Warren Mendes, a talented South African-born chef and food presenter, has taken his culinary expertise to new heights with the release of his latest cookbook, Food Trail South Africa (Penguin Random House South Africa).
Mendes emphasises that this cookbook is not just a collection of recipes but a gastronomic journey that reflects the diverse culinary landscape of the country, drawing inspiration from bustling markets, hidden kitchens, and authentic local recipes.
Why not try his version of Beer and Boerie Risotto below:
Italians, look away – this is far from a classic recipe. There are however the traditional foundations to make an epic risotto here, but it’s packed with South African flavours. Caramelised pieces of boerewors stand in for pancetta and beer is used to deglaze instead of wine. The result is an incredibly savoury dish that does not shy away from big flavour.
In a very surreal moment, I cooked this dish up in front of a very busy watering hole at Madikwe Safari Lodge when filming the show – and although I was cooking an Italian-style dish, it suddenly became very South African, especially with the backdrop!
SERVES: 4
4 cups (1L) chicken stock
½ spiral fatty boerewors (about 350g)
2 tbsp olive oil
75g unsalted butter
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
4–5 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 1/2 cups (330g) arborio rice
1 1/3 cups (330ml) beer (lager)
100g pecorino or parmesan cheese
Place the stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to very low and keep just below a simmer.
Squeeze the meat from the boerewors casing then place in a cold deep pan with the oil and place over medium heat. You want to gently start to render the fat from the boerewors here. Cook until the meat is very caramelised, and break up the meat using your spoon if needed. Remove the sausage mixture.
Add 50g butter to the pan then the onion and cook for 10 minutes over gentle heat. You don’t want much colour on the onions here, you just want to cook slowly and intensify their sweetness.
Add the garlic, coriander seed and thyme and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the rice, season, then stir for 2 minutes to coat in mixture. Add the beer, bring to a simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes until slightly reduced.
Add the hot stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring and allowing all the stock to be absorbed before adding the next, until all stock has been used, the rice is al dente and the mixture is creamy (this will take about 15–20 minutes).
Remove from heat, season and stir in the cheese and dollop over the remaining 25g butter. Allow the risotto to sit for a minute or two for the butter to melt and then either toss the mixture together quickly or stir vigorously to emulsify everything together. This makes the risotto extra creamy at the end!
Stir through the crisp boerewors and serve topped with extra parmesan and cracked black pepper.
Tip: I like to garnish this with some crispy baked parmesan – it’s optional but great.
