Bush Cooking Marinades

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Text: Antoinette De Chavonnes Vrugt

Photographs: Hentie Burger

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CURRY LAMB CHOPS (from My Hungry Heart)

Marinate your lamb chops and freeze until needed. For camping, you can just keep them cold for a few days if you do not have freezer facilities.

2 kg lamb chops (saddle, shoulder or leg)
750 ml white vinegar 750 ml chutney
30 ml curry powder 15 ml ground turmeric125 ml smooth apricot jam
4 onions, sliced.

• For the marinade thoroughly mix the vinegar, chutney, curry powder, turmeric and apricot jam.
• Layer the lamb chops and onion rings with the marinade in a tray. Put back in the fridge or freezer until needed.
• Braai on medium-hot coals until tender. Be careful that the coals are not too hot because the apricot jam in the marinade will burn easily. Turn frequently.

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SUNDAY LUNCH CHICKEN ON THE BRAAI

For camping, I marinate the chicken and freeze it in the marinade.
My dad, Renier Swart, used to braai this chicken for Sunday lunch and it remains a family favourite. You can either use chicken pieces or a whole fat chicken. The chicken is best cooked on medium to hot coals on the braai, but it can also be grilled in the oven and works very well in a Weber.

1 whole chicken, butter-fried (or 8 chicken pieces)

MARINADE FOR ONE CHICKEN / 8 PIECES:

125 ml white wine vinegar
125 ml olive oil
5 ml salt
30 ml tomato sauce
30 ml Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic1 medium onion
2 ml peri-peri2 ml paprika
2 ml freshly ground black pepper
2 ml of mustard powder

• Liquidise all ingredients for the marinade together.
• Pour over the chicken and marinate for up to 48 hours.
• Make sure that your coals are medium hot for slow roasting.
• Turn frequently and roast for about 45-60 minutes or until tender and cooked to the bone

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WESTERWALD GEMSBOK SHANKS

You must always have meat ready to make a pot on the campfire. You can use venison shanks, lamb shanks or a mix of both. Follow the recipe and then freeze/cool the ingredients before baking/cooking.

The shank is simply one of the tastiest and most affordable cuts of meat. Cooked in the way described, the sauce is full of flavour and the meat will just fall off the bones. Serve with potato mash, couscous or rice to make it a hearty, comforting meal. The venison can also be replaced with lamb shanks.

8 pieces of gemsbok shanks (or 4 whole lamb shanks)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 ml coriander seeds
1 small dried red chilli
10 ml dried rosemary
5 ml dried marjoram or oregano
15 ml four 15 ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
6 sticks of celery, sliced
2 onions, chopped
30 ml balsamic vinegar
250 ml dry red wine1 x tin anchovy fillets
2 x 400 g tins plum tomatoes
1 handful of fresh basil, oregano, flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped for garnishing

• Grind the coriander, chilli, rosemary and oregano in a coffee grinder. Season meat with salt, pepper, spice mixture and four and put into the casserole.
• Put the garlic, carrots, celery, onions and anchovies in a food processor and pulse until just chunky. Add balsamic vinegar, wine and tomatoes. Pour over the meat.

FOR CAMPING FREEZE AT THIS POINT

• Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 4 hours or until soft but not leaving the bone. Skim off any fat and taste for seasoning.
• Finally, stir in a handful of roughly chopped fresh basil, oregano or flat-leaf parsley. Serve with couscous and salad.

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DIVINE SPARE RIBS (from Life on a Table)

These ribs are pre-cooked and then marinated. At that point, you can keep them for a few days in the marinade or freeze until needed.

12 pieces of pork rib (± 2 kg)

STOCK:
Water, salt, pepper, sweet basil, oregano, bay leaves, garlic and ginger SAUCE /

MARINADE:
125 ml honey
90 ml soya sauce
90 ml tomato sauce
125 ml white vinegar
A few drops of Tabasco sauce6 cloves of garlic, crushed
Juice of one orange
10 ml of mustard powder
5 ml paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

• Bring all the ingredients for the stock to the boil.
• Pre-cook spare ribs in the stock for about 15 minutes.
• For the marinade put all the ingredients for the sauce into a big pot and bring to the boil.
• Add the pre-cooked, warm ribs to the marinade and boil for another 15 minutes.
• Cool down and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days.
• Braai on medium coals until browned and tender.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”53268″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”55025″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”55024″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Discover more of Antoinette’s delicious recipes in Life on a Table and My Hungry Heart.
For wholesale and retail contact Bonn Nortjé at Venture Publications: bonn@venture.com.[/vc_column_text]

This story was published in the Spring 2018 edition of TNN.

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