Excuse me while I run to the deck to see the lightning. I love thunderstorms, but I admit to not really enjoying being right in the centre quite like this. I imagine this is a small storm compared with hurricane season in Florida. I doubt that I would enjoy these storms if there was the fear of loosing my home. My heart goes out to Judy, Jenn, Denise and Susan...be safe!
Apparently the power has gone out in parts of our city and it is lashing it down with rain. Of course on a day like this I had started my barbecue for tonights dinner....but....as was inevitable I would eventually run out of gas...so that is out. At least this tank lasted a year!! I could take the tank and get more gas...but it is lashing it down with rain...let's not forget that... and I would get wet or force an attendant to get sopping wet...so it will wait till tomorrow. Therefore my barbecue meal of Sosatie, corn on the cob, spicy sweet potatoes and tomato salad is being baked in the oven..... I hope the power does not go out in this part of the city....... (Update...the power did go off and it is the next day, the barbecue tank is refilled and it's business as usual.....)
My new favourite cookbook is by Anita Stewart called what else but Anita Stewarts Canada. Canadian cuisine is what we make of it where cooking traditions and techniques from around the world have been handed down from generation to generation, and adapted to make use of what we have available locally. Canadians have been chowing down and will continue to chow down on cabbage rolls, jelly rolls, spaetzle, pilaf, rösti and shepherd's pie each and every day. Anita Stewart, the wonder woman of Canadian cuisine, has captured Canadian cuisine for what it is in her latest cookbook...I think her 14th. Eat locally as much as you can!!!
Our philosphies on cooking are somewhat similar. She says, "It's odd how early childhood tastes influence the rest of one's life. I have to admit that I still love the darkened, drier ends of a beef roast that my mom overcooked beyond description; to her, meat that looked even remotely raw was considered downright dangerous. " My own mom came from a generation during the war where food needed to be cooked and overcooked...we have come a long way baby!!!!!!!!!!!! But in saying this my own mom used what was available to her in my home province of Ontario with plenty of pork, lamb and a myriad of fresh fruit and vegetables.
This pork barbecue dish comes from Anita's cookbook with it's roots heavy in South African influence. South Africans arrived in Canada after WW2. Only a little over 1,000 people immigrate here a year from this part of the world. In 1991, the census showed only 24,725 people of South African descent living in Canada but they have left their culinary legacy.
We have a mountain here in Lake Country that is named after a famous battle in the Boer War in South Africa. They think Spion Kop Mountain was named by Leslie Northcote, a veteran of the Boer War after the battle of Spion Kop. It has been known to local residents by that name for close to 100 years. I have seen a photo of the area in South Africa and it does look very similar so that is most likely why he was reminded of that area. The Battle of Spion Kop (Afrikaans: Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about 38 kilometers west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa. The battle was between Boer and British forces on the 23 and 24th of January ,1900 as part of the Second Boer War. The British suffered defeat. For details of this famous battle, see
I barbecued this delicious meal in honour of Canada's South African influence and a few of the South African bloggers that I know of like Jeanne at Cooksister, Nina at My Easy Cooking and Inge at Vanielje Kitchen.
**Spicy Skewered Pork (Sosaties) with Tomato & Red Onion Salad**
Marinade
1/4 cup (60 mL) corn oil
1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup (175 mL) curry powder
4 cups (1 L) white vinegar
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 mL) chili flakes
1 cup (250 mL) apricot jam
3 lb (1.5 kg) lean pork, cubed
1 large green pepper, seeded and cubed
3 red onions, cubed
20 button mushrooms
Salad
1 egg
1 tsp (5 mL) white wine vinegar
3 T (45 mL) olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
*************************
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; saute the onions until wilted and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the curry powder; cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, chili flakes and apricot jam. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before transferring to a food processor, or blender. Puree and let cool.
Salad: Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg and mustard. Slowly whisk in the vinegar and then the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut tomatoes into wedges and add the onions. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes, taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Soak 10 to 12 wooden skewers for 1 hour. Thread the meat, pepper, onions and mushrooms onto the skewers and layer them in a large roasting pan.our the marinade over them. Cover and marinate for 4 hours. Drain and place skewers on the grill over medium coals; cook until meat is starting to brown and vegetables are tender-crisp. Serve with the tomato salad.
Serves 8
