The Culinary Adventures of a Travelling Cook (2015)

8/20/2019 The Culinary Adventures of a Travelling Cook (2015)

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For William, Moira and Graham

NATASHA BARNESFOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK ROYAL

The Culinary Adventures of a

TRAVELLING

COOK


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Thanks

Published in 2014 by Struik Lifestyle

(an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd)

Company Reg. No 1966/003153/07

Estuaries No 4, Century Avenue (Oxbow Crescent), Century City 7441

PO Box 1144 Cape Town 8000 South Africa

www.randomstruik.co.za

Copyright © in published edition:

Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd 2014Copyright © in text: Natasha Barnes 2014

Copyright © in photographs: Natasha Barnes 2014,

except as credited alongside

ISBN 978-1-43230-183-5

All rights reserved. No par t of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means,

electronic, digital, mechanical, photo-copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and the

copyright owner(s).

PUBLISHER: Linda de Villiers

MANAGING EDITOR: Cecilia Barfield

DESIGNER: Beverley Dodd

EDITOR & INDEXER: Joy Clack (Bushbaby Editorial Services)

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER: Patrick Royal

FOOD STYLIST: Natasha Barnes

PROOFREADER: Samantha Fick (Bushbaby Editorial Services)

Reproduction by Hirt & Carter Cape (Pt y) Ltd

Printing and binding by 1010 Printing International Ltd, China

Photographic Credits

Andre Anita/Shutterstock.com (p. 63 third row right); Kenji AZUMA/

Shutterstock.com (p. 86); Michal Bednarek/Shutterstock.com

(p. 136); Jez Bennett/Shutterstock.com (p. 1 right, p.62 fourth row left);

Bikeworldtravel/Shutterstock.com (p. 140 top left and bottom right);

Volodymyr Brudiak/Shutterstock.com (p. 63 first row right and third

row left); Jordi C/Shutterstock.com (p. 62 first row centre); curioso/

Shutterstock.com (p. 92 bottom left); Endless Travellers/Shutterstock.

com (p. 85 first row centre); Filmlandscape/Shutterstock.com (maincover image); Marco Govel/Shutterstock.com (p. 140 top right);

Anjelika Gr/Shutterstock.com (p. 18 second row centre); Richard Heeps

(pp. 16–17, p. 18 third row right, p. 101 top left and bottom right);

Anton Ivanov/Shutterstock.com (p. 62 third row left, p. 85 second row

right); Javarman/Shutterstock.com (p. 210); Juancat/Shutterstock.com

(p. 125 top left); Kjetil Kolbjomsrund/Shutterstock.com (p. 176 top left);

Korpithas/Shutterstock.com (p. 125 top right); Andrzej Kubik/Shutter-

stock.com (p. 3); Nadezhda Kulikova/Shutterstock.com (p. 200 top left);

Barry Lawson (endpapers, p. 1 centre left, p. 162); Leungchopan/Shut-terstock.com (p. 176 bottom right); Edmund Lowe/Shutterstock.com

(p. 4); Alberto Loyo/Shutterstock.com (p. 85 third row centre); Martchan/

Shutterstock.com (p. 85 first row left); Andrey Maximov/Shutterstock.

com (p. 92 top r ight); Megapixel.org/Shutterstock.com (p. 93 bottom

left); Maggy Meyer/Shutterstock.com (p. 56); Milosz_M/Shutterstock.

com (p. 176 bottom left); Kruglov Orda/Shutterstock.com (p. 18 first

row left); Vadim Petrakov/Shutterstock.com (p. 62 fourth row right);

Pincasso/Shutterstock.com (p. 85 fourth row left); PokkO/Shutterstock.

com (p. 172); PzAxe/Shutterstock.com (p. 176 top right); Segoya/Shut-

terstock.com (p. 125 bottom right); Sematadesigns/Shutterstock.com(p. 140 bottom left); Andrej Sevkovskij/Shutterstock.com (p. 63 fourth

row centre) Mircea Simu/Shutterstock.com (p. 125 bottom left); Villiers

Steyn/Shutterstock.com (p. 26); Ian Woolcock/Shutterstock.com (p. 122).

I wish to thank Peta Lamb from Parys, as well as my dear friend Delyse

Fell from Amanzimtoti for their relentless nagging to write this book. My

heartfelt thanks goes to my fr iend Hettie Saaiman, who so gracefully put

up with me for a whole month in Mauritius, and allowed me to run amok

in her kitchen while I finished this book. Thank you to Joyce who cleaned

up week after week with a smile. I also cannot go without saying thank

you to my parents, Moira and William Barnes, who have always support-

ed me in every thing I have ever wanted to do, and for never saying ‘there’s

no money in Art, get a degree’.

And a huge thank you to Graham for supporting me in every step of

this journey called life – dankie Boet.

Thank you, too, to Anne McLeod, my advanced cake-decorating

teacher, for her proofreading, guidance and assistance with my fr uitcake

recipes. Her vast experience was invaluable.

I wish to thank the following people for contributing some of the

photographs: Leonie O’Donelle, Richard Heeps, Nadine Oliver, Alida

Coetzee, Barry Lawson, Graham Barnes and Sue Wiper.

To the publishing team – Linda de Villiers (publisher), Joy Clack (editor),

Beverley Dodd (designer) – thank you from the bottom of my heart. This

book would never have become a reality without your assistance and

professional guidance. It really is a dream come true for me and I could

not have done anything as spectacular or visual without your input.

http://-/?-http://-/?-


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Contents

Introduction 5

Parys – A river runs through it 7

The Bushveld – Oupa se kind 27

Silwood School of Cookery and Your Family magazine – An artist in the making 45

Out of Africa – Overland by any means 57

Ethiopia – No mountain too high 75

Argentina and Paraguay – Old friends 87

United States of America –Living the dream 99

Russia – Christmas in Siberia 111

The Mediterranean – Food for the gods 123

England – Pussycat, pussycat,

where have you been? 137

China and Hong Kong – No English needed 153

Thailand and Burma – A thousand little Buddhas 163

Singapore, Malaysia and Bali –

Songbirds and satays 173

Sri Lanka – Tea for two 183

Cambodia and Vietnam – ... I took the one less travelled by 197

India and Nepal – A passage to India 211

Recipe index 222


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INTRODUCTION

Life takes its own turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story;

and along the way, we start to realize we are not the author.

George W. Bush

The journey of this book began with an aerogram. A simple, folded sheet of paper from Sri Lanka that ultimately

shaped a chapter of my life. At the time I did not realise the significance. I was, in all respects, happily employed

as a cookery editor, and had a life plan mapped out. But, as John Lennon said: ‘Life is what happens while you’re

busy making other plans’ and I soon found myself in a completely different direction in a short space of time.

I unintentionally swapped my apron for a paintbrush and rapidly became one of South Africa’s most published

international artists. A journey as long and hard as the gold with which it is paved. My talent has taken me all

over the world, affording me a whirlwind of success, and notability in my field. While nothing prepared me for

this experience, I soon found myself reliving my adventures through food, instinctively collecting recipes andinformation along the way, knowing that, someday, I would share this knowledge.

During my numerous trips abroad, I have not remained idle. To complement my Grande Diplome from Silwood

School of Cookery, I attended cooking schools in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, undertook an

advanced cake decorating course, obtained a National Qualification in Training and Development from the

hospitality industry, and opened two cooking schools at a maximum security prison in KwaZulu-Natal where

I trained prisoners in conjunction with the Department of Labour. This enabled me to uplift the skills of the

often forgotten and downtrodden souls from our society. In the early days of my career, it was not unheard of

to cook with the prisoners in the mornings, paint in the afternoons and fly to New York over the weekends!

One afternoon not that long ago, I found a little tin box with all sorts of bits and pieces, the type of stuff we keep

for no reason at all. Amongst all that junk I found my blue aerogram, with a recipe lovingly scribbled in ink and

post marked ‘Senkada Gala Sri Lanka 1997’. The aerogram sparked my memory and brought back the promiseI had made to myself to one day write my story. At the time, of course, I was not sure of how it would play out.

The aerogram was the first correspondence I had received from abroad and the first of many I had collected. The

letter included a recipe and also the story behind it, and came from the Sri Lankan Minister of Defence.

Instinctively I knew the time had come to tell my story. This book is the canvas of how it all played out.

INTRODUCTION 5


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A RIVER RUNS THROUGH ITMy brother and I had the most wonderful childhood in the Free State town of Parys. When I

think of our early years, I see us riding our bikes through the streets of the old, sleepy town,

in tune with the rhythm of the mighty Vaal River. We spent a great deal of time swimming

in its cool waters, catching tadpoles and playing along its banks.

