In this Issue

About Sophia Lindop

Farm girl by birth, city girl by marriage… The only constant in my life has always been good, wholesome food, wine and company! Although I chose a variety of career paths in my life, I studied food and wine for six years before embarking on a detour that finally led me back to the kitchen, where I feel so at home! This newsletter is an invitation for you to come into my kitchen, with all its fragrances, warmth and laughter! Please come inside…

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www.sophialindop.com

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Cooking with herbs

Apparently October, along with July, is the month in which most babies are born.  Why did I mention that trivial bit of information?  Well, Paddy and I were driving to Hout Bay in the late afternoon, and we both commented on how all the vegetation has suddenly been 'reborn'.  All the trees have lime green young leaves on them, the vineyards are changing to that same colour, and our garden is in stunning shape at the moment!  Especially the herbs and vegetables! 

What a joy!

Anyone who has ever grown their own herbs and vegetables will understand what a joy it is to be able to walk outside and pick something fresh, that you planted and watched grow, and to use it in your cooking!  I have planted an amazing variety in our very tiny garden - I have lettuce, artichokes, aubergine, tomatoes, radishes, chillis, rhubarb, lemons, limes, oregano, rosemary, bright lights, rocket, parsley, chives, spring onions, thyme, sweet basil, dill, bronze fennel, French tarragon, sorrel, lemon grass, sage, yarrow,  celery, a bay tree, olive trees,  a mulberry tree, a fig tree, calamondin orange trees, mint, lemon verbena, lemon balm, blood sorrel and a variety of edible flowers growing in pots and in small beds.  

Fresh herbs used in cooking are a lot more forgiving than their dried counterparts.  Mostly herbs work much better fresh than dried, and one can use more of the fresh variety in one's food without it tasting overwhelming.

Traditionally sweet basil is used in tomato-based sauces - but here's a hint:  add fresh French tarragon instead, and watch your guests go wild trying to figure out what you did.  Another surprise is chicken - most people use oregano or thyme with their chicken, but rosemary is just the best!

Desserts and Herbs

Baked Apples with Rosemary

Serves 4
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 45 minutes
Difficulty - easy!

Ingredients
4 large Granny Smith apples, cored but unpeeled
20ml honey
4 sprigs of rosemary
125ml sweet wine

Method
1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2.  Make a horizontal cut just through the skin of each apple around its circumference - this keeps the skin from bursting in a ragged pattern during baking.
3.  Spoon 5ml honey into each apple and press a rosemary sprig into each.
4.  Put the apples into a baking dish which will hold them without much space to spare.
5.  Pour in the wine and bake for about 45 minutes, basting from time to time during baking.

To serve: drizzle with double thick cream or add a blob of mascarpone.

Lemon Sorbet with Lemon Balm

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time - approximately an hour, depending on your freezer
Difficulty - easy!

Ingredients
300ml water
150ml sugar
60ml lemon balm leaves
150ml lemon juice
1 egg white

Method
1.  Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir over moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved.
2.  Add the lemon balm leaves and bring to the boil.
3.  Boil uncovered for about 3 minutes.
4.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.
5.  Combine with the lemon juice and strain the mixture.
6.  Freeze until the mixture in contact with the sides of the container is frozen to a depth of 2cm.
7.  Remove and beat briskly, in a food processor if possible.  This breaks up the ice crystals and produces a smooth texture.
8.  Beat the egg white until stiff but not dry, and fold into the sorbet.
9.  Freeze until solid.
10. Serve in scoops and garnish with the rind of 1 lemon, cut into julienne strips, blanched for 1 minute in boiling water and drained, and lemon balm leaves.

Luxury Fish Pie with a Caper Rosti Topping

Serves 6 – 8
Preparation time – 2 hours
Difficulty - requires a little more effort
Recommended wine - Springfield Wild Yeast Chardonnay

Ingredients

To prepare
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Place the fish jus ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced to about 375ml. Strain and set aside.
3. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a minute. Gradually add the fish jus and cook until slightly thickened – about 3 minutes. Add the milk and cream, stir through and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
4. Stir in the egg yolks, crème fraîche, parsley, dill, chervil, spring onion and gherkin. Season with black pepper and salt.
5. To make the topping, parboil the potatoes with their skins on (depending on the size of the potatoes, about 10 – 15 minutes.) Pour off the water and allow the potatoes to cool enough for you to handle them.
6. Peel them, and using the coarse side of a grater, grate into a bowl. Add the capers, seasoning, parsley and melted butter. Using two forks, gently toss everything with the butter.
7. Melt a blob of butter over fast heat, and precook the prawns.
8. To assemble the pie, place the kingklip, haddock and salmon in a greased casserole dish, layer the prawns on top of the fish and pour the sauce over. Top with the potatoes and spread out with a fork in an even layer.
9. Bake in the oven until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling beneath the crust – about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with a green salad or fresh peas.

By the way, bookings for my last cookery course for 2007 are now open – I hope to welcome you into my kitchen in Cape Town!

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Until next time…  And remember, now's a great time to get a herb garden going!

www.sophialindop.com