Sophia Lindop - A Unique Food Experience

Talk about food and wine pairing!

As you all know by now, I am a self-confessed rooster addict!  Because I can't have the real deal in my city garden, I have opted for one made from every conceivable matter possible, like recycled plastic shopping bags, straw, metal, wood, glass, porcelain, wire, beads, and more.  If you find one that you think I might not have yet, pop me an e-mail...

And so, in keeping with the comfort food theme, and because of my fetish, I thought I'd start with a firm favourite - coq au vin!  Translated from French, it means "rooster in wine."  And being a rooster lover, I feel that this is a fitting way for a rooster to go!  Drowned in good wine!  Although this is not a South African oldie, it qualifies as comfort food in every sense of the word.

Mother's Day

I think it's a brilliant idea to have an entire day dedicated to mothers!  Today I honoured two mothers that were with us for lunch - one my own (step)mother, and the other, an old family friend whom I have known since birth.  Paddy and I went out our way to make them feel spoilt and appreciated!  My mind often pulled out files filled with incredibly happy memories of my own beloved mother!  How amazing it would have been to have had her at my table today!

Lunch consisted of waterblommetjie soup (something most of our guests had never tasted) with a freshly baked, piping hot seed loaf - my late mother-in-law's recipe...  Then I prepared a beef neck curry in coconut milk, and served it with sweet potato and basmati rice.  For dessert I quickly baked a tarte tatin and our guests left here filled with the finer things in life - a little Mother's Day gift for the moms, amazing wines, good food, and mostly good cheer!   

On the runway today...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

  Welcome to the 2008 Winter Food Fashion Show!

                On the runway today, we have...

"Take a trip down memory lane with timeless classics that recall good times with family and friends..."  - excerpt from the latest Food and Home magazine.

For example, the other day I was inspired by my sister-in-law, Sonia, to prepare coq au vin - I hadn't prepared this dish in years!  It truly brought back old memories!  And, it was wonderful!  There are so many dishes that we used to eat growing up, or that we used to prepare when we were first married...  Remember what I always say, "Don't throw away your Grandmother's recipe book!"  Timeless classics represent real soul-food, slow-cooked and delicious.  I like the term "soul-food" - it does good things for one's soul!

Here's more from the Food and Home mag:  "As eco-sensitivity has grown, consumers have questioned whether eating organic grapes from Chile is a particularly "green" choice. Now people want to know how far their food travelled, and the closer the better.  Hence the growth in farmers markets, community supported agriculture, restaurant menus bragging about local sourcing...  Today, the trend is toward glamming up the grocery experience. You'll see lots of attractive displays of prepared foods, as well as a deconstruction of the traditional aisle layout in favour of a more open-market feel."

True!  I bought a bag of fresh waterblommetjies or pond blossoms (sounds pretentious!) from the local market last Saturday and prepared the most delicious soup.  Just a pity our markets are charging more that you can get the same produce for elsewhere - kind of killing their own growth...  (Says Sophia who can't wait to get there!  But still, it does taint the experience!)

Go on... Be a kid again!

Meet Sheldon, the youngest little chef to grace my kitchen. We prepared pizze together a few evenings ago - or should I say, we prepared the best pizze ever!  Paddy, Michelle and Dave were licking their lips!

It's amazing how children love to cook - I guess the stresses and strains of this world have not yet tainted their ability to think creatively...  And so, about a year ago, Paddy was smoking chickens on the Weber when my brother and his family visited, when little Richard insisted on using freshly squeezed orange juice mixed with water to baste the chickens.  Paddy let him, and he has been very excited about baking and cooking ever since.  The other evening, Sheldon wanted tuna, salami and ham on his pizza...  I let him do it, and it was actually great!  Shows you - we're back to my philosophy that 'there are no rules when it comes to cooking!' Rules set boundaries, and boundaries kill creativity and passion!

Life's a beach!

Our lives have been crazy!  At times I feel a pang of guilt about my neglected space in blogosphere - and other times I want to write but can't find the time...  But, although this continuous spell of long weekends can be a pain, the last two have done wonders for my stress levels!  The first one (last weekend) we spent away with Mark, Kim, Pieter, Clara and Andre - we spent time together on our Karoo farm and returned home quite relaxed when the next one hit!  Glorious!  This weekend we are spending precious time with Dave, Michelle and Sheldon who are visiting from Johannesburg.

