SIBA MTONGANA sets herself three unique challenges in Siba’s Table – Challenge Siba this coming week. First challenge is turning everyday cheese into simple yet dazzling salads.
Mozzarella’s starring in an antipasti salad platter and camembert’s centre stage in an amazing savoury fruit salad.
Then, it’s a culinary duel as she challenges Luke Dale Roberts, one of South Africa’s top chefs, to make lunch grilling, steaming and smoking mystery ingredients. Finally, it’s all about guilty pleasures as Siba raises the stakes on naughty with fried ice cream.
Then, in Make it Modern, Siba gives seared tuna and crushed wheat salad a fresh spin.
Next she’s exploring the Cape Town Asian food and flavour explosion, and whipping up sweet sticky ribs.
Then it’s a whistle stop tour of culinary hot spot Bree Street, with a lemon posset master class from top chef Liam Tomlin.
Siba wraps things up at Spanish tapas joint La Parada, which inspires gazpacho with chorizo, and makes a perfect rendezvous spot for a cocktail with Brian.
Fried Ice Cream
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Freezing time: at least 2 hours
Serves 3
Coating
w ¼ cup cornflakes
w 40 g (3) marie biscuits
w 1 T desiccated coconut
w 1 egg, whisked
Ice cream mix
* 2 c good quality vanilla ice cream
* 50 g hazelnuts chopped
* 10 g pretzels,
* 2T dried cranberries, chopped
* Coconut oil, for shallow frying
Mint for garnish
* Serve with
* 2 T chocolate hazelnut spread
* 50 g Lindt 70% dark chocolate
Method
* Line a baking tray cling wrap.
* In a large bowl, mix the ice cream with chocolate, nuts, pretzels and dried cranberries. Scoop spoonful’s and place in the prepared tray and freeze for at least 1 hour. In a food processor, blend the cornflakes and biscuits together until fine. transfer to a bowl. And mix with coconut
* Coat each ice cream scoops in the cornflakes mixture until fully coated. Dip in the whisked egg and coat again. Freeze again for another hour or until rock solid.
* Meanwhile, in a double boiler, mix the chocolate with Nutella and melt until a running consistency. Keep aside.
* Heat the coconut oil in a small pan until hot and fry the ice cream for about 30 seconds, on each side, turning it once until golden and crispy. Shake off the excess oil. Place in a serving glass, drizzle with the melted hazelnut chocolate and |garnish with a sprig of mint.
Gazpacho with Chorizo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves 6
* 250 g ripe tomatoes, quar
tered with the core removed
* 1 clove garlic
* ½ celery stick
* 1 cucumber, cubed, seeded and peeled
* 5 g fresh basil, stems removed plus extra for garnishing
* ¼ red onion, sliced
* ½ red pepper
* ½ yellow pepper
* 2 T olive oil – extra for
garnish
* Juice of a lemon wedge (1 ½ T)
* 1-2 T Tomato puree
* 4 T/ ¼ cup water
* Salt and pepper for taste
Serve with
* ½ ring chorizo, sliced at an angle
* Slices of avocado
* Basil
Method
* Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.
* Pour into glasses and drizzle with olive oil
* Dry fry the chorizo
* Garnish gazpacho with 2 or 3 slices chorizo, a slice of avocado and a sprig of basil.
Sweet Sticky Ribs
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves
* 1.5 kg pork ribs, rinsed and pat dried
Marinade
* ½ c soy sauce
* 2/3 c honey
* ¼ c soft brown sugar
* 3cm piece sliced ginger, unpeeled
* 4 garlic cloves, crushed
* 1 t cayenne pepper
* 1 t ground cumin
* 1 red chili, de-seeded, deveined and chopped
* water, to cover
Garnish:
* Red chilli flakes & sliced spring onions
Method
* Place ribs in a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients and enough water to cover.
* Bring to the boil and cook for 30-40 minutes until cooked and the marinade has significantly reduced.
* Preheat the oven to 230 C or grill.
* Remove the ribs from the pan and place on a wooden board and cut into riblets.
Place in a baking tray and baste with the thickened marinade. Grill in the oven for 5 minutes, on the top rack, keeping a close watch over it, turning them if necessary. As the marinade has sugar in it, watch them in the oven as they can burn quickly – you can open the oven door slightly to stop from burning.
Remove to a platter and scatter with red chilli flakes and sliced spring onions.
Seared Tuna and Crushed Wheat Salad
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Time pass: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves 2
* ½ c crushed wheat
* salted water
Tuna
* 200 g fresh tuna steak
Tuna rub
* 2 cloves garlic chopped
* 2 T parsley, chopped
* 2 T coriander, chopped
* Zest of 1 lemon
* 1 T olive oil
* ½ t cayenne pepper
* Salt and black pepper
Salad
* 1 cucumber, seeds removed and cubed
* 1 punnet (250 g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
* 4 stems/ ½ bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
* 125 ml (½ cup) parsley, roughly chopped|Dressing
* 50 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
* Juice of ½ lemon
* 2 t soy sauce
* 1 T honey
* salt and pepper to taste
* Parsley for garnishing
Method
* Soak the crushed wheat in cold water for 30 minutes until the grains swell, then drain.
* Place in a medium-based pan, cover with salted water and bring to the boil.
* Cook for 20 minutes until tender. Drain and strain under cold running water.
* Make the tuna rub – mix parsley, coriander, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Rub on the tuna with a fork.
* Heat the oil and sear the tuna for 4 minutes until done, turning once after 2 minutes.
* Make the dressing
* Add to salad and stir
* Tip onto a plattter
* Slice the tuna but keep it in its shape and put on salad
* Snap off some whole parsley leaves and sprinkle over
Tip
* Can also substitute the fresh na with 2 x 170 g canned in brine that is drained.