Biltong Salad with Sweet Figs and Blue Cheese
Serves 8Assemble this stunning starter at the last minute. This is South African fare at its best.
2 punnets rocket leaves
8 preserved whole green figs
200 g very finely sliced (paper thin) beef biltong semi-dry
100 g or 125 g wedge of creamy blue cheese
Ina Paarman's Balsamic Vinaigrette
Line 8 medium size plates with rocket leaves. Reserve a few. Cut the figs lengthways into quarters or eighths. Dot fig wedges here and there on leaves. Scatter the finely sliced biltong over the salad. Crumble the blue cheese and add it to the plates.
Finish with reserved rocket leaves. Shake the vinaigrette well and drizzle over the salads just before they go to the table.
VARIATION
In place of biltong use crispy bacon pieces or for vegetarians ripe avocado slices.
Beef Wellington 
Serves 8A classic with a twist. We have addressed all the problem areas, soggy pastry, over or undercooked meat, lack lustre appearance, etc.
STEAK 1½ kg whole fillet, trimmed
± 200 g Baked Chicken Liver Paté (see recipe under Ina's Choice)
MUSHROOMS
PASTRY 1 x sour cream pastry recipe or 1 kg bought flaky pastry made with butter.
EGG GLAZE 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt and sugar
Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning
olive oil
1 x 250 g portabellini mushrooms, sliced
2 T (30 ml) butter
1 T (15 ml) olive oil
Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
grating of nutmeg
1 T (15 ml) Ina Paarman's White Sauce Powder
- Slice butterfly steaks from fillet, flatten them slightly. Season on both sides with Garlic Pepper Seasoning and drizzle with olive oil. Turn to coat. Rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Cook on a very hot griddle pan until nicely marked on the outside but still raw inside. Spread steaks out on a baking tray. Cool for 10 minutes.
Spread a generous layer of chicken liver paté over each steak. Sauté the mushrooms with butter and oil until just welted. Season with Garlic Pepper Seasoning and add thyme and nutmeg. Sprinkle White Sauce Powder over and stir in. Leave to cool. Divide the mushrooms between the steaks and push lightly into the paté. Leave everything to cool.
- Roll the pastry out thinly into a large rectangle. Lift it up and lay on a length of baking paper that will fit onto your biggest oven pan. Cut the rice paper in half lengthways and lay overlapping strips of rice paper along the middle length of the pastry. This will prevent sogginess when the steak is added. Overlap the prepared steaks on top of the rice paper.
- Cut slanted cuts into the pastry on both sides of the meat with a pizza wheel or knife.
- Plait the pastry strips over the meat to cover it completely. If at all possible refrigerate until dinner time - keep pastry on the baking paper. Alternately, if pre-preparing for much later, cover with a double layer of cling film and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush pastry with egg glaze. Place a large baking sheet in the oven to preheat it.
Slip the baking paper with pastry on, onto the preheated baking tray. Bake for ±30 minutes until nicely browned. Rest for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a large rectangular carving board or serving platter. Slice across into neat portions for serving.
CHEF'S TIP:
A frozen Wellington should be defrosted, well covered, to prevent condensation making the pastry soggy. Bake for a little longer as the internal temperature will be lower.
Roasted Onion Flowers
Serves 8The flower shapes of these baked onions make for a lovely presentation.
20 small pickling onions, peeled
2 T (30 ml) sugar
½ cup (125 ml) boiling water
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Chicken or Vegetable Stock Powder
2 T (30 ml) butter
Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the onions into chrysanthemum shapes by slicing into eighths down from the tops, but not right through to the root. Open the onion wedges up to form petals. Place them snugly, cut sides up, into a smallish ovenproof dish so that they support each other. Mix together the sugar, boiling water, Stock Powder and butter and pour this over the onions. Cover the dish with wet greaseproof paper or foil. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the greaseproof paper and bake open for a further 20 minutes. Season onions with Green Onion Seasoning. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Sweet Potato and Butternut Swirls with Honey and Orange
Serves 8
This delicious recipe has many advantages. It can be prepared in advance - even the day before, it is neat and easy to dish up, but best of all the flavour of honey, butter, cinnamon and citrus works remarkably well with the beef.
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and sliced
2 cups (400 g) cubed butternut
4 T (60 ml) honey
2 T (30 ml) butter
rind from 1 orange
2 T (30 ml) fresh orange juice
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
1 T (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 T (15 ml) Ina Paarman's White Sauce Powder
½ t (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
½ cup (125 ml) soft white breadcrumbs
4 small oranges, sliced 2 mm thick for presentation
Pecan nut halves
Steam the sweet potatoes and butternut until soft, and then mash them until smooth. Warm the honey in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Add the butter, orange rind, orange juice and Seasoned Sea Salt. Mix the lemon juice with the White Sauce Powder. Thicken the sauce with this mixture. Add the sauce and cinnamon to the mashed vegetables. Mix until blended. Add egg and then the breadcrumbs, a spoonful at a time, until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when piped. The amount of breadcrumbs will depend on the moisture content of the individual vegetables and the size of the egg. Taste for seasoning.
