Day: January 20, 2010

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denningvleis or denning meat stew of south africa

Tamarind is sweet and sour but always wonderful

Tamarind is something very commonplace in Indian cuisine and in a variety of drinks around the world and is loved for it’s sweet and sour taste. It is also found in a famous South African dish called ‘Denningvleis.’ It is one of those dishes that all South Africans claim as their own, but with all the cultural tweaks giving to this culinary marvel, it is truly a ‘fusion’ food.

Denningvleis has an interesting history where the meat of choice had been water buffalo. Today, it depends on where you go, but lamb is always a safe bet. Laura isn’t a real fan of lamb, but I manage a mixture with pork that always seems to please her. The trouble is that today I am back on a strict Jenny Craig schedule to lose a bit of the Christmas cheer.

Here’s my friend  Michael Tracey’s ( the AfriChef) recipe should this strike your fancy as much as it does mine!

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“Denningvleis (literal translation Spiced Meat)

Ingredients:
3 large onions, sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 large cloves of garlic crushed.
5 allspice.
6 cloves.
2 bay leaves.
1 green chilli finely chopped.
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper.
1 KG (2 ¼ pounds) fatty mutton
2 tablespoons seedless tamarind.  (If you can’t get tamarind use
Lemon juice.)
1 cup boiling water.
1 teaspoon full grated nutmeg
Salt to taste

Method:
Fry onions in oil in a large saucepan until soft add garlic, allspice
cloves, bay leaves, chilli and pepper.Layer meat on top of the onions
Close saucepan with a tightly fitting lid and allow to simmer for
13 — 40 minutes.

Soak tamarind in boiling water.  Allow to cool.  Pour through a sieve.
Pressing all the juices through with a spoon.  Pour tamarind liquid
over meat and sprinkle with nutmeg  Season to taste and simmer for 10 — 15
minutes.  Serve with freshly — cooked rice.
This recipe will serve eight hungry people.

AfriChef Micheal Tracey sell a recipe e-book containing 266 African recipes.
You can find it on http://www.africhef.com for only $11.95

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Roger Freberg

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the truth was written in the past

two steps forward one step back

The book entitled “Atlantis the antediluvian world” was received as ‘fact’ when the book was released in 1882. Kings and heads of state reviewed with awe the tale of Atlantis, and with the recent discovery of Troy and the continued exploration of Egyptian antiquity, who could blame anyone from being captivated? We often don’t admit to being hoodwinked which is why you seldom hear about this book, but it is fun to read!

Which brings me to a curious point, one of the things that are quickly vanishing out of libraries and large private collections and into the hands of many everyday people are thousands and thousands of books. If you haven’t been to a library recently — and few have — there is one thing missing… books!  Personally, I am not sad to see the library go the way of the dodo. Libraries are the clerics of an ancient technology.

However, the challenge we have today is sifting through the interpretations of others and never seeing the original source. If you don’t read the original books, you might believe  that Abraham Lincoln’s overriding passion wasn’t to free the slaves. You might not be aware that many believe he was influenced by an account of the capture and slavery of a seaman in North Africa in the early 1800’s.

By building your own library, you can see for yourself what people thought about their times and the people in them. Just as any good chef will own hundreds of cookbooks ( although there are those who won’t admit it!), how can you really know your field if you have not read their founding books?

Find something you enjoy and buy some books!

Roger Freberg

PS. Laura has started her own  Psychology Library