Sophia Lindop - A Unique Food Experience

Vine leaves preserved in brine

 

Vine leaves - it is just the right time to harvest them and preserve them in brine to use at a later stage for making 'dolmades' (as the Greeks call them) or 'warak einab' (as the Lebanese call them).  In order to strike while the iron is hot, I picked two large baskets full, and I have to preserve them tonight.  I will share with you the recipe I am going to use, as well as tips on what to look for when picking...

To prepare the vine leaves and make the brine
1.  Snip off the stem and rinse well.  Drain.
2.  Wash leaves (about 1kg) and stack in piles of 24, with shiny side up.  Roll up and tie with string.
3.  Bring 8 cups water to the boil with ¼ cup salt.  
4.  Drop in 4 bundles at a time, return to the boil and blanch for 3 minutes, turning rolls over to blanch evenly. 
5.  Lift out and drain. 
6.  Repeat with remaining rolls.
7.  Make a brine with 8 cups water boiled with 1 cup sea salt.
8.  Pack rolls upright into warm sterilized jars and pour hot brine over leaves. 
9.  Remove air bubbles and seal when cold.
10.Tip - label jars with date and number of leaves.
11.To use the leaves, remove as many as you need one day ahead and rinse under cold running water to remove brine.

Tips when picking
1.    Grape leaves should be whole (without holes) preferably from vines that have not been sprayed with pesticides.
2.  Leaves should be light green, and tender (supple). The best are those below the new growth at the top of the plant and above those close to the grapes.
3.  Leaves should be medium to large, at least the size of the palm of your hand, large enough to wrap around a filling.

"Easy recipes" from "Sophia Lindop"

Pasta making...

Pasta making - a task much less daunting that I thought!  And besides, there's nothing nicer than pasta fresca!  The most important ingredient is the pasta machine, but if you have one, here's a quick and easy recipe for you to try...

Basic pasta dough

Serves 2 to 4 (depending on size of portions)

Ingredients
200g cake flour
2 eggs
15ml olive oil
3ml salt

Method
1.  Place 175g of the flour into the bowl of the food processor.
2.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until a ball forms.
3.  Add sufficient extra flour until the dough is firm yet pliable.
4.  Allow to rest for 10 to 20 minutes.
5.  Divide into three . 
6.  Roll out, starting on the thickest setting and working your way backwards to the number 3 setting.
7.  Cut to the desired size and leave hanging on a rack until ready to use.
8.  Cook in plenty of salted water, and add to your sauce.

Variations
A.  Green pasta - add 30g cooked pureed spinach to the eggs...
B.  Red pasta - add 10ml tomato paste to the eggs...

Enjoy!!!

"Sophia Lindop" sharing more "easy recipes"

Roast Leg of Lamb

I learnt to prepare a great roast leg of lamb from my late mother and grandmother!  Every Sunday lunch consisted of various vegetables, roast chicken, and...the leg of lamb!  Here are a few tips and tricks:

1.  Make sure you are buying good meat from a reliable source.  In order to eat well, one must shop well!
2.  If frozen, make sure it is completely defrosted first.
3.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.
4.  Start early and give yourself enough time to have it in the oven for at least 3 hours.
5.  Prepare the leg of lamb by rinsing it and patting it dry.
6.  Use a few cloves of garlic and stuff these into the flesh by making a cross of about 1cm x 1cm with a sharp knife, and stuffing the clove into the hole.
7.  Do the same with a few sprigs of rosemary (see above...)
8.  There is no need to use any oil - the lamb has enough fat on it as well as between the fibres.
9.  I use Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper to season, and nothing else.
10.When done, sprinkle flour over the meat using a flour shaker.  The flour helps form a thick, sticky gravy, and it keeps the juices sealed inside.
11.Cook it uncovered for 3 hours, basting it regularly in its own juices after the first hour.

And, as for the rest, prepare your vegetables and whatever else, and savour each moment as you enjoy your leg of lamb!  Think of me, and the two generations preceding me, who taught me most of what I know.

"Sophia Lindop" sharing her "easy recipes" with you!

Verjuice

Dodie wrote from the US asking about Verjuice, so here goes... 

