Bobotie

This is one of South Africa's traditional dishes. Every time we make it I have to fight to get a photo before it is devoured.... as you can see, I still have not succeeded, but that's because it is so delicious. Even my 5 year old grandson, Caleb, loves it. He calls it, "That yummy meat and eggs with rice Grampa makes...".

This dish has been known in the Cape since early in the 17th century where it was constructed by the Cape Malay servants based on an Indonesian dish known as "bobotok", which consisted of meat with a custard topping that was cooked in a pan of water until the egg mixture set. It was originally made with the leftover meat scraps, chutney or fruit from the "Master's Table". The early Cape Malays would have used ginger, herbs, lemon rind, lemon leaves or bay leaves and nutmeg, but today curry powder is used, but don't forget to add a little nutmeg to the meat mixture and sprinkle a grating of this pungent spice over the egg mixture. Traditionally, bobotie incorporates dried fruit like apricots or sultanas - don't use raisins as they are sweeter than sultanas. Chutney may also be added to the meat mixture. Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a variety of flavours that can add complexity. For example, the dried fruit contrasts with the curry flavouring. The texture of the dish is also complex, with the baked egg mixture topping complementing the milk-soaked bread which adds moisture to the dish.

I was taught to make this dish when I was 6 years old by my Mother's old Aunty Katie from Lichtenburg, in the northern Cape. She insisted it was not Bobotie without nutmeg and bay leaves !

Sadly, I cannot claim this as a handed down version from my Mother as she died quite young and never wrote her recipe down, just put it together from memory when she baked it. I have adapted this from recipes I have found and what I remember my Mother - and Tannie Katie - concocting. Anyway, here's my recipe, which can serve 4-5.

Ingredients:
1 fairly thick slice crustless bread (white or brown)
375 ml milk
12.5 ml oil
5ml butter
1 onion, sliced
5ml chopped garlic , or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
10 ml curry powder
5ml salt
12.5ml chutney
10ml smooth apricot jam
7.5ml Worcester sauce or soy sauce
2.5ml turmeric
2.5ml nutmeg
12.5ml brown vinegar
500g beef or lamb mince
50 ml sultanas (don’t replace with raisins – they are too sweet)

4-5 dried apricots, cut into strips
3 eggs
a pinch of salt
a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg
3-5 bay leaves

Method:
Soak bread in milk. Heat oil and butter in large pan and fry onions and garlic. When onions are soft, add curry powder, salt, chutney, jam, Worcester sauce, turmeric, nutmeg and vinegar. Mix well.

Drain and mash bread - reserve the milk. Add bread to the pan together with mince, sultanas and apricots. Cook over low heat, stirring, and when meat loses its pinkness, remove from stove.

Add 1 beaten egg, mix well, then spoon into a greased, baking dish and level the top.

Beat remaining eggs with reserved milk (you should have 300 ml, or a little more) and salt. Pour over meat mixture and put a few bay leaves on top. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.

Stand the dish in a larger pan of water (this is important to prevent drying out) and bake, uncovered, at 180˚C for 1 hour or until set.

Serve with rice, grated coconut, fruit chutney and sliced bananas.

P.S. I'll get a better photo next time we make it!

Traditional Mealie Bread

Ingredients:

half cup melted butter
2 beaten eggs
240g self raising flour
1 tin (425g) whole corn kernels
1 tin (425g) creamed sweet corn
1 cup sour cream or plain yoghurt

Method:
mix, butter, eggs, flour and sour cream / yoghurt in a bowl
add sweet corn and whole corn and mix well
bake in 180g, buttered bread pan for 45 min at 180 C until golden brown, serve with butter as an accompaniment to a braai or serve with the jam or jelly of your choice, i love it with whole apricot jam.

