LUNCH AT SOUTH HILLS

In October, members enjoyed an extremely good lunch at The Venue on the South Hills wine estate, near Elgin. Set in a beautifully laid-out garden filled with imaginative indigenous plantings, the restaurant is situated in a converted barn, with massive doors opening onto lawns with views of the vineyards and mountains in the distance. Chef Gordon Manuel prepared his signature dish of twice-braised oxtail in prosciutto, served with a wild mushroom risotto and oregano zucchini ribbons. Gordon’s philosophy fits in well with Slow Food principles:

‘For the restaurant all we wanted to do was to create great food using local produce and wines. We want people to start enjoying good food again: food that has flavour and texture, is made with much love and does its job of filling you up! It is also our aim not only to use as much as we can of the excellent local produce the area has to offer, but also to employ as many staff as possible from the local community. We want to provide a different career option for those who have grown up in the valley. At the end of the day we have embarked on the mission to put Elgin on the Gourmet food map where the wines already are – and we are sure we can do it! Why Elgin? Why not! It is a beautiful part of the Cape and has so much to offer in the form of great produce and fine wine and it is still so untouched and natural.’

The lunch was preceded by a visit to the newly established Elgin Farmers’ Market.

VISIT TO INYATHI RIDGE FARM - Report by Jeremy Hele

Wayne Rademeyer has a passion: mozzarella cheese – that white, soft, slightly rubbery cheese that is one of Italy’s great delicacies. He deserted his law practice in Johannesburg, travelled to Italy with his wife Michelle to learn the secrets of mozzarella making and went through endless hassles to import 24 buffaloes to his farm at Inyathi Ridge.

The water buffaloes came from Australia, a country whose veterinary standards compare with our own. They are gentle and intelligent, a far cry from their distant and dangerous cousins the African Buffalo, who would be highly unlikely to allow anyone to milk them. And they are thriving in the Cape – most of the heifers are pregnant and lactating well.

A group from the Cape Slow Food Convivium visited the farm last November, and were introduced by Wayne to the delights of both the Mozzarella di Bufala and the Buffalo Milk Yoghurt, both of which have a taste all their own. They are far superior to the imported varieties, which need preservatives to cope with their transit and often other additives as well. Though higher in fat and protein than normal cheese, the mozzarella has a low cholesterol count and is suitable for people who are lactose intolerant.

Producing the milk is only part of the problem. “The difficulty with mozzarella is getting the nuances right,” says Wayne. “It is one of the stretched curd cheeses known as pasta filata, it is handmade in the traditional way and needs strong arms, serious physical effort and hands that can handle intense heat.”
He curdles the milk, with a coagulating agent, drains off the whey, puts it in hot water and keeps stretching it until it is pliable. Finally it is moulded into balls and dropped into cold water, which forms a skin that keeps in the moisture. Not an easy process, but well worth the effort.

The Inyathi Ridge mozzarella is one of only three worldwide made outside Italy, and judging by the reaction of the Slow Food group, we are privileged to have it available at selected delis.