Bain Street Grill platter

Proud new owners Clive and Megan

Homeleigh Halt Guest House, offering you good quality accommodation in Port Elizabeth, owners were there to try out the food.

An absolute must on any visit to South Africa.

Now my guests from countries afar get spoilt when visiting us – with genuine South African food, and every now and then, yearn for a taste of “South Africa” back home.

So I have promised to post some truly unique South African dishes/recipes  on my site – for those who enjoyed these simple yet tasty meals  around an “African” fire.

The first in the series is of course this one, ideal for weary travellers who have spent the day exploring and do not really have the energy left for eating……..get your hands around this!

1 loaf of bread, halved and hollowed

Be careful to leave enough crust, about 2cm , along the edges and at the base when you hollow the halves out. Compress the dough from the insides of the bread just enough to form a nice “cap” to absorb curry gravy.

INGREDIENTS
250 g mince, pre-fried until just no longer pink
1 cup each kidney beans and sugar beans
1 clove garlic and similar sized piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry (to taste – mild,medium or hot)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 potatoes, cubed
2 chopped onions
1 carrot grated
1 litre beef stock made with a cube
1 pinch dry thyme
a bay leaf or two
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons oil
METHOD
Boil kidney beans in stock and add sugar beans and carrot to this afterabout half an hour. Continue boiling for another hour (alternatively you can soak the beans in water the night before).
Gently fry onions in about 4 tablespoons of oil until transparent.
Add garlic, ginger and thyme. Keep frying for another minure or so. Add thecurry and turmeric. Keep stirring this mixture to prevent any cathing foranother three minutes.
 Add the mince, potatoes and bay leaf and keep stirring until everything iscovered in curry.
Add the beans and the stock and boil gently until the stock has reduced andthe potatoes and beans are soft.
 Adjust seasoning and thicken gravy a bit if required. 
Scoop curry into the bread, cover with the “cap”. and leave a minue or sofor the cap to draw up some moisture.

Then seek seclusion and go primitive.

Accommodation South Africa/Port Elizabeth:  Homeleigh Halt Guest House

This is a beautiful light flavoursome cake.  I use a mixture of walnuts and hazelnuts, and use a really good canola oil . Keeps well and is great in lunchboxes and of course as an after dinner treat at Homeleigh Halt.

Mmmmmm….this is really nice….said Steven

Well Steven as promised here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup vegetable oil

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 160C
2. Grease 24cm round springform tin, line base with baking paper.
3. Sift flours, bicarb & spices into a large bowl, add sugar, stir in carrot and nuts.
4. Beat eggs and oil together and add to dry ingredients, together with           banana.
5. Mix well.
6. Pour mixture into prepared tin.
7. Bake for about 1 1/4 hours.
8. Cool cake in pan.

Top with a good layer of caramel and pipe some icing around the edge, just for added decadence.
Serve with cream.

The carrot and banana cake compliments my Amarula Coffee Surprise.

On occasion when I have a function here the ladies will ask me to make them something special.

Now that is when South African Amarula Cream comes to the rescue, and they provide you with the most divine recipes.

Listed hereunder are two absolute “must have” favourites:

Winter warmers from Amarula

This winter, treat your senses to a cultural exchange of untamed African earthiness and classic style, flavoured with modern undertones to awaken your spirit from within – introducing Amarula Coffee Surprise:

Amarula Coffee Surprise

Ingredients:
4 cups strong filter coffee
50 ml whipped cream
60 ml Amarula Cream
8 marshmallows
20 ml brown sugar
20 ml hot chocolate powder

Method:
Pour the coffee in large coffee mugs. Pour the Amarula Cream in each coffee, followed by the whipped cream, brown sugar and marshmallows. Sprinkle with hot chocolate powder and extra Amarula Cream. 

For a shorter, more energetic winter boost, try a Vodka Espresso which is an energetic shot of  espresso sipped through a luxurious collar of Amarula to inspire, uplift and enliven the palate:

Vodka Espresso –  for the very brave!

Ingredients:
1 tot Vodka
1 tot Amarula Cream
2 tot Espresso coffee
2 teaspoons Caster sugar (or to taste)

Method:
Shake coffee, vodka and sugar together with cubed ice, strain into a glass tumbler, and layer Amarula Cream on top. Garnish with 3 coffee beans.  There’s no need to let the winter chill get to you this season, with Amarula perfectly complementing Caturra coffee, we’ll keep you warm.

 All that is left for me to say is enjoy ladies and gents…now you can make your own at home. (This is an alcoholic beverage and as such is for those persons of legal drinking age.)

Ingredients:

• 18 Marshmallows
• 1 tin of well chilled  ideal milk
• 1 x 100g slab of Beacon Midnight Velvet Chocoloate

Method:

• Place Marshmallows and chocolate broken into pieces into a glass bowl. Add 100 ml of ideal milk. Place in microwave or double boiler and slowly melt.
• Allow to cool slightly.
• Whip ideal milk till stiff.
• Beat ideal milk into chocolate mixture. Place in four wine glasses and serve topped with whipped cream and chocolate flake.

Recent guest to Homeleigh Halt, Susan Longfellow pleaded;

Lynn, this Chocolate Mousse is divine, I must have the recipe!

Okay, Susan, here you are, I hope you enjoy.