The word verjuice derives from the French ‘vert jus’ or ‘verjus’ and literally means, “green juice”.  It is the unfermented juice of semi-ripe grapes from the green-harvested thinnings of premium red and white noble grape varieties.  (The bunches are thinned out to encourage maximum quality and size - of both the bunch and the berry - for those left on the vine.)  These trimmings are high in acid and low in sugar and can often account for up to 50% of the total crop which is usually discarded.  In other words, it is the juice that comes from pressing unripe grapes.  This zesty juice then gets a life of its own and is enjoyed as an elegant, delicate culinary condiment for a range of dishes as wide as the inventive chef’s imagination.

Verjuice is a Medieval condiment, called husroum in Arabic, that is still used extensively in Syrian cuisine.  In the Middle Agesit was widely used all over Western Europe as an ingredient in sauces, as a condiment, or to deglaze preparations. The art of producing and using verjuice was lost during the Middle Ages when the Crusades introduced lemons to France and other Mediterranean fruit and wine producing countries. 

Today verjuice is the acidulant in Dijon mustard, in fact, it has been since 1856!  It resulted in a mustard that was less acidic.  This delicate acidic liquid can also be used in place of vinegar or lemon juice, and can be used in larger quantities. Verjuice heightens flavours of fish, chicken, game, red meat, vegetables and fruits, and can be used in vinaigrettes, dressings, sauces, and even gravies.  Because it shares the same acid base as wine, verjuice will not distort the essence of wine, the way vinegar or lemon juice would.   It combines particularly well with walnut and hazelnut oils and emulsifies superbly with olive oil.  What's more, it is also delicious as a healthy cordial, diluted with still or sparkling water, neat as an aperitif sloshed over crushed ice or, as a mixer for cocktails and sours.

After opening, verjuice must be refrigerated and will keep for up to three months depending on fridge temperature.

References:
Larousse Gastronomique
The Verjuice Company in South Africa
Wikipedia

And now, click here to read my latest newsletter - it contains a yummy salad dressing recipe containing verjuice...

I hope this answers your questions, Dodie! 

"Sophia Lindop" bringing you more "easy recipes"...

Catching up...

     

I thought I'd share this with you - it appears in the November issue of Fair Lady.  It felt really good to see my creations in a glossy magazine!

Furthermore, I returned home from a long weekend on the farm to find my gooseberries very close to ripe, my artichokes bigger, and my tomato seedlings happier than ever!  I followed the principles of 'companion planting' when I sowed seeds and planted my latest herbs - it's astounding, the difference it makes!  I used Margaret Robert's book (for those who live elsewhere, she is a local guru!)  Should you want to order her book, I can strongly recommend you do so!

I picked noem-noem berries on the Karoo farm this weekend - it's an indigenous bush that grows in this area, and the berries were sweet and ripe.  I am busy making noem-noem jelly to enjoy with game meat, so I have to run...  Promise to tell more soon...

"Sophia Lindop" signing off...

Tefal Actifry

My latest toy - the Tefal Actifry.  This product is a little miracle!  Healthy, quick and easy meals are where it's at!  I love fries (chips), but don't like too much oil.  And with this little baby, one spoonful is all you need!  A while ago I was given one of these to test drive, and I was seriously impressed! 

So, now that you've been introduced, I should run...  Lots to do.  Potatoes to buy.  Chips to fry!  Keep your eyes peeled for one of these - or click here to ask about your nearest stockists! 

Vegetarian meals

 

In my opinion, the test of a great restaurant is its vegetarian section on its menu, followed by its dessert section!  Mostly these lack imagination and are dull and uninspiring!  I often feel for people who prefer vegetarian - in fact, Paddy and I will often eat vegetarian at home, and, having grown up on a farm where meat played an important role in our diet, I have found it a wonderful and exciting journey coming up with vegetarian menu ideas!

Last Friday I was preparing another meal at Blackheath Lodge and one of my guests asked for vegetarian.  So I came up with this idea and she loved it!

Phyllo basket
I used three layers of phyllo pastry, brushed each layer with melted butter, and sprinkled each layer with finely grated pecorino before placing it in a ovenproof dish the size of my desired basket.  This I baked at 180°C until golden brown.

Filling my basket
Well, here the options are limitless, but I used: creamed organic spinach from my garden, Italian vine tomatoes, roasted, baby carrots, roasted, steamed asparagus spears, roasted peppers, feta cheese, and brussels sprouts that I cut in half and fried with onion in a pan until al dente - the onion added a wonderful flavour.  I arranged all of this inside my basket, grated more pecorino on top, added a sprig of chervil and served.  There was a wonderful variety, and the inside was juicy and gooey (the feta cheese had melted).  

