Friday, March 06, 2020

321 Harvest stomp with Ken Forrester

On a beautiful summer Saturday, we were off to Stellenbosch. We were invited by Ken Forrester to attend the 321st anniversary celebration of his farm, Scholtzenberg, and to enjoy a Harvest grape stomp competition with some lunch. Our host was the man himself, Ken Forrester. Ken is recovering well from some necessary leg surgery and has this innovative Kneecycle (he calls it a Hardly Davidson) to get around on for a few weeks until he heals. It is apparently much better than crutches, as pushing the trike keeps you fit and exercises your whole body. With a lambskin fleece to kneel on, it doesn't look too uncomfortable. And there is space for a bottle of wine and a glass in that basket. Ken is his usual happy, hospitable self
The welcome drink is a Cheninita, a blend of Chenin grape juice, wine and shaved ice
Refreshing, low in alcohol and just right for a warm day
Lots of tables, benches and umbrellas dotted the lawns outside the winery
UV protection sun hats were for sale and were very popular indeed
The old wine cellar is now a stable for Ken’s horses and home for some chickens
Ken says that the chickens are an essential part of the farm’s ecology
Anthony van Schalkwyk, Senior Sales manager of Bosman Family Wines, with his cute son
His wife Caroline handles Ken Forrester’s Public Relations
People beginning to arrive and finding seating in the shade
John had a look in the barrel cellar 
Signing the permission form for Caroline van Schalkwyk so that they could use photos of guests
The Raithby Orchestra have appeared at many Ken Forrester functions through the years
Although not quite in the prime of their lives any more, they play with gusto, enthusiasm and joy
Playing all the old tunes like Daar Kom die Alibama, Sarie Marais and Lynne's favourite, Welcome to Cape Town
They also took requests and were able to fulfil them
Marching across the lawn
The food crew for the day! And they were very busy
The starter table was full of fruit, superb bread from Schoon Bakery and, just before lunch, some cheese and dips
Three wine stands where you could enjoy a glass or a taste of the Ken Forrester wines on offer
They were also on sale at special prices on the day
Banjo man!
And a cheerful accordionist
Ken welcomed us all
and still they came...
Getting the table ready with the starters, such a great selection
Really good cheeses from Dalewood, some special chutneys, pickles, relishes
and a very good lime and lemongrass marmalade to go with the cheeses
Humus, snoek paté and a yogurt dip in big jars to go on the bread
The ladies on the hamburger table were busy with preparations
Merlot grapes ready in crates for the first round of grape stomping
The team that produced the most juice would win a prize
Teams had to pick a barrel
The band played on
All feet had to be washed in a metabisulphite bath before they began
Waiting for the off. They did a Le Mans style start
One member of the team had to jump out of the barrel and run to get the crate of grapes before they could start
Cellar Controller Shawn Mathyse did the "OFF!"
Teresa Forrester filming it all
And the race for the crates
Three minutes of frantic grape stomping took place
It was interesting to watch the different methods and strategies
Some used only one foot! There is not much room in a barrel
Holding each other up
Four beauties in a barrel
Not enough room for all four!
And a very clever strategy of close contact and revolving while stomping in the barrel
It certainly paid off
"Faster, faster" Shawn kept shouting to keep them going when he saw them flagging. It is very energetic
We have done some of this in the past, but we are now well past it
Go girls!
Setting up the table for lunch service
The Wagyu beef burgers came from the 92 Winery Road restaurant, run by Ken's brother, Allan Forrester
Trays of crispy bacon 
You could choose your own toppings
Half a bun, a large burger patty on top of lettuce and tomato, topped with crisp bacon, and a dash of all three sauces - tomato, mayonnaise and barbecue
Plus some of Ken's fantastic Crunchy Chilli which added lots of zing to a really good burger
Loading the burger
Or you could top off with cheese which melted on the hot burger
The "workers" straining off the juice from the stomped grapes
They were very conscientious and made sure every drop of juice was recovered
so that it could be measured to see who had produced the most
Caroline van Schalkwyk with Allan Forrester, who was delivering the food from the restaurant
Serenaded by the band while we enjoyed lunch in the shade
The winners of the first round of Stomping were from Germany and called their team German Big Feet
They each won a bottle of Ken Forrester wine
They are now talking about taking this competition home to their German city!
Time for the second round and if you look carefully you can see there is a small child squashed in that barrel with his parents, stomping away. 
A conga line in a barrel! And the farm dog Maggie looks on with a puzzled look
She did enjoy licking the juice off peoples’ feet afterwards
Using two strainers and a bucket to get the final result is messy work
Getting the last dregs out. Shawn is strong!
In the cool tasting room
Dessert was a summer berry Eton Mess with wonderful thick yellow cream
Or a slice of chocolate tart. Or both!
Announcing the results of the 2nd stomping competition
The winners were a very happy family team called "Fortnight"
(No, we don't know why, perhaps they were here on holiday?) A wonderful day was had by all
Thanks to you all at Ken Forrester
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Friday, February 28, 2020

This Week’s MENU. Waffles in Tableview, Bosch Chefs contest, Paella, Bellingham Rosé

Sunday on the Beach

This week, we write about food, eating it and making it; next week, there will be more about wine than food and a story about one of the year’s best entertainment events. We hope you will like the stories

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They make a huge difference to our ability to keep you informed about our world of food and wine

