Cooking

Biltong

Making Biltong is a very old tradition, it comes from the Bushmen who learned how to preserve their meat for long periods of time because they did not have cooling facilities. It is also very high in protein and keratin.

You can use venison or beef. Cut out pieces of meat and we layer them with vinegar and salt, pepper and coriander. Leave them for a day, buy turning every few hours.  Hang it out to dry  in the wind. Biltong time is usually during the dry months, that is usually our winter.

RUSKS

Rusks is also an very old tradition. It was also found by the Afrikaners who took dried bread or left over sheet cake and dunk it in their coffee or tea.  We usually have our first cup of coffee with a rusk and it is a good kick start to the morning. Kids snack on them through the day. 

Olga has been working for me for a few years, she just has the special touch  for  mixing  the butter and flour (you have to rub it in, it must feel like really fine crumbs).

Buttermilk Rusk recipe

Ingredients

1.5 kg self raising flour

1tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

500ml buttermilk

500g margarine or butter

3 eggs

2 cups of sugar

Method:

Put all dry ingredients in a bowl, except the sugar.

Melt the sugar and the butter.

Mix the egg and the buttermilk.

Mix everything together until you get a dough like mixture.

Put the batter in a oven pan or bread pans.

Bake until golden brown.

Let it cool on a cooling rack.

Cut it into slices and dry it out in a cool  (80C) oven for 4 hours.

NS: you can replace 500g of the flour with 500 g of bran/ seeds, nuts to make a healthier rusk.

Farm Style bread

This is really a very easy recipe. NO KNEEDING REQUIRED!!

Ingredients:

1kg Whole meal flour

2 packs of dry yeast

15ml salt

100ml honey

1 liter lukewarm water

Method:

Mix al the dry ingredients.

Take 400ml lukewarm water and add the honey and the yeast to it. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

Add the honey mixture and the rest of the water to the flour mixture.

Mix well together with a wooden spoon. Grease your bread pans and fill them half with the dough.

Let it rise till double the volume and bake at 180 C for about 45min.

 

Mienke loves baking!

Our second eldest daughter, Mienke (11yrs) absolutely loves baking. She is always helping mom in the kitchen and looking after everyone's sweet tooth!

Camping day out in the field. Making Roosterkoek and Smores!

Recipe for Roosterkoek

400ml lukewarm water
1 x 10g dry yeast
5ml sugar
700g (5x 250ml) white bread flour or cake flour
15ml salt
25ml butter

Method:
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour wet ingredients in.
Kneed till a firm dough. Let it rise till double its size.
Make litte round balls and let it rise again.
Bake it on your rooster over hot coals until it makes a hollow sound
when you knock on it with your knuckle. It will also be nicely golden brown.
Enjoy with butter, syrup/honey and cheese.  

The best part is licking the dripping syrup and butter from your fingers!

Pickling and perserving is a very important thing here on the farm. We don't go into town often and fresh vegetables and fruit is not always an option. I made tomato jam and curry pickles this week.

We grow Fig trees, mint, carrot, beetroot, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and chives here on the farm for our household usage.

Quick Cheese muffins

This is also very quick and easy, my daughters sometimes make them for breakfast or if they want some picnic food.

Ingredients:

1 egg1cup buttermilk

1cup selfraising flour

pinch of salt and pepper/paprika

1 cup grated cheese

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together.

Add 1/4 cup of dough in the holes of your muffin pan.

It makes about 12.

I always look for an excuse to try out new soups! What better way than winter time. My favourite is Curry Butternut, I'll share that recipe later. Here is another favourite.


Biltong Soup

1 finely chopped onion
250 ml chopped biltong
1 liter of Beef stock
250 ml cream
1cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tbs corn flower, mixed with 60ml milk
fresh chives
salt, pepper and cumin to taste.

Method:
Fry the onion in a bit of oil.
Add the stock and the cream.
Thicken it with the cornflour.
                                                                               Add the biltong, herbs and spices.
                                                                               Garnish with extra biltong and feta cheese.