Extreme Potjie. Because half measure isn't an ingredient.

Pork and Mustard Bread Potjie

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Credit to PotjiejosWorld dot com (we'd put a link in but freakin' Posterous has some major bugs and cannot get the link and the word credit to work together - go figure). Visit them though, they're rad.

This was one of the most unique potjie recipes we've ever come across. And we learned some valuable lessons. Like, don't try this with Eisbein. Fatty globular mess of crap that we had to haul out at the end. Pork rib or Pork neck = rocking. The flavour was incredible - and that mustard bread - genius! The lads and lasses at Potjiekos World really know what they're talking about. And they have pretty pictures of South African face painting all over the place. Ag, we like 'em. 

The recipe called for peas. We didn't try those because Potjie Master Danie Kotzee is a big pea wimp. But we reckon peas would be an awesome addition. We also upped on the lemon and tweaked some stuff about the bread.

INGREDIENTS
4 rashers rindless bacon, cut into pieces
1 kg boneless thick rib of pork, cubed
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
350 ml beer
125 ml meat stock
1 bay leaf
5 ml salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Rind from 3/4 of a lemon
30 ml lemon juice
250 ml fresh or frozen peas

MUSTARD BREAD
10 chunky slices of french loaf
Butter
Full jar of prepared French mustard (Dijon, even Hot English works)

METHOD

1  Fry bacon in potjie until crisp. Add meat a few pieces at a time and brown.

2  Add onion and sauté until transparent. Add carrots and celery and sauté lightly.

3  Add beer, stock, bay leaf and seasoning. Cover with lid and simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours or until meat is tender.
4  Season with lemon rind and juice. Add peas and simmer a further 5 minutes.
5  Meanwhile, blend butter and mustard together and spread on bread. Place butter-side up on top of meat. Replace lid and simmer for another 10 minutes until the juices have soaked into the bread.
6.  Do NOT stir
Serves: 6. Cooking Time: 2.5 to 3 hours. WARNING: Mustard Bread will dazzle friends and woo ladies.

Pork-mustard-bread-potjie

Yet Another Lamb Potjie

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There are so many lamb potjie recipes. Seriously. But this one is nice. And pretty easy. And has some interesting stuff in it (lemon, soya, mushroom soup). Can't remember where we found it. We reckon the secret is in the mushroom soup/gravy powder.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg leg of lamb, cut into 3 cm cubes
1 tablespoon butter
3 medium onions, sliced
10 baby potatoes
10 whole baby carrots, peeled
8 whole baby marrows
250 ml meat stock
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
2 tbls worcestershire sauce
2 tsp soya sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried thyme (and/or rosemary)
1 tbls brown gravy powder
1 tbls mushroom soup powder
Garlic


METHOD
1  Heat the butter in the pot with some garlic. Fry that shit up!


2  Stir fry the onions until tender

3  Move the onions to one side and place the meat next to the onions. Using a large spoon place the onions on top of the meat. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the meat renders its own juice

4  Place the potatoes on top of the meat without letting them touch the side of the pot

5  Layer carrots and then the courgettes around and on top of the potatoes

6  Mix 125 ml of the stock with the salt, celery salt, worcestershire sauce, soya sauce, lemon juice and thyme (or rosemary) and add to the potjie

7  Cover and simmer for about 90 minutes

8  Use the remaining 125 ml of meat stock, mixed with the gravy and soup powder to thicken the liquid in the pot

9  Another hour on consistent heat, at least!


Serves 4-6 people

Pork, Prune and Oyster Potjie

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First of all, recipe credit to PotjieKosKing. We didn't change it much, just increased some volumes and added one or two things in, removed one or two things. OK, so we changed it a bit. But the essence remains and credit goes where credit is due. 

Now. Listen. You're going to feel a little odd about the oysters. Go with it. They add this weird but awesome saltiness to the potjie. The recipe looks pretty complicated, but asides from about 35 min prep - it's actually one of the easier ones.


Ingredients:

2 kg of pork fillet, preferably in 4 or 6 big chunks 
Packet of prunes, depipped 
Tin of smoked oysters
16 Baby onions
8 Celery sticks, chopped up
16 Baby potatoes
12-16 baby marrows, chopped up chunky
3 tablespoons Butter
50ml Cooking oil
15ml Cake flour
450ml Beef stock
450ml Red wine
Salt to taste
5ml Black pepper
16 dumplings (buy bread dough, make snooker sized balls with flour to stop 'em sticking)
Cous Cous

Method: 

1  Butterfly the pork fillet. Stuff the oysters inside the prunes. Stuff the prunes inside the fillet. Stuff the stuffed fillet inside another fillet (think about it!). Wrap string around it nice and toight. 

2  Oil and butter in the pot over a nice consistent heat. Brown the stuffed fillet. Take it out. Dust it in flour. Put it back in, brown again for about 2 minutes.

3  Add the stock and red wine. Pour some salt and pepper on the top of the meat. Let that bubble for 2 hours. Listen for the gurgle, keep the heat consistent.

4  Add all the veg. Add the dumplings on top of the veg. Let is bubble for another 2 hours.

5  Make the cous cous.

6  Here's how we served it up. Potjie pot in the middle of the table. Everyone dishes up some cous cous, veg, dumplings and sauce. By that time you'll be nearer the bottom of the pot where you can retrieve the pork bundles with some braai tongs. Remove the string and carve them like a roast and let everyone add that to their plate. Warning, the meat will be so soft that it's going to feel a little like shredded pork. No matter - tastier that way! 

