Bobotie

First of all, please note that this recipe is not a quick, weeknight dinner. It is, however, a flavourful, rich dish that I think would be outstanding as a hearty winter dinner. A nicely spiced ground beef is covered with a layer of custard, giving you hearty beef and rich eggs. I roughly halved the recipe and cooked it in a loaf pan, rather than a square pan, so I needed a bit extra cooking time (and my oven always seems to run cool). I also messed up and added chili powder instead of curry powder initially as a substitute for the Green Masala, however, the masala is quite spicy according to the recipe, so that may be a good addition if you like a tiny bit of heat. Serve this dish when you need a little comfort as an alternative to Shepherd's Pie or meatloaf.

One year ago: Peppermint Meringues
Two years ago: Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes

Bobotie (from The Soul of a New Cuisine)

Ingredients
560g ground beef
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp Green Masala or curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
2 tomatoes, chopped or 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed peanuts or smooth peanut butter, unsweetened
2 tsp salt, divided
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
pinch of ground nutmeg

1. Heat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion and cook, stirring to break up any lumps until beef is well browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic, masala, cumin, coriander, and tomatoes, reduce heat to low and cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the bread crumbs, peanuts, 1 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 cup water and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove beef mixture from pot and drain on paper towels. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 2 quart baking dish.
6. Whisk together milk, eggs, egg yolks, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
7. Spread beef mixture in bottom of pan and press down to pack well.
8. Pour egg mixture over beef mixture.
9. Set baking dish in a larger baking pan and add enough hot water to come 1" up the sides of the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
10. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes until custard topping is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.