Rustic yet
sophisticated, potjiekos falls in the category of slow food prepared in the
individual style of the chef. With a meat potjie, the protein goes in
first and simmers slowly until it virtually falls off the bone but for a
seafood potjie it's the other way round. First let all the other ingredients cook
through and their flavours infuse and only then add the fish for just a few
minutes.
A seafood potjie calls
for a beautifully chilled white wine that's sufficiently versatile to be
enjoyed on its own while the fire is burning down but that can also stand up to
the myriad flavours in the pot. A Chardonnay is a great choice, especially the
one from Drostdy-Hof, with its rich, smooth and creamy texture with lovely
tropical and citrus notes.
The new-look
Drostdy-Hof Chardonnay sells for around R35 a bottle and is available at most
liquor stores countrywide.
Seafood potjie, with
Drostdy-Hof Chardonnay
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
250 ml Drostdy-Hof
Chardonnay
450 g mixed shellfish
such as mussels and prawns, cleaned
Salt and ground black
pepper
15 ml olive oil
2 onions, cubed
2 celery sticks,
chopped
1 fennel bulb, thinly
sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
30 ml flour
250 ml vegetable or
chicken stock
Bouquet garni: 6
parsley stalks, 2 thyme stalks and 2 bay leaves tied with kitchen string
500 g baby potatoes
675 g white fish,
deboned and filleted
250 ml milk
250 ml cream
Handful of chopped
parsley or chives
Method
1.
Make a fire and add enough wood to
ensure that in the end there are enough coals to cook the potjie.
2. In
a medium-sized cast-iron potjie, bring 125 ml of the Drostdy-Hof Chardonnay to
a simmer. Place the mussels and prawns in the liquid. Cover and steam for 5
minutes. The prawns are cooked when they have turned pink. Discard any mussels
that have not opened. Remove from the potjie and retain the liquid for later.
3.
Heat the oil in the potjie and lightly
fry the onion, celery, fennel and garlic until soft. Stir in the flour and fry
for 3 minutes. Slowly add the remaining 125 ml of wine while stirring. Bring to
a simmer.
4.
Add the stock, bouquet garni and baby
potatoes. Season with salt and black pepper.
5.
As soon as the potatoes are soft add the
fish, milk and cream. Simmer for 5 minutes and return the shellfish and
reserved fluid to the pot. Stir to combine.
6.
Bring back up to a simmer and remove
from the heat. Season to taste and add the chopped parsley. Serve with warm
crusty bread and a glass of chilled Drostdy-Hof Chardonnay.
Visit www.drostdyhof.com/za for more on the
brand.