Pumpkin and Apple Soup

Bietjie Olie
1 ui Gekap
500g geskilde pampoen (blokkies)
1 aartappel geskil en in blokkies gesny
2 appels, geskil en in blokkies gesny
5 ml (1t) vars koljander gekap
5ml (1t) matige kerriepoeier
Knypie borrie
knypie fyn kaneel
knypie fyn gemer
750ml (3 k) warm hoenderaftreksel
5ml (1t) bruinsuiker
125ml (1/2 k) dikroom

1)  Soteer ui in olie tot sag en deurskynend
2)  Voeg pampoen, aartappel, appel, koljander, kerrie, borrie, kkaneel en gemmer by.  Braai 3 min.
3)  Voeg aftreksel by en laat prut oor medium hitte vir 30 min of tot aartappel en pampoen sag is.
4)  Verpulp in voedselverwerker tot glad en giet sop terug in kastrol.
5)  Verhit sop weer en voeg suiker en room by.  As sop nog te dik is kan melk bygevoeg word.
6)  Sit warm voor.

Makes six portions.  

Source:  Vrouekeur - 26 August, 2005

Gustav's Mom's Tamatie Bredie

1-1.5kg (2-3lbs) lamb rib in pieces
1kg (2lb) Tomatoes medium
2 medium onions
6 peppercorns
1 tbsp marg/butter
1 tbsp flour
salt 7 pepper to taste (about 2 tsp salt)
2 tsp sugar
4 potatoes

Peel tomatoes and onions and chop
(tomaotoes in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then ice water for easy peel)
Fry onions in oil in a casserole
Add meat with 1 cup warm water
cover and simmer for 2 hours or until meat is soft
add tomatoes, potatoes, peppercorns, sugar, sat, pepper 1 hour after meat.
mix flour and marg and then use to thicken sauce
serve with rice

Oatmeal Crunchies

(First batch... too wet)

YUM!!!
Source: Vanielje Kitchen

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup organic plain (cake) flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup organic butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

In a pot slowly melt the butter and sugar
Add the bicarb and the syrup and stir ’til incorporated
Mix the dry ingredients
Pour the butter mix into the oats and mix well
Press into an oven proof pie dish and bake @180*C (pre-heated oven) for 20 minutes
That’s it. When you take them out you may find the tray of oats is soft and wobbly in the centre. It firms up as it cools. Crunchies are meant to be chewy, if you would like them more crisp, give them another 5 minutes in the oven. Cut while they are still slightly warm and store, like biscuits, in an airtight container.

(Chocolate Crunchie recipe here.)

Ros' Notes:

OMG!  These are (always were) delicious!!  Totally easy to make and bake - even without the dessicated coconut (Bleurgh).  Also, I only had instant oat packets with flavoring powder.  I sieved the flavoring out, and used them anyway and they worked just fine. 

Second batch was too dry:

Buttermilk Rusks

Source:  Vanielje Kitchen

250g Unsalted Butter
400g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
250ml buttermilk (1 cup)
1kg self raising flour



* Cream unsalted butter with granulated sugar
* Add eggs and beat well
* Add buttermilk
* Sift selfraising flour and add to the mix.
* Knead into a soft dough
* Form into small balls and place side by side in a buttered bread tin, or a round or square cake tin.
* Bake @ 200*C for 30 minutes then turn the oven down low, or leave the pilot light on
* Allow the rusks to cool slightly then break them apart and lay them on several baking sheets
* Return the rusks to the oven and leave the rusks for about 5 hours to dry out, turning a couple of times to ensure they dry evenly.
* Store in an airtight container (and I would advise you to stash a few where no one else knows to look, as they disappear all too quickly.)