Pipe a swirl of the mixture on each orange slice and top with a pecan nut. Arrange on a buttered baking sheet and keep refrigerated until cooking time.
Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake for ± 15 minutes until just beginning to brown. Serve hot.
Creamed Spinach and Broccoli
Serves 8
An ideal vegetable to pre-prepare. It also freezes very well.
3 medium/large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pack (± 300-400 g) broccoli
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
2 T (30 ml) butter
2 T (30 ml) oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pack (± 200-300 g) baby spinach
2 cups (500 ml) milk
2 T (30 ml) butter
4 T (60 ml) Ina Paarman's White Sauce Powder
4 T (60 ml) cold water
Boil or steam the cubed potato for 12 minutes. Add the broccoli, and cook the vegetables together for another 6 minutes until soft. Drain and season with Green Onion Seasoning. Sauté the onion in a butter/oil mixture in a deep saucepan until soft and aromatic. Place the well washed, baby spinach on top of the onion mixture - cover it with a lid and cook only for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to stand while making the white sauce.
Measure the milk in a large measuring jug. Add the butter. Microwave on high for 2-2½ minutes until the milk boils. Mix the White Sauce Powder with the cold water. Return this mixture to the jug with boiling hot milk and whisk. It will thicken virtually straight away.
Put all the vegetables into a food processor, add the sauce and chop to a smooth consistency. Taste for seasoning. This vegetable dish re-heats really well in the microwave. It can happily be made the day before or frozen.
Warm Chocolate and Orange Pudding
Serves 10A heaven sent rich winter pudding with intense chocolate and orange flavours.
ORANGE WEDGES 2 medium fresh oranges
1 cup (250 ml) water
Prick the oranges all over with a fork. Place in a microwaveable container with the water. Cover and microwave for 8 - 10 minutes on high until the orange skin is soft. Leave the oranges (covered) to cool down in the water. When cool, reserve the water and cut each orange into 5 wedges.
PUDDING MIXTURE
½ cup (125 ml) butter
3 eggs
1 x 650 g Ina Paarman's Chocolate Cake Mix
½ cup (125 ml) of water from cooked oranges
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
2 t (10 ml) grated orange rind
Butter 10 ovenproof containers about 9 cm across and 5 cm high. You can also use small bowls or old teacups. Cream the butter adding one egg and one tablespoon of the dry mix at a time. When all three eggs have been added, gently fold in half of the remaining cake mixture, using a spatula. Add and mix in the orange water. Add the last batch of dry mix and lastly the fresh orange juice and grated rind.
CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE CENTRES 1 x 100 g Lindt orange chocolate or plain dark chocolate
cooked orange wedges
1 cup (250 ml) cream
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Spoon about 2 T of the cake mixture into each of the prepared containers. Place a block of chocolate on top followed by an orange wedge and 2 T of cream. Spoon the remaining chocolate pudding batter over. Place all the cups in a large deep oven pan.
Pour 2 cups of boiling water into the pan. Bake puddings in the water bath for 30 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes if serving immediately otherwise keep at room temperature for a few hours or refrigerated for a day or two. These puddings also freeze very successfully. Warm puddings in microwave before serving.
GARNISH AND ACCOMPANIMENTS 2-3 oranges, cut into segments
± 500 ml custard, warmed
zest from orange used
1T(15ml) brandy or Van der Hum (optional)
cocoa for dusting
Grate the zest from the oranges before cutting away the skin and cutting out the segments. Add the orange zest to the custard and warm the custard. Add brandy. Turn the puddings out on a large dinner plate. Drizzle with custard, arrange a few orange segments on the plate. Dust the plates lightly with cocoa powder before serving.
VARIATION
Instead of custard, you can use chocolate ganaché to pour over the puddings. Melt 100 g dark chocolate in ½ cup (125 ml) cream and use while warm.
Wine Suggestion:
La Motte 2007 Chardonnay is aged in oak and shows a typical straw and oatmeal charater. This is supported by the apricot and pineapple fruit, well integrated with cashew nut and yeasty notes. The palate is light and fruity with a sliky-smooth finish. Perfect accompaniment to the Biltong Salad Starter.
La Motte 2005 Millennium has pleasant cherry, roasted nut and dark chocolate flavours on the nose, with background notes of cooked beetroot with cloves, and cinnamon. Firm tannins on the palate have the promise of good maturation and will soften with time. This wine is ideallly suited to our main course of Beef Wellington.