Mohammed entered his classroom.
"What is your name?" asked the teacher.
"Mohammed".... Answered the kid.
"Here we are in Australia and, there is no Mohammed. From now on Your name will be Bruce," replied the teacher.
In the evening, Mohammed returned home.
"How was your day, Mohammed?" asked his mother.
"My name is not Mohammed, I am in Australia and now my name is Bruce."
"Ah, are you ashamed of your name, are you trying to disown your parents, your heritage, your religion? Shame on you," and she beat him.
Then she called the father and he too beat him savagely.
The next day Mohammed returned to school.
When the teacher saw him with all the bruises she asked:
"What happened to you little Bruce?"
"Well, Miss, 2 hours after becoming Australian I was attacked by two f**kin’ Arabs!..."

A lonely frog, desperate for any form of company telephoned the Psychic Hotline to find out what his future had in store.
His Personal Psychic Advisor advises him, "You are going to meet a beautiful young girl who will want to know everything about you."
The frog is thrilled and says,
"This is great! Where will I meet her, at work, at a party?"
"No" says the psychic, "in a Biology class."

Before the Internet or the AppleMac...Before semi-automatics and crack cocaine...Before SEGA or Cartoon Network...Before Playstation and MTV...Way back.

I'm talking about the time of Hide and Seek in the park...or the in the dark. The cafe down the road, Hopscotch, Donkey, skipping and handstands, backyard cricket with a tomato box, Dandy & Beano annuals, French skipping, charms and "arlies", jumping the river, living on the beach, building a swing from a piece of rope tied to a tree, tennis on the street or swing ball in the backyard.

The smell of suntan lotion, hot tar and Oros. Wicks bubble gum for a cent. An ice cream cone from the kombi that plays a tune. Wait, can you still remember... When around the corner seemed far away and
going into town seemed like going somewhere, and your ma made you "dress up" for the trip.

A million mozzie bites and peeling skin in summer. Sticky fingers and sand in and on everything. Cops and Robbers, Rounders, Stingers, Foefie slides & climbing trees.

Walking or riding your bike to school - no matter what the weather. Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Jumping on the bed..... Pillow fights. Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down. Being tired from playing... Remember that?

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Paper, water bombs and clay "lats" were the ultimate weapon. A piece of card in the spokes held by a clothes peg transformed any bicycle into a motorcycle.

I'm not finished just yet... Can you still taste and smell... eating jelly powder from the box, ice lollies made from cold drink in Tupperware holders in the freezer. Making sherbet from sugar and ENOS and boiling tins of condensed milk to make caramel - took hours!

Do you remember Marshmallow fish and mice.

Remember when... There were two types of takkies - Tommies and the canvas ones, and the only time you wore them at school, was for "PT".

It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.

Nobody owned a pedigree dog. 25 cents was decent pocket money. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for 5 cents and feel lucky. When nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids got there. Remember when it was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb, or make 10 cents appear from behind your ear.

When it was considered a great privilege and very unusual to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant or in a proper hotel. Or when on the rare occasion Dad stopped at a roadhouse or "Dairy Den".

Remember when any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

When being sent to the head master's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of muggings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat....and some of us are still afraid of them!!! And remember your Dad calling a Policemen "Officer"

Didn't that feel good.....just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that!

Remember when.... Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo."

Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "Nix!" "A race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money was handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly" The worst thing you could catch
from the opposite sex was germs.

Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a BIC pen pea shooter or a "cattie". Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable vitamin C or Milk of Magnesia. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Skills and courage were discovered because of a "dare". Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!

We have just returned from a week at Ekuthuleni, click here for my report and some pictures.
You can also see some more photos here

Since Ekuthuleni we have also been to Hazyview Cabanas, for my write-up and pictures click here

We are just back from a really nice trip to Mozambique - Morrumbene Beach Resort
 

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! 
 

