Bobotie
Pronounced BA-BOOR-TEA, Bobotie is a flavor-packed, warming South African dish that is easy to make and sure to be a hit. Easily adaptable to be vegetarian and gluten-free.
Adapted from Sara Buenfeld of BBC Good Food
Yield: 4-6
Total cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 sliced bread (gluten-free if needed)
2 onions, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (or more olive oil)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 lbs plant-based ground meat or ground beef
2 tbsp Madras curry powder (or a yellow curry powder blend)
2 tsp dried herbs, such as thyme, oregano, marjoram
3 whole cloves
5 allspice berries
2 tbsp peach or mango chutney
3 tbsp sultanas or golden raisins
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 bay leaves, divided
1 1/4 cups whole milk (or oat or soy milk)
2 large eggs
Directions
Preheat oven 350°F. In a bowl or shallow dish, pour cold water over the bread and set aside to soak.
In a large sauté pan, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for about 10 mins or until they are soft and starting to color. Add the garlic and beef and stir well, crushing the meat until crumbly in texture and cook until it begins to brown. Stir in the curry powder, herbs, spices, chutney, sultanas, and 2 of the bay leaves with 1 tsp salt and plenty of ground black pepper.
Cover and simmer for 10 mins. Squeeze the water from the bread, then beat into the meat mixture until well blended. Place mixture into a 9”x13” (or similar) ovenproof dish. Press the mixture down well and smooth the top. You can make this and chill 1 day ahead.
In a small bowl, beat the milk and eggs with a little salt and pepper, then pour over the meat. Top with the remaining bay leaves and bake for 35-40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden.
Serve with golden rice, chutney, toasted almonds or pine nuts, and a side of roasted veggies if desired.
