The Satanic Mechanic

by Sally Andrew

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

  ‘Jislaaik, Tannie M,’ said Jessie, ‘this West African food is awesome. What do you call it again?’

  ‘Mafé,’ I said.

  ‘You say it’s made with peanut butter?’ said Dirk, as he spooned the chicken mafé into his boy’s mouth. ‘No wonder Jamie likes it so much.’

  Jamie’s blue eyes were bright and his blond hair neatly combed. He grinned and clapped his hands together. Next to his wheelchair sat a short man wearing white – he was the nurse from the special needs home. He was gobbling up the food too.

  We were all inside the laager of panel vans and thorn trees. The chairs were not in a circle but were all higgledy-piggledy as people had moved them to chat with each other. It was a still, autumn evening, and the sun was thinking about setting.

  Henk and Reghardt sat a bit away from us, drinking beer and chatting to Ricus, who had Esmeralda wrapped around his neck. Ricus made a joke, and Henk laughed.

  Henk and I had greeted each other politely earlier, and I’d raised my eyebrow at Jessie, who winked at me. That Jessie. She must have invited him.

  Beyond the talking and laughter of the guests you could hear the birds. They always seem to have a lot to say to each other just before sunset. On the thorn tree nearby was a bokmakierie pumping out a beautiful song from deep in its chest. I couldn’t hear a reply from its mate.

  ‘I know this food,’ said Fadhi. ‘You cooked it well.’

  He was eating with one hand, while the other was held by his devoted husband, Ahmed. Fadhi wore a purple shirt and pressed black trousers, and Ahmed was too busy admiring him to pay attention to much else.

  Piet and Oom Jan (wearing his waistcoat with its rabbit-ear collar) squatted by the fire, chatting to Nick and Ousies. Jessie told me they were discussing plans for the Bushman nature reserve.

  ‘I thought they’d get along,’ Jessie said. She must have invited Jan too.

  As the sun was setting and the sky turned the red of that rusted metal that you find in the veld, Mielie brought in the whole herd of sheep to say goodnight. The light dyed their wool a pinkish colour. Kosie went straight to Henk, and the Colonel came to greet me. Ricus whistled, and Mielie herded them out again.

  When the dust settled, I stood up to fetch our pudding, which was still in my bakkie. It was also a recipe from my Scottish friend. Before I left the circle, Ousies pointed and Ricus said, ‘Look. The moon.’

  We all turned and watched the fat yellow moon rising over a low hill. It lit up the Karoo veld and the slopes of the Swartberge. It even reached as far as the Langeberge. And the thorn trees and the cars, and all of us, were washed in moonlight.

  I went to my car and took the biscuit tin from the front seat. As I closed my door, I turned to see Henk had followed me.

  ‘Jessie was right,’ he said. ‘It is stupid to lose you because I’m scared of losing you.’

  He stepped forward and took the tin from my hand.

  ‘Will you forgive me?’ he said.

  The tin was full of heart-shaped shortbread biscuits.

  The full moon of forgiveness shone down on us.

  I got back to my house before Henk. He was dropping Piet home before coming to me. The food I had cooked had been polished off at the feast. I sat on my stoep with my empty pot and my empty tin, feeling not at all empty myself.

  I looked at my garden, the moonlit leaves of the lemon tree, and out at the veld, at the shadow that lay like a dark pool beside the gwarrie tree.

  A leopard walked onto my lawn. Its honey and black patterns looked softer than velvet. I thought it might be worth hanging on to some of those pills so I could enjoy such sights again. Henk’s car arrived, and the leopard looked in that direction but did not move.

  Henk walked down the footpath, and we saw each other in the moonlight.

  ‘Maria!’ he shouted, reaching for the gun on his belt.

  The leopard disappeared.

  ‘Did you see it?’ Henk said. ‘The leopard.’

  ‘Yes. I didn’t think you could see it; I thought it was from the pills . . .’

  He was on the stoep, holding me.

