CORPORATE CATERING

Last Friday I catered for a private view of an artist exhibiting at the Greenwich Information Centre. At this event I wanted to demonstrate to the guests the simplicity and unique quality that makes South African finger bites so special. On offer were: potato and coriander samosas, cheese and onion samosas, chicken liver pate canapés, smoked trout pate canapés, smoked salmon and cream cheese canapés, vetkoek (Fat Cake) plain and Surprise (usually with a vienna inside), spinach fritters, crudités and some of my very own pickles and relishes for dips.

Plain Vetkoek (Fat Cakes)

Potato and coriander Samosas

Cheese and Onion Samosas

Surprise Vetkoek, Chicken liver Canapés,
Salt Beef bites

 L to R:  Tomato Relish,Vegetable Pickle,
Fruit Chutney and Lime Pickle

Samosas, Smoke Trout and
Smoke Salmon Canapés 

Samosas and
 Spinach Fritters

Although some of the finger bites on offer clearly had vegetarians in mind it was enjoyed by everyone. The samosas, the spinach fritters and vetkoek were a particular hit and was much enjoyed complemented by all the homemade pickles and relishes.  As a caterer it was interesting to note that of all the condiments on the table the Lime Pickle was a particular favourite. I had one guest asking if I had any available to sell! I do enjoy catering for small corporate functions. The intimacy of such events make it possible to offer people exactly what they enjoy which is most of all the unique South African delicacies on offer.

Chicken bites,
Cocktail Frikkadels

Surprise Vetkoek,
Chicken liver Canapés,
Salt Beef bites

MAKING PICKLED VEGETABLES

Dear Aunt Kate always made PICKLED VEGETABLES for Easter. She always kept a huge bottle in the fridge. The simplicity of this pickle made it a regular item during the year too and always ensured a little unusual treat on a plate or with a sandwich.

As a caterer my aunt was exceptionally busy in her retirement but she would regularly get a visitor who used to be one of her supervisors in the factory where she worked all her life. This lady made the mistake of always coming to visit at the wrong time when my aunt was at her busiest. My aunt did not mind giving her food but just sometimes got annoyed that she would just rock up unannounced and anticipate a treat. In the Pickled Vegetables my aunt always put long green chillies and if not careful it could be mistaken for a green bean.  This is what this lady did one day taking some vegetable out of the pickle bottle and bit into it. Poor old lady, she did not visit for a while, that's all I can say......

Well the pickling is very simple: carrots, beans, onions, green chillies and on the rare occasion gherkins would be prepared and packed in the bottle. The vinegar is simply boiled with sugar and poured over the vegetables before sealing it.  I have developed it a little further by adding several different spices to create a slightly milder and mellow tasting pickle. The pickles, because of the vinegar always go well with fish fried in batter, but also adds a nice zing to cold meats!

MAKING FIG PRESERVE

Our neighbour in my hometown had a whole row of fig trees that use to separate the two yards along the fence. As children we enjoyed picking the figs that hung over the fence but we had to watch out for the old man next door who got very upset if he saw us pick it! We never really stopped, how can one resist a lovely ripe fig! It would have been eaten by the birds in any case......

My aunt (not aunt Kate) also had a huge fig tree and she always made lovely Fig jam. My mother would inevitably get a few bottles 'for the boys' and oh how lovely it was on a slice of toast! I first experimented with making FIG PRESERVE when I lived in Johannesburg and a friend asked me to pick the fruit from her tree as she had no use for it. I would pick them quite green as she did not want the birds to come and fight over it. As the fruit is still quite firm it does not soften up enough to make a jam unless you cut the fruit in pieces.  I wanted the fruit to be cooked whole and this led me to create a preserve that later on demonstrated its diverse uses. Figs go well with fresh ginger too and this makes it a rather easy preserve to make. The fruit is cleaned and boiled until fairly tender but still retaining its form. The water is drained and the fruit weighed. Equal amounts of fruit and sugar are combined, a little water added as well as fresh ginger strips and cinnamon sticks. When the fruit has become translucent it is ready for bottling. 

Over the years of experimentation I've come to add one more ingredient, brandy.  This makes the syrup quite unique ensuring a beautiful preserve with a delicate yet quite subtle flavour, not overly sweet at all.

Apart from enjoying it on a slice of toast, it also has become quite a hit as a summer starter or dessert. Take a bed of rocket, blue cheese, parma ham and  top it with one fig in syrup! 

MAKING SAMOSAS - INCLUDING MAKING THE LEAVES

Making samosas is a very labour intensive as well as time consuming activity, but very very rewarding.  I normally start by making the filling first.  This allows time for it to drain off all access liquids as the aim is to have a filling that won't make the samosa soggy from the inside. On this occasion I made a potato and coriander filling.

The pictures show the whole process of creating the filling for the samosas. After preparing the filling the next step is to create the leaves that make the samosa. This is the major time consuming part of the whole process. The aim is to create a dough that is quite dry and stiff.  It has to work well later when applying all the oil to make it stretch for baking in layers.  The dough is left for ten minutes to rest and then divided into small balls to flatten. When flattened into round strips, it is brushed with oil and placed one on top of the other. The top dry side of the strip is then brushed again with oil and another two strips are stacked on top. I normally only work with four strips but it is believed that in Asian culture some  expert women can stack up to twenty layers at one time and work perfectly with it. This is the delicate part that requires one to work carefully ensuring that each strip is thoroughly brushed in oil. The purpose thereof is to ensure that each strip will separate after baking. Every batch brings with it its own challenges. The video below demonstrates the whole process from start to finish, making the dough, creating the leaves, baking them, separating and then cutting them into strips for folding.  It then demonstrates how a samosa is folded.

