Product of the Week

Apple & Brazil Nut Fruit Relish

Price: R25.99

Weight: 320g

Description:

On Packaging –  … with a hint of chilli & garlic to enliven any meal. Serve on salads, sandwiches or with cheese & cold meats. A great accompaniment to a hot roast.

Review – I’d say there’s a little bit more than a hint of chilli. It kind of just hits you after a few seconds of your first taste, but in a good way. It’s actually kinda refreshing.

Ingredients: Apple, brazil nuts, chilli, garlic, sugar, glucose, water

Extra: No preservatives. No colourants.

How I used it: As an accompaniment to crispy crumed pork chops and green beans.

Comments: I do not recommend having or tasting this without meat, it’s texture is a bit odd and the chilli is too overpowering when the relish is eaten on it’s own.

Comparing: Malva Pudding

Woolworths

R 34.95 for 430g

Sell by date 7 days from date of purchase

Use by date 9 days from date of purchase

Heat: Microwave (2 1/2 minutes) or Oven (180 Celsius for 15 minutes)

1329 kJ per 100g

Suitable for freezing – use within one month

Halaal

Cholesterol 74mg

Carbs 45.8 per 100g

Protein 3.6g per 100g

Flavour: First taste – butter. Tastes like it contains dates, although no dates are listed in the ingredients. It basically tastes like a Cape Brandy Pudding, but with the brandy replaced with butter.

Texture: Moist throughout. Texture not like a traditional Malva Pudding, again, more like a Cape Brandy Pudding.

Presentation: The container is nice looking, not the “usual” foil container. It’s presentable for the dinner table.

Score as traditional Malva Pudding: 2/5

Score in comparison to others bought: 4/5

Pick ‘n Pay

R 32.49 for 450g

Sell by date 1 day from date of purchase

Use by date 1 day from date of purchase

Heat: Microwave (3-4 minutes) or Oven (180 Celsius for 8 – 10 minutes)

1575 kJ per 100g

Suitable for freezing – use within three month

Halaal

Cholesterol – no indication

Carbs 46.1 per 100g

Protein 4.1g per 100g

Flavour: Very syrupy, more like a sticky toffee pudding or a caramel muffin soaked with golden syrup.

Texture: Wet, almost soggy on the outer edges, dry in the middle. Very dense and heavy – stodgy.

Presentation: Acceptable – but not necessarily what you would like to serve to your guests.

Score as traditional Malva Pudding: 1/5

Score in comparison to others bought: 2/5

Spar

R 29.99  – no weight given

Sell by date 4 days from date of purchase

Use by date 5 days from date of purchase

Heat: No heating instructions given

No nutritional information given

No freezing instructions given

Cholesterol – no indication

Flavour: Tastes like vanilla, but no indication in list of ingredients. It basically tastes like they took vanilla cake mix and poured a simple syrup over it.

Texture: Like a vanilla cake with syrup poured over. Relatively dry, especially in the middle.

Presentation: Acceptable – but not necessarily what you would like to serve to your guests.

Score as traditional Malva Pudding: 0/5

Score in comparison to others bought: 1/5

Checkers

R 13.47  for 270g

Sell by date 1 day from date of purchase

No use by date

Heat: No heating instructions given

No nutritional information given

No freezing instructions given

Cholesterol – no indication 

Flavour: Tastes like it was made from an instant mix for tipsy tart.

Texture: Very dry. No sauce to speak of

Presentation: Not what you’d serve to guests as they dish up from their deli counter and doesn’t come in pre-packs.

Score as traditional Malva Pudding: 0/5

Score in comparison to others bought: 1/5

Summary:

None of these could be considered even close to a traditional Malva Pudding. But as far as nice, store bought baked puddings go, the Woolworths one was head and shoulders above the rest. The others I wouldn’t recommend even giving a try, not worth spending the money.

For the best Malva Pudding Recipe click here

Malva Pudding

Malva Pudding is a sweet baked pudding of Dutch origin. It’s usually served with custard and/or ice cream. It’s made with apricot jam and vinegar and has a soft, spongy, velvety texture. It’s a very popular South African dessert.

Sometimes it’s been translated as Marshmallow pudding, with people saying that it’s because it resembles the texture of a marshmallow. This is not true. This story came from the fact that in Afrikaans the words “Malva lekker” means Marshmallow, over time the Malva in Malva Pudding got translated to Marshmallow also.

