Most of the Jewish immigrants came to South Africa from Lithuania and nearby Latvia, Poland, Russia and Belarus, home to the Ashkenazi Jews, in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Sephardi Jews came later from North Africa, Rhode Island and Turkey – and from the 1950’s onwards from Egypt, the Belgian Congo and Zimbabwe. Sephardic food reflects the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food of the countries Sephardi Jews had lived in.

One of the most respected Sephardic cooks in Cape Town was the late Donna Benatar. Born in Israel, a 10^th generation sabra, she came to Africa in 1954 to visit friends in Zimbabwe. There she met her husband-to-be, Egyptian-born Baruch, who at the time was living in the Belgian Congo. They married in 1955 and returned to the Congo, but had to leave in 1974. After a stay in Belgium, they chose to live in Cape Town.

Chraime is considered to be the kings of Libyan food, and the dish that really characterizes the Libyan Jewish kitchen. There are many ways to prepare it and many versions. The fish must be firm and it must ‘float’ in the sauce – that is there must be plenty of sauce. It’s served with white bread and lemon is squeezed over it as you eat. This recipe is from our cookbook of the week – South Africa Eats.

For the fish use kabeljou, Cape salmon or yellowtail, cut into cutlets on the bone, with the skin on, to about thumb thickness, either a smallish fish or the tail part of a bigger fish – this will give some small pieces which is perfect for those people who prefer a smaller portion.

12 pieces of a firm fish – see above

3 large lemons

oil for frying
1 large head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tins (115 g) tomato paste
1T ground cumin
1T ground coriander
a generous pinch of cumin seeds
1t cayenne pepper (or chilli powder)
a pinch of salt
boiling water

To serve:

lemon wedges
kitke bread

1. Rinse the fish and lightly salt on both sides.
2. Marinate the fish in lemon juice for a while or at least for the time it takes to make the sauce. Have a colander and two plates ready. Place fish in a colander over the first plate and squeeze lemon juice over the fish. After a while move the colander to second plate and pour over the drained liquids from the first plate. Repeat by moving the colander back to the first plate and pouring over the drained liquids. Do this about three times while making the sauce. Discard the liquid that remains.
3. Cover the base of a wide frying pan or casserole, about 29 cm in diameter, with a 5 mm layer of oil. The casserole must be big enough to hold all the pieces of fish in a single layer. Over medium heat, sauté the chopped garlic.
4. Add the tomato paste in the centre of the pot, top with the spices and salt and mix. Cook for a minute or two.
5. Add enough boiling water to create a good sauce consistency.
6. Add the fish and cook on each side for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove fish to a serving dish and pour over the sauce. Serve at room temperature with a generous portion of sauce (to mop up with kitke) and with lemon wedges to squeeze over the fish.

Serves 8-12

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

This recipe is an adaptation from Jamie’s Great Britain, our recipe book for this week.  Jamie says of this roast chicken recipe in the introduction -  “Ask any British person what their two favourite meals are and I reckon most people would say their mum’s roast chicken, and a curry. Well, welcome to Empire roast chicken, a combination of both of those things. Your friends and family are going to love it. I love it. You will love it.“

It is certainly a delicious dish for a casual Sunday roast with friends.  Instead of cooking in the oven, try the chicken roasted in a kettlebraai.  Smoking this is an added kick of flavour.

For the chicken and marinade

±1.4kg free-range chicken
1 heaped tablespoon each finely grated garlic, fresh ginger and fresh red chilli
1 T tomato purée
1 T each of ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala and ground cumin
2 t natural yoghurt
2 lemons
2 t sea salt

For the gravy

1 stick of cinnamon
3 small red onions, peeled
10 cloves
3 T each of white wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
3 T plain flour
1/2 chicken stock cube dissolved in 500ml warm water
2-4T plain yoghurt, to serve

For the Bombay-style potatoes

800g new potatoes
sea salt and ground pepper
1 lemon
±3T  olive oil
a knob of butter
1t each of black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garam masala and turmeric
1 bulb of garlic
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small bunch of fresh coriander

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe taken from Jamie’s Great Britain by Jamie Oliver ©Jamie Oliver 2011. All rights reserved. Photography © David Loftus 2011

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference. Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

This is a splendid cake, taken from our book of the week, The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden.

