Wednesday, July 12, 2017

This Week’s MENU. Lunch at Tintswalo Atlantic, A Saturday morning jaunt to De Grendel, lunch at the Salt Water Grill, Scandinavia on a Shoestring. Denmark going south, Odyssey is coming to an end.... Boston Baked Beans with Pork, De Grendel Koetshuis

A tanker on a "Wine dark sea" (quote from Homer) with clouds on the horizon which we hope will bring more blessed rain
The sky on fire - a Sea Point sunset
This week, we’ve come to the end of our travelogue about Scandinavia on a shoestring. It was a wonderful adventure for both of us and a very special re-visit to a highlight of his early adult life for John. The other stories we have to tell you are about a visit to a wonderful hotel and restaurant just outside Hout Bay, a very special wine and lunch at a restaurant which had been recommended to us...
We have also posted numerous photographs on Instagram as well at https://www.instagram.com/fordjohnduncan/ We’d love it if you click on the heart symbol to “like” pictures that appeal to you
A stunning seaside lunch at Tintswalo Atlantic      
Sometimes you find somewhere you would like to stay for the rest of your life. For Lynne, Tintswalo Atlantic on the Hout Bay coast fits the bill with its fantastic position, comfort and style. We had been invited to visit this lovely resort on the edge of the bay earlier this year, but we could not accept. So it was with a good feeling of anticipation that we visited for lunch this week, following another invitation.
A Saturday morning jaunt to De Grendel followed by lunch at the Salt Water Grill      
We are members of the De Grendel Wine Club, so we get notifications of the release of their new wines. The latest release was of their Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc and we were keen to taste it as we do rather like the way Charles Hopkins makes this wine. So with a friend whose wife was away, we ventured off to Durbanville to find it. We like it so much that it is our wine of the week and Lynne has promoted it to her Birthday wine, it is that good. (Every year Lynne nominates a favourite wine and John responds by buying her a case for her birthday in August)
Scandinavia on a Shoestring: Denmark going south      
We had intended to go to Stockholm but discovered that the toll fees on road from Oslo would be similar to an air fare and we would not be able to afford the trip, so we had a couple of extra days to spare. Lynne looked at the map of Denmark and discovered that the countryside up in the north near Odense, the second largest city, was beautiful and we therefore booked an apartment in a country AirBnB near Bogense. The friendly and sympathetic owner is a school teacher who also runs part of the house as a Bed and Breakfast. We loved talking to her
The Scandinavian Odyssey is coming to an end....      
We had just three nights left in Europe when we arrived at our AirBnB house in Kiel. The time had not flown too quickly, as it sometime does when you are travelling for a long time. We were loving our independent way of travel, meeting experiences head on as we arrived in each different place and learning more about it and, important for us, soaking up its atmosphere. We certainly were becoming more expert at finding good accommodation on AirBnB by using the filter facility. We don't mind paying a little more for places on our own, not colliding with the owners, their families, pets and their lives and feeling just a little "de trop" or out of place in their world. Who wants to ask politely "May we use the kitchen and sit somewhere?" We are not young anymore and cannot, no, do not want to 'drop our suitcases anywhere' and sleep on the original air mattress idea that started off this successful company. And they are attracting better and better accommodation
What's on this week's Menu? Boston Baked Beans with Pork     This is one of Lynne's all time winter favourites. She has been making it for years. You need to make it in a lidded casserole dish. We prefer to use tinned beans as it saves energy (gas or electricity); getting dried beans soft can take a very long time
500g Dried Haricot Beans or 2 tins white Cannellini beans - 1 large onion - 2 cloves garlic, sliced - 225g salt pork or streaky bacon in one piece - 225g belly pork - 2 tablespoons tomato puree - 2 tablespoons black treacle (not blackstrap molasses) - 1 teaspoon dry English Mustard - 1 teaspoon fresh Sage, chopped - Salt and Pepper
If using dry beans, soak them in cold water overnight. Bring the beans to a rapid boil and then drain them, throwing the water onto your compost heap or garden. This is important. The water of dried beans can be toxic and give you a bad stomach. (If using tinned beans, there is no need to soak or boil the beans, just drain them and add them to the meat and onions). Cut the pork and bacon into 2.5 cm pieces. Slice the onion and the garlic and fry gently in a large ovenproof casserole until soft. Put in all the other ingredients. Season well and cover with water. Cook at a medium heat for 1½ hours or until the beans and the meat are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve with a mixed salad or with Spring savoy cabbage briefly cooked in a little vegetable stock, a few cumin seeds and butter
(We have not tried this but you may well be able to make this with beef short ribs if you do not eat pork.)
We enjoyed this with a bottle of the Chocolate Block, robust enough to stand with the dark flavours of the dish
Menu's Wine of the Week     De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2017
We are members of the De Grendel Wine Club, so we get notifications of the release of their new wines. The latest release was of their Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc and we were keen to taste it as we do rather like the way Charles Hopkins makes this wine

The nose is quite tropical, with hints of elderflower and lime with granadilla, fig leaf and citrus, complex. On the palate, crisp limes and green melon; more granadilla and gooseberry with hints of green pepper pyrazines on the end. Full, layered and warm despite its 12.5% alcohol

Lynne has promoted it to her Birthday wine, it is that good. (Every year Lynne nominates a favourite wine and John responds by buying her a case for her birthday in August)








12th July 2017


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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
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Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to send us a message.

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