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The life of a private chef means hard work and a lot of travelling. As a result it’s easy to lose touch with friends. Neill sets aside some time to drive out to the Boland town of Wellington to meet up with Roger, one of his oldest friends. The venue for dinner is a quaint distillery on a farm and, after serving the first few courses, Neill joins the group for dessert and a long overdue catchup.

Recipe 1: Cauliflower Risotto with Dark Chocolate Jelly.

RISOTTO:

• 250g Risotto Rice
• 1l Hot Chicken Stock
• 100g Butter
• 150g Grated Pecorino
• 1 Large dessert spoon cottage cheese
• Salt

 

CAULIFLOWER PUREE:

• 1 head grated cauliflower
• 60ml Chicken Stock
• Olive oil
• Knob Butter
• Salt

 

CHOCOLATE JELLY:

• 4 Leaf Gealtine Soaked in cold water
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1L Water

 

GARNISH:

• Parmesan
• Rocket cress

METHOD

RISOTTO:

Melt 50g butter in largest pot possible

Add rice to pot

Stir till toasted over a medium heat

Add boiling chicken stock to rice half cooked

Remove rice from pot and lay out on a flat tray to cool

Place in fridge till needed

 

WHEN READY TO SERVE RISOTTO:

Gently warm rice in pot adding 1 lable of hot chicken stock

Once warm add cauliflower puree to mixture

Season to taste, then add grated raw cauliflower into mixture

Then add grated cheese and cottage cheese

Stir to combine

Season to taste if necessary

 

CAULIFLOWER PUREE:

Head Olice oil and Butter in medium saucepan

Add cauliflower and cook till soft over a medium heat

Place mixture into blender

Whilst blending add soft butter

Season to taste

 

CHOCOLATE JELLY:

Dissolve cocoa power into water over medium heat

Remove from hob,

Add soasked gelatine

Set in tray

 

TO SERVE:

Place risotto on plate,

Top with rocket cress and grated permisan

Finish off with dark chocholate jelly.

 

Recipe 2: Lamb Rump with Fennel Puree

INGREDIENTS 

LAMB:

• 8 Lamb Rumps
• 1l Lamb Stock
• Salt Slab

 

LAMB SAUCE:

• Pitted Oilves
• Resting Liquid from Lamb

FENNEL PUREE:

• 3 Fennel Bulbs finely sliced
• 100g soft Butter
• 200ml Water
• Salt and Pepper
• 12 Pink Fir Potatoes
• Handful Fennel tops finely chopped

METHOD

LAMB:

Place lamb rumps in large tray

Add hot stock to tray, cover with foil

Cook at 90 degrees for 90 min

Remove lamb from oven once cooked

Take lamb rumps out of tray and set aside

 

LAMB SAUCE:

Reduce braising liquid by half over a medium heat

Once removed from heat, add oilves before serving

 

FENNEL PUREE:

Head Olice oil and Butter in medium saucepan

Add fennel and cook till soft over a medium heat

Place mixture into blender

Whilst blending add soft butter

Season to taste

 

POTATOES:

Cook potatoes in large pot of seasoned boiling water till soft and tender

Remove from pot and cut inhalf once cooled,

Oil and season the potatoes to char grill

Remove from grill when ready and finish off with fennel tops

Combine mixture together

 

To Finish:

Place lamb rumps fat side down ina non-ctick pan to render fat out

Once crisp, remove from pan and rest on salt slab

 

To Serve:

Set puree down on plate, add potatoes,

Top with pea shoots

Add sliced lamb to finish dish off

Drizle with sauce before serving.

 

Recipe 3: Yoghurt Panacotta with Honey Comb.

PANNA COTTA:

• 1L Vanilla Yoghurt
• Large dessert spoon cultured cream
• 250ml Full Cream Milk
• 8 Leaf Gelatine (soaked in cold water)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Powder

 

HONEYCOMB:

• 350g Caster Sugar
• 80ml Water
• 60g Liquid Honey
• 100g liquid Glucose
• 12g Bicarbonate of Soda
• Sugar thermometer and non-stick mat needed
• 10 Passion Fruits/Granadilla cut in half seeds removed

METHOD

PANNA COTTA:

Warm milk, yoghurt and vanilla in a pot

Add strained soaked gelatine to melted liquid

Whisk cultured cream in separate bowl

Add hot mixture from hob into cultured cream,

Stir to combine, and pour liquid mixture into a jug

Pour into bowls to set in fridge

 

HONEYCOMB:

Heat honey, sugar, glucose, water in a large pot

Bring temperature up to 155 degrees

Gently stir in bicarb then turn off the heat

When all the bicarb is incorporated into mixture

Slowly pour onto a non-stick mat to cool

 

To Finish:

Break or cut honeycomb into bite size pieces

Top the panna cotta with passion fruit and

honey comb

Neill is as passionate about the people who produce food as he is about the food itself. His food ethos is simple – use only the best in local seasonal produce as he believes this translates to better food on the plate. As a result, he attempts to get to know as many of his food producers as possible, spending time in their factories and on their farms, finding out what goes into producing top quality products.

