Angela Day
Johannesburg - Mike and Danielle Postma own the busy cafe and patisserie Moemas in Parktown.
After studying and working in London, Danielle and Mike returned home nine years ago to open the cafe, basing it on Danielle's experience working for the renowned Ottolenghi group.
Their children Charlie, 6, and Jess, 5, are as obsessed with food as their parents.
Danielle says from an early age they were both eager to assist with food preparation. Charlie is the adventurous eater, not squirming from trying ingredients like fish eyes.
I invited the family to the Angela Day Kitchen, where Danielle and the kids prepared a meal they thought Mike would enjoy for Father's Day. Of course his favourites were on the menu.
Lamb is the dish Danielle cooked for Mike on their first date, so it was the natural choice for a main course. And as Mike has a soft spot for dessert, the kids wanted him to have his favourite apple and pear crumble tart.
The children got stuck in. With mom's help, they fried the fritters and sliced the lamb, arranged everything on platters and finally mixed a refreshing ginger berry ale.
Mike couldn't wait to tuck into his special meal.
As Danielle will have to work at the cafe for Father's Day, the family may have to enjoy the meal without her.
GINGER BERRY ALE
Serves 4
1 litre ginger ale
250ml berry juice
125ml fresh or frozen berries
ice for serving
Combine all the ingredients in a jug with lots of ice and serve.
MARINATED LAMB WITH TZATZIKI
Serves 4-6
MARINADE
2ml ground turmeric
4ml sweet paprika
7ml ground cumin
10ml sumac
2ml ground cardamom
4ml ras el hanout spice
30ml lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, crushed
a thumb size piece of ginger, grated
75ml olive oil
a handful of chopped coriander
5ml salt
4ml black pepper
1.2kg deboned leg of lamb
SALSA
1 red onion, finely sliced
Half cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large handful of fresh dill, chopped
15ml sumac
15ml white wine vinegar
30ml olive oil
2ml salt
TZATZIKI
180g cucumber, coarsely grated
Salt for sprinkling
360g Greek yoghurt
1 large handful of fresh mint, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
MARINADE: Lightly toast all the spices until fragrant. Place in a bowl and add the lemon juice, garlic, ginger, olive oil and coriander. Season with salt and pepper.
Rub this into the lamb and leave to marinate for 2 days if possible, otherwise a couple of hours.
When ready to cook, place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast at 200degC for 30-40 minutes or until cooked to taste. Remove and cover with foil for 10 minutes before carving.
SALSA: Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
TZATZIKI: Place the cucumber in a sieve and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes.
Squeeze out all the excess liquid. Combine with remaining ingredients and season to taste.
GREEK SALAD WITH FETA BALLS
Serves 4-6
FETA BALLS
200g feta cheese
30g butter
15ml chopped fresh oreganum
15ml chopped mint
15ml grated lemon rind
80ml chopped parsley
DRESSING
1 lemon, skin removed in strips
60ml olive oil
20ml cider vinegar
5ml honey
1 garlic clove, crushed
5ml finely grated lemon zest
5ml lemon juice
7ml fennel or aniseed, roughly crushed
SALAD
a selection of tomatoes, halved
a few gherkin cucumbers, chopped
thinly sliced red onion
2 courgettes, sliced into ribbons
FETA BALLS: In a blender or mini chopper, combine everything except the parsley.
Blend until well mixed.
Roll the mixture into balls.
Roll the balls in chopped parsley and refrigerate until needed.
DRESSING: Put the lemon rind into a pot with the olive oil.
Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Lift out the peel and cut it into very thin strips.
Put the oil into a bowl and whisk in the vinegar, honey, garlic, lemon zest, fennel seeds and seasoning.
Salad: Arrange the salad ingredients on a platter, scatter with feta balls and thinly shredded lemon peel, drizzle with the dressing and serve.
COURGETTE FRITTERS
Serves 4
2-3 large courgettes
salt
half an onion, finely chopped
75g feta cheese, crumbled
125ml flour
1 egg
15ml chopped fresh mint
15ml milk
black pepper
oil for frying
lemon wedges for serving
Coarsely grate the courgettes, place in a sieve and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Squeeze out the excess moisture from the courgettes. The easiest way is to put them in a clean tea towel and wring the moisture out.
Then place the courgettes in a bowl and add the onion, feta, flour, egg, mint and milk and mix well. Season with a grinding of pepper.
Heat about 3cm of oil in a deep pan or pot. Drop spoonfuls of the courgette mixture into the oil and fry until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towel.
Serve with lemon wedges.
APPLE AND PEAR CRUMBLE
PASTRY
375g flour
a pinch of salt
115g icing sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon
250g cold butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
ice water to mix
TOPPING
125g bottled apple sauce
3 apples, peeled and diced into small cubes
125ml raisins
5ml ground cinnamon
3 apples, cored and cut into wedges
3 pears, cored and cut into wedges
melted butter
CRUMBLE
100g butter
150g flour
50g sugar
PASTRY: Put the flour, salt, icing sugar and lemon rind into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix the egg yolks with some cold water and add enough to the flour to bring the mixture together to form a dough.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the dough out to a rectangle and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
TOPPING: Spread the apple sauce over the pastry. Top with diced apples and raisins and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Top with the wedges of apples and pears, making them stand up more than lie down. Brush the wedges with melted butter.
CRUMBLE: Rub the butter into the flour and sugar to make a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle the crumble onto the topping. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Bake at 160degC for an hour until the pastry is cooked and golden. Serve warm with whipped cream
ANGELA DAY
The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.
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