Waterblommetjie Breedie
Waterblommetjies or also known as Cape pondweed or Cape asparagus found during the winter months in the dams and marshes of the Cape Winelands. The buds are usually ready to be picked from about June to about August, leading to their use in winter for stews. Waterblommetjies have the same taste a fresh green beans. This recipe is keeping uncomplicated focusing on the star ingredient the Waterblommetjie.
Ingredients
- 1 Glug Olive Oil
- 1 Knob Butter
- 1 Onion Peeled and diced.
- 3 Cloves Garlic finely sliced
- 10 Pearl Onions Peeled , Keep Whole
- 2 punnets Waterblommetjies
- 1.5 kg Lamb ribs
- 750 ml De Wet Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 small Lemon Quartered
- Cracked pepper
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Rinse and then soak the waterblommetjies in lightly salted water say overnight. This gets rid of additional sand and prevents the waterblommetjies from going slimey when you cook them. Give the Waterblommetjies one final rinse.
- Preheat the oven 160°C
- Heat the oil with a knob of butter in a large pot/ovenproof dish.
- Add the meat to the pot and brown. Add the onions, garlic and pearl onions to the pot.
- Season with a generous grinding of black pepper and add a little salt.
- Add 500 ml wine to the pot - deglaze, cover and put in the oven for 1 hour.
- Take out of the oven and add the waterblommetjies, pour remaining wine and scater the lemon wedges. Close and place back in the oven.
- Cook for another 1 hour. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve with white rice.