The shanks 

Ingredients

oil for frying

4 springbok shanks  

2 white onions, roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 bunch celery, washed and chopped

100 g tomato paste

375 ml Leopard’s Leap Shiraz

4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 bunch thyme

good quality brown stock — chicken, beef or lamb — to cover the shanks (roughly 1,5 litre)   

salt

cooked bone marrow, chilled and diced

chopped parsley, to finish 

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 ˚C.

Heat the oil in a pan, gently brown the shanks on all sides and season well.

Remove the shanks from the pan and discard the oil. Into the same pan, place the vegetables, and brown.

Add the tomato paste, wine, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, scraping the browned surface of the pan clean in the boiling wine, using a wooden spoon.

Place the shanks back into the pan, add the stock and bring to the boil. Put a lid onto the pan, place into the oven and cook for 3 hours. Check the shanks to see whether they have cooked soft. If still tough, return to the oven for a further 40 minutes or more. Once the shanks are soft, nearly falling off the bone, gently remove the pan from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Before serving, place the pan back onto the stove and bring the sauce to the boil. If there is a large amount of sauce in the pan, thicken with corn-flour or a paste made from cake-flour and stock. Add the bone marrow and parsley and serve. 

Sweet potato puree

Ingredients

2 large purple sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and diced

50 g butter

200 ml vegetable stock

200 ml milk

250 ml cream

salt 

Method

Place the diced sweet potato and butter into a pot with a lid. Add the vegetable stock and milk to cover.

Season with salt, place the lid onto the pot and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove the lid. Allow the sweet potato to cook — the idea is to have the moisture evaporated by the time the sweet potato is cooked through. 

Add the cream and bring to the boil. Reduce the cream until it seems to thicken.

Place the creamy sweet potato into a blender and blend to a smooth puree. Pass the sweet potato puree through a fine sieve to get a really smooth finish. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve warm.Sweet potato chips

Ingredients

1 purple sweet potato, washed and peeled

salt

oil for frying

Method

Using as peeler, strip-cut the potato into broad ribbons. Place the ribbons into medium hot oil. Fry until golden, remove from the oil, season and drain and place on paper. Keep the crisp chips on the paper to drain as much oil as possible.

 Roast baby sweet potato

Ingredients

4 baby sweet potatoes

drizzle of olive oil

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 sprigs thyme

salt

pepper 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 ˚C

Cut small incisions into the sweet potatoes (not all the way through). Season with olive oil and add the coriander seeds and thyme.

Place into the oven and roast for 30 - 40 minutes, depending on the size. Test with the tip of a knife, to see if they are cooked.

Remove from the oven. Drain off any excess oil and serve warm. Minty herb salsa

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

2 handfuls mixed herbs — basil, parsley, chives, coriander

1 bunch mint

salt

pepper

150 ml olive oil blend

100 ml white wine vinegar

Method

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until all the herbs are chopped fine.  Blend to the desired consistency.

Serve with the springbok ... and the beautifully complementing medium-bodied Leopard’s Leap Classic Shiraz.