Life was slow and easy, and mostly revolved around food. Before the days of television or

video, we had to entertain ourselves. Weekends were filled with parties, drinking, Sunday

luncheons, church bazaars and school sports events.

My mother was always involved somehow. If it was not the sports day or police club dance,

then the local high school would ask her to help out with the desserts for the matric dance.

She would spend all week making ice creams and fridge tarts and then on the morning ofthe dance she would get a couple of strong men to load the chest freezer and generator onto

the back of the bakkie. Mita, our domestic worker, would spend the morning running from

the kitchen to the garage to fill the freezer as the ice creams came off the production line.

As evening approached, my mom and dad would sit on the stoep, sipping on a few whis-

keys, waiting for the school to call. When the last roast beef and Yorkshire pudding was

served, the telephone would ring, signalling that it was time for my mom to depart. The

blue Nissan bakkie would make its way up to the school and then pull up beside the school

hall where throngs of waiting standard nines would line up to collect their table’s desserts.

I believe that life remains largely unchanged for the inhabitants of this town, founded in

1870 and named after Paris, a city on the banks of the Seine, along whose waters I have

strolled many times. Who would have thought?


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TIPS

• Make sure you use castor sugar, not regular sugar because the secret of this tart is the fine texture.• Use only salted butter and not margarine. It makes all the difference.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Grease a 22 cm square ovenproof dish.

Cream 100 g of the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating well

to incorporate. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the

creamed mixture, alternating with the milk until everything has been combined. Turn the bat-ter into the prepared dish and bake for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre

comes out clean.

Melt the remaining butter and the Marmite together in a small saucepan over low heat. Re-

move the tart from the oven and pour over the melted butter and Marmite mixture.

This tart can be served hot or cold.

M 1 m tt.

200 td tt

80 m (1 ⁄3 C) ct

1

375 m (11

⁄2 C) c 15 m (1 T) d

2.5 m (1 ⁄2 t) t

250 m (1 C) m

45 m (3 T) Mmt

Marmite tartIn summer, the willow trees on the banks of the Vaal would bow to the mighty river, their branches hanging over the waters.

I played for hours amongst those trees, slipping into the cool water and watching the barn swallows nesting under the bridge.My most treasured memory from my childhood is sitting in my Ouma Engela’s kitchen with a cup of tea and a slice of warm,salty Marmite tart, our feet still muddy from the river. I have all my grandmother’s cookery books, which is where I found this

treasure written in her familiar handwriting.

PARYS 9


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10 PARYS

Cooking TiMes for laMb

rt: 10–15 minutes at 230 °C, then 15 minutes for every 500 g

s-t: 25 minutes at 160 °C, then 25 minutes for every 500 g

Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Grease a roasting pan large enough to hold the shoulder of lamb

and all the potatoes.

Roughly crush two sprigs of rosemary with 45 ml (3 Tbsp) of the olive oil, the cloves of gar-

lic, peppercorns and salt using a mortar and pestle to release all the oils in the herbs. Use your

hands to rub the mixture all over the lamb.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and sauté the onionand crushed garlic for about 3 minutes. Add the bay leaf and potato slices and cook for a few

minutes to release the starch. The potatoes should still be raw. Season well and transfer to the

prepared roasting pan.

Pour the hot stock over the potatoes. Place the remaining sprigs of rosemary on top of the

potatoes. Place the lamb directly on top of the rosemary. Cover with baking paper first, then

with foil. Seal tightly to prevent steam from escaping. Place in the oven for 21 ⁄2 hours or until

the meat is tender. Remove the foil and baking paper. Increase the oven temperature to 190 °C

and roast for an extra 15 minutes or until the lamb is golden brown. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

To make the aïoli, place the garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil in a steady

stream until emulsified. Season to taste and stir in the parsley.

sv 4.

5 h m

75 m (5 T) d qt

v

6 cv c, d

10 m (2 t) h c

c5 m (1 t) t

1.5 hd m, tmmd

1 ht , cd

2 cv c, chd

1 h

5 tt, d

d cd 1 cm thc

500 m (2 C) ht chc tcmd m tc c

Aïoli2 cv c, chd

30 m (2 T) d qt

v

st d h d

c 250 m (1 C) chd

h

Slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with rosemary, garlic and aïoli

Sunday lunch in Parys was always a big event, especially in winter. We lived on a farm, aptly named Lazy River Sheep Farm.I am not sure how my father came to choose this name, but it seemed oddly fitting as Sunday was always a day for

lying around, reading newspapers and eating!


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PARYS 13

Tips• Unfilled choux puffs or éclair buns can be frozen for up to four weeks. Bring frozen buns to room temperature before

crisping up in the oven at 180 °C for 5 minutes. Cool and fill. Alternatively, unfilled buns keep well in an airtight container

for up to two weeks.

• When assembling choux pastry buns, always fill the pastry with the cream or custard first and then dip the pastry into themelted chocolate, not the other way around.

• It is important to make a little slit in the cooked choux pastry as soon as it comes out of the oven to release the steam, thenreturn the pastry to the oven to ‘dry it out’ for 5–10 minutes. Many recipes do not give instructions for this, leaving the choux

pastry to become soft and almost soggy as it cools down. Switch off the oven before returning the pastry to the oven to dry.

• Ideally, when making the pastry, all four eggs should be added. However, at times the mixture becomes saturated and can-not absorb all the egg. This depends on the moisture content of the flour and the size of the eggs.

• If the buns fall flat during baking it is because the mixture was too slack or you did not beat the eggs vigorously enough.

Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Grease two large baking trays very well with butter.

Bring the water and butter to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add all the flour and salt in onego. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of the sauce-

pan and does not stick to the bottom. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Add the eggs to the flour mixture, one at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon to

incorporate the egg after each addition. The final mixture should hold small peaks and be firm

and glossy. Leave to cool.

Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking trays, spacing them evenly apart.

Remember they will puff up so make sure you leave at least 4 cm in between. You can also pipe

long cigar shapes from a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.Sprinkle the baking trays with a little water to create steam and help the choux pastry rise.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly cut a tiny slit near the base of each puff

to release the steam. Switch off the oven, return the trays to the oven and leave for 5–10 min-

utes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

To finish, whip the cream and then add the vanilla essence and sugar. Spoon the cream into

a large piping bag fitted with a plain or open star nozzle. Insert the nozzle into the slit in the

puffs that you made earlier to release the steam. Fill the choux puffs or buns. Dip into melted

chocolate and leave to set and harden on a wire rack.

M t 25 mdm t.

250 m (1 C) t

100 td tt250 m (1 C) c

2.5 m (½ t) t

4 xt- , t m

tmt

To finish375–500 m (11 ⁄2 –2 C) h

cm, dd thz th

10 m (2 t) v c

25 m (11 ⁄2 T) ct

100 d m

chct, mtd

Chocolate profiterolesProfiteroles are sometimes known by their American name, cream puffs. These delicate choux buns are filled with whipped cream

and dipped in chocolate. South Africans have the habit of calling anything made from choux pastry an éclair, which is actuallya cigar-shaped choux pastry filled with custard and coated in fondant icing. When I was growing up we had a big yellow dog named Cilla. She was somewhat of a legend in town, where she was better known

as the ‘dustbin dief’. There was always a function my mother was roped into catering for and one such Sunday morning Cillamanaged to polish off 100 cream-filled pastries before church. I can’t describe here what happened next, but I can tell you that

Emile Mandelstam had no dessert at his christening!


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14 PARYS

TIPS

• This pâté freezes beautifully. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to three months.• This recipe can be doubled up if you need larger quantities. Make ahead of time and freeze. Do not be tempted to use

margarine; butter is the only way to go!

Wash and clean the chicken livers, removing the membranes and any hard bits. Heat 50 g of the

butter in a large saucepan, then sauté the onion, garlic and chicken livers until cooked but the

livers are still pink inside. Do not overcook the livers at this stage because they will become bit-ter. Remove from the heat and season well with salt and green peppercorns. Stir in the whiskey,

mustard powder and allspice.

Place the chicken liver mixture in a food processor or use a hand-held blender and blend

with the remaining butter until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a medium-sized pâté dish or

individual ceramic ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Serve with the farmhouse seed loaf (see page 19) or Melba toast.

M 1 mdm âté dh.

