Winter is here and it is wonderful. Everyone comments on the tempo of 2023 and perhaps the slow season is just the excuse we need to take a breather.
Let’s capitalise on the rainy weather, short days and low temperatures by opening a red wine that’s been maturing for a while or spending a day in the kitchen with an intricate recipe. Perhaps taking it slow means keeping it simple? The simplicity of proper bread might be all the indulgence you need. Or make the most of a sunny spell and enjoy a coffee in a charming spot.
Warm up winter with our June offer. Pay 10% less when you order 6 bottles of the recently released La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon 2020. Available from our tasting room.
As classic as they come
The recently released 2020 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon offers an elegant minerality with intricate berry and plum flavours and nuances of cloves and mint. Made from the renowned vineyards growing in Stellenbosch’s Helderberg area, it shares the characteristics of South Africa’s most acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon wines and promises to be the winter warmer of choice, not only as a glass on its own, but also because of its affinity for the complexity of winter recipes.
Click HERE to buy now.
Slow sourdough
In its earliest form, bread was made from sourdough, whole grains milled into flour, as well as water and salt, which were combined and fermented in a slow process before being baked. Followed at the La Motte Bakery, this slow process of bread baking results in a more nutritious loaf with a slight acidity that is also more easily digestible. Get freshly-baked sourdough loaves, the traditional crustique, Cederberger bread, flatbreads, croissants and rolls from Wednesday to Sunday.
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Warm up winter
Thanks to its prominent minerality, firm tannins and flavourful intensity, the 2020 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon loves the intricate flavours of wintery stews such as a stroganoff and beef bourguignon. It enjoys the earthiness of root vegetables like beetroot, the herby fragrance of rosemary and thyme, the sweet smokiness of charred onions and of course, the umami of mushrooms in our mushroom ravioli.
Recipe: Mushroom ravioli in bone marrow butter
A decadent dish ideal for cool weather - tender ravioli made from scratch and filled with a rich combination of roasted mushroom and ricotta. An unctuous bone marrow butter sauce finishes off the dish.
Prep time: 1 hour /Cook time: 3 mins /Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
- 3 XL organic eggs
- 300g extra fine “00” flour
- Pinch of salt
- Fine semolina
- 250g ricotta
- 300g mushrooms, roughly chopped
- Olive oil
- Coarse ground sea salt and black pepper
For the sauce:
- 150g of butter
- 2 large cloves of garlic, finely sliced
- 8-10 beef marrow bones
- 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, finely chopped
- Grated parmesan, to serve
Method
For the ravioli dough, sift the flour and add a good grind of salt. On a flat surface, turn out the flour and make a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs and, using a fork, work into the flour, eventually making a sticky dough. Dust the work surface with flour and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to rest for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the chopped mushrooms in an ovenproof dish and drizzle over a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast the mushrooms for 20-25 minutes or until cooked. Allow to cool. To make the filling, combine the ricotta with the cooked mushrooms in a bowl. Season to taste and cover with clingfilm. Refrigerate until needed.
Halve the dough and keep one half wrapped in clingfilm to prevent it from drying out. Using a pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll out half the dough until you have a thin strip about 8cm wide. Spoon the chilled ricotta mixture along the pasta sheet, working in 10ml dollops spaced equidistantly to allow for an edge. Roll out the remaining pasta and gently drape over the ricotta mushroom dollops, cupping your hand around each pocket to press out any air. Seal the edges of the ravioli pockets with a brush of water and if desired, use a ravioli cutter to press out small pockets. Set the cut ravioli on a lined baking sheet sprinkled with semolina until ready to cook.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the marrow bones on a lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast the bones for 15 minutes and use a fork to extract the marrow. For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in the sliced garlic and fry gently, not letting the garlic brown. Add in the thyme leaves and bone marrow and leave the sauce to infuse over very low heat. Season to taste.
Over high heat, set a pot filled with salted water to boil. Once boiling, add a glug of olive oil and cook the ravioli in batches until al dente. Drain the ravioli.
Plate the pasta in warmed bowls, spoon over the bone marrow butter and serve with a few glasses of 2019 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon.