Return to Corriebush Read online

  45 ml (3 Tbsp) olive oil

  1 large onion, finely chopped

  3 cloves garlic, crushed

  1 small green pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and chopped

  500 g ripe, juicy tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped

  10 ml (2 tsp) tomato paste

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) fresh oregano leaves

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) fresh thyme leaves

  2 bay leaves

  a few tufts of parsley

  sea salt, milled black pepper and a pinch of sugar

  60 ml (1⁄4 cup) red wine

  1 × 400 g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed*

  a few fresh basil leaves, shredded

  100 g brown mushrooms, wiped, sliced

  slivered black olives

  a pat of butter

  grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for sprinkling

  Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion, garlic and green pepper. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs (except basil), seasoning and wine. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 30–40 minutes. Stir occasionally and mash up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. (The pan should be covered or the sauce will thicken too much, and the beans will thicken it even further.) Mix in the beans, basil, mushrooms, olives and butter and simmer, covered, for a further 15 minutes – you will probably need to add a little water or stock to keep it succulent. It’s the long, gentle simmer that’s important here to mellow the flavours – quick tomato sauces can be very tart. Serve on fettucine and pass the cheese. Serves 4 very generously.

  * These are white kidney beans, larger than haricots, smaller than butter beans.

  Beef Steaks with Red Wine & Mushroom Sauce

  Many people like a little something with their steak, and this sauce is for them. Make it while the cooked steaks are settling, then spoon it over, or alongside; the rich red-brown colour and medley of flavours will enhance any cut, but it’s specially good with rump or fillet.

  oil

  top-quality soy sauce

  6 portions of fillet, or 4 medium rump steaks

  1 large leek, thinly shredded

  2 cloves garlic, crushed

  125 ml (1⁄2 cup) red wine

  375 ml (11⁄2 cups) hot beef stock

  10 ml (2 tsp) tomato paste

  200 g brown mushrooms, wiped and chunkily chopped

  extra 15 ml (1 Tbsp) soy sauce

  20 ml (4 tsp) flour mashed with

  20 ml (4 tsp) butter

  about 5 ml (1 tsp) redcurrant jelly

  Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, brush the steaks on both sides with a little soy sauce (this is optional, but it improves the colour and eliminates the need for salt*) and brown on both sides, turning once only and being careful not to pierce them. (Don’t do this over fierce heat or the meat will scorch.) When done to your liking, transfer to a plate and keep warm. Add the leek to the same pan and, when it starts to soften and brown, add the garlic, wine, stock and tomato paste. Allow to bubble over medium heat until slightly reduced and boldly coloured, then add the mushrooms and extra soy sauce. When the mushrooms are softening, stir in the flour-butter paste teaspoon by teaspoon, until the sauce thickens, then add the jelly to gloss it and round out the flavour – if you don’t have redcurrant jelly, you could try apple or quince – just a touch of sweetness finishes it off perfectly. Now stir in any juices that have escaped under the waiting steaks, and serve. Serves 4–6.

  * No salt has been added to the ingredients as – unless using low-salt soy sauce – extra salt should not be necessary.

  Fillet of Beef with a Creamy Mustard Sauce

  This makes a rather special meal for four without breaking the budget because you don’t have to cater for seconds – unlike a roast, seconds just don’t seem polite when it comes to steaks. So: just four tournedos – cut thick, but small – first marinated, then cooked in minutes and finally drizzled with the cream sauce that is much lighter than most, and a snap to prepare.

  4 × 100 g slices of fillet

  a slick of oil for frying

  sea salt and milled black pepper

  MARINADE

  60 ml (1⁄4 cup) red wine

  10 ml (2 tsp) balsamic vinegar

  10 ml (2 tsp) olive oil

  5 ml (1 tsp) finely chopped

  rosemary leaves

  SAUCE

  125 ml (1⁄2 cup) reduced fat cream

  30 ml (2 Tbsp) sweet sherry

  20 ml (4 tsp) Dijon mustard

  1 small clove garlic, crushed

  2 spring onions, finely chopped

  Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a small, shallow glass or non-metallic dish, add the steaks and refrigerate for 4–6 hours, turning a few times. Return the steaks to room temperature before cooking. Take them straight out of the marinade without patting them dry, and use a fairly small frying pan – the steaks should not be crowded, but a large pan will reduce the sauce too much. Heat a little oil and brown the steaks on both sides – turn only once and don’t have the heat too fierce or the vinegar will scorch. When done to your liking, transfer to a serving platter, season lightly and keep warm while you make the sauce. Stir all the sauce ingredients together, pour into the same pan in which you cooked the steaks, and stir over low heat until smooth and slightly thickened. Mix in any juices that have accumulated under the waiting steaks, drizzle the steaks with the sauce, and serve at once. Serves 4.

