If you are looking for ideas for a family Sunday lunch, try these 3 unusual dishes

Let us help you make your Sunday lunch unique.

Let’s admit it, when it comes to tantalising one’s taste buds, each person has their favourite dish. 

However, there are unusual meals which people often tend to shy away from. Foods which are considered unusual and downright weird.

The Newcastillian has singled out three dishes with their respective recipes, for you to try and be adventurous with. Step out of your comfort zone and give these dishes a whirl:

Chicken feet with sour pap

Ingredients

• 45 ml oil

• 500g cleaned chicken feet

• One onion, halved and sliced

• 10 ml chicken spice

• 5 to 10 ml chakalaka spice

• One to two red or green chilis, chopped

• 500g chicken or beef stock 

• One litre water

• An optional pinch of salt

• 15 ml white grape vinegar

• 500 ml mielie meal

• 375 ml to 500 ml mielie meal (separate bowl)

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, frying the chicken feet for three minutes. Add the onion and fry for another two minutes. Season with the spices and stir in the red or green chillies.

Pour the dissolved stock over and stir. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken feet are cooked. If necessary, add more water, then season with a little salt if needed.

For the sour pap, get a medium-size saucepan, bring the water to the boil then add the vinegar. Once that is done, add the first quantity of mealie meal a little at a time, whisking vigorously with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it resembles soft porridge. Add the rest of the mielie meal (a little at a time), stirring and beating with the wooden spoon until well mixed. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until cooked.

Then transfer pap to a dish and allow it to cool and set. Cut it into slices, as you would do with bread and serve with the chicken feet.

Black pudding (blood sausage) A British treat!

Ingredients

• Four cups of fresh pig’s blood

• 2 ½ teaspoons salt

• 1 ½ cups steel-cut oatmeal

• Two cups finely diced pork fat (or beef suet), finely chopped

• One large onion, finely chopped

• One cup of milk

• 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• One teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 160 C and grease two glass loaf pans. If you don’t have glass loaf pans, you can line metal loaf pans with parchment to keep the black budding from reacting with the metal and creating an unappealing flavour. Stir one teaspoon of salt into the blood.

Bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil and stir in the oats. Allow it to simmer, occasionally stirring the mixture until it is just tender and not mushy.

Then, pour the blood through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any lumps. Stir in the fat, onion, milk, pepper, allspice and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add the oatmeal and mix to combine. 

Divide the mixture between the loaf pans, cover with foil, and bake for one hour, until firm. Cool completely. Seal in plastic wrap and freeze for extended use or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To serve the black pudding, cut a slice about 1/2 -inch thick off the loaf. Fry in butter or oil until the edges are slightly crisped and browned.

Sourced from Real Irish Food by David Bowers

Deep-fried brains (Some people need to eat this)

Ingredients

• One head of garlic, skin on

• Black peppercorns in a cheesecloth

• One bay leaf

• Bundle of fresh herbs

• 0.454 kg brains (lamb, pork, or calf)

• All-purpose flour

• Two eggs

• ½ cup milk

• One cup of panko breadcrumbs

• One litre vegetable oil for deep-frying

Ingredients for green sauce

• One bunch parsley, leaves only

• 1/2 bunch dill

• One small can of anchovy fillets, finely chopped

• 12 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated

• One tablespoon of caper, minced

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Bring a 2-litre pot of water to a simmer and add in the garlic, peppercorns, and herbs. Allow it then to simmer for 15 minutes. Gently lower the brains into the pot and simmer for six minutes. 

Remove the brains with a slotted spoon and let cool. When the brains are cold and firm, separate the lobes into 2-inch chunks.

While waiting for the brains in the simmering water, prepare three bowls with the flour, the egg whisked with milk, and the breadcrumbs.

Heat the oil to 350 C. 

Roll each brain segment in flour, then coat it in the egg mix, and then coat it in the breadcrumbs. 

Deep-fry the brain until they are golden brown and crispy, about three minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with green sauce.

To make the green sauce: 

Finely chop herbs and mix with the anchovies, garlic, and capers. Add enough olive oil so that the mixture is spoonable but not runny. Season with black pepper.

Sourced from seriouseats.com

Be a true South African, be adventurous and change up your eating options. Even if it is just for today’s Sunday lunch.