My PR company – Splash have just been voted the best PR agency in South Africa at Sunday nights Prism awards. Well done to Kerry, Doug and the team for promoting Table Mountain as one of the new seven wonders of the world. Their campaign was fraught with tension, stress and emotional upheaval but the hard work paid off and South Africa will no doubt benefit from the PR for years to come. I have certainly reaped the benefits of their hard work in the past and look forward to working with them in the future.

More exciting news is that I have been able to secure a regular supply of pasture reared beef from Angus Mckintosh of the Spier biodynamic farm. He raises cattle, sheep and chickens along the same lines as Joel Saladin at Polyface Farm in the good old US of A. Take it from me, this beef tastes different. It is grass fed (cattle are ruminants you know) and has a beautiful colour and texture.

Pasture Reared Bresaola

The Commander is on a protein drive currently and what better excuse for a bresaola, artichoke, mushroom, avo and rocket salad as a light meal. The recipe below is really quick and simple and could easily be served as a starter too, just halve the amounts.

Bresaola, Artichoke, Mushroom, Avo Salad

Ingredients for 2 people
160g bresaola
2 tablespoons pesto
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 portobellini mushrooms, sliced paper thin
4 artichoke hearts, quartered
1 avo, sliced
baby salad leaves

Mix the pesto and the lime juice and olive oil together to make a dressing. Arrange the mushrooms on a plate and paint with the pesto dressing. Arrange the bresaola on a large dinner plate in a single layer. top with slices of marinated mushroom, artichoke quarters, slices of avo and a handful of baby leaves in the middle. Pour over any remaining dressing and add a good grinding of black pepper.

“Yummy” said Commander J!

Some variations to this recipe:
– Use horseradish as the base of the dressing instead of pesto
– Add capers, pickled radish, shaved parmesan, pine nuts or any combination of these instead of artichokes and mushroom

– A culture that just uses a pig as a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure, to be manipulated by whatever creative design the human can foist on that critter, will probably view individuals within its community, and other cultures in the community of nations, with the same type of disdain and disrespect and controlling type mentalities – Joel Salatin