Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago I learned to love the cold winter days that were filled with sled riding, ice skating and cross-country skiing. But my favorite days by far were the ones when my mother made a big pot of vegetable beef soup and baked a fresh loaf of homemade bread. I don’t think my mother ever used a recipe for her soup but she did use a wonderful recipe for her bread, which she always served fresh out of the oven with a dab of real butter on top. I can still close my eyes and smell the sweet smell and taste the first bite of my that warm bread.

In the spirit of “bread on the table” I thought I’d share my mother’s recipe with you. As you make your own loaf of bread (or pick up a hearty loaf of bread at Kroger’s. It’s okay. I won’t tell my mom.), remember how the simple act of putting bread on someone’s table is something to shout, dance and sing about.

Swedish Rye Bread
Don’t be intimidated by the fact that this is called rye bread. I actually spent my entire childhood and all the but the last year of my adult life believing that the bread my mother made was actually wheat bread. Seriously, it’s that yummy!

Ingredients:
2 cups water
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup butter
2 ½ cups rye flour
2 packages of dry yeast
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1TBS salt
4 to 5 1/2 cups of unbleached flour

Directions:
1. Combine water, molasses and butter and heat to 120 – 130 degrees.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the first four dry ingredients (rye flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt).

3. Add the water mixture to the flour mixture.

4. Stir in the 3 1/2 to 4 cups of the unbleached flour until sticky. Kneed bread adding an additional 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups of flour until the flour is fully incorporated and the bread has some elasticity to it.

5. Let rise in greased bowl in warm place for 45 to 60 minutes.

6. Kneed and punch down.

7. Let rise in two 9×5 loaf pans (greased) until not quite double in size (30-40 minutes).

8. Brush top with beaten eggs.

9. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

10. Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

11. Or, better yet, time it perfectly so that the bread is coming out of the oven just as everyone is coming in from the snow. By the time they’ve taken off their wet snow boots and mittens the bread will be cooled enough to slice and serve, just like my mom used to do!

I discovered Malva Pudding on my third trip to South Africa and I have been completely in love with it ever since. Served slightly warm with either cream or custard (I prefer custard) drizzled over the top it is nothing short of a decadent dessert.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour
Serving number: 8Serving Number: 6-8

Malva Pudding
1 heaped tablespoon butter
3 heaped tablespoons apricot jam
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the beaten egg and jam and beat together. Add the dry ingredients and milk alternately and stir into the mixture. Pour the batter into a greased round dish approx 21cm / 8 inches. Cover either with a lid or tinfoil and bake at 180C / 375F for 30 minutes until the top is browned and a skewer comes out clean. Serve warm with custard and cream.

If you would like to try the rich and more traditional version of Malva Pudding, and I think it should be done once in a while, here is a recipe for the sauce to drench it in as soon as it leaves the oven.

Sauce
1 cup cream
4oz / 100g butter
1/2 cup sugar
60 ml hot water.

Warm together the ingredients until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved and pour over the pudding as it comes out of the oven. You can prick holes in the top to help the sauce soak in.

With the sauce incorporated into the Malva pudding you hardly need anything else to accompany it, the cream being already inside! Just for appearances sake though you might like to serve it with a conservative dollop of vanilla ice cream, or a few poached apricots and a drizzle of cream. The other compromise is to reserve some of the sauce to serve alongside the pudding rather than letting the whole amount soak in.

Recipe source: http://food-and-family.blogspot.com/2007/08/malva-pudding-recipe.html

Whenever I travel I love to sample the local cuisine. My travels to South Africa have resulted in the discovery of some of my favorite recipes. The first of these is Melk Tert (or milk tart). It’s a custard based tart with a hint of cinnamon that is traditionally served with tea. It is not reserved just for desert, which I love. If you’re having tea then there is the opportunity to have Melk Tert with it.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serving number: 8

Pastry Crust Ingredients:
6oz all-purpose flour
3oz Butter, unsalted (chilled)
1/4 tsp Salt
Cold water to mix

Filling Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Water
3 tbsp Cornstarch
1 can (14oz) Sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp Butter, unsalted
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 large Eggs (well beaten)
Cinnamon sugar to taste

Preparation steps

Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the salt. Cut the chilled butter into several pieces and add to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour using your finger tips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Using a round ended knife to mix add enough cold water to make a stiff dough. Do not add too much water at once and mix well after each addition. Bring the dough into a ball with your hands. Place the pastry in a plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

When you are ready to make the pie set the oven to pre-heat to 350F. Remove the dough from the fridge, roll it out on a floured surface and use it to line a 20cm/8″ deep pie plate or pan. (Note if you prefer you can use ready made pie crust.)

Take 4 tablespoons of water from the measured water for the filling and place it in a small bowl or cup with the cornstarch. Mix together with a spoon to make a smooth paste. If the mixture is too stiff use a little more water.

Place the remaining water, the condensed milk, butter and vanilla essence in a saucepan. Heat gently to just below boiling point, stirring from time to time to prevent the milk catching.

Pour some of the hot milk onto the cornstarch paste and mix well. Return this to the pan and mix well. Place the pan back on the heat and continue to heat gently to boiling stirring all the time. The mixture should be thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the beaten eggs and mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350F for approx 45 minutes or until the custard is golden brown and just set (it should still wobble a little bit when shaken). Remove from the oven and dust with cinnamon sugar. Enjoy warm or cold.

Recipe source:http://www.nestle.com/

Traditional cooked porridge, which is made from finely ground maize meal, is called “Mealie Meal” in South Africa.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp pap (Maize Meal)
¬Ω tsp Salt
¼ cup cold Water
2 ¬Ω to 3 cups cold Water
Brown sugar, butter & milk – to serve

Blend the maize meal, salt & ¼ cup water together to form a smooth paste. Meanwhile, bring 2 ½ to 3 cups (depending on the size of your pot) of cold water to the boil. Once boiling, add the paste to it and stir to prevent lumps forming. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer (stirring occasionally) for about 12 to 15 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with brown sugar, a few small knobs of butter and a splash of cold milk.

recipe courtesy of: Lynda at http://foodfunfarm.blogspot.com/

Krummelpap means simply “crumbly” pap in South Africa.

Ingredients:

750 ml (3 cups) water
10 ml (2 tsp) salt
600 g (4 cups) pap

Poor the water in a pot (potjie). Then pour in the pap to form a cone like pile in the center of the potjie. Do not stir the pot yet, but reduce the heat and add some salt, put the lid on potjie and let pap simmer for about five minutes, until a skin forms.

Once a skin has formed, stir the pap with a fork until it is fine and crumbly. Cover the poitjie again and let pap simmer for about another 45mins.

Variation: For a little variety, add a can of drained sweet corn at the last minute of cooking.

Serve with gravy, stew or a bit of chicken.

recipe courtesy of: http://www.chirundu.com/

Pap is an Afrikaans word that simply means ‘porridge’ or ‘gruel’ and it’s a word that’s entered most sub-Saharan African languages. Many traditional Southern African dishes include pap.

Ingredients:

300g pap (maize meal or polenta)
300ml water

Bring the water to a boil and add the pap until a stiff mixture is attained. Leave to simmer for 25 minutes, stirring every five minutes to prevent burning. Serve with a stew or a sauce.

recipe courtesy of: www.celtnet.org.uk