Where to find THE BEST waffles in Cape Town? We think we have found them
Now there are "Waffles" and waffles. If you have travelled in Belgium you will know what an iconic dish this is to the Belgians. And it has to be made perfectly. Not a quick self raising flour batter and a quick pour into a blackened pan that hasn't been used for a year or more. They must not be soggy or flat or even too crisp and dry. They have to be light and airy and melt in the mouth. We used to rave about the stall at the Biscuit Mill run by a Belgian, Fernand Durler, but he has returned to Belgium. We have had some very bad ones and, thankfully, some occasional good ones. But not quite there. Read On…

We have a good working relationship with Bosch and were last there for the judging of the Sommelier Awards. This time, they invited us to cover their new competition for #TheNextBoschChef - someone with a passion for cooking and baking who would put their appliances and cooking studios to good use with their culinary skills. The competition was held in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Read On…

Lynne was taught to make Paella in London by a Spaniard but the recipe she used till now is very different from this version of a Seafood Paella.  It is just the weather for something like this and again comes mainly from the store cupboard and the freezer.  She recently bought a packet of mixed seafood at a wholesaler and while this is not a perfect solution, it does work well in dishes like this. We did not have mussels, so there are none in the picture. Read On…


Made by former Bellingham cellarmaster Niel Groenewald (now heading Nederburg) and Woolworths master wine selector Allan Mullins CWM, this wine is rosé perfection. The nose is filled with ripe fresh strawberries, strawberry jelly and strawberry ice cream, with just a hint of vanilla. Read On…



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Thursday, February 27, 2020

MENU's Wine of the Week. Bellingham 2018 Strawberry Rosé from Woolworths

Made by former Bellingham cellarmaster Niel Groenewald (now heading Nederburg) and Woolworths master wine selector Allan Mullins CWM, this wine is rosé perfection. The nose is filled with ripe fresh strawberries, strawberry jelly and strawberry ice cream with just a hint of vanilla


Charming and silky on the palate, the wine is crisp, dry and zesty with more notes of strawberry ice cream and strawberry jam. Such a good quaffing wine with a summer lunch or supper outside and stands up well to spicy food. You will be hooked, as we were. A steal at R49.99 a bottle

On the MENU This Week. Perfect Seafood Paella

Lynne was taught to make Paella in London by a Spaniard, but the recipe she used until now is very different from this version of a Seafood Paella. It is just the weather for something like this and again the ingredients come mainly from the store cupboard and the freezer. She recently bought a packet of mixed seafood at a wholesaler and, while this is not a perfect solution, it does work well in dishes like this. We did not have mussels, so there are none in the picture


Finding Ingredients
The one ingredient you must have is good fish or seafood stock. If you can make your own using prawn shells, crayfish shells, fish etc, fantastic, or you can buy fish stock at Woolworths or find seafood stock cubes at Italian or Spanish suppliers. And there you will also find the correct Bomba Rice. Try Sagra Foods https://sagrafoods.co.za/ in Montague Gardens, shop open between 10 and 3 Monday to Friday. They have boxes of the Montsia brand, they also have Saffron, Smoked Spanish Paprika and may have fish stock cubes. Good Chorizo sausage is now found in all our big local supermarkets.
I know there is a lot of detail to this recipe, but if you do the preparation beforehand, it is actually quite simple to put together. This recipe makes enough for 4 servings, but you can double it up and make a large one for the perfect Sunday lunch or supper with friends. Lynne uses a 25 cm pan; if you double up you will need a 34 cm pan. There is a lot of oil used in this recipe, it is essential for the perfect Paella, as it helps to make the Soccerat, the crusty caramelised bottom at the end. Using the right ratio of rice to stock is very important – if you use too much liquid, the Paella will go mushy, too little and it will be dry.
60 ml Extra Virgin Olive oil – ½ an onion thinly sliced - 2 cloves of garlic , thinly sliced – half a chorizo cut into bite size slices - two good pinches of saffron (about 1/3 of a gram)– 1 cup of Bomba Paella rice - 1 teaspoon Smoked Spanish Paprika – half a cup of tomato passata – 1 bay leaf – exactly 275 ml good fish or seafood stock – salt & freshly ground black pepper – 2 cups seafood mix or calamari – 1 cup peeled prawns – 8 to 10 cleaned mussels
In your wide 25 cm Paella pan, heat the oil and gently fry the onion till soft, then add the garlic and fry for another minute or two. Do not brown. Add the chorizo and fry for 2 minutes. Soak the saffron in a tablespoon of warm water in a small bowl for a minute or two. Add the rice to the pan and let it toast for a minute or two, it will start to go transparent. Then add the smoked Paprika, stir to warm it, then add the tomato passata. Add the saffron to the dish with its soaking water and the bay leaf. Add the measured amount of fish stock (If using stock cubes, dissolve them in the correct amount of warm water before adding). Stir to combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a slow simmer and then arrange all your seafood on top and semi submerge it in the stock and rice. Do not stir the Paella again – this is important. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until the stock is disappearing.
While it is simmering, roast or char the red pepper until the skin is blackening, then pop it into a sealed plastic bag until it has steamed and cooled. Peel off the charred skin, remove the seeds and stem and cut into slices. Set aside.
When most of the stock has been absorbed, you will see a little oil come to the surface. Watch the paella closely. You will begin to smell a subtle toasted rice smell. This is the crisp soccerat layer forming on the bottom of the pan. You must be brave and let it happen. BUT you must not let it burn. Scatter over the red pepper slices, turn off the heat and cover the pan for 10 minutes to finish cooking the rice and seafood. Serve with lemon slices and a good robust rosé wine like our Wine of the Week, the Strawberry Rosé from Woolworths or, on a hot day, a jug of Sangria.