CHESTNUTS (THE SPIKY SEASON PART 2)

Castanea Sativa (Spanish Chestnuts) are the original castanets, but they are also delicious                                UHG

As this year’s prickly pears begin to disappear, the chestnuts, num nums and kei-apples are in full swing. It seems that autumn is not only mushroom season in Cape Town, but also ‘the spiky season’.

For some folks chestnuts are a nuisance                                                                                                                                UHG

Foraging for chestnuts is a lot less hard-core than a prickly pear mission, but it is for this reason that the competition is stronger. The squirrels are in a league of their own, but there are plenty of other people who know just how delicious these nuts are. Members of the Asian community in Cape Town are particularly fond of chestnuts and for good reason. If you stumble upon some that are ripe for the picking, then pick them! …Because it’s unlikely they’ll be around the next day. On my recent forage, a kindly Korean couple, having got there before me, took pity on me with my empty basket and shared their harvest.

Inside the spiky pod are nuggets of yumminess                               Mans

The chestnuts you want are on the ground, the pods turning brown where they have started to split. You can easily prize them open with your feet and carefully remove the shiny brown nubbins of deliciousness with your fingers. Once you have a full bowl in your kitchen, don’t leave them hanging about as they need to be used quickly to do them the justice they deserve.

Aaaah! Now I know why some horses are described as chestnut colour                                                                      UHG

Isn't that a comforting site? The smell is warm and cosy too                                                                                      UHG

Boil, roast in the oven or in a dry pan or, best of all, roast them over some glowing wood embers. Just remember to cut a cross in each one to avoid them exploding all over the show. If you get a perfectly ripe one and do a good job of cooking it, the bitter pith is easy to remove. But I don’t get too fussy about all that: I peel what comes off easily and ignore the rest. The comforting smell of chestnuts happily roasting is like a giant reassuring hug and when you pop one in your mouth they are rich, nutty and sweet. If you want to get all cheffy, try finely slicing them raw and use as a garnish.

How the squirrels get to the nuts is a mystery!                                                                                                          UHG

If you get to the tree first, your baskets will be laden                                                                                                     UHG

A nubbin of butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper is all that is needed                                                                       UHG

I'm already looking forward to next autumn                                                                                                                     Mans

PRICKLY PEARS ARE NOT FOR SISSIES (THE SPIKY SEASON PART 1)

These little blighters are delicious, but uncompromising                                                                                             UHG

My first meeting with prickly pears was when my friend Moose and I saw a whole lot of ripe ones clinging to a cactus on the side of the road. In a cloud of dust we pulled over and enthusiastically started plucking the fruit. Our enthusiasm stopped about as quickly as the car did, we had become instant human pincushions. The obvious needle-like spikes are a hazard, but it’s the tiny, almost invisible hairs that do the real damage. If you look carefully you’ll notice a little explosion of fine prickles, as the fruit breaks free from the plant when it is plucked. Even wearing full protective regalia, these little fuckers are neigh impossible to avoid. After a long session of removing the nastiest spikes and a fraction of the multiple little hairs, Moose suggested that we should pass the rest of the day away by rolling in a big pile of fiberglass.

Stef the master of 'The Schnabber'                                                                              UHG

Twenty years and lots and lots of foraging later, I decided it was time to try to pick a few again, this time with Stef as my accomplice.  He had told me that his father used to pick them with a special picker, so we fashioned one, which we called ‘The Schnabber'. Armed with protective kit and ‘The Schnabber’ we bravely set off for our local prickly pear cactus, which was dripping with swollen fruit. At first ‘The Schnabber’ seemed useless, until Stef exclaimed, “I perfected the technique!” No sooner had he said this, than he accidently tipped one from a height onto my head. Wearing a prickly pear briefly as a hat instantly doubled my hair-count on my balding noggin for a few days, but I would think very carefully if you were considering this method of instant hair transplant.