  Casserole of Veal with Brinjals & Olives

  Not unlike the well-loved Osso Buco, but with chunky Mediterranean vegetables adding their individual character and flavour.

  1 kg veal shin, in 2 cm thick slices (10–12 slices)

  seasoned flour

  olive oil

  1 × 400 g can whole tomatoes, chopped, plus juice

  2 medium brinjals (500 g), cubed and dégorged

  3 sticks celery, chopped

  12 pickling onions, peeled

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) tomato paste

  7 ml (11⁄2 tsp) dried tarragon

  125 ml (1⁄2 cup) white wine

  250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock

  5 ml (1 tsp) sea salt

  10 ml (2 tsp) sugar

  6 cloves garlic, peeled

  3 bay leaves

  black olives (as many as you like)

  chopped fresh tarragon or flat-leaf parsley to garnish

  Nick the edges of the veal slices, roll in seasoned flour, and brown on both sides in a little olive oil in a frying pan – do this in batches – then arrange in a large baking dish in a single layer. Add the remaining ingredients, except the olives and garnish, to the pan, stir to mix, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the veal, pushing the onions in between the slices, then cover securely with a lid or a sheet of greaseproof paper and then one of foil, and bake at 160 °C for 11⁄2 hours, by which time the veal should be butter-soft, the vegetables cooked, and the sauce rich and thick. Stir in the olives and, if necessary, a little extra stock and return to the oven, uncovered, until bubbling. Remove and discard the bay leaves and sprinkle with the tarragon or parsley. Serves 6.

  Casserole of Lamb with Mushrooms & Butter Beans

  An earthy stew, brimming with tender nuggets of lamb and vegetables in a thick, herby gravy. Preparation is surprisingly quick, the baking very slow, and interference from the cook virtually nil, yet the result is simply delicious.

  1.1 kg lamb knuckles (20–24), sliced 3–4 cm thick*

  seasoned flour

  oil

  4 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 large onions, coarsely chopped

  3 medium carrots, sliced

  5 ml (1 tsp) each dried thyme and oregano

  125 ml (1⁄2 cup) red wine

  200 ml (4⁄5 cup) beef stock

  200 ml (4⁄5 cup) tomato purée

  125 ml (1⁄2 cup) parsley tufts

  10 ml (2 tsp) Worcestershire sauce

  5 ml (1 tsp) sea salt

  10 ml (2 tsp) soft brown sugar

  200 g brown mushrooms, wiped and c
hopped

  4 bay leaves

  1 × 410 g can butter beans, drained and rinsed

  Roll the knuckles in the seasoned flour or shake up in a bag – the easiest way. Brown in batches on both sides in a little oil, then transfer to a large baking dish – 20 × 30 cm is perfect. Place the remaining ingredients, except the mushrooms, bay leaves and beans, in a processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped. Mix with the mushrooms, then spread the mixture over the knuckles. Tuck in the bay leaves and cover securely with a lid, or a sheet of greaseproof paper and then one of foil. Bake at 160 °C for 1 hour, then turn and toss the knuckles – the juices will have drawn, but the meat will not yet be tender, and the flavour of the sauce will not have mellowed. Cover as before, and bake for a further 1 hour, then add the beans and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened sufficiently. Remove and discard the bay leaves and serve piping hot. Serves 6.

  * Do not substitute ‘stewing’ lamb as it is much too fatty.

