Mark Mandela Day with 67 recipes

WIN 2 copies of the Great South African Cookbook

Two readers can each win a copy of the Great South African Cookbook, which retails for R450. See The Herald today for how to enter.

IT is hard to flip through this gorgeous new cookery book without at least a glimmer of national pride as it contains much more than recipes: it is a culinary treasure trove of recipes from some of the country’s best chefs, released today to coincide with the birthday of the late, great Nelson Mandela.

The Great South African Cookbook features 67 of South Africa’s finest cooks, chefs, gardeners, bakers, farmers, foragers and local food heroes, who give the reader a glimpse into their homes – and their hearts – as they share recipes they make for the people they love.

Former president Mandela gave 67 years of his life to the struggle for human rights and social justice in South Africa and this is why the publisher of The Great South African Cookbook has chosen 67 chefs.

What South African readers will enjoy is that so many of the 67 contributors are household names – author and celebrity television chef Siba Mtongana, for example.

Mtongana – who is in Port Elizabeth today  for a Mandela Day event at the Boardwalk – has submitted recipes using sweetcorn and maize meal, ingredients she grew up with in Mdantsane here in the Eastern Cape.

Then there is Nanaga Farm Stall and its famous lemon meringue pie and roosterkoek are featured along with a tribute to “our brilliant roosterkoek maker Thelma Ntombozi Magwadi”.

The steering committee who collated the recipes also includes a five-star spread of foodie names: Cass Abrahams, Hilary Biller, Phillippa Cheifitz, David Higgs, Reuben Riffel, Dorah Sitole, Errieda du Toit and Anna Trapido. Fortunately, too many cooks have not spoilt the broth, instead they have created a delicious looking smorgasbord of dishes.

Not only is the book being released on Mandela Day, the Nelson Mandela Foundation also will receive all the royalties from sales of the book. The idea is that the foundation will use this to develop and support community food and agricultural projects that will improve the lives of those who are in need of food and who need to be freed from poverty.

Each recipe is accompanied by photographs of the cook and the dish, and features more than 130 recipes, from tried and true classics to contemporary fare.

• The Great South African Cookbook is published by Quivertree Publications and retails for R450.

Nanaga Farm Stall’s famous roosterkoek

This easy recipe from Nanaga Farm Stall makes 10-12 pieces of roosterkoek, small  rectangular bread rolls. Although it only takes 15 minutes to prepare, allow 45 minutes or more for the dough to rise and another 20 minutes for cooking so start about an hour and a half before you want to eat.

Ingredients:  1 kg bread flour, 1 tsp salt, 60g sugar, 1 x 10g packet yeast, 400-500ml lukewarm water

Method: Prepare a braai fire. Mix together the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Mix the yeast into the lukewarm water and allow to sit for a few minutes to dissolve. Add the water to the flour mixture until you have a malleable dough (add more water if necessary).

Knead for 10 minutes and then leave in a warm place to double in size (about 45 minutes).

Knead the dough again and roll it out into a large rectangle or square. Cut this into 10-12 rectangles, depending on how large you would like your roosterkoek to be.

Lay the dough squares on a braai grid, about 10cm apart. Cook over a low to medium braai for about 10 minutes on each side. Take care not to burn them. Remove the roosterkoek from the braai when they are cooked through and allow them to cool slightly before slicing in half and filling.