Gourmet Safari
Donovan van Staden
(Struik Lifestyle)
Reviewed by Myrna Robins
Hot on the heels of Savannah To Sea, and from the same publisher, comes another appealing cookbook-cum-wildlife visual spread, compiled by the group executive chef of a collection of lodges called Sanctuary Retreats.
The writer is a chef who is also a talented photographer, interspersing his shots of food and luxury lodges with magnificent images of the Big Five and other animals, along with the chefs and staff who work in Uganda, Kenya and Botswana.
Gourmet Safari presents recipes for the fare that pampered visitors from the biscuits that accompany coffee before early morning game drives, through breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, sundowner snacks and dinner.
New lodges in southern and eastern Africa increase competition, so the standard of cuisine continues to rise, making bush fine dining even more memorable. That said, the inevitable breakdowns in supply lines do not lessen, which means the ingenuity of the culinary teams is tested regularly.
Most of the recipes in this collection are Van Donovan’s and as he trains all the chefs you can be sure they have been well tested. Nearly all are for fare that many of us would make at home for family or friends. Bakes include melt-in-the-mouth biscuits, fruity muffins, Danish apricots puffs, savoury scones and other tempting brunch treats.
After a long morning game viewing, and a couple of G&Ts on your deck, its time to tuck into an al fresco lunch, starting perhaps with an apple and blue cheese salad. Soups, such as chilled green pea, precede mains like lamb koftas with sweetcorn salad and game terrine with preserved oranges. Tilapia croquettes are teamed with a carrot and bean relish.
Mini toffee apples with black cherry parfait and vanilla icecream in chocolate baskets could star in any five-star city hotel. And the Okavango chocolate pie is the answer to a chocoholic’s prayers.
Having digested this feast, and ahead of a long evening game drive, afternoon tea is served. Alongside trad treats like scones and rich chocolate cake, there are lemonade and iced rooibos to refresh.
Midway through the drive you will halt for sundowners and snacks, which could be caramelised peanuts and, once back at base, the final feast of the day. Starting with canapés – beetroot and soft cheese samoosas perhaps – dinner could proceed with crumbed camembert on beetroot carpaccio, followed by celery and onion soup and couscous-crusted prawns with sweet chilli sauce.
Vegetarian mains include crumbed aubergine with mozzarella, kiwi pesto and caper sauce, while meat options include red wine-braised lamb shank with root veggies or crocodile curry.
Sunday Argus