Creamy Biltong Pasta Potjie
Creamy pasta shells with biltong, bacon, mushrooms and melted cheddar, all cooked low and slow in a potjie over coals. Three of South Africa's greatest things in one pot. This one feeds a crowd and disappears fast.
Biltong, potjie and braai in one dish. Honestly, who else but a South African would think to combine all three and somehow make it work perfectly. The potjie is one of the oldest cooking vessels in South African culture, brought by the Voortrekkers on their wagons and still sitting on coals at every serious braai today. This recipe from LK's is the kind of thing you make when you've got a big group coming over and you want to feed everyone properly without standing over a stove. In the UAE, biltong is available from SA butchers and specialty stores across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and a decent cast iron potjie can be found at ACE Hardware.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg biltong, sliced or chunked
- 1 pack bacon, roughly chopped
- 30 ml sunflower oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 300 g mushrooms, sliced
- 6 onions, sliced
- 250 ml full cream milk
- 250 ml fresh cream
- 1 kg pasta shells
- 2 green peppers, sliced
- 500 g cheddar cheese, grated
- 5 ml braai spice
- 1.5 l boiling water
- 10 ml mixed dried herbs
- 4 chicken stock cubes
- 70 g tomato paste
Method
- Cook the pasta shells according to packet instructions until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Place your potjie over hot coals. Add the oil and fry the onions until soft.
- Add the garlic, green pepper, mushrooms and bacon. Continue frying until the bacon is cooked and sizzling.
- Combine the boiling water, dried herbs, stock cubes and tomato paste in a jug to make the sauce. Stir until the stock cubes are dissolved.
- Pour the sauce into the potjie and stir well to combine with the vegetables and bacon.
- Add the biltong, place the lid on and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid. Add the milk, cream and cooked pasta. Stir to combine, replace the lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle over the grated cheddar, mix well and serve straight from the pot.
Notes
Method
- Cook pasta as per packet instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in the potjie over hot coals. Fry onions until soft.
- Add garlic, green pepper, mushrooms and bacon. Fry until bacon is cooked.
- Mix boiling water, dried herbs, stock cubes and tomato paste together. Pour into the potjie and stir well.
- Add biltong, put the lid on and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add milk, cream and cooked pasta. Stir, replace lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add cheddar, mix well and serve.
If the potjie starts cooking dry, add a splash more milk or water until you're happy with the consistency. Feeding 48? Simply triple the quantities. The method stays exactly the same. No potjie? A large heavy-based pot on the stove works perfectly. You'll just miss the coals smell.