Farmer Angus is one such supplier, farming chickens and eggs that are supplied to a few select outlets in Cape Town. After spending the morning exploring, Neill treats the entire family to a delicious brunch that, of course, includes the freshest farm eggs that he gathered earlier that morning.

Recipe 1: Neill’s Crunchy Breakfast Bars

Preparation 15min

• 2 Large Dessert Spoon Creamed Honey
• 100ml Organic Coconut oil
• 1 Large Desser Spoon Coconut Blossem Sugar
• Handful Pumpkin Seeds
• Handful Sunflower seeds
• Handful Mixed Fruit and Nut Museli
• Handful Whole Almonds
• Handful Gogi Berries
• 1tsp Cayene Pepper
• 5 Cup Almond Flour
• Zest of 1 Lemon

PRE-PREP:

1. Melt honey, coconut oil and coconut sugar in a pot over a medium heat
2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl
3. Add hot mixture to dry ingredients
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured baking tray
5. Bake at 160°C for 45min
6. Remove from oven, allow to cool and cut into pieces

Serve when ready.

 

Recipe 2: Farm fresh poached eggs with béarnaise sauce

Preparation time 30min

• Eggs for poaching

BÉARNAISE:

• 6 egg yolks
• 500ml melted butter
• 1tsp Dijon mustard
• Splash White wine vinegar
• Handful Fresh Chives
• 1 Large Dessert Spoon Crème Fraiche

FINISHING:

EGGS:

1. Poach eggs in salted boiling water
2. Plate onto spoons, top with béarnaise
3. Garnish with herbs
4. Place on serving board
5. Add finely chopped herbs and set aside (max 4 hours)

Recipe 3: Bacon and sausage selection

• 600g bacon
• Selection of sausages – boerewors, country
• Olive Oil

1. Char Grill Bacon in over under grill (10min-15min)
2. Grill soasages in oven on tray (25-30min)
3. Place cooked bacon and cooked sausages onto baking tray
4. Bake in the oven for +- 7 mins till done and warmed through
5. Serve

 

Recipe 4: Field Mushrooms

• Knob Butter
• Mushrooms
• ½ whole head Garlic
• 150g Mozzarella
• Handful Fresh Rosemary

PRE-PREP

1. Melt Butter into pan
2. Add half a whole head of garlic (head cut in half)
3. Gently Brush any dirt off mushrooms
4. Place mushrooms into melted butter (round side down)
5. Season with S&P and add roughly chopped fresh herbs
6. Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes
7. Remove from oven and set aside

FINISHING:

1. Add sliced mozerella cheese to top of mushrooms
2. Return to oven and bake for +- 5 mins till cheese melted
3. Remove and serve

Recipe 5: Pan Roasted Tomatoes

PRE-PREP

1. Heat Oilve oil in a pan
2. Add 1 whole garlic head (cut in half)
3. Place tomato halves into pan to warm and gently cook through

Season and serve

Preparation time: 10min

• Oil for Pan
• Knob Butter for Pan

FOR THE EGGS:

• Smoked Salmon Trout
• 3 Eggs
• 1 spring onion – sliced
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Milk

CRÈME FRAICHE MIXTURE: 

• 1 large spoon Crème Fraiche/Cultured Cream
• Small Bunch Chives
• Lemon Squeeze

1. Pre-heat Pan
2. All Olive oil and Butter to pan
3. Whisk eggs, coconut milk, salt
4. Pour Into hot pan
5. Fry till done
6. Remove, place on plate
7. Top with slivers of trout and mixture of Crème Fraiche
8. Garnish with slices of red onion

Ready to serve

Preparation Time:            15 Minutes

Cooking Time: –                 7 Minutes

Serves:                                 2 people

 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1Ž2 Wheel Boerewors
• 200g baked potato flesh
• 1 egg yolk
• 100g plain flour (half weight of potato)
• LW mature cheddar – grated Must read Lancewood
• Generous handful baby spinach,

• 10-15 hazelnuts
• Salt and Pepper
• Flour (to dust)
• Olive Oil

METHOD

Potato Dumplings Prep:

1. Scoop cooked flesh from potatoes and put into a metal bowl
2. Add the egg yolk and flour. Mix
3. Roll out mixture into a tube onto a floured surface.
4. Cut 3cm sized measures of potato mixture, place onto a floured tray.

