South African Shepherds Pie Bobotie Recipes

BOBOTIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Switch on the oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) to preheat.
• Pour one cup of milk into a bowl, and add the 2 slices of bread, leaving them to soak until needed.
• Add the raisins to a bowl with hot water and leave to plump up.
• Set the stove to medium high, and place a large skillet on the plate.
• Place a tablespoon of coconut or sunflower oil in the skillet and swirl to coat the pan.
• Toss in the chopped onion and crushed garlic together with the curry powder and stir as it sautés - about 2 minutes.
• Add in the ground beef, stirring to break up the clumps of meat and prevent it sticking and burning. This should take around 5 minutes.
• Add in the allspice, cloves, curry powder, dried herbs, salt and pepper and stir as it cooks for around 1 minutes, to release the fragrance of the spices.
• Add in the chutney, the grated apple, the raisins and stir as they cook for around 2 minutes.
• Lastly, break up the soaked bread and add to the mix, stirring carefully an making sure that there are no giant clumps of bread that have not been incorporated into the dough.
• Remove pot from stove and prepare to transfer the ingredient to a large oiled overproof casserole dish.
• Once transferred and leveled, break the three eggs into a bowl, and add the remaining 2 cups of milk, giving it a quick whisk with a fork to break up the egg yolks and combine the two ingredients.
• Carefully pour the egg/milk mix over the top of the bobotie, add the lime leaves in the middle, and place in the over to bake for around 35 minutes. The bobotie is done when the egg is set and the mix is golden and bubbling on top.

BEST BOBOTIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions in the hot oil until soft. Break the ground beef into the skillet and cook until brown.
• Place the milk in a shallow dish. Soak the bread in the milk. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread. Set the milk aside. Add the bread to the beef mixture. Stir in the raisins, apricot jam, chutney, curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour.
• While the bobotie bakes, whisk together the reserved milk, egg, and a pinch of salt. Pour over top of the dish. Lay the bay leaf onto the top of the milk mixture.
• Return the bobotie to the oven until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.

SOUTH AFRICAN SHEPHERD'S PIE (BOBOTIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place bread in a bowl and cover with milk. Let sit until ready to use, turning if necessary to make sure the entire piece of bread is soaked.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and then the onions, chilies, and ginger with a bit of salt to draw out the moisture. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add in the garlic and spices and saute for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. (If necessary, add a bit of water to slow the cooking down.)
• Increase the heat to medium-high and push the vegetables aside a bit. Combine the different ground meats if necessary and add the ground meat and brown for 3 to 4 minutes. You can add a drizzle of canola oil if your pan is looking very dry. You want to develop color and deepen the flavor of the ground meat. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, break up the meat with the onions and spices to mix. Add the preserves, malt vinegar, and tomato and season with salt. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes for all of the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon and let cool briefly. Wring out excess milk from the bread and add to the meat mixture. Mix thoroughly, breaking up the bread, and season if necessary. Fill 4 (10-ounce) ramekins 3/4 full with meat mixture and place ramekins in a roasting pan or baking dish.
• Combine eggs, heavy cream, and pinch of salt and pour to fill ramekins to the top.
• You want to bake these in a water bath, so fill the roasting pan or baking dish with boiling water until it comes at least halfway up the sides of the ramekins (see Cook's Notes).
• Cook at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard is set. You want the custard to be supple, so don't overcook or it turns into an omelet topping. If it jiggles a bit in the center, that's fine. Just let it sit in the water bath once you've taken it out of the oven to firm up a bit.
• Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve in the ramekins topped with chopped chives.

SOUTH AFRICAN SHEPHERD'S PIE (BOBOTIE)

Steps:

• Place slice of white bread in a bowl and cover with milk (enough to saturate) and set aside.
• Heat cooking oil in frying pan. Add onions and garlic to pan and sauté. In small bowl, stir together curry, jam, worchestershire, turmeric then add to pan.
• Add ground beef and stir until lightly browned, then remove from heat.
• Drain excess milk from bread and mash with one egg. Add to beef and mix well. Press mixture into casserole dish.
• Topping:.
• In small bowl, combine milk, 1 egg, and remaining turmeric. Pour over casserole (do not mix in).
• Place in 350° oven for 45 minutes or until topping is golden (1 hour if doubled).
• Serve over rice. I add a Tsp of turmeric to my rice while cooking to complement the casserole :).