AT THE TABLE
Denise Cowburn-Levy shares recipes from around the world in her gorgeous cookbook Around My Table
KAROO HERBED LAMB SHANK POTJIE ON THE COALS
SERVES 8
A must for any South African who takes a braai seriously – the best part is that you can put a lot of this together beforehand, even the day before, then finish off on the coals.
• 1 cup flour • salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6-8 large lamb shanks
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 8 large garlic cloves, smashed • 4 anchovy fillets
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3 red peppers, cut into chunks • 1 cup pitted green olives
• 2 small bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Marmite
• 1 cup good red wine
• 2 cups chicken or lamb stock • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed • pap and spicy chakalaka sauce for serving
1. Light the braai using hard long-burning wood and making sure that you use enough wood for 3 hours of cooking over the coals. The wood will need about an hour to burn down to coals before you can put the potjie onto it, otherwise the bottom will catch. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 140°C.
2. Pour the flour into a bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, and mix well.
3. Add vegetable oil to a flat-based potjie over medium heat on the stove. Rub the lamb into the flour mixture to cover, then brown the shanks in batches in the potjie, turning from time to time to brown the outside. Remove the lamb shanks from the potjie and set aside.
4. Add the celery and onions to the same potjie and let these cook until slightly glassy, then add the garlic and anchovies, and fry for 5 minutes.
5. Add the carrots, red peppers, olives and fresh herbs, and simmer. Then add the tomato paste, honey, Marmite and red wine. Let it cook for a while to reduce the alcohol from the wine. Add the stock and stir well, tasting to see if it needs extra seasoning.
6. Return the shanks to the pot and add the cubed sweet potato, making sure that everything is covered well in liquid. Add a little more liquid if necessary.
7. Now you can put the potjie over the coals (or in the oven) and let it cook gently for 2-3 hours. I know the tradition is to leave the lid on, but I prefer to check every hour to make sure there is enough liquid and that the bottom isn’t catching.
8. Serve with pap and a side of spicy chakalaka sauce.
HOT SMOKED SALMON WITH MIXED ASIAN SALAD AND A GINGER & LIME DRESSING
SERVES 6 TO 8
• 500g Norwegian salmon, skinned and deboned (work on about 100g per person)
• ½ cup green tea leaves
• ½ cup cake flour
• ½ cup soft brown sugar
For the mixed Asian salad
• 1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented
• 1 cup edamame beans, shelled
• ½ cup dried adzuki black beans, cooked
• 1 red onion, finely sliced (soak in water to remove sharpness)
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 baby green cabbage, shredded
• 2 avocados, cubed (with a squeeze of lime over them to keep them from going brown)
• 1 iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 4 radishes, finely sliced
• handful of red beetroot or onion sprouts
For the ginger & lime dressing
• 3 limes, juice and grated zest
• 2 thumbs of fresh ginger, grated and squeezed to release the juice
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp coconut blossom sugar
• 2 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp pink pickled ginger, chopped, with 2 tbsp of the pickling juice
• 1 tsp dashi powder (Japanese fish stock powder; available at Asian supermarkets)
• 1 tsp fish sauce
1. Cut the salmon into squares, about 2cm thick. Use a heavybased wok and cover the base with foil, then place a rack inside the wok to smoke the fish on.
2. Sprinkle the green tea leaves, flour and brown sugar on top of the foil, and close the lid. As the wok starts to get hot, open the lid quickly, place the salmon on the rack and close the lid firmly. After about 5 minutes the smoke will start, but do not open the lid. Once the smoke starts, the fish needs about 10 minutes to cook. Remove the wok from the heat; allow to settle for a few minutes before lifting the lid.
3. To make the mixed Asian salad: Gently mix together the ingredients and place them on a serving plate.
4. To make the ginger & lime
dressing: Add the ingredients to a jar and shake well. Taste and adjust to your liking.
5. Once the fish has cooled slightly, flake it over the salad and drizzle over the dressing.
6. Garnish with onion sprouts and cut-up seaweed strips.
MARINATED MIXED MUSHROOM SALAD
SERVES 4 TO 6 AS A SIDE DISH This is one of those dishes that gets better with time. You really get the mushroom flavour in this salad, as so often when cooked, mushrooms take on the flavours of what they’re cooked with. Allow the full marinating time for best results.
• 1 punnet mixed exotic mushrooms
• 1 punnet white button mushrooms
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• ½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp lemon zest, grated • remaining zest of lemon, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 1 garlic clove, minced or crushed • salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped • ½ cup Parmesan shavings
1. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean them; slice into various shapes, keeping the smaller mushrooms whole. Place in a serving dish with the celery.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, the grated and thinly sliced
lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper, and pour over the mushrooms and celery. Toss well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to blend the flavours. 3. Before serving, stir in the chopped parsley and top with Parmesan shavings.
GREEK LEMON YOGHURT CAKE
SERVES 8 TO 10 For the cake
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil • 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup Greek yoghurt • 1½ cups cake flour • 1 tbsp baking powder • icing sugar for dusting For the lemony syrup
• 1-2 large lemons, juice and zest
• ½ cup castor sugar
• a little water For the lemony yoghurt
• 1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
• squeeze of fresh lemon juice and zest (to taste)
1. To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20cm cake tin. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer on medium speed, lightly beat the eggs. Add the oil, sugar and yoghurt, and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add the flour and baking powder, and beat gently until well combined.
2. Pour into the greased cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick, skewer or knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
3. To make the lemony syrup:
Place the lemon juice, zest and castor sugar in a saucepan; mix well. Bring to a boil over low heat until slightly syrupy, adding water if necessary; there must be enough to cover the top of the cake.
4. Remove the cake from the oven, prick with a fork and pour over the syrup, allowing it to seep into the hot cake.
5. To make the yoghurt: Mix together the ingredients; serve on the side to dollop over the cake.
I’m not a baker or a dessert person, but this moist lemony cake is pretty much flop-proof, and not too sweet. You can add crème fraîche for a touch of sourness, which will cut through the sugar – perfect with a cup of strong tea.