The Recipes

Before I get to the stew recipes, here is  recipe sent to me by Jeff Cammack of SafariguideAfrica. Anyone for Kudu?? Click here

Irish stew
Ingredients
45 ml unsalted butter or mutton or lamb fat, melted (optional)
1 kg mutton knuckles or neck chops, or shoulder lamb chops, bone in
4 carrots, quartered
4 onions, quartered
salt and milled black pepper to taste
5 medium potatoes, peeled
15 ml butter
15 ml chopped fresh parsley leaves
15 ml snipped fresh chives (optional)
STOCK
1 kg mutton or lamb bones
sprigs of fresh herbs such as thyme and marjoram
peelings from carrots and trimmings from any other vegetable, such as onion tops

Method:
STOCK: Place bones, herbs, vegetable peelings and trimmings in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 5 cm. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 2 hours. Strain and skim off fat. Reserve 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) stock. Chop mutton or lamb fat into small pieces, if using, and fry over moderately low heat in a heavy-based frying pan until fat renders. Reserve 45 ml (3 tbsp) of rendered fat (dripping), pour into a heavy-based saucepan and brown chops on both sides, in batches. Add carrots, onions, salt, pepper and 600 ml (2 3/5 cups) reserved stock. Place potatoes on top. Simmer stew gently, covered, for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until meat is tender. Transfer meat and vegetables to individual bowls with a slotted spoon. Skim fat from stock. Taste and adjust seasoning. Swirl in butter, parsley and chives and ladle sauce over meat and vegetables.

Lamb stew
Ingredients
1 kg deboned thick rib of lamb, cut into large cubes
15 ml cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
7 ml salt
1 ml freshly ground black pepper
250 ml meat stock
15 ml cake flour

Method:
Brown meat in heated cooking oil in heavy-based saucepan. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add seasoning and heated meat stock. Lower heat and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until almost tender. Thicken sauce with flour and water paste. Eat immediately, or allow to cool, spoon into suitable containers and freeze.

Beef and vegetable stew
Ingredients
15 ml oil
25 ml butter
450 g stewing steak, cubed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, sliced into rings
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
2 medium-sized carrots, scraped clean and cut into pieces
650 g potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
250 g pumpkin, diced
410 g whole tomatoes, finely chopped
250 ml vegetable or chicken stock
200 g broccoli, broken into florets

Method:
Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Season the meat with salt and pepper and fry in heated oil until brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Sauté the onion, garlic and red pepper until tender. Add the carrots, potatoes and pumpkin and return the meat to the pan. Add the tomatoes and stock, reduce the heat and simmer until the meat and vegetables are just tender. Add the broccoli and simmer until just tender but still slightly crisp. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with rice. Serves 4-6.

Beef stew with orange
Ingredients
800 g stewing steak, cubed
oil for frying
8 potatoes
2 leeks
250 ml fresh orange juice
15 ml mustard powder
200 ml water
1 beef stock cube
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a heavy-based saucepan brown the meat cubes in a little heated oil. Add the whole black peppercorns and remove the meat from the pan. Peel and slice the potatoes. Rinse the leeks well and slice into rings. Blend the orange juice and mustard. Dissolve the stock cube in water and add to the orange juice mixture. Layer the meat, potatoes and leeks in a heavy-based casserole dish. Pour over the liquid mixture. Heat and simmer slowly until the potatoes and meat are tender. Serve hot on buttered couscous and garnish with strips of orange rind. Serves 4-6.

Beer stew
Ingredients
1 kg beef shin, sliced
salt and black pepper to taste
oil
1 onion, sliced into rings
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250 ml beer
beef stock, made with a stock cube and 500 ml boiling water
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
5 ml mixed herbs
chopped parsley

Method:
Score the sides of the meat to prevent it from curling while cooking. Season the meat to taste with salt and black pepper. Heat a little oil in a flat bottomed black pot and fry the meat till lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the pot and sauté the onion and garlic in the oil in the pot till soft. Return the meat to the pot. Blend a little of the beer with some of the heated beef stock and add to the meat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer till the meat is nearly tender. Add the potatoes halfway through the cooking time and add more beer and meat stock as the pot boils dry. Simmer till the meat and potatoes are done. Season with extra salt and pepper if necessary and with the mixed herbs. Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving. Serves 4.

