In the kitchen with Nederburg and Pete Goffe-Wood

12 September 2014

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Words & Photos: De Kock Communications

Razvan Macici and Pete Goffe-Wood share a passion for taste: Razvan for wine and Pete for food. To mark the third season in the popular MasterChef South Africa series, the two have teamed up to trade their secrets in matching wine and food, with three short, fun-to-watch videos to inspire chefs at home.

Angelfish with parsley sauce, paired with WMR Sauv Blanc.

Razvan is the cellar-master of Nederburg, the official wine sponsor of the food show, while Pete is one of three judges who will determine South Africa's MasterChef, to be announced at the end of the season's run in mid-December.

Making the point that it's the sauce rather than the central protein of the dish that should determine the choice of wine, they show how to make several basic, but foundational sauces to transform ordinary meals into masterpieces, and then what's needed to vary them. With just a few extra ingredients, they transform these staples, creating new tastes that call for different wines.

Here are a few of their recipes for sauces to try out.

Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients
10 kg meaty beef or veal bones
500 g beef off-cuts
500 g onions
500 g carrots
½ head celery
½ bunch leeks
2 bulbs garlic
20 g rosemary
50 g tomato paste
2 litres red wine
5 litres water
3 tbsp soft brown sugar
100 ml balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Roast the bones in the oven until dark brown but not burnt. Put into a stock pot. Roughly chop all the vegetables and herbs and add ¾ of the vegetables to the bones. Cook until the vegetables begin to colour. Add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with some of the red wine. Cover with 5 litres of water and 1 litre of red wine. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Skim all the fat and impurities off the stock. Cook for 8 hours, skimming occasionally. Strain the stock and reduce to 5 litres. Continue skimming. In a separate saucepan fry some beef off-cuts until dark brown and caramelised. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until golden brown. Add the brown sugar and let the mixture caramelise. Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar and then add the rest of the red wine and reduce by half. Add the 5 litres of stock and reduce to the desired consistency and taste. Strain and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Beef fillet with choc chilli sauce, paired with WMR Pinotage.

Chef Pete Goffe-Wood from MasterChef South Africa.

Nederburg cellar-master, Razvan Macici.

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise, paired with WMR Riesling.

Angelfish with parsley sauce, paired with WMR Sauv Blanc

VARIATIONS

Prune Sauce

Ingredients
½ cup pitted prunes
50 g butter
50 ml dark rum
500 ml red wine sauce (see recipe above)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Cut the pitted prunes into neat strips. Warm the butter in a small saucepan and then add the prunes. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the rum and flambé. When the flames have died down, add the red wine sauce, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serving suggestion
Serve with pork medallions and potato rosti, and pair with Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Merlot.


Chilli Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients
1 red chilli, finely chopped
500 ml red wine sauce (see recipe above)
80 g bitter dark chocolate
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Place the chopped chilli in a saucepan with the red wine sauce, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Grate the dark chocolate directly into the sauce. Whisk until all of the chocolate is dissolved. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serving suggestion
Serve with beef fillet, and pair with Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Pinotage.


Velouté (also called béchamel or white sauce)

Ingredients
2 litres milk
100 g butter
70 g cake flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Melt the butter over a low heat, add all the flour at once, remove the pot from the heat, and stir vigorously. Put the pot back on the heat, add 1/3 of the milk, mix well, add another 1/3 of the milk and continue mixing. The sauce will now start to thicken and become creamy and glossy. Add the remaining 1/3 of the milk, stir and leave the sauce to simmer slowly for about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serving suggestions

Cheese sauce: Add a cup of grated cheddar cheese to the basic white sauce. Use in the preparation of macaroni and cheese, and pair with Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Chardonnay.

Parsley sauce: Add 50 ml to 100 ml of Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, 10 g of roughly chopped fresh parsley, and the juice of 1 lemon, to the basic white sauce. Serve with steamed angelfish and new potatoes, and pair with Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc.


Béarnaise

Ingredients
250 ml water
250 ml white wine
250 ml white wine vinegar
½ onion, finely chopped.
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tbsp green peppercorns
3 egg yolks
250 g butter
100 ml béarnaise reduction
10 g roughly chopped fresh tarragon or chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Combine the water, wine and vinegar with the finely chopped onion, dried tarragon and green peppercorns in a small saucepan. Cook uncovered until it has reduced by two thirds and then strain. Melt the butter and keep to one side. Combine the strained béarnaise reduction and the egg yolks in a stainless steel or glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the mixture continuously until the egg is cooked and the mixture is at ribbon stage. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the melted butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the chopped tarragon or chives.

Serving suggestion

Serve with grilled lamb rump and chips, and pair with Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

More information
To watch how it's done, go to http://bit.ly/1ohMPD8 (red wine reduction and variations), http://bit.ly/1tyzfji (Béarnaise and Hollandaise sauces) and http://bit.ly/1tyzfji (velouté and variations).
MasterChef South Africa is broadcast weekly by M-Net on Thursdays at 19:30, from August 21 until December 18.

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