Right click here to download a really handy eBook containing hundreds of really nice sarmie ideas. (file about 1.1meg)

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My Recipe CD has now been updated and now includes 50 Recipe eBooks as well as 8 Bonus eBooks (4 eBooks on making, marketing and selling crafts for profit) Click here to take a look. (that works out to about R2 per recipe book! sheessshhh!)

Hello Peter,
Just to let you know that I received my recipe CD today in the mail and I'm over the moon about it.
I'm going to spread the word to others to order copies too. It's most certainly worth every cent..........
Thanks again,
LC

Glenacres Superspar sends out a really nice newsletter full of super recipes. To subscribe, click here and send the blank email. 

Mangoes are in season at the moment, try this one:

NO COOKING MANGO CHUTNEY

8 large, ripe mangos
1 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
1½ cups white vinegar
125g pitted, chopped dates or seedless raisins

1. Peel the mangos and cut into cubes
2. Put the mango cubes into a bowl and pour the salt over, allow to stand for 15 minutes
3. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar
4. Add the chopped dates or raisins, mix well and bottle in sterilized bottles

Go take a look at my Wacky Sarmies page, there are some great sarmie ideas!

Hello Peter!
I was just reading about the sandwiches people eat, and I had to laugh at a comment from a former South African who is living in the US. She said that she had seen an ad on TV that showed someone dipping a beef sandwich into coffee! It's beef broth, not coffee. And it's delicious, but messy.
Here are a couple of my favorite sandwiches --
1. Crispy bacon with two fried eggs and a little mayonnaise or butter
2. Cook a roast using beer instead of water. (That's an old trick from pioneer days. Beer is a natural meat tenderizer, and it adds flavor to the meat.) Season it with Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and lemon pepper.
If you use a crock pot, let it go all day on 'low'. You'll be able to pull it apart with a couple of forks when it's done. Shred the meat and serve on hamburger buns with grilled onions and barbecue sauce.

Jody Harnish
Everett, Washington, USA

Source: Sunday Times

1956: Coloured voters in S Africa are removed from the common roll, thousands of women protest pass laws at the Union Buildings, 156 peole including Nelson mandela and Walter Sisulu are arrested for treason, Elvis Presley has his first hit with Heartbreak Hotel, the musical My fair Lady opens in New York.

This dates from the late 1800's

Rice dumplings - Make a stiff batter with cold rice, milk, a little four or eggs. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water and drop a spoonful at a time into the boiling water. As each dumpling rises to the surface, take it out, put it into a dish kept hot, and sprinkle it with sugar, cinnamon and a little butter.

Nature is wonderful. I envy the jobs of the game rangers and their wealth of bush knowledge. I have often wondered where one can read up on all the interesting facts. I would like to make this a regular feature of this newsletter, if you are able to contribute or would like to comment on the contribution below, please email me.

The Big 5 - or is it 6??

Everyone that knows something about wildlife in Southern Africa knows about the Big 5.  Why the Big 5? Not because of their size, but because they are the most dangerous. They are the lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and the buffalo. But if being most dangerous is the criteria, then surely we should have the Big 6 as the hippopotamus is more dangerous than any of the above. More people are killed by hippos than any other of the Big 5. Those massive jaws can easily bite a human in two! During the night hippos come out of their water pools  to graze grass on the riverbanks or even further away from the river. I have been warned many times never to come between a hippo and its water pool.

Subscribe to my Afrikaans newsletter . Visit my Afrikaans website
 

Potjiekos recipe

Another new feature, from now on I will feature a potjie recipe with each newsletter. For those of you who are not familiar with a potjie (cast iron three legged pot) you may use a dutch oven.