Cape Seed Bread

CAPE SEED BREAD (Like Woolies)

Ingredients:
185 g whole wheat flour
42 g sesame seeds
37 g flax seeds
28 g sunflower seeds
26 g poppy seeds
4 g cracked wheat
15 g multigrain mix
4 g salt
15 g high protein wheat gluten
2 g roasted malt powder
9 g fresh compressed yeast
195 ml chilled water

Directions:
1. To prepare dough, combine all ingredients (reserve 5 g of poppy seeds and 5g of sesame seeds) in a mixer. Dough should be sticky and form a ball
2. Sprinkle flour on work bench and flatten dough to a rectangle that is approximately 15 cm x 20 cm. Scroll up the dough piece so that it is in a
cylindrical shape about 18 cm long .
3. Roll the piece of dough in sesame seeds and put into a small baking pan (if you do not have Teflon coated you will need to grease your pan first)
4. Place pan in a hot steamy room or proof box for approx 45 minutes or until the dough has risen over the height of the tin.
5. Using a small serrated knife, cut along the length of the dough piece, splitting the dough open about 3 cm. In this cut sprinkle on approx 5 g of poppy seed
6. Bake in oven with steam for 30 minutes at 225 Celsius.

Source:  CookSister

Butternut Soup

1 fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups of chicken stock
Half a cup cream
1 tsp curry powder
A squirt of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper

1. Toss the chopped onion and garlic in a pot and sauté, don't burn or caramelise. They must be translucent but still white.
2. Add the peeled butternut and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
3. When the butternut is soft, mash (as in MASH, don't liquidise or pulverise!).
4. Add the other ingredients and stir.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. And eat.

Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart

PEPPERMINT CRISP FRIDGE TART (serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
250ml Orley Whip, whipped
2 packets of Tennis biscuits (although you will probably use less)
375g caramelised condensed milk
20ml caster sugar
3 Peppermint Crisp bars, crushed
3-4 drops of peppermint essence (more, if you like))

Method:
Whip the Orley Whip and then add the caramelised condensed milk castor sugar and peppermint essence.  Beat until well mixed and then stir in 2/3 of the crushed Peppermint Crisp.
Place a layer of whole tennis biscuits in a buttered 29x19x5cm dish.  Spoon 1/3 of the caramel mix over the buscuits and spread evenly.  Continue in layers, finishing with a layer of filling on top.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Decorate by sprinkling the remainder of crushed peppermint crisp on top.  Cut into squares and serve.

SUBSTITUTIONS: 
You can substitute whipping cream for Orley Whip, but the outcome may be even richer than this pudding already is!  I used Elmlea, a half-dairy cream available in the UK.  Apparently the American Cool Whip is a near-identical product.  For caramelised condensed milk, you can use dulce du leche or you can make your own by boiling a tin of normal sweetened condensed milk (warning:  hazardous!!).  The Tennis biscuits may prove problematic, although I have seen forums in Australia advising the use of a typr of Arnott's coconut biscuits or Nice biscuits.  Any other suggestions welcome.  And as for the peppermint crisp... sadly, for that you will have to bite the bullet and buy it from a South African shop.  Not sure if anything else like it exists.  Maybe start campaiging for Nestle to produce it worldwide? ;-)

Don Pedro

DON PEDRO (per serving)
2-3 scoops good vanilla ice cream
25 ml whisky (or alcohol of choice)
50ml cream
a glace cherry to garnish
grated chocolate to garnish (optional)

Blend the ice cream, cream and whisky in a blender.  Pour into champagne flutes and garnish with cherries or grated chocolate, as you prefer.

Butternut Squash Bake

BUTTERNUT SQUASH BAKE (serves 6 as a side dish)

Ingredients
1 medium-large butternut squash
250ml cream (single or double)
1 packet dried brown onion soup
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (optional)

Method
Lightly grease a large, shallow ovenproof dish and pre-heat the oven to 190C.
It's up to you whether or not to peel the squash.  The cooking is so long and slow that even if you leave it unpeeled, the skin gets to be soft enough to eat.  If you plan to leave it unpeeled, though, do give it a thorough scrub.  Slice the squash into 1cm thick rounds, scooping out the seeds.  Slice each round in half.
Start by placing a layer of squash slices on the bottom of the greased dish.  Pour over some of the cream and then sprinkle liberally with the brown onion soup.  Repeat, making layers of squash, cream and soup until all ingredients are used up. 
If you want a crispy crust, cover the top with the breadcrumbs.  Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake in the pre-heated oven for 60-90 minutes or until the squash is meltingly soft.  Remove the foil about halfway through and turn on the grill for the final few minutes if you want a browned and crispy top.

Cook Sister's Bunny Chow

BUNNY CHOW (serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 kg lamb, cubed
1 medium onion, sliced thinly into rings
2 large tomatoes or 1x400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 curry leaves
1 stick cinnamon
4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1.5 tsp crushed ginger
1.5 tsp crushed garlic
4 tsp Durban masala**  (or substitute shop-bought curry powder,as hot or mild as you like)
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
3-4 potatoes, cubed
Salt
1 or 2 (depending on the size) crusty, square loaves of bread
Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
Cube the meat and slice the onion; peel and dice the tomato.
Heat the oil and add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, onion and curry leaves. Fry until the onion is light golden brown in colour.
Add the masala mix (or curry powder), turmeric, ginger, garlic and tomato.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mix resembles a puree.
Add the meat and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the poatoes and about 1/4 cup of water.  Lower the heat and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender and the potatoes cooked.  Keep an eye on it to make sure the bottom of the pot does not burn.
When the meat is cooked through and the potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes), add the garam masala mixture. Test for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Simmer for a further 10 minutes on a low heat.
In the meantime, take a fresh loaf of white bread  - it needs to be crusty on the outside with a nice, soft crumb.  Little farmouse loaves half the size of standard loaves are ideal.  Halve the loaf and scoop out the soft white crumb, leaving the crust to form a "bowl". 
Spoon the curry into the half loaf and serve, garnished with coriander leaves.  The soft crumb can be dipped into the curry and eaten as well.




**  To make your own simplified version of Durban masala, try: 3 tbsp store-bought curry powder, 3 tbsp hot chilli powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ginger powder

Jan Ellis Pudding

JAN ELLIS PUDDING (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of self-raising flour
1 egg
1 Tbsp apricot jam
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp softened butter
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tsp grated orange zest
FOR THE SYRUP:
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange zest

Method:
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk.  Mix all the other ingredients together well, then add the milk and mix well until smooth.  Pour into a baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 180C or until a skewer comes out clean.
Plase all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.  Serve each portion of pudding with a generous helping of syrup and some custard.

Bobotie

BOBOTIE Serves 4 to 6 persons

Ingredients:
1kg steak mince (or lamb mince)
1 large onion
1 tablespoon oil
1 thick slice stale bread without the crust (white)
1 cup milk (more or less)
1 tablespoon apricot jam
juice of half a lemon (you can add more if you like it less sweet)
10-12 dried apricots (optional)
2 tablespoons seedless raisins
15 blanched almonds (ie. with skin removed) -optional but adds the crunch
1 teaspoon curry powder (more if you prefer it stronger but the dish is meant to have a mild curried flavour)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated ( I am happy with a little more)
3 cloves garlic salt and pepper 6 lemon leaves (or 3 bay leaves as a poor substitute) -you could grate a bit of the rind of the lemon before you squeeze it for the juice and add it to the bay leaves but add carefully so as not to allow the lemon to dominate
2 eggs
milk

Method:
1. Lightly fry chopped onion in oil till golden. Add chopped garlic. Add grated ginger. Remove from heat.
2. Soak bread in half a cup of milk. Crumble with a fork. Add to the mince. Mix well.
3. Place pot on stove. Add a little oil if the onion has absorbed it all. Put meat and all other ingredients except the rest of the milk, the lemon leaves and the eggs.
4. Mix like mad to avoid lumps. Cook until soft and cooked through, to the stage when meat is getting brown and not pink.
5. Be smart and use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish about 5cm high as you will have to add on. Make sure you taste at this stage to correct seasonings. You can add more of any ingredients at this stage. Don`t taste too often as there will be little left for others!!!!
6. You will probably have some residual gravy in the pot. Reduce it by gently cooking without lid on and add to the baking dish. This makes the dish a little richer in flavour.
7. Now beat the two eggs. Add 1 cup of milk plus what is left of the milk in which the bread had been soaked. Total should not exceed one and a half cups. Mix well. Add salt and pepper.
8. Check that there is not too much water in the baking dish containing the milk. The meat should not be dry but there should not be any gravy at the bottom.
9. Pour milk and egg mixture after beating till well mixed on to the bobotie mixture. Place lemon leaves or substitute bay leaves & a little lemon rind on top.
10. Bake uncovered in moderate oven (350 - 375 F) for 30 to 40 min. Till the egg mixture has become set. Serve with a plain green salad or chopped tomato and onion, sprinkled with a little vinegar. Make sure you have some chutney near at hand. Serve piping hot with the yellow rice - see recipe below.


YELLOW RICE Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups rice
4 cups water
2 Tbs oil (approx)
turmeric
salt
raisins - as many or few as you like

Method:
Heat oil a little. Add the rice and stir till coated.  Add water, salt and rice.  Add the powdered turmeric (a little at a time till the shade of yellow you like has been achieved) and raisins.
Cook gently for 10-15 min, covered and simmering on low heat. When most of the water is absorbed. Switch off stove & let the rice swell.

Cooksister Saffa Scones

MAMMA'S SCONES (makes 8-10)

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
3.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of oil
2/3 cup of milk
1 egg

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C (350F).  Lightly grease or spray a large baking sheet.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat the egg together with the milk and oil.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the liquid into it.  Then mix using a wooden spoon, making cutting motions as if you were drawing a noughts and crosses grid.  Turn the bowl after each grid.
Mix until all the liquid has been absorbed but do not over-mix.  If there is still some dry flour visible, add milk a tablespoon at a time and mix till all the flour is absorbed.  The mixture should be sticky but firm enough to hold its shape when you form the scones on the baking sheet.
Form a rough balls from the dough and place them on the baking sheet, evenly spaced.  You can make them as neat or as free-form as you like but remember they are not going to look like cookie-cutter, egg-washed scones!
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden - test with a toothpick to see if they are done.  They are delicious with sweet or savoury toppings - in the picture, I have gone for butter and red cherry jam.  In the unlikely event that there are any left over from breakfast, slice in half, top with grated cheddar and pop under the grill for a tasty mid-afternoon snack.

Ros' Notes:

Be very careful with the baking powder.  I found 3.5 tsp to be too much.

Chakalaka

Ingredients

250 ml canola oil

30 g fresh chopped ginger

30 g fresh chopped garlic

20 g chopped chiles (choose your type according to how much heat you like!)

200 g chopped onion

500 g tomatoes roughly chopped

100 g green pepper roughly chopped

100 g red pepper roughly chopped

20 - 50 g leaf masala (or curry powder of your choice)

200 g grated carrot

450 g tinned baked beans, undrained

10 g fresh chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

Method

Fry ginger,garlic,chillis,onions in the oil. Add the curry powder of your choice and mix. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 mins. Add peppers and carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add baked beans and cook until the mixture reduces and thickens slightly. You can get away with cooking for only 5-10 minutes at this stage, but the longer you simmer it, the more complex and melded the flavours will be. Remove from heat and add coriander. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

South African Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 - 6 very ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

Directions:
Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla.
Add the eggs one by one and mix well after each addition.
Sift together the dry ingredients and mis into the butter/sugar/egg mix. Mash the bananas and add to the mixture.
Pour into a small greased loaf tin and bake at 180C for one hour or until the bread starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the tin. Allow to cool before removing from the tin and slicing.