To assemble and finish the dish:

1. Place a non-stick pan onto the heat with 1 teaspoon of oil.

Pull boerewors out of the skin in small chunks. Put into the warm pan and gently cook through.

 

1. Add hazelnuts to pan to toast.
2. Prepare a medium pot of salted water, bring to the boil.
3. Add all potato dumplings to simmering water.
4. Cook till dumplings rises to the surface then strain and place into the same pan as the meat balls.
5. Saute till golden brown before adding baby spinach to wilt.

Remove all ingredients from the pan and place into bowel, top with mature cheddar and serve. 

One of Cape Town most respected artisanal, cured meat suppliers, Richard Bosman, is known for producing excellent cured meats using traditional methods. Richard’s philosophy is to do as little as possible to the meat and rather to rely on the quality of the raw material and let time do the rest.

With a food philosophy that matches his own, it’s no surprise that Neill counts Richard as one of his favourite suppliers and considers him a friend.

When called on to showcase some of Richard’s new products with a dinner in Richard’s home in the character-filled Bo Kaap in Cape Town, Neill is more than happy to help out.

 

Antipasto platter . Serves 8

Preparation time:              10 minutes

Serves:                                  8 People

 

INGREDIENTS

• Assorted cured meat
• Assorted Fresh figs
• Olives
• Lancewood Mature cheddar
• Lancewood Cream Cheese
• Fresh bread
• Raw honey

METHOD

Arrange cured meats onto a serving board with sliced fresh figs, olives, slabs of cheese, raw honey and toasted chunks of bread.

 

Recipe 2: Cider Braised Pork Neck with white bean and mushroom cassoulet.

Preparation Time:     45 Minutes

Cooking Time: –         4 Hours

Serves:                         8 people

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottles apple cider
• 8 slices pork cheek
• 1 pork neck
• 300ml chicken stock
• 500g soaked white beans
• 120g Bread crumbs
• 300g assorted mushrooms
• Fresh thyme
• 2 table spoons flat leaf parsley chopped
• 3 lemons (zest)
• Rainbow chard leaves – roughly chopped
• 3 shallots halved for pork neck
• 2 shallots diced for cassoulet
• 3 clove sliced garlic
• 3 table spoons chopped chives

Salt and Pepper

METHOD

PRE-PREP:

1. Beans, pre-soaked overnight in water
2. Warm olive oil in a large pot, place seasoned park neck into pot, sear over a high heat.
3. Add shallots to pork neck pan
4. Add cider and chicken stock to cover
5. Simmer for 2.5 hours over a reduced/medium heat.
6. Remove pork neck from liquid, set to rest and cool.
7. Drain soaked white beans, add to pork neck cider liquid, and simmer till cooked (soft).
8. Heat a non-stick pan with oil,
9. Sauté shallots and garlic in pan, then add mushrooms, cook till soft.

Stir mixture into white beans, finish with chopped chives and season to taste.

 

FINISHING:

1. Toast bread crumbs over medium heat, remove from heat, grate in lemon zest, lay out on tray, then add chopped parsley
2. Pull pork neck into chunks
3. Add  pork neck to oiled non-stick pan to crisp up (in small batches).
4. Add rainbow chard leaves to pan, allow to wilt.
5. Remove all ingredients form pan, place on to a metal tray.

To serve, dish cassoulet into bowl and top with crispy pork neck, chard mixture and slices of pork cheek, garnish with toasted bread crumbs

 

 

Recipe 3: Rhubarb and Custard

Preparation Time:   25 Minutes

Finishing Time:        15 minutes

Serves:                       8 people

 

INGREDIENTS

 

• 10 sticks of rhubarb
• 70g caster sugar for the rhubarb
• 100g sugar for the custard
• 50g creamed honey
• 50g Lancewood Mascarpone
• 6 egg yolks
• 150ml milk
• 4 tablespoons milk powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• Grated almonds to garnish
• Espuma Gun

METHOD

To prepare the Rhubarb:

• Peel and roughly dice the rhubarb.
• Place into a warmed, dry pot.
• Coat rhubarb with caster sugar and cook till all liquid has evaporated.