Venison Potjiekos:
2 kg (± 4½ pounds) deboned venison, cut into small blocks
(kudu, springbok or impala is excellent)
1 kg (± 2.2 pounds) beef shin (shank, knuckle-bone), cut into slices
75 ml (5 tablespoons) cake-flour
15 ml (1 tablespoon) salt
Freshly ground black pepper (to your taste)
3 ml (a pinch) graded nut
1 can (± 400 ml) mushroom soup
1 litre (4 cups) apple juice
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
4 potatoes, cut into small blocks
5 carrots, sliced
4 onions, sliced
1 butternut squash, sliced
4 peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Dumplings:
360 g (750 ml/3 cups) self-raising flour
7 ml (½ tea spoon) salt
375 ml (1½ cups) milk

Method
Barbecue (braai) meat in a heated "potjie" until brown.
Add cake-flour, soup and flavouring substances .
Heat the apple juice and wine in a small pan and pour it over the meat.
Put on the lid and simmer for 3-4 hours,
put the vegetables in layers on top of the meat,
put on the lid and simmer for another half an hour.
In the mean time, mix all the ingredients for the dumplings together to form a soft dough, scoop the dough on top of the vegetables and simmer for another half an hour.

A preacher wanted to raise money for his church and on being told that there was a fortune in horse racing, decided to purchase one and enter it in the races.
However at the local auction, the going price for horses was so high that he ended up buying a donkey instead
He figured that since he had it, he might as well go ahead and enter it in the races. To his surprise, the donkey came in third!
The next day the local paper carried this headline: ’PREACHER'S ASS SHOWS’
The preacher was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again, and this time it won.
The paper read: ‘PREACHER'S ASS OUT IN FRONT’
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the preacher not to enter the donkey in another race.
The paper headline read: ’BISHOP SCRATCHES PREACHER'S ASS’
This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the preacher to get rid of the donkey.
The preacher decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.
The paper headline the next day read: ’NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN’
The Bishop fainted.
He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.00.
Next day the headline read: ’NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.00’
This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey, lead it to the plains where it could run wild and free.
Next day, the headline in the paper read: ‘NUN ANNOUNCES......HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE’The Bishop was buried the next day.Today's Dictionary Word For Women
Diet Soda (dy*it so*da):n.
A drink you buy at a convenience store to go with a half pound bag of peanut M&Ms.

SCENTED GERANIUM
Geraniums are indigenous to South Africa, but have spread throughout the world as treasured pot plants.
The are many different types of geraniums, but rose-scented, peppermint and citrus remain old favourites.
They like a sunny spot, with well composted, light soil. A thorough watering one a week and a spadeful of compost twice a year, is all that they ask for.
Prune well in January to discourage straggly growth.
Pull off a sprig at any time of the year except the coldest months, strip the bottom leaves and press into a box filled with wet sand. Keep in the shade, and within a month they will be sturdy little plants ready for transplanting.
The leaves can be picked at any time of the year. The leaves are rich in oils and are best used when fresh.
The small pink flowers are prolific in spring, and are edible.
Plant geraniums near cabbages to repel white cabbage butterfly.
Rose geranium planted round the edge of a vegetable garden repels beetles.

MEDICINAL USES
Rose geranium is the best for relaxation. A cup of rose-scented geranium tea is one of the best medicinal teas around. It relaxes the entire nervous and digestive system.
Geranium tea is excellent for headaches, stiff muscles, cramps and spasms. To make the tea, pour a cup of boiling water over a 1/4 cup of fresh leaves, stand for 5 minutes, then strain. Sweeten with honey if desired.
Essential oils are used to aid stress, sleeplessness, pre-menstrual tension, skin ailments and depression.

CULINARY USES
Rose-scented geranium is the only edible species, although peppermint and citrus geraniums add flavour to drinks, desserts, syrups and jams.
Use rose geranium leaves in scones, cakes, pancakes and dough.
Make some rose geranium butter (recipe below) to serve with your scones.

COSMETIC USES
Rose geranium makes a lovely bath vinegar.
Tie a few leaves and sprigs in a face cloth and use, with soap, as a scrub for a penetrating cleansing and relaxing treatment.
Use rose-scented geranium massage cream (recipe below) on tired legs and feet or for dry skin on hands and feet.

