Individual Lamb-Shank Bobotie with Asparagus & Roasted Red Peppers
Chris Maré
This dish goes very well with a fruit salsa, such as pineapple or peach.
BOBOTIE
olive oil for frying
2 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch celery sticks, leaves removed and chopped
1 bunch leeks, finely sliced
250 ml tomato paste
10 peppercorns
4 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
750 ml dry red wine
10 lamb shanks
cake flour
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 additional onions, chopped
125 ml mild curry powder
500 ml apricot chutney
PASTRY CASES
250 g (270 ml) butter
500 g (900 ml) cake flour
1 egg, mixed with cold water to make 180 ml liquid
2,5 ml salt
ROOIBOS CUSTARD
300 ml cream
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
4 Rooibos tea bags
VEGETABLES
red peppers
asparagus
BOBOTIE
1. Pour a little olive oil into a saucepan and sauté the carrots, the 2 onions, celery and leeks together until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomato paste and cook until the paste is a rich, dark colour. Add the peppercorns, parsley, bay leaves and red wine.
2. Preheat the oven to 120 °C. Dust the lamb shanks in seasoned flour. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and seal the shanks on all sides.
3. Place the shanks in a deep roasting tray and add the wine mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 4 to 6 hours or until the meat comes off the bone very easily. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bone and shred it finely.
4. Sauté the 3 additional onions in a little olive oil until translucent. Add the curry powder and cook for a few minutes. Add the shredded lamb shanks and stir in the apricot chutney. Set aside.
PASTRY CASES
5. Place the butter and flour in a food processor and mix until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg mixture and the salt, and blend until the mixture forms a ball.
6. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry. The pastry will be used to line 10 individual moulds. Grease the moulds. Use one as a guide to cut the pastry into rings large enough to line the moulds.
7. Fill the pastry cases three-quarters full with the bobotie mixture.
8. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
ROOIBOS CUSTARD TOPPING
9. Beat all the custard ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to just below the boiling point and set aside to infuse. Once cooled, remove the tea bags.
10. Top up the bobotie moulds with the Rooibos custard. Place the moulds on an oven tray and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. Gently remove the bobotie-filled pastry cases from the moulds.
VEGETABLES
11. Prepare the vegetables in the meantime. Roast the red peppers in the oven until the skins blacken. Remove from the oven and place in an airtight container. Once cooled, remove the skins and slice the flesh into 1 cm strips. Blanch and refresh the asparagus.
12. Serve the bobotie on top of the red peppers and asparagus.
Serves 10