MEAT

venison, ostrich, beef, veal, lamb, pork

VENISON STEW with allesverloren and prunes

In the old days, game was marinated for days before cooking it, to tone down the gamey, outright hairy flavour. But that was then. Now, with butchers selling farm-reared, young springbok, it’s a different story – marinating is often skipped, and fillets and steaks served rare. Not so in this dish, in which the rules are bent, and steaks are given the old-fashioned treatment – a slow, well-done simmer. The result is fabulous: soft, tender chunks of meat in a richly flavoured gravy, glossed with jelly. This is stove-top cooking, which means you can check and stir whenever necessary, and it can all be done in advance – in fact it’s even more delicious the next day. Serve with clapshot – a weird and wonderful name for a simple dish of mash from the chilly islands to the north of Scotland. There, it is usually served with sausages, but it goes very well with this venison stew, and makes a welcome change from the traditional yellow rice.

  1. Using a sharp knife, pull off any thin membrane round the steaks. Pour the vinegar into a glass dish, add the steaks, turn over and over until coated, and leave for 1–2 hours. Place the prunes in a shallow dish and cover with the port. Wipe the steaks dry and slice each into three or four chunks. Heat the oil and butter in a large, wide saucepan and brown the meat well on both sides. Remove and set aside. Reduce the heat, add a little extra oil to the pan, then add the onions, bacon and carrots and, when soft and golden, sprinkle in the flour. When absorbed, stir in the stock, extra port, tomato paste and all the spices and seasoning. Return the meat to the saucepan, cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, then stir in the prunes and port and simmer for another 30 minutes. Finally, stir in the jelly to work its magic. Serve immediately or cool, turn into a suitable container, and refrigerate overnight. Add a little extra stock if necessary to thin out the gravy. Serves 4–5.
  1. Cook the prepared turnips in a little boiling salted water for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and boil together until both vegetables are soft, adding a little extra water if necessary. Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a medium frying pan and sauté the leeks gently until soft and golden. Drain excess water from the cooked turnips and potatoes, return to the pot and add the leeks and any buttery pan juices, together with the nutmeg and seasoning. Mash everything together with a little warm milk to make it creamy.

tomato BOBOTIE

This recipe, without being hostile to tradition, does differ slightly from the regular. The result is a soft, succulent, slow-baked and very lekker bobotie. Serve with yellow rice, sambals and atchar.

  1. Soak the bread in the milk. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions, ginger and garlic. Add the curry powder and spices. Stir until aromatic, adding a dash of water if necessary to prevent scorching, then add the mince. Toss over low heat until no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients, including the squeezed-dry bread (reserve the milk). Mix well, then turn into a large, lightly oiled baking dish – about 30 × 20 cm – the meat mixture should be about 3 cm deep. Spread out, then bake at 160 °C for 45 minutes.
  2. For the topping, whisk the eggs with the reserved milk (make it up to 300 ml (11⁄5 cups)), salt and turmeric. Pour over the meat. Slip in the bay leaves, scatter with almonds and bake for 45 minutes until set. Sprinkle with garam masala 5 minutes before the end. Serves 8.

karoo BOLOGNESE

… in which our local big bird is given some foreign treatment and a very long simmer. The result will be a jolly good pasta sauce, not as succulent as when made with beef or lamb or pork, but lean, healthy and a good ethnic alternative.

  1. Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and stir over low heat until beginning to soften. Add the mince and garlic and brown well over medium heat – toss continually to ‘loosen’ the mince, breaking up any clumps and lumps. Add the wine and simmer until evaporated and only the fragrance lingers, then stir in the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, half-covered, for about 11⁄2 hours, stirring now and then, and adding, if necessary, a little extra stock in order to end up with a thick, rich-looking brown sauce. Remove the bay leaves, ladle the sauce onto servings of spaghetti and top with grated or shaved Parmesan. Serves 4 generously.

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.

  1. 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.

favourite FAST FILLET

A recipe for both young, nervous cooks and old, lazy ones because – apart from over-cooking the steak – there are no pitfalls. However, the appeal really lies in the fact that, despite the use of just a few pure, simple ingredients, this does make a rather special quick meal for two steak-lovers, using just one pan.

  1. Mix the stock, sherry, soy sauce, mustard and mushrooms and set aside. Brush the steaks with olive oil on both sides, and grind over the pepper. Pan-fry in a slick of extra oil until browned and done to your liking – turn once, without piercing. Don’t have the heat too high, as the medallions are thick and will be very rare – unless that is what you want. Set aside, no salt required. To the pan add the mixed ingredients and boil over medium heat, stirring, until the mushrooms have shrunk and the liquid has slightly reduced. (This is not a thick sauce.) Return the steaks to the pan, add the cream and chives, and coat the steaks with the sauce while gently heating through. Serve the medallions with buttered baby potatoes and a salad. Serves 2.