OTHER USES
Scented geranium spray is ideal for treating stale, smoked-filled rooms.
Foliar spray (recipe below) made from a mixture of comfrey and scented geranium leaves makes an excellent booster for slow growing plants.
Use the strong smelling citrus- or camphor-scented leaves, the tiny nutmeg-scented leaves, the peppermint- and rose-scented leaves or a mixture of all of these for aphids, mildew and thripps on plants.

ROSE GERANIUM BUTTER
3-4 Tablespoons of Rose-geranium Leaves, finely minced
1 Cup Soft Butter
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients well, then spread onto toast, scones, pancakes etc., and top with a little apricot jam or apple jelly.

GERANIUM MASSAGE CREAM
1 Cup Chopped Geranium Leaves
1 Cup Aqueous Cream
2 teaspoons Vitamin E Oil
Simmer the leaves and cream in a double boiler for 20 minutes.
Cool and strain.
Add the vitamin E oil and stir well.
Seal in a sterilised jar.

FOLIAR SPRAY
Take 1/2 a bucket of fresh leaves, stems and flowers, and pour over this 1 bucket of boiling water. Add 1/2 bucket of chopped comfrey leaves if available. Stir, cover and leave for 3 days. Strain off the liquid and splash or spray onto plants and water in a little around them. Do this once a week for 3 weeks, and you can watch them grow.

The FunkyMunky Herb eBook is now available. 48 popular herbs, descriptions and uses with photos. Immediately available, will be emailed to you. Only R50 , send me an email for payment details.
I'm very impressed with what I've read so far. What I really like is that your book is a combination of medicinal and culinary advice, unlike many other herb books I've read.
And the format is great - thanks very much. I have an ambitious project to make a herb garden this year - so your section of herb gardens will come in very handy - Shelagh 
 

Zimbabwe update

I used to have a regular feature on my website that I called the Zimbabwe Letters. sadly my contact "went silent" and I didn't have a source any more. I am looking for another source (any volunteers?).

The following received from Cathy Buckle:

Zimbabwe has limped into another year with almost all aspects of normal life completely gone. Every day has become incredibly tough with an ever growing demand for an increasingly dwindling supply of food, bank notes, electricity and water. Many thousands of Zimbabweans have used the Christmas and school holidays to pour out of the country in search of mental relief and in order to procure precious essential supplies. How
absurd it is that a so called land revolution has left us scouring shops across our borders in all four directions to get basic supplies that Zimbabwe not only produced but exported just a decade ago. This great food
trek must surely be cause for monumental shame and embarrassment to the party that have ruled the country for the last 27 years. For the past seven years they have found one scapegoat after another to blame our hunger and poverty on, but the facts out there on the roads leading to the border towns cannot not be spun - no matter how clever the propaganda.

Gone are the days when you could take a break at a lay-by on a road journey. Now all these stopping places within 150 kilometres of border posts are fully occupied, some of them on an apparently permanent basis by
Zimbabwe's mobile population. Draped over the remains of fences and hanging on shrubs are tattered grey blankets. Shirtless men sit around in groups tending fires in the lay-by's. Some are cooking pots of maize porridge, others are just keeping the fires burning - ready to warm the people who will be coming, waiting, and then moving on to cross the border under cover of darkness. In some lay-by's women and children are already waiting, their bags piled and ready for the transport that will come in the dark to carry them to the border. At other lay-by's the people traders are so established that they have erected small structures within sight of the road - sticks and plastic providing primitive shelter and protection from the weather.

With stopping at lay-by's not advised and stopping at garages and shops pointless as there is neither fuel nor food and refreshments to buy, the journey into and out of Zimbabwe is long and gruelling. The roads are fast
falling into a state of collapse as a result of the incessant stream of trucks and transporters pounding the tarmac as they haul food and fuel into our once rich country. In many places along the main roads the edges have become seriously cut away and eroded making pulling over or stopping very dangerous. Road markings are rare, signs and warnings of hazards are non existent and all in all it is a shocking advertisement to tourists and visitors to the country. For at least two hundred kilometres on the road approaching the border post into South Africa, the highway is strewn with enormous potholes, some are many centimetres deep and two metres wide. There are many places on the road where these holes are unavoidable and everywhere you see people stopped, repairing punctures, changing wheels or waiting for help.