500 chc v

250 td tt

1 ht 2 cv c, chd

t t tt

5 m (1 t) chd dd

c

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) h,

t d

5 m (1 t) mtd d

2.5 m (1 ⁄2

t) d c

Chicken liver pâté with whiskey and green peppercorns

I first started making this pâté recipe when I was attending Silwood Kitchen School of Cookery. For a time during my studiesI cooked at the Laborie restaurant in Paarl and it may have been there that I came across this pâté. Over the years the recipe has

changed somewhat and today I use whiskey to flavour the liver and also add green peppercorns. It is truly a wonderful pâté, but veryrich. It is excellent for functions because you can make the pâté ahead of time and freeze it.


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PARYS 19

TIPS

• Make two loaves at a time and freeze one. Never double up on recipes when baking, rather make the recipe twice.Baking is a science and can easily flop if you take short cuts.

• Bread is done when it produces a hollow sound when rapped on the top with your knuckles.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Grease a 12 x 23 cm loaf tin.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Combine the oil,

honey and warm water. Pour the liquid into the centre of the dry mixture and mix well. The

dough should be a little sticky.

Place the dough into the prepared loaf tin. Sprinkle a few poppy seeds on top, if using, and

press down slightly so that they stick to the dough. Leave in a warm place for about 1 hour to

prove and double in size.Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 180 °C and continue baking for another

30 minutes or until done. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin before turning out on a wire

rack to cool completely.

M 1 mdm 2 m v.

750 m (3 C) d ,

td

5 m (1 t) t

1 x 10 ct tt d t

250 m (1 C) dtv

125 m (1 ⁄2 C) ht m

125 m (1 ⁄2

C) d125 m (1 ⁄2 C) m d

125 m (1 ⁄2 C) d

125 m (1 ⁄2 C) c

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) h

500 m (2 C) m t

p d t

(t)

Farmhouse seed loafI fell in love with Cape seed loaf while studying for my Cordon Bleu qualification in Rondebosch in the late 1980s. Rarely did you go

for a meal in the Cape and not get a basket of warm seed bread on the table. Here is my version.


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20 PARYS

TIPS

• The ‘heat’ of any chilli is in the membrane and seeds, which can be discarded for milder dishes. Wear rubber gloves when working with large quantities of chillies and don’t rub your eyes.

• It’s best to weigh the onions for this recipe as you need equal amounts of chilli and onion.• The recipe can easily be doubled or halved.

How To sTerilise a glass jar

Wash the jar with hot, soapy water. Dry with a clean tea towel and immediately place the jar on the bottom

shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes at 110 °C. Alternatively, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil,

add your jars and lids, and sterilise for about 15 minutes. Use kitchen tongs to remove the jars and lids from

the boiling water. Place the empty jars upside down on a clean tea towel to drain further. Fill with hot jam

and seal with the lid.

Place the chillies and onions in a food processor and pulse the blade until the chilli and onions

are chopped. Do not process the chillies too much; they should be roughly chopped.

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, for

10–15 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Remove from the heat, discard the lemon and pour

the jam into warm sterilised jars. Seal immediately. Allow to cool completely before refrigerat-

ing. The jam will keep for up to a month in the fr idge.

M 1 mdm .

400 d ch

400 , qtd

500 m (2 C) ht

250 m (1 C) t

st t tt

10 m (2 t) c

1 m m, qtd

Chilli jamMy mother is the longest running supporter of the Sunday Times newspaper and I think it was one Sunday when I found this

recipe amongst all those pages littered with scandal. My love of chilli started with this recipe. I was still at school and fascinated that you could make jam out of chillies. Over the years I have made it hundreds of times with both green and red chillies.


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PARYS 21

TIPS

• This is a much easier way of making marmalade than spending hours slicing peel. Simply chop the fruit roughly andprocess the whole grapefruit in your food processor until fine. The mixture is then cooked to soften the skin and release the

pectin before adding sugar and turning the whole lot into marmalade. Use any variety of grapefruit.

• Pectin content determines how well jam sets. Pectin is found in the pith and pips of grapefruit. Usually if the content is lowit helps to add fruit such as chopped apple or quince that has been tied up in a muslin cloth. Discard once the jam is cooked.

• To make marmalade the traditional way, separate the peel from the pith, slice finely and then cook it until soft. This is thenadded to the sugar and fruit. The pith is responsible for the bitterness, so the more you leave on the peel, the more bitter your

marmalade will be. Leave the marmalade to stand for 10 minutes before bottling to allow the peel to settle and be evenly

distributed. Give it a good stir before you bottle, but never while it is cooking as it will cause the mixture to turn dark.

DiD you know? Witblits and mampoer are two different things. Witblits is made only from grapes whereas mampoer can be distilled from all other fruits. The closest thing to witblits that is available com-

mercially is the Italian equivalent of grappa. For this recipe you can substitute whiskey, grappa or mampoer

for witblits.

Roughly chop the whole unpeeled grapefruit, including the pips, into large chunks. Use the

food processor to process the grapefruit until finely chopped. It may be necessary to do this in

two batches. Remove and combine the chopped fruit and water in a large saucepan. Bring to the

boil and cook for 30–40 minutes or until soft.

Remove from heat and leave to stand for 5 hours or preferably overnight. Transfer the fruit to

a large, clean saucepan. Add the sugar and heat gently while slowly stirring until the sugar has

dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring for 20 minutes or until the sugar thermo-

meter has reached 105 °C.

Alternatively, drop a teaspoonful of the mixture onto a cold saucer with a little water on it

that has been in the fridge. If you press the mixture with your finger it should gel slightly and

wrinkle up. The marmalade is then ready. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for about

10 minutes, then stir in the alcohol and pour into warm sterilised jars. Seal immediately. Store

in a cool, dark place.

M 31 ⁄2 .

3 st r t

1 t (4 C) t

1.5 (71 ⁄2 C)

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) tt mm

Witblits marmaladeMy parents owned a grapefruit farm for many years in Limpopo. Every season we exported large quantities of Star Ruby pink grape-

fruit to Japan. When the last crates were finally packed my father would turn his talents to making witblits, a homemade alcoholicbrew strong enough to refuel a space shuttle. One year I found myself making grapefruit marmalade and ran out of whiskey on the farm. The witblits larder was raided and thus witblits marmalade was born. Now I can’t make marmalade without it!


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22 PARYS

TIPS

• This recipe can easily be doubled to make 48 squares.• Never take short cuts when baking, always have all the ingredients at room temperature before you start and set the oven to

the correct temperature before you mix the cake. Never put a cake into an oven that is only heating up.

• Invest in good quality bakeware because using inferior products will produce inferior results.• Measure the ingredients for baking with military precision! Don’t guess. Invest in a good scale, set of stainless steel

measuring cups, spoons and a timer.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a 20–22 cm square baking dish.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Sif t the

flour, baking powder and salt together. Combine the dry ingredients with the creamed mixture

until a soft dough is formed. Shape into a ball and cut in half.

Cover one half with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20 minutes. Take the remain-

ing dough and press into the prepared baking dish. Spread with jam. Remove the semi-frozen

dough from the freezer and grate it over the jam to cover.

Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for a

few minutes then cut it into equal squares. Remove the squares from the dish and leave to cool

completely on a wire rack.

M t 24 q.

125 td tt, t m

tmt

125 m (1 ⁄2 C) ct

1 xt-

500 m (2 C) c

10 m (2 t) d

2.5 m (1 ⁄2 t) t

mth ct m t d

Jam squaresMy mother baked these for us on a regular basis. She would faithfully fill a five-litre bucket with an assortment of biscuits each

holiday and take it with us wherever we went. The bucket regularly fell over on the beach, but my mother would just calmly scoop thebiscuits back up and put the lid on. One Christmas Cilla, our dog, knocked the lid off the barrel of biscuits in the back of the 4 x 4and reduced the mother lode by half. I was secretly relieved not to have to eat all those sandy biscuits.


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24 PARYS

How To Make your own baking powDerUsing a ratio of 2:1, mix 10 ml (2 tsp) cream of tartar and 5 ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of

soda to give you the same power as 15 ml (1 Tbsp) baking powder. Use immediately.

DiD you know? Never grease the cake tin for sponge and chiffon cakes because the batter needs to clingto the side of the tin in order to rise. Greasing the tin will also cause the egg white base to deflate. Also don’t

use a nonstick tin for these cakes because the sides are too slippery for the foam batter.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool. Sif t the flour, sugar,

salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the cooled cocoa,

oil, egg yolks and vanilla essence. Beat well until smooth. Whisk the eggs whites and castor

sugar until thick. Gradually pour the cocoa batter over the egg whites, fold in gently but do not

stir. Turn the mixture into an ungreased 25 cm diameter cake ring tin, or chiffon cake tin, and

bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, immediately turn the cake tin upside down and leave it to cool com-

pletely in the upside down position on a wire rack.

