Comfort Food Prince Albert Style

Whenever I think of the Karoo and food, only one thing comes to mind. It has to be lamb. Karoo lamb with lots of rosemary. Of course, at this time of year you might imagine a roast leg of Springbok; that’ll do too. Treat it like lamb, and the results are spectacular.

Like the French, I often slow-roast my leg of shoulder for 6-8 hours. My mother-in-law would sometimes do it in a warming drawer overnight. She would give us spoons to spoon it onto our plates. With it, she’d serve caramelised carrots, green beans cooked the old-fashioned way, slowly, with a sheep’s tail added, lots of butter, onion, carrot and potato. This would also be slow-roasted.

Of course, we’d have yellow rice, with heaped spoons of turmeric, sticks of cinnamon and a good handful of raisins, steamed to perfection. For dessert, she’d make a brown pudding or a saucy orange pudding served with egg custard and thick cream.

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My Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb

Method:

Rub the olive oil all over the shoulder, sprinkle with fresh thyme and rub it slightly to release the oils.  If you have a strong rosemary shoot, thread it through the shoulder or bruise the leaves and rub them all over to release the oils.  Peel and slice a few garlic cloves; add them to the meat, too.  Place the lamb in a large casserole and marinate overnight.

Early morning - Next day, preheat the oven to 140°C-160°C, depending on your oven. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in another pan and brown the meat lightly. Remove, return to the casserole, and add the red wine and onions. Cut off the top of the whole garlic bulb and add it to the pan. Add a bouquet garni for extra flavour. Cover with a snugly fitted lid or wrap in tin foil to seal.

Place the casserole in the oven and braise for 4 hours. One hour before the end of the cooking time, add the Balsamic reduction. Return to the oven for 60 minutes without the lid. Baste the meat every so often and make sure the jus does not burn. The meat should fall off the bone, and there should be a lovely jus at the bottom of the pan.

Serve with vegetables of your choice and a green garden salad on your nicest platter. Arrange the onions on the side.  You may also add medium potatoes to the pot 60 minutes before the end of cooking time; they will caramelise in the rich juices.

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Ouma's Carrots

Scrub a bunch of carrots until they're clean, then cut them into quarters, each about the length of a pinky finger. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add a stick of cinnamon and a grating of orange peel (in those days, the cooks would also add a good dessert spoon of sugar - but we don't do that anymore!). Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the carrots in the fragrant butter until tender and coated with the spices, filling the kitchen with a warm aroma. Add a few drops of water if they dry out to keep them moist and flavourful.

I often add my carrots to my meat about an hour before the end of the cooking time, and they're delicious.

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Mint Sauce:

Chop a generous handful of mint leaves finely in a cup. Pour in 75 ml of red wine vinegar and 75 ml of water. Add a good tablespoon of sugar, a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Serve this bright, tangy mint sauce at room temperature alongside your roast shoulder of pork, adding a fresh contrast to the rich meat.

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Mother-in-law’s Easy Orange Pudding

(I give it to you as she instructed me; you can't make a mistake.) This is not a large pudding, just enough for 4, so don't use a very large pie dish to bake it in.

Once the eggs are beaten, add the dry ingredients, then the milk and butter mixture.

Pour the dough into a buttered dish.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 30 minutes.

Make the sauce by melting the following ingredients together:

Pour the hot sauce over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

We enjoyed a similar pudding on our visit to Prince Albert, and it rounded off our weekend perfectly. This is one of my go-to meat dishes, always a winner. It will be on my menu when I am the cook of the day on safari!

Bon Appétit, Amigo!