Cape Town - Deep into winter in the Cape of Storms and time to combat the chill. Hearty soups are de rigueur, and when it comes to dinner, one-pot fare and casseroles should be the mainstay.
Not only do these combinations make good economic sense, but cooking meat or poultry slowly with a number of veggies means keeping in goodness and letting flavours mingle. As Louis Leipoldt, one of South Africa’s most renowned gastronomes once wrote about our favourite indigenous mutton dish, the bredie: “These are combinations of meat with vegetables so intimately stewed that the flesh is thoroughly impregnated with the vegetable flavour while the vegetables have benefited from the meat juices.”
These suggestions offer other options, but the principle remains the same. And there’s a meatless choice that is economical, warming and ticks all the nutritious blocks.
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SPICY BEANS ON BAKED SWEET POTATO
This cholesterol-free meal comes from Delicious Vegetarian Food, published by Bay Books in 2003.
3x500g evenly-shaped sweet potatoes
1T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Half tsp chilli powder
1x400g can chopped tomatoes
250ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
1 large baby marrow, cubed
1 small green pepper, seeded and cubed
1 can corn kernels, drained
1x800g can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3T chopped fresh coriander leaves
Sour cream to accompany
Grated cheddar cheese to accompany
Preheat oven to 210°C. Rinse the sweet potatoes, pierce each with a small sharp knife. Bake on a baking tray for 1 hour to an hour and 30 minutes until soft when tested with a skewer.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden. Add the garlic and spice, stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomato and stock, stir, then add the vegetables and beans. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover, increase heat a little and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until liquid has reduced and thickened. Stir in the coriander just before serving. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthways. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the top, add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with cheese, and garnish with a sprig of fresh coriander.
Serves 6.
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BEEF CASSEROLE WITH PARSNIPS AND BABY JACKET POTATOES
This is one of many down-to-earth meat dishes from Veld to Fork by Gordon Wright, published by Struik Lifestyle. Wright regards this casserole as an effective antidote for cold and flu symptoms.
He maintains the natural collagen in the connective tissue of beef shin is a superb immune booster, while the carrots provide Vitamin C and the parsnips and potatoes yield potassium.
Onions offer antioxidants and garlic is a super food.
Olive oil
6 pickling onions, peeled
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1kg beef shin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
8 baby jacket potatoes, washed
1 handful chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, marjoram, thyme, oregano), plus extra for garnishing
500ml good quality beef stock
5 broccoli florets
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Heat a dash of oil in a stovetop-to-oven casserole and brown the onions and garlic. Add the meat and brown this too, seasoning as you go. Once browned, add the remaining ingredients (except the broccoli), give it all a good stir, pop the lid on and place in the oven for 1½ hours.
Add the broccoli, give it a gentle stir and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of the fresh herbs over the top.
Serves 4-6.
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LAMB SHANK AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE
This favourite combination comes from Marie Claire Comfort by Michele Cranston, published by Murdoch Books. Lamb is an expensive meat these days, but this is worth splurging out on at least once this winter. The dry sherry gives it a special flavour. Gremolata is a mixture of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, finely grated lemon zest and garlic or finely grated horseradish.
About 2-3 cup (80g) flour
4 lamb shanks, about 1.25kg in total
160ml olive oil
2 leeks, well washed and sliced into rounds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp rosemary leaves
250ml (1 cup) dry sherry
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 carrots, pared and sliced
500ml (2 cups) lamb stock
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Gremolata, to serve (optional)
Preheat oven to 200°C. Put the flour into a plastic bag, add the shanks and toss until well coated. Heat half the oil in a pan and add the shanks and brown on all sides. Transfer them to a casserole and wipe the pan clean.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the leek, garlic and rosemary until the leek starts to soften. Add the sherry and cook for a few minutes before adding the tomato and carrot. Stir for 1 minute, then pour this sauce over the meat, add the stock, and season the mixture. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and move the shanks around in the sauce. Add the potatoes, cover and return to the oven for a further hour or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Remove from oven and serve with gremolata if desired.
Serves 4.
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SLOW-COOKED CHICKEN AND CHORIZO CASSOULET WITH THYME AND GRUYERE DUMPLINGS
From Sarah Graham’s new title, Smitten (Struik Lifestyle), comes this innovative combo of sausages, beans and cider with golden dumplings.
10-12 chicken sausages
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried
1T olive oil
1T butter
3 medium red onions, cut into sixths
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 fresh chilli, deseeded and chopped or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
About 225g chorizo, sliced
1x400g can cannellini beans, drained
300ml cider
2T chopped fresh parsley
Dumplings:
100g self-raising flour (about two thirds of a cup)
50g soft butter
½ cup grated Gruyère (or Parmesan or cheddar)
2-3T natural yoghurt
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
generous pinch of salt and freshly
ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the chicken sausages with salt, pepper and thyme. Heat an ovenproof pot or deep baking dish with lid on the stove and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter starts to foam, brown the sausages for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
Add the onions to the pot and fry for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a further 2 minutes. Then add the chorizo and fry for 3-5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the stove, add the chicken sausages on top of the onions and chorizo, pour in the cannellini beans and cider, put on the lid and place in the oven for 40 minutes.
Make the dumplings. Mix the flour and butter in a mixer or food processor until the texture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and knead into a soft dough. If the dough is too wet, add a little more flour. Break off bits of dough and roll into palm-sized balls.
After 40 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and gently place the dumplings on top of the chicken mixture. Return the pot to the oven uncovered and bake for6-10 minutes until the dumplings are puffy and golden.
Sprinkle over the fresh parsley and serve on warmed plates. Serves 4-6. The dish can be made a few hours in advance and reheated under the grill just before serving.
Cape Argus