Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Yield: 15 portions
Umfino Balls
– 250 g baby spinach
– 100 g kale
– 20 g dune spinach
– 1 red onion, finely chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 500 g maize meal
– Vegetable oil, for sautéing
– Salt, to taste
Heat olive oil in a large pan. Sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
Add spinach, kale, and dune spinach. Sauté for another 2 minutes.
Stir in the maize meal and add water gradually, seasoning with salt. Stir until the greens are wilted and the maize resembles mashed potatoes. Add more water if needed, but cook until the mixture is nearly dry.
Transfer to a bar blender, pulse briefly to combine and slightly mince the mixture.
Scrape onto a baking tray and leave to cool until firm enough to handle.
Shape into 15 g balls and deep-fry at 180°C until golden brown.
Season with salt immediately after frying.
For Serving
Please make sure all your herbs and lettuce are washed thoroughly.
– 15 Cos lettuce leaves (whole, taco-style)
– Fresh mizuna greens (green/red)
– Green Tahini Dressing (see recipe below)
– Pickled red onions (see recipe below)
– Deep-fried capers (see recipe below)
– Fresh herbs (Chervil, Dune spinach leaf, Nasturtium leaves)
Fresh Flowers (Nasturtium Flower Petal, Calendula flower petal)
Assembly: Place a lettuce leaf on a plate. Add a few umfino balls, drizzle with green tahini dressing, and top with mizuna greens, pickled red onion, and crispy capers. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Green Tahini Dressing
– ½ cup tahini (well-stirred)
– ½ cup fresh parsley (packed)
– ¼ cup fresh spinach (packed)
– 1½ small garlic cloves, finely chopped
– Juice of ½ a lime
– 95 g cold water
– 1–2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
– ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
Add all ingredients to a Nutribullet.
Blend until smooth.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
Pickled Red Onion
– 100 g red onion, cleaned and thinly sliced, placed into a glass jar
– 50 mL Creation Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
– 50 mL verjuice
Combine wine and verjuice in a pot and bring to the boil.
Pour over the onions in the jar.
Leave to cool, cover, and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Deep-Fried Capers
– 150 g capersWash the capers and dry thoroughly.
Deep-fry for 2–3 minutes until crispy.
Drain on paper towel before serving.