Paptert
6
Medium
40 minutes, plus 2 hours or overnight setting time
30–40 minutes
This over-the-top, baked pap dish was born out of a necessity to use leftover, stiffened, cooled pap in an inventive way. It almost resembles a lasagne or potato bake, layered and baked mostly in a rectangular dish (with other ingredients, such as pan