FILLET OF BEEF with port and mushrooms

This is a special occasion, rather extravagant and sensually rich dish, with redcurrant jelly and crème fraîche adding a gourmet touch. It’s also very quick to prepare and has to be served immediately, so have everything ready and waiting because once you’ve started cooking you’ll have nearly finished.

  1. Heat the oil and butter and, when sizzling, add the steaks. When deeply browned on one side, turn and do the other. If you don’t want them rare, reduce the heat to medium and cook just until they’re done to your liking, then remove, season lightly and keep warm. Add the onions, mushrooms and port to the pan juices and cook for a few minutes until almost dry, then add the stock, mustard, jelly and crème fraîche. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly reduced and thickened, check the seasoning, and then either nap the waiting steaks with the sauce, or serve it alongside, or make a pool on warmed plates and place the steaks on top. It might sound strange, but simple mashed potatoes are really good with this steak; alternatively, use tiny jacket potatoes and bright vegetables. Serves 4.

BEEF STEAKS with red wine and 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.

  1. 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.

LEMONY VEAL escalopes

If you buy escalopes they will need to be flattened with a mallet or rolling pin, so it makes sense to buy schnitzels in the first place. These are easy to find, and schnitzel is simply the Austrian word for a very thin escalope (or scallopine), so it boils down to the same thing really – a thin slice of veal, ready to be used in this luscious, lemony, quick dish. If doubling up, you’ll need a jumbo frying pan – otherwise use two pans to avoid crowding.

  1. Mix the flour and sage and use to coat both sides of the veal. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan wide enough to take the schnitzels in a single layer. Fry quickly on both sides until just cooked and golden brown, then transfer to a plate and season. Reduce the heat and pour the vermouth into the pan. Reduce by half, then add the stock, capers, parsley and lemon rind, all mixed together. Simmer for 2–3 minutes while enjoying the lovely lemony whiff, then swirl in the butter and return the veal just to heat through – don’t overcook, as the schnitzels will toughen. Serve at once with the juices poured over, and lemon wedges for squeezing. Serves 4 modestly.

CASSEROLE OF VEAL with brinjals and olives

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

  1. 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.

BUFFALO LAMB with peppadews

You may wonder about the word ‘buffalo’ in a recipe without buffalo, but 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 it, but I thought if chicken can respond to it, so can lamb. You will need a really large, wide pan.

  1. Heat the oil and butter, brown both sides of the chops, set aside, and season. Add the onion and carrots to the pan and, when softening, sprinkle in the flour. When absorbed, add the remaining ingredients, except the Peppadews and parsley, stir to mix, then return the lamb to the pan. Cover and simmer gently over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 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, remove the bay leaves, then swirl in the parsley or coriander. Serve on rice or, if the pan is big enough, add baby potatoes to cook through just before the chops are tender. Serves 4–6, with a green veg.

SAUCY LAMB KNUCKLES with butternut and chickpeas

The dish is quite different from a bredie, and makes the most of a modest amount of lamb. A side dish of braised brinjals and peppers would round it off nicely, or simply a good spinach salad and brown rice, or baby potatoes. A dollop of Greek yoghurt on the side is an indulgent but super option.

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb well. Remove to a baking dish (30 × 24 × 6 cm is dead right) – the knuckles should not be crowded as the sauce is bulky. Season. Add the onions, garlic and spices to the pan drippings and toss for 1–2 minutes (if dry, add a dash of water). Add the flour, stir until absorbed, then slowly stir in the stock, wine and tomatoes. When thickening, add the remaining ingredients, except the chickpeas and coriander. Bring to the boil, then mix into the lamb. Cover with a lid, or greaseproof paper and then foil, and bake at 160 °C for 11⁄4 hours. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon. Add the chickpeas, cover again and bake for 30 minutes; the lamb should be tender and the sauce thick and plentiful. Sprinkle with coriander. Serves 5–6.

SPICY LAMB, butter bean and cauli curry

Call it old-fashioned, but this is just the stuff that memories are made of – warming, comforting food without any disconcerting frills. The only possible hiccup is the need for an exceptionally wide saucepan so that the ingredients don’t lie on top of each other, but can wallow in the lovely sauce. Otherwise it’s hassle-free.

  1. Slice the chops in half. Heat the oil gently in that very large pan. Add the onion, chilli and spices, toss briefly until smelling gorgeous, then add the lamb and brown on both sides. If the spices start to scorch, add a dribble of water, but do brown the lamb well. Reduce the heat to very low and sprinkle in the flour. Toss, and when the flour has been absorbed, slowly add the stock, tomato purée, garlic, salt and sugar. Cover, and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour, stirring from time to time. Mix in the butter beans and cauliflower – there should be no need to add extra liquid, as the slow simmer should have resulted in a medium-thick, plentiful sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes to cook the cauliflower, then check the seasoning. If it is tart, add a dribble of honey, it does wonders; and if time allows, and you are using a non-reactive pan, allow the curry to cool down a bit. Reheat just before serving, sprinkle with the coriander, and serve from the pan with yellow rice and chutney. Serves 4–6.

