What’s for dinner? Celebrating South African Potjiekos! (Recipe)

South African potjiekos (poi-key-cos or poy-kee-kawse) means, "pot food" or "food prepared in a pot." It is a food or stew that is cooked slowly in the potjie. In South Africa this means only one thing, food prepared outdoors in a cast iron, round, three legged pot using either wood coals or charcoal. Traditionally potjiekos is a stew, made either with lamb, beef, fish or poultry but always together with vegetables. The potjiekos is "built" in layers with the meat and hard vegetables at the bottom of the pot and the quicker cooking vegetables towards the top. It is always cooked over a "cool" fire (or low on the gas range) and should take at least 1 - 2 hours to completely heat up the pot and its contents. Potjie is never stirred while cooking - only just prior to serving, will you stir the potjie for the first time, blending all of the food and flavors together.

South Africans are crazy about their potjiekos. Potjiekos is an event or a gathering where good friends get together and while cooking, share the chores, pass too much advise on the potjie's (the central theme) preparation and contents, lots of laughter and a harmonious atmosphere - potjiekos is a social & culinary event and invariably no potjiekos recipe ever tastes the same! Potjiekos cookoffs are popular in South Africa like chili cook offs are in the southwest of America.

History: Potjiekos has been part of the South African culture since the days of the first settlement at the Cape when food was cooked in a black cast-iron pot hanging from a chain over the kitchen fire. Early settlers in the Cape used this method of cooking for stewing tougher cuts of game, mutton and beef, and it later became very convenient for people on the move.

Just a very important note: NEVER stir your potjie. The only time you ever need to stir it is 5min before serving.

RECIPES: 

Beef and Beer Potjie

Serves 6 people

Ingredients:

15 ml Cake Flour
5 ml Paprika
1 kg Beef fillet, (Cut in Cubes)
15 ml Butter
15 ml Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions (Thinly Sliced)
15 ml White Sugar
8 Green Beans Sliced
4 Carrots (Peeled and thinly Sliced)
1 Clove of Garlic ( Finely Chopped )
5 ml Mixed Dried Herbs or Marjoram
375 ml Beer
250 ml Beef Stock
1 Packet Tomato Soup Powder
1 Bay Leave
15 ml Vinegar
10 ml Corn Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the paprika and flour and place in a plastic bag . Add the meat cubes and shake well to coat the meat. Melt butter and Olive oil in the pot and brown the meat over medium hot coals. Remove and set aside. Fry the onions and sugar stirring now and then until onions are tender. Add beans carrots and garlic, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the meat to the pot and stir in the herbs and beer, stock, soup powder and bay leave. Replace the lid and simmer until meat is tender (+\- 45 min. to a 1 Hour). Stir occasionally using a wooden spoon. Mix the vinegar and corn flour and stir in. Simmer until the gravy has thickened and season with salt & pepper.

Whole-Wheat Beer Bread

600ml Beer
250 g Whole-Wheat Flour
250 g Cake flour
20 ml Cream of Tartar
10 ml Baking Soda
5 ml Brown Sugar
3 ml Salt

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and place the mixture in a well greased flat bottom pot . Grease the lid and cover the pot with it. Bake the bread for approximately 1 hour over the coals, placing some coals on top of the lid as well. Remove the pot from the coals and leave the bread to stand in the pot for 10 minutes. Turn out on a cloth .Serve with butter.

This bread can also be baked successfully in oven of 200 C for 1 hour. Cover the brad with tin foil after 30 minutes and bake for a further 30 minutes.

*Reprinted from Linda's Culinary Dictionary.