Bobotie

Written by on in Dinner

Bobotie is a South African dish. Since two of my great-uncles emigrated to South African many years ago, I figured I would try making this dish in their honor. I saw the picture and thought it looked like just Greek pasticho (which is like the Greek version of lasagna). I have decided that many cultures have some sort of lasagna recipe. This one combines chutney, ground beef, and a super easy to make custard-like topping. It was so tasty! Try it next time you want to spice up your ground beef.

Bobotie
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Bobotie

Recipe by The Cooking LawyerCourse: DinnerCuisine: South AfricanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

45

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 slices bread

  • 1.5 cups skim milk, divided

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 3/4 bell pepper, diced

  • 3 tsp curry powder

  • 1 tsp dried oregano

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced finely

  • 1.25 lbs ground beef (I used 96% lean)

  • 1/2 cup fruit chutney – see http://www.cookingupjustice.com/mango-chutney

  • 1 tbs Polaner All-Fruit apricot (or apricot jam)

  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided

  • 4 tsp tomato paste

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 large eggs

  • 3 bay leaves

  • Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a bowl, add the bread and 1 cup of the milk. Set aside and let bread soak up the milk.
  • Spray pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add minced onion and bell pepper to pot over low heat. Sweat down the vegetables.
  • (If preparing chutney from recipe, I start both pots at the same time).
  • Once onion and bell pepper are softened, add the curry powder, oregano, cumin, turmeric, and garlic. Stir constantly for 1 minute and allow the spices to become fragrant.
  • Add the ground beef. Turn up the heat to medium to brown the beef, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spatula.
  • Once the beef is browned, turn off the heat. Add the chutney, apricot jam, lemon zest, half of the lemon juice, tomato paste, and salt and pepper. Once combined, taste to see if you need to add more lemon, salt, or pepper.
  • Squeeze the milk out of the bread – but be sure to keep the milk, you will need it. Add the bread in pieces to the beef mixture. Stir well to combine.
  • Strain the milk so any large chunks of bread do not end up in the milk.
  • Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, the strained milk, and the 2 eggs.
  • Add the beef mixture to a baking dish, like a Pyrex. Then add the milk-egg mixture on top. Add 3 bay leaves to the dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

Notes

  • My husband did not think this recipe sounded good. But after he had it, he loved it! He even ate the leftovers – the same night. His tip – enjoy it at room temperature to appreciate all of the spice combinations.

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