Richard Carstens has opened a new restaurant, Nova in Cape Town. While showing a few culinary tricks of his trade, Richard discusses style, ingredients and unadventurous diners. By Kim Maxwell A nova is a new star that suddenly increases in brightness after a cataclysmic nuclear explosion. I can’t vouch for chef Richard Carstens’s thinking in naming his Cape Town restaurant Nova, but I’d hazard a guess that he’d like diners to have a culinary experience of such proportions that the world as they know it might shift. Richard is a disciple of the school of cooking that employs complex techniques,…
Ladies at leisure don’t just do lunch; now they also meet for high tea. To find out more about how this grown-up inclination is spreading, KIM MAXWELL sampled…
Sambal is a fresh pepper or chilli paste from Southeast Asia, most commonly made with ground chilli, salt and vinegar. A more elaborate sambal can be spiced with fruit or onion, lime juice, lemon grass, sugar, garlic and oil. Sambal oelek is the Indonesian version of this condiment – a crimson chilli paste, kept in its simplest form to preserve the chilli’s character by only adding brown sugar and salt. “Oelek” is the Dutch spelling of the Indonesian word “ulek”, referring to a prehistoric Indonesian stoneware pestle and mortar which is still used to grind spices. Sambal oelek is a…
Beef kare became a staple of Japanese food since spices were imported into the country. Togarashi is a blend of whole and coarsely ground spices, and is also…
Print Recipe Brie and beetroot served with a grape and balsamic reduction jelly Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins Ingredients 100ml balsamic vinegar 125ml (½ cup) dry red wine 60ml (¼ cup) sugar 250ml (1 cup) red grapes, halved 5ml (1 tsp) gelatine 20ml (4 tsp) water 300g Brie, quartered Melba toast, to
Melba toast can become quite boring, and this is a delicious alternative to have with dips or salsa and cheese at lunch.
TO DRINK: A complex, lighter style of wine such as a pinot noir will not overpower the dish’s delicate flavours. Go for the Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir or…
TO DRINK: Ken Forrester’s Shiraz- Grenache will be delicious with this dish.
This smoky vegetable bruschetta with chilli dish is an absolutely brilliant way to kick off a barbecue. Just make sure you arrange your coals so that there’s a high,…
To drink: A white wine with loads of ripeness, such as Cederberg Bukettraube, will be perfect with these particular spices.