She loved it!  And John (who is a carnivore) actually said that it looked and smelled so good that, if there had been another portion, he would have opted for that!

"Easy vegetarian recipe ideas" from "Sophia Lindop"

 

Fresh green asparagus

This time of the year is like Christmas for any cook and chef!  There are so many things in season right now, like asparagus, artichokes and other delights.  A few weeks ago we were enjoying wild asparagus: something I have never prepared until recently.  But more about that soon...

Here are a few important storage tips for fresh asparagus:
1.  Keep fresh asparagus clean, cold and covered.
2.  Wash several times and pat dry.
3.  Place in moisture-proof wrapping.
4.  Refrigerate and use within 2 or 3 days for best quality.
5.  To maintain freshness, wrap a moist paper towel around the stem ends, or stand upright in a little cold water.

My favourite preparation methods are steaming, flash-frying or stir-frying.  Merisa asked me for some tortilla wrap filling ideas, so here are a few using asparagus...

a.  Smoked chicken breasts, cut into strips, with mayonnaise, fresh steamed asparagus and papaya.
b.  All-vegetarian flash-fried asparagus spears, with hummus, char-grilled aubergine, a dash of home-made mayonnaise and wild rocket.
c.  Smoked ham or something like prosciutto, asparagus, and béarnaise sauce (recipe on my Blog).
d.  Strips of fillet, asparagus spears, lettuce and tzatsiki.

The possibilities are endless!  Have fun, Merisa! 

More "easy recipes" from "Sophia Lindop"

Caprese

Caprese is one of my favourite salads - the Italians sure know how to eat well!  My latest best thing, however, is to add my South African Lebanese artistic wacky flair to this classic recipe, and everyone seems to heartily approve!

Paddy and I often have this as a meal on its own!  And although this would be a bad idea for someone like my friend Jason (who has an aversion to anything green - working on him, though...), this quick and easy recipe is an absolute delight!  Here's how...

 

I buy a whole lot of vine tomatoes (the ones on the stalks), drizzle them with grapeseed oil, sprinkle them with Maldon sea salt and roast them at 180°C until they are cooked.  You will see their skins will go all crinkly...  Then I set them aside to cool down.  I buy either balls of buffalo mozzarella (Did you know that there is a locally made one that is brilliant??  They have just won a few awards.  They are in Wellington, South Africa, and the farm is called Buffalo Ridge!!  Call them on 082 375 0977) or little balls of bocconcini.  Then I arrange the cooled tomatoes on a bed of wild rocket that I tossin a vinaigrette and top with the mozzarella and fresh basil, some good olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.  A nice hot ciabatta, and Bob's your uncle!  Yum! 

Another "quick and easy recipe" from "Sophia Lindop"

Turmeric

Turmeric - a spice that features high on any Cape cook's shopping list!  It's almost a standard ingredient in Cape cuisine, and in this house I go through heaps of it every year!  This powder has a very delicate earthy, bitter, peppery flavour, and other than that, it adds a yellow colour to those typical Cape Malay dishes that we love so much!  Until two Saturdays ago I never really stopped to think where this lovely, bright yellow powder came from...

Rowena works at the Salt River Market during the week as well as the Neighbourhood Goods Market on weekends.  She is a well of information, and when I excitedly looked at what I thought to be Jerusalem artichokes a few Saturdays ago, she was there to correct me.  What I was looking at was the fresh root from which the powder is made (see the yellow colour on the root below?)

 

This plant is part of the ginger family that not only gets used in curries, but it is used to impart colour to things like mustard condiments.  In fact, so prominent a spice is it that it is a standard feature in most commercial curry powders.  Rowena says that it is a delight to use fresh, but must be handled with great care because as soon the rhizomes are cut, they can seriously stain fingers, aprons, even cutting boards and knives.  The way to do it is to grate them while wearing disposable kitchen gloves, and to use fresh turmeric in long-cooking dishes like dals, curries and moist vegetables to give the fresh product time to do its magic.

Another idea is to fry fresh turmeric with grated fresh ginger in any recipes that ask for powdered turmeric, and one can easily use it in double quantities.  In other words, if a recipe calls for ½ teaspoon powdered turmeric, use 1 teaspoon of the fresh.  Used fresh, its slightly bitter and pungent flavour is unsurpassable, I believe.  I shall be trying this out on the weekend!

"Sophia Lindop" - more "easy recipe" ideas!