I am just dropping in briefly to say we had a rest day today. It was very hot and there were some chores that needed doing too. And the worst part was that Aunt had to see a dentist urgently and ended up having a tooth extracted due to an abscess. She is now on strong antibiotic medication. Fortunately Earl had accompanied her to the dentist and could drive her home.
For ‘Tea’ I cooked a bobotie – something Colette had never had before. Aunt was disappointed that she could not manage an old favourite but we saved her some for tomorrow.
Bobotie, also spelt bobotjie, is a South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat baked with a savoury custard topping.
This is the recipe I used.
Ingredients
1 fairly thick slice bread (white or brown)
375 ml milk
25 ml oil
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
25 ml curry powder
10 ml salt
25 ml Mrs Balls Chutney – or whatever you can get.
25 ml smooth apricot jam
15 ml Worcester sauce
5 ml turmeric
25 ml brown vinegar
1 kg raw mince – beef or ostrich
100 ml sultanas
3 eggs
pinch each salt and turmeric
bay leaves
Soak bread in milk.
Drain and mash the bread into the mince – reserve the milk for later.
Add curry powder, salt, chutney, jam, Worcester sauce, and vinegar and sultanas to mince and mix well.
Heat oil in large pan and fry onions and garlic. When soft add the mince mixture and cook over low heat, stirring, and when meat loses its pinkness, remove from stove. Add 1 beaten egg, mix well, then spoon into a greased, 28 x 16 cm baking dish and level the top.
Beat remaining eggs with reserved milk and the salt and turmeric. Pour the custard over meat mixture and put a few bay
leaves on top. Bake, uncovered, at 180 degrees celsius for 1 hour or until set.
Serve with rice and banana salad.
Banana Salad
Mix a three quarter cup of plain yogurt and a quarter cup of chutney well
together and pour over sliced bananas. Sprinkle with coconut if desired.
Diary of an Adventurous Retiree 