Cape winter stew

Ingredients
12 baby potatoes
250 g bacon, chopped
2 kg stewing steak, cubed
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic, crushed
100 ml beef stock
100 ml dry red wine
3 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
20 ml fresh parsley, chopped
15 ml fresh thyme or rosemary,
1 bay leaf
5 whole cloves
7 ml salt
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
Fry the bacon in a heated heavy-based saucepan until done. Remove from the pan and set aside. Brown the meat in the bacon fat. Add the onions, carrots and garlic. Stir-fry until the onions are glossy. Heat the stock, wine and tomatoes and add the meat. Add the seasonings and fried bacon. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is nearly done. Add the potatoes and simmer for another 30-40 minutes until they are tender. Serve with a mixture of white and wild rice. Serves 6-8.

Chicken and rice stew
Ingredients
30 ml olive or sunflower oil
1 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 onion
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
30 ml paprika
250 ml long-grain rice
2 tomatoes
500 ml vegetable stocks
3 garlic

Method:
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add chicken pieces and brown well. Remove chicken and drain on paper towel.
Add onion and peppers and cook for about three to four minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, paprika and rice, and cook for a further one minute.
Add tomatoes and vegetable stock (scraping any browned bits off bottom of the pan) and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for fifty minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve hot.

Chicken and tomato stew

Ingredients
40 ml sunflower oil
500 g breast fillets, cubed
125 g rindless streaky bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
410 g tomato purée
20 ml sugar
1 juice and grated zest of one orange

Method:
1. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over high heat and brown the chicken. Remove from the saucepan and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil and fry the bacon until cooked. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute.
3. Add the chicken, tomato purée, sugar, orange juice and zest, and 2 50 ml hot water to the saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Serve with pasta or rice.

Camping stew
Ingredients
45 ml oil
1 kg stewing beef, cubed
250 g streaky bacon, roughly chopped
3 onions, chopped finely
2 large, ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
125 ml dry red wine
300 ml tomato sauce
3 ml paprika
15 ml dried mixed herbs
20 ml sugar
Worcestershire sauce to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Heat the oil and fry the cubed beef in batches until brown. Remove from the pot. Fry the bacon in the remaining oil until cooked. Add the onions and fry until brown and the bacon is crispy. Add the chopped tomatoes, red wine, tomato sauce, and season with paprika, mixed herbs, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly, cover and simmer for just over an hour or until the meat is tender. Stir occasionally and add hot beef stock if it becomes too dry. Serve with rice and a salad. Serves 4-6.

Curry oxtail stew
Ingredients
1.5 kg oxtail
30 ml curry powder
4 cloves
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
250-500 ml meat stock
1 small onion, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
15 ml butter
30 ml cake flour

Method:
Cut the oxtail into joints and wash thoroughly.
Place meat in a heavy saucepan and add the spices and boiling water.
Simmer for three to four hours, adding more stock when necessary.
After two hours add salt, pepper, onion, carrot and turnip.
Remove spices and skim off as much fat as possible.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the cake flour and fry until brown.
Add the flour mixture to the meat and gravy in the saucepan and stir until the gravy thickens.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

East African stew

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (or any other chicken portions)
4 mutton chops
20 ml sunflower oil
1 large onion, sliced into rings
5 ml ground coriander
2 ml cayenne pepper
400 g tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 x 65 g can tomato paste
45 ml peanut butter
3 bay leaves

Method:
Season chicken and chops well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat oil in a saucepan and brown the chicken and chops.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Add onion to the pan and sauté until soft.
Add coriander and cayenne pepper and fry for a minute.
Add remaining ingredients and return browned meat to the saucepan.
Simmer until meat is tender and sauce is thick.
Serve hot with rice and seasonal vegetables.

Game stew
Ingredients
125 ml olive oil
1 kg game such as rabbit, pheasant, guinea fowl, springbok, impala or kudu, cut into pieces
45 ml each, finely chopped celery and carrots
250 ml pitted prunes
4 cloves
15 ml chopped garlic
600 ml white wine
4 large potatoes, quartered
10 pickling onions, peeled
5 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
15 ml medium-strong wholegrain mustard

Method:
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and brown the game in batches.
Transfer the meat and oil to a large saucepan and add the celery, carrots, prunes, cloves, garlic, wine and potatoes.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the wine has reduced by about half.
Add the onions and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for about two hours or until the meat is tender.
Turn off the stove, stir in the mustard and leave the stew to cool in the saucepan so the flavours can develop.
Heat the stew just before serving and serve with polenta.

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