by Sally Andrew
Thank you to the Salmons for a place to write, under the mashatu tree in Shashe camp, Botswana; and to Geoff and Di Norris for sharing an inspiring love story with me at Megwe camp.
KvN Publishers gave permission for me to use the Kurt Darren beer-tent songs (‘Eiland Vol Meisies’, ‘Kaptein’, ‘Sê Net Ja’ and ‘Alleen – Leen – Leen’, with lyrics by Kurt Darren, Don Keilly, Robin Keilly and Marc Brendon). The lovely lullaby, ‘Lamtietie Damtietie’ was written by South Africa’s late poet and songwriter C.J. Langenhoven.
Finding, creating and perfecting the recipes in this book was a great adventure. In the process, I discovered the reason (well, three reasons) why I incarnated in this body on this planet: to eat Venus Cake and Candy’s Cheesecake, and to drink Van der Hum liqueur.
I engaged the help of kitchen goddesses in the testing and creating of my recipes. Number One Goddess, Verushka Louw (lover of culinary mysteries and word tattoos), tested all the recipes, and in some cases adapted or helped create them.
Many published cooks kindly gave permission for me to use their excellent recipes. Lemoni’s Moussaka is in fact Penny’s Moussaka, published by the legendary Ina Paarman (Cook with Ina Paarman, Struik, 1987). Novuyani Dingalubala suggested a few small amendments to this. This recipe is so divine I invented a character in order to include it in the book. Ouma’s Karoo Lamb Pie is a recipe from the same book by Ina Paarman. Fatima’s Lamb Livers and Rice is based on the Somalian Lamb’s Liver and Somalian Rice recipes created by Sydda Essop in Karoo Kitchen (Quivertree, 2012). The West African Chicken Mafé was inspired by a number of traditional recipes, then developed by Karen Hultzer and perfected by Verushka.
The Venus Cake was invented by my character, Tannie Maria, because she loves chocolate cake, coffee, peanut butter and apricot jam. It builds on the Perfect Buttermilk Chocolate Cake provided by Martin Mössmer in Recipes for Love and Murder. Martin also suggested the idea of peanut butter as a layer of icing. Verushka created the first divine Venus Cake. Then Tova Luck threw herself into the cake – almost literally. When every surface of the kitchen was spattered and powdered with buttermilk and cocoa, her mother threw her out of the house. She continued to experiment in the kitchens of her neighbours. The result (version number nine) is phenomenal. Truly out of this world.
Candy’s Cheesecake was created by me in a charcoal Cobb oven in the Karoo (and fine-tuned by Verushka). It is inspired by many traditional recipes. (Did you know the ancient Greeks fed athletes cheesecake at the Olympic Games? And that New Yorkers William Lawrence and then Albert Reuben invented the ‘modern’ cream cheese and cheesecake in the 1800s?) It is the best cheesecake that I – and everyone I have fed it to – have ever eaten.
My Sweet-Potato Cake is from Annette Human’s Winning Recipes 2 from Huisgenoot (Human and Rousseau, 1987), with a tiny amendment (from cottage cheese to cream cheese) by me. Henk’s Favourite is Trix se Likeurpoeding from Dine van Zyl’s Agter die Lekker aan (Dine van Zyl Publikasies, 2007). Pikkie’s Pumpkin Pie was from the same book (Pikkie se Pampoenpaai), along with the related anecdotes (i.e. how a pumpkin pie can make a grown man cry). The ambrosial Van der Hum Liqueur, and the inspiration for the Mosbolletjie Bread and Rusks (including the anecdote about mosbolletjie dough rising best in a thunderstorm), are from Dine’s book Nog ’n Stukkie (Dine van Zyl Publikasies, 2010). Hildagonda Duckitt also gave mosbolletjie ideas (Hilda’s ‘Where is it’ of Recipes, 1891). The final mosbolletjie recipe was developed by Verushka. Aunt Sandra’s Malva Pudding was provided by Martin Mössmer (with a sauce-quantity adaptation by Verushka). Lassie in Love’s Shortbread is a recipe from my nonagenarian Scottish friend, Jean Salmon, which was given to her by her mother.
The idea of botterkluitjies with brandy sauce was provided by Rita Trafford (with thanks to her ma and grandma, Rosa von Thelemann and Ouma Griets). I am grateful to all the above books for providing ideas for other recipes mentioned in the book. I was also inspired by Knuppeldik aan Koningskos by Pretoria Polisie Offisiersvroueklub (self-published, 1988), Kook en Geniet by S.J.A. De Villiers (self-published, 1955), Bakboek: Huisgenoot Wenresepte by Carmen Niehaus (Human and Rousseau, 2010), Fig Jam and Foxtrot by Lynn Bedford Hall (Struik, 2003), Veld to Fork by Gordon Wright (Struik, 2013), Cooked in the Karoo by Justin Bonello and Helena Lombard (Penguin Books, 2014) and Tjailaresepte 2 by Amore Bekker (Naledi, 2013).
Much thanks to the readers of my first Tannie Maria book, Recipes for Love and Murder, who expressed their enjoyment and asked for more.