Carefully pry the cake from the tin and sprinkle with the alcohol.

In the meantime, make the topping. Gently heat the chocolates and cream in a small sauce-

pan over low heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat

and set aside to cool completely.

To assemble, slice the cooled cake in half horizontally. Cover the bottom layer with cherries.

Whip the cream, vanilla essence and sugar until thick. Spoon the cream over the top of the

cherries and replace the top layer of the cake. Pour the cooled topping over the top of the cake

and decorate with cherries or strawberries and mint. This cake is best eaten the day it is made

as it does not keep well.

M 1 c.

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) cc d

80 m (1 ⁄3 C) t

215 m (3 ⁄4 C + 11 ⁄2 T) c

125 m (1 ⁄2 C)

2.5 m (½ t) t

7.5 m (11 ⁄2 t) d

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) c

4 , td, t m

tmt

5 m (1 t) v c

80 m (1 ⁄3 C) ct

To assemble

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) d, od b

h kch q

(t)

1 x 425 c ttd c

ch, dd ( th m

ht h ch)

250 h t

250 m (1 C) h cm

5 m (1 t) v c

10 m (2 t) ct

Topping 2 x 100 b o® chct

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) h cm, t m

tmt

Black mamba cakeGordon Howard (from Ladysmith) married my childhood friend Tracey Lamb on the banks of the Vaal River one sleepy Saturday af-ternoon in October. Usually a man of few words, upon walking into the kitchen, he took one look at this cake and said it looked likea big black mamba. Years later this cake still does the rounds in Ladysmith. It was his mother’s recipe and with the family’s blessing

I have adapted it from a simple white sponge into a chocolate masterpiece, a little more fitting of a mighty black mamba!


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PARYS 25

Place the white chocolate and milk together in a double boiler or heatproof bowl suspended

over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not allow any steam to escape and come into con-

tact with the chocolate and cream mixture. Melt and stir until smooth. Alternatively, melt the

chocolate in the microwave on high for 1 minute, stirr ing frequently.

Once the chocolate has melted, stir in the vanilla essence. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until very pale and thick and at ribbon stage (see page 52). Slowly

add 15 ml (1 Tbsp) of the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix well. This is done to

prevent the mixture from splitting when you add the chocolate. Slowly add the remainder of

the chocolate mixture to the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff

but not dry, then fold them into the chocolate and egg yolk mixture.

Whisk the cream lightly, not too stiff, making sure it has the same consistency as the egg,

chocolate and egg white mixture. Fold the cream into the mixture.

Spoon mixture into a freezerproof dish or empty ice-cream container, cover with plastic

wrap and freeze overnight.

sv 6–8.

VARIATIONS

• Use milk or dark chocolate instead of white chocolate, and add 15 ml (1 Tbsp) orange liqueurto the egg mixture, not the melted chocolate, or it will harden instantly. Proceed as per the

recipe.

• To make a frozen chocolate mousse cake, set the mixture in a loose-bottomed springform tinlined with a circle of baking paper at the bottom to allow for easy removal. Serve with fresh

fruit and cream.

250 ht chct

60 m (1 ⁄4 C) m

3 m (1 ⁄2 t) v c

4 , td

60 m (1 ⁄4 C)

250 m (1 C) h cm

Milky bar ice creamMilky bar ice cream is my absolute favourite. It has a soft texture and, unlike regular homemade ice creams, you only freeze it once,

making it more like a frozen chocolate mousse. My mother has been making this ice cream for years and her now-famous frozendesserts have graced more than one buffet in Parys.


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THE BUSHVELD


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OUPA SE KIND

When I was a little girl, my dad owned an orange and blue aeroplane. It always remindedme of the old South African flag and I thought to myself he must be very patriotic. Every

winter holiday we would decamp to the farm in the Timbavati Game Reserve. My father

would load the plane to the hilt with enough food and ammunition for three weeks in

the bush. Bags of oranges, loaves of bread and enough rifles to kick-start a rebellion were

stuffed between the seats. Our domestic worker Paullina was strapped in behind the pilot’s

seat, with my brother on her lap; I was seated next to her and, in the very back, was Hendry

the African grey and Tootie Poo our Siamese cat.

My favourite part of the journey was the landing. My father always had to do several flybys

to scare the animals from the runway. Once safely on the ground, the adventure truly

began. The tyres were covered with wet hessian sacks to prevent the hyenas chewing on

them, which was a frequent occurrence.

Shortly after our arrival, my father would gather a hunting party and we would all set off

in search of something large. My heart always sank at the prospect because everyone had

to chip in and help butcher the meat and make biltong regardless of your age. Inevitably

Graham and I had to stand on the crumbling old cement table in the vleiskamer (meat room)

and hang the wet biltong onto the rows and rows of wire crisscrossing the room. A thank-

less job. The vinegar brine always dripped down onto our jerseys and we stank like biltong

for the rest of the holiday.

There was no electricity or real kitchen to speak of and all meals were taken in the open

boma around a fire. The area was never fenced and predators regularly walked into camp.

We even had a hyena visit us in the house once. No one was that worried about it, except

my mother, because it chewed up her Tupperware lid and ate the lentil salad she had made

for my birthday!

ll b k


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28 THE BUSHVELD

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a large roasting pan.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter, then stir in the

buttermilk and eggs and pour the mixture over the dry ingredients. Use your hands to mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared roasting pan and spread evenly. Bake for 1 hour or until

golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven,

leave to cool for 10 minutes in the roasting pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack. Leave to

cool for a further 10–12 minutes.

Use a serrated or bread knife to cut the r usks into squares. Place the rusks onto baking trays

and return to the oven at 90 °C for 3–4 hours or until completely dry. Keep checking from time

to time to see if they are done. Once cool, store rusks in airtight containers.

Makes 35–40 rusks.

1 kg (4 C) self-raising flour, sifted

10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder

5 ml (1 tsp) salt

500 ml (2 C) brown sugar

500 ml (2 C) rolled oats

750 ml (3 C) All-Bran Flakes®

500 ml (2 C) sunflower seeds

60 ml (¼ C) linseed

500 g salted butter

500 ml (2 C) buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Moira’s all-bran rusksMy mother Moira always had a barrel of these homemade rusks on the farm. The old kitchen had no electricity and the bucket stoodnear the door. First one up in the morning would grab the barrel and head straight for the stoep. There we would all congregate and

drink coffee from tea cups.


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Engela’s moist chocolate cake


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THE BUSHVELD 31

TIPS• When beating eggs into a creamed mixture, add 15 ml (1 Tbsp) of the sifted

flour with the addition of each egg. This will prevent the mixture from separating

or curdling.

• When melting chocolate for domestic baking, always do so in a double boiler orsmall heatproof bowl firmly placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not allow

any water or steam to come into contact with the chocolate or it will harden and you

won’t be able to use it, no matter what you add.

• Chocolate can be melted in a microwave oven on high for 1 minute. Stir frequently

to prevent burning.• Always ensure the eggs are at room temperature before you start baking.

• This cake can be baked in a r ing or Bundt pan. Add 10–15 minutes to the cookingtime, baking it for 40–55 minutes depending on the depth of the pan. Double-check

and return to the oven if a skewer inserted in the centre does not come out clean.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease two 20 cm diameter cake tins.

To make the cakes, sift all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the

centre and add the oil, hot coffee and buttermilk. Stir well to combine, ensuring there are no

lumps, but do not over beat. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and combine well. Pour the mix-

ture into the prepared cake tins and bake for 35–40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the

centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tins. Later, remove the cakes from

tins and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or heatproof bowl suspended over

a saucepan of simmering water. Alternatively, melt it in the microwave oven. Stir until smooth

and then leave to cool slightly. Add the butter, icing sugar, milk, vanilla essence and salt. Beat

until smooth and well combined. Sandwich the cakes with a thin layer of icing, and then ice the

rest of the cake.

Makes 1 double-layer cake.

