South African Meat Loaf Recipes

BOBOTIE (SOUTH AFRICAN MEATLOAF)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large baking dish.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in melted butter until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Combine 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, oats, raisins, almonds, vinegar, curry powder, sugar, salt, turmeric, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add onions and ground beef; mix well. Spread the beef evenly into the prepared baking dish; top with bay leaves.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and drain excess fat from the beef.
• Beat 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk together in a bowl; pour over the beef mixture.
• Continue baking in oven until the top is beginning to brown, about 30 minute more. Remove and discard bay leaves to serve.

BOBOTIE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2- or 3-quart casserole dish.
• Soak bread in milk in the prepared dish.
• Combine raisins and apricots in a shallow bowl. Pour water and lemon juice over fruits and let soak while you cook.
• Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chutney, Worcestershire sauce, curry, and 1 teaspoon turmeric. Cook until flavors start to blend, about 2 minutes. Add beef and lamb and cook until just barely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain fat from pan.
• Squeeze milk from bread; reserve milk in a bowl. Crumble bread into meat mixture. Add the raisins and apricots; mix well. Pour into the casserole dish and pat into a loaf. Roll up lemon and orange leaves and bury them at regular intervals into the loaf.
• Beat eggs with the reserved milk; add salt, pepper, and remaining turmeric. Pour over loaf. Cover with casserole lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 130 degrees F (54 degrees C), about 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking until top is slightly browned, about 15 minutes more.
• Let meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing; remove buried leaves.

SOUTH AFRICAN MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• Mix bread with milk; set aside.
• Sauté onions, salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar, and apple in butter.
• Mix into meat.
• Add bread, egg and raisins. Mix gently by hand.
• Form into loaf on baking sheet.
• Bake one hour at 350°.

BOBOTIE (SOUTH AFRICAN CURRY MEAT LOAF)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Combine tea, raisins, and apricots in a bowl; let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, and reserve 1/3 cup soaking liquid; set both aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook until lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add turmeric, coriander, cayenne, cumin, fenugreek, pepper, fennel, and salt; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add reserved soaked fruit and soaking liquid and vinegar; cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl; add beef, and mix until evenly combined. Transfer meat mixture to a foil-lined baking sheet, and shape into an 8″ × 4″ loaf; press almonds over top of meat loaf, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf reads 160F, about 40 minutes.

SOUTH AFRICAN CURRIED LAMB MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl until very soft, about 15 minutes, then drain in a sieve set over a bowl, lightly pressing to remove excess milk. Reserve milk.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter baking dish.
• Cook onions, apple, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions and apple are softened, about 12 minutes (do not brown). Add raisins, almonds, curry powder, and sugar and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then remove from heat. Lightly beat 1 egg in a large bowl, then add bread crumbs, lamb or beef, raisin mixture, lemon juice and zest, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and pepper and blend with your hands until combined well; do not overmix. Spread meat mixture evenly in baking dish and bake 30 minutes.
• While meatloaf bakes, whisk together remaining 2 eggs, reserved milk, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Pour off excess fat from meatloaf (still in baking dish). Pour egg mixture over meatloaf (much of egg will fill space that has formed around meatloaf), then return to oven and bake until custard is just set, about 15 minutes more.