Darienne

Well, the meal has now been moved up to Saturday. My friend is a PSW and must work this Sunday and Monday. People needing care do not take weekends off. Made a test meal today: - chutney: JohnT's Quick Apricot Chutney - rice: Boschendal's Yellow Rice (recipe sent by ElsieD) - Bobotie mostly (but only mostly) from Epicurious's recipe taken from Lannice Snyman. Rainbow Cuisine: A Culinary Journey Through South Africa, halved. With additions from an SBS recipe. Meat fried according to JohnT (Ed's choice to fry or not to fry) and then the entirety cooked according to JohnT's directions. - not made: stewed dried apricots called for by Boschendale. Mistakes: didn't realize that it is supposed to be thicker than I made it. It did come nicely out in pieces, like Lasagna. I had thought it was going to be more like a loose 'spoon-it-over-the-rice' dish. I should have googled Bobotie and looked at the photos. A deeper dish would also have meant the topping would be thicker. Next time. Dessert is still a toss-up between Melk Tert and Malva Pudding...or both. I LOVED the Bobotie on rice with chutney. Loved it! The spicing is wonderful. I did add from the other recipe: coriander, cumin, ginger and allspice and some hot chile. ...I was very prudent in my additions... I am not known for my prudent cooking nature. DH's response was much more guarded. He really wasn't sure how much he liked it. First he decided he would have preferred it more like a loose dish. Then he decided it should be cooked in a meat loaf type pan. So in a much deeper pan it will be next. All in all, he was not thrilled. Not at all. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. And, besides I adored it. :wub: Thanks all, again. Oops. Forgot the photo. Not elegant, I'm afraid.

I hope I am not re-posting something that has already been posted. A friend sent me this website this morning and I think I'll try it. Low tech and no cost way to vacuum pack your foods. (Sorry about the obnoxious opening commercial.) http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/2015/3/23/the-low-tech-diy-way-to-vacuum-seal-your-food?xid=DISH032915TheLowTech

Well, well. Thank you Anna. If we get up to Markham again, our nearest Longo, I'll get some. In the meantime, we have a local store, the Firehouse Gourmet, which stocks hot stuff and I'll call them when they open. Nope, they don't.

Wonderful post, Nancy. What a terrible shame that you didn't get to meet Rob. I would bet that he was just as disappointed as you were when he found out that an eGulleter had made a special trip to his restaurant.

I'd love to try Huitlacoche. I first learned about it right after the last corn crop was harvested on our farm...and boy! did we have it that year. Oh well...

OK. So I googled Balut. And made a frightful noise of alarm and disgust. No, I won't eat it either.

I guess Ron is correct. Honestly, it was almost 55 years ago and I can't recall except that it was a bit rubbery I think.

jmacnaughtan's post reminds me...it may not be 'exotic' but it certainly was outside my comfort zone: fish head stew with the fish heads complete.

Tri2Cook, there's an untold story in your post. Do tell.

Menudo. Never tasted it. Never will. Glad some of you love it. A great favorite with Hispanic folks.

Fried rattlesnake in Ontario.

Well, GRoston, I am not much for following recipes either although I do use Poblanos in this recipe and few hot peppers. Good luck with the pan situation.

Puerco Pibil is my 'go to' pork recipe and I make large batches at once and then freeze the shredded meat to use in other ways also. This recipe looks good although I prefer the one by Roberto Rodriguez. I used to cook mine in a large slow cooker until it bit the dust and now I use an (unbreakable) electric roaster.

Thanks JohnT. Looks delicious. Can you please tell me the approximate capacity of a 'large Dariole mould'? Thanks. Sorry, I can't tell you how the post links work. Still haven't figure it out myself.

Finally got hold of my friend and asked her all the pertinent questions. Father was raised in Java and then Holland. Came to SA as a married adult only and settled in first Johannesburg and then Gilletts, Durban. Her Mother was English and cooked English. She's the one who eaten SA food. Melk Tert, Malva Pudding, Bunny Chow, Mrs. Ball's Balls (she called it). etc. She thinks her Father has never eaten Bobotie. And Father is too old to manage Bunny Chow. So I was way off base. Sorry. And there's a SA store nearer to the Oshawa/Whitby area but she shies away from going there because she says she always spends a couple of hundred dollars...and then eats all the Biltong driving home in the car. So we will still have Bobotie. But with her agreement, I am rather leaning towards making Malva Pudding for dessert. Any recipes for Malva Pudding besides the one I found on Epicurious? Thanks.

Wonderful story about the Chutney. Thanks, JohnT. And Anna, I guess you know Peterborough pretty well. Certainly you have read my 'complaints' about shopping there a goodly number of times...and often been able to point out to me in which grocery store I can find such and such...usually Metro, where we don't shop as it's way off our beaten path. This thread is turning out to be quite a treat for me. Thanks all.

Thanks Chris. John and Elsie have both sent me recipes for the chutney so I think I'll make it. The small city where we shop, Peterborough, Ontario, is not noted for exotic ingredients (don't tell them I said that) so Mrs. Ball's chutney might not even be carried there. No doubt I could get it in Toronto. Still I'll look next week.

Thanks so much to everyone who has replied to my call for help and even sent recipes. I am grateful. I'll report back how the dishes work out for me and if my guests like them or find them familiar. Thanks again. ps. I even have apricot jam.

Thanks for the butcher's site, Anna. I'll certainly pass it on to my friend.

Thank you so much JohnT. Straight from South Africa itself. I still have to get some chutney or make some. You don't by any chance have a favourite chutney recipe, do you? Thanks again.

Thanks Andie. A plethora of choices.

Easter our guests will be two, a daughter and her just-turned 99 year old Father, Cape Dutch from South Africa. The Father was born in Malang, Java. The daughter moved to Canada many years ago and her parents followed much later. They eat only North American foods now. The daughter, a fellow dog lover, has picked Melk Tert for dessert, but I am still nowhere on the mains. I have found several recipes for Bobotie which sounds like a possibility. I've made it before but decades ago. On rice I guess? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Easter this year we will have over a friend and her Father (he turned 99 yesterday) and the meal will be mostly for his pleasure. He was born in Malang, Java of Dutch parentage but settled in South Africa during WWII when he was not allowed into England with his English wife. His daughter, my friend, moved to Canada many years ago and much later her parents followed. So dessert is already picked: Melk Tert and I had rather thought of Bobotie for the main course. All suggestions welcomed.

The chicken will not be browned and all will be well. Thanks again.

Re the Tequila Chicken. It puts me in mind of Roberto Rodriguez' recipe for Puerco Pibil...except for the soy sauce, of course . Puerco Pibil is my go to recipe for pork these days. Thanks so much for the recipe. I AM going to make it, although I have only chicken breasts in the freezer right now and that won't add to the deliciousness of the dish I fear. Thanks, Smithy.