500 ml (2 C) cake flour

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

10 ml (2 tsp) bicarbonate of soda

2.5 ml (½ tsp) salt

190 ml (3 ⁄4 C) cocoa powder

500 ml (2 C) white sugar

225 ml (3 ⁄4 C + 21 ⁄2 Tbsp) oil

225 ml (3 ⁄4 C + 21 ⁄2 Tbsp) strong

hot coffee

225 ml (3 ⁄4 C + 21 ⁄2 Tbsp)

buttermilk

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence

Chocolate icing

60 g dark chocolate, at least

70% cocoa

125 g butter, at room

temperature

750 ml (3 C) sifted icing sugar

30 ml (2 Tbsp) milk


1 ml (1 ⁄4 tsp) salt

Engela’s moist chocolate cakeMy grandfather was one of the most eccentric people you could ever wish to meet. A highly educated man with a doctorate inlanguages, he was a legend in Parys. Once a month he travelled to his farm in the Timbavati Game Reserve to write and my

grandmother diligently baked her famous chocolate cake for the trip. The cake, which always lasted him two weeks, was placed inan old tin on the front seat of his Chev truck. Occasionally he would receive a visitor. Tea would be made from second-hand teabags

– yet no one complained – and later they would just stare in disbelief as he calmly cut away the mould and served his favourite cake.He thought nothing of this, and those who knew him well loved him for his eccentricity and total devotion to a life less ordinary.

I guess I have his genes.

Chicken coq au vin potjie (aka Bromvoël bredie)


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32 THE BUSHVELD

TIPS• I have modified this recipe from the classic version. However, if you prefer or have the patience to peel 20 baby onions, then

use them instead of sliced onion.

• This recipe makes a good-sized pot. Use box wine if you have to – sometimes it is the only wine we have on the farm – aslong as it is dry. Although with so much red wine in this dish you really should be using the very best. If you can’t find fresh

chicken, then 1.5 kg of frozen chicken pieces will do. Leftover chicken can be flaked and turned into a pie.

• Cook this dish either over the fire in a large cast-iron pot or on top of the stove. If you cook over the fire, the chicken maytake a little longer, just keep checking. If you feel the fire is not hot enough to reduce the sauce, then simply thicken it with a

little flour or cornflour and water paste. It won’t look the same but it will taste fine.

Heat half the oil in a large cast-iron pot over a fire or on top of the stove, whichever you prefer.

Sauté the onions, mushrooms, bacon and garlic until lightly browned. Remove from the pot

and set aside. Give the pot a good wipe and add the remaining oil. Dust the chicken with flour

and give it a good shake to remove any excess. Cook the chicken in batches in the hot oil, for

5–6 minutes or until well browned. Return the onion mixture to the pot, add the remaining in-

gredients, except brandy, and cook, covered, for 1–11 ⁄2 hours. It’s ready when the meat is tender

and almost falling off the bones.

Remove the chicken from the sauce, set aside and keep warm. Increase the heat, add the

brandy and boil the sauce rapidly for 15 minutes or until reduced and thickened. Return the

chicken to the pot and serve with rice.

Serves 8–10.

90 ml (6 Tbsp) olive oil

2 large onions, sliced

500 g button mushrooms,

left whole

1 x 250 g packet streaky bacon,

roughly chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1.5–2 kg chicken thighs

250 ml (1 C) cake flour, to dust

1 litre (4 C) red wine

750 ml (3 C) chicken stock,

homemade is best

1 x 70 g can tomato paste

5 dried bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh rosemary or

parsley

15 ml (1 Tbsp) brandy

Chicken coq au vin potjie (aka Bromvoël bredie)I have been cooking this dish on the farm every year for my birthday for as long as I can remember. My brother casually strolled pastthe large simmering pot one afternoon and commented, ‘Hey Sissie, how’s that bromvoël bredie of yours?’ I guess the term stuckand now it has become a Barnes’ classic. The trick was always to get this dish cooked before we set off for the last game drive of the

day. We never really knew how many sundowners it would take to see the sun actually set and my mother would have to step inoften and cook at the last minute or no one would eat.


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AWB braai sauce


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34 THE BUSHVELD

TIPS• Make ahead of time and store for weeks in a cool, dark place. The best way to go about this is to clean out and sterilisea 1-litre glass cold drink bottle or an old brandy bottle. Use a skewer or any sharp object and punch holes into the cap.

If preferred, you can slice the onions and try to push them through the neck of the bottle. This way you don’t need to strainthe marinade after it has matured.

• This sauce has a lovely smoky flavour and goes particularly well with lamb.• Double up on ingredients for very large quantities. Never spice the meat before grilling as this sauce provides enough salt.

Taste before serving and adjust seasoning i f necessary.

Combine the vinegar and water in a medium-sized saucepan, and then stir in the salt. Bring to

the boil while stirring continuously to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and add all the

remaining ingredients. Transfer to a large bowl or jar. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and leave

to stand for at least 10 days in a cool, dark place. Strain to remove onion and spices, and then

pour into a sterilised 1-litre glass bottle.

Use as a basting sauce for all braaied meats or lamb on the spit. Shake well before basting.

Do not salt the meat if you are using this marinade. Store in the fr idge for up to three months.

Makes 1 litre.

375 ml (11 ⁄2 C) brown vinegar

250 ml (1 C) water

125 ml (1 ⁄2 C) salt

2 large onions, grated

8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

60 ml (1 ⁄4 C) brown sugar

25 ml (11 ⁄2 Tbsp) Worcestershire

sauce

5 ml (1 tsp) sweet or hot smoked

Spanish paprika

5 ml (1 tsp) white pepper

10 dried cloves

8 black peppercorns

3 star anise

1 stick cinnamon

5 ml (1 tsp) cayenne pepper

3 dried bay leaves, crumbled

AWB braai sauce There are literally hundreds of different versions of this famous braai marinade in circulation, but none more aptly named than this

one. Neighbours of ours, who were staunch AWB supporters, made this sauce in bulk and always sent over a couple of bottles.Eventually it became a Barnes’ staple, although the recipe has evolved somewhat over the years.

Roast leg of warthog with dried pears


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THE BUSHVELD 35

TIPS

• If you don’t have access to warthog, use any other medium-sized joint of venison. Warthog is a slightly sweeter meat than venison from an antelope, and is comparable to pork, only drier. It’s my favourite venison.

• Any of the fortified wines, such as muscadel, hanepoot or port, are excellent with venison. Game meat has no fat and can be very dry if cooked incorrectly, so it should be larded with bacon or pork fat before cooking. It is highly recommended to

marinate all venison in buttermilk for 24–48 hours before proceeding with cooking.

• Average roasting time for venison is 15–20 minutes per 500 g, and 2 hours of slow cooking for 1–1.5 kg of meat.• The best fruit juice for this recipe is the long-life variety that comes in a carton. Apple or mango can be substituted for pear.

• Raw venison can be frozen for 12 months.

Make small incisions in the venison and stuff each hole with a piece of fatty bacon and 1 clove

garlic. Push them in as deep as you can. Insert a dried clove into the same hole. Reserve the

remaining bacon. Transfer the venison to a large glass dish or plastic container. Add the but-

termilk. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24–48 hours, turning

the meat every now and again so that the whole joint is well covered. For a larger joint, use 2 x

500 g cartons buttermilk, ensuring the whole joint is covered at all times with the buttermilk.

Soak the pears in the pear juice, 250 ml (1 C) of the sweet wine and the chillies for 3 hours

or preferably overnight while you marinate the joint. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the

onions, garlic and reserved bacon until soft. Add the ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, star

anise, bay leaves, and the soaked pears with the juice. Stir in the warm beef stock. Cook for a few

minutes to combine and reduce the liquid slightly. Transfer the venison to a large roasting pan

and season very well. Add the pear mixture.

Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Cover the roasting pan with a layer of baking paper (this is done

to trap the moisture) followed by two layers of foil. Secure tightly. Place the roasting pan on

the bottom shelf of the oven for 2–21 ⁄2 hours or until the meat is soft. The juices should run

clear when a sharp knife is inserted into the centre of the meat near the bone; if the juices are

still pink, cook for a few minutes longer. Remove from oven and uncover. Turn the heat up to

190 °C, move the roasting pan to the middle of the oven and continue to roast for a further

15–20 minutes or until the meat is nicely browned on top. Remove from the oven and leave to

rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Add the remaining wine to the juices in the pan, adjust seasoning and cook rapidly on top of

the stove in the roasting dish, scraping together all the onions and pears until thickened. Dis-

card the whole spices. It’s best to carve up the joint completely and then spoon lashings of the

sauce over the meat. Serve with roast potatoes.

Serves 8–10.

1.5–2 kg leg of venison on the

bone, preferably warthog

1 x 250 g packet rindless streaky

bacon, roughly chopped

10 cloves garlic, peeled

10 dried cloves

1 x 500 g carton buttermilk

500 g dried pears

500 ml (2 C) pear juice

500 ml (2 C) sweet white dessert

wine, such as hanepoot or

white muscadel

5 ml (1 tsp) dried crushed chillies

60 ml (¼ C) olive oil

2 onions, sliced

extra 5 cloves garlic, peeled

5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

1 large stick cinnamon

2 star anise

2 fresh bay leaves

500 ml (2 C) warm beef stock

Salt and freshly ground

black pepper

Roast leg of warthog with dried pears,hanepoot and cinnamon

A trip to the Bushveld is synonymous with a joint of venison on the kettle braai. My father would usually shoot something very large for the pot early on in the trip and we would cook venison and make biltong for weeks after that.


