How shall I describe my dad?  Many people know Christo Olivier as a sports commentator on SuperSport, but that’s not WHO he is.  He is kind and serious, he obviously loves sport – not only rugby and cricket but also tennis, athletics and golf. He is infinitely patient with his daughters and his grandchildren and gets extremely annoyed by incompetence and tardiness. 

He hates the spotlight and big social events but enjoys having a glass of wine and a chat with a small group of friends or family.  People respect him and even though you wouldn’t invite him to be the heart and soul of your next party, you could phone him anytime you need someone just to listen or if you need advice.  He is wise and honest and compassionate.

My dad is super easy to cook for.  He loves a good plate of food and will eat almost anything, except pork, offal, shellfish and pineapple. He loves fish, venison pie, bobotie, leg of lamb, stews, soup, potatoes and rice with thick, flavourful gravy.  He also has a big sweet tooth – my dad loves desserts, cakes and other sweet things!  I had no idea what to make him, so I asked.  His reply? Meatballs, plain and simple.

Well, meatballs are all well and good, but I wanted to make it special.  I found a recipe by the fabulous Errieda du Toit of Koekedoor and Kokkedoor fame.  It takes an old favourite – meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves – and dresses it in a fabulous red coat. 

TUISTAFEL – MEATBALLS WRAPPED IN CABBAGE LEAVES DRESSED WITH A TOMATOEY SAUCE

As Errieda writes in her boek, Tuistafel, meatballs are eaten all over the world; whether it’s gehaktbal in the Netherlands, boulette in France, polpetta in Italy, almondêga in Portugal, or köfte in Turkey.

Many of us grew up on meatballs and if mom was feeling fancy, we got meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves – charmingly known in Afrikaans as Ouvrou onder die kombers (Old lady under the blanket). This recipe was inspired by Errieda’s mom. 

As a bonus, I discovered that this recipe also gives you the basis for another dinner later in the week. 

The recipe starts with 500 grams of Errieda’s mom’s basic meatball recipe.  However, she gives the recipe for a kilo of the mince mix. Don’t be tempted to halve it. Make the whole batch, divide it in half and set the raw mixture aside for this recipe. 

Then, role the rest of the mixture into nine to twelve meatballs, place them in an oven-proof baking dish, dot with butter and add a little bit of water to the bottom of the baking dish.  Place in a 160?C pre-heated oven for about 40-45 minutes.  After 35 minutes, turn the meatballs and place them back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes.  Once they’re done, take them out of the oven and let them cool completely.  Place the cooled meatballs into a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer.

Then later in the week, take them out in the morning to defrost and all you need to do when you get home is to make a quick pasta sauce, boil some spaghetti and add your meatballs.  Voila! Healthier than a takeaway, tastier and probably cheaper too.  (Try David Herbert’s No-Chop Tomato Sauce – put two 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes, two whole peeled cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of dried thyme or two fresh sprigs, and salt and pepper in a saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 25 minutes. Remove the garlic and then blend if you prefer a smooth sauce.)

ERRIEDA’S MOM’ BASIC MEATBALL RECIPE

For 1 kg of beef mince – add 5 teaspoons of salt, nutmeg (I used 5 ml), ground coriander (I used 5 ml), cloves (I did not use any), and pepper to taste.  Add two tablespoons of vinegar, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a chopped or grated onion. 

Soak a thick slice of white bread in milk, squeeze out the milk and flake the bread into the mince.  Whisk an egg and then add to the rest of the mix.  Stir everything through with a fork (work lightly) and there you have your basic mince mix.  You need half of this raw mix for the recipe below.

MEATBALLS WRAPPED IN CABBAGE

1 big cabbage

500 g raw meatball mix

15 ml vegetable oil

2 big onions, chopped (I only used one)

500 ml of water

5 ml sugar

Salt and pepper

Nutmeg

Carefully break off about nine big cabbage leaves keeping them intact.  Cut out the hardcore in the centre of the leaf and then steam or boil them for around 5 to 8 minutes – just until they’re soft enough to be pliable. 

Roll the meatballs into sausage shapes and then wrap each meatball in a cabbage leaf.  Secure the leaf with a toothpick.  Heat the oil in a pot or deep pan and fry the onion until soft.  Add the cabbage parcels, water and sugar.  Sprinkle over enough salt and pepper and add the nutmeg (a good sprinkle).  Simmer gently for about 30 minutes. If necessary, add more water to ensure that the cabbage rolls stay half-way submerged in the water.

When done, take out the cabbage rolls but keep the cooking broth.

PAPRIKA, SULTANA AND TOMATO SAUCE

30 ml of vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (I only used one)

15 ml ground fennel seeds

15 ml sweet paprika (not the smoky kind)

1 small tin (50 g) of tomato paste

1 tin (400 g) of chopped tomatoes

125 ml sultanas

About 20 ml honey

Juice of a lemon

Salt and pepper

Meatball cooking broth to thin out the mixture if necessary

Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until light brown and soft.  Add the crushed fennel seeds, paprika and tomato paste and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, sultanas, honey and lemon juice, as well as salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer half-covered over a medium heat for around 30 minutes.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve over the cabbage rolls.

What to do with the leftover cooking broth?  I bet if you reheat it the next day and add a packet of two-minute noodles (without the horrible spice packet), and maybe throw in some tomatoes, peas and corn, you will have THE BEST lunch at the office!

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