The pudding’s name is derived from Malvacea wine from Madeira. The dessert and dessert wine used to be served together after main course at Cape tables. It is of distinct Cape Dutch origin with many unique additions which may differ from one area to the next eg. ginger, apricot jam. There are also many variants of this dessert namely the Cape Brandy Pudding which also include brandy and dates and the Tipsy Tart which contains only brandy.

Click here for a traditional, delicious Malva Pudding Recipe.

Wednesday Woolworths Product of the Week

Price: R18.95

Volume: 250g

Allergens: Egg

Description:

Container – a delicious, mildly hot blend of creamy mayonnaise & wasabi

Review – Very nice with Woolworths Asian Spiced Dorado – Seared. Not as hot as I would have liked, I didn’t even find it “mild” as described on the packaging, not even a tingle on the tongue. 

For wasabi lovers: You’ll be disappointed.  

Good colour.  Love the packaging: Perfect size to fit in fridge.

Others in Range:

• Garlic Flavoured Mmmayo
• Seafood Mmmayo
• Burger Mmmayo

Other Comments:

Refrigerate once opened and use within 4 weeks. The serving suggestion at the back about spreading it on the inside of a crusty baguette filled with slices of rare beef and rocket, sounds like heaven to me. And will be featured as a recipe at some point.

 

Pumpkin Fritters

Pumpkin fritters or “Pampoenkoekies” are quick to make and give a flavour of traditional South African food.

Despite what I’ve found on many sites, a pumpkin fritter is not “like a doughnut”, but rather like an American pancake, but made with a pureed pumpkin as a based and then flour and eggs are mixed in to make a batter. The batter is then shallow fried and once cooked; sprinkled with liberal amounts of cinnamon sugar whilst still hot.

It is traditionally served as a side dish to other traditional dishes such as chicken pie, bobotie and also other meat dishes such as “braai vleis” (BBQ’d meat), roast lamb and roast chicken.

For a quick and easy recipe for Butternut Fritters click here.

Cottage Pie

Traditionally Cottage Pie refers to an English meat pie made with beef mince with a topping of mashed potato that serves as the crust.

There is a variation of this dish where lamb or mutton mince is used instead of beef known as Sheperd’s Pie – this term did not appear until the 1870’s.

Cottage Pie as term has been found to have been in use in 1791, which is around the time when potato was being introduce as an edible crop that is affordable to the poor – “cottage” was meant as a modest dwelling for rural workers.

In early cookery books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, and the pie dish was lined with mashed potato as well as having a mashed potato crust on top.

Both terms have been used interchangeably, regardless of whether the principal ingredient is beef, lamb or mutton. However, more recently there is a popular tendency to differenciate between the two terms again.

The suggestion is that the origin of the term “sheperd’s pie” is that sheperds are concerned with sheep and not cattle. Though this may just be an example of folk etymology.

Around the World

• In Ireland the dish is commonly called shepherd’s pie even when containing beef.

• The Australian meat pie with a layer of mashed potato replacing the usual pastry crust, is also known as a Shepherds Pie. This variant is also known in New Zealand, as a potato top pie.

• In the United States a similar dish is called cowboy pie. In New England the most common recipe for shepherd’s pie consists of ground beef, canned creamed corn, and mashed potatoes.

• In English-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as shepherd’s pie, even with a beef filling.

• In Quebec, a similar dish is called Pâté chinois (Chinese pie).

• In France, a similar dish is called hachis Parmentier.

• A vegetarian version can be made using soya or other meat substitutes, or legumes such as lentils or chick peas.

• In Jordan, Syria and Lebanon a similar dish is referred to as “Siniyet Batata” (literally meaning a plate of potatoes), or “Kibbet Batata”.

• In Russia, a similar dish is called “Картофельная запеканка” (Kartofel’naya zapekanka, or “Potato baked pudding”).

• A similar British dish made with fish is a fish pie

• In Argentina and Chile a similar dish is called pastel de papa (potato pie).

• In the Dominican Republic this is called pastelon de papa (pie casserole), it has a layer of potatoes, one or two of meat, and another of potatoes topped with a layer of your favorite cheese or cheeses.

For a delicious and simple Cottage Pie recipe click here.

Comparing: Butternut Soup

Woolworths

R 19.95 for 600g

Own Brand

Sell by date 7 days from date of purchase

Use by date 8 days from date of purchase

Consistency: Quite runny, but not watery.

Flavour: Bland

Colour: Vibrant 5/5

Sniff factor: Not much excitement on the nose 3/5

Yummyness: 2/5

Value: 4/5

Other: Low fat

Overall: Tastes mass produced and store bought 3/5

Pick ‘n Pay

R 17.99 per 500g

Own Brand

Sell by date 1 days from date of purchase

Use by date 2 days from date of purchase

Consistency: Very thick, but a nice hearty consistency once heated.

