Boerewors, peppadew & haloumi skewers - take it like a man!

I have a confession to make.  No, don't worry, I haven't eaten another deep-fried Mars Bar or binged on Burger King...  No, the confession is far more mortifying than that.  The fact of the matter is that while Stephanie has been a faithful supporter of and contributor to the End of Month Egg on Toast Extravaganza pretty much from the start, I have never taken part in her Blog Party - not once!  Ever!!  Sensing that this situation had to be rectified pronto (and after some not at all subtle prompting from Stephanie!), I decided that this would be a great month to jump right in and participate, with its theme of Man Food.

So the search was on for a canape that was a) manly and b) preferably of a South African flavour.  Now let me firstly point out that South African men (well, the straight ones anyway...) are not canape type of guys.  They tend to think of canapes as chips 'n dip.  This is not a bad thing - I have always had a weakness for chips 'n dip - but I thought we could try and broaden our horizons a little for this one.  When I think of what it is my husband likes to cook most, it is of course something involving an open fire and a braai (BBQ) grid, so the natural next step was to think of something you could braai and make a party snack out of.  Of course, manly snacks have to be of manly proportions, so no chi-chi little bites would do - there would have to be proper man-sized bites of something with robust, man-size flavours.  But on the other hand, I was planning to serve these at my and Johanna's Blogday Party where the audience woudl include other food bloggers, so it couldn't be too unphotogenic either!!

The end result of my deliberations were boerewors, peppadew and haloumi cheese skewers.  Boerewors for that robust, manly, meaty touch.  Peppadews for the I'm-so-tough-I-can-eat-bright-red-spicy-things for the testosterone junkies (I used the mild ones but you could use the hot ones).  And haloumi cheese because... well, I like it and it makes a nice flat base to stand the skewers on :-)   And to prove that my skewers have manly appeal, here's a photo of a Real Live Man munching approvingly on one!

As for the Manly cocktail, this was a tough one.  Given the South African flavour of the food, I first considered what a South African man would accept as a cocktail, and sadly this resulted in either brandy and Coke, or Captain Morgan's rum and Coke.  Hmm, back to the drawing board.  I also considered suggesting the epitome of drinking hardcore manliness:  the Red Eye.  For the uninitiated, this is where a Manly Man snorts the salt, squirts the lemon in his eye and downs the tequila.  Grrrrrrrrr!!  THe line between hardcore and stupid narrows daily.  On second thoughts, best we leave that one out for health & safety reasons!! 

What I eventually decided to suggest was the last cocktail I saw my husband Nick ordering.  What with him being a Manly Man and all, I reckoned he was a good barometer of manly cocktails!  The cocktail in question has a robust flavour that would go perfectly with the skewers - a Black Velvet.  This is one part Guinness and two parts champagne, with the added bonus being that I get to drink the leftover champagne :-)

So off you go - enjoy your manly party food and happy Father's Day to all you manly dads out there!  And a huge thank you to Stephanie for hosting yet again :-)

**Forthcoming attractions**  -   the EoMEoTE#16 roundup and a full report on the very successful Blogday party yesterday!

Comments

[sam]

Forget man-skewers! I want your london blog party DRESS. It's totally gorgeous!

[robert]

Forgive me but I had a flash of idiocy [not unusual as I have one every 3 seconds when my memory recharges]and saw in my mind, a cocktail stick with boerie and paw-paw topped off with kiwi fruit on it!

Who will volunteer to be the first to try it?

[brian]

That Black Velvet cocktail is not bad especially if you leave out the fizzy stuff.

[anthony]

Arrrrr Captain Morgan Arrrrr, aahhhhrrrrrr you're arrrrr me best mate bwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhrgh.

Bottle of the strong guiness and a bottle of champagne and it's goodnight from me.

[Jeanne]

Hi Sam
Thanks! Well, I can safely say it's... vintage! It was my mom's and is probably 20-25 years old, by the South African label Bilbo. My mom and I had uncannily similar shapes, down to our feet - I could (and did!) buy shoes on her behalf, to the consternation of sales assistants!

Hi Rob
Oh dear, I think it's time for your medication!! ;-) Reminds me of the old Van der Merwe joke where he is on a plane and on either side of him he hears sophisiticated people ordering a dry martini with an olive and a manhattan with a cherry. Not wishing to appear unsophisticated, he blurts out his order: a glass of cane and a slice of paw-paw!

Hi Brian
Don't tell a soul, but I fully agree. Manly men shoduldn't be drinking anything bubbly. Besides, the less he drinks, the more champagne for me!

Hi Anthony
And..... Spicey has left the building! On a stretcher! :o)

[Pille]

Hi Jeanne - greetings from very hot Greece - 37 C anyone?! I liked your boerewors & halloumi skewers a lot - had 2 huge ones! Does that make me a Manly Girl now? ;-)

[Jeanne]

Hi Pille

Noooo, don't torture me!! We are having a very anaemic summer at the moment so you're not missing much... Have a ball in Greece!

And I'm glad you enjoyed the skewers - but I'm afraid your combat trousers were about the only manly thing I could detect about you, so you're safe on that count!! ;-)