Cooking at home with JamieWho?
Cooking at home with JamieWho?
Andy Fenner has seemingly come out of nowhere to make his mark on the online community, with his blog catapulting him into something of a food celebrity. What can we learn from the man who is “just obsessed with food and cooking”?
He’s rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the world of food and wine; he’s also been named one of the 200 young South Africans you must take out for lunch by the Mail & Guardian; and now Andy Fenner has revealed himself as the face behind the über-successful JamieWho? blog.
In just 18 months, the blog – the title of course a tongue-in-cheek reference to celebrity chef Jamie Oliver – catapulted him into something of a food celebrity. It’s the enviable hobby-turned-profession scenario, as Andy left behind careers in advertising and property development, and JamieWho? became an overnight success. Like-minded foodies flocked to his website for tips, news and inspiration, all written in his laid-back and informal manner. But Andy recently outed himself to start working on his new venture www.aficionado.co.za, a lifestyle website which sees him teaming up with fellow gurus in fashion, interior design and travel.
Like JamieWho?, Andy’s blog on aficionado.co.za remains an ode to good food that’s as delicious as it is accessible and unpretentious. He’s a foodie in the truest sense, but places a great deal of importance on ethical farming and eating, always questioning where the food on his plate comes from. He consciously seeks out farmers and specialist delis that champion free-range meat and even emails restaurants beforehand to ask them if their meat is free-range.
But what perhaps endears me most to Andy is the fact that he designed his kitchen around his gleaming SMEG fridge – and then designed his house around the kitchen. He clearly knows what’s important in life.
Second to his SMEG fridge, the most important thing in his house (after his gorgeous wife Nicole and tenacious bulldog Elvis, of course) is good ingredients. “Treat ingredients with respect,” says Andy. “Even if you’re making grilled cheese on toast on a Sunday night, do it with proper cheese and the best bread you can find.” Yet he’s not afraid to take short cuts that won’t compromise on quality. For instance, “it’s okay to buy puff pastry; even professional chefs do that”.
Intuition seems to drive his cooking. Andy recoils at the idea of always using a recipe. Quantities he instead describes as glugs, dashes and drizzles. This loose and informal approach to food is what characterises the 28-year-old’s cooking style, and I’m treated to a meal that epitomises this.
Andy starts with salmon, scored and seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil. This he serves on a plate of endives fried in nothing more than the salmon fat and a generous glug of Pinot Noir, garnished with a sprinkling of green olives.
What wine does he suggest one serve with salmon? A Catherine Marshall Pinot Noir 2009 cuts through the saltiness of the olives he says, while also standing up to the richness of the salmon. “But the reality is that there is no right answer. Drink what you enjoy.
“I don’t pretend to be a wine expert. I like to break it down into layman’s terms… Food and wine pairing is seen as elitist; I’m trying to change that.” Mushrooms on toasted sourdough bread follows. It might be a simple dish, “quirky”, as Andy describes it, and dead easy to make, but provided you’ve got quality ingredients it’s guaranteed to impress. The dish reinforces Andy’s strong belief that cooking doesn’t need to be complicated. “Anyone can cook if using the right ingredients.” Chardonnay is a natural pairing, and Andy opts for the Jordan 2008.
The pièce de résistance is braised oxtail with root vegetables served with crushed baby potatoes. Andy pours me a glass of Steenberg’s Nebbiolo 2008 while he returns to the topic of ingredients. Buy the best you can afford, he insists, but ensure that they are seasonal, and preferably local.
In a world where it is easy to source ingredients from all over the globe in your local supermarket, Andy is on a mission “to tell people how good South African produce is. We can compete with the best in the world”.
The grand finale is an apple tarte with cinnamon sugar and clotted cream – a decadent accompaniment. Andy pairs the dessert with Môreson’s Miss Molly MCC. “Everyone’s so used to getting a glass of bubbly on arrival, so it’s nice to surprise guests by starting with a Pinot Noir and fi nishing off with Cap Classique,” he says. What of his future plans? With a twinkle in his eye Andy hints to possible books, a television series and even a restaurant in Cape Town. Watch this space.
WILD MUSHROOMS ON TOAST
one handful of mixed wild
mushrooms per person, roughly
chopped
a handful of chives, finely chopped
a few sprigs of thyme
a handful of parsley, roughly
chopped
knob of butter
splash of olive oil
generous glug of Chardonnay
the best sourdough bread you can
find, thick-cut
❶ Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan. Throw in the herbs and fry briefly before adding mushrooms. Leave to simmer for a minute or two and add the Chardonnay.
❷ While the mushrooms are simmering in the wine, toast the sourdough bread in a hot griddle pan.
❸ Once the mushrooms are tender and the wine completely reduced, place heaps of mushrooms on top of the bread and garnish with chopped parsley.
SERVE WITH A GLASS OF JORDAN CHARDONNAY 2008
APPLE TARTE TATIN
one Granny Smith apple for every
two people, peeled and sliced
with a mandolin
(or as finely as possible)
puff pastry
melted butter
a sprinkling of brown sugar
splash of lemon
zest of one lemon
cinnamon
a blob of clotted cream, to serve
(available at select delis)
- Dust your working surface with flour and cut the puff pastry into strips – roughly 12cm wide. One strip will feed one person.
- Drizzle lemon juice over the apple slices to stop them from discolouring.
- Brush the pastry strips with melted butter. Layer the apple slices on top of the buttered puff pastry, brush the apples with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest.
- Place on a baking tray in a preheated oven (180ºC) until the pastry has turned golden brown and the apples have softened.
- To serve, dust with brown sugar and top with a blob of clotted cream.
SERVE WITH A GLASS OF MÔRESON MISS MOLLY MCC
NO KITCHEN SHOULD BE WITHOUT...
Andy’s kitchen cupboards will always be well stocked with:
Chillies
Green tea
Lemons
Good olive oil
Wine – plenty of it
Craft/artisanal beer
Fresh fruit and vegetables
(whatever is in season)
ANDY’S ESSENTIAL TOOLS:
I.O Shen chef’s knife from Yuppiechef
Pestle and mortar
Bamboo steamer
