It seems it’s only when you have visitors that you visit the beautiful places in and around Cape Town. But being a tourist in your own city is a great way to spend a day or a weekend, which is why of the city’s top tourist destinations have declared October their Big 6 month – six destinations, each with a distinct flavour of our city.
The Big 6 are Table Mountain (via the Table Mountain Cableway, unless you’re fit for a climb); the V&A Waterfront; Robben Island; Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens; Constantia Vineyards (our wine’s heritage dates back 350 years); and Cape Point. Explore them all and take advantage of the special offers at each of them during October.
For a taste of the food you’ll findalong the way, we’ve selected five recipes for you as Robben Island doesn’t offer much in the way of cuisine.
The V&A Waterfront is not just about shopping and leisure, so pick up a map at the information centre and explore the history. It started off with a small jetty, built by Jan van Riebeeck in 1654 and the construction of the two harbour basins took place between 1860 and 1920. There’s good food at a variety of restaurants and The Wheel of Excellence is up again for great views of the city. During October there’s the national canoe polo event, blessing of the fishing fleet, a UCT choir performance, Birdlife SA’s SOS festival, Soham Village College performance (UK) and the Clouchester Choir performance. Our recipe for grilled linefish is from the fabulous Sevruga’s on Quay 5.
Cape Point is captivating with its dramatic scenery and fynbos-covered plains. Join a free three-hour guided shipwreck trail. The Flying Dutchman funicular takes you to the top lighthouse, and the Two Oceans restaurant on a cliff, with views of False Bay, has brought you chef Phil Alcock’s seafood curry.
Wine and heritage are the heart of the Constantia Valley, with eight vineyards making up the wine route. From the restaurant at Jonkershuis at Groot Constantia, we have a milk tart with a rooibos and date syrup.
One-hundred years ago, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens was an abandoned farm, overgrown with weeds and alien vegetation. Today it is one of the world’s top seven botanical gardens. It has a magnificent setting and was the first botanical garden in the world to be devoted to its country’s indigenous flora. There are free guided walks. We have a recipe for bobotie from one of the restaurants in the gardens.
Robben Island is known as a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment: for nearly 400 years those regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society were banished here. A highlight of a tour of the island is the maximum security prison where former political prisoners, now tour guides, give personal glimpses of prison life.
The Table Mountain cableway turns 82 this month. It takes five minutes to get to the top and the rotating floor gives visitors a 360º view of the city. There are free guided walks and you can get a meal at the Table Mountain Café. From them, we have Malay chicken curry.
For a full Big 6 programme go to www.capetownbig6.co.za
Grilled linefish is from the fabulous Sevruga’s on Quay 5 at the Waterfront
(serves 4)
1kg linefish, filleted (cut into four even portions)
oil for frying
40g butter
100g flour
Pommes Purée
100g potatoes, unpeeled but washed
50ml double cream
20g salted butter, cubed
salt and pepper
Dressing
150g ripe baby tomatoes
50 ml white wine vinegar
70 ml olive oil
30g basil, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
Make five or six slices through the skin just into the flesh of the fish. Dust the skin with flour and salt and place into a hot pan with a bit of oil. Let the skin go golden brown and crispy, then turn the fish over. Reduce the heat and add butter for flavour. Cook gently for 3 to 5 minutes until the flesh is firm.
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 15 minutes or until tender and allow to cool. Peel off the skins and cut into cubes. Return to the same pot and heat to get rid of any excess water in the potatoes. Keep on a low heat to avoid burning. Boil cream in a medium-sized pan, reducing by half. Press potatoes through a sieve while still warm, adding them to the cream. Beat in the cream with a wooden spoon. By doing so you are incorporating air, making your potatoes light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Dressing: Heat a little oil in a large frying pan on a high heat until it reaches smoking temperature, then add the tomatoes and roast for a few seconds. You don’t want the tomatoes to break down and go mushy, they must hold their shape and be slightly soft. Remove from the pan and leave in the fridge to cool. In a mixing bowl, add the remaining oil and vinegar and mix with a fork until combined. Add the chopped basil, salt, black pepper, chopped garlic and the cooled tomatoes.
To serve, spoon a portion of mash onto a large plate, place the fish on top and spoon the tomato dressing over and around. Add basil if desired.
Kirstenbosch babotie
(serves 4)
500g mince (beef, lamb or mixture)
2 onions, chopped
4 tbsp oil, butter, or a mixture
1 slice bread
125 ml beef stock
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste or grated fresh ginger, mixed with 2 crushed cloves garlic
2-3 tsp apricot jam or chutney
1 small apple, grated
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp lemon juice
half cup chopped dried apricots and raisins
salt and pepper
Topping
250 ml sour cream
salt and pepper
2 eggs
6 bay or lemon leaves
Preheat oven to 180oC. In a frying pan on top of the stove, brown the mince well in a little oil, breaking it up with the back of a fork or slotted spoon.
Remove and set aside. Sauté the onion in butter and oil until glassy. Remove the pan from the stove and then return the meat.
Remove the crusts from the bread and soak in the stock. Work bread into mincemeat, ensuring that there are no lumps of bread.
Add the rest of the ingredients in main list and mix well. Season to taste.
Transfer to a casserole. Mix all topping ingredients, except bay or lemon leaves, and pour over meat. Push bay or lemon leaves into mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes until custard is set.
Table Mountain Café’s Malay chicken curry.
(serves 6)
6 chicken fillets
60g Rajah curry powder
5g turmeric
200g whole peeled tomatoes
20g tomato paste
10g Biryani mix
300g peas
30ml olive oil
150g onion
150ml Bulgarian yoghurt
80g chutney
80g dried apricots
100g coriander
60g butter
Cube chicken fillets. Slice onions. In medium pot add olive oil, biryani mix, curry powder turmeric and onions. Cook slowly, stirring. Add chicken pieces and mix to coat in spices. Add tinned tomato and tomato paste, simmer. Add water to thin if needed. Add peas, yoghurt, apricots, coriander, chutney and bring back to a simmer for 10 minutes. Check seasoning; add salt and pepper, and garnish with freshly chopped coriander. Serve with basmati rice or roti, and sambals.
Chef Phil Alcock’s seafood curry (Cape Point)
(serves 4)
2g cumin seeds
2g coriander seeds
2g star anise
2g yellow mustard seeds
2g curry leaves
2g lemongrass
150g onion finely diced
5g garlic crushed
2g ginger finely diced
60g tomato diced
150ml olive oil
150g curry powder
300ml coconut milk
1l fresh cream
10g salt
1kg seafood mix
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the diced onions, garlic and all the spices and cook slowly over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring continually, being careful that the spices do not stick to the pan. After 5 minutes add the cream and coconut milk, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes over a low heat. Place the above sauce in a blender/liquidiser. Blend the sauce until smooth, then pass through and fine sieve. Return the sauce to a clean pan, add the seafood mix and gently bring to the boil, season with salt to taste. Serve in a bowl with freshly cooked jasmine rice and garnish with fresh coriander.
From the restaurant at Jonkershuis at Groot Constantia, milk tart with a rooibos and date syrup.
Base:
550g flour
120g butter
4 eggs
150g icing sugar
50ml water
Syrup
500ml water
1kg white sugar
5 bags of rooibos tea
100g destoned dates, chopped
cinnamon stick
Filling
1.2l milk
50g butter
3 eggs
50g cake flour
110g white sugar
10ml vanilla essence
5g cinnamon ground
1g salt
50g cornflour
For the base: Rub the flour, icing sugar and butter together. Add the eggs one by one until the pastry comes together, using your hands only. Add the water to help the pastry come together, if needed. Mould the pastry into a large tart dish, preferably a loose based one as this makes it easy to serve.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC, bake for 10 minutes.
For the syrup: Boil the rooibos teabags and water. Turn off the heat and let it draw for 10 minutes. Remove teabags.
Add the sugar, dates and cinnamon, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
For the filling: Place the milk and butter in a large pot and bring to the boil. With a whisk mix the eggs, flour, cornflour, vanilla and salt together.
Add this mixture to the pot, bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Cook for a further 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into your pastry mould. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top and leave to cool.
Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Slice and serve with a tablespoon of the rooibos and date syrup. - Cape Argus