Koeksisters

Koeksisters are of Cape Dutch - or Afrikaans - and Cape Malay origin. It is debatable which came up with this delectable form of doughnuts first. The version I have for you is the Afrikaner version, as taught to me by my mother and her mother, my Ouma, which is much more syrupy and crisp than the Malay version of these doughnuts. The dough may include yeast or baking powder as the rising agent and is spiced with powdered cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. It is deep fried, then placed in hot syrup. My sister and I often made these for cake sales at our high school when we were teenagers, an activity in which we were not alone. A monument of a koeksister in the Afrikaner enclave of Oriana, in the Northern Cape, South Afrika, celebrates a folk tradition of baking them for fundraisers for churches and schools.

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:
240g cake flour
20ml baking powder
2.5ml salt

2ml ground cinnamon

2ml ground cardamom

2ml ground ginger
30ml butter
125ml milk

vegetable oil for frying

For the syrup:
1 kg sugar
500ml water
1.25ml cream of tartar
5ml vanilla essence or extract

Method:

For the syrup:
Place all the syrup ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil, while stirring constantly.
Reduce to a moderate simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and place in a metal bowl if you have one.

Place the bowl in a bigger container (or kitchen sink) filled with ice water -- you want to get your syrup really cold. You can place it in the freezer too (in a Ziploc bag) when cool enough.
Leave to chill while making your dough.

For the Pastry:
In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients together and rub in the butter. Add the milk and mix into a soft dough; knead thoroughly, then leave to stand for about 15 minutes.

If the dough is too crumbly, add a dash more milk - if it's too wet, sprinkle with a little more flour.

Roll out to a thickness of about 5mm and cut into strips 1.5cm wide and about 7cm long. Divide the 1.5cm into strips 5mm wide, but keeping them joined at the top.

Create plaits with the three strips, making sure that you press the strips together firmly at both ends -- this is very important because if you don't, the koeksuster will fall apart in the oil. I know the plaits might seem very small now, but they expand when they fry and then absorb all the syrup. Don't be tempted to make them bigger!

Deep fry the koeksusters in hot oil until golden brown -- don't be afraid to get them a rich, golden brown.

Drain quickly and immediately dip into the ice-cold syrup. I leave mine in the syrup for maximum saturation, and only remove them just before I’m going to serve.

Yum!

Spicy Butternut and Chickpea Soup with Coconut Cream

This is such a typical African soup. 

To make it even more Southern African you could use butter pumpkin instead of butternut, peanuts instead of chickpeas, and Morogo or Imifino (African wild spinach) instead of baby spinach leaves.

Ingredients:
30ml olive oil
1 red onion, roughly chopped
5ml chopped garlic
5ml grated fresh ginger
5ml dried chilli flakes
5ml curry powder
5ml ground cumin
1 can chopped tomatoes
10ml sugar
500ml chicken stock
750ml peeled butternut cubes
1 can chickpeas, washed and drained
150-200ml coconut cream
a couple of handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Steam the butternut for 15-20 minutes minutes until it begins to soften.

Meanwhile, over med-high heat, add the olive oil to a large pot. When it is hot, add the onion and cook gently for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down if it starts to burn. Add in the garlic, ginger and all the spices and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add in the tinned tomatoes and sugar, stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Add in the cooked butternut, the chickpeas and the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, and then turn down to a simmer for a further 15 minutes. Stir through the coconut cream, check for seasoning, and then add in the spinach leaves just before serving.

Serve in warmed soup bowls with fresh crusty bread on the side.

Grandma's Buttermilk Rusks

Ingredients:

Self-raising flour 2 Kg

3 cups sugar

500 g Butter 

750 ml Buttermilk

5 large eggs

Baking powder 15ml

5ml salt

Method:

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

Beat the sugar, eggs and salt together very well.

Melt the butter.

Add buttermilk to egg mixture and whisk, then add melted butter / margarine to. Beat well.

Add egg mixture to flour and mix. Knead lightly.

If you do not use biscuit oven trays like mine in the picture it, roll dough into balls and place in greased baking dish.

Leave it for ½ hour to rise. Bake 1 hour at 180 ° C.

Break with a fork / knife and place in oven at 100 ° C until well dried out (about 6 hours). 

Pasta Slaw

Coleslaw is one of South Africa’s favourite salads, but we got tired of the ubiquitous cabbage and carrot smothered with mayonnaise and added pasta to it for an interesting variation.

