In the kitchen with Fleur du Cap’s Andrea Freeborough on Mother’s Day

“Winemaking is my passion, but my children and family are my life. Being a winemaker keeps me extremely busy. Even though I don’t see my children much during harvest season and I travel internationally several times a year promoting our wines, I still manage to maintain a very close relationship with them,” says Andrea, who has been at the helm of Die Bergkelder in Stellenbosch since 2005.

When Andrea is not in the cellar, she can be found reading and spending as much quality time as possible with her husband, Michael-John, daughter, Leah-Jessica, and son, Josh.

As her husband tends to do most of the cooking in the week, spending time together as a family in the kitchen over weekends is one of her great passions, and a wonderful opportunity for bonding, especially with her daughter. The all-time family favourite is a mild chicken curry which they all prepare and enjoy together.

“The children are especially helpful when it comes to preparing the rich variety of sambals such as dried coconut, chopped banana, tomato and cucumber that create such a marvellous taste sensation with the curry - even Josh asks for seconds!” quips Andrea.

The award winning Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Chardonnay 2014, one of only two South African wines to receive a gold medal at the Chardonnay du Monde in France this year, is Andrea’s favourite pairing for this curry. She points out, however, that the more accessible Fleur du Cap Bergkelder Selection Chardonnay 2013, which won a silver medal in the competition, is just as good a match for this dish.

“These Fleur du Cap Chardonnays stand up well to the spicy curry flavours, making them an ideal pairing,” says Andrea, who considers these wines as the perfect finishing touch for an evening spent with her family with wonderful curry aromas filling the air.

Andrea has adapted this family favourite from a curry recipe by well-known South African satirist, Pieter Dirk Uys.

Chicken Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

1.5 kg chicken pieces such as thighs and legs

5 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

15 ml (1 tbsp) ground coriander

15 ml (1 tbsp) ground cumin

15 ml (1 tbsp) crushed garlic

15 ml (1 tbsp) grated ginger

1x can (400 g) whole peeled tomatoes

15 ml (1 tbsp) curry powder

15 ml (1 tbsp) turmeric

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed roughly

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Sauté the onions in the olive oil in a heavy bottomed casserole until transparent.
2. Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides.
3. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger and tomatoes. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the curry powder, turmeric and a cup of water; stir and add the potatoes, leave to cook for another 30 min or until the potatoes are cooked. Season to taste.
5. Serve the curry with Basmati rice, chutney, banana and chopped tomato and cucumber sambals.

All Fleur du Cap wines are available for purchase online at www.vinoteque.co.za. For more information visit www.fleurducap.co.za, join the Fleur du Cap community on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @FleurduCapWines.