  ‘That was lucky,’ I said.

  ‘Ja. Imagine, after all you’ve been through . . . to be killed by a leopard on your front stoep.’

  ‘Shows you. Staying at home doing nothing can be dangerous. But no, what I meant was, how lucky to see such a beautiful creature up close.’

  Henk held me tighter and looked down into my eyes. ‘My beautiful creature,’ he said.

  I put my hand on his chest, in the gap where his shirt fell open. His heart was thudding hard. A fiery-necked nightjar called. The bright, liquid song rippled through me.

  ‘I was thinking,’ I said, ‘that tonight you might get lucky.’

  We went inside.

  We made love.

  My, oh my.

  Tannie Maria’s Recipes

  One day, I’ll write a proper cookbook, then I won’t have to squash in just a few recipes at the end. How can I choose when they are all so lekker? I want to give you a taste of the Karoo – coffee, beskuit, apricot jam and brandy. And flavours of autumn – pumpkin, sweet potato, pomegranates, figs . . . And some cake recipes – cakes are so kind and clever. And then there are the delicious dishes that travelled to my kitchen from faraway places – Scotland, Somalia, Greece and New York. Oh well, I can’t give them all, but here are a handful of my favourite recipes.

  Of course it is the best ingredients that will make the best meals. Buy your meat and dairy from a free-range farmer, where the animals are happy, out in the veld.

  Measurements

  t = teaspoon (5 ml)

  T = tablespoon (15 ml)

  cup = 250 ml

  All cup measurements are unsifted, unless otherwise stated

  All eggs are size Large

  MEAT

  LEMONI’S MOUSSAKA

  (Serves 8–10)

  3 T butter

  1 medium onion, chopped

  750g mince

  ½ cup tomato ketchup

  ½ cup white wine pinch of salt

  ½ t ground black pepper

  ½ t grated fresh nutmeg

  2 T chopped fresh oregano, or 1 T dried

  1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

  4 medium aubergines

  2 T salt for aubergines

  sunflower oil for frying

  ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs

  Béchamel sauce

  4 T butter

  6 T cornflour

  4 cups (1 litre) milk

  pinch of salt and ground black pepper

  1 t grated fresh nutmeg

  2 egg yolks, beaten

  Topping

  1 T dried breadcrumbs

  1½ cups grated Cheddar cheese

  1 T butter

  Heat the butter in a large frying pan and brown the onion. Add the mince and stir-fry until brown.

  Add the tomato ketchup, wine, salt, pepper, nutmeg and oregano. Simmer for 30 minutes and then stir in the cheese.

  Slice the aubergines lengthways and sprinkle with salt. Leave them to stand for 30 minutes to remove bitterness. Rinse very well and pat dry with paper towel. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

  To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, then take it off the heat and add the cornflour, stirring to a thick smooth paste. Return to a medium heat and slowly add the milk, stirring until thickened. Stir in the spices and beaten egg yolks.

  Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a big ovenproof dish (about 30 × 40 cm) and sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs over the base. Top with a layer of aubergine, followed by a layer of mince. Alternate the bread-crumb, aubergine and mince layers until they are all used up. Pour the béchamel sauce over the top.

  Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and cheese for the topping and dot with butter.

  Bake for 20–30 minutes until golden brown.

  OUMA’S KAROO LAMB PIE

  (Serves 6–8)

  Sour-cream
pastry

  3 cups plain flour

  1 t salt

  250g cold butter, cubed

  1 cup sour cream

  Sift the flour and salt three times in a large bowl and use a small knife to cut in the butter. The knobs of butter should stay pea-sized and not become as small as breadcrumbs.

  Add the sour cream and cut in with a knife. When it is well mixed, knead the dough until it holds together and makes a ball. Don’t add extra liquid – just carry on kneading lightly – the dough will become manageable and start to stick together.

  Leave the dough to rest for half an hour or longer – overnight is best.