  Lamb Buffalo with Peppadews

  You may wonder about the word ‘buffalo’ in a recipe without buffalo, but the reason is that the word also features in a chicken dish – also without buffalo, but with a signature tomatoey/mustardy/sweetish sauce. I can’t imagine what a buffalo has to do with such ingredients, but I thought if chicken can respond to it, so can lamb. So here it is: lamb chops slowly simmered until tender in a bright, savoury sauce, spiked with peppadews for oomph. Lovely comfort food, this, for which you will need a really large, heavy, wide-based pan.

  30 ml (2 Tbsp) oil and a pat of butter

  6 lamb chump chops (about 600 g), trimmed of rind and excess fat

  a little sea salt and milled black pepper

  1 large onion, sliced into thin rings

  2 medium carrots, diced

  30 ml (2 Tbsp) flour

  125 ml (1⁄2 cup) tomato purée

  125 ml (1⁄2 cup) red wine

  250 ml (2 cups) beef stock

  10 ml (2 tsp) Worcestershire sauce

  30 ml (2 Tbsp) chutney

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) wholegrain mustard

  2–3 bay leaves

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) soft brown sugar

  5 ml (1 tsp) mixed dried herbs

  a jar of mild sweet piquanté peppers

  a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley or fresh coriander leaves

  Heat the oil and butter, brown both sides of the chops, set aside, and season. Add the onion and the carrots to the pan drippings and, when softening, sprinkle in the flour. When absorbed, add all the remaining ingredients, except the peppadews and parsley, in the order listed, stir to mix, then return the lamb to the pan. Cover and simmer gently over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, turning once, and adding a little extra stock only if necessary. When the chops are very tender and the sauce bright and medium-thick, reach for the jar of peppadews and rinse and chop enough to provide 60–75 ml (4–5 Tbsp). Stir them into the sauce, heat for 10 minutes or so to bring out the flavour, remove the bay leaves, then swirl in the parsley or coriander for colour. Serve on rice or, if your pan is big enough, add a few baby potatoes to cook through just before the chops are tender. Serves 4–6, with a green veg.

  Braised Leg of Lamb

  A pot-roasted or braised leg can never have quite the presence that surrounds a roast, but it nevertheless has a yeoman personality of its own. It is also unfailingly succulent and tender, simple and trustworthy. I love it, and I don’t mind that it isn’t pink. Also, it’s a cook’s dream – simply left to languish in the oven for hours along with plenty of wine, stock, vegetables and other things, it emerges butter-soft and afloat with flavour. Add some potatoes before the end, and bake some butternut seeing the oven is on. Two imperatives – you’ll need a heavy, lidded roaster that can be used on the stove as well as in the oven – and a good red wine.

  1.5 kg leg of lamb (without the shank bone)

  vinegar

  lots of garlic, slivered

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) flour mixed with 5 ml (1 tsp) sea salt

  about 30 ml (2 Tbsp) oil (and a dab of butter for flavour)

  2 large onions, chopped

  2 large carrots, diced

  1 stick celery, plus leaves, chopped

  2 ml (1⁄2 tsp) dried oregano

  200 ml (4⁄5 cup) red wine – preferably claret

  200 ml (4⁄5 cup) hot beef stock

  2–3 × 10 cm sprigs fresh rosemary

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) tomato paste

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) soft brown sugar

  10 ml (2 tsp) Worcestershire sauce

  3 bay leaves

  Wipe the leg with vinegar, jab little slits here and there, insert the garlic, and rub all over with the seasoned flour. Heat the oil and butter in the roaster (no rack required with this recipe), brown the lamb on both sides, then remove. Add all the vegetables and the oregano to the drippings in the roaster and sweat briefly over low heat. Return the meat to the roaster, add the remaining ingredients, baste the leg once or twice and then place in the oven at 160 °C for 11⁄2 hours. Turn the leg, cover again, and bake for a further 1 hour (remember to slip some potatoes round the meat, if using.) Remove to a warm platter to rest – switch off the oven and leave the lamb there while you see to the gravy, which should be plentiful and richly coloured. Either reduce it on top of the stove, which can be rather dodgy because it concentrates the flavours which may be quite concentrated enough already, or break the rules and use cornflour slaked with a little extra red wine, boil up, and when the consistency is right, remove the bay leaves, pour a little over the waiting lamb, and serve the rest separately. Serves 6.

