One way to share a good meal is to share recipes. Within families, those recipes create connections from one generation to the next. Shared with someone from another country, it becomes an opportunity to learn about a different culture.

Mary Hawkes, who enjoys hosting family and friends in her home, knows this for a fact when she prepares traditional dishes from South Africa.

Although Hawkes wasn’t born in South Africa, she married a South African and lived there 13 years. It has become her home away from home.

She grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, so it was second nature to embrace the farming life in South Africa when she moved there in 1973. For her husband, Al, who was born and raised in Idutywa, Transkei, family roots in South Africa date back to the 1700s.

“I was amazed at the immensity of the sense of community,” she says of her first impression of the country.

Farming lifestyle
On the 2,500-acre farm in Aliwal North where they lived, they raised 600 beef cattle, 2,000 sheep, 500 broiler hens and 600 acres of cash crops such as corn and wheat. She says shearing sheep, which would take place over a two-week period, was a memorable experience.

“I miss the farming. I felt it was natural, and I learned so much,” she says.

Their ranching days ended when the Hawkeses and their two children moved to the United States in 1986. They moved to Charlotte in 1991, but found city life wasn’t for them and shifted to Mooresville in 1993.

“Having lived in a farming and ranching community, we’re not city people,” she says.

She now sells health insurance and owns a Web-based greeting card business, while he is a private landscaper. However, a vegetable garden at home and one shared with a friend ensure a supply of fresh produce such as tomatoes, potatoes, corn and squash.

The recipes she enjoys preparing and sharing reflect the simplicity of life on the farm. They also reflect the multi-national influences of the Rainbow Nation, whose cuisine is influenced by Dutch, Malaysian and Indian cultures.

“In the farming communities when I was there, there were absolutely no pizzas or real Italian spaghetti dishes,” Hawkes says. “But I must admit, I didn’t really miss them because I loved learning how to prepare the new dishes of South Africa and use new fruits like mangos, pawpaws, avocado pears, guava, figs and gooseberries in my daily cooking.”

Meat pie favorite
Curry, a favored spice, is used heavily in a traditional South African meat pie known as Bobotie. When her children were young, they preferred American food such as hamburgers and hot dogs over Bobotie. Now grown, her son, Michael, who is serving in Iraq as a Marine reservist, and her daughter, Kathryn, who lives in England, request it at get-togethers.

“What is so wonderful about Bobotie as a main course for a dinner party is that it is served with a variety of condiments that every guest adds to the Bobotie,” she says. “So, everyone’s Bobotie has a unique character of its own.”

When serving the dish, Hawkes recommends offering alongside it a drink known as a Shandy. To make it, mix equal parts of dark ale or lager with ginger ale or lemon-lime soft drink.

“I always serve Shandys to my guests when I serve Bobotie,” she says. “(The soft drink) takes the bite off the beer and so it is extremely refreshing for me, and I believe most women. And it quenches the hot curry spice in your mouth.”

Chutney is a popular condiment in South Africa, and Hawkes says the one she is sharing is suitable for any meat dish, but especially lamb.

“One of my fondest memories, I was a member of the Roundtable Group, and we hosted an international event and, you think about the French and their cuisine, well the French raved about this chutney,” she says. “It really is one of the nicest complements to lamb.”

A favorite dessert is the Dutch-influenced milk tart, which is similar to a custard pie. The one Hawkes uses comes from her husband’s family.

“These dishes have become part of our sharing of our South African roots with our American friends and family,” she says.

Bobotie (pronounced baa-BOO-tee)
1 ½ to 2 cups chopped onion
1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons hot curry powder
(more or less to taste)
1 to 2 teaspoons marsala powder
2 tablespoons mango or fruit chutney
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 hard Kaiser-like roll soaked in milk
and shredded with fork
3 eggs
2 cups whole milk

Condiments: thinly sliced bananas (sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from turning brown), diced tomato and onion mix, golden sultanas, raisins, mango chutney and desiccated unsweetened coconut

Sauté chopped onion in olive oil until soft but not brown. Add lean beef to onions and brown thoroughly. Stir constantly so meat does not stick to pan or burn. (If meat is not lean, pour off excess fat before adding remaining ingredients.) Mix curry with a bit of water and make into a paste. Add curry, marsala powder, mango chutney, apricot jam and shredded bread. Pour into 1-quart casserole dish and smooth out.

For topping, beat eggs and milk together. Pour over Bobotie. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until set. Serve over white or yellow rice and top with condiments. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Cottage Pie
2 cups chopped onions
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
or ground turkey
1 large tablespoon flour
2 beef broth cubes dissolved in
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups mashed potatoes,
made with butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté onions in olive oil until slightly brown. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Sprinkle with flour and mix in. Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Pour into 1-quart casserole dish. Top and seal completely with mashed potatoes. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are browned and crisp on the edges. Some like it served with ketchup. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Apricot-Mint Chutney
2 pounds smooth apricot jam
1 cup vinegar
½ to 1 cup sugar
4 cups finely chopped plain mint
leaves (do not use flavored mint leaves)

Boil jam, vinegar and sugar. Add finely chopped mint. Bottle while hot. Can be served immediately. Can be kept up to 2 months on the pantry shelf or indefinitely in the refrigerator. Yield: about 4 cups.

Crustless Milk Tart
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 cups milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream egg yolks, sugar, salt and butter. Add a little milk and a little of the flour. Mix very well. Add baking powder. Add the rest of the milk and flour. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy. Fold into mixture. Pour mixture into two 9-inch greased glass pie dishes. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Pie is done when the center begins to set and the edges begin to turn golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle with nutmeg. Let cool completely before serving. Yield: 2 9-inch pies.