When I think about waterblommetjies, a stew is normally the first and only thing that comes to mind.
In addition to the classic waterblommetjie bredie, there is so much more this scaly water plant has to offer.
To celebrate the delicacy, Paarl is gearing up for the 9th annual Waterblommetjie Festival, which takes place on September 1.
The 4 participating wine farms, Boland Cellar, Domaine Brahms, Rhebokskloof Wine Estate and Windmeul Cellar, will showcase the versatility of waterblommetjies and how they can be enjoyed any time of the day, from breakfast to dessert.
Guests can enjoy waterblommetjies dishes, desserts and drinks at each of the farms.
Entry to all four venues is free and guests are asked to donate one tin of canned food on the day. The food will be donated to the official festival charity, The Haven Night Shelter in Paarl.
Here's a taste of what to expect at the festival with Windmeul cellar master Danie Marais's waterblommetjie potjie and Chef Caro's waterblommetjie and lemon ice cream.
Waterblommetjie Potjie
Serves – 20
Important: Soak your Waterblommetjies in salt water overnight. Rinse thoroughly thereafter.
Ingredients
- 3kg lambs meat (1/3 lamb shank & 2/3 lamb rib)
- 2.5kg baby potatoes
- 1kg onion (sliced)
- 2kg waterblommetjies (cut off stems and into smaller pieces)
- 750ml water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 Lemons)
- 10 cloves
Method
- In a big potjiekos pot on the stove or braai, add your olive oil. Once heated add your sliced onion until cooked. Remove from pot into a separate bowl.
- Cook the meat in the same pot until lightly cooked. Season with salt & pepper while cooking.
- Add your water to the meat and throw the onion on top of the meat. This has to simmer over a medium heat for about an hour with minimal stirring. Try not to stir at all.
- Add you waterblommetjies and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add more salt and pepper to your pot.
- Lastly, add your baby potatoes. Cook for another 30 minutes.
- Gently stir your pot and add more seasoning if needed.
- Add a dash of lemon juice and stir again. Thereafter, add your cloves – be careful not to stir too vigorously after adding these to avoid a sharp clove taste.
- Simmer your pot for a last 30 minutes.
Enjoy on a bed of rice and a slice of lemon.
Waterblommetjie and lemon ice cream Picture: Megan Baadjies
Waterblommetjie en lemon ice cream
Ingredients
- 1.5l Ice Cream
- 500ml Cold milk
- 2 ½ cups castor sugar
- Finely grated zest and juice of 4-5 lemons
- 500g fresh waterblommetjies
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 100g butter, melted
Method
- Combine the cream, milk and 2 1/2 cups of sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Use an electric hand mixer and whisk till thick. This may take a few minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and zest, stir.
- If you have an ice cream maker, put it to on the soft serve setting. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, use your electric mixer.
- Leave in the freezer and whisk it every hour to break any ice crystals. Continue until the ice cream is a thick soft serve. (This recipe yields a lot of ice cream, so if you want to freeze it faster, divide the ice cream into three smaller bowls.)
- In the meantime, you can prepare the waterblommetjies.
- Boil in water until soft, drain and set aside to cool.
- Mix the brown sugar and melted butter and add to waterblommetjies until completely covered.
- Place the mixture into a round pan and bake in the oven at 180 degrees, until the brown sugar has caramelised.
- Let the waterblommetjies cool then crush into fine pieces.
- If your ice cream is thick, dish it into a large serving bowl.
- Add the crushed waterblommetjies to the ice cream and stir.
- Place back in the freezer until frozen.