  Simmered, Savoury Lamb Loin Chops

  To be honest, what the title should read is Lamb with Red Wine, Rosemary and Mushrooms but I ducked it because that combination is so well-known and predictable that I just called it something else. The trouble is, when I’m faced with a loin chop, curled up into a tiny round parcel (noisettes are no longer a regular cut, I am told), well, when I see this lamb chop I can think of nothing but red wine, rosemary and mushrooms. There has to be a reason – and I think it is this: the marriage is so perfect, the balance of flavours so impeccable, why follow a different route? I know one should grill them occasionally, and serve them pink, but then they have to be watched, and done this way the chops come with a dark, rich gravy, flavoursome and glossy, and they more or less do themselves.

  1–2 cloves garlic

  12 lamb loin chops (1–1.2 kg), rind and excess fat removed

  60 ml (1⁄4 cup) oil and a pat of butter

  sea salt and milled black pepper

  4 large leeks, shredded

  180 ml (3⁄4 cup) tomato purée

  150 ml (3⁄5 cup) red wine

  500 ml (2 cups) beef stock*

  2 small sprigs fresh rosemary, bruised

  4 sprigs fresh oregano, bruised

  4 bay leaves

  15 ml (1 Tbsp) soft brown sugar

  300 g mixed mushrooms, wiped and coarsely chopped**

  1 ml (1⁄4 tsp) ground cinnamon

  10 ml (2 tsp) redcurrant, apple or quince jelly

  Halve the cloves of garlic and rub well into the chops on both sides. Heat the oil and butter in a very large, deep frying pan and add the chops, tail ends curled round neatly, and brown on both sides. When you get that lovely braai aroma, remove the chops, season lightly and set aside. Soften the leeks in the pan drippings, then add the remaining ingredients up to, and including, the sugar. Bring to simmering point, stirring, then return the lamb to the pan and add the mushrooms and cinnamon. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes, turning once – by this time the chops should be really tender, so remove them to a large serving dish, remove the rosemary and oregano from the sauce and boil rapidly for just a few minutes to reduce. Swirl in the jelly to gloss and after a minute or so pour over the chops and serve. Serves 6.

  * I use Marmite rather than a cube – it makes a dark, flavoursome
stock.

  ** The choice is flexible – I use a mix of brown, button and baby button.

  Orange Pork Chops

  Bathed in a savoury orange sauce and then slow-baked until meltingly tender, this dish is hassle free, has lots of character, and is quite voluptuously satisfying. Simple accompaniments like mash and broccoli team up perfectly with these bright, succulent chops.

  a dash of oil

  6 large pork loin chops (about 1 kg), without rind or excess fat

  a little sea salt

  250 ml (1 cup) fresh orange juice

  30 ml (2 Tbsp) soy sauce

  30 ml (2 Tbsp) smooth chutney

  2 ml (1⁄2 tsp) ground cinnamon

  a small knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and coarsely grated

  5 ml (1 tsp) very finely grated orange rind

  10 ml (2 tsp) runny honey

  60 ml (4 Tbsp) seedless raisins

  30 ml (2 Tbsp) flour

  verjuice (optional)

  Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chops and seal quickly on both sides – do not brown. Transfer to a baking dish to fit fairly closely, and season lightly. Quickly mix the orange juice with the rest of the ingredients, except the flour and the verjuice. Add the flour to the pan drippings and, when absorbed, add the orange juice mixture. Stir while it comes to the boil, then pour over the chops. Cover securely with a sheet of greaseproof paper and then one of foil, and bake at 160 °C for 1 hour. Turn the chops, cover again, and bake for a further 15 minutes, by which time they should be wonderfully tender in a toffee-coloured sauce. Taste and, if too sweet for your liking, add a dash of verjuice. Serves 6.

  Sara

  One Saturday morning a notice appeared in the Corriebush Daily that caused a flutter amongst the women. They all read it while sipping their early-morning tea in bed, and instinctively knew that they should get up quickly and meet at The Coffee Shop for a round-table discussion. By ten o’clock they were all there – Amelia, Lily, Anna, Sophia, Nellie and Maria. Nellie poured, while Lily passed the scones.