Well, I am doing the real travel stuff! Not because I am actually travelling in South Africa, but because my internet connection here in Spain is playing up, so I am down at one of the local internet cafes writing to you to let you know that service is still maintained, albeit virtually.

Enough of me and my difficulties – here´s something far more interesting! How about ´Creating Art´ or ´underlining something beautiful´? Why not take to the Dolphin Coast to celebrate the art of inspirational living at the Umdwebo Festival in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal?

A “Cognac, Coffee and Chocolate evening” or what about a “Blacktie and Ballroom Gown but no shoes” gala dinner on the Salt Rock beach? There´s also an Opera Concert or a Bollywood Bhangra Beach Bash! Whew!

Theatre, art, fashion and food fundi´s will also have much to indulge in. Only problem is making sure that you are there 13-19th November. Go on, take the time to relax a little and enjoy the finer things in life.

To find out more go to Umdwebo 2006 Festival.

Something to try this weekend – Cape Malay Bobotie

This is a wonderful dish to prepare and leave cooking whilst you enjoy the early evening TV. We particularly like “Strictly Come Dancing”, but the other side of the family go for “X Factor” – even here in Barcelona we can get all the British TV through our satellite dish. The wonders of modern technology! I definitely don’t like spending endless hours in the kitchen away from the family on Friday and Saturday evenings, so food like this has become “sole food” in our household …

INGREDIENTS

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 onions, peeled and sliced
* 2 1/4 pounds good quality lean ground beef
* 1 thickish slice of white bread
* 1 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon medium curry powder (or hot for the hale and brave)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* freshly grated pepper (about a half teaspoon)
* 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
* 1 1/2 tablespoons malt vinegar
* 1/2 cup seedless raisins
* 2 tablespoons strong chutney
* 2 bay leaves (or fresh lemon leaves if available)
* 2 medium eggs

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in medium sauté pan. Stir in onions. Cook over medium heat until transparent. Add ground beef. Cook until lightly browned and crumbly.

Soak bread in half the milk, squeeze out excess milk and mash with a fork – DON’T TOSS SQUEEZED OUT MILK! Pour it straight back into remaining milk. Set milk aside.

Add curry, sugar, salt, pepper, turmeric, vinegar, raisins, chutney to the beef mixture. Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish, and place bay leaves on top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in preheated 350°F oven.

Beat egg with remaining milk and pour over mixture approximately 25 – 30 minutes before end of baking time.

Serve with steamed rice (traditionally yellow!) and extra chutney.

Pure South African comfort food! Especially nice in winter, or cold with a salad in summer.

Serves: 6 Many thanks to Meryl Grebe at inmamaskitchen.com for this recipe

The sun is shining brightly here in Castelldefels, Barcelona with the temperature standing at 21 degrees. Although it is late summer and despite the Spanish trying to tell me that this is now Autumn, it still reminds me of balmy summer days and barbequing or braaing, as South African’s say. I came across the ideas below in iafrica for some snacks which are not the bought-type at all. How refreshing to be able to produce these simple snacks which do far more for us than processed packaged chips, peanuts and the like.

Check out iafrica for some other tasty dishes too. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, many braai recipes will adapt to the grill. Somehow though, that wonderful smell of drifting woodsmoke peppered with herby topnotes as you add a handful of rosemary to the coals can’t quite be replicated on the grill. Time to find out when you can get that holiday fitted in and finally discover South Africa for yourselves! Enjoy.
Marinate your own olives. It’s so easy. Buy the plain olives at your local supermarket. Drain them and then add your own touch. Try fresh thyme, chilli chopped very finely and lemon zest mixed with a little olive oil, and then leave for an hour. These make a great nibble and are bound to impress your guests. For great olives in Cape Town, discover homegrown olives out in the Winelands such as Morgenster, L’Olivier and Kloovenburg. Likewise for those of us here in Spain, we can find any number of impressive estate grown olives to turn that little black or green globe into a tastebud delight!

Spicy, caramelised nuts make great snacks too. Take a couple of handfuls of nuts: almonds, pecans and brazils. Place a little butter in a pan and add a teaspoon of sesame seeds and a teaspoon of dried coriander. Fry gently and then add the nuts, allowing them to become coated with the spice. Add a generous tablespoon of honey and cook until the honey caramelises. Cool on a sheet of greaseproof paper and serve cooled.

Speaking of Elephants, did you know that they love to get drunk on the Marula fruit?

The Marula trees give forth their golden yellow fruits during February at the height of the African summer and with the intense tropical fragrance floating on the warm summer breeze, lures wild animals of various species including herds of elephants from miles around to come and eat the juicy fruits. The elephants will walk for days to gorge themselves and because of this the Marula tree has become known as the The Elephant Tree.

The elephants have also endangered the trees, as they have a tendency to strip the bark. Not so good!

The tree is also held to be a strong aphrodisiac and many tribes still listen to ancient folklore when it was know as The Marriage Tree. Even today many rural people continue to conduct wedding ceremonies below its leafy boughs. Where better to make sure of a successful marriage, blessed by children, eating the fruit of the Marula tree and drinking its juice, but underneath its shady countenance!

Today, many jams, juices and alcoholic drinks are made from the fruit, along with a number of ranges of skincare products. Every part of the tree is used, proving that this is one of South Africa’s most useful plants, as it also helps to provide work for impoverished people by empowering rural women. Over 2400 women from rural communities benefit from the manufacture of the products. They are involved in either picking the fruit or extracting the marula oil from the marula nut.

In Africa, the marula is valued so highly, that to give someone the seed kernel of the marula tree as a gift, represents the greatest mark of friendship. Here I offer to you my virtual seed kernel of the Marula tree, as my gift to you …

Read a fantastic story in the Cape Argus the other day. Real pioneering stuff! You can just imagine fighting your way through the undergrowth to reach … the wine?

Doing a wine tour is considered a very sophisticated thing. You are supposed to know what you are doing, but it’s rather like opera for the beginner. How do you get the experience so that you know you like this “thing” enough to continue learning about it and so that you don’t feel a complete idiot the first time out?

Wine is like an exploration – of you. Don’t get hung up on what everyone else thinks. Trust your own instincts and if you like the taste, drink it!

I would love to be on Vukile Pokwana’s tour of the Eastern Cape to discover Xhosa maidens lurking in the backwaters …