Nelson Mandela; the world was a better place

On 5 December 2013, the world lost one its most beautiful people. Nelson Mandela left this world a slightly darker place and he, and his work, will be sorely missed by many people. 

He stood for something, was willing and able to speak about this and had the courage to fight for it: “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” "When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace." So, dear Mr Mandela, rest in peace.

In 1992 interviews were being held to a personal chef. The interview contained just one question: 'Can you cook our home food?' She could and she got the job. Xoliswa Ndoyiya has cooked him the foods that he so much loved ever since as it turns out that Mr Mandela loved his food but most of all he craved the food he had grown up with. One of his favourite dishes is one I share with him: Braised Oxtail. Incredibly moorish, good value for money and a proper winter-warmer. Give it a try, the recipe is easy to follow.

Braised Oxtail

Ingredients:

• 6 ½ pounds oxtail, excess fat removed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon barbecue spice
• 5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• ½ pound green beans, sliced
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 packet oxtail soup powder
• Salt and (white pepper), to taste

Method:

1. Put the oxtail in a large pot and add just enough water to cover
2. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the water has evaporated
• The meat will start to brown in its own fat
3. Add the paprika and barbecue spice together with enough water to cover the oxtail
4. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat until the oxtail is tender, about 2 hours
• Keep checking that there is still enough liquid to cover the meat, adding more water when necessary
5. Add the carrots, beans, potatoes and soup powder and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes
6. Season and serve

As they say in Afrikaans

Eet smaaklik

Or, in English

Enjoy

'Stealing' recipes

Cookbooks and recipes; I love them. For me, they are a source of inspiration, wonder, disgust (I don't care how much alcohol you pour over liver, it remains liver), anticipation, joy. Funds don't allow me to buy every cookbook I see (how very annoying) but if I find a recipe that I would really love to try, I will quickly write down the ingredients and the outline of how to make it. It is the one reason why I have always got some paper and a pen in my bags.

Even dining out, like we did last year when we were in Scarborough, recipes are never 'safe'. We had been informed, by the owner of the B&B (The Kenton) we were staying at, of a nearby Turkish restaurant called Az. As it was our wedding anniversary, and we both love our food, we decided to give it a try. This year we went back and I just had to try the salad again (???) that I had tasted the previous year. Although in the past I have asked for (and received) the recipes of something I had really enjoyed from the chef, being with my husband and all I decided to just write down the name of the dish and see what I could find on the internet. To my relief and utter enjoyment I found it.

At Az they called it a salad; it is usually eaten as part of Turkish Mezze:

Zeytinyağlı Taze Fasulye

or

Turkish Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh green beans or 1 pack of frozen green beans
• 1 big onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped (or 2 teaspoons grated/minced garlic)
• 2 big fresh tomatoes, finely chopped, or 1 tin of (diced) tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar (use more if the tomatoes are too acidic)
• 1/2 cup olive oil (8 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup hot water (8 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• salt (to taste)

optional

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• pepper/ crushed pepper (to taste)

Method:

1. If you're using fresh green beans: clean and trim the beans to 1 to 1½ inch pieces
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the chopped onions and garlic until lightly brown
3. Add the tomato paste and stir for a minute
4. Add the beans and stir them until they slightly change colour (about 6-8 minutes)
5. Add the tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes, then add sugar (cumin and pepper), water, and salt
6. Cover the pan and cook with low heat until the beans are soft (about 30 minutes with frozen beans - 45 minutes with fresh ones)

Do you have a pressure cooker? Add all the ingredients to the pan and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.

This is traditionally served cold, but it is also very tasty when eaten warm.
Variations:

• Try using half-and-half green beans and (thinly) sliced runner beans
• As a matter of fact, try using a pound of sliced runner beans (instead of the green beans)
• No green beans (or runner beans)? Try using 5 or 6 finely chopped tomatoes (of your own preference) (skip step 4) and cook until the tomatoes start to fall apart then add 1 or 2 chopped tomatoes and warm through

At home, we had it for our tea with Patlican Salatasi (a Turkish aubergine salad [remind me to put the recipe up]) and Izmir Köfte (Turkish 'meatballs'). As the next day the flavours were even more developed, I enjoyed it at work: I had prepared some plain couscous and spooned over several tablespoons of the 'salad'. Together with some pita bread and crumbled feta cheese; it was delish...

As they say in Turkey:

Tadini çikarmak

or (in English)

Enjoy