Schnabber technique is required                                                           UHG

Intrepid Stef complete with 'The Schnabber'                                             UHG

So be warned there are bound to be a few minor casualties (at the least) when foraging for prickly pears. Having said that, there is no doubt that come the end of summer next year, the intrepid Stef and I will be ‘schnabbing’ again… but it is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Plump little flavour bombs                                                                     UHG

The essential kit, including tweezers                                                      UHG

Stef making a a fine prickly pear syrup                                               UHG

THE DELICIOUS MONSTER

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.

http://theurbanhuntergatherer.blogspot.com/2012/12/honey-beez-yoghurt-and-baklava.htm

The local 'snoek bakkie' complete with 'vuvuzela'                           Ian Ian

I love watching the experts dealing with fish                                      Ian Ian

The 'snoek bakkie' with The Delicious Monster in the background  Ian Ian

Stef and Ian Ian (a snoek expert himself - see above snoek link)                                          Lauren

What a pic! Foraging fennel flowers for garnishing the snoek                                                                                    Lauren

Samphire time …                                                                                   Lauren

Samphire (awesome pic, Lauren)                                                                                                                                         Lauren

Garden gooseberries together with butter and garlic make a great snoek-basting sauce                                      Lauren

Beautifully cooked snoek with a samphire and fennel flower garnish   Lauren

Wrestling with the bullrushes                                                          Lauren

A slice of yummy bullrush                                                                Lauren

A happy Stef foraging wild watercress for our salad                                                                                                   Lauren

Tomatoes and basil from my garden                   Lauren

Some of the bounty                                                                                 Lauren

The UHG on his mission                                                                   Lauren

Wild sweet pea shoots and peas for the salad                                                                                                                   Lauren

These wild sweet peas were so yummy                                              Lauren

Drinking water from Newlands spring   Lauren

A casual evening - just how we like it                                                                    Lauren

Brown lentil and butternut bobotie                                                     Lauren    

Green figs, green for the picking                                                            Mans

Green figs on their way to being preserved                                             UHG

The baklava process                                      Lauren

The happy mob getting stuck in                                                                                                                                           Lauren

Finally as massive thanks to Mans, Ian Ian and especially Lauren for the fantastic pics.

BANANA BREAD AND THE YELLOW POLICEMAN

My sister Carro (aka Bee) on a recent baking mission. She is the ultimate in authentic retro. Bless her…      UHG

This recipe comes from the very heart of Banana Land, from someone who has bananas in their blood. This I know because he happens to be stark raving bananas. His name is Greg, aka Gregorius: he is my brother in-law. Ever since I have known Gregorius, he has always had a few banana trees in his garden.

A good banana tree will produce about 400 bananas, so that surely means Gregorius must know an awful lot about dealing with piles of bananas. What better recipe to follow than his one, passed down from his late father Nevil.

Those mushy brown bananas that have passed their best are the perfect ones to use. This recipe requires no baking powder, which I think is rather clever.

Bananas for a double batch & the 50 year old beater  UHG

WHEN TO PICK A BUNCH

Gregorius says:

“Things grown in your garden at home have nothing to do with yellow being ripe. If you waited for a paw paw / papaya [he has got plenty of these trees in his garden too] to be completely yellow before you picked it, you would find it to be virtually vrot [rotten]. That is, if the birds haven’t beaten you to it, because a bird knows a thing or two about ripeness. A slightly yellow paw paw is the perfect breakfast one. Likewise a bunch of bananas: there are a gazillion [400] bananas in a good bunch, so you want to chop them off at exactly the right time. How do you know when is the right time?

The ‘policeman’ comes to tell you. From the time the sharp edges of the bananas start to round you must cast a beady eye over them every day, until - lo and behold - one banana of the bunch turns yellow. That is the ‘policeman’ telling you to start greasing your bread tins.”

