Cape Malay Pickled Fish

http://www.africhef.com/WEEKLY-RECIPE.html

Ingredients:

· 2 lb yellowtail, scaled and filleted, skin left on
· 5 cloves garlic
· 2 large onions
· 1 cup grape vinegar
· ½ cup water
· ½ cup golden brown sugar
· 8 peppercorns
· 4 cloves
· 4 allspice berries
· 2 bay leaves
· 1 Tbsp masala (curry powder)
· 2 tsp cumin, ground
· 2 tsp coriander, ground
· 1 tsp turmeric
· coarse salt, as needed
· oil, as needed for frying

Preparation:

Roughly chop the garlic.
Peel and slice the onions into rings.

Firm up the flesh of the fish, by sprinkling coarse salt on both sides of the fillet and letting it stand in a glass bowl for 20 to 25 minutes. Thoroughly rinse the fillet under running water. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Cut the fish into serving portions leaving the skin attached.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the fish until cooked through (Do not cover the fish with flour or batter as normal in frying fish) Place the rest of the ingredients in a large pot, bring to the boil, stirring to ensure the sugar dissolves, and does not burn on the bottom of the pot. Then simmer for approximately 8 minutes until the onions are cooked but still crisp.

Layer the pieces of fish and the sauce and onions alternately in a ceramic or glass serving-dish. Ensure that the last layer of fish is covered with sauce.

Leave to cool and then refrigerate.

Will keep for a week in the fridge.

Generally served with green salad and crisp rolls.

This recipe for Pickled Fish is a traditional and authentic Cape Malay dish and a South African favorite.

Ostrich Neck Soup

http://funkymunky.co.za/soup.html

The ostrich neck can be replaced by kangaroo tail or any other feathered or furred game on the bone, from kudu to turtle dove.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 kilogram ostrich neck, cut in joints
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
3 onions
3 carrots
3 turnips
3 parsnips
2 celery sticks, chopped, leaves added loose
2 sprigs thyme
a few peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves and salt
1/2 cup Old Brown Sherry, Port or Madeira
1/2 cup good soy sauce (optional)
3 litres water

Method:

Peel and quarter the vegetables. Save some decorative slices for garnishing.
Brown the meat in the butter and oil in a large pot. Add the veggies, flavourants, sherry and the 3 litres of water. Cook, checking that it dooesn't burn, adding water if it runs dry.
Remove the meat and strain the soup through a large sieve, discarding the solids.
Pick the meat from the bones (they go to the dog) and return the meat to the broth.
Refrigerate to solidify the fat which you scrape off.
Heat the soup, add the vegetable garnish till cooked, adjust seasoning and serve with hot bread and butter.

Tomato Trotters

http://funkymunky.co.za/meat.html

Ingredients:

1kg lamb trotters
2 chopped onions
½ teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon crushed peppercorn
tomato puree
tomato paste
2 tomatoes (grated)
1 cup boiled water
100g sugar
3 tablespoons plain crushed garlic
8 chopped green chillies

Method:

Cook the trotters in salt water for 3-4 hours until they're nice and soft. While the trotters are cooking, braise the onions in a separate pot till golden brown. Add the cloves & the crushed peppercorn and stir. Add in the grated tomatoes, puree and paste at once, with a bit of boiled water, to thicken the sauce. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent it from catching. Add the trotters and sugar, stir and allow to cook for approximately 30 minutes. After 30 minutes add the garlic & green chillies. Serve with white fluffy rice.

Leg of Wild Boar in a sweet and sour sauce

http://funkymunky.co.za/meat.html

This way of preparing wild boar is very popular in northern Europe! I should think that warthog (vlakvark) could be used as a substitute.

Marinade the leg for 24 hours using the following ingredients:

8 bay leaves
Handful of peppercorns
2 onions, sliced
3 sliced chilli peppers
1 bottle of red wine
Add water to marinade to cover leg

Method:

Braise the leg at 180 degrees centigrade and for 40 minutes to the pound. When it is cooked, drain it, place on a long dish and pour over a few tablespoons of the strained braising juices, sprinkle with sugar and glaze in the oven

Reduce remaining braising juices and add 12 prunes and 24 cherries pickled in vinegar. At the last moment add a little chocolate dissolved in water and serve the ham with the sauce.

Tomato Bredie

http://funkymunky.co.za/meat.html

Try this traditional South African recipe.

Ingredients:

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

Method:

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

Samoosas

http://funkymunky.co.za/meat.html

This recipe was brought to South Africa by Indian immigrants and has now become a favourite snack of all South Africans.

Ingredients:

Dough
375 g cake flour
5 ml salt
250 ml cold water
5 ml lemon juice
15 ml melted butter or margarine

Filling
500 g mutton or lamb, minced
2 ml turmeric
5 ml salt
1 large clove garlic
1 piece root ginger
10 ml freshly chopped coriander leaves
1 green chilli, crushed
2 medium onions, finely chopped
15 ml melted butter
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 ml garam masala

sunflower oil

Method:

To make the dough, sift the flour and salt together and add enough cold water to make a stiff dough. Add the lemon juice and knead the dough gently until elastic. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball. Roll out 6 balls on a floured surface and shape them into 10-cm diameter rounds. Brush each with melted butter or oil and sprinkle with flour. Stack the rounds leaving the final round ungreased and unfloured. Roll out the stack into a large, very thin, round and trim the sides to form a square. Heat an ungreased baking sheet in the oven at 230 C until very hot, remove and place the dough square on it. Turn the square over several times until the dough puffs up slightly. Remove the square from the baking sheet as soon as this happens. Repeat for the remaining 6 balls of dough.

To make the filling, cook the meat with a mixture of the turmeric, salt, garlic and ginger pounded together, the coriander leaves, and the chillies. When nearly dry, add the onions and cook till the liquid has evaporated stirring often to prevent lumps forming. Add the melted butter and allow the mixture to cool and add the spring onion and garam masala.

To assemble, cut the prepared dough squares into strips 8 cm wide and 25 to 30 cm long. Separate into layers before the pastry cools. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying out while making the samoosas). Holding a strip of pastry in your left hand pull the bottom corners across then fold it up to form as triangle with sharp corners and a pocket in which to put the filling. Fill with 10 ml filling then continue folding the pastry across the top of the triangle to seal off the opening. Tuck the edges round to form a neat triangle. Seal the remaining edge with a paste of flour and water and pinch the two bottom edges lightly together. Leave in a cool place for about 30 minutes before cooking. Fry the samoosas in hot oil for about 10 minutes, or until golden, turning often. Remove and drain.

Biltong (Savoury Dried Meat)

http://funkymunky.co.za/meat.html

Ingredients:

12.5 kg venison, beef or ostrich meat (fillet, rump or sirloin)
560 g fine salt
125 ml brown sugar
25 ml bicarbonate of soda
10 ml saltpetre (optional)
12.5 ml milled pepper
125 ml coarsely ground coriander
250 ml brown vinegar
2.5 litres warm water

Method:

Cut the meat along the natural dividing lines of the muscles, down the length of the whole leg or a portion of it. Cut the pieces into strips 5-7 cm thick, with some fat on each strip.

Mix the salt, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, saltpetre, pepper and coriander together and rub the mixture into the strips of meat.. Layer the meat in a cool place for about 1 to 2 days, depending on how thick the meat is and how salty you want it to be.

Mix the vinegar and water and dip the biltong into it. Pat the pieces of meat dry and hang them up on S-shaped hooks - or use pieces of string - about 5 cm apart so that air can circulate freely in a cool dry place. Leave for 2 to 3 weeks until the biltong is dry.