When the air is crisp and cold, and the blankets and heaters are out in full force, there is nothing better than indulgent comfort food to keep the winter chills at bay.
With this in mind, we joined the South African Chefs Association (SACA) for the Winter Warmer Workshop, which was held recently at the Centre for Culinary Excellence in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
From delicious spice blends to hearty stews, attendees learnt about how to use different meats and homemade spice blends to create fragrant, spicy dishes that are succulent, satisfying and packed with flavour.
While it’s very easy to pick up readymade spice blends, it is exciting to create your own, as you can control the flavour combinations and adjust the spice levels to suit your palate. You can also remove certain ingredients that you don’t like, or are allergic to, and you can be as creative as you like with the flavour profiles.
The winter spice mixes taught at the SACA course included a Masala, which is a mild curry powder made from coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg; a Dukkha, which is the Middle Eastern spice mix made from sesame, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds, as well as a Moroccan spice blend - a warm, smoky spice blend made up of cumin, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne pepper, all spice and cloves.
Slow-cooked meat dishes absorb the spices beautifully, and the course focused on classic dishes using a variety of cuts.
The Bo-Kaap Malay Curry, cooked with lamb, is a sweet and savoury mix of tastes, while the classic French Coq Au Vin – made with tender chicken pieces braised in red wine – is rich and packed with flavour.
The best-of-British Oxtail and Guinness Stew is hearty comfort food at its best. Be sure to ask your meat suppliers for larger pieces of oxtail, and aim to give two pieces to each of your guests.
For top-quality lamb, chicken or oxtail to use in your warming winter stews and curries, contact N1 Restaurant Suppliers and use the recipes below to cook your dishes to perfection.
Coq au Vin
1kg chicken portions
120g bacon
15 baby onions, halved
125g button mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup brandy
750ml red wine
2 ½ tsp sugar
1 bouquet garni
pinch of salt and pepper
60g butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 carrots cut into rounds
METHOD
Cook the bacon gently for 10 minutes in a casserole dish, add the onions and sauté.
Remove the lardoons and onions from the fat and set aside.
Cook the chicken pieces in the fat over a fairly high heat for 10 minutes, turning to brown all over.
Return the bacon and onions to the casserole.
Add the brandy, wine, sugar, salt, pepper, bouquet garni, garlic, mushrooms and carrots.
Bring slowly to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 11/2 hours.
Ten minutes before serving, remove and discard the bouquet garni, take the chicken pieces, onions, mushrooms and the bacon out of the casserole dish, and stir over a low heat until thickened.
Season and pour over the chicken pieces.
Oxtail and Guinness Stew
200g Cannellini beans, soaked
1kg oxtail
1 large onion
50ml olive oil
20g flour
600g mixed mushrooms
1 can Guinness
540ml beef stock
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
Cook beans in a pot of water for 10 minutes until soft.
Dust oxtail pieces in half of the flour, then fry them in half of the oil until a nutty brown colour is reached. Remove the oxtail and place in a dish.
Fry onions in the remaining oil.
Add the beans, garlic cloves, sprigs of thyme, bay leaf and mushrooms into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Whisk together the stock and the Guinness along with the remaining flour.
Pour the mix over the oxtail and the rest of the ingredients. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the pre-heated oven for 2 ½ hours.
(Pictures courtesy of SACA)