Living Life food

PHOTOS: David Ross | PRODUCTION: Klara van Wyngaarden  

Diners flock to Living Life Station Café to enjoy Yurietta Stevens’ meals prepared with fresh, local ingredients. Try a few of her recipes.

Berry muffins and sour cream

280g cake flour
1t baking powder
150g soft brown sugar
250g fresh or frozen mulberries or blueberries

Mix together
250ml plain yoghurt
100ml oil
2 eggs
2t vanilla

Sieve together the cake flour and baking powder, add the brown sugar and lightly stir in the berries. Fold in the yoghurt mixture. Lightly brush muffin tins with butter and line them with wax-paper squares. Spoon the muffin mixture into the lined cavities until each one is filled 2/3 of the way. Top each one with berries and sprinkle •••t caster sugar on top. Bake the muffins for approximately 25 minutes at 150ËšC. Serve with double-thick cream or thick sour cream.

Makes: 10 large or 12 regular muffins.

Grilled peach, nectarine and berry salad

Salad
firm peaches and nectarines
olive oil
fresh rosemary sprigs
black pepper
fresh rocket
fresh basil
frilly lettuce
fromage frais (or cottage or cream cheese)
pistachio nuts, lightly toasted

Cut the nectarines and peaches in half around the pip. Remove the pips, drizzle the halves with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary sprigs and black pepper, and leave to marinate for an hour. Grill the fruit in a griddle pan or in the oven for several minutes, ensuring that it remains firm. Arrange the grilled fruit on a bed of rocket, basil and lettuce. Spoon over the dressing (recipe below) and finish with small balls of fromage frais and a sprinkling of toasted pistachios.
 

Dressing
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
firm fresh raspberries or strawberries

Combine equal quantities of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix in the berries, taking care not to squash them.

Tip: Walnut oil is a wonderful replacement for olive oil. Combine it with white balsamic vinegar.
Seasonal substitutes: Replace the peaches and nectarines with grilled apples and pears, and the berries with pomegranate rubies.
 

Lamb skewers with courgette, yoghurt and mint salad

Lamb skewers
1,2kg leg of lamb
2T coarse salt
3T chopped fresh (or dried and crumbled) bay leaves 2T seeded and chopped chillies
2T crushed coriander seeds
zest and juice of 4 lemons
3T chopped garlic
2 cans coconut milk

Trim and cut the leg of lamb into large chunks as the pieces will shrink considerably when cooked. Rub the lamb chunks with the salt, bay leaves, chillies, coriander seeds, 2T of lemon zest and garlic. Now pour the lemon juice and coconut milk over the meat and let it marinate for 2 hours. Place 4 or 5 chunks of meat on each skewer (use conventional skewers or bay leaf or rosemary twigs soaked in water for approximately 2 hours to prevent them from burning). Grill the lamb skewers over an open flame, on a kettle braai, or in a griddle pan provided they cook slowly over a moderate heat.

Courgette salad
4 grated courgettes
100ml plain Greek-style yoghurt
2T white-wine vinegar
6T coarsely chopped mint
1T chopped garlic
4T coarsely chopped fresh coriander
chopped chilli

Combine the ingredients and refrigerate the salad. Once chilled, serve it with the lamb skewers accompanied with an assortment of flatbreads, pitas, naans and small focaccias.

Serves: 8-10

Seasonal substitute: Replace the courgette with English cucumber.

• Living Life handmade products: 051 924 5733
• Station Cafe: 051 924 2834, www.livinglifesa.co.za