Whether you’re having a picnic, party or date night, a platter is always a great idea. And to us carnivores, a platter is never complete without a well curated charcuterie selection. It’s always amused me how much we South Africans have in common with the French in this arena. Biltong, droëwors and koue vleis are, after all, charcuterie (so fancy). We just don’t call it that. Once you’ve made the perfect meat selection, getting creative with the sides the fun part! From there, you can take your platter to a picnic, an al fresco table, or you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own bed.
MEDITERRANEAN CHARCUTERIE BOARD
TIME: 1 hour | SERVES: 6

for roasted baby beetroots with basil yoghurt
650 g baby beetroots
olive oil
coarse salt
500 ml yoghurt
15 g fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the cream cheese and feta cheese pâté
125 g cream cheese
2 wheels feta cheese
45 ml cream
chives, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
sugar snap peas
for the roasted tomatoes
200 g baby rosa tomatoes
olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme
for the charcuterie platter
Forage and Feast Tyrolean Speck
Forage and Feast Salame Milano
Forage and Feast Chorizo Coins
Forage and Feast Jamón Serrano
Forage and Feast Matured Pancetta
Forage and Feast Matured Coppa
to serve
baquettes
fresh limes
figs
grapes


for the roasted tomatoes
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Halve the tomatoes and place them on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and place in the oven for about 10 minutes. The roasting time will depend on the size of your tomatoes. Roast till soft but still intact. Take out and serve warm or at room temperature.
for the roasted baby beetroots with basil yoghurt
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Place the baby beetroots in a saucepan and keep the stems on. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook till beetroots are soft. Drain and cut in half. Place the beetroots on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and place in the oven. Roast for about 20 minutes. Take out and let it cool. Mix the yoghurt, basil, spring onion and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the beetroots on top of the yoghurt.


for cream cheese and feta cheese pâté
Place the cream cheese, feta and cream in a food processor. Blend till smooth. Add the chives and season with black pepper. Spoon in a serving bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve with sugar snap peas.
for the charcuterie board
Arrange the meats on your board and serve with the roasted tomatoes, cream cheese pate and roasted beetroots. Serve your charcuterie board with toasted baquette, fresh figs, lime and grapes.