To exacerbate the situation is a season of very heavy rains and although it is good to see rivers filling and flowing, the impact of so much water on a crumbling infrastructure is devastating. Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink - a well known saying which is more appropriate today in many parts of Zimbabwe than ever before. We've not had a drop of water in my home town for the past three days and so we are collecting rain water in buckets for drinking, washing, cleaning and cooking. It is a grim way to begin 2008 and we hope and pray that this is the last year we ever to have endure such deprivation because of politics.
Until next week, thanks for reading, love cathy.

My books: "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears" are available in South Africa
from: books@clarkesbooks.co.za and in the UK from: orders@africabookcentre.com
To subscribe to this newsletter, please write to: cbuckle@mango.zw

From ZWNews, To subscribe, please email ironhorse@zwnews.net
 

This South Africa - interesting facts and information

The A to Z of South African culture (each newsletter features a letter of the alphabet) see archive

F is for Festivals
South Africa has a celebration for every event, place, art form, food, drink and agricultural commodity. There's the Ficksburg Cherry Festival, the National Arts Festival, countless mud-and-dust music festivals, hundreds of mud-and-manure farm shows, the Lambert's Bay Kreeffees (crayfish festival), Hantam Vleisfees (meat festival) and more.
The Prickly Pear Festival in Uitenhage offers traditional food such as potjiekos, home-made jam, braais and bunnychow. The Philippolis Witblits Festival celebrates a proud local tradition - witblits (Afrikaans for "white lightning") is South African moonshine.

And every year, southern right whales travel thousands of miles to the Cape south coast to mate and calve in the bays. To celebrate the season the villagers of Hermanus put on a major festival which includes the best land-based whale watching in the world.
 

Source: SouthAfrica.info
The all-in-one official guide
and web portal to South Africa.  
 

Recipe Requests

Looking for a specific South African recipe? Email me and I will do my best to find it for you!

Add your suggestions to my Elephant Stew and Wacky Sarmies recipes.
 

Featured Website

Every issue I feature an interesting website .  Click below to go to my fav radio station from the good old days.... Springbok Radio
 

The Recipes

COTTAGE CHEESE and HAM BAKE
225g cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
50g diced ham
½ tsp prepared mustard
7.5g melted butter
GARNISH
1 mushroom, sliced
½ green pepper, sliced

1. Blend together the cottage cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, ham and mustard
2. Butter an ovenproof dish and pour in the cheese mixture
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes @ 180°C adding the mushrooms and green peppers 5 minutes before cooking is complete

MELON with SMOKED HAM

1 small yellow melon
100g smoked ham, very thinly sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
black olives for garnish

1. Chill the melon well before cutting it into the required numbers of portions
2. Cut into wedges and remove seeds and skins
3. Arrange rolled slices of smoked ham on each melon portion
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with black olives

BEEF with CABBAGE
500g rump steak
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp oil
2 sticks celery, cut into strips
4 spring onions, finely chopped
100g cabbage, shredded
1 Tbsp Soya sauce
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Rub the meat with the crushed garlic and cut into paper thin small strips
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the meat over a high heat for 2 minutes, stirring all the time - remove from the pan
3. Add the celery, spring onions and cabbage to the pan and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
4. Return the meat to the pan and add the Soya sauce, salt and pepper
5. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes more - serve immediately

SLAMMER'S STROGANOFF
500g lean stewing beef
15g butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
100g sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg
½ tsp basil
150ml stock
300ml natural yoghurt
chopped parsley or chives for garnish

1. Cut the meat into strips the size of thick matchsticks
2. Heat the butter, add the onions and sauté until transparent
3. Add the meat and brown over a fairly high heat
4. Reduce the heat and add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, nutmeg, basil and stock
5. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes
6. Stir in the yoghurt, heat, but do not boil, and check the seasoning
7. Sprinkle with parsley or chives before serving

