Woulidge - Confessions of a Hungry Woman

To Jacques
For taking me away and bringing me home

Published in 2013 by Struik Lifestyle
(an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd)
Company Reg. No. 1966/003153/07
Wembley Square, 1st Floor, Solan Street, Gardens 8001
P O Box 1144, Cape Town 8000

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Copyright in published edition: Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd 2013
Copyright in text: Sam Woulidge 2013
Copyright in photography: Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd 2013

ISBN 978-1-43230-008-1 (Print)
ISBN 978-1-43230-232-0 (ePub)
ISBN 978-1-43230-233-7 (PDF)

Publisher: Linda de Villiers
Managing editor: Cecilia Barfield
Editor and indexer: Bronwen Leak
Designer: Beverley Dodd
Photographer: Jurie Senekal
Proofreader: Gill Gordon
Artwork on cover and )

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and the copyright holders.

Random House Struik for choosing to publish this book. Im old school and still get turned on by ink on paper. Im glad you do too. Linda de Villiers, my publisher (I love the sound of that!), for your professionalism and compassion. Designer Beverley Dodd, Bev, it was love at first sight. Your talents impress me but your laughter more so. Editor Bronwen Leak, thanks for making me look good. And for being gentle with both my words and my ego.

Photographer Jurie Senekal, whose stillness and quiet observations allow him to notice and capture what others miss. Its been wonderful working with you again.

I am also incredibly grateful to Sumien Brink, editor of Woolworths TASTE, who afforded me the opportunity to write the Confessions of a Hungry Woman columns. She and the Woolworths TASTE team are inspirational. Thanks also to the directors of New Media Publishing, Bridget McCarney, Irna van Zyl, John Psillos and Naomi Herselman for once employing me so that I could be at the right place at the right time.

To Woolworths for allowing me a page in your beautiful magazine. It is an honour to be there.

Also, love and gratitude always to Thrse Hulme who showed me how the telling of stories can heal, and to my mentor, Joan Kruger, whose wisdom and friendship I so heavily rely on.

A heartfelt thank you to the talented artist and lovely woman, Karin Miller, for creating such a happy portrait of me and for generously allowing its use on the cover.

Kisses for Algria Ferreira who cares not a bit for food, but cares about me. Thank you for painting me for the pages of this book.

For Didi, with whom I will never swop recipes, but who is always game for Asian noodles. For Erica, because we could pick up where we left off and for that lemon meringue recipe. Also Quietriotgirl for helping me set up my blog and for giving me Hope. Etienne for bringing colour into my life. Hannetjie for introducing me to the magic of long tables and leisurely lunches. And to new friend Bigbigjoe for the inspiration and encouragement.

To my family and friends who appeared in this book, as well as those who did not know that my life would be significantly poorer without you. Thank you for sharing the good meals as well as the bad ones.

And to all those who write so passionately about food the journos, the writers, the bloggers, the twits, Im thrilled to be a part of your mostly happy, always hungry circle.

To those who have read (and liked) my columns and especially those who have been kind enough to tell me so over the years, thank you for providing a safe space for my words to land.

I dedicate this book to my parents, Ron and Marie, for their unconditional love and support. Always.

To Jacques (my lief!), who I love more than Thai green curry.

And to Max, who, with his soft ears and labrador love, fills an aching part of my heart in a way that neither words nor food ever could.

All recipes in this book serve 6.

While this book may be full of confessions, it is essentially a love letter. A love letter to food and foreign places, a love letter to my husband, my parents, my family and my friends, and ultimately, a love letter to South Africa. Although intensely personal and unashamedly self-indulgent, I hope it is never perceived as smug. I am aware of how lucky Ive been and how blessed I am. I dont take any of it for granted.

When I write, I try to make sense of my world the way I feel, what I fear, the ways in which I love. And who and what I love. My taste buds are often my trigger. Youre bound to recognise some of the flavours I describe or the memories I evoke. Sometimes all you need is a taste of cinnamon to remind you of a cold winters day when you were five and happy. And when you tell someone else about tasting cinnamon and remembering being five, they too will remember something. Food and memories are inextricably linked. And while good food and interesting or familiar tastes may not be life changing, they are certainly life affirming.

I started writing the Confessions of a Hungry Woman column for Woolworths TASTE magazine in 2006, when I first embarked on what would eventually be a four year adventure of travelling the world with my husband, Jacques, who was employed as ships doctor onboard various luxury cruise ships and ocean liners. We spent four glorious years travelling and having fun, but always knew that we would return to South Africa and continue our life together on solid soil. Because as wonderful as those carefree days of fleeting friendships, foreign experiences and flirting with new flavours were, we always missed the familiar faces of our people, our family, our friends, our mountain and our sea.

We missed the tastes of home. But coming back also meant domesticity and culinary challenges, and I had always been wary of both. So we bought a dog, because nothing defines domestic bliss better than a dog, and I set out to cook properly. Its worked out for us. Max is a dog who likes celery almost as much as stealing balls in the park. Over time I have learnt to house-train both the dog and myself. And Jacques, too, eventually. In his own way. So now were all good in the kitchen.

But at the time of writing (and I hope to rectify this one day), most of my friends are better cooks than I. Its the company I keep; the way I choose my friends. I like people who get excited about preserved lemon or a decent cut of meat or a really great cheese. Whenever I enjoy something theyve made, I inevitably ask for the recipe, qualifying with But would I be able to make it? Because I dont want to work too hard in the kitchen and I would really rather share a glass of wine with my guests than worry over fussy, higher-grade-science-required recipes.

So for this book I have asked some friends to share their fail-proof recipes with me. The brief was simple: give me an easy menu for six people. Easy enough so that even I can make it. Recipes that are Sam-proof. Recipes that come with the guarantee that if I can make them, anybody can. I have tried them all. (And in doing so, I have improved my cooking skills.) I have learnt that when all else fails, read the damn recipe! But more importantly, I have learnt to love cooking. Somewhere along the way, I began to understand that it really is better to give than to receive. That cooking for friends and family is an act of love.