Bobotie - South African Meat Pie

It’s like a celebration in your mouth.  So many levels of flavor.  Such complexity.  Bobotie, pronounced Ba-Booty, is one of the most beloved dishes of South Africa.  Every South African housewife will have at least two recipes for this beloved creation.

Bobotie is essentially a meat pie with an egg topping, almost like meat custard. Its how one incorporates all of the various choices of ingredients that make one Bobotie recipe so very different from another.  The basic recipe probably originated from the Dutch East India Company colonies in Batavia, now called Jakarta on the island of Java, with the name derived from the Indonesian Bobotok. Later, sometime in the 17^th century, it was taken to South Africa and gained favor with the Cape Malay community.

Early recipes incorporated ginger, marjoram and lemon rind. Some recipes include curry and/or chopped onions.  Traditional Bobotie may include dried fruit, and the dish is garnished with walnuts, chutney and bananas.  It’s sweet and savory and has a complex texture that will make you want to come back for more.  That’s OK because the PointsPlus value is so low. We just can’t get enough.  Even the left-overs are wonderful, right out of the fridge.

When Judy told me what she was preparing she described it as a sort of meatloaf.  Bobotie is far more than that. You will really have to try it yourself in order to fully understand.  We hope you will.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Bobotie

1 spray Cooking Spray

1 pound lean Ground Beef

1 cup Onions, finely chopped

1 medium Apple, Granny Smith, peeled and finely chopped

½ cup Carrots, finely chopped

½ cup Raisins

2 leaves, Bay Leaf

3 cloves Garlic, minced

Spice Mix

1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Chili Powder

½ tsp Cumin, ground

½ tsp Coriander

1 Tbsp Curry Powder

¼ tsp Cloves, ground

¼ tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

Remaining Ingredients

¼ cup Red Wine, dry variety

3 Tbsp Mango Chutney

2 Eggs, large

½ cup Low Fat Milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9 inch loaf pan with Cooking spray.

In a large non-stick skillet, over medium-high heat, cook the meat until no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Drain the meat and set it aside.

In the same skillet, over medium-low heat, combine Onion, Apple, Carrot, Raisins and Bay Leaves, cook stirring frequently until soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir in Garlic and spice mix, cook for 2 more minutes.

Stir the meat into the veggie mixture and pour in the Red Wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.  Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove Bay Leaves; stir in Chutney.  Spoon entire mixture into prepared loaf pan.

In a small bowl, thoroughly whisk together Eggs and Milk; pour over the meat and veggie mixture, tilting the pan as needed to evenly cover the top.  Bake until the Egg layer is set, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Let it cool slightly before cutting into 8 portions.  Yields 1 piece per serving.  PointsPlus value per serving is 5.  Prep time is about 25 minutes.  Cooking time is about 45 – 50 minutes. Level of difficulty is Moderate.  We served it with ½ cup Brown Rice, adding 3 additional value points.

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh

Guilt Free Chicken Hash

I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!    And, I’d do it again in a minute.  How often does one get to say that?  Judy found this incredible recipe the other night.  She prepared it for our dinner and when she told me what the PointsPlus value was I was amazed.

This is an entire meal in a skillet and makes four servings.  Generally we would have had left-overs for later in the week, but with a PointsPlus value so low, we ate the whole thing.  And, it was outstanding.  For all of those “Meat and Potatoes” people out there, this dish is going to satisfy all of your cravings. It’s Southern Comfort at its best.  You can prepare it for Brunch on Sunday and if there’s any left, you can reheat it enjoy it later in the week.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Chicken Hash

1 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into ½ inch slices.

Non-stick cooking spray

1 cup Onions, chopped

1 cup Celery, thinly sliced

1 medium Green Bell Pepper, stemmed, cored and diced

½ pound Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless, cut into ½ inch pieces.

½ cup Chicken Broth, low sodium, low fat

2 tsp Caraway seeds

2 tsp Thyme, fresh, minced and stemmed, or 1 tsp dried

2 tsp Lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

¼ tsp Red Pepper flakes, or to taste

½ tsp Salt

Instructions

Place the Potatoes in a medium saucepan.  Fill the pan with water to cover the Potatoes by an inch.  Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, or until the Potatoes are fork tender.  Drain the Potatoes in a colander in the sink.

Spray a medium skillet with a spray or two of cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat.  Add the Onion, Celery, Red Pepper flakes and Green Pepper and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.

Add the Chicken pieces and cook until browned, stirring often, about 4 minutes.

Add the cooked Potatoes, Broth, Caraway Seeds, and Thyme. Cook until the Broth is absorbed, stirring frequently, but gently so as not to mash the Potatoes, about 7 minutes.

Stir in the Lemon Juice, Black Pepper and Salt. Cook for 2 minutes more without stirring, to get the Potatoes crispy on the bottom.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving is about 1 ½ cups.  PointsPlus value per serving…are you ready?  It’s 3!!

