OLD SCHOOL RETRO

Growing up vegetarian in sunny South Africa, salads were present at most meals. Even my lunch box looked different from the rest of the kids - instead of peanut butter and jam sandwiches, I had lettuce, cucumber, onion and tomato on mine.

Fruit was also available in abundance, so much so, that none of us considered a fruit salad an actual desert back then, and to this day I know how to process most fruit and vegetables, like it's second nature. 

Naturally, my need and enjoyment for a variety of fruit and vegetables goes way beyond the average person's. 

Yet unlike when I was young, and my parents had to buy boxes of the stuff straight from the market weekly, just to keep up with the demand, I now find, as a single person, that in order to have that sort of variety on hand without the inevitable spoilage it's just better if I process and freeze it where possible for easy access later.

So my freezer is always full of frozen fruit and vegetables - from spring onions and herbs through to pineapple, watermelon and paw paw chunks, quartered strawberries, and whole raspberries and blueberries, and even chopped up mushrooms... I'm sure you get the picture? 

Even my nuts, oats, flour, maize meal and rice gets stored in the freezer, not the pantry - there's zero chance of mite infestations there!

Right now, in this heat, I've been craving salads more than ever. So yesterday I took out some frozen samosas from my experimental cooking the other day, and while they thawed I processed a quick mixed salad, the sort I grew up on as a child.

I love eating balanced meals but I find that when I'm busy, my meals start suffering, so it's quite convenient to me to process more salad ingredients than I'll use immediately, store the various ingredients in separate compartments and containers, and then just assemble it as I need it. 

The only exception to this rule is avocado, this I like to cut fresh each time, but the rest can comfortably last up to three days in the fridge that way.

This modular salad solution can easily be adapted and turned into a meal in and of itself, with the simple addition of meat, chicken, egg or fish.

Anyway for desert, I teamed up Tepache with a frozen fruit salad in a tall glass again - this combination is genuinely refreshing - and the watermelon in it always gets me nostalgic; it smells like braais and pool parties as a kid.

We've had some rain today, yet even so this heat is still not letting up, so I've reverted to more salads for supper tonight. While at it, I thought I'd share two that's quite easy and can be made in bulk and consumed over several days.

The first one is not one I grew up with, but one I've known since I was twenty one. Let's just call it the 'Nineteen-Seventies Potato Salad' - this is a retro recipe and comes from a time when people still thought condensed milk could be an ideal substitute for breast milk, so bear with me here. 

I would not classify it as healthy, by any stroke of the imagination, but it's pretty good for a potato salad none the less plus it serves about 8 to 12 portions.

NINETEEN-SEVENTIES POTATO SALAD

Ingredients:

2 kg potatoes (cooked in water with skin on)

6 large eggs (hard boiled and peeled)

2 1/2 cups of mayonnaise 

2/3 cup condensed milk (about half a can)

150 ml milk

salt and pepper (to season)

chopped spring onions (optional)

Instructions:

1. Decant the mayonnaise, condensed milk and milk into a large measuring jug and stir thoroughly till a creamy crumpet like batter consistency is achieved;
2. Peel the potatoes*, cut them width wise in slices and line the base of a large airtight container with a single layer;

3. Cut the eggs into slices too and place some on top of the potatoes;

4. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and season with salt (or Aromat) and pepper;

5. Drizzle some of the mayonnaise sauce over the lot of it;

6. Repeat the process until all the ingredients are incorporated together;

7. Give it a light tossing - just to be sure all the eggs and potatoes are smothered in mayonnaise;

8. Serve as is, or refrigerate and use as needed.

The last one was, and remains a family favourite, is simple to make and has only three ingredients - this one is usually a winner with children of all ages. 

In a bowl, juice some oranges. Then grate as many carrots as you like, but remember that they must swim in orange juice in order not to brown, so the more carrots you add, the more juice you should add too. I found that store bought orange juice simply does not work as well as the real deal, so you can't say I didn't warn you if you use that and end up with brown carrots. Then when you are satisfied with the amount, mix in chunks of pineapple. It can be fresh, frozen or canned, makes no difference, and you get to decide the ratios. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and make sure the carrots stay submersed. 

When serving it however, use a slotted spoon to leave most of the juice in the container and not on the plate. By the way, when it's all done, that juice is lovely - trust me, don't discard it, drink it instead.

*BTW don't discard the potato peels from the potato salad either, they can get fried up in a bit of oil and eaten like a treat later on, if that's your thing, it sure is mine.

WORDS: rhodenel©27NOV2024 

PHOTOGRAPHY: rhoderuth