“I have eaten almond cakes in other parts of Spain, but this one is special. Pilgrims and tourists who visit the great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, where the relics of the apostle Saint James are believed to be buried, see the cake in the windows of every pastry shop and restaurant. It is usually marked with the shape of the cross of the Order of Santiago. I have watched the cake being made in many sizes, big and small, thin and thick, over a pastry tart base at a bakery called Capri in Pontevedra. This deliciously moist and fragrant homey version is without a base. There is sometimes a little cinnamon added, but I find that masks the delicate flavor of orange and almonds and prefer it without it.”

“When I suggested to a man associated with the tourist office in Galicia that the tarta was a Jewish Passover cake, I was dragged to a television studio to tell it to all. The hosts thought the idea made sense. The Galician city of Coruna is on the Jewish tourist route, because of its synagogue and old Jewish quarter. Jews from Andalusia, who fled from the Berber Almohads’ attempts to convert them in the 12th and 13th centuries, came to Galicia, where they planted grapevines and made wine.”

The cake is normally made in a wide cake or tart pan and so it comes out low, but it is equally good as a thicker cake. It is very similar to one we make at Wickedfood Cooking school in our Spanish cooking class in a 22cm spring form baking tin.

Picture: Jason Lowe

700g blanched whole almonds
6 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 drops almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Finely grind the almonds in a food processor.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a smooth, pale cream. Beat in the zests and almond extract. Add the ground almonds, and mix very well.
3. With clean beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the egg and almond mixture (the mixture is thick, so you will need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites).
4. Grease an 28cm springform pan, preferably nonstick, with butter, and dust it with flour. Pour in the cake batter, and bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 40 minutes or until it feels firm to the touch. Let cool before turning out.
5. Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar. Or, if you like, cut a St. James cross out of paper. Place it in the middle of the cake, and dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar, then remove the paper.

Variations
• Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the egg yolk and almond mixture.
• Majorca has a similar almond cake called gato d’ametla, which is flavored with the grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and sometimes a few drops of vanilla extract.
• In Navarre, the cake is covered with apricot jam.

Serves 10

Other Wickedfood Cooking School Spanish recipes:

• Albondigas – Meatballs Tomato Sauce
• Slow roast shoulder of lamb
• Orange and almond cake

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference. Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Halloween is becoming big around the world.  One of the dilemmas is what to do with the leftover pumpkin after the party.  Flesh freezes very well as is, just cube and pop into the freezer. A wide variety of delicious dishes can be made from it.  To prepare, ether boil without adding any water, or roast in an oven until soft.   Then use for a variety recipes as outlined in the references below. In this fun take on pumpkin pie, adapted from a Bon Appétit recipe, a little whiskey really puts the “Scotch” in butterscotch.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall believes that we eat too much meat. This recipe, taken from his latest book, River Cottage Veg, shows just how versatile vegetables can be.  If you want to make it ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it, leave out the yoghurt and add it at the last minute, just before serving. It is very similar to one that we do at Wickedfood Cooking School in our Indian cooking class.  You can substitute spinach or kale for Swiss chard. Instead of potatoes, you could use any root vegetable or cauliflower.

3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

About 500g Swiss chard
2T  sunflower oil
1 onion, halved and finely sliced
1t garam masala
½t mustard seeds
½t ground cumin
¼t ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, bashed
350g new potatoes, quartered
250g plain (full-fat) yoghurt
1½T tomato purée
A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
A small handful of almonds, cashews or pistachios, toasted and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

1. Pound the garlic, chilli and ginger together with a pinch of salt to a paste.
2. Separate the chard leaves from the stalks. Cut the stalks into 2–3cm pieces and roughly chop the leaves.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and fry until just golden.
4. Add the pounded garlic paste and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes.
5. Tip in the rest of the spices and stir for a minute or two.
6. Add the potatoes and chopped chard stalks and fry, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, so that they are well coated with the spice mixture.
7. Pour in about 400ml water – enough just to cover the veg. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10–12 minutes until the potatoes are just tender. Add the chard leaves, stir and cook until just wilted.
8. In a bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, tomato puree and some of the hot liquid from the curry.
9. Remove the curry from the heat, stir in the yoghurt mixture, return to the heat and warm through very gently (if it gets too hot, the yoghurt will curdle).
10. Stir in most of the coriander. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
11. Scatter over the toasted nuts and remaining coriander, then serve with rice and naan or chapattis.

Serves 4

For more recipes from River Cottage Veg,  click here

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.