27 January 2009

Springbok Neck Potjie with Dumplings (and a doughboy)

Springbok Neck Potjie with Dumplings (and a doughboy)

There is something macabre about eating your National Symbol but the wild game flavour is worth it. If you can’t get springbok, or game is not your cup of tea, you can always replace with lamb neck and if you don’t have a potjie pot (a.k.a a Dutch oven), you can use a heavy pot with a good tight fitting lid.

Generally, Potjie is cooked in the great outdoors over a slow fire, but in Winter I cook inside next to my fireplace. Potjie pots aren’t fussy pots, so you can even use charcoal. Once the pot is heated up, and because the pot is made from cast iron, it generally needs just the occasional log or coal to keep it on the go. Generally, cooking on a potjie pot is slow cooking – when you’re totally familiar with your pot – you’ll begin to recognise that the potjie pot whisper is a sure sign of good food on the way.

1.5 kg springbok neck cut into sections
enough cake flour to dust the springbok
good dollop of olive oil
1 onion roughly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, roughly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
sprig of fresh rosemary
250ml (1 cup) good red wine (warmed up)
250ml (1 cup) meat stock (warm)
2 leeks cut into thin rounds
2 carrots cut into rounds
half a butternut cut into chunks

Coat the springbok in flour and brown in the oil in the bottom of your potjie pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add salt, black pepper, rosemary and to the meat, garlic and onions, give it a good stir, then put on the lid and simmer on gentle heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours until the meat is tender. This is very important: the dish must simmer (I call it the potjie pot whisper). If you boil the meat rapidly, chances are the meat will turn tough and taste like leather so please… gentle heat. Next, layer the leeks, carrots and butternut on the meat (don’t stir) and cook for a further 20 minutes. Now make the dumplings (and the doughboy).

To make the Dumplings (and the doughboy)

100 grams of butter
500 grams cake flour
2 t baking powder
grated pecorino cheese
1 t salt
about a cup of cold water

Sift the baking powder, salt and flour together. Add pecorino cheese, then rub in the butter with your finger tips, then gradually add cold water until you have soft dough. Break off small pieces of dough (about half the size of an egg) and place in the pot in the gravy. To make the doughboy, roll out a piece of dough and cut out a ginger bread man and place in the pot. Put the lid on and cook for a further 20 minutes. Ps. don’t peak or the dumplings will flop.

Serve with a good glass of red wine.

FACT:
In case you didn’t know. The potjie pot is the most widely used pot in Africa. Introduced more than 200 years ago by the Dutch, it has become a pillar of African cuisine and is used to make everything from stews to bread to Umqombuthu (African beer). I have a collection of pots in various sizes although the biggest does the most duty because generally, potjie pot food is slow food and best shared with good friends.

TIP:
If you can’t cook on a fire, you can use a stove on low heat, but it’s not the most energy efficient way of cooking (and just won’t taste the same).

16 comments:

  1. This could cause them to grow less, flower less, and maybe
    even die. And your shoes will not be tracking soil into the house.
    Mulch also keeps soil from being depleted of vital nutrients,
    so gardeners do not have to rotate planting locations from
    year to year.

    Here is my webpage; mulching

    ReplyDelete
  2. Everyone who is into style depends on a great stylist to look good and
    help with hair issues and problems. As natural products don't have any side-effects, you can rest assured for healthy hair. When one thinks of fungus, they don't
    generally associate it with the head or scalp, but the itching, burning scalp, rash or pimples on the scalp could very well be caused by a fungus, requiring antifungal shampoo to provide well needed relief to the symptoms.


    Here is my blog post ... hair products

    ReplyDelete
  3. They do not require as much work as many other animals
    do and are really fun to watch. E-papers are able to take advantage of story, sacrificing other, decidedly less important stories and giving as much detail about breaking news as possible.
    Several news reports, writers, and analysts play
    a crucial role in the development of global news undoubtedly.

