Recipes and styling: Thomas Hughes. Photographs: Graeme Wyllie. Article from the June 2014 Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.
Make use of this happy-hour favourite in the kitchen for bona fide, beer-infused brilliance
Chef patron Thomas Hughes of Jozi’s favourite gastropub, The Griffin, warms our cockles this winter with devilishly good food made using some of our best craft beer and ales. The Griffin, corner Corlett Drive and Oxford Road. Illovo, Johannesburg: 011-447-9842; thegriffin.co.za.
Check out Thomass hot new Joburg spots – Perron, an eclectic Mexican restaurant at Illovo Junction, corner Oxford Road and Corlett Drive: and The Steamworks, Forest Road Design & Decor Centre, corner Forest Road and Sunset Roulevard, Fourways.
Fish tacos
Serves 6 EASY 40 mins
The flavour combinations
Marinade
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
250ml (1 cup) olive or avocado oil
125ml (1/2 cup) parsley, coriander and mint, chopped
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh ginger, grated salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Tomato and Coriander Salsa
6 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 chilli, chopped
juice of 1 lime
small handful coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 garlic glove, peeled and crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Beer Battered Fish
180g sustainable fresh white fish like hake, skinned, pin boned and cut into bite-sized pieces
250ml (1 cup) draught beer
125ml (1/2 cup) soda water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
220g self-raising flour, to thicken until mixture slides gently off the fish
oil, for deep-frying
To serve
12 taco shells
200g guacamole
125ml (1/2 cup) crème fraîche
small handful shredded lettuce
small handful coriander leaves
2 limes, cut into wedges
How to do it
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the pieces of fish and cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. For the salsa, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
3. For the beer batter, mix the beer and soda water together in a bowl. Season and whisk in the flour until a ribbon effect is reached.
4. Heat a deep-fryer to 180°C. Dip the marinated fish into the batter and deep-fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
5. To assemble the tacos, fill the shells with guacamole, crème fraîche, lettuce and coriander, as desired. Top with pieces of deep-fried fish and serve with the salsa and lime wedges.
West Coast mussels steamed in Brauhaus and parsley
Serves 6 EASY 55 mins
The flavour combinations
11/2 medium onions, finely chopped
15ml (1 tbsp) garlic cloves, peeled and minced
extra virgin olive oil, for frying
125ml [1/2 cup) Brauhaus Weiss beer
3kg mussels, cleaned and scrubbed
150g butter
45ml (3 tbsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley,finely chopped + extra, to garnish
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
fresh microherbs, to serve
How to do it
1. In a large saucepan over low heat, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil, about 5-10 minutes. Do not allow it to colour.
2. Add the beer and mussels to the pan, increase heat to medium and cover. Simmer until the mussels begin to open, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Turn the heat off and add the butter, parsley and seasoning, and stir well. Do not overcook the mussels.
4. To serve, discard any of the mussels that did not open, pour into a bowl and garnish with parsley and microherbs.
Craft beer and Heales’ s Cheddar soup
Serves 6 EASY 30 mins
The flavour combination
225g streaky bacon, diced
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large jalapeño or other mild chilli, seeded and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
15ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme, chopped
340ml Ace’s Brew Worx Lager or other lager
650ml chicken stock
55g unsalted butter
65g cake flour
250ml (1 cup) fresh cream
275g Healey’s Cheddar cheese or strong white Cheddar, grated salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
slivers crispy bacon, to serve
small handful fresh microherbs, to serve
How to do it
1. Cook the bacon in a pot over high heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a bowl.
2. Add the celery, onion, jalapeño, garlic and thyme to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes.
3. Add 170ml beer and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes,
4. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
5. In a small pan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, stirring to form a roux, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk the roux into the soup until incorporated and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 8 minutes.
6. Add the cream, Cheddar cheese and the remaining beer and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the bacon and season. Add a few tablespoons of water if the soup is too thick.
8. To serve, pour the soup into bowls and garnish with slivers of crispy bacon and microherbs.
Devil’s Peak IPA-braised short rib of beef pappardelle with gremolata
Serves 6 A LITTLE EFFORT 3 hrs
The flavour combinations
Short Rib
30ml (2 tbsp) sunflower oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 deboned short ribs
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
750ml (3 cups) beef stock
750ml (3 cups) Devil’s Peak IPA
Gremolata
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
15ml (1 tbsp) parsley, finely chopped
Pappardelle
200g ’00’ or plain flour
2 free-range eggs
pinch salt
5ml (1 tsp) extra virgin olive oil + extra, if needed
fresh microherbs, to serve
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. For the braised short ribs, heat the oil in a large casserole pot over a medium heat. Season the short ribs and add three of them to the casserole. Cook while turning until well browned all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining ribs.
3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the casserole. Add the onion and carrot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the beef stock and beer and bring to a boil.
5. Return the ribs to the casserole, cover and braise in the oven until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Remove the meat and strip, using your fingers.
6. Transfer the vegetables to a blender. Strain the sauce into a bowl and skim off the fat. Add the sauce to the blender and blitz until smooth. Return the sauce to the casserole pot and boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 8 minutes. Season and return the short ribs to the sauce.
7. For the gremolata, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
8. For the pappardelle, blend all the ingredients in a food processor until they come together as a dough, adding more oil if necessary to bind. Tip the pasta dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll the dough out thinly and cut into strips.
9. Boil the pasta in salted water until tender, about 2-3 minutes, and drain.
10. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until well combined. Plate the pasta and finish with a sprinkling of gremolata and microherbs.
From 10 May – 30 June, The Griffin will be serving the five dishes featured here! Crab yourself a table, crack open some craft beer and enjoy a fab feast.
Bitter chocolate and Copper Lake Stout tart
Serves 6 – 8 EASY 2 hrs
The flavour combinations
The Base
75g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
15ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
45ml (3 tbsp) water
15ml (1 tbsp) castor sugar
pinch salt
120g cake flour
The filling
110g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh double-thick cream
250ml (1 cup) Copper Lake Stout
60ml (1/4 cup) castor sugar
4 egg yolks
30ml (2 tbsp, heaped) cake flour
sprinkle icing sugar, to serve
lavender sprigs, to garnish
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 210°C.
2. For the base, combine the butter, oil, water, sugar and salt in an oven-proof bowl. Place the bowl in the oven until the butter starts bubbling and the edges begin to brown, 15 minutes.
3. Remove the bowl from the oven (it may sputter a bit), dump in the flour and stir it in quickly until it forms a ball, which pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a 20cm tart tin with a removable base. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, keep a small piece aside and pat the rest into the tin with the heel of your hand. Use your fingers to press it up the sides of the tin. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake the shell until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and use the bits of reserved dough to fill in any cracks in the filling. Set aside to cool completely before filling.
4. For the filling, put the chocolate in a large bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat, being careful not to let it boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand, 1 minute. Stir the mixture until the chocolate melts completely.
5. Add the beer and sugar and stir until most of the sugar has dissolved.
6. Add the egg yolks, one by one, stirring between each addition. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture and stir vigorously until there are no lumps. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan over low heat and stir firmly to stop the eggs from scrambling, until the mixture thickens, about 5-8 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave to cool.
7. Lower the oven to 180°C. When the filling is at room temperature, give it a stir to break the skin that has formed on the surface. Pour into the pre-baked tart tin and bake in the oven, 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the tart inside to cook in the residual heat. Remove once the oven is completely cool. Rest in the refrigerator, 1 hour.
8. To serve, sprinkle with icing sugar and garnish with lavender.
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