CASSEROLE OF LAMB with mushrooms and butter beans

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

valentine’s LAMB

In earlier times, Valentine’s Day was certainly not celebrated with sparkling wine and oysters and heart-shaped chocolate mousses. If a young lady wanted to impress her young man with a home-cooked meal, she would definitely have cooked the favourite: lamb. The men loved roast lamb (and probably still do), but to present a suitor with a whole leg would be plain stupid. It would take him half the night to eat, and leave no time for other things.

  1. Wipe the leg with vinegar, place in a dish suitable for marinating, pour over the buttermilk and rub to coat it. Add the rosemary and refrigerate for 20–24 hours.
  2. To roast, rinse off all the buttermilk. Dry the leg well, then rub all over with the seasoned flour and oregano. Brown gently in the heated oil in a small frying pan. Place the onion, bay leaves, garlic and water in a non-reactive baking dish, add the lamb and pour over the drippings from the pan. Roast, uncovered, at 160 °C for 1 hour, baste and add a dash (about 60 ml (1⁄4 cup)) of red wine, then continue to bake until the aroma calls you back to the kitchen – another hour. Arrange the mushrooms round the leg, add another swig of wine, roast a further 15 minutes, then switch off the oven and leave for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the delicious juices spooned over the meat and mushrooms, and 2 cloves garlic each for squeezing – the flesh will be subtle and mellowed; in any case you’re both eating it! Serves 2 with leftovers.

BRAISED LAMB STEAKS with wine and herbs

The ‘proper’ meat to use here would be stewing mutton, which requires long, slow cooking, but there’s nothing wrong with treating steaks in the same way. Serve with sprouts and spuds.

  1. Pull off the thin outer rind from each steak, then slice each into four. Heat the oil and butter in a large, deep saucepan (unless you have a very large, deep frying pan). Brown the lamb well on each side, then remove from the pan. Add the onion, the 30 ml (2 Tbsp) red wine and the sugar to the pan, and cook until the wine has evaporated and the onion has started to brown. Add the leeks and carrots (if there’s no more fat left, add a dash of water to prevent burning). Stir for a few minutes, then return the meat to the pan, sprinkle with the flour and, when that’s absorbed, add the herbs, extra red wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and salt. Cover securely and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour, shaking the pan (or giving the contents a gentle stir) occasionally; the meat should be tender and the gravy thickened. Remove the bay leaves and herb stalks and add the mushrooms. Cover again and simmer for 15 minutes while they release their juices, then stir in the jelly and allow to melt. If time allows, cool the stew, then reheat gently, for the finest flavour. Makes 4 generous servings.

simmered, savoury LAMB LOIN CHOPS

When I see loin chops 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?
  1. 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, and brown on both sides. When you get that lovely 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 transfer them to a serving dish, remove the rosemary and oregano from the sauce and boil rapidly for 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.

braised LEG OF LAMB

This dish is 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 potatoes before the end, and bake butternut seeing the oven is on. Two imperatives – you’ll need a heavy, lidded roaster that can be used on the stove and in the oven – and a good red wine.

  1. 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 needed with this recipe), brown the lamb, then remove. Add the vegetables and oregano to the drippings and sweat briefly over low heat. Return the meat to the roaster, add the remaining ingredients, baste the leg, then place in the oven at 160 °C for 11⁄2 hours. Turn the leg, cover again, and bake for a further 1 hour (slip potatoes round the meat, if using). Remove to a warm platter to rest – switch off the oven and leave the lamb there while you make the gravy. Either reduce it on the stove, which can be dodgy because it concentrates the flavours, which may be quite concentrated already, or break the rules and use cornflour slaked with a little red wine, boil up, and when the consistency is right, remove the bay leaves. Pour a little over the lamb, and serve the rest separately. Serves 6.

PORK CHOPS with cider, apple and sage

Cider with pork is a natural marriage of flavours. Add some apples, fresh sage and a few other bits and bobs, give it all a slow-bake, and out comes a homely but very good casserole to serve with cabbage and mash. It is important to use fresh, not dried sage.

  1. Heat the oil and butter in a wide frying pan. Add the onion and cook until just beginning to colour (a pinch of sugar helps). Spread the onions over the base of a baking dish big enough to take the chops in a single layer, and deep enough to hold the sauce. In the pan, fry the chops on both sides; keep the heat to medium (high heat toughens pork chops) and remove when they’re lightly toasted in colour. Place on top of the onions and sprinkle with salt and cinnamon. Stir the flour into the pan drippings (if there aren’t any, add a spoon of oil or butter) and, when it starts to colour, add the stock and cider. Bring to the boil, stirring vigorously to smooth out any lumps, then remove from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients and slowly pour over the chops, tucking the diced apples wherever there’s room in between. Cover the dish with greaseproof paper and then foil, and bake just below the centre of the oven at 160 °C for 11⁄2 hours, then turn the chops. Re-cover, and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the chops are very tender in a savoury gravy, remembering that they’re thick, and have little bone to conduct the heat, so they might take longer than you’d expect. Serves 4.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.