, however, no argument that Basque cuisine, which somehow manages to successfully combine subtle French finesse with robust Spanish honesty, is in a class of its own. Here’s a traditional Basque dish to try at home.
Chicken Basque
Serves 4-6 TIME: 1 hour 10 mins TO DRINK: Allesverloren Touriga Nacional, a rustic, spicy Mediterranean grape to match the strong flavours or a good gewurztraminer (like Delheim).
- 1,75kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 large red peppers
- 2 onions
- 50g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 45ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
- 120g chorizo sausage, cut into slices
- 5ml (1 tsp) fresh thyme leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 200g (1 cup) rice, uncooked
- 15ml (1 tbsp) tomato paste
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground paprika
- 375ml (l 1/2 cups) chicken stock
- 170ml dry white wine
- 70g black olives, pitted
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Rub the chicken joints well all over with salt and pepper.
- Slice the red peppers in half and remove the seeds and pith, then slice each half into 6 strips.
- Peel the onions and slice into strips of approximately the same size.
- Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and cut into 1cm pieces
- Heat the oil in a pot and brown the chicken pieces in batches until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towel.
- Saute the onions and peppers in the same pan used for the chicken until glossy. Add the chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat well with the other ingredients.
- Add the tomato paste and paprika. Deglaze the pan with the stock and wine and adjust seasoning.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer all the contents to an ovenproof dish. Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture and scatter with the olives.
- Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid and bake until the rice is just cooked through but still a little al dente, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Serve the stew hot with a fresh green salad.
Dessert
Chocolate berry trifle
By IVAN CAMERON Photograph CHRISTOPHER LAURENZ
Serves 4: TIME: 3 hours 30 mins including setting time
For sweet decadence, a vodka-based chocolate martini.
BERRY JELLY
- 100g mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, etc)
- 100ml cranberry juice
- 50g sugar
- 5g gelatine
- 4 ready-made chocolate brownies or muffins, crumbled
- 100ml Amarula
VANILLA CUSTARD PARFAIT
- 50g sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 100ml fresh cream
- 100ml milk
- 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 5g (1,5 tsp) gelatine, dissolved in a little boiling water
TO SERVE
- 200ml fresh cream, whipped mixed berries or berry coulis
- To make the jelly, place the berries, cranberry juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the gelatine until dissolved and set the jelly aside to cool slightly. Mix the crumbled chocolate brownies with the Amarula and divide the mixture between 4 round cookie moulds, pushing it firmly down to line the bottom of the moulds.
- Pour the jelly over the brownie mixture. Place the moulds on a tray in the refrigerator until the jelly has set, about 2 hours.
- For the custard parfait, cream the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl. Pour the cream, milk and vanilla into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk a little of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until well combined, then slowly pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking continuously. Reduce the heat to low and keep stirring until the custard is smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in the dissolved gelatine and mix well. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Remove the cookie moulds from the fridge and pour the custard parfait over the set jelly in each mould. Return to the refrigerator until the custard has set, for about 1 hour.
- 6 When the trifles are set, run a paring knife around each to loosen the mould. Turn out onto serving plates and serve with the cream and berries, or berry coulis (optional).
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