A retro way of 'chopping' nuts                                    UHG

    WHAT YOU NEED

    125g        butter

    225g        caster sugar

    2              large eggs

    25ml        yogurt / sour milk

    1tsp         vanilla essence

    6              ripe bananas

    50g          chopped nuts

    250g        flour (sifted)

    1tsp          bicarbonate of soda

    1 pinch     salt

WHAT TO DO

Cream together the butter, caster sugar, eggs, yoghurt/sour milk and vanilla essence. Fold in mashed bananas and chopped nuts. Fold in flour, bi-carb and salt. Spoon into a well-greased baking tin and bake for 45 mins at 180 degrees C, or until a knife comes out clean when pressed into the loaf. A fine cup of tea is the perfect accompaniment.

Gregorius & Carro                     UHG

Banana smashing                     UHG

In goes the sour milk (Amasi) UHG

Left over cherries made it into the mix UHG  

WYNANDT AND THE DELICIOUS MONSTER (MONSTERIA DELICIOSA)

I couldn't wait to get stuck into Wynandts wonderful creation                                                                                     UHG

Wynandt Van Rooyen is a young up-and-coming chef, who one day could become a rock star in the culinary world. When it comes to food, he is passionate, daring, knows the basics very well and he cares for our planet. He is all this and what’s more, he is an intrepid hunter of the elusive Delicious Monster.

Too green for chomping              UHG

Finally a ripe one UHG

The giant punctured leaves of the tropical plant, Monsteria Deliciosa, are characteristic of suburban Cape Town. They seem to ‘jungelate’ every other domestic garden. The Monsters that lurk on the verges between the high garden walls and public roads are the ones that Wynandt, our fearless monster hunter, is after. If they are so common, you might wonder, why are they so elusive? Well, to find a ripe fruit can prove to be a little tricky. You have a better chance of smelling a ripe one before you see it. They are the same size and shape as a ‘mealie’ (South African ‘corn on the cob’) and they have kernels like a ‘mealie’, but their flesh is sticky, juicy and oh so sweet. The ‘delicious’ part is that they taste like a mixture of banana and pineapple; the ‘monster’ part is that the fruit can have these little black husks that stick into your tongue and the inside of your mouth and leave you feeling a bit like you have eaten an angry cheese grater… so approach with caution!

 A HUGE and proud 'Monsteria deliciosa' leaf                                                                                                                      UHG

For this reason Wynadt’s yummy creation uses only the juice, combined with white rum. TropicallyPineapplyBananaryRummy, what more could you want on your crêpe?

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE CRÊPES (Serves 6)

2/3 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

A pinch of salt

Batter time                                                                          UHG

WHAT DO TO

Using a whisk or fork, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. You want the smooth batter to be the consistency of pouring cream, so add a little more milk if you need. It’s good to let the batter chill in fridge for a while (overnight is best). It does thicken up while in the fridge, so you may have to add even more milk. Wipe some oiled kitchen paper over your frying pan. Place the pan over medium heat and ladle in just enough batter to cover the base of the pan, pour off any excess batter back into the bowl. When you are able to lift the crêpe without tearing it, flip it and lightly cook the other side. Place on a plate and repeat, to make a pile. (The first crêpe usually comes out a bit scruffy and should be chomped immediately by the cook with whatever sweet goodies are at hand.) Your little heap of crêpes can be covered, kept in the fridge and heated surreptitiously in a microwave oven (did I say microwave?!) when required to impress anticipating guests. Just remember to cough when it pings.

Kernels ready for squishing      UHG

Moster juice; delicious!              UHG

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE SAUCE

The juice of 1 delicious monster fruit

1 tablespoon of white sugar

A splash of water

A glug of white rum

 A generous knob of butter

WHAT TO DO

Squish and squeeze the juice of the succulent kernels of the delicious monster through muslin cloth into a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar into a small frying pan over a medium heat, splashing just enough water to wet the sugar. When the sugar starts to caramelize, glug in the rum and flambé. Pour in the monster juice and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Add the butter and stir until it’s incorporated. The shiny caramely sauce is now ready to be drizzled over the crêpes, which you have placed like little ‘wet rags’ (a Nigella-ism) on a platter.

Fireworks are always entertaining                                                           UHG

Reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon                                    UHG

Wynandt, the fearless MONSTER hunter with his bounty                   UHG

That is seriously YUM                                                                                                                                                       UHG