That’s correct, 3 Points.  Prep time is about 15 minutes.  Cooking time is about 26 minutes. Level of difficulty is Easy. 

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh

Chicken a L’Orange

In keeping with our French theme for the week, I found a wonderful recipe which reminded me of one of my all time favorite French dishes, Duck a L’Orange.  This time I substituted Chicken for the Duck.  This is a fun dish to prepare when you are feeling a little tense or frustrated as you get to take out some of your frustration by pounding the Chicken Breasts with a mallet or the bottom of a frying pan.  That always works for me.

But seriously, the depth of flavors in this dish makes it almost magical.  It’s sweet and savory with just a touch of heat.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Chicken a L'Orange

¼ cup Orange Juice, freshly squeezed

2 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless

½ cup White Wine

½ tsp Tarragon, dried

2 tsp Olive Oil

1 medium Shallot, minced

1/8 tsp crushed Red Pepper flakes

¼ tsp Garlic powder

Instructions

Prepare the Chicken Breasts by first slicing them horizontally into two pieces.  Place the pieces on a hard flat surface, such as a cutting board. Cover each piece with plastic wrap and pound the Chicken to about a ¼ inch thickness.  Lightly season each piece with Salt and Pepper.

Into a hot skillet add the Oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Once the Oil is heated and fragrant, about 1 minute, reduce the heat to medium and add the Chicken Breasts.  Cook the Chicken until nicely golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes for the first side and 4 minutes for the second.  Remove the Chicken to a plate.

Add another bit of Oil to the pan and once fragrant, add the Shallots, Red Pepper flakes and Garlic.  Cook until the Shallots become translucent, about 1 minute.  Add the Wine and allow the mixture to reduce by 1/3, scraping the brown bits on the bottom as you stir.  Add the Orange Juice and Tarragon and continue to cook until the mixture reduces by half.

Return the Chicken to the pan and cook for about 1 minute.  We served the dish with ½ cup of Brown Rice, 3 points and some steamed yellow squash and red peppers.  Yields 2 servings.  PointsPlus value per serving is 9. Prep time is about 15 minutes.  Cooking time is about 13 minutes.  Level of difficulty is Easy.

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh

Beouf Bourguignon – Beef Burgundy

One of the motivating factors in the creation of “Judy and Barry, Cooking D’Lites” was a movie that came out a few years ago entitled Julie and Julia. In the film Julie, played by Amy Adams, is a New York housewife who is searching for something to make her life more meaningful.  She decides to write a food blog based on the book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, written by Julia Child, who is played in this film by the incomparable Meryl Streep.  In the movie, Julie plans on cooking all 524 recipes from Julia’s book in 365 days in a small New York apartment kitchen.  For me, the film was brilliant and was certainly an inspiration for our blog.

In one scene of the film Julie is shown preparing Beouf Bourguignon according to Julia’s recipe.  The recipe states that the dish should cook, in the oven, for a specific amount of time and then be taken out.  Unfortunately, Julie falls asleep while waiting and the dish is ruined.

Our recipe is much easier to prepare, is cooked in a crock pot or slow cooker, and is basically fool proof.  Best of all, it is out of this world delicious.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Beouf Bourguignon

2 tsp Canola Oil

16 oz. lean Beef Round, trimmed of all fat and cut into 2-inch cubes.  We used Rump Roast (Bottom Round).

½ tsp Salt, or to taste

¼ tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

1 ½ cups Beef Broth, low sodium

½ cups Red Wine. Use a good wine, one that you would serve with a meal.

2 medium uncooked Potatoes, we used Yukon Gold type

½ pound Cremini Mushrooms, fresh, quartered

3 small Carrots, sliced

4 oz. frozen Pearl Onions

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tsp Thyme, dried, or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped

2 Bay Leaves

2 Tbsp All Purpose Whole Grain Flour

3 Tbsp Water, cold

2 tsp Brown Gravy

2 Tbsp Parsley, fresh, chopped

Instructions

Heat the Oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the Beef, and then sprinkle with Salt and Pepper.  Cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes.

Transfer the Beef to your slow cooker.  Add the Broth, Wine, Potatoes, Mushrooms, Carrots, Onions, Garlic, Thyme and Bay Leaves. Cover and cook on low until the Beef and Veggies are fork tender, about 8 hours.

About 20 minutes before the cooking time has expired, combine the Water, Flour and Brown Gravy in a small bowl.  Add about ¼ cup of the liquid from the slow cooker to the mixture and stir until blended, creating a “Roux”.  Add the Roux to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes, until the mixture simmers and thickens. Discard the Bay Leaves and stir in the Parsley just prior to serving.

Yields 4 servings of 1 ½ cups each.  PointsPlus value per serving is 8. Prep time is 25 minutes.  Cooking time is about 480 minutes.  Level of difficulty is Easy.

Note: We served our dish with a small helping of steamed Haricots Vert (Green Beans) as a side.

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh