Travel Tips

To serve six:
Let's start with the rice. You will need:

2 cups of rice
3/4 cup raisins, soaked in water for 20 minutes, then drained
1 teaspoon of turmeric
a dash of salt
2 sticks of cinnamon
Place all the ingredients, including the raisins, in about 750ml of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. If there is still excess water in the pot when the rice is tender, pour it out carefully. Dot the rice with a few blobs of butter and give it a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar (come on, Penny, a little sugar and a little cinnamon powder, mixed together). Cover and keep warm.

For the bobotie you will need:

1 kg minced lamb
125ml milk
1 thick slice of white bread, crust removed and soaked in milk
2 roughly-chopped onions
salt
1 tablespoon of curry powder (mix the hot and the Cape Malay versions for a good flavour)
1 chilli, finely chopped (optional and only if you like your food quite hot)
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of chutney
8 -10 crushed almonds (optional)
3 eggs
1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
6 bay leaves
1 orange, sliced in wheels
1 lemon, sliced in wheels
oil for cooking
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic, onion and curry power. Cook over medium heat for three minutes, then add the minced meat. Fry until the meat is almost done, then - using your hands - squeeze the milk from the bread. Discard the milk and add the bread, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and chutney to the mince. Fry for a minute or so and then remove from heat.

Take a pie dish and place three bay leaves, two wheels of orange and two wheels of lemon at the bottom. Now scoop the mince mixture into the dish. Decorate the sides of the dish with the rest of the lemon and orange wheels, wedging them between the mince and the sides of the dish so that only a third protrudes. If you are using almonds, push them into the mince. Beat the eggs and 125ml milk, and pour over the meat. Put three bay leaves on top of the dish. Place the dish uncovered in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes at 160 deg C.

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.

Hotnotskool
(Wild asparagus)

1kg Wild asparagus (or plain asparagus)
2 large onions - sliced
oil for pan frying
1kg mutton (or pork) shin or neck
4 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into quarters
1 bunch surings ( This is a yellow South African wild flower - we use the stems that are very sour - substitute with a good squeeze of lemon or 15ml vinegar.)
½ cup chicken stock
Salt & pepper to taste.

If using Hotnotskool (wild asparagus) - remove the stalks ( the edible part that looks like asparagus) and soak them in a strong salt and water solution for 10 minutes to remove any insects then rinse well.
Boil the Hotnotskool (wild Asparagus) or asparagus in water for 5 minutes.
Drain it in a colander by placing a heavy object such as a saucer on top and squeeze all the water out.
Meanwhile, fry the onions in oil until browned.
Add the meat and braise until golden brown and part cooked.
Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the Hotnotskool / Asparagus, surings (or subtitute) and stew until the potatoes are done.
Serve with rice.

OUMENS ONDER DIE KOMBERS
(Old people between the blankets)

Ingredients:

1 large cabbage, separated into leaves and stalk discarded
2 Tablespoons (30ml) oil (sunflower , canola or olive)
1 Onion Finely chopped
450g Beef mince
1 Egg
1 teaspoon salt (5ml)
½ teaspoon 2,5ml freshly ground peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 slices day old bread - soaked in water
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Onion Layer
3 Tablespoons (45ml) oil
2 onions - chopped
salt,sugar & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180° C.
Pour boiling water over cabbage leaves and set aside.
Heat oil in frying pan, add the onion and fry until well browned.
Mix the mince, egg, salt, pepper, garlic and fried onion together in a mixing bowl.
Squeeze the water out of the bread and add the bread to the meat mixture. Mix to a loose texture.
Drain the cabbage leaves and set aside.
Shape the mince mixture into frikkadels (meat balls) and wrap each one in a cabbage leaf and secure with tooth picks or string.

For the onion layer, heat the oil, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Season to taste.
Place onion layer into an oven proof glass dish, place the cabbage frikkadels on top.
Cover and bake for 40 - 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little nutmeg over.
Serve hot.

