Slowmo Lamb Potjie
In Africa we cook on fire, giving us the perfect excuse to time-out and banter with friends for seemingly no apparent reason.
We took the opportunity to head for the hills into the Klein Karoo to find our shady spot to celebrate Diane’s birthday. It was going to be hot so a perfect opportunity to kick back in the shade and make a potjie.
The potjie demands an entire day of our life but it is the ultimate investment in flavours.
Below is the recipe. Of course every potjie creation is different, but the perfect opportunity to manifest your own cooking prowess. I consider myself a bit of a potjie rebel and break the rules a bit. I have had no complaints so far.
Recipe (Serves 4 very hungry adults)
Ingredients
Variety of Onions – Shallots , Red onion, White onion – chopped coarsely
2 x Tbsp of Olive oil
Lamb Knuckles 1,6kg – South African Lamb I would argue is the best in the world because of the what they eat. I chose lamb knuckles because slurping out that marrow is one of life’s great pleasures.
Salt & Pepper
1 x tsp of whole pepper corns
1 x Garlic head – peeled lightly crush each clove with a knife
1 x tin of tomato paste
1 x stock cube (chicken)
2 x tins of Italian whole peeled tomatoes
4 x large carrots sliced and diced into chunks
1/2 a bottle of good white wine – because you have to drink the other half
4 x oregano Sprigs from the garden
4 x Sprigs of fresh thyme
4x Bay Leaves
2 x Small Chillies chopped
8 x Cloves
2 x tsp of sugar
1 x Tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
A splash of Worcestershire sauce
8 x Pickling Onions peeled
2 x cups Basmati Rice to serve
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Method (Cooking time 6 hours)
Make sure the fire is hot enough to fry the onions and the meat at first. – Brown the chopped onions in some olive oil and prepare the knuckles with some Salt & Pepper. – Once onions are golden, empty the potjie and add the meat to be browned. – Once the meat is browned, add the browned onions and the remainder of the ingredients. At first mix all the ingredients together. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Pour your self a glass of wine and enjoy! The wait is long but worth it. Tend to your fire and enjoy some more wine or go for a swim. Two hours before the end the lid comes off, the pickling onions get added and about an hour before the end the lid comes off to reduce the juices. Serve with the basmati rice. Enjoy!
Potjie Wisdom:
The fire has to be hot a first using a wood fire to brown the meat and onions.
Once the all the ingredients have been added the temperature needs to be brought down to a slow simmer. The fire needs to be tended the entire cooking time and small enough to simmer slowly for approximately 6 hours. I use charcoal for this continuously adding a peace to keep the coals going.
Add the whole pickling onions at least two hours before the end.
Take the lid off about and hour before the end to reduce the juices and concentrate flavours.
Use fresh herbs
Tools
Best Duty Bake Pot #10 (Flat Bottom) 3 liter
Tongs
Trivet
Wooden Spoon – To lift the lid
Firewood & Charcoal
A good and safe fireplace