I like to add a few extra special touches to this salad, which always goes down a treat, such as a couple of handfuls of raisins, sultanas or chopped dried apricots and some chopped nuts such as macadamias, pecans, walnuts or cashew nuts. Mix some fruit or nuts into the salad and sprinkle some on top to garnish.

Ingredients:

250g Elbow Macaroni

15ml olive oil

¼ cabbage, shredded finely

2 ribs of celery, finely sliced

1 large carrot, grated

½ 470g can crushed pineapple

250ml mayonnaise

60ml snipped chives

100ml sultanas (optional)

100g chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Method:

Cook the macaroni according to the package instructions. Drain well and mix with the oil.

Combine the pasta, cabbage, celery, carrot, pineapple and some of the sultanas and macadamia nuts, if using, reserving some of each of the dried fruit and nuts for garnish, then mix in the mayonnaise.

Garnish with sultanas and macadamia nuts, if using, and snipped chives.

Farmhouse Beans

This is a traditional Afrikaans way of preparing green beans, also known as "Boere Boontjies". I learnt to make this behind my Ouma's apron. As children, it was a treat and I still enjoy beans prepared this way.

Although suet is the genuine fat used by the 'Boere Vrou', it is not considered as a suitable fat to use today as it is saturated fat. You could replace it with butter or olive oil, or a bit of both.

Ingredients:
1 small potato, peeled and chopped into quarter inch cubes - or coarsely grated
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
1 packet of green beans, topped and tailed and chopped into 1 inch pieces - smaller if you wish
30g suet for frying - or butter and/or olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to season

Method:
In a frying pan, melt the suet and add the potatoes, frying for a few minutes until the potato becomes a little translucent. Add the shallot and beans and fry for about 5 minutes until the onion is a little coloured and the beans are cooked, but still crunchy. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper a keep warm until ready to serve.

Chicken Tikka Masala

When we came to the UK, we found that curries were given some strange names here, 'Chicken Tikka' being one of them. Not wanting to appear ignorant, I asked a Hindu friend back in Durban what a tikka was. When she indicated her forehead, I was totally nonplussed. I thought she was indicating brains, and I wasn't into eating chicken brains; they are too small to be of any significance and who wants to eat brains? Not me, that's for sure!

When she figured that I was asking her about food she laughed and explained: A tikka is the mark worn on the forehead by a Hindu married woman and, simply translated, it is a 'piece'. But when referring to food, it is pieces of meat. So a chicken tikka masala, I surmised, is pieces of chicken in a spiced paste or masala - well that's a curry isn't it? So why the fancy name?

With a bit more investigating I found that this description - pieces of chicken in a spiced paste - needed more elaboration: small cubes of chicken marinated in a yoghurt spice mix, then threaded on skewers and grilled over coals, or more particularly in a tandoor oven. Well, in my book, that's called 'Tandoori Murgh'. However, it seems this is still not quite what the dish has evolved into here in Britain, perhaps because it's not so easy to live an outdoor lifestyle in a cold, wet and miserable place like the UK is.

The first time we went to an 'Indian' in England - by that I refer to the British way of speaking about eating in an Indian restaurant - I decided I had to order Chicken Tikka, more out of curiosity than anything else. I was sorely disappointed though as what I was served I would have called a simple yoghurt-chicken curry - chicken pieces in a yoghurt-curry sauce - no skewers, no grilling, just big chunks of chicken in sauce! Go figure!

To cut a long story short, it appears that everyone has their own idea of what 'Chicken Tikka', supposedly the nation's favourite curry, should be. So I thought the best way to tackle it was to share a few recipes under their relevant names and you can make up your mind how to make a

'Chicken Tikka Masala'

Charga or South African Chicken Tikka (Chicken Braai)

Ingredients:
2 whole chickens
15ml chilli powder
5ml chopped ginger
5ml chopped garlic
15ml green pawpaw pulp (unripe papaya)
30ml yoghurt
salt to taste

Method:
Cut each chicken into four portions and make cuts across, but not through the thicker parts of the meat. Smear well with chilli powder, ginger, garlic and salt. Allow to marinade for 34 hours.