Beer & Cheese Braai Bread

Ingredients
500g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
125g cheddar, cut into small cubes
340ml beer (a can in South Africa, slightly less than a full can here in the UK)
50ml water
1Tbsp fresh thyme
50ml sesame or sunflower seeds
Maldon salt to sprinkle on top


Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C Grease a small loaf tin.
Sift flour and salt together in a mixing bowl. Stir in the beer, cheese, water and thyme. You can add a little water if the dough is too dry. Mix until all the flour has been moistened and the dough forms a cohesive mass.
Transfer the dough to the loaf tin, sprinkle with seeds and Maldon salt and place in the pre-heated oven.
Test with a skewer after about one hour when the top is golden brown - if the skewer comes out clean, remove from oven. Serve with plenty of butter.
NB - leave to cool for 10 minutes or so before you slice!! I was in too much of a hurry to get at that glorious-smelling loaf and ended up shredding one end in my haste ;-)

 

Vegetable Potjie with Cheesy Topping

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 sticks of celery, chopped
50 g butter
a pinch of chilli flakes
6 medium potatoes parboiled & thinly sliced
2 medium aubergines/brinjals, peeled & cubed
a cup of courgettes/zucchini sliced diagonally into rings
300g mushrooms, sliced
50ml fresh chopped parsley
30 ml fresh chopped oregano (or 10ml dried)
5 Tbsp brown onion soup powder
1 x 410g tin of chopped tomatoes
250ml fresh breadcrumbs
250ml grated cheddar cheese

Method:
Sauté onion, garlic, chilli flakes and celery in the butter until onions are translucent. Remove from the heat and set aside. Arrange vegetables in potjie in layers as follows: first potatoes, then brinjals, baby marrows and finally mushrooms. Between each layer, add a little of the sautéed mix and sprinkle with parsley, oregano, brown onion soup and salt & pepper to taste. Pour chopped tomatoes over the top of vegetables. Cover with lid and simmer over a slow fire for 1 hour (usually more) or until the vegetables are cooked - do NOT stir at all or peep too often! When the vegetables are done, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and cheese, replace lid and put potjie back on fire until cheese has melted. For a golden brown crust, place a few small coals on the lid.

If you do not own a potjie, I'm sure you could recreate the effect in a slow cooker or crock-pot, although the crispy crust of cheese and crumbs might be a stretch...!

Braai Sarmies

Ingredients:
4 slices white or wholewheat bread
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
Mrs Balls chutney (see below)
1 tomato, sliced
half a medium onion, very thinly sliced
grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Method:
Use about 2/3 of the butter, the garlic and the parsley to make garlic butter.
Spread the outsides of the sandwich with plain butter (this helps with browning and prevents sticking) and the insides with the garlic butter.
Spread some Mrs Balls chutney (another South African institution!) over the butter and then add thinly sliced tomatoes, onion and grated cheese and season with salt and pepper (or Aromat, my much-beloved daily source of MSG ;-)).
Press the 2 halves of the sandwich together before grilling. Make sure the fire is cool enough not to blacken the sandwiches before the cheese has had time to melt. Turn when the bread starts to brown and remove when both sides are browned evenly.

Hasselback Potatoes (SA Style)

Ingredients
6 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
about 15g of butter per potato
1 pkt brown/French onion soup powder

Method

Slice the potatoes (skin on) as thinly as you can but do not slice them all the way through! The potato should still retain an intact base I always struggle with this, but Anne helpfully suggests placing them in a wooden spoon while you are slicing - the curve of the spoon will stop you from slicing through. Thanks for the tip Anne :)).
Place the potatoes in an oven-proof dish which holds them fairly snugly. Melt the butter and drizzle all the potatoes liberally with it. Sprinkle each potato generously with the brown onion soup powder, making sure you get some on the skin and some in between the slices.
Place the potatoes in a pre-heated 200C oven (some recipes suggest loosely covering them in aluminium foil for the first 30 minutes, but I don't) for about 45 minutes, basting frequently with the butter that collects in the dish. Remove when the potatoes are cooked through and the topping is crispy.
(If you are trying alternative versions using breadcrumbs and/or cheese, you only add the crumb/cheese topping in the last 25 minutes of baking.)

Ros' Notes:

These were good.  I found slicing them somewhat painful... but skewering the bottom and then slicing down till you hit the skewer works better than a wooden spoon.  The most difficult thing was trying to ensure that the slices were getting some of the gravy powder between slices.  Also, not enough butter to continue basting with, and due to size variations in potatoes cooking time varied greatly.  But all in all pretty darn tasty!