Forage

With love in the air it is time for me to write about one of my best-loved cuisines and a country I fell in love with several years ago. Mexico. The food of Mexico – and I mean the authentic stuff, not the yellow cheese-sprinkled Tex-Mex we are often served in restaurants – is full of flavour, passion and earthiness.

I was overjoyed when I discovered El Burro in Somerset Road, Greenpoint Cape Town late last year.

The décor is sexy modern Mexican. Definitely my choice for a fun Valentine’s date this year.  The owners managed to strike a good balance between vibey and cosy, and although many of the patrons are cool young things the fiesta-like atmosphere makes everyone feel welcome.

I’ve had more than one meal at El Burro, so don’t think I had all this food in one sitting. The portions are generous and it was difficult to fit even half a starter and a main in.

Start…

With what I can only describe as one of the best Margaritas I’ve had in my life.

Owner Nic had this to say: “Our margaritas are done “tommy’s” style. Tommy’s is one of the original and certainly most famous Mexican restaurants in the states, in San Fran. Tommy is the official tequila ambassador to the USA now, yes the Mex government have tequila ambassadors! Maragarita recipe: Tequila, Agave syrup(ours is organic), fresh hand squeezed Lime Juice. Shaken with ice, poured onto fresh ice.”

Then eat something…

The ceviche is definitely the one to have if you have a discerning palate. Beautiful fresh fish finely chopped and served raw with a punchy dressing, it is a perfect light starter yet really moreish. For vegetarians I would recommend the corn on the cob, blackened and smothered in cheese. Sounds weird but it is good.

Then drink something

The have an impressive line-up of imported tequila. Mine came with a little shot glass on the side filled with a kind of spicy tomato juice. The idea being that you take a sip of the tequila and a sip of the tomato juice. No body shots here. It was delicious and the tequila with it’s delicate clean aftertaste a revelation.

Then eat big

So much delicious food so little time. I couldn’t resist the beef shortrib with tacos. The meat is cooked almost like I can remember my grandmother old-fashioned pies. Soft and juicy and stringy. Scoop it up in a soft tortillas and add some of the scrumptious salsas – the roasted tomato salsa is just unbelievable. Smoky, sweet and charred – with this something that I couldn’t place but couldn’t get enough of either. The guacamole lacked something, but perhaps I’m just a guac snob because I like my chunky with a hint of chili and lots of lime like I make it at home.

On my second visit I had the fish tacos which were less successful. They are lightly battered and the fish was certainly very fresh and firm, but I found them a bit dry and bland.

Owner Nic had this to say about the fish tacos:  “Oh the bloody fish taco! Have we had a battle getting this one right. We have changed the batter 5 times! Finally settling on the corn flour and chilli batter, this stays crispier than all the others, which is key. I have had great feedback on the Fish tacos the last week since we settled on a recipe, I am hoping that your dry fish last night was an anomaly.”

Next time I will definitely have the prawn tacos instead (if I can resist the beef shortrib). I had such order envy because my dining partner tucked into some quesadillas topped with field mushrooms that were uber delciousness. Overall good variety here for vegetarians.

Their specials menu had a variety of dishes on it that I drooled over – specifically an enchilada that I will order on my next visit.

Before you leave

Have some more tequila. This is a fun place. Care is taken with the food and the service is really excellent and hands-on.

Oh and have some dessert – the crème brulee came in a nest of caramel spun sugar and was the perfect end to a fabulous evening.

Olé!

021 4332364
Email: hola@elburro.co.za

It is pretty late – 11pm. I have just lost more than 3 hours to the amazing food blogs on Food24. They do pay me – but not enough to say this ; ) I have been up since 6, kids and then shooting all day, cooked dinner and then Masterchef Australia. (Don’t forget to watch tomorrow – Donna Hay is going to be on!)

And yet – I’m so inspired now by all these amazing posts from blogland. And they just keep coming.

Here is a few of the ones I’ve bookmarked so far this week:

Two posts about gnocchi, which is one of my favourite comfort foods, caught my eye. This one on fried gnocchi by Ally that is inspired by Nigella’s new book and one butternut gnocchi by Nina.

A was very interested in this home-made tomato ketchup recipe from Juno that is apparently even better tasting (not to mention healthier) than the commercial one.

Loved Pinkpolkadot’s inspired mango mouse idea, and these condensed milk cookies from Zabwan and this lovely shortbread from Sous.

PS I made a peanut butter cake today… so good and so easy that your kids will be your slaves. Will post the recipe (which is not mine) soon.

X
Aletta

The last few weeks have been a blur. The one minute I was driving to pick up my daughter from school and responding (very cheekily I might add) to Sam’s call on Twitter for a resident foodie to keep the pots boiling while Chef Caro is on maternity leave. And the next I was discussing the details of being Food24′s Resident Foodie while simultaneously making a pile of shoestring fries on a shoot.

I’m busy catching my breath and I can tell you that the Food24 crowd is even funnier “live” than I thought. I can also tell you that there seems to be a serious toasted cheese habit in the office. And that yes, we do talk about food all the time.