Two hours before cooking, mix yoghurt, green pawpaw pulp and lemon juice and smear over the chicken. Leave to marinade. Cook under the grill, on a cast iron grill, or best of all, on a braai.


Tandoori Murgh

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
30ml oil
30ml melted ghee
1 green chilli, chopped fine
5ml ginger, chopped
5ml garlic, chopped
5ml salt
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
2ml ground white pepper
30ml single cream
juice of 1 lemon
1 pineapple cut into 6 wedges

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.

Butterfly the chicken. Mix the oil and ghee together. Make a paste of the spices with cream, lemon juice and about 15ml oil/ghee mixture to make it sticky. Smear this paste over the chicken and allow it to marinate for 2-3 hours.

Place the marinated chicken in a deep-lidded roasting pan and bake covered in the oven for half an hour. Remove the lid and place the pan directly under the grill. Pour 15ml oil/ghee mixture over the chicken at 5 minute intervals until the chicken juices have evaporated and the chicken is cooked through. To check that the chicken is done, cut between a leg and breast; there should be no pinkness and any running juices should be clear.

Place wedges of pineapple around the chicken and braise under the grill for a few more minutes, removing before the pineapple looses colour. Serve immediately.


Makhan Murgh or Butter Chicken

Ingredients:
For the Tikka Marinade:
15-20ml lemon juice
100-120ml Greek yoghurt
2-3 cloves of garlic, made into a paste
1 inch root ginger, grated
2ml red chilli powder or tandoori masala
2-3ml paprika
10ml ground cumin
15ml vegetable oil
5ml salt

For the chicken curry:
6 deboned, skinless chicken thighs, cut across, but not right through the thicker parts of the meat.
2 inches root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
30ml vegetable oil
80-100g butter
2 black cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
8 green cardamom pods
1 inch piece of cassia bark
500g tomatoes, pureed
15ml tomato paste
2-4 small green chillies, whole but pierced
80-100ml single cream
10ml sugar
1-2ml red chilli powder or tandoori masala
5ml paprika
5ml garam masala
chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade, add the chicken and leave in the fridge to marinate for 3-4 hours, or overnight if possible. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

In a mini blender, blitz together the ginger and garlic for the curry, using a little water to make a paste. Meanwhile heat the oil and half the butter in a large non-stick saucepan. Add the whole spices and, once they start to sizzle, add the ginger and garlic paste and cook until the moisture has evaporated and the garlic odour is mellow and it looks grainy.

Add the tomatoes and tomato paste to the pan and cook down for about 20 minutes until the resulting paste releases oil. Reduce the heat and brown the paste for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. The paste should darken considerably. Pour in 250ml of water and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pass the paste through a sieve, pressing the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible from the tomatoes and spices. Discard the solids and set the liquid aside.

Heat the oven to 240C, with the grill on as well if possible. Place the chicken in a foil lined tray on the uppermost level of the oven and cook for 8 minutes or until slightly charred. Remove from the oven. Cut the meat into large chunks.

Heat the remaining butter and add the green chillies, the prepared sauce, some salt and a good splash of water and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Mix in the cream, sugar, chilli powder, paprika and garam masala. Add the chicken to finish the cooking. Simmer, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is lovely and creamy. If the sauce starts to get dry, add a splash of water and mix in. Test for seasoning. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle over with the chopped coriander leaves.


Chicken Tikka Pineapple Skewers with Masala Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:

750g chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch cubes
3ml turmeric
juice of half a lime
100g Greek yoghurt
2ml garam masala
5ml ginger, grated
5ml garlic grated
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
5ml red chilli powder
10ml tomato paste
20-25ml vegetable oil

For the Skewers:

wooden skewers, soaked in water
5-6 x 1cm slices pineapple cut into quarters
50ml light brown granulated sugar
3ml red chilli powder
2ml garam masala

For the masala sauce:

2ml ground cumin
15ml butter
2 inch piece root ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 x 1cm slices of pineapple, shredded
15-20ml chopped fresh coriander

Method:

To make the marinade, Put the chicken cubes in a bowl and mix in the turmeric and lime juice, blending well. Set aside for about 30 minutes. Mix the remaining ingredients for the marinade with the chicken and season with sea salt. Cover the bowl with cling film and put in the fridge for at least 6 hours, overnight if possible.