BEEF and TOMATO CASSEROLE
1 Tbsp oil
750g diced chuck steak
8 small onions, peeled
8 small carrots, peeled and quartered lengthways
3 sticks celery, diced
100g button mushrooms
4 medium leeks, sliced
225g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp tomato puree
600ml beef stock
pinch of cinnamon
bouquet garni
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly chopped parsley

1. Heat the oil and fry the meat to brown all over - transfer the meat to a casserole dish
2. Fry the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and leeks in the same pan for 5 minutes, then add to the meat
3. Fry the tomatoes and tomato puree for 2 minutes, scraping the pan to incorporate any juices from the meat and veg.
4. Add the stock and allow to boil
5. Add the cinnamon, bouquet garni, nutmeg. salt & pepper, the pour over the meat and vegetables
6. Cover and simmer in a pre-heated oven 150°C for 2 - 2½ hours
7. Discard the bouquet garni and serve with sprinkled parsley

PORK CHOPS with LEMON and GINGER
2 Tbsp oil
grated rind of 2 lemons
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp clear honey
2 tsp ground ginger
salt & black pepper
4 pork chops
lemon and parsley for garnishing

1. Mix together the oil, lemon rind, lemon juice, honey, ginger, salt & pepper
2. Place the pork chops in a single layer in a shallow dish
3. Pour the marinade over and leave for at least 3 hours, turning the chops occasionally
4. Drain the chops and grill under a hot grill for 15 minutes, turning once and basting with the marinade
5. Garnish with lemon and parsley and serve with a lovely green salad

CURRIED HADDOCK MOUSSE
500g fresh or smoked haddock
½ Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tsp curry powder
100g cottage cheese
5cm of cucumber, finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 Tbsp lemon juice
7.5g gelatine
1 egg white

1. Steam the haddock between 2 plates over a pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or in the microwave
2. Leave to cool, then flake with a fork, discarding any skin or bones
3. Brush a frying pan with oil, then fry the onion and curry powder for 5 minutes, stirring
4. Allow to cool, then stir it in the cottage cheese
5. Stir in the fish, cucumber and parsley
6. Heat the lemon juice in the microwave and dissolve the gelatine in the hot lemon juice
7. Add to the fish mixture, blending well
8. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture
9. Transfer the mousse to a mould, previously rinsed out with cold water, and leave in the refrigerator to set
10. Invert on to a plate before serving with salads
This mousse can be prepared in individual cocotte dishes for a perfect starter

RATATOUILLE
1 medium aubergine (egg plant), diced
225g baby marrow, sliced
salt
1 Tbsp oil
4 medium onions, sliced
500g tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley for garnish

1. Place the aubergine and baby marrow in a colander, sprinkle with salt and allow to stand for 30 minutes - rinse and pat dry
2. Heat the oil, add the onions, tomatoes and garlic and cook gently until the juice starts to flow from the tomatoes
3. Add the green and red peppers, aubergines and marrows. salt and pepper
4. Stir well and cover with a tight fitting lid
5. Simmer gently until the vegetables are cooked, but still firm
6. Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with parsley

BRAISED CELERY
2 heads of celery
15g butter
250ml beef stock
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & black pepper
finely chopped parsley to garnish

1. Trim the celery and cut each head into quarters, lengthways
2. Wash the celery well, and pat dry with a paper towel
3. Heat the butter, add the celery and toss it in the butter over a gently heat until lightly browned
4. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce. salt and pepper, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender, but crisp
5. Serve sprinkled with parsley

TANGY FRESH ORANGE JELLY
3 large oranges
1 lemon
300ml water
15g powdered gelatine
artificial liquid sweetener

1. Using a potato peeler, peel the oranges and lemon very thinly, taking care to leave the pith behind
2. Put the orange and lemon peel in a saucepan with the water, bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
3. Put 4 Tbsp cold water in a basin, sprinkle in the gelatine and allow to soak for 5 minutes
4. Add this to the pan containing the peel and water, away from the heat, and stir well until dissolved
5. Strain this into a measuring jug, add the strained juice of the oranges and lemon and make up to 600ml with cold water
6. Sweeten to taste with sweetener, but keep it tangy
7. Pour into a moistened jelly mould and chill until set

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