The Slow Food movement in Joburg is supporting an event to raise funds to send local butcher Caroline McCann, owner of Braeside butchery in Parkhurst, and chef Arnold Tanzer from Food on the Move to attend a Slow Meat symposium in Denver, Colorado, in June.
On their return they are hoping to launch Slow Meat in South Africa.
Slow Meat is part of the Slow Food movement that encourages consumers to take more interest in where their meat comes from and to support local farmers and butchers where possible.
It encourages people to try a variety of meats and different breeds, with a strong focus on indigenous breeds like Afrikaner beef and Pedi and Zulu sheep.
In the supermarket you only see about 15 percent of an animal, with many of the most nutritious parts overlooked.
Slow Food encourages people to eat traditional recipes which help identify with their culture. With many outside influences, traditional recipes are being overlooked in favour of eating more exotic foods.
Four chefs share their slow meat recipes.
HEART SOSATIES
Adele Stiehler van der Westhuizen
Serves 6
1 beef heart, trimmedand cut into cubes
½ an onion, sliced
45ml parsley sprigs
1 clove of garlic, crushed
150ml olive oil
salt and pepper
soaked skewers
SALAD
90g chopped pitted olives
30g toasted walnuts, chopped
40g toasted pistachio nuts, chopped
1 red pepper, roasted, skinned and chopped
110g dried apricots, finely chopped
60g flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 red onion, finely diced
30ml olive oil
25ml lemon juice
5ml ground cumin
5ml harissa paste
a pinch of sugar
fresh black pepper
110g feta cheese
Combine the meat, onion, parsley, garlic and olive oil in a bowl and mix well.
Refrigerate overnight if possible, or for a few hours. Remove the meat from the marinade and season it well.
Thread onto the skewers and cook over hot coals for about 2 minutes per side.
The meat is best served medium rare. Overcooking will make it tough.
Serve with the salad.
SALAD: Combine the chopped olives with the walnuts, pistachio nuts, red pepper, apricots, parsley and onions.
In a jug combine the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, harissa paste, sugar and seasoning and mix well. Pour over the olive mixture.
Cover and set aside for at least two hours for the flavour to develop. Crumble over the feta and serve with the meat.
OXTAIL STUFFED GNOCCHI ROLL
Phil de Villiers
Serves 6
OXTAIL FILLING
1kg oxtail, trimmed of any excess fat
60ml seasoned flour
olive oil, for frying
30g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
30ml fresh thyme leaves
30ml tomato paste
125ml red wine
2 litres of beef stock
GNOCCHI
600g potatoes
350g flour
60g cornflour
6 egg yolks
5ml salt
flour, for dusting
SAGE SAUCE
60g butter
handful of sage leaves
grated Parmesan, for serving
OXTAIL: Dust the oxtail with the flour.
Heat some oil in a heavy-based pot and brown the oxtail, in batches, on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Heat the butter and fry the onion, garlic and thyme until softened, about 5 minutes.
Return the oxtail to the pot with the tomato paste, wine and beef stock. Stir well.
Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, until meat is tender.
Remove the oxtail from the sauce with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl, reserving the sauce.
When the oxtail is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone, roughly chop and return to the pot with the sauce.
Bring to the boil and reduce the sauce enough to just coat the meat. Set aside to cool.
GNOCCHI: Place the unpeeled potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water.
Bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Drain and cool slightly before peeling.
Mash and pass through a sieve to get rid of any lumps.
Place in a bowl with the flour and cornflour.
Add the eggs andsalt and mix well until smooth.
Divide the gnocchi dough in half.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the work surface.
Sprinkle generously with flour.
Place one half of gnocchi on top and spread into a rectangle of 1cm thickness.
Spread a thin layer of oxtail mixture over the top. Roll up tightly and secure the ends of the cling wrap to make a firm roll.
Repeat with the remaining gnocchi and oxtail mixture.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Add the gnocchi rolls and cook until set, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove, cool for 5 minutes, then unwrap and slice the gnocchi roll.
Pour over the hot sage butter and serve.
SAUCE: Heat butter ina frying pan until bubbling, add the sage leaves and cook until crispy.
SLOW-COOKED BEEF RIBS WITH RED WINE
Nicholas Froneman
Serves 6-8
1.5kg beef short rib pieces
salt and pepper
50g butter, divided
4 cloves of garlic, peeledand smashed
1 bottle full bodied red wine
1 litre of vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 180°C. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on all sides.
Heat 30g of the butter in a large cast-iron pot over medium high heat.
Add the ribs and brown on all sides.
Transfer to a plate.
Add the garlic to the pot and stir until softened but not brown, about a minute.
Carefully pour in the wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 250ml.
Add the ribs with any juices and the stock to the pot.
Reduce the heat and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 hours, until meat easily falls off the bone.
Transfer the ribs to a serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm.
Simmer the braising liquid until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from theheat and whisk in the remaining butter.
Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Pour the sauce over the ribs and serve.
DEVILLED KIDNEY BRUSCHETTA
Chef Arnold Tanzer
Serves 4
400g beef kidneys, halved, suet and membrane removed
125ml milk
45ml flour
5ml cayenne pepper
5ml dry English mustard
5ml salt
3ml pepper
15ml olive oil
30g butter
15ml Worcester sauce
125ml chicken stock
60ml cream
45ml chopped fresh parsley
1 loaf of ciabatta bread, sliced and toasted
Cut out the white fatty gristle of the kidneys with a pair of scissors.
Cut into cubes and place in the milk for a couple of hours.
Rinse well under running water then drain in a colander for half an hour.
Mix together the flour cayenne pepper, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Dust the drained kidneys in the flour mixture.
Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until hot and fry the kidneys for 2 minutes each side.
Add the Worcester sauce and chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened.
Stir in the cream and chopped parsley. Check the seasoning.
Serve on toasted ciabatta slices.
Don’t overcook the kidneys as they may become tough.
A SLOW FOOD EVENT
Slow Food has challenged 10 local chefs to cook a whole Afrikaner grass-fed cow and serve it to the public at a special event being held on Saturday, May 16, at Le Sel restaurant in The Cradle.
Each chef will cook one offal and one other cut of the animal.
Some of the chefs taking part are:
James Diack from Coobs Parkhurst
Arnold Tanzer from Food on the Move
Adele Stiehler from Prue Leith’s Chefs Academy
Phil de Villiers from 54 on Bath
Nicholas Froneman from the Palace of the Lost City
Klaus Beckmann from La Luna Melville
Jonathan Shaw from Warm and Glad
Hanroe Erasmus from African Pride Hotels Melrose Arch
Coco Reinarhz from Le Sel @ The Cradle.
Where: Le Sel @ The Cradle
Date: Saturday, May 16
Time: 12 noon
Cost: R375 a person which will include a voucher to taste six different cuts of the meat, a complementary glass of beer or wine, a dessert buffet and a cheese board with tea or coffee.
Also at the event will be 12 local artisan producers selling animal-related products, a wine tasting and craft beer brewer.
To book: Tickets are limited and must be pre-booked at www.quicket.co.za
* For more details on the event go to www.slowfood.co.za or call Brian Dick on 083 656 5209.
Angela Day, The Star