A winter treat
Chantel Dartnall is the award-winning chef at the award-winning Restaurant Mosaic, and is a contributor to  the fantastic A Touch of Rooibos cookbook. Dine at Mosaic for a treat, or make her sensational Tomato Rooibos Risotto at home.

Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient Boutique Hotel in the Crocodile River Valley is magnificent.  The food is innovative and presented with flair. The season menu, which is modern European with nuances of Oriental flavours,  changes every three months ... expect dishes like duck leg confit with foie gras mousse and macerated Turkish figs in a port wine jus; saffron scented oxtail tortellini in a rich oxtail sauce, and cappuccino of langoustine and lobster bisque with star anise. This is a true destination restaurant ... not inexpensive, but worth every cent and well worth the drive! Closed Sunday evenings, Mondays and Tuesdays. Details: 012-371-2902.

Chantel Dartnall’s Tomato Rooibos Risotto
Rooibos tomato stock
Place eight roughly chopped large, ripe Italian vine tomatoes; 100g brown sugar; 20ml salt; two bay leaves; one big bunch basil; one sprig rosemary; two Rooibos tea bags and three litres cold water in a stockpot or large saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain the liquid through a chinoise or fine-meshed sieve lined with fine muslin cloth.
Risotto
Heat 100ml Gewurztraminer wine and a pinch of saffron in a small saucepan over low heat to extract the colour and flavours of the saffron. Set aside. Place two litres of Rooibos tomato stock in a large saucepan and heat gently. Heat 20ml olive oil in a heavy based saucepan and add 1 small finely chopped onion; two cloves garlic, crushed and one bay leaf, and sauté for about five minutes over moderate heat.  Add 200g (250ml) Arborio rice and season to taste with coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and 2ml brown sugar.  Add one bunch fresh basil. Stir in 2ml tomato paste. Pour the saffron-infused wine into the rice mixture. Stir well to deglaze the saucepan. Cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the heated Rooibos tomato stock, a ladle at a time. Allow each ladleful of the stock to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful. Repeat this process until the rice is tender, but still has a slight crunch (al dente). Remove the bay leaf and basil leaves from the risotto. Remove risotto from the heat and stir in 20g grated Gruyere cheese, one tomato, cut into small dice (about 1 x 1cm), a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, salt and black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 
Serves 4 to 6.