Preheat the grill with the door shut to make it as hot as possible. Mix together the sugar, red chilli pepper and garam masala and sprinkle this over the pineapple pieces. Thread the chicken cubes on the prepared skewers, putting a piece of pineapple between each cube. Lightly grease a baking sheet and lay the chicken skewers on it, leaving space between each skewer. Grill until you have charring on the edges of the chicken and the sugar on the pineapple is caramelising - about 4-6 minutes. Make sure the chicken does not overcook or the chicken will be too dry. Remove, cover with foil and set aside in a warm place wile you make the masala sauce.

Heat a large frying pan and add the ground cumin and butter, moving the spice through the melting butter all the time so as to not let it burn. When the butter begins to froth, stir in the ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry until the garlic changes colour. Stir in the chopped onion and fry until soft. Add the shredded pineapple and stir into the onion. When the pineapple softens into the onion, add the chopped coriander, season to taste and serve with the chicken skewers.

Melktert

Melktert is a South African speciality dessert originating from the Dutch settlers. Although there are many different variations of this delicious tart, which in English would be Milk Tart or Custard Pie, this is the recipe that has come down to me through my family.

As the Afrikaans normally host large family gatherings where this dessert is served, my recipe is for two tarts which are best made the day before they are to be served.

Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
125ml caster sugar
125g butter
500ml flour
1 egg
2ml salt
10ml baking powder


For the Filling:
1 litre milk
50ml butter
30ml flour
10ml ground almonds
3 eggs
200ml sugar
40ml cornflour
5ml almond essence
2ml grated nutmeg
ground cinnamon for dusting


Method:

For the Pastry:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Cream the butter and the sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg, flour, salt and baking powder and mix to form a dough. Press the dough into two pie plates and bake blind for 10-15 minutes until light brown. allow to cool thoroughly before adding the filling.


For the Filling:

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. Blend to a paste then, over a low heat, add half the milk, a little at a time, to make a white sauce. Blend the ground almonds into the sauce.

Slake the cornflour with a little of the remaining milk.

Add the eggs, sugar, slaked cornflour, almond essence and nutmeg to the rest of the milk and whisk thoroughly.

With the pan off the heat, add the milk and egg mixture to the white sauce, whisking well to blend. Transfer the custard mixture to the top of a double boiler and warm, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.

Pour the custard into the prepared pie shells and sprinkle with cinnamon. Allow to cool and then put in the fridge to set completely. Yes, you have read this right - there is no nead to bake this tart once you add the filling - it's ready to serve once it is set.

Crunchies

This is a South African classic biscuit made with oats and coconut. They make a treet for afternoon tea, or even a healthy breakfast on the run.

Everybody loves them!

Ingredients:
750ml desicated coconut
250ml flour
1L rolled oats
375ml sugar
5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
250g butter
50ml golden syrup or honey
10ml bicarbonate of soda
60ml milk


Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Combine the coconut, flour, rolled oats, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter with the syrup or honey and add to the dry ingredients.
Dissolve the bicarbonete of soda in the milk and add to the mixing bowl.
Mix well with a metal spoon to blend, ensuring that all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Press the crumbly mixture formly into a greased baking sheet to a depth of about 1 cm, flattening the top with a rolling pin.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden on top.
Cut into squares of the size desired while still hot. Lift out the squares with a spatula and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 5 dizen biscuits. Store in an airtight container.

Mealie Bread

In South Africa, Corn or Maize is known as “mealies.” For many people they are part of their daily diet where they are ground to make Mielie Meal and then made into dishes like ‘Sadza’. Normally the mealies are left on the stalks in the field until the crop has dried out, before harvesting. However, to make mealie bread, the cobs are harvested when still young and green when the kernels are still moist. There are a number of recipes to make bread from Mealies that are not only delicious but really easy to make. I have gathered together four recipes, the first one uses corn off the cob, but the others use tinned sweetcorn.