I make beef or chicken samosas as well as various vegetarian fillings such as potato and coriander or cheese and onion. The samosas are then vacuum sealed and refrigerated for use when necessary.

MAKING MARMALADE

The product is very much like a Scotch marmalade.   produced using a combination of fruit (never less than three): Oranges, Lemons, Limes and Grapefruit. The combination of the different fruit is determined by the quality of the  natural flavours of the fruit available.  Some batches will even include all four fruit. With every batch there is the opportunity to experience the flavours of the fruit to the utmost to create a unique marmalade. Equal amounts of fruit and sugar are used. We only use the natural pectin present in the fruit. Using the unique qualities of the fruit I create marmalade which varies in  zestiness and texture.

An aunt of mine always made the marmalade slightly dark and bitter. I am striving to strike a balance between all the familiar qualities of marmalade with some unusual ones. With my experience I've learnt to select the right combination of fruit to produce the best marmalade.

MAKING WATERMELON PRESERVE

Watermelon preserve is very common in South Africa. The fruit itself is very readily available and is enjoyed by everyone. The cultivar used for this preserve normally is a fruit with an extra thick rind as it is the rind that gets used to create this preserve. It is widely believed that the rind of the watermelon is more nutritious than the fruit itself. 

I grew up with WATERMELON PRESERVE always sold at church fetes as big rectangular, translucent chunks of glazed fruit.  As children we used to enjoy eating this treat.  Apart from that watermelon jam has always been around too. The jam combines the fruit and has fresh ginger added to create a lovely flavour. Because it is so difficult to find watermelons with thick rind nowadays I have made use of the fruit available to me and have come up with a product that combines both elements of the glazed fruit and jam.  The  results have been surprisingly good producing something much more diverse. 

The rind is normally cut into small pieces. Added to this are pieces of fresh ginger and everything is  soaked overnight in water with bicarbonate of soda.  The fruit is then rinsed and boiled to soften it up but just enough to keep its form. It is drained and weighed. Equal amounts of fruit, sugar and water are combined and cooked  with a few pieces of stick cinnamon until the fruit is dark and fairly translucent.  Normally the syrup would be thickened until the fruit is glazed completely.  I have left this out as I wanted to create a preserve that has a syrup. One can then enjoy the product as a chunk of fruit or even as a nice and delicate jam.

One of the best ways to enjoy this delectable preserve is to cut the small blocks of fruit into thin slices and serve it in its syrup as an accompaniment to various cheeses on a cheeseboard.  It works extremely well and enhances the flavours of many a cheese, yet ensuring that the cheese never overpowers!

MAKING TOMATO RELISH

In South Africa a favourite required condiment to many a 'Braaivleis' (BBQ) that accompanies pap (maize meal porridge cooked in a very specific way) is Chakalaka!  

The base of chakalaka is sautéd tomato, pepper and onions with mixed vegetables but often only beans added that is then spruced up with spices. My TOMATO RELISH is founded around the idea of creating a condiment that could serve this purpose but also combines elements of a sauce for other uses. 

The tomato and onion base as well as the spicy peppery undercurrent of the flavours were kept, the mixed vegetable/beans omitted and a few other flavouring ingredients such as mustard seeds added. The dish is then slowly cooked and preserved with vinegar and sugar. It is put through a blender to create a gentle smooth condiment and then bottled. This now makes a delicious yet diverse relish with many uses!

MAKING VEGETABLE PICKLES

My dear Aunt Kate always asked me to go and buy the ingredients for this scrumptious pickle.  According to her I knew how to buy the best and freshest vegetables for the pickle especially the garlic. The method for making it would always remain a secret until the very last. The two of us would sit together peeling the vegetables and patiently work our way through at least two kilograms of garlic for all the other stuff she would also make. During those treasured and precious moments shared secrets cemented our bonding! She always only made the pickle once I had left.

When she eventually demonstrated the method for making the VEGETABLE PICKLES,  her instructions were quite meticulous. I've made these pickles for over twenty years now and never once have I been disappointed. It is served as an accompaniment to many dishes especially curries.  In my experience I've come to enjoy it mostly with roast meats such as Salt Beef, Lamb and Chicken.  It also goes really well on a cheese sandwich!

The VEGETABLE PICKLE includes: Beans, Carrots, Onions, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Garlic, Chillies pickled with spices including crushed chillies and turmeric. It is then bottled and topped with oil. Kept in a dry cool place, the pickles will last forever!

MAKING FRUIT CHUTNEY

Fruit Chutney is a favourite condiment in South Africa. It is even used an ingredient in many dishes. People have used it as a dip for savoury canapés and it works well. As a child I got to know it as a homemade condiment simply called "chutney" with the main ingredient being apricot jam making it a rather pulpy and smooth runny chutney.  The flavour depended on how hot people liked it as well as what they added to it.  My father preferred a very hot chilli version with freshly chopped chillies added to the rest of the ingredients.

The chutney never lasted because it was always shared amongst family and friends as soon as people got wind of someone making it. A highly commercial version slightly milder than the ones we got to know became quite popular and remains popular in all the communities.  Because of this, a driving impetus forced me to develop a FRUIT CHUTNEY that everyone can identify with with classical flavours and a unique quality. 

I wanted to create a chutney with a very rich and chunky fruit base that can be appreciated and enjoyed for its substance and flavour. Even though apricot jam would make a good base I chose to use chopped chunks of dried apricot together with raisins, sultanas and currants. To this is added red onions, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, herbs such as rosemary and bay leaves and roasted chillies. The flavours are created by carefully balancing all the ingredients to produce a highly distinguished condiment. It is much thicker in texture and darker in colour and makes any meal very tasty!