Durban — Mmule Setati’s love language is food.
Her happy space is playing around with different ingredients in the kitchen so that she can feed her tribe; siblings, parents, friends and extended family.
The results are exquisite. Every day meals became gourmet creations without losing their simplicity.
And now she shares her magic with the world through her latest book, Feed My Tribe.
From cream-filled magwinya to baby potatoes roasted in duck fat and home-made pasta, there's something for everyone and every level of skill.
The ideal gift for kitchen novices and experienced cooks, Setati teaches you how to be “a savvy cook” by starting with the basics like cooking terms, must-have kitchen tools and the spices you need to cook a variety of meals.
The section on “home-made happiness” teaches you how to make everything; from salad dressings to chimichurri sauce, garlic confit butter and different versions of pesto.
And if you are a breakfast person there’s the “babalaas breakfast bun”, perfect if you are nursing a hangover, or “baked cocoa oats with cereal ice cream” if your palate wants something more decadent.
Setati has generously shared some of her favourite recipes below.
CHEESY MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE (serves 4)
MEATBALLS
500g lean beef mince
1 tbs olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 slice bread, crumbled into breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
TOMATO SAUCE
3 tbs olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
100 ml chicken stock or red wine
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
TOPPINGS
150 g Mozzarella balls, sliced or halved
Fresh basil leaves
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 200C and grease a glass or ceramic baking dish.
In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients until well combined and roll into golf ball-sized balls. Arrange in the prepared baking dish and bake for 10 minutes or until perfectly browned. Remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and fry the garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and stock or wine, followed by the remaining ingredients. Simmer over a medium to low heat for 20 minutes, until the sauce is well balanced and thick.
Spoon the sauce over the browned meatballs and top them with the Mozzarella balls. Bake for another 8 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with mashed potato or pasta.
SESWAA (SLOW COOKED PULLED BEEF)
Serves 6
1.5 kg beef brisket, cut into large pieces
4 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
3 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Place all the ingredients, except the seasoning, in a large, deep pot and ensure that the liquid covers the meat. Cook over a medium heat for 2-3 hours until tender.
Remove any bones from the meat, drain off any excess liquid (but reserve it for later) and begin pounding the meat using a wooden spoon or a mallet if you have one. Alternatively, use 2 forks to separate and shred the beef. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over some of the reserved cooking liquid before serving with pap or in a taco shell. Garnish as desired.
CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE COFFEE MOUSSE
Makes 1 layer cake
Ingredients
245g cake wheat flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coffee, boiling hot
CHOCOLATE COFFEE MOUSSE FILLING
1 x 100g slab dark chocolate, broken up
½ cup milk
2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tbs sugar
2 cups whipping cream, well chilled
DECORATIONS
fresh berries
milk or dark chocolate, melted
edible gold dusting powder
Icing sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to180C. Grease and line three round 20cm- diameter cake tins with baking paper.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix until well combined.
Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes until well combined. Slowly stir in the hot coffee until the batter is runny.
Divide the batter equally among the three cake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. Use a toothpick or skewer to check if the centre is cooked through. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins before turning out onto wire racks.
To make the mousse filling, place the chocolate into a medium size bowl. Heat the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat until it comes to a gentle simmer, then add the coffee powder and sugar and stir until the coffee dissolves. Pour the coffee-milk over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and lump free. Set aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, whip the chilled cream until stiff peaks form, then fold it into the cooled chocolate mixture.
To assemble the cake, spread half the mousse filling over the first layer of cake. Gently place the second on top, spread with the remaining mousse and top with the third cake layer. Sieve icing sugar over the whole cake. If you prefer, spoon fresh berries between each layer, and top the cake with the mousse. Drizzle over some melted chocolate and dust with edible gold powder.
Independent on Saturday