Bobotie

For the past month or so my friend and I have been cooking for each other on alternate weeks every Wednesday. This has turned out to be a huge amount of fun- we've even started experimenting with cocktails at the same time. The last time my friend cooked for me she made this South African dish.
She was fairly hesitant to present this food to me, since everyone else she's know who has tried it had gotten freaked out by one of the ingredients. This was such a big issue that she wouldn't tell me what it was until after i'd tried it!

It turned out that the secret ingredient was only a bit of bread, but I suppose for some people, who aren't used to cooking, that might seem strange.
Having relatives from South Africa, my friend is really lucky to have experienced food like this first hand from the people from that culture themselves. And I too, feel lucky to have been introduced to it by her.
Bobotie is actually really delicious, so even if the idea of bread in your dinner freaks you out, you should definitely try this! It's made with minced beef, nuts, dried fruit, and herbs and spices, with a bit of heat to liven up your taste buds. There are two layers to it- the meat layer, with the fruit, nuts, and deliciousness, and then on top is a layer of melt-in-your-mouth  set egg and milk mixture. It is surprisingly easy to make, as there isn't a lot of preparation involved, or time at the stove to endure- just make the meat base, pat it down, add the milk mixture, and bake until golden.

Ingredients:

• 500g beef mince
• 2 slices of wholemeal bread
• 3 bay leaves, ripped slightly to release the fragrance.
• A handful of dried apricots, chopped.
• 3 tbsp raisins
• A handful of chopped nuts (preferably almonds)
• one onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 tbsp curry powder/paste
• a small pinch of dried mixed herbs
• 300 ml milk
• 2 eggs
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Fill a bowl with water and let the slices of bread soak in it until you need them
• Fry the onion and garlic until soft and add the mince meat. Fry together until the meat is cooked.
• Add the dried fruit, bay leaves, nuts, curry powder, herbs and salt and pepper, and allow to marinade in the heat for a few minutes while you make the topping.
• In a jug, beat together the egg and milk and season with a salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg.
• Empty the meat in to an oven-proof dish, and squash down evenly with a wooden spoon to try and make it liquid-tight (i.e. so that the topping wont leak through the meat, and it remains a two layered dish).
• Pour the milk/egg mixture on top of the meat, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden.
• Serve with rice, potatoes, or a side salad.

Also, did you know that Lidl does really nice red peppers?