Investing in sublime ingredients and a little time
COL’TEMPO has developed a reputation, through markets and delis, for their excellent home-made charcuterie. Made the traditional way – with, as their name suggests, time – their meats are authentic and full of flavour. The coppa ham, and sopressa (a very garlicky Sicilian style salami) are two of my favourites.
They have since opened a simple Morningside eatery, attached to their deli and “factory’, and I’ve been meaning to slip out of the office to try it out for quite a while now.
The deli stocks all the meats, along with most of the cheeses, pastas, and key ingredients – fresh bottled and dried – one needs for good Italian cooking.
Over Christmas we popped in for a slice of panettone, the Italian “Christmas cake” that’s always been my favourite.
The menu is extremely simple, but everything just looks so delicious.
We started by sharing a simple artichoke salad, with olives and mozzarella, with a lovely selection of fresh leaves, cherry tomatoes and pumpkin seeds (R65). It was served with a couple of slices of their excellent home-baked sourdough bread.
What a light, healthy and thoroughly delicious start to any meal. The salad was all the better for being made with proper mozzarella. We dressed it with olive oil and balsamic, from a selection of bottles on the table.
The other salad offering was paper thin bresaola, grated aged Parmesan and rocket with a squeeze of fresh lemon and olive oil. That sounds like it might be more carpaccio than salad, but I’ll certainly try it next.
One could go for a tasting plate, which takes in most of Col’tempo’s excellent charcuterie along with olives and more of the delicious sourdough (R75).
The coppa ham, prosciutto, sopresso, bresaola, pepperoni and a spicy abruzzo (an Italian sausage similar to chorizo) all feature. It’s a great way to taste their offerings.
You can also add cheeses (R40) like Gorgonzola, Parmesan and Emmental to the board. We had debated sharing this as a starter.
Other options include a selection of bruschetta, again on sourdough, which may take in salami Milano, tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella, or Parma ham, pecorino, tomato, walnuts and fig jam. It all sounded too good.
Daily pasta specials are available and I opted for the spaghetti Napoli with olives, capers and anchovies. This was such a deceptively simple dish, but made properly, it was a feast (R65).
It was served with a bowl of home-made chilli, which just added a little bite, and some freshly grated Parmesan (and no, this is not that horrible powdery tasteless stuff you buy in the supermarket).
My friend had the meatballs and was raving. These were served on a wide hand-cut tagliatelle, with a simple Napoli sauce. Great cooking.
Col’tempo isn’t licensed, but we enjoyed an orange and lemon soda, and relished the deeply delicious, double chocolate Venetian cookies we bought from the deli to eat with our coffees.
It’s certainly worth spending more than a little time here.
KALA Darshan institute of classical music and dance, in association with the Aryan Benevolent Home and the Arya Yuvak Sabha, will host the Kathak Mahotsav dance festival, aimed at the preservation and advancement of Kathak.
The festival is on February 23, at the Pattundeen Theatre, ABH (Unit 6, Chatsworth), starting at 3pm.
Kathak is a North Indian classical dance form, which has its origins in the temples of North India. It is steeped in divinity and was employed to enlighten society of the sacred scriptures, guiding them towards a path of spirituality. The dance style is characterised by intricate footwork, sparkling pirouettes, complexity of rhythm, storytelling and evocative expressions.
The artists performing are Kranthi Singh, Kirti Ravjee, Shika Harrypaul and Manesh Maharaj.
Kathak Mahotsav aims to inspire students and artists, to embrace unity and camaraderie, providing a space to grow, share, dance and transcend as a collective, and preserve the sanctity and authenticity of Kathak.
This project will raise funds for the aged, frail, orphaned and abused, at the Aryan Benevolent Home.
Kathak Mahotsav promises to captivate and enthrall a diverse audience, with its rich music score, vibrant choreography and exquisite costumes. Tickets at R80 will be available at the door before the performance or contact Ashana on 031 404 9530 or Manesh on 082 422 6865.