Cranberry sauce with red wine and figs

Tags

christmas, cranberries, cranberry sauce, figs, red wine, sauce, Thanksgiving, Turkey

Cranberry sauce is a very American accompaniment to Thanksgiving turkey. In fact, I had never eaten it until we moved to the US and then my first experience was at a dinner where the host served the jellied kind that comes straight out of a can, I hated it and could not imagine how an entire nation loved this vile tasting “sauce”. My ex-husband asked to have cranberry sauce with the turkey the following year and so I started searching out a recipe. Low and behold, I discovered that you can actually make your own, from fresh or frozen berries and you did not have to resort to eating jellied cylindrical shaped sauce – and to top it all, it is actually very easy and tastes far superior to any store bought variation. It is a great accompaniment to turkey and and I discovered with my leftovers this year, superb with foie gras. So make some for Christmas lunch and have the rest with your foie gras for New Year!

Ingredients:

1 cup (250ml) fruity red wine

1 cup (170g) diced dried figs, hard stems removed

12 ounces (340g) fresh or frozen cranberries

Zest of 2 oranges

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, heat the red wine and diced figs together 

Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 30 minutes
Drain the figs (keep the wine)
Return the wine to the saucepan
Add the cranberries, orange zest, sugar, and cinnamon and cook, covered, over medium heat until the cranberries have burst and are softened, about 10 minutes
Remove from heat
Add the figs and the vinegar to the cranberries

The sauce can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated
Allow to return to room temperature before serving
Enjoy!

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Steaks with bacon mushroom sauce

Tags

bacon, BBQ, braai, faux filet, mushrooms, rump, sauce, steak, white sauce

 

The picture unfortunately does not do the meal justice, But, believe me it was delicious. And there is a good reason for the quickly executed photo – it was 35 degrees in the shade at 19h and I did not want to wait around as everything, including me, was melting. Not, that steak can melt, of course, but I am sure you get the picture.

I used faux filet, about 2 1/2cm thick (1 inch) from my butcher but any good steak would work.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

marinade
2 tablespoons (30ml) mustard powder
2 tablespoons (30ml) braai / barbecue spice
1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
meat
4 faux filet or rump steaks, 2 1/2cm (1″) thick
sauce
3 tablespoons (45g) butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
125g (4oz) bacon, cut into small pieces
125g (4oz) button mushrooms, quartered
1 cup (250ml) cream or milk
2 tablespoons (30ml) flour
1/4 cup (60ml) chutney

Preparation:

Mix all the marinade ingredients together
Pour the marinade over the meat and marinade for 3 to 4 hours or up to 2 days (I use a zip lock bag)
Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat
Add the onion, bacon and mushrooms and sauté until lightly golden
Add the remaining ingredients
Stir over medium heat for about 6 minutes until sauce thickens
Heat the BBQ, remove the meat from the marinade and cook according to your preference (about 5 minutes for medium rare)
Serve the steaks with the sauce, french fries and a green salad
Enjoy!

Monkey Gland Sauce

Tags

monkey gland, rainbow nation, sauce, South Africa

Despite its, umm, colorful name, Monkey Gland Sauce is not made with neither monkeys nor their glands. What it does include is an interesting mix of ingredients simmered together to make a type of sweet-hot sauce that gets poured over everything from kudu steaks to burgers cooked on the braai. If you like sauce on your steak, or are just looking for a conversation starter at your next party, whip up a batch of Monkey Gland Sauce.

The origin of Monkey Gland Steak, a South African classic, has always been shrouded in mystery. Eric Bolsmann claims to have found the truth: http://www.timeslive.co.za

When I first researched the origin of Monkey Gland Steak in the ’60s, nobody could tell me why it was named after the glands of a primate. Even experienced chefs shrugged their shoulders. But later, someone came up with the story that it was French chefs who, at the old Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg during the ’50s, were so disgusted with the eating habits of some South African guests that they mixed chutney with tomato sauce, sugar and garlic, and served the concoction with steak. The rest of the story is predictable. The diners loved it and, the legend was born, but this is all wrong.

During the ’70s I met Cavaliere Fiorino Luigi Bagatta, the man who introduced Monkey Gland Steak to South Africa. He said that it was at the Savoy Hotel in London that the Monkey Gland Steak was born. It all happened when the Russian-born French scientist, Dr Abrahamovitch Serge Voronoff (1866-1951), caused a sensation by grafting monkey testicle tissue onto the testicles of men, believing that this was an effective treatment to induce rejuvenation. The first such transplant, in 1920, appeared to be so successful that Voronoff could not cope with the demand from men hoping to regain their virility. Three years after introducing his monkey gland treatment, Voronoff was hailed by 700 of the world’s leading surgeons at an International Congress in London – for his revolutionary discovery of how to reverse the ageing process. Irving Berlin even composed the song, Monkey Doodle-Do, with the lines: If you’re too old for dancing/Get yourself a monkey gland. It featured in the Marx Brothers’ film, The Coconut. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was also inspired by Voronoff’s innovative techniques. He wrote about a professor who injected himself with monkey gland extracts in a Sherlock Holmes story.

Voronoff regularly visited the Savoy Hotel in London, and his medical experiments led to the naming of a new dish, flamed with brandy, by the Italian maitre d’. It was common for young men working in the large hotels in Europe to gain experience and learn English before moving on to seek career advancements elsewhere. At the old Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg, there was a steady demand for skilled restaurant staff. Bagatta was one of the waiters at the Savoy. He told me he had brought the Monkey Gland Steak recipe to South Africa in 1935 and had introduced the dish to the diners at the old Carlton Hotel. Before World War Two, Bagata said, the national dishes in South Africa were steaks, lamb chops, mixed grills and fish and chips. At the Carlton, pasta, scallopinis and classical French dishes were available, but steaks were always in demand, and not infrequently there was a request to vary the recipe by topping a well-cooked piece of meat with a fried egg. Bagata enjoyed variations and thus the flamed steak recipe made its debut. In 1946, when he moved to Cape Town to the Del Monico Restaurant, the Monkey Gland Steak became the talk of the town. In 1947 his employers, African Caterers, sent Bagatta to Pretoria to organise and supervise the state banquet for King George and Queen Elizabeth. Bagatta also supervised the Pretoria city lunch for the king, and the Princess’ Ball in the Johannesburg City Hall, for 2000 guests. From the Del Monico, Bagatta moved to new, family-owned ventures, and a career in the Trust hotels and ultimately Protea Hotels. In 1974 he was awarded the title cavaliere (the equivalent to an English knighthood) by the Italian government in recognition for his contributions to the advancement of the hospitality and catering industry. Vornonoff died in Switzerland at the age of 85. His experiments were denounced as failures.

 

Now you know the story behind the rather unusual name, give it a try – it is really good!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup HP sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chutney (Mrs Balls or another fruity chutney)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar or treacle sugar

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat
Sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent
Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often
Can be served hot or cold with steak, lamb chops and chips (french fries)
The sauce will last 2 weeks in the fridge and can be frozen.
Enjoy!