Sunday Lunch Blues: Miniature Bobotie Parcels

Turmeric is a very potent pigment for painting, as well as a delicious and healthy way to spice up food.

In a fit of nostalgia and longing for some place unknown that might be the idea of home, I decided to make miniature Boboties - a traditional South African recipe that exists in a thousand different varieties. Here is my version, tucked into small phyllo pastry parcels. Perfect for small one-person portions, or finger-food at a tapas buffet.

I had tremendous fun not only making the food, but taking time to prepare ingredients and create a watercolour drawing or two on the side.

Here is a list of ingredients you will need, enough for a four-person Bobotie or plenty for a whole muffin pan. If you have any of the mixture left over, freeze it for future use.

500g mince meat (ideally a mixture of lamb and beef if you can get it)

25ml olive oil & a spoonful of butter, plus some to grease the pan

2 white & 1 red onion

2 crushed & chopped garlic cloves

a teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger

1 small grated apple

3 teaspoons of apricot jam

a slice of brown bread soaked in 125 ml beef stock

3 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander pwder

salt, pepper & lemon juice to taste

phyllo pastry

250 ml milk

three large eggs

bay leaves or lime leaves to decorate

Magical colour combination.

This small bowl is made by my grandmother, Konstanze Harms, whom I had an exhibition with last year in South Africa.

First, fry the mince in a little butter and olive oil. Remove from pan.

Then chop and fry the onions, add the garlic and ginger.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

That smell….

Add the meat to the onion mixture, then the spices (turmeric, curry, coriander, and cumin). Grate the apple and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add that to the mixture too.

Sometimes I use whole coriander seeds as well as ground coriander - because I love the flavour so much.

Add apricot jam, and the soaked (and broken into bits) slice of bread. Finish with salt and pepper. Let everything simmer for a bit.

Traditional recipes call for raisins as well, but honestly, I hate them. Up to you!

Grease the muffin pan and layer phyllo pastry (cut into small squares with your kitchen scissors) into the individual moulds. Three to four layers of phyllo pastry are ideal. Alternatively, grease one large casserole dish.

Spoon the meat mixture into the pastry shells.

Now, for the topping, mix the eggs and the milk with a fork. Add a lot of pepper, and a little salt.

Spoon this mixture over the Bobotie parcels to create a smooth eggy layer on top. Decorate with bay leaves.

Bake in hot oven for anything between 25 and 45 minutes, depending on the size of your casserole dish or muffin pan.

Meanwhile, open a craft beer or a crisp chardonnay. Sit down and contemplate things. Do some watercolour drawing. Check your Instagram for nothing in particular. Check the oven to see whether your miniature Boboties are browning on top yet, the egg becoming all fluffy and puffed-up. Do some more drawing. Maybe, make a salad or some tomato salsa.

Bobotie is traditionally served with rice, chutney, grated coconut and sliced banana, sometimes with a finely chopped tomato and onion salad. But you don’t have to do that at all if you don’t feel like it - get creative, these are compatible with so many side dishes.

And there you go.
Enjoy! Lovely to share, and lovely to eat on your own.

Ta-daaaaa!

Spatter. Summer earrings. Enamel on sterling silver, reconstituted carved coral, freshwater pearls.

Savouring the last dregs of winter

It’s no secret that I’m a big food lover. I’m obsessed with plants, so how could I not be intrigued by the possibilities of growing, harvesting and cooking food plants. But food is more than sustenance - it’s a meal, a feast even, best shared with others.

I know there are thousands of phenomenal cook books and food blogs out there, yet, I itch to try my hand at some recipe illustration that doesn’t just decorate a recipe with images but actually conveys an inherent mood, that sketches an ambiance that reveals the stark difference between a solitary meal on the couch and a shared dinner with many people, interwoven with human stories and emotions and wine and gratitude.

Here’s a Cape brandy tart recipe I made the other night for dessert after serving a hearty Italian bean stew: