Bobotie

I love the versatility of ground beef, but not its fat content. I buy only lean ground beef - but also do something else. After scramble-frying the meat separately in most ground beef recipes, I place it in a sieve, rinsing it with very hot water to wash away the last of its fat. I then blot the meat dry and proceed with the recipe, one of my favorites being this one. 

Bobotie is a North American adaptation of a popular South African dish. I like to serve it with well-washed saffron-tinted basmati rice. Although this dish may “look” like meat loaf, it doesn’t taste like meat loaf. I could happily eat Bobotie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I’m sorry to say that I don’t know this recipe’s source, so am unable to provide the appropriate credit.

Bobotie:

3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter, melted

2 medium onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 slices white bread (yes, white!), each torn into 8 pieces 

1-¼ c. (310 mL) milk

1-½ lb. (700 g) ground beef or ground lamb

2 eggs, divided

2 tbsp. (25 mL) curry powder

1 tbsp. (15 mL) sugar

2 tbsp. (25 mL) lemon juice

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) freshly ground pepper

½ c. (125 mL) sliced almonds or pine nuts

⅓ c. (80 mL) seedless raisins

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Bring butter just to sizzling in small skillet. Add onions and garlic, cooking until tender and onion is translucent. As onion and garlic cook, soak bread in milk for 5 min. In large bowl, combine ground meat with 1 beaten egg, the cooked onion and garlic, curry powder, sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, almonds or pine nuts, and raisins. Squeeze out bread, reserving milk. Add bread to meat mixture.  Combine well to evenly distribute bread, seasonings, nuts, and raisins. Pat meat mixture into greased 9-in. square casserole dish, smoothing top. Beat reserved milk with remaining egg, pouring over meat. Bake 1 hr. or until meat is cooked through and top is lightly browned. Serves 4-to-6.