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Bean salad


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40 THE BUSHVELD

Mix everything together and season well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to

a week.

Serves 6–8.

VARIATION

Add cubes of feta cheese just before serving.

80 ml (1 ⁄3 C) apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

250 ml (1 C) extra virgin olive oil

5 ml (1 tsp) mustard powder10 ml (2 tsp) dried oregano

5 ml (1 tsp) brown sugar

2.5 ml (1 ⁄2 tsp) sweet smoked

Spanish paprika

1 x 400 g can red kidney

beans, drained

1 x 400 g can butter

beans, drained1 x 400 g can mixed

beans, drained


1 small onion, finely chopped

60 ml (¼ C) finely chopped

fresh coriander

25 ml (11 ⁄2 Tbsp) chopped

fresh mintSalt and freshly ground black

pepper to taste

When we lived on the farm my mother had to be creative with her salads as popping into town to purchase anything remotelyunusual was never an option. The drive took an hour. During the summer months, Sundays were often spent next to the Vaal

River, where we would braai and water-ski while my mother devoured the Sunday Times and my father cooked lamb chops by thebakkie load. Nearby stood an enormous willow tree with a crumbling concrete table underneath. Numerous Tupperware containersoccupied the shade and one of them inevitably contained this bean salad. This is my version of the old Free State classic. We never

travelled to the Bushveld without it as this salad could keep for a week.

African roasted veg and couscous salad


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THE BUSHVELD 41

TIPS• The spicy North African harissa paste that we have come to love in South Africacan be purchased at any large supermarket or speciality food store. Once opened, it

will keep for weeks in the fridge. Use it as a rub for chicken or potatoes, mixed with a

little olive oil, salt and thyme.• Rehydrated couscous freezes well.


Rehydrate the couscous according to the instructions on the box and set aside. Pour the olive

oil into a large roasting tray. Add the onion, garlic, vegetables, chillies, seasoning, harissa paste

and parsley. Use your hands to combine everything until well coated.

Place the roasting tray in the oven and roast for 45–50 minutes or until the vegetables aresoft. Keep checking to see if they are okay and give the dish a good shake every now and again.

Remove from the oven, stir in the extra olive oil, red wine vinegar and honey. Scrape the

juices together and ensure everything is well combined. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add this mixture to the couscous.

Combine well to ensure everything is coated. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle flaked

almonds and feta over and top with fresh coriander. Keeps well in a large plastic container with

a tight-fitting lid for up to three days in the fridge.

Serves 10–12.

500 ml (2 C) dried couscous

60 ml (¼ C) good quality extra

virgin olive oil

1 large red onion,

roughly chopped5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 x 500 g packet assorted root

vegetables, off the shelf

10 ml (2 tsp) dried

crushed chillies

5 ml (1 tsp) salt

10 ml (2 tsp) freshly ground

black pepper60 ml (1 ⁄4 C) harissa paste

25 ml (11 ⁄2 Tbsp) chopped fresh

Italian parsley

extra 60 ml (¼ C) extra virgin

olive oil

45 ml (3 Tbsp) red wine vinegar

15 ml (1 Tbsp) honey

125 ml (½ C) flaked almonds1 small tub Danish-style

feta cheese

250 ml (1 C) fresh

coriander leaves

What is couscous? It is North African semolina made from durum wheat and is actually a cousin to pasta. Nowadays the couscousavailable in supermarkets has been pre-steamed, making it easy to just rehydrate at a ratio of 1:1.5, using either chicken stock or hot

water. The rehydration is instant and the couscous needs no further cooking. Simply fluff the mixture with a fork and add a dollop ofbutter to prevent the grains from sticking together. If in doubt, always follow the instructions on the packet. Use only 500 ml (2 C)

dried couscous for this recipe.

Apricot pot pudding


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42 THE BUSHVELD

No trip to the farm was ever complete without apricot pot pudding. I regularly made this dessert in a very large cast-iron pot over acouple of hardekool (leadwood) coals in the boma. This classic South African favourite is well known, but one year the local petrol

station was handing out free recipe booklets and it was amongst those now worn pages that this pudding first entered our lives.

Syrup

1 x 410 g can apricots in syrup

160 ml (2 ⁄3 C) sugar


5 ml (1 tsp) ground ginger

Batter 125 g butter, at room

temperature

125 ml (1 ⁄2 C) smooth apricot jam


375 ml (11 ⁄2 C) sifted cake flour


To make the syrup, drain the apricots and reserve the syrup. Add enough water to the syrup

to make up 500 ml (2 C) of liquid. Place the syrup, sugar, salt and ginger in a heavy-bottomed

saucepan over medium heat or in a cast-iron pot over the fire and bring to the boil, stirring

from time to time until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the apricots. Leave to simmer while you

prepare the batter.

To make the batter, melt the butter in a separate saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the

apricot jam and bicarbonate of soda. Add the flour and salt, and stir until the mixture no longersticks to the sides of the saucepan. Drop tablespoons of the batter into the boiling syrup. Cover

tightly with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Serve warm with custard or cream.

Serves 6–8.


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THE BUSHVELD 43


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SILWOOD KITCHENS

AND YOUR FAMILY

M A G A Z I N E


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AN ARTIST IN THE MAKINGI studied at the prestigious Silwood Kitchens Cordon Bleu Cookery School in Rondebosch

in the late 1980s. It was a great adventure. The school was smaller in those days, with space

for only 34 students, some from as far afield as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Silwood

was a fantastic foundation, encouraging me to specialise in food styling and writing and

I soon found myself working for one of the leading cookery magazines in South Africa at

the time.

At Silwood, we had a wonderful cake decorating teacher called Mrs Henderson. She taught

me how to bake the most amazing wedding cake. I always called it Mrs Henderson’s fruit-

cake, but the recipe was actually passed down to the legendary Mrs Faull, from her Irish

mother. Such a legend is this cake that Silwood students have been baking it at the school

and beyond for some 35 years now. Me included.

A few years ago my brother’s and cousin’s weddings took place a mere two weeks apart

and I rolled out the famous cake well in advance and slowly nurtured it to life with brandy

– a tedious process. Eventually the time came to decorate. Late for an art exhibition out of

town, I left the six layers of cake wrapped in foil on the kitchen counter and rushed out.

Slight panic set in on Monday when I returned and could not find the cakes. Running out

of places to look for it, I eventually called Primrose, my domestic helper. She had only been

working for me for a week. ‘ Primrose, have you seen those silver things that were on the

counter?’ ‘Yes Ma’am,’ she replied, ‘I thought you said I could take them home.’

She had mistakenly taken the cakes instead of apples I had given her, and was too shy to ask

to make sure. There were tears all round, but eventually everything ended well. Emergencychocolate wedding cakes were ordered from local bakeries and Primrose sent a telegram to

the reception that read: ‘Graham and Dorei Barnes, Congratulations on your Wedding Day.

Sorry I ate your cake. Primrose Mthembu.’

A true story. Sadly Primrose passed away not long afterwards. But I never bake fruitcake

without thinking about her.

Howard’s apple pie


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46 SILWOOD KITCHENS AND YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE

TIPThis filling works best with Golden Delicious apples. It is not advisable to use canned

apple pieces because this pastry requires a hot filling and canned apples will cook

down to mush.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a 22 cm pie dish.

To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg

yolk and flour. Mix until well combined. Press pastry into the prepared pie dish. Set aside.

To make the filling, core and peel the apples and cut into quarters. Place the apples in a

medium-sized saucepan and add the sugar, vanilla essence, salt and butter. Stir over low heat,

gradually adding the wine. Cook until the apples are soft, around 10 minutes.

While the filling is cooking, mix all the topping ingredients together. Pour the hot filling overthe uncooked pastry base, spoon the topping over the filling and lightly press down to cover.

Bake for 35 minutes or until light golden brown.

Serve hot or cold with cream or ice cream.

Serves 6.

