Page 25 - Through the eyes of an African chef

Amadumbe salad, served with home-made pesto
INSTRUCTIONS
For the pesto: Home-made pesto takes minutes to make and tastes a million times better than other pestos. The main hurdle is getting enough basil. If you have difficulty finding a large portion of basil, a good substitute is a mixture of parsley and coriander, or parsley and rocket.
Blend the basil with the oil, pine kernels and garlic in a food processor, or pound in a pestle and mortar. Pour into a bowl and fold in the parmesan cheese. Season to taste.
Pesto keeps for weeks. Pour into a sterilised jar, cover with a layer of olive oil and store in the fridge. It also freezes well, but for best results, don’t add the grated parmesan until it has defrosted.
For amadumbe: Boil the amadumbe until cooked but not too soft: about 40–45 minutes. Then cool, remove from the pot, peel (preferably with hands), and chop into quarters.
For imbuya: Boil water in a large pot, add salt. Place imbuya leaves into a sieve and submerge in the boiling water for 5 seconds. Drain immediately and blanch leaves in ice-cold water. As you remove the leaves, they should be soft and bright-green.
TO SERVE
Mix the imbuya, rocket, salad leaves, tomato and onion in a salad bowl and gently place the quartered amadumbe in the salad. Garnish with pecan nuts, drizzle with pesto and serve.
INGREDIENTS
For the pesto
100g fresh basil leaves
175ml extra virgin olive oil
25g fresh pine kernels
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
For the salad
100g amadumbe (1 large or two small amadumbe)
1 small bunch imbuya leaves (in season)
1⁄2 small packet rocket leaves
1⁄2 small packet cos lettuce, or mixed salad leaves
6–8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into long, thin strips
A small handful of pecan nuts
SERVES 4–6
PREPARATION TIME 10 MINS COOKING TIME 45–50 MINS
THROUGH THE EYES OF AN AFRICAN CHEF
[ chapter one ] STARTERS AND CANAPÉS 23