A relaxed vibe at The Delicious Monster - We are getting closer to opening……. Lauren
Some of you may be wondering whatever happened to Stef and
my ‘café style’ deli called ‘Sour Fig’, which I wrote a blog about a while
back. Well, the name has been abandoned, but not the project. We are incrementally
still plodding along on our mission, when time and funds are available. We are
delighted to announce the quirky new name is ‘THE DELICIOUS MONSTER’, named after the rather yummy fruit, which is
common in many of our suburban gardens, yet is seldom eaten.
We are not open for business yet, but we have hosted a few
events in the style that we are hoping to operate, which is to be as
sustainable as possible. We intend to use locally grown (within the neighborhood)
and foraged produce where possible. We also have a zero waste policy.
Our visiting academic friend Lauren Biermann gave us a good
kick up the butt (which we so richly deserved to get our shit together) when
she suggested we host a farewell party for her and about 40 foodie friends at
the Delicious Monster. The deal was
that she would cover the cost of the meal as well as cover the event with her
wonderful photographic skills: a deal we were all happy with.
Just as were scratching our heads about what the menu should
be, the familiar squawk of a ‘vuzuzela’ came up with the answer. You see, in Walmer
Estate, the neighborhood of The Delicious
Monster’ there is a traditional ‘Snoek (a local and sustainable fish) bakkie’
(pick up truck) that does its rounds selling fresh fish to the residents. The
‘vuzuzela’ (a plastic horn made famous / infamous during the FIFA Football
World Cup in South Africa) has replaced a piece of dried hollow kelp, which was
traditionally blown to let the neighborhood know that snoek was for sale. (See my past snoek blog - http://theurbanhuntergatherer.blogspot.com/2012/08/snoek.html)
Anyhow, back to the menu. So we decided that ‘braaied’
(barbequed) snoek and a vegetarian Bobotie (South Africa’s national dish) would
be a great main course. Both dishes are classics of the area.
THE MENU
Starter:
A Mezze Platter of Foraged Goodies
Bread
Olives
Nasturtium pesto
Pickled pine ring mushrooms
Main:
Braaied Snoek with a gooseberry (from my garden) basting or Bobotie.
Served with -
Samphire
A foraged salad of wild cress, wild sweet peas and sliced
bulrush
Tomato and basil salad (from my garden)
Potatoes
Dessert:
Baklava with foraged green fig syrup and homemade yoghurt.
| 
Love your wild foraging. I am slowly learning to use more foraged food in meals. I have just finished making nettle soup and a couple of kilos of nettle pasta. Love prickly pears too.
ReplyDelete