French-inspired cuisine in the bushveld – watch out for cheeky hungry monkeys

Our boma dinners are usually a highlight for our guests – a magical evening under the African sky, lit by flickering candles and accompanied by the gentle sounds of the bush. It’s a serene, unforgettable experience.

We’ve always believed monkeys sleep at night. At least, that’s what we were told.

One evening, a guest – a frail lady in her eighties – was quietly enjoying one of our signature starters, a pawpaw and avocado tartare. Suddenly, out of the dark, a monkey appeared and snatched the tartare off her plate.

It gave her quite the fright – and, honestly, startled all of us. This was completely out of the ordinary. Monkeys are not usually part of the dinner service.

Mabona, one of our managers, quickly arranged for a fresh dish to be brought out. Thankfully, the monkey didn’t return. Perhaps he was still savouring his stolen starter in a nearby tree…

Next came the main course, seafood kebabs. Now, as far as we know, monkeys aren’t particularly fond of fish. But this mysterious little bandit had other ideas. He reappeared, targeting the same guest, and made off with her kebab.

Apparently unimpressed with the flavour, he tossed it from a tree moments later. No gratitude, no manners.

What puzzled us most was his choice of victim. Why only this lady? And why was there a monkey active at night at all? The whole thing felt almost … personal.

Even more curious is how monkeys behave differently towards men and women. When we, the female staff, try to chase them off, they often hold their ground – staring back boldly, sometimes even confronting us. But the moment a man approaches, they scatter. It’s as if they sense who might hesitate, who might be unsure, and they exploit it.

Which leads me to wonder: isn’t that a bit like humans, too?

Seafood and mushroom gratin

Serves 6

Ingredients

For seafood and mushroom gratin

200g calamari

200g prawns, shelled and deveined

200g firm white fish (eg kingklip), cut into large cubes

2 Tbsp olive oil

200g brown or portobello mushrooms, diced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

10g fresh chilli, finely chopped

fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

salt and pepper, to taste

For bechamel sauce

50g butter

50g cornflour

500ml milk

½ glass dry white wine

10g fresh chives, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven

to 180°C (fan or grill).

2. Make the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a pan, stir in the cornflour and slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Add the white wine, chives, salt and pepper, and a little chilli
if desired. Simmer until thickened.

3. Marinate all the seafood with olive oil, salt and pepper.

4. Grill the calamari for 5 minutes, then add the prawns and fry for 2 minutes in olive oil.

5. Cook the fish cubes separately, frying for about 4 minutes until just done.

6. Fry the mushrooms in olive oil with garlic, chilli, salt and pepper until tender.

7. In a gratin dish, combine the cooked seafood and mushrooms with the bechamel sauce. Mix gently.

8. Bake under the grill for 10 minutes until bubbling and lightly golden.

9. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Tartare of avocado, pawpaw and pineapple with a honey and balsamic chilli sauce

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the tartare

250g cream cheese (about 1 cup)

10g each chives and coriander, chopped

2 Tbsp crème fraîche

4 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup avocado purée

2 fresh avocados, chopped

½ cup cucumber, very finely chopped

10g parsley, finely chopped

1 cup pawpaw, cut into cubes

1 cup pineapple, cut into cubes

½ cup sweet chilli sauce

olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

For the honey and balsamic chilli sauce

1 ½ tsp chopped chilli or chilli flakes

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

mixed herbs, to taste

seeds and fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese with half the chives, coriander, crème fraîche,
1 Tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the avocado purée with the avocado, cucumber, parsley, chilli and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.

3. Mix the pawpaw and pineapple with the sweet chilli sauce, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, coriander and olive oil.

4. Using a 7cm high circular mould, layer the tartare: first, the cream cheese mixture; then the pawpaw, then pineapple; finally, top with the avocado mixture.

5. Prepare the honey and balsamic chilli sauce by combining chilli, honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and mixed herbs.

6. Spoon about 1 tsp of the sauce over the tartare and decorate the plate.

7. Garnish with seeds and coriander. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.