BOOK
Whip up this delicious goat’s cheese and fig tart from Chef Nti’s new cookbook
Here’s proof that you don’t have to be a big spender to enjoy good and nourishing food. In Chef Nti: My Modern African Kitchen, Nthabiseng Ramaboa reinvents traditional flavours in a fresh, innovative way, celebrating food that is proudly South African and exploring some new and exciting dishes from further afield.
My Modern African Kitchen draws inspiration from the food Chef Nti ate growing up in Soweto, as well as the meals she has enjoyed on her travels throughout the world, especially Mediterranean cuisine – which she says has uncanny similarities to the simplicity of African cooking – and the fusion food of Los Angeles.
“Growing up, we didn’t have a lot, really, but my mother was enterprising and creative,” Chef Nti says. “She loved spending time in the kitchen and making do with what she had. This is why my cookbook is filled with recipes that use everyday ingredients – you will never have to Google anything.”
Goat’s cheese and fig tart
This goat’s cheese and fig tart with caramelised onion comes from Chef Nti’s “hit list” – her most popular recipes that can be whipped up with little effort.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 400g puff pastry
- 200g goat’s cheese, crumbled
- 6 fresh figs, sliced
Instructions
In a heavy-based pan, heat the oil and sauté the onion over a low to medium heat. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the butter, sugar and balsamic vinegar.
Continue to cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 20–30 minutes until onions are very soft, caramelised and jam-like.
Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 180˚C.
Roll out the pastry, according to package instructions, and trim and shape it into a 20cm-diameter circle.
Spread the onion mixture onto the pastry base, then top with most of the goat’s cheese, sliced figs and more cheese.
Crimp the edges in about 8 places and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crisp. ML
Nthabiseng Ramaboa, also known as Chef Nti, is a restaurateur, food and beverage product developer, entrepreneur and fashion designer. She speaks to a few hundred-thousand fans online and is the proud owner of her very own restaurant, Taste Kitchen, located in Joburg’s Maboneng Precinct. Chef Nti: My Modern African Kitchen is published by Quivertree (R 350).
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