Bobo-what?

One of the things we get quite often from Chestnut Farms is ground lamb. I had two pounds in the freezer and didn't feel like gyros again, so I did some googling for recipes that contain ground lamb. I found something called "Bobotie", which is a very traditional South African dish.

It looked interesting, I was especially intrigued because I love fruit and love including it in all kinds of cooking. So I spent a long time researching different Bobotie recipes online. I couldn't find one that was just right. Some contained bananas. Some didn't include the egg topping. Many involved nuts. I finally found one that looked the best to me here. I made a few modifications before I even started, and then adjusted other things while I cooked. The end result? Delicious! It was a wonderful blend of tastes. Lamb, curry, fruit, wow- it was so good! The egg topping added a great texture too. I served it for Mother's Day, and it was a hit. I will definitely make this again, although next time I will make it a little bit healthier by substituting white bread for whole grain and whole milk for skim.

Oh, I had some trouble finding chutney to use, this recipe was from a British website, and it sounds like they have a popular chutney mix that is sold over there. Luckily, Whole Foods had some chutneys that had similar ingredients, minus the peaches.


Ground lamb from Chestnut Farms, grass-fed and hormone free!

Cook the onions in a little oil
Add the lamb and garlic, cook until it is evenly brown but still very juicy

Start adding the spices, curry paste, currants, and chutney

Blend it all together! I taste-tested at this point and doubled the curry, currants, and chutney because the tastes were too subtle. Doubling was perfect, a great blend of taste. This modification is reflected in the recipe below. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
While the lamb is simmering, soak the bread in extra milk.
When the lamb is done simmering, squeeze the milk out of the bread.

Add the bread clumps into the lamb. Using a wooden spoon, mix them into the bobotie. The bread will break up and blend in easily.
The bread is blended in now
Pour the lamb mixture into a baking dish and pat it down with the wooden spoon. Smooth out the top
Whisk the milk and eggs together
Pour the egg topping over the top of the bobotie. Put the extra bay leaves on top and immediately put it in the oven.

It's ready after 35-40 minutes when the topping is set and a little bit golden around the edges.

Serve it up and enjoy!!

I could only find a good chutney at Whole Foods, no peaches involved though

The curry paste, very tasty! I will use the extra with other meat this week.
Inspired by: BBC Good Food

Ingredients
2 slices white bread
2 small onions, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 pounds ground lamb
4 tbsp madras curry paste
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
4 tbsp peach mango chutney (my chutney was only mango, tasted great though)
6 tbsp sultanas (raisins, golden raisins, or currants work) I used currants
6 bay leaves

FOR THE TOPPING
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 large eggs

Heat oven to 320

Pour extra milk over the bread and set aside to soak.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, for 10 mins until they are soft and starting to color. Add the garlic and lamb and stir well. Cook until the lamb has just turned color (should be even brown, but still very moist). Stir in the curry paste, spices, chutney, sultanas and 2 of the bay leaves with 1 tsp salt and plenty of ground black pepper.

Cover and simmer for 10 mins. Remove the bay leaves.

Squeeze the milk from the bread, then beat into the meat mixture until well blended. The bread will break down and will mix in.

Tip into an oval ovenproof casserole dish. Press the mixture down well and smooth the top. You can make this and chill 1 day ahead.

For the topping, beat the milk and eggs, then pour over the meat. Top with the remaining bay leaves and bake for 35-40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden. The top should be firm. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.