Koeksisters

The secret of the crisp syrupy outside of koeksisters is that they are taken
straight from hot oil and dipped into ice-cold syrup. This seals the syrup
outside and leaves the inside dryish in contrast.

375ml water
800g sugar
2ml (1/2t) cream of tartar
2ml (1/2t) ground ginger
3 cinnamon sticks
500g cake flour
30ml (6t) baking powder
2ml (1/2t) salt
50ml (4T0 butter or margarine
2 eggs
250ml milk
oil for deep frying

To make syrup, heat water in a saucepan, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add
cream of tartar, ginger and cinnamon.
Boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Do not stir, remove from stove and chill.
While syrup is chilling, make koeksisters. Sift flour, baking powder and salt
together.
Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Beat eggs and milk together and add to dry ingredients. Mix dough well, then
knead lightly for 2 minutes to make it pliable.
Cover basin with wax paper and leave for 1 hour.
Roll dough to a thickness of 7.5 to 10mm. Cut into strips about 8 cm long and
2.5 cm wide. Cut each strip into three lengthwise, leaving one side uncut. Now
plait the three pieces and press ends together firmly.
Heat oil to 190ºC and deepfry koeksisters for 1 minute. (Do not fry too many at
once)
The syrup will warm up about halfway through, so divide the syrup into two
bowls.
Remove from oil, drain on brown paper for 1 minute and dip in cold syrup for 30
seconds. Remove from syrup and place on a dish to dry.
Yummy!!

Just be careful of the hot oil! These can be kept in the freezer and served when
needed. They are VERY sweet and like peanuts, once you start eating them it's
hard to stop! Mother in law used to prepare dozens of these at a time and
supplied thw whole of Hermanus (the town where they lived)

Try this traditional 18th century South African recipe. A bredie is an old Cape
name for a dish of stewed fat mutton and vegetable.

25 ml butter (or margarine, lard or sunflower oil)
2 large onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1.5 kg stewing lamb or mutton, cubed
10 ml salt
milled pepper
little stock, water or wine
500 g potatoes, sliced
1 kg medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
5 ml white sugar
2 ml dried thyme
5 ml chopped fresh marjoram

Heat the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic for about 5
minutes or until the onions are transparent. Add the meat and brown quickly on
all sides. Add the salt, pepper and a little stock, water or wine and simmer,
covered, for 90 to 120 minutes, or until the meat starts to get tender. Add the
potatoes, tomatoes, sugar, thyme and marjoram and stew for a further hour. Serve
with cooked rice.

This is one of my favourites. I add lots of freshly ground black pepper once
served. Just the right thing for those northern hemisphere winters!

Banana Bread

d1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
1 Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt,
and sugar. Add butter, eggs, nuts, and mashed banana. Beat until well blended.
3 Pour batter into prepared pan and bake about 1 hour, or until a toothpick
inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Serve with butter - great with tea as a cake rather than bread

What better way to unwind than to watch the whales frolicing in the ocean, the sun setting in the background whlist sipping a glass of the Cape's finest wines!

Once rated as "poor mans food", Cape Rock Lobster, more commonly known as "crayfish"or "kreef" among the locals, has over the years become a sought after delicacy.
Ideally the lobster should be steamed, not boiled as not to lose any of its wonderful taste. One of my favourite methods of preparation is to steam them for about 6 minutes in a closed pot.
Remove from the pot and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Turn the lobster onto it's back and using a sharp knife, split it lengthwise down the centre so that you are left with two halves.

Prepare a basting sauce as follows
250g butter
1 handfull of fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
Finely chop the garlic and parsley while heating the butter.
Add the parsley and garlic to the butter and stir.
Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Place lobster halves meat side down onto a grid over med - hot coals for about 2 minutes then turn them over and grill for a further 5 to 6 minutes basting generously.

Enjoy!