Pastry

40 ml (8 tsp) butter

45 ml (3 Tbsp) castor sugar

1 egg yolk

250 ml (1 C) self-raising

flour, sifted

Filling

5 large Golden Delicious apples

25 ml (11 ⁄2 Tbsp) sugar


Pinch of salt

15 ml (1 Tbsp) butter

160 ml (2 ⁄3 C) medium-dry white

wine or a Stein

Topping

250 ml (1 C) desiccated coconut

250 ml (1 C) castor sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten


This is my favourite Silwood recipe, named after Captain Howard Owen, who was the public relations officer for the city ofCape Town in 1964, the year Silwood started. He was a frequent visitor at the school and adored the apple pie so much it was

eventually named after him as a sign of appreciation for his love and support of the school.


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Mrs Henderson’s boiled fruitcakeThis fruitcake has formed the basis of all celebration cakes baked at Silwood Kitchens for the past 35 years The recipe originates


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SILWOOD KITCHENS AND YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 49

TIPS• For a more economical cake, use 5 x 250 ml (5 C) of fruit cake mix and 125 ml ( 1 ⁄2 C)

chopped dates instead of the individual fruit and glacé fruits specified in the recipe.

Never leave a fruitcake in the tin in the oven to cool overnight. It will become bone dry.

Always remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack overnight.

•

Wash glacé cherries and dust them with flour before adding to any cake mixture.This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.• If you are maturing the cake with brandy, don’t be tempted to pour more than 50 mlat a time over the cake, or this will cause it to crumble when cut. It is best to do a little

each week for between six weeks and three months.

• Store the cake for up to three months wrapped in foil inside a metal or plastic cakecontainer. Keep in a cool, dry place; never store in the fridge.

PREPARING THE TIN You will need foil, brown paper or newspaper, and cotton string. Take the string

and place it around the circumference of the cake tin to determine the length of foil that needs to be cut.

Cut the string at the mark and measure against the foil. Cut the foil. Fold the sheet of foil in half horizon-

tally. Smooth it out. Then fold the bottom half up by one-third to form a collar. Cut the collar at the bottom

diagonally, creating 5 cm long slits all along the collar at intervals. Ease the collar into the tin like a fan,

smoothing out any wrinkles. Prepare the base. Place the cake tin on top of a second piece of foil and drawaround the tin on the foil with a pen. Cut out the shape neatly, then fit it into the tin and smooth out.

Fold double sheets of brown paper in half horizontally. Fold a collar that is one-third of the paper, and place

around the tin. Secure with string. Trim the foil and paper together – the foil should not extend more than

5 cm above the rim of the tin.

Bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the currants, raisins

and sultanas and cook for 20 minutes. Three minutes before the end of the cooking time, addthe chopped peel, nuts, dates, crystallised fruit and cherries. Stir well to incorporate. Remove

from the heat, stir in the bicarbonate of soda while still warm and leave to cool for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Line a 20 cm round cake tin as described above.

Stir in the eggs, but be careful at this stage not to over beat the mixture as this causes the fruit-

cake to crumble when cut. Add the sifted flour, baking powder and spices. Stir in the brandy.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. (If using a square tin, ensure that you smooth the

mixture into the corners.) Bake for 1 hour, then lower the oven temperature to 120 °C and bake

for a further 1–1½ hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Some larger cakes may take longer.

250 ml (1 C) water

125 g salted butter2.5 ml (½ tsp) salt

250 ml (1 C) sugar

250 ml (1 C) currants

250 ml (1 C) raisins

250 ml (1 C) sultanas

125 ml (½ C) candied peel,

chopped

125 ml (1 ⁄2 C) chopped nuts125 ml (1 ⁄2 C) chopped fresh or

dried dates

125 ml (1 ⁄2 C) crystallised fruit

125 ml (1 ⁄2 C) glacé cherries,

washed and dusted with flour


2 large eggs

500 ml (2 C) cake flour, sifted5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

5 ml (1 tsp) ground mixed spice

2.5 ml (½ tsp) ground cloves

60 ml (1 ⁄4 C) brandy

This fruitcake has formed the basis of all celebration cakes baked at Silwood Kitchens for the past 35 years. The recipe originates from Ballinrobe in County Mayo, Ireland and came to South Africa with Lesely Faull’s mother. The recipe has changed very little

over the years and the only difference nowadays is that the fruit is plumped with water and not ale!

Brandy snapsI seem to remember that I became very good at baking brandy snaps while at Silwood We often catered for outside functions and


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TIPS• I find it easiest if you have two trays, placing the second tray into the oven as you are removing the first. This way you can

get a production line going. It also helps to have more than one wooden spoon to wrap the brandy snaps around while

setting. The final result should be a cigar-shaped tube no thicker than your index finger.

• To make brandy snap baskets, simply remove the circle from the baking tray and place it over an upside down ramekin orsmall teacup. Gently nudge the circle into shape. Leave to cool.

•

Store unfilled brandy snaps in an airtight container with layers of baking paper in between. Keep them in a cool, dry placeaway from light. They will stay cr isp for up to three days.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease two large baking trays well.

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour, ginger and salt.

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Place teaspoonful-sized balls of the mixture onto the prepared baking trays, pressing down

lightly with your fingertips to flatten them. Do only four at a time, allowing enough room for

them to spread.

Bake for 8–10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 1–2 minutes before using

a spatula to lift a brandy snap from the tray. Work quickly while the mixture is still hot and wrap the warm circle around the handle of a wooden spoon. It will set almost immediately.

Leave to cool and harden around the handle. Remove the brandy snap as soon as it is hard.

Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

To serve, whip the cream, and then stir in the sugar and brandy. Pipe the cream into the ends

of each brandy snap.

Makes 24–30.

125 g butter

125 g sugar

125 g golden syrup

250 ml (1 C) cake flour, sifted

5 ml (1 tsp) ground ginger

2.5 ml (1 ⁄2 tsp) salt

To serve250–375 ml (1–11 ⁄2 C) fresh cream

15 ml (1 Tbsp) castor sugar

10 ml (2 tsp) brandy

I seem to remember that I became very good at baking brandy snaps while at Silwood. We often catered for outside functions andI was usually a part of the brandy snap team. After 500 or so you become a pro. This is the famous Silwood recipe.

Big bake cakeI worked at Your Family magazine for many years as a cookery editor. In those days there were three of us: Wendy Silver, Kim


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Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a large ovenproof dish or roasting pan well.

Sift the flour, sugar and salt together. Make a well in the centre. In a small saucepan, melt the

butter and water together over low heat. Pour the butter mixture into the well. Stir in the eggs

and mix thoroughly, but do not over beat.

Mix the buttermilk, bicarbonate of soda and essence together. Stir this into the flour mixture

and mix well. Divide the batter in two and add the cocoa powder to one portion. Pour the two

batters in alternate rows into the prepared dish. Draw a metal skewer across the batter to forma marbled pattern. Bake for 30–40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out

clean.

To make the icing, cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the coffee and

cocoa powder. Mix well.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the dish. Once completely cooled, spread

the icing over the top.

Makes 1 large marbled cake.

800 ml (31 ⁄4 C) self-raising flour

500 ml (2 C) castor sugar

2.5 ml (1 ⁄2 tsp) salt

250 g salted butter

250 ml (1 C) water

2 extra-large eggs, beaten

125 ml (1 ⁄2 C) buttermilk5 ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla or caramel

essence

80 ml (1 ⁄3 C) cocoa powder, sifted

Mocha icing

110 g butter

310 ml (11 ⁄4 C) icing sugar10 ml (2 tsp) instant coffee,

dissolved in 15 ml (1 Tbsp)

boiling water, cooled

15 ml (1 Tbsp) cocoa powder,

sifted

I worked at Your Family magazine for many years as a cookery editor. In those days there were three of us: Wendy Silver, Kim Wessels and myself. We had an enormous test kitchen and worked very hard, but we laughed a lot and had great fun writing, testing

and styling food all day long. I wanted to include a recipe from the test kitchen in my book. This big bake cake was one of mine.

Rich almond fudge cake This fantastic, rich chocolate fudge cake recipe was my winning entry for a competition in Women’s Value magazine.


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TIPS• The cake will look slightly undercooked when you remove it from the oven but will set as it cools down.

• Use dark chocolate for a richer flavour.

WHAT IS RIBBON STAGE? Ribbon stage is a term in cookery we use to describe the consistency required

to whisk egg yolks and sugar until very pale and extremely thick. The term ‘ribbon’ is from the test you need

to do to see if the mixture is thick enough. Simply dip the whisk into the mixture, and then trail it across the

mixture in the bowl in slow motion. The ribbon should be consistent and run down from the whisk onto

the surface of the mixture in a steady stream without breaking, forming a ribbon-like pattern that sinks

back into the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a 23–25 cm springform tin.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler or heatproof bowl suspended over a sauce-

pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Whisk the egg yolks and castor sugar together until ribbon stage and the mixture is thick and

creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry.

