Dedicated to South Africans living abroad...

For this issue I will concentrate on preserves. In the "old" days this was the preferred way of keeping food for long periods, after all, there were no fridges and freezers so food was preserved in many ways. For this newsletter I have looked for the "not so well known"  recipes, in fact this is the first time I have heard of pumpkin or apple and onion chutney :-) I suppose using the basics you can preserve just about anything...hmmmmmmmm, lemme think..... 
As you can see, I have concentrated mostly on chutneys and atchars that add that special "something" to meat and curry dishes 
Scroll down to get to the recipes..

...and before I forget, the next newsletter is all about "waterblommetjies", so watch this space........

...and I am still looking for more wacky ways to improve the Elephant Stew recipe, a big thanx to those who have already sent in suggestions:-) Take a look at the other comments and add yours Wonder if we can get this one in the Guinness Book of Records?

Enjoy!  
Peter

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Please pass the URL on to friends and  hopefully they will subscribe as well. I would especially like as many South Africans no longer living here to get to see it:-) Subscription details at the end..

If you are looking for a traditional South African recipe and can't find it on my site or anywhere else, or if you have a recipe I could put on the site,  just email me. 

When you have had a look at the recipes below, click here to visit the main recipe page on my site or be brave and go to the Main site for some more South African goodies... 

Any comments, positive or otherwise on this Newsletter will be appreciated.

That's it for now
Keep well
Peter

The Recipes
See Links for Metric Converter

Kumquat preserve

500 g kumquat 
500 ml sugar 
750 ml brandy 

Wash kumquats and pierce each fruit a few times with a sterilized needle, or make a slit crossways at the top of each fruit. Layer the fruit and sugar in a sterilized preserving jar. Pour in the brandy until the fruit is completely covered. Seal and store in a cool dark place. Invert the jar occasionally. The fruit will be ready to eat after four months.

Quince chutney

15 large quinces, skinned and cored 
250 g onions, finely chopped 
60 g garlic, finely chopped 
60 g fresh ginger, finely grated 
4 green peppers, seeded and finely chopped 
4 red peppers, seeded and finely chopped 
250 g dried peaches, finely chopped 
250 g dried apricots, finely chopped 
7 ml mustard powder 
50 ml salt 
1 l soft brown sugar 
2 l grape vinegar 

Chop the quinces finely and place them in a large saucepan (preferably stainless steel) with all the other ingredients. Heat slowly, ensuring the sugar has dissolved before the mixture comes to the boil. Simmer until the mixture thickens and is no longer watery. Stir every now and then to prevent the chutney from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Spoon into sterilised jars and seal. Makes 3,5 litres. 

Green mango atchar

1 kg green mangoes 
5 ml salt 
250 ml sunflower oil 
45 ml atchar masala 
5 ml mustard powder 
6 green chillies, crushed 
6 red chillies, crushed 
20 ml crushed garlic 
190 ml white vinegar 

1. Wash mangoes well, leaving skin on, and cut into 2 cm chunks. 2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. 3. Place in a large container, cover and leave for 3 days, tossing and stirring often. 4. If not using immediately, spoon atchar into sterilised jars, leaving 1,5 cm of space at the top. Seal tightly and store.

Pumpkin chutney

2 kg green apples, skinned and diced 
2 kg pumpkin, skinned and diced 
2 kg tomatoes 
180 g cloves garlic, crushed 
15 ml red chillies, seeded and finely chopped 
1 kg sugar 
10 ml salt 
5 ml ground cloves 
5 ml pepper 
5 ml ginger 
10 ml mustard powder 
5 ml ground cinnamon 
2 litres white grape vinegar 
250 g stoned dates, finely chopped 

Mix all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring continuously until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer until the mixture thickens and is no longer runny. Mash gently with a potato masher if the pumpkin and potato pieces are too big. 

Apple and onion chutney

2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced 
2 onions, diced 
1 medium green pepper, diced 
2 cloves garlic, crushed 
200 ml granulated sugar 
175 ml white vinegar 
120 ml water 
350 g stoned prunes, cut into quarters 
15 ml ginger 
30 ml mustard seeds 
10 ml tomato purée 
3 ml hot curry powder 

Sterilise four 250 ml glass jars and lids by placing them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Keep hot. In a large micro-safe bowl, place apples and next 6 ingredients. Cook covered, on HIGH, for 10 minutes, or until mixture boils. Uncover and stir. Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir prunes, ginger, mustard seeds, tomato purée and curry powder into the chutney mixture. Cook on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often until mixture thickens and becomes slightly syrupy. Immediately ladle hot chutney into hot sterilised jars to within 5 mm of tops. Cover with lids. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. 

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