Recipes for Love and Murder (43 page)

• Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 3 hours.

• Turn the dough out onto an oiled work surface. Divide into 6 equal pieces (about 180g each) and roll each into a sausage. Working gently but firmly, roll each sausage as much as it will allow you to without tearing the dough. Set it aside and move on to the next one. Once you have rolled them all, do this again until the 6 sausages are each about a metre long, or no more than 1cm thick. Leave the dough sausages to rest for 10 minutes.

• Now make two plaits of 3 strands each. It is easiest to start in the middle and work one way, and then work in the other direction. Make sure that the plait is nice and tight, and then let it rest for another 10–15 minutes.

• Cut the plaits into 7cm lengths. You should get at least 12 koeksisters from each plait.

• Fry about four at a time in hot oil, turning when they are golden brown (2–3 minutes a side). Once they have an even golden-brown colour, drain them for a moment (on old egg boxes or paper towel) before dropping them into the cold syrup. Turn them over and leave them in the syrup until the next ones are ready to go in. Keep going until they are all done.

Tip

• These are delicious and definitely worth the effort. They are best served chilled and will stay fresh in the fridge for a couple of days (although you will have eaten them before that). They can also be frozen.

MUESLI BUTTERMILK RUSKS

1kg cake flour

¼ cup baking powder (40g)

4 t salt

1½ cups toasted muesli (200g)

1 not-quite-full cup of sultanas or raisins (100g)

1 cup chopped dried apples (75g)

1¼ cups sunflower seeds (170g)

½ cup desiccated coconut (40g)

¼ cup linseeds (35g)

¼ cup sesame seeds (35g)

¼ cup pumpkin seeds (30g)

2 cups brown sugar (400g)

3 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

500g butter, melted

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease four ordinary loaf tins or one 30 × 40cm tin.

• Mix together all the dry ingredients.

• Beat the eggs and mix in the buttermilk and melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.

• Spoon the mixture (about 3cm thick) into the tin(s) and bake for about 45 minutes.

• Leave to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack, then allow to cool completely.

• Cut into rusks, about 2cm thick if they are in loaf tins or 3 × 4cm if they are in the larger tin, depending on how big you like them.

• Dry overnight in a warming drawer, or in a 80–100°C oven for 4–6 hours until hard and dry. Store in an airtight container.

• Dip the rusks into your coffee, like biscuits, until soft and delicious.

Tips

• Use a pair of scissors to cut the dried apple – it is much easier.

• You can also add dried cranberries or your favourite nuts, seeds or dried fruit, as long as the overall amount of dry ingredients stays the same.

BREAD

KAROO FARM BREAD

4½ cups brown bread flour (600g)

3 t salt

10g instant dried yeast

1 cup oats (80g)

½ cup sunflower seeds (80g)

¼ cup molasses (80g)

1 T sunflower oil

2½ cups lukewarm water

1 cup All Bran flakes (55g)

• Grease a 12 × 25cm loaf tin.

• Sift the flour (adding back the bran that is caught in the sieve) and mix in the salt, yeast, oats and sunflower seeds.

• Add the molasses, oil and water and stir well. Now add the All Bran flakes and mix well. Spoon the batter into the tin and put in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes.

• Sprinkle the top with a few more sunflower seeds and bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 40–45 minutes.

• Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Tip

• This bread stays fresh for up to a week. It is delicious with farm butter and apricot jam or thick slices of cheese.

VETKOEK

600g cake flour

3 t instant dried yeast

2 T sugar

3 t salt

2 T sunflower oil

200ml warm water

200ml milk

2 litres sunflower oil for deep-frying

• Sift the flour and mix in the yeast, sugar and salt.

• Mix the oil, warm water and milk, and slowly add to the flour mixture. It should form a workable dough. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Oil a big bowl, put the dough into it, cover with a cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours or until twice its size.

• Gently knead the dough to knock out the air and divide into 10 portions (about 100g each). Work into balls and then flatten them using the palms of your hands. Rub these with oil and let them rise for 20–30 minutes.

• In the meantime, heat the deep-frying oil in a large heavy pot. Fry the vetkoek three at a time in the hot oil, turning them over when golden brown on one side (4–6 minutes) to brown the other side.

• Drain on paper towel or empty egg boxes.

• Serve with
vetkoek mince
or with lots of butter, farm cheese and home-made
apricot jam
.

Acknowledgements

Writing is such a solitary activity, but as I write my acknowledgements I am blown away by the army of supporters I have had. My heartfelt thanks to you all. I list some of you below:

Peter van Straten, Bosky Andrew and Joan van Gogh gave feedback on early drafts. Miriam Wheeldon and Nicolene Botha were my music advisors. Anel Hamersma did the first Afrikaans language and culture edit. Christian Vlotman and JP Andrew answered questions about youth culture. Vilia Reynolds gave me information about Ladismith. Andrew Brown was extremely generous with advice on legal, literary and police matters. Ladismith policewomen and -men kindly educated me about certain police procedures.

Carole Buggé (of New York's Gotham Writers' Workshop) gave me hope and a fantastic first edit. Christopher Hope gave me insightful feedback.

Sisi Nono Silimela embodies Tannie Maria's do-the-right-thing spirit. Ditto Tannie Maria van der Berg, who also lent me her first name, is a brilliant cook and, along with her daughter Crecilda, advised me on matters from swear words to sheep. Danie Vorster of Merino SA taught me more on the latter subject. Ronel Gouws, Chris Erasmus, Pieter Jolly and Carl Wicht kindly answered questions on Afrikaans, literature, Bushmen and broken limbs (respectively). I am grateful to Vlok and Schutte-Vlok for their book
Plants of the Klein Karoo
(Umdaus Press, 2010).