To prepare the Burned Honey Custard:

• Heat milk, milk powder and vanilla in a medium pot.
• In a bowl, whisk sugar to the egg yolks together
• Add warm milk to egg mixture, then return onto a medium heat,
• Stir to thicken slightly and cook through.
• Strain custard into separate bowl, whisk mascarpone into the custard.
• In another saucepan, caramelise the honey (cook for +- 7 min), then remove from the heat.
• Whisk custard into caramelised honey and then place mixture into espuma gun. Refrigerate until needed.

 

FINISHING:

• Spoon rhubarb into dessert bowls
• Top with grated almonds

Prepare the espuma gun with 2 charges and finish on top of dish.

Business Mogul, Sonja Muller, thrives on entertaining her family and friends at her house in stately Constantia and has very specific requirements when it comes to her cuisine. Well-travelled with a highly refined palate, Sonja calls on Neill to supply the perfectly refined, fresh and flamboyant menu.

Seared Tuna Belly with salsa and roasted quinoa.

• 800g Tuna Belly

  

• 2 cups rinsed quinoa
• SALSA:
• 1 pineapple – peeled and cubed
• 1 chilli chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• Splash fish sauce
• Splash soya sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons caster sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Bunch fresh coriander – rough chop

QUINOA:

1. Rinse in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a medium pot.
2. Add 4 cups water and salt and bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed – 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork. Set aside

SALSA:

5. Add All ingredients and mix together
6. Season to taste

FINISHING:

QUINOA:

1. Toast quinoa in olive oil in hot non-stick pan til golden

TUNA:

1. Clean, trim and portion tuna.
2. Gently rub with olive oil and pepper
3. Blow torch tune belly whole
4. Slice and season with salt and soya saunce, then serve.

 

Monkfish with confit quail legs

INGREDIENTS 

• 5 Monk fish tails
• Pre-prepped confit quail leg meat
• 4 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 heaped dessert spoon Mascarpone
• 1 small cauliflower broken into florets
• 1 whole bulb celery, finly sliced
• 100g butter
• Mild curry powder/salt (equal parts curry and salt)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Handful micro herbs
• 20 cepts gently cooked and sliced (optional)

PRE-PREP:

1. Gently cook Quail legs in duck/vegetable fat/oil
2. Blanche cauliflower florets in seasoned water

PARSNIP PUREE:

3. Boil diced parsnips in salted water till soft
4. Season with curry salt
5. Blend with mascarpone till smooth
6. Set aside

MONKFISH:

1. Trim, neaten and season fish with curry salt
2. Roast in hot oiled pan – 4 mins
3. Remove, drain on paper towel and rest

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND CELERY:

4. Roast pre-blanched cauli florets and peeled, thinly sliced (mandolin) celery in Monkfish pan +- 2 mins
5. Remove, drain on paper towel

QUAIL LEGS:

6. Shred meat off legs, gently reheat in a warm pan

PLATE:

7. Place parsnip puree on plate
8. Add cauliflower florrests
9. Place sliced monkpish on to plate
10. Top with quail meat
11. Garnich with celcery and micro herbs (optional ceps)

 

Doughnuts with vanilla crème fraîche

INGREDIENTS

• 5 Monk fish tails
• Pre-prepped confit quail leg meat
• 4 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 heaped dessert spoon Mascarpone
• 1 small cauliflower broken into florets
• 1 whole bulb celery, finly sliced
• 100g butter
• Mild curry powder/salt (equal parts curry and salt)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Handful micro herbs

20 cepts gently cooked and sliced (optional)

BRIOCHE PREP

• 500g cold butter
• 700g flour
• 40g caster sugar
• 12g salt
• 24g fresh yeast
• 8 whole eggs

 

VANILLA CHANTILLY

• 1 tub crème fraiche
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• caster sugar for dusting
• Oil for deep frying
• Zest half lemon

 

INGREDIENTS

• Pre-cooked Pork neck – pulled
• 2 Gherkins – finely sliced
• 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
• Dash reserved pork neck braising liquid
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 Chilli
• 2 tablespoon LW Cream Cheese
• 2 tablespoon LW Smooth Cottage Cheese
• Ciabatta Wellness Bread – 2 slices
• 10 leaves corriander

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat Heat griddle/sandwich toaster
2. Slice bread
3. Shred cooked pork and add into hot pan till crisp
4. Add braising liquid to moisten pork whilst cooking
5. Put mayo, chili, cream cheese, cottage cheese, lime juice into a bowl and mix
6. Spread mixture onto bread
7. Top with shredded pork
8. Add sliced gerkins on to pork
9. Assemble sandwich
10. Toast and serve