Traditional Steamed Green Mealie Bread

To make this bread you need to use a slightly green mealie (at the hard dough stage). You will know if it is right, if you take a kernel and press it and some liquid should come out, but most of the starchy kernel should remain between fingers.

Ingredients:

750 ml Fresh green mealies, cut off the cob

75 ml flour

25 ml sugar

10 ml baking powder or sachet yeast

5 ml salt

30 ml butter

Method:

Cut the kernels off cob and then rub the cob with the back of a knife to remove remaining portions of kernels.

Mash/mince these green mealies.

Mix together all the ingredients.

Moisten a cotton cloth and sprinkle with a light coat of flour and then put in a colander.

Pour mixture into cloth and bind tightly, but allow space for bread to rise.

If using yeast, use buttered tins and allow mixture to stand till bubbling and started rising. Cover tightly and steam for 2 – 2.5 hours.

Serve hot from the pan with butter – and a dusting of pepper

Cheesy Mealie Bread

Cheesy Mealie Bread

Ingredients:

480 g cake flour

20ml baking powder

pinch of salt

50 ml sugar

30 ml cooking oil

2 eggs, beaten

200 ml milk

1 x 410g can cream style sweetcorn or fresh baked corn

100 g strong cheese , grated

a little grated onion

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl

Beat together with oil, eggs and milk and add to the flour mixture

Add the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly and place in well-greased circular pot

Sprinkle a little cheese, onion and parsley on the top

Bake for about an hour (this may vary depending on your oven)

Sour Cream Mealie Bread

This is a sumptuous mealie bread that’s great for a special occasion. Make it basic or sizzling with hot chilli and serve with lashings of butter. Instead of frozen or tinned whole kernels, you could use fresh green mealies, cut from the cob if they are available. Yum yum yum!

Ingredients:

250ml mealie meal, corn meal or polenta

250ml cake flour

5ml baking powder

2.5ml bicarbonate of soda

5ml salt

15ml sugar

125ml cream style sweetcorn

125ml frozen sweetcorn, or tinned whole kernel sweetcorn, drained

125ml sour cream

200ml milk

2 eggs

30ml vegetable oil

1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

30ml extra mealie meal

Oil to coat the pan

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together the cream style sweetcorn, frozen sweetcorn, sour cream, milk, eggs and vegetable oil. Add this liquid mixture to the dry ingredients along with the chopped chilli (optional). Mix gently just until the ingredients are all moistened.

Oil an 8 inch loose base cake tin and coat with 30ml mealie meal. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the pan comes out clean.

Cool slightly in the pan before transferring to a serving plate and cutting into wedges.

Lay-Z Mealie Bread

This is one of my favourite South African recipes and the best bit is that it is so easy.

Ingredients:

2 cups basic bread ready-mix

1 cup creamed corn (Usually found tinned)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup whole milk

2 ounces butter, melted

Method: Place the biscuit mix, creamed corn, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and milk, and stir just until combined. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9″ baking pan. Place the mealie mixture into the pan, and coat with the melted butter. Bake for 20 minutes. Easypeasy!

Corned Beef and Corn Bread

Corned beef, or bully beef, go so well with sweetcorn, they are like husband and wife.

This 'Cornbread' comes from an old South African recipe book of mine.

It's down to earth cooking and I trust you will enjoy it as much as my family do.

Ingredients:

500 g plain flour

12 g salt

25 g fresh yeast

40 g butter

290 ml water

1 can sweetcorn, drained

1 small can corned beef

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220ºC.

Place the flour, salt, yeast, butter and water in a mixing bowl. Mix roughly with your hands and then tip onto a work surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Return the dough to the bowl and set aside to rise for 1 hour.

Mix the corned beef and sweetcorn. Shape the dough into a ball, place on a lined baking tray and use a cook's knife to mark a cross on the top of the loaf. Leave to rise for 45 minutes.

Bake the loaf for 25 minutes until risen.