    Newspaper companies should be seeking to have subscribers to their service where
    breaking news can be emailed and send to blackberries and cell-phones.
    Once the symphony begins, Paul loses himself in the sound as he had in the
    stuff exhibited in the picture gallery.

    Here is my homepage :: click here

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pastes are isotropic but may exhibit anomalous double refraction.
    These originally were quartz crystals from the River Rhine
    in a region noted for gem-cutting, particularly the
    town of Idar-Oberstein. In terms of sheer enjoyment, the Rollercoaster Tycoon series leads the pack.

    This kind of game is great because it can also provide scientific
    information, 'Phun' would help with physics study obviously while other simulation games that offer choices could contribute valuable data to Psychology.
    Usually, would need to follow the entire startup
    sequence to start any of the airplanes, but FSP also has the auto start feature, to make it easier for newbie’s.


    Have a look at my blog; simulator

    ReplyDelete
  5. You'll also opt in purchasing a survey scanner if you should happen to feel that you need better probabilities in finding the ore that you would like to mine. Approach human resource professionals and companies and ask what skills and qualities they look for in staff and be able to tick all the boxes before applying. Thanks for reading this article about Oregon gem mining on Associatedcontent.

    ReplyDelete
  6. When applied in cool, wet weather, it can cause burning of the
    leaves and the russeting of fruit. Use the cultivator to make
    holes in the soil and turn it up just a little between the rows.
    Organic gardening teaches kids about the value of hard
    work and its rewards.

    Here is my blog woolen

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's a shame you don't have a donate button! I'd most certainly donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i'll settle for bookmarking and adding your
    RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates
    and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group.

    Chat soon!

    Feel free to surf to my web site: corporate video production

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey there, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues.
    When I look at your website in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it
    has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!
    Other then that, terrific blog!

    Also visit my website - Newport Beach catering

    ReplyDelete
  9. I write a leave a response whenever I appreciate a article on a website or
    I have something to contribute to the conversation. It is
    triggered by the fire communicated in the article I looked
    at. And on this post "Springbok Neck Potjie with Dumplings (and a doughboy)".

    I was actually moved enough to create a leave a responsea response ;) I
    do have a few questions for you if you don't mind. Could it be only me or do some of the comments come across as if they are left by brain dead visitors? :-P And, if you are writing at other online social sites, I would like to follow you. Would you list all of all your community pages like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?

    my page; Video Production

    ReplyDelete
  10. You can certainly see your skills in the work you write.

    The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid
    to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.


    My webpage; male models

    ReplyDelete
  11. Think of credit card debt consolidation loan Christian credit card
    debt consolidation loan are only available from Christian based financial
    institutions. On the other hand, are more expensive.

    My website; consolidation loans for bad credit :: http://loanconsolidationfast.com ::

    ReplyDelete
  12. People who have a lot of possibilities of
    things auto insurance 92109 that you can save. Make Sure Your
    Information Is AccurateWhen it comes to motor vehicle insurance.
    You ability charge to acquaintance an abettor to get a totally
    new car if totaled in the first half of 2012. You also must have insurance in
    order to get a lot of houses.

    Look into my page :: car insurance

    ReplyDelete
  13. Now go pick up some flowers every now and then, he gathered his courage and went to ask
    her about any guys she is been meeting. Instead, what I've learned is that you and your How To Get A Girlfriend doesn't want you
    to approach them. This usually applies to a man.

    Also visit my blog :: how to get girlfriend

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello every one, here every person is sharing these experience, therefore it's nice to read this webpage, and I used to visit this blog everyday.

    Here is my website bodybuilder - -

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've been browsing online more than three hours nowadays, but I by no means found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty value enough for me. In my opinion, if all website owners and bloggers made good content material as you probably did, the internet shall be a lot more helpful than ever before.


    http://oyuu.com/market/tv/payday-loans-8867.htm

    Here is my blog post instant payday loan ()

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have used this recipe about 5 times and it is perfect! How ever what does the post that follows from the recipe have anything to do with it??? Hair? Really?

    ReplyDelete