Taste of Jo’Burg, 5 Days, 16 South African Chefs and Restaurants, Sept 30- Oct 4

While fall is here in the northern hemisphere, summer is a few weeks away in South Africa.

Festivals of all types are lining up including food and wine events like Taste of Jo'Burg which attracted some 18,000 foodies in 2008.

The 2009 edition, the program states, brings together "the city's most acclaimed restaurants and carefully selected
exhibitors" and is held at the Montecasino Outdoor
Events Area in Johannesburg.

All chefs and restaurants are complete unknown to me.

Some of the recipes listed on the event site are intriguing for North American palates.

Not sure they will be amongst those served.

I noted the Tea Smoked Warthog with Pickled Baby Vegetables (recipe below, serves 4) by The Attic which offers Asian and French influenced dishes.

"Ingredients:
For the pickled vegetables:

12 baby beetroots 

12 baby carrots

12 baby turnips


For the pickling liquor:

200ml sherry vinegar

200ml Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar

200ml groundnut oil

200ml extra virgin olive oil 

castor sugar, to taste


For the gooseberry sauce:

400g fresh gooseberries
2 oranges, zest and juice

1 shallot, finely chopped

piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

25g butter

150ml white port

1 tsp (5ml) Dijon mustard
50g caster sugar

1 Tbsp (15ml) soft green peppercorns

For the venison:
1 cup (250ml) white rice
Handful of Lapsang tea bags or another Chinese tea
250g warthog loin
selection of baby salad leaves or microshoots to garnish

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C. 
Wrap the beetroots in foil and roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Peel the beetroots if necessary.

Blanch carrots and turnips separately in boiling water for three minutes, then drain and refresh.
Combine all the ingredients for the pickling liquor. Taste and add a
little sugar if too bitter. Divide among three separate containers; put
the beetroots in one, turnips in another and the carrots in the last.
Cover and leave to marinate for at least two hours, but ideally for 24
hours.

To make the gooseberry sauce, blanch the gooseberries for 10 seconds
then plunge into ice-cold water. Remove and peel. Then blanch orange
zest in boiling water for one minute, then drain. Gently fry the
shallot and ginger in the butter for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the
blanched zest, juices, port, mustard and sugar, stirring, and bring to
the boil. Cook until the volume is reduced by half.  Add the
gooseberries and peppercorns and simmer for 4 minutes. Allow to cool.

To smoke the warthog, place rice in a cast iron pan and drizzle with
the tea leaves. Place a rack on top of pan. Place warthog on top and
cover the whole pan with foil. Place pan over high heat. Smoke for
approx 4-5 mins or until there is a subtle smokey flavour.

To serve, slice the warthog. Pile a few salad leaves on each plate,
fan the venison on top and add each pickle around the meat. Drizzle
around the gooseberry sauce and serve."

Also with a local flavor Slow-roasted Springbok with a sweet potato puree, pickled beetroot and juniper jus from restaurant Roots at Forum Homini.

Be patient with the event site, it kept dropping off my radar…

Maybe I'll have a chance to be there for the 2010 edition.

Brought to my attention by South Africa's Travel Portfolio Blog.