If I were to sing all the praises of my agent, Isobel Dixon, I would sound like a mere sycophant, so let me just say in an understated way that she is a wonderwoman and a goddess. Louise Brice is pure angel, Melis Dagoglu moves mountains, and I am extremely grateful to the full murmuration of darlings at the Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, including Hattie Grunewald (who even lent me her first name) and Tom Witcomb.

I am blessed to have received wild enthusiasm and careful editing from a collection of brilliant publishers, editors and proofreaders, including Fourie Botha, Beth Lindop, Máire Fisher (Umuzi, South Africa); Louisa Joyner, Jamie Byng, Lorraine McCann (Canongate, UK); Dan Halpern, Megan Lynch (Ecco, HarperCollins USA); Iris Tupholme (HarperCollins Canada); Mandy Brett and Michael Heyward (Text, Australia). It has been an amazing collaborative experience, in which many cooks perfected rather than spoiled the broth (with thanks to expert kitchen management by the lovely Louisa).

My gratitude goes to the full teams of all the publishers of this book across the globe. Thank you for the most beautiful letters that some of you wrote to me. I keep them in my box of love letters and use them as medicine whenever I have a bad day.

Thanks to my gorgeous man, Bowen Boshier, who supports me through everything and teaches me how to see and how to be.

The love and support I have received from you all is like the fresh stream from which I drink daily in the Karoo.

I am inspired by and grateful to the following literary icons: Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, who sparked my love of cosy mysteries; master storyteller Herman Charles Bosman, who taught me that what you leave out of the story can be just as important as what you put in; the charming Alexander McCall Smith, who showed the world that a slow-moving, soft-boiled woman detective from southern Africa can outrun many a fast-paced, hard-boiled PI from North America.

Titles of songs heard in Jessie's ringtones are with thanks to the following great musicians: ‘Girl On Fire' by Alicia Keys; ‘My Black President' by Brenda Fassie; ‘Light My Fire' by The Doors; ‘I'm Your Man' and ‘By The Rivers Dark' by Leonard Cohen.

The Afrikaans folk song ‘'N Liedjie Van Verlange' sung by Dirk and Anna is derived from the German folk song ‘Ich Weiss Nicht Was Mir Fehlet'. I made use of poetic licence with my own English translation of this ‘Song of Longing'. Much thanks to the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge and to Protea Boekhuis for kindly giving permission to use the Afrikaans version of this song, by Eitemal, in their
FAK Sangbundel
(Protea Boekhuis, 2011).

I am very grateful to the chefs, cooks and bakers who helped me perfect the recipe-related parts of this book.

Nikki Langer (of Eat Love Feast caterers) kindly read the whole book in its early draft, helped me to plot the food and provided me with numerous wonderful recipe ideas (many from Ina Paarman).

The magnificent baker and chef, Martin Mössmer, tested and adapted all the Tannie Maria recipes until each one of them was moan-out-loud- and-faint delicious. He provided the recipes for the tomato sambal, vetkoek, vetkoek mince, honey-toffee snake cake, koeksisters, chocolate mousse cake and buttermilk chocolate cake. The sublime melktert recipe is from his great-great-grandmother, Ouma Alie Visser.

The legendary Ina Paarman allowed me to use her fabulous recipes for cucumber sambal and bobotie topping, and was so kind as to meet with me and share her ideas.

I am inspired by my sister, Gabrielle Andrew, who makes the most delicious meals. The tender mutton curry is an adaptation of her recipe (with ideas added by Martin and me).

My parents, Bosky and Paul Andrew, are the best hosts on the planet and cook every meal with love, and each one is divine. I am indebted to my mother's most-used cookbook,
Cook with Ina Paarman
(Struik, 1987), and my father's mother's cookbook,
Mrs Slade's South African Cookery Book
(Central News Agency, 1951). I was also inspired by the classic
Kook en Geniet
by SJA de Villiers (self-published by the author, 1951).

The bobotie recipe is my father's, inspired by Mrs Slade (with additional ideas from Ina Paarman and Martin Mössmer). The tamatiebredie is my creation, with adjustments by Martin Mössmer.

My thanks to Barrie Pringle for her Karoo farm bread recipe, to bread-baker Gavin Lawson, and to master baker Chris Johnston (of Main Street Café, Omaruru, Namibia) for great ideas (including the choc-banana), and to Laurian Roebert for her mother's magnificent health-nut rusk recipe.

Dan Halpern, Hattie Grunewald, Laurian Roebert, Teresa Loots, Jenny Wheeldon, Lindy Truswell and Tova Luck are great cooks who tested out some of Tannie Maria's recipes, and provided excellent feedback.

I was also influenced by ideas in
Karoo Kitchen: Heritage Recipes and True Stories from the Heart of South Africa
(Quivertree Publications, 2012) by Sydda Essop.

The recipes in my book are predominantly from the cooking tradition of Afrikaans-speaking people. However, they are enjoyed by a broad range of South Africans, and the sources of the recipes are very diverse. Despite apartheid's best efforts, cultures (and their foods) are intricately interwoven, and ‘traditional South African' recipes have many influences (including Malay, Indian, Dutch, French and Italian) in addition to their African origins.

In my opinion, all the Tannie Maria recipes are beyond delicious, but please note: any errors or flops are my responsibility and not to be blamed on any of the above-credited cooks.