Waterblommetjie Bredie

Waterblommetjie Bredie

1,5kg mutton breast, cut up in large pieces
15 ml cooking oil
2 chopped onions
2 bunches waterblommetjies (about 500g)
1 bunch sorrel, finely chopped
1 large cooking apple, sliced
3 or 4 large potatoes
250ml meat stock, made with 1 glass of white wine
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (optional)
pinch of chili powder or cayenne pepper (optional)
15ml salt
3 ml pepper

Rinse waterblommetjies thoroughly in salted water. Cut the flowers from the stalks, rinse again and dry. Using a big heavy-bottomed saucepan, brown the meat in heated oil. Remove and set aside. Sauté the onions, then add the stock. Put back the lamb and add all remaining ingredients including the waterblommetjies, cover and simmer for 2-2.5 hrs until meat is tender. Stir as little as possible to prevent the flowers form breaking up. Replenish with hot stock if necessary. The waterblommetjies may be cooked for only the last 30 minutes.

If you use tinned waterblommetjies, use two tins. Add one at the beginning (for flavour) and then add one at the end (for presentation).

You can substitute waterblommetjies with Artichoke hearts and you can use Spinach for the Sorrel. Sure it's not the same thing, but it gives the same effect.

Waterblommetjies

The flowers of the water plants (Aponogeton distachys) found on the vleis of the Cape flats and Boland.

The "Mediterranean" vegetation known as the Cape Plant Kingdom occurs in the southwest and south Cape . It is named as one of the 6 Floral Kingdoms of the world, and even though small it has a very rich plant life, with about 8,600 kinds of flowering plants. There are many evergreen shrubs and a vast number of indigenous species known as Fynbos which includes the proteas (the protea is the country's national flower), ericas, heathers, and many grasses. Also well-known is the red disa, the famous orchid of Table Mountain.

The plant has strap-like floating leaves and white flowers with jet-black anthers. It grows very rapidly and seeds freely