Holy dumplings, Batman! That is one of the most unique and interesting potjie tastes I've ever had. Impress your friends and family. Woo your lady/ladies. It'll serve 8 easily. Let us know how it goes!

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Beef and Guinness Potjie

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Always wanted to try this one. The pub pie version always goes down like Mother's pants on Father's Day. Adapted from the Irish stew: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_beef_stew/


INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil

1 kg beef goulash
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 cup beef stock in hot water
1 440 ml can of Guinness beer
1 cup of red wine (plonk preferable)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 bay leaves
3 tablespoons butter
6 potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large onion, chopped
6 peeled carrots, chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1 Heat olive oil in Potjie. Lightly salt and pepper the beef pieces. Brown the beef. Should take about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and bay leaves. Stir (yeah, we know... But its based on a stew so suspend the no-stir rule this time). Leave on the Potjie for an hour. Keep the heat as consistent as possible.

2 Stir fry the carrots and onions separately in the butter. Stir frying carrots is whack, but hey, they get buttery.

3 Add carrots, onions and potatoes to Potjie once its been going for an hour. 

4 Leave the potjie on for another 3 hours at consistent heat (listen for the constant gurgle). If you want to get super sneaky (and super tasty), 1 hr 45 min before the 4 hours are up, put a bunch of dumplings on top of the brew (dumplings are just bread dough rolled into compact balls the size of a snooker ball). We used 10 - awesomesauce. Put the lid back in. Dumplings will soak up the beefy goodness and cook inside. Oh mommy!


Potjie that shit up for another 2 hours or so. Serve with another Guiness. Chili on the side. Or some better red wine. Hells yeah.

 

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Potjie Tips from Food Network National Potjie Challenge at Sun City

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Great day as 6 teams battled it out for the title of National Potjie Champions. Extreme Potjie was there to sample and hob nob with media a potjie people. Instead of doing a journo style report, we gave each of the teams the opportunity to share their best potjie tip with our readers. So here we go, gentle readers, tips from the Masters!

Congrats to The Potjie Clubbers, by the way - who won the "national" event. Springbok and Drunken Fruit, inspired by MasterChef Australia Season 2. Genius.

Potjie Tips

"Always use freshly made stock!" - Lindsey Alexander. Team Potjie Clubbers.

"Heat management is the most important thing. Don't let the pot bubble, let it simmer." - Ian Terbrugge. Team 4 Wheels. 

"It's not a stew, it's a Potjie!" - Nick Harper. Team Potjieliceous.

"Thickening agent is critical! Try marrow bone, not just the stock standard biltong powder" - Nick Harper. Team Potjieliceous.

"Don't stir too much!" - Warren Green. Team Hats & Ho's.

"Scratch where it's not itchy & always use fresh ingredients!" - Rich Flack. Team Bubbles.

"Put your heart in it, make it romantic!" - Anonymous. Team Shabeen.

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Food Network's National Potjie Day at Sun City. 27 August 2011.

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If you're not doing anything, make sure you pop round to Sun City this weekend to enjoy National Potjie Day (or at least Food Network's version of it!).

Here are the deets:

Potjie

Food Network, the 24/7 food entertainment channel on DStv, recently announced that it will promote and host an annual National Potjie Day to celebrate the age old tradition that today has become part of South Africa’s national culture.

The first National Potjie Day will be held on Saturday, 27 August 2011 at Sun City and Food Network is calling on all South Africans to dust off their potjies and join thousands of like-minded foodies to showcase their best potjie recipes on the new holiday.

A Food Network National Potjie Challenge will be staged at Sun City Cabanas on 27 August with six teams competing for a gold, silver and bronze potjie trophy.

Jenny Morris, one of South Africa’s most well-known and respected chefs will be MC at the event. Food Network yesterday (Wednesday, 10 August) announced that the channel has signed Jenny to help develop and host Food Network’s first SA commissioned show in the country.

The six competing teams at the National Potjie Day Challenge are the winners of a Potjie Competition that was held on Saturday, 22 July in Fourways, Johannesburg. More than R176 000 was raised for charity with 70 teams competing for a Potjie Trophy. The winning teams that will compete at Sun City are:

Team 1:            Bubbles Bubbles Groils the Grubbles
Team 2:            4 Wheels
Team 3:            The Shabeen Team
Team 4:            The Potjie Clubbers
Team 5:            Potjieliceous
Team 6:            Hats and Ho’s

Three chefs from Sun City will be the judges at the Food Network Challenge at Sun City on 27 August. The chefs are Nicholas Froneman – Executive Chef The Palace, Phineas Lepuru – Executive Chef Sun City Hotel and Andrew Robertson – Executive Chef Cabanas.

Potjie lovers throughout South Africa are encouraged to organise and host their own competitions on National Potjie Day and to post images or video footage of these events to www.facebook.com/FoodNetworkSouthAfrica.

Nick Thorogood, Managing Director of Food Network EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) says, “It’s fantastic to have Jenny as our MC and other well-regarded judges on board to help us celebrate this delicious food on National Potjie Day.  We’re really excited about establishing an event that truly represents South African food and culture.” 

The tri-pod pot or “potjie”, is a typical African cooking utensil, dating back to the early 1800´s. It retained its popularity and today is found in almost every South African household.

For more information on National Potjie Day, visit http://www.foodnetworktv.com/article/potjie-day.html