What is also amazing to experience are the gasps of delight, the sighs, the oohs and aahs and general loud over-desk-shouts of “Oi look at THIS” every time one of our bloggers post something special and delicious.

I’m so very much looking forward to getting to know all of you better.

Aletta

XX

I feel this morning like you do when you have a new lover in your bed. Her name is inspiration. When the alarm went off I rolled over with a smile on my face and whispered to the one next to me, “I’m going to pack lunch for R”. I warmed a rooti out of the freezer and filled it with last night’s vegetable curry. It is her favourite school lunch. What an extraordinary child? I took the recycling bags out and saw orange glimmer like certain bright hope. It echoed from the buildings, mountains and still naked trees. New ideas do that to me. They are essential to my survival.

This fab grain salad is packed with good things, popping flavours and satisfying textures. Recipe & rest of the post on my blog.

Enjoy the weekend darlings.

X

Aletta

www.forage.co.za

This fresh earthy dish of sweet bouncy beetroots, melting fragrant onion and a good scoop of herbed savoury butter is my idea of heaven.  You will have to feel sorry for the ones that end up drenched in sour bottles, robbed of their flavour. 

I often seem to happen upon my best cooking by doing the minimum to an ingredient. This was not always the case. But I’m learning. It’s not what you do, but how you do it, I’ve been told.

Read the rest of this post about my life with food & see the recipe here.

Blessed

Aletta

www.forage.co.za

This dish has become something of a legend in our house since I first made it for L’s all vegetarian birthday dinner. The soy and balsamic vinegar does beautiful things to the sauce while you bake it. In the introduction to one of his books, Appetite, Nigel Slater writes about the unbridled joy of cooking without a recipe. This is such a patient lenient recipe. Life, like cooking, is more fully enjoyed without a recipe.

For this easy baked mushroom recipe and musings about my life visit www.forage.co.za.

Love

Aletta

www.forage.co.za

Love this recipe for pasta with a roasted sauce. It is particularly good in winter when tomatoes are dreary and slow-roasting them with a smattering of sugar and thyme concentrates the flavour beautifully. At least some things in life are really straightforward. Like sticking tomatoes in an oven. And slurping them up with pasta. And getting tipsy with old friends on some good red wine. Raising a pre-teen, on the other hand, shifts things like marriage and your own life into another gear altogether. Sometimes to a level of too much reality. Definitely to a level where “actively pursuing your own growth” is reduced to biting your tongue. A lot.

For the rest of this ramble on marriage visit my blog www.forage.co.za and you will also find this puttanesca recipe and other vegetarian recipes there.

Aletta

www.forage.co.za

I love this dish because it is so elegant and sooo simple & quick. Basically you roll fish in nuts and bake. You can do everything in advance and just finish grilling the fish when your guest sits down for dinner. Fish on the braai is my favourite, but if you bake it in the oven, then a crust quickly elevates it to a dinner party dish. Plus it keeps the fish moist and succulent. The crunch of the nuts goes beautifully with the sweet of the parsnip mash. For vegetarians – oven baked mushrooms are great with parsnip mash.

Make do with whatever nuts, fish and mashable root vegetable you and let me know what combination worked for you.

If you are interested in this recipe (Pistachio -encrusted fish with parsnip mash) or my other recipes, visit my blog www.forage.co.za.

Love

Aletta

www.forage.co.za

One of the reasons I love Italian cooking so much is because it is designed around making do with what is in season and simplicity. The first time I had caponata I instantly fell in love with this chunky Italian answer to ratatouille.  You can eat this luscious condiment warm, cold, and my best, at room temperature. Full of autumn vegetables, vibrant colours and delicious flavours – it is food that sings with joy. It is impossible to not feel an inexplicable sense of contentment and gratitude for life when you share it’s jewel colours with friends.

I share the caponata recipe as well as good places to eat from my weekend in Stanford on my blog.

Love

Aletta

Today I’m after the memory of my grandma’s coal stove baked quinces. I need about 7 hours for the quinces. But, I’m a practical girl. So, naturally, I pulled from the fridge a treasured leg of lamb from Calvinia. And I know it seems ridiculous to prepare a whole 2.5kg leg of lamb just for yourself. But you know what, I don’t usually eat a lot of meat. And, what can I say, I wanted to eat quinces. And the oven was going to be on anyway…

So I turned on the oven, poured a glass of chardonnay over the lamb, poured one for myself, and left it all in the oven for 8 hours.

Now the best part of this whole day of lazing and reminiscing and the joy of anticipating (it’s all about the anticipating really isn’t it, for so many things?!) was not just the delicious spoonable lamb I had with soft cheesy polenta, quinces and gorgeous gravy. Or the 2 good old friends who offered to come over and help me eat it. Or the pitas filled with lamb and homemade mayo I had the next day.

No, it was this dessert that you can make with the leftover quinces and your leftover croissants from breakfast. 

Come visit me at www.forage.co.za for these and other recipes and the rest of the post!

XX

Aletta

www.forage.co.za