Dedicated to South Africans living abroad...and all lovers of Traditional South African food

Hi, welcome to my newsletter!

OK, as promised, some more tart recipes, but first, a question from me. Who can tell me exactly what Gatsbys are and also how they originated and why that name? To explain, the Gatsby is apparently the Cape Town version of the Durban "bunny chow".  I understand it is a French loaf stuffed with chips (yummy) together with polony or even fish sometimes.... sounds like a great idea to me and I would be very interested to know more about Gatsbys. Are they South African in origin? Are chips (fries) the basic ingredient? I could live with that being a chips junkie myself!  In fact, why don't you give vetkoek and chips a try, yummilicious!!

Now scroll down for for the recipes, a selection of some of my fav tarts, Cherry and cheese tart,  Cottage cheese tart, Condensed milk tart, Easy savoury tart and Mealiepap tart with bacon, a really great bbq side dish.

Still thinking about a recipe theme for the next newsletter, any suggestions?

...and I am still looking for more wacky ways to improve the Elephant Stew recipe, a big thanx to those who have already sent in suggestions:-) Take a look at the other comments and add yours  
Peter

Please pass this letter URL on to friends and  hopefully they will subscribe as well. I would especially like as many South Africans no longer living here to get to see it:-) Subscription details at the end..

If you happen to be looking for a specific Traditional South African recipe, just email me and I will do my best to try and find it for you! 

When you have had a look at the recipes below, click here to visit the main recipe page on my site. 

Any comments, positive or otherwise on this Newsletter will be appreciated!

That's it for now
Keep well
Peter

The Recipes
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Cherry and cheese tart 

Crust 
130 g cake flour 
5 ml baking powder 
2 ml salt 
25 ml sugar 
125 g cold butter 
1 egg, lightly beaten 
Filling 
160 g glacé cherries, halved 
120 g sultanas 
50 ml sugar 
100 g Cheddar cheese, grated 
500 ml sour cream 
3 eggs 

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Grease a 24 cm pie dish with margarine. Sift together all the dry ingredients, except the sugar. Add the sugar and mix. Grate the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add eggs and blend to form a soft dough. Add a little iced water if necessary. Roll into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for about 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough until about 5 mm thick. Line the pie dish with the pastry, prick the base and chill for another 20 minutes. Trim the edges. FILLING: Sprinkle the glacé cherries and sultanas onto the base of the prepared pastry crust. Sprinkle with sugar and the grated Cheddar cheese. Beat the sour cream and eggs together until well blended. Pour over the ingredients in the pie dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the egg mixture is set and lightly browned. Cool and serve. Makes a large tart. 

Cottage cheese tart 
Ingredients
200 g Marie biscuits 
80 g lemon jelly powder 
300 ml boiling water 
410 g Nestlé Ideal Evaporated Milk, chilled overnight 
250 g smooth cottage cheese 

Method
Spray a 30 x 20 x 5 cm dish with non-stick spray. Line the base and sides of the pie dish with Marie biscuits. Dissolve the lemon jelly in the boiling water. Stir until the powder has dissolved. Chill until it just begins to set. Whisk the evaporated milk until thick and fold into the jelly. Stir the cottage cheese until smooth and fold into the jelly mixture. Pour into the prepared pie dish and chill until set. Crush some of the leftover Marie biscuits over the top. Cut into squares or slices and serve. Makes a large tart. 

Condensed milk tart 
Ingredients
CRUST 
200 g lemon creams 
80 g butter, melted 
FILLING 
397 g Nestlé condensed milk 
5 ml tartaric acid 
1 extra-large egg, separated 

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350 ºF). Spray a 20 cm ovenproof pie dish with non-stick spray. Crush the biscuits in the food processor. Mix with the melted butter and press into the prepared pie dish. Mix the condensed milk, tartaric acid and egg yolk together. Whisk the egg white till soft peaks are formed and fold into the condensed milk mixture. Turn the mixture into the prepared pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Serve with coffee. Makes a small tart. 

Easy savoury tart 
Ingredients
5 thick slices white bread, cubed 
1 litre milk 
60 g margarine 
550 g Russian sausages 
4 eggs, hard-boiled 
2 large onions 
50 ml oil 
10 ml dry mustard (or more to taste) 
7 ml Fondor (or more to taste) 
5 ml freshly ground black pepper 
500 ml Cheddar cheese, grated 
8 eggs, beaten 
60 ml parsley, coarsely chopped 

Method
Bring milk, bread and margarine to the boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Allow to cool. Place Russian sausages into boiling water to draw out sharp flavour. Remove from water and pat dry. Slice thinly. Add to bread mixture. Quarter and slice onions. (Do not chop finely or too much onion bulk will be lost when frying.) Fry onion lightly in oil. Add to bread mixture. Chop eggs and add to bread mixture. Add flavouring and half of the cheese. Stir in the beaten eggs. Mix lightly but well. Spoon mixture into greased aluminium foil containers of your choice. Sprinkle with parsley and remaining cheese and bake at 180 ºC. Baking times as follows: Cocktail patty pans: 5 to 8 minutes Large patty pans: 10 to 12 minutes 550 ml foil dish: 12 to 15 minutes 800 ml foil dish: 15 to 18 minutes The above quantity yields enough for the following containers: 1 x 800 ml container tart - a nourishing light meal for a family 1 x 600 ml container tart - an ideal meal for 2 or a single person 2 x 400 ml container tart - each make a meal for 1 or 2 people 2 x 150 ml container tart - a snack 6 large muffin-sized tartlets - a snack 12 cocktail patty pans - for parties 

Mealiepap tart with bacon - ideal as a bbq side dish!
Ingredients
2 l water 
salt 
1 l mealie meal 
1 packet mushroom soup powder 
500 ml water 
500 ml grated Cheddar cheese 
250 g bacon, chopped 
oil 
2 onions, chopped 
1 clove garlic, crushed 
250 g fresh mushrooms, sliced 
30 ml chopped fresh parsley 
salt and freshly ground black pepper 
420 g cream-style sweetcorn 


Method
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC and butter a large oven dish or spray with non-stick spray. Bring the water and salt to the boil and add all the mealie meal at once so it forms a heap in the middle of the saucepan. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the mealie meal, reduce the heat and cover once more. Steam slowly for 20-30 minutes. Remember, certain kinds of mealie meal take longer to cook. Stir occasionally. Spoon the cooked mealie meal onto a baking sheet and cool slightly. Meanwhile blend the mushroom soup powder and water and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Remove from the stove plate. Stir in half the cheese until it has melted, cover and set aside. Fry the bacon in a little oil until nearly done and add the onions and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until soft and fragrant and add the mushrooms. Sauté until tender and remove from the heat. Add the herbs and season generously. Spoon half the pap into the bottom of the prepared dish and press down evenly. Spoon the cream-style sweetcorn on top, followed by half the bacon and onion mixture. Pour over half the mushroom soup. Crumble the remaining mealie pap on top and pour over the remaining soup. Spoon the remaining bacon and onion mixture on top and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Season and bake for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Serves 6. 

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