So, this morning, after an early rise and breakfast at the Neighbourhood Goods Market, we had ice-cream at the Waterfront, and then headed home via the scenic route - thought I'd reward Sheldon for being an absolute star while the grownups enjoyed the market.  We stopped at the beach in Camps Bay when my eye caught this sign: 

Hello!  Are you kidding?!  Well, to cut a long story short, while the gang were running around on the beach, I had a head, neck and back massage while breathing in the fresh sea air, with a cool breeze caressing my body, and the warm sunshine warming my feet...  Sound good?  Trust me, it was!   

Nothing like a good marriage!

The weeks since March 25th (when I last wrote) have just flown by!  There were the SA Blog Awards (and congratulations to all the winners!), private functions galore, another cookery course, a new winter lunch menu at Barristers, Paddy and my 6th anniversary, and the meal of a lifetime!  Thought I'd focus on the latter...

Well, as the heading says, "There's nothing like a good marriage!"  And this goes for the marriage between menu and wine list - in other words, food and wine pairing.  To celebrate our great union, my husband took me to dinner at Rust & Vrede's new restaurant which is run by extremely talented chef, Dave Higgs (talent and good looks!)  And here we witnessed a true marriage of food and wine.  Highly talented Sommelier, Neil Grant, passionately explained the choice of wine with every one of our 6 courses - at times we looked at each other in disbelief, like the De Trafford's Straw Wine that he chose to serve with dessert that included banana ice-cream, and nothing kills wine like banana...  We were knocked off our chairs! 

What's more, acclaimed potter, Dave Walters, was commissioned to create a range of crockery that reflects their unique style.  I was gob-smacked by the entire experience!  Although expensive, we felt it was worth every cent!  Send them an e-mail to book, or call them on 021 8813881 to secure your reservation.

Rules and regulations

I know that yesterday my blog was filled with praise for Cape Town and its beauty...  Today I have a question though: Where did Capetonians get their driver's licences?!  Eskom is causing complete havoc and mayhem - power outages spell no traffic lights, and this leads to utter chaos! 

Here are some rules to take note of

1. I will say this only once: When the lights are out, compliments Eskom, treat the traffic lights like you would a four way stop.  If you don't know what that means, figure it out!
2. Sharing is good - but not when it comes to traffic lanes.  You stay in yours and I'll stay in mine!
3. Indicators are to warn the rest of us when you want to turn (mostly in front of us), and not to keep the kids occupied while you are in the Kwikspar!

Although there are traffic rules, I always say that, when it comes to cooking, there are no rules!  The rule is to have fun!  However, there are sound guidelines that have been set by the masters that should be followed...

City of Angels

I am convinced that those of us who live in Cape Town either did something very good in order to deserve this life, or we did something so horrible that someone out there thought that, perhaps if we were surrounded by immense beauty, we might change for the better.  Somehow I cast my vote with the first option...

This morning I had to meet a friend for breakfast in town, and I opted to drive from the Southern suburbs of Cape Town, via Llandudno.  As I approached Hout Bay, two thick arms of mist were creeping up and enveloping Klein Leeukoppie - almost like it needed a hug.  The site was breathtakingly beautiful!  And as I made my way up the hill, and down past Llandudno, I drove into the mist that also lay, covering the ocean gently, shrouding it in mystery - and I wondered, was King Neptune holding a secret meeting for all Atlantic Ocean Life...?

I felt so lucky at that moment, to live in this most beautiful place.

I love a good challenge!

I was recently asked by the new owners of Barristers Grill in Newlands, to come on board as a consultant and help get the kitchen back on track.  So far it has been an exciting and rewarding journey!  I am changing menus, adapting recipes, training staff, and more - and I can't wait to stand back and watch them fly!

When I visit Barristers, it's like watching 'Cheers' on TV - the locals, the regulars, the newcomers, the tales...  Although it has worked very well over the years, it has potential to get even better!  Watch this space...!

The new bar snack menu has already been received with great enthusiasm, and the presentation of meals is visibly better - clients are already commenting.

You can't teach a hungry child!

This blogging business is difficult at times...  The last few weeks have been (as Paddy would say) character-building, thus the silence from my corner!  But, despite what we were going through, we still have a lot to be very grateful for!

A while ago I was paging through the Weekend Argus, and there I saw a picture that has put me on a new and meaningful course...  The face in the advertisement compelled me to pick up the phone that Monday morning, and go and visit the Peninsula School Feeding Association.  At last I had found a charity that I believe in and want to support!