Flavour: No seasoning needed.

Colour: Earthy4/5

Sniff factor: Very fragrant, could identify all the ingredients 5/5

Yummyness: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Overall: Tastes home made 4.5/5

Checkers

R 19.99 per 600g

Not Checkers brand – Platinum Brand

Expiry date 6 days from date of purchase

Consistency: Very watery and looked as though it had seperated.

Flavour: Disgusting. Really struggled eating this one.

Colour: Not very appealing 1/5

Sniff factor: It smelled like plastic, couldn’t identify any of the ingredients listed 0/5

Yummyness: 0/5

Value: Definately better to make it yourself or rather drive to Pick ‘n Pay 0/5

Overall: We really felt that we’d even struggle giving this to a dog on the street. It tasted mass produced by machines and as though no one with taste buds had ever given it a try. This recipe has gone horribly wrong. 0/5

Spar

R 19.99 per 500ml

Not Spar brand – Guy’s Gourmet Foods (I’ve seen this brand in Pick ‘n Pay too)

No expiry date on packaging

Note the misprint: It’s Pumpkin Soup, but the description states “A light but creamy soup with a delicate broccoli flavour”

They did not have butternut soup.

Consistency: Watery.

Flavour: Could only identify cinnamon and a slight taste of pumpkin, couldn’t identify any of the other ingredients listed 1/5

Colour: Not very appealing 2/5

Sniff factor: Could only pick up cinnamon on the nose 1/5

Yummyness: 1/5

Value: Definately better to make it yourself or rather drive to Pick ‘n Pay 0/5

Overall: Tastes very mass produced and the ratios of pumpkin to seasoning are completely off. Would never buy it again 0/5

Summary:

If you’re going to buy butternut soup. Go to Pick ‘n Pay.

Alternatively, if you would like to give it a go at making your own, click here for an easy and cheap recipe.

Banana Bread

A Short History

Banana bread first became a standard feature in American recipe books when bicarbonate od soda and baking powder became popular in the 1930’s. It appears in Pillsbury’s 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook.

The origin of the first banana bread recipe is unknown, though there is some speculation that it originated in the 18th century by housewives experimenting with pearlash.

The home baking revival of the 1960s and the simplicity of its recipe led to an explosion in banana bread’s popularity. The cookbooks of the 1960s added to its popularity because they commonly listed multiple variations of bread that added fruits, nuts, chocolate chips and extra bananas.

For a delicious, easy banana bread recipe click here.

Fish ‘n Chip Accompaniments

Traditional accompaniments are mushy peas and tar tar sauce. Tar tar sauce is something one finds pretty much everywhere, but the mushy peas is really something one sees mostly in Britain.

Fish ‘n Chips

For most of us, if we were to be asked to think of the most “classic” British dish, our first thought would be fish and chips.

However, this classic British dish has become a favourite all over the world. In Food for Thought today we have given recipes both to the Classic Fish ‘n Chips and to a Modern Version of the dish (a bit more healthy for those wanting to stay away from all things fried 😉 )

A short history of fish and chips

This classic English dish came from a tradition of street food that was already growing in the 19th century with the hot-pie shops of Victorian England. Fried fish got a mention by Dickens in Oliver Twist (published in 1837), though it was then sold with a hunk of bread or a baked potato. 

The birthplace of fish and chips is unidentifiable: Lancashire, London and Dundee (Scotland) have all put forward a claim. The combination of fresh fish and a hungry working class makes it likely that the dish developed in the northern ports. In the south, the alliance of fish and potato could well have been forged in the East End of London, where the close confines of the tenements meant the fried-fish tradition of Jewish immigrants would have come into contact with the potato-based diet of the Irish. 

Three factors increased the dish’s popularity: manufactured ice meant fishermen could travel further and catch more, preserving their haul in ice; steam trawlers greatly increased the range of fishing opportunity; and railways meant distribution could reach inland areas. 

Both the French and the Belgians claim they invented the chip, or fry, in the 19th century. Fries were certainly popular in both countries by the 1830s, and had reached Britain before the turn of the century. 

The status of the chip as an international food is the result of the cultural shake-up that occurred during the first world war. American soldiers stationed in France (and Belgium) developed a taste for chips that they took back home with them. It was then just a short step to world domination. The humble chip is the main reason why potatoes are still up there among the world’s top crops.