The Western Cape boasts a diversity of landscapes where an exciting array of native plants can be discovered to experiment within cooking. The Table Bay’s culinary team regularly forages for wild gems to add differentiating, indigenous flavours to dishes.
Edible flowers like Hibiscus blooms, with their cranberry-like flavour and citrus overtones, are used as a colourful and delightful addition to salads, while Nasturtium blossoms, with their sweet yet spicy flavour, are an ideal ingredient for open sandwiches and savoury appetisers. Num num foraged from the nearby V&A Waterfront are innovatively used in a compote for the Camissa Brasserie’s seasonal dishes, while Dune spinach, with its interesting, meaty texture and sea-flavour, foraged in Sea Point, can be used to draw out flavours in a variety of meat and fish dishes.
With the holidays offering some time to explore Cape Town’s surrounds and creating ample opportunity to entertain at home, The Table Bay’s Executive Chef, Keshan Rambarun encourages experimenting with indigenous plants in cooking over the festive season. He shares his recipe for Maple Glazed Roast Beef with handpicked num num as a starting point for creative cooks keen to try cooking with wild plants.
“It is an exciting twist on a familiar favourite and has a decidedly festive feel. Go wild in the kitchen over the holidays,” he says.
Ingredients
- 350g Green peas
- 100g Salted butter
- 80g Num num (or plums)
- 50g Sugar
- 1kg Beef fillet
- 120g Pearl onions, peeled and halved
- 15ml Maple syrup
- 12 medium prawns, cleaned and shells removed
- 50ml Olive oil
- 30g Thyme
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Blanch peas in salted boiling water until soft. Blend until smooth with 50g butter and 1g salt.
- In a small saucepan, place the num num and 50g sugar with about 100ml of water. Cook the num num until soft and mushy. Remove the seeds and blend until smooth and thick.
- Preheat the oven to 1800C. In a cast iron pan, sear the beef fillet and pearl onions with the remaining 50g of butter, salt and black pepper. Drizzle with maple syrup and roast in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
- Cook the prawns for 2 minutes a side in a pan with the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper.
- To serve, garnish each plate with a smear of pea puree and num num. Top with slices of beef, prawns and pearl onions. Drizzle with the pan juices of the beef and serve.