Fold the nuts and melted chocolate into the egg yolk mixture, and then fold in the egg whites.Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45–55 minutes. Remove from the

oven, even if the cake looks a little undercooked, then cool completely in the tin.

To decorate, melt the whole nut chocolate in a double boiler or heatproof bowl suspended

over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir in the cream. Spoon the chocolate mixture over the

cake and leave to set.

Makes 1 large cake.

250 g butter

250 g milk or dark chocolate

8 extra-large eggs, separated

310 ml (11 ⁄4 C) castor sugar

250 g ground almonds

To decorate

180 g whole nut chocolate

190 ml (3 ⁄4 C) fresh cream, left at

room temperature for 1 hour

f , f g p y g y f p gI won a Kenwood Chef for being creative with the whisk! Women’s Value has long since been rebranded to Ideas magazine,

but with their blessing I am able to share this recipe with you.


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Rose petal jam This is another great recipe from my Silwood days. Many flowers, such as roses, violets, marigolds, geraniums, lavender, camomile,

l d l d i dibl d k ifi k d i d ddi i d i I i i


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TIPS• Freeze rosebuds in ice cubes for display in drinks, or freeze rose petals and buds in an ice bowl to be used as an ice-creamserving dish. To make one of these, use two plastic bowls where one can fit inside the other. Add a few crushed ice cubes to

the larger bowl. Add rose petals and fresh mint leaves. Place the second bowl on top. Place a heavy object inside to secure

and tape the sides together to form a mould. Pour cold water in the gap between the two bowls. Freeze until solid.

Remove the bowls by briefly holding the container under running hot water. Return the ice mould to the freezer for

15 minutes before using.

• Use darker rose petals to give jam colour. Lighter shades cook down to a brown colour and don’t look appetising.• You can halve the recipe if preferred: 250 g rose petals is the equivalent of a very large bunch of roses from the supermarket.

• Rose petal jam is wonderful stirred into plain yoghurt.• If you don’t have a sugar thermometer and want to see i f the jam is at setting point, place a saucer with a little water on it inthe fridge until cold. Then remove and place a teaspoon of jam on the saucer. If it forms a single jellied ball that wrinkles up

when you push it gently with your fingertip, the jam is ready.

DID YOU KNOW? Roses are used extensively in cooking in Iran. Rose-water, which is used in Turkish

delight and nougat, can be found in the baking section of most large supermarkets or speciality food stores.

Combine the rose petals and sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the rose-water

and lemon juice and slowly bring to the boil over low heat. Cover and simmer gently for 10 min-

utes. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking. Simmer until the jam has reached

setting point on a sugar thermometer (the reading should be 105 °C) or it has passed the set

point test (see tips below). Remove from the heat and give a gentle stir. Pour into warm sterilised

jars and seal at once. Store in a cool, dry place.

Makes about 2 medium jars.

VARIATIONS

• Rose petal vinegar: 310 ml (11 ⁄4 C) white wine vinegar, 250 ml (1 C) rose petals. Pour the vin-egar over the petals and leave to stand for one week. Strain, discard the petals and bottle the

vinegar. Use in salads.

• Rose honey: 250 ml (1 C) rose petals, 1 x 500 g jar honey. Heat honey in a saucepan. Stir in thepetals and cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes. Strain while still warm. Pour into sterilised

jars. Store in a cool, dark place and refrigerate once opened.

500 g red or very dark pink

rose petals

850 g sugar

125 ml (½ C) rose-water

30 ml (2 Tbsp) lemon juice

calendula and nasturtiums, are edible and make magnificent cake decorations and additions to modern recipes. It is important to

note, however, that commercial flowers are heavily sprayed with insecticide and if the flowers are not washed properly these insecti-cides can find their way onto your plate. Never stick a flower stem directly into a cake. Rather cut a small circle of clear cellophane to

cover the cake before arranging your posy on top. Do not eat the stems or leaves, only the petals.


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OUT OFA F R I C A


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OVERLAND BY ANY MEANS

One morning in February I met a girl in the Terminal Hotel, a name aptly fitting the crum-

bling grey building in downtown Nairobi. What seemed like a chance meeting turned into

one of the most significant friendships of my life. You will meet Sue Wiper in almost every

chapter of this book, a friend who has inspired and shared a lifetime of adventure and ex-ploration. When we were still in our twenties we travelled around Lake Victoria on the back

of a Leyland truck. Naturally, we were in the same cooking team. Sue may be a good friend,

but she is a terrible cook. Happy to admit culinary failure, her kitchen duties extended to

peeling potatoes and washing up while I faced the challenge of cooking a gourmet meal

over an open fire in the middle of the bush for no less than 24 people.

Our second course was usually a lemon meringue tart. Nothing beats Sue trying to whisk

eight egg whites in a plastic bowl with a fork with a torch strapped to her head. By the time

we had finished washing the dishes the rest of the motley crew had used up all the rationed

water and consumed every last beer. We had no choice but to shave our legs in dirty dish-

water and brush our teeth with gin!

Most of our fellow travellers were from Europe. Somehow everyone always assumed that I would have the definitive knowledge of all things African. Later that night one of the happy

campers woke me up to see the ‘dogs’ eating from the rubbish dump. I stumbled from my

sleeping bag with a pretty good idea of what was going on, only to confirm that the pretty

dogs where indeed hyenas. I tried to put my case to the stunned tourists, but to no avail.

I eventually went to bed and was relieved to see everyone again at breakfast.

I have returned many times to those old stomping grounds: driven from Durban to Nairobi

by car, climbed some of Africa’s highest peaks and walked along its most remote trails.

I have seen the mountain gorillas of the DRC, stood at the source of the Nile and shared

meals with peasant farmers and drinks with warlords. I have watched the sun rise over the

Serengeti and set in Stone Town in Zanzibar, and danced the night away with an ambas-

sador. And all in the name of exploration.

Zanzibar coffee chickenI stumbled upon this little gem of a recipe on one of my many trips to the Spice Islands. Zanzibar produces some of the world’s best

cloves and the air is pungent with the sweet smell. The combination of coffee and cloves makes a fantastic marinade for chicken.


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58 OUT OF AFRICA

TIPS• Use good quality granular coffee with a strong aroma.

• Dried green peppercorns can be purchased at any large speciality food store or yourlocal supermarket. Don’t be tempted to substitute black pepper.


Mix all the marinade ingredients together and marinate the chicken for 2 hours. Transfer the

chicken to an oven roasting tray, cover the bird loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour. Discard

the foil, return the chicken to the oven and cook for a further 30–45 minutes. Baste frequently

with the leftover marinade.

Alternatively, braai the chicken in a kettle braai following the same method.

Makes enough for 1 chicken.

1.5 kg whole chicken or

1.5 kg assorted chicken pieces

Marinade

30 ml (2 Tbsp) tomato sauce

5 ml (1 tsp) chilli powder

60 ml (¼ C) brown sugar

Juice of 2 medium limes or1 lemon

15 ml (1 Tbsp) grated fresh ginger


2.5 ml (½ tsp) ground cloves

2.5 ml (½ tsp) ground mixed spice

10 ml (2 tsp) strong, aromatic

coffee granules

5 ml (1 tsp) dried greenpeppercorns, crushed

25 ml (11 ⁄2 Tbsp) olive oil

Salt to taste

cloves and the air is pungent with the sweet smell. The combination of coffee and cloves makes a fantastic marinade for chicken.


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Mombasa chicken curry Mombasa in Kenya has some of the most amazing little eateries tucked away in crooked alleyways and in rooftop restaurants.

The cuisine is a perfect illustration of how Indian, Arab and African traditions have melted together to form, in my opinion, one


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TIPFreeze leftover coconut milk or coconut cream for future use. The easiest way is to fill

an ice tray with the coconut milk, freeze it and simply pop a frozen ice cube into the

saucepan when needed.

Heat the ghee in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, garlic, chillies and ginger until soft. Stir

in the curry powder, cumin, crushed chillies and cardamom. Cook for 2 minutes to release the

flavour of the spices and to cook the raw curry powder. Add the chicken and stir until coated

with the spices. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, curry leaves

and coconut milk. Season well. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 50–60 minutes or

until the chicken is cooked.Transfer the chicken curry to a large serving dish and sprinkle the chopped coriander over

the top. Serve with chapattis, naan bread or basmati rice.

Serves 4– 6.

60 g butter, ghee or oil,

preferably

Documents

The Culinary Adventures of a Travelling Cook (2015)