  Roll out the dough on a floured surface and fold it into quarters. Turn the dough parcel half a turn, so that the open side faces towards you.

  Roll and fold once more in the same way. Let the dough rest for another half an hour.

  Repeat the ‘roll and fold’ twice more. The dough is now ready for use and can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

  Pie filling

  2kg lamb on the bone (shoulder, neck or knuckles, or a mixture of the three)

  2 cups water

  1 whole onion, peeled and spiked with 10 whole cloves

  1 bay leaf

  5 peppercorns

  1 t ground coriander

  1 clove garlic, crushed

  ½ t dried red chilli flakes or cayenne pepper

  2 t mustard powder

  2 t white sugar

  2 T vinegar

  2 t salt

  ½ t ground black pepper

  5 t cornflour or potato flour mixed with a little cold water to make a paste

  1 whole onion, peeled and spiked with 5 whole cloves

  1 egg, beaten for pastry

  In a large saucepan, simmer the lamb very gently with the water, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns for about 2 hours until the meat is completely tender and starting to fall off the bone. (You can also leave it in a hotbox for an hour to help it soften.) Remove the pan from the heat and allow the meat to cool in the liquid. Remove all fat, bone and gristle from the cooled lamb. Flake the meat lightly and return it to the stock in the pan. Remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns.

  Add the coriander, garlic, chilli, mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper to the meat and bring it to the boil. If too watery, thicken with the cornflour paste.

  Preheat the oven to 190°C. Dish the meat mixture into a pie plate, about 23 cm in diameter. Put the second spiked onion in the middle to stop the pastry from sagging. Leave to cool down.

  Roll out the pastry until very thin and use to cover the pie. Trim and scallop the edges and brush with the beaten egg. Decorate with pastry leaves cut from the pastry offcuts. There will be pastry left over that you can store for another time.

  Bake the pie for 1 hour until golden brown.

  Tips

  • You can make your own sour cream for the pastry by adding 2 T lemon juice to fresh cream. Or you can use half fresh cream and half plain yoghurt.

  • This pastry can be used for savoury or sweet dishes.

  • The lamb pie can be prepared well in advance and frozen before baking.

  FATIMA’S LAMB LIVERS AND RICE

  (Serves 4)

  ⅓ cup sunflower oil or 5 T ghee

  1 onion, chopped

  1 tomato, chopped

  ½ green pepper, deseeded and chopped

  1 green or red chilli, chopped, or ½ t chilli powder

  grated zest of 1 medium lemon

  juice of 1 medium lemon

  1½ t ground coriander

  3 T chopped fresh coriander or Italian parsley salt and ground black pepper to taste

  500g lamb liver, cut into thin strips

  Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan and fry the onion until soft and light brown. Add the tomato and simmer over a medium heat. Add the green pepper, chilli, lemon zest and juice, ground and fresh coriander or parsley, and salt and pepper.

  Stir in the liver and cook until tender. After 10 minutes, take out a piece of liver and test for tenderness. Serve with Somalian rice.

  Somalian rice

  ½ cup olive or sunflower oil

  1 stick cinnamon

  ½ t ground cumin

  2 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 whole cloves

  3 cardamom pods

  1 chicken stock cube or 2 t chicken stock powder

  ¼ t ground nutmeg

  ¼ t saffron

  1 small onion, thinly sliced

  2 cups basmati rice, rinsed until the water runs clear

  1¼ litres chicken stock or water

  ½ cup frozen peas

  Garnish

  1 small onion, chopped

  2 T butter or ghee

  Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cinnamon, cumin, garlic, cloves, cardamom, chicken stock cube or powder, nutmeg, saffron and sliced onion. Fry until the onion is translucent.

  Add the rice and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the liquid chicken stock or water and the peas, and steam-boil until the liquid has reduced.

  For the garnish, fry the chopped onion in the butter for about 2 minutes and then sprinkle over the rice.

  Tip

  • You can also use goat, cow or sheep liver.

  WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN MAFÉ

  (Serves 8–10)

  2 hot chillies, chopped

  1 t salt

  2 T finely grated fresh ginger

  1 T paprika

  2kg chicken pieces peanut or sunflower oil for frying

  4 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 onions, chopped into big chunks

  4 ripe tomatoes, cut into big chunks

  400g canned tomatoes, chopped, with juice

  2 T fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 T dried

  6 T crunchy peanut butter

  200ml chicken stock, made with 50ml water and 150ml coconut milk

  3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

  50ml cornflour mixed with a little cold water to make a paste

  2 limes or lemons, cut into wedges

  Mix the chillies, salt, ginger and paprika in a bowl and then dip the chicken pieces into it to coat.

  Heat some oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken in batches (5 pieces at a time). Remove all the chicken from the pan.

  Lightly fry the garlic and onions in the same pan. Add the chicken pieces, the fresh and canned tomatoes, then the oregano, peanut butter, chicken stock and sweet potatoes.

  Bring to the boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Scoop out half a cup of hot liquid from the stew and mix it with the cornflour paste. Stir this back into the mafé to thicken it. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then put in a hotbox for at least an hour. (You can leave it longer to keep it hot before eating.)

  Serve with rice and wedges of lime or lemon.

  Tips

  • If you cook your rice in chicken stock and then add 2 T oil when ready, it is extra yummy. West African recipes use palm oil, but if it’s hard to find you can use peanut or sunflower oil.

  • Your rice can also be cooked in a hotbox. See page 307 for the hotbox story.

  SWEET

  VENUS CAKE

  (Serves 10–12)

  1½ cups freshly brewed hot strong coffee

  3 cups (380g) plain flour

  2½ cups white sugar

  4 t bicarbonate of soda

  ½ t salt

  1 cup (110g) Dutch cocoa powder

  1⅓ cups sunflower oil

  1½ cups buttermilk

  3 eggs

  1 t vanilla extract

  approx. 9 T crunchy peanut butter

  approx. 3 T apricot jam

  Coffee-chocolate icing

  1½ t instant coffee granules

  180g dark baking chocolate, broken into pieces

  60g butter

  3 T milk

  Topping

  1 t instant coffee granules, crushed to a fine powder

  Get your coffee started. Make it lekker strong. Preheat a convection oven on the fan
setting to 180°C. Grease two 20-cm cake tins and line the bottoms with baking paper.

  Sift the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cocoa into a large bowl and whisk thoroughly by hand or with an electric mixer. This mixes them together and lets in air.

  Gently add the oil, followed by the buttermilk and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.

  Put the hot coffee in a jug and add it to the mixture, pouring it down the side of the bowl.

  Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for 20 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 160°C and bake for a further 25–35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean.

  Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the tins, then let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, if the tops of the cakes are bumpy and crusty, you can use a bread knife to cut them flat. (It is important the cake that will form the bottom layer is flat.)

  Spread a generous layer of peanut butter on the bottom cake-layer and top it with a comfortable layer of apricot jam. Put the second layer of cake on top.

  To make the icing, melt the ingredients – except the teaspoon of crushed coffee – together in a double boiler. (You can also melt them in a mug inside a bowl of boiling water.) Use a fork to mix the ingredients thoroughly.

  Allow to cool and thicken, then spread the icing on the top and sides of the cake.

  Allow to cool some more (you can even pop the cake in the fridge for a while), then sprinkle over the teaspoon of coffee powder.

  Tips

  • Dutch (or Dutched or Dutch-processed) cocoa is more alkaline than plain (it has a pH of 8; normal cocoa has a pH of 5) and has a different texture and flavour. But if you use plain cocoa the cake is still delicious.

  • Your dark chocolate should be about 40 per cent cocoa; 70 per cent will be too dry and bitter.

  • If you like a neat cake, you can cut the upper crust off both layers, then turn the top layer upside down, so it has a very flat top. If you like a pretty cake, garnish with apricot slices or cherries.