In Season For January – The Summery Bounty of the land and Briny Punch from the Sea

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Basil, Cape Town, Cook Books, Food in season, Food Writing, Foodblogs, Fruit, Healthy eating, Lemon Thyme, Lifestyle, News, Photography, recipe, Seafood, Soup, Sweetcorn, Travel, Vegetables

In Season For January – The Summery Bounty of the land and Briny Punch from the Sea

Prickly Pears: A curious fruit, fleshy with a flavour reminiscent of guava. The seed is nutty in flavour and crunchy in texture. Sliced they make a very attractive and delicious platter, served with wafer thin slices of prosciutto, or as a salad with buffalo mozzarella and rocket leaves, simply dressed with fruity olive oil and flakes of sea salt.

Lovely fresh plump mussels are available now and at the moment I tend favour the ones from the Saldana coast (most fishmongers seem to have a plentiful supply of mussels year round). Mussels should be alive when you buy them. They can be stored in the refrigerator, in a colander covered with a wet cloth with something underneath to catch the liquid. This allows them to breathe and drain; you can keep them like this for three to four days.

Gorgeous fresh sweetcorn can be found in the markets; always buy the corn which is still in the husk and which should look fresh and green, not yellowing or browning. Corn brings a burst of sweetness, a flash of colour and a satisfying crunch to just about any meal. I like simple steamed or boiled sweetcorn on the cob, served with salt flakes and butter; a nice accompaniment to roast chicken.

Also in season are:

FRUIT:

Apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, cherries, currants, lemons, lychees, mangoes, mangosteen, nectarines, oranges, passion fruit, peaches, pineapples, plums, rock melons.

VEGETABLES:

Beans, capsicum, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, okra, onions, peas, radishes, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, zucchini flowers

SEAFOOD:

Abalone, lobster, mussels, school prawns, salmon, oysters, tuna

Recipe

Summery Corn, Basil & Lemon Thyme Soup

This delicious soup is a real treat. the Avocado garnish provides a lovely sweet sour salty contrast. This soup is makes a nice starter or is perfect as a light meal, and It can be served either hot or cold. Although I have used basil and thyme in this recipe you could also use fresh coriander with a bit of ginger and a pinch of chilli.

Serves 6

Ingredients

30 ml butter

2 onions, diced

750 ml sweetcorn cut from the cob

1 ½ litres warm chicken stock

200 ml picked basil leaves, roughly chopped

20 ml roughly chopped lemon thyme leaves

Sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish

1 avocado chopped into small dice

1 small chilli finely diced

30 ml fish sauce

30 ml rice wine

100 ml olive oil

Method

Place the butter in a heated pan. When melted add the diced onion and soften until translucent.

Add the sweetcorn and warm stock. Bring up to the boil then simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the herbs and blend. Season to taste.

Place all the garnish ingredients in a bowl, mix gently together to incorporate all the flavours. Spoon a small mound in the middle of each bowl of soup.

Serve soup hot or cold with some crisp toast or fresh bread.

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Who Has Snatched Our Spring Weather?

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Blogging, Books, Butternut, Cape Town, Coriander, food blog, ingredients, Life, News, Photography, recipes, Soups, Travel, Vegetarian, Writing

It seems to me the ever lengthening finger of winter is determined to hang in and because Clifton Kitchen is within a good spitting distance of the Atlantic sea, the chill in the air is seemingly a few degrees cooler than areas further up the mountain and therefor felt more keenly.

I need something warm and soothing on this evening’s menu. In the vegetable larder is a rather handsome looking butternut which should do quite nicely for what I have in mind; a gorgeous velvety smooth butternut soup – with just a hint of spice.

Velvety Smooth and Slightly Spiced Butternut Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

20 ml olive oil

500 g butternut roughly diced

1 large onion, roughly chopped

15 ml grated fresh ginger

1 medium sized chilli, chopped

5 ml salt

2 litres stock; vegetable or chicken

A small bunch of Fresh coriander stalks (save the leaves for the garnish)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish

Croutons

Diced tomato

Fresh coriander leaves

Method

For the soup; heat the oil in a large pot, add the butternut and onion and sweat for about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the onions. Add the remaining ingredients except the pepper, and gently bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until butternut is soft, about 20 minutes. Blend to a smooth puree. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

For the croutons you will need 4-6 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1 cm cubes and 50 g butter. Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently fry the croutons until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve the soup in bowls, top with a sprinkling of coriander, diced tomato and croutons

Spicy Carrot & Cilantro Soup–the perfect winter dish

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Books, Bushmanskloof Wilderness Retreat, Cape Town, Carrot and Cilantro soup, Cederberg, Cilantro, Curry, food blog, Life, News, onion, Organic cuisine, recipes, Soup, Travel, Writing

A perfect combination of carrot, cilantro and coriander, spiked with a little bit of curry powder, ideal for the cold Cape weather.

I’m using up what’s in the fridge for this evenings dinner, as I leave early tomorrow morning to enjoy a blissful getaway at the Bushmanskloof wilderness retreat nestled at the foothills of the Cederberg mountains which is about 270km from Cape Town. Malaria and predator free, the reserve is a natural playground for those who want to reconnect with themselves and the essence of life, with wide open plains, mystical rock formations, crystal clear water falls, and an abundance of flora and fauna. Exclusive and totally private, with 16 rooms and suites, this Natural Heritage Site is also home to many exceptional displays of San rock art.

I look forward to enjoying Bushmanskloof’s delicious organic cuisine as well as the breath-taking dining venues while I do absolutely nothing but inhale the beauty and succumb to the peace, quiet and tranquillity of this internationally recognised and award winning Relais & Châteaux venue.

But back to my menu. My first course for this evening, and well suited to the weather is this perfect combination of carrot, cilantro and coriander soup, spiked with a little bit of curry powder.

Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 g carrots, roughly sliced

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium floury potatoes roughly chopped

1 tsp. (10ml) coriander seeds crushed

1 tsp. curry powder or leaf masala

1/2  tsp. salt

1/4  tsp. black pepper

700 ml vegetable stock

1 bunch fresh Cilantro roughly chopped

75 ml cream

A few sprigs of Cilantro for garnish

Method

Put all the prepared vegetables into a pot with the stock, fresh cilantro, leaf masala or curry powder, crushed coriander seeds and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until all the vegetables are very tender. Remove the lid and cool slightly.

Transfer the soup to a blender/or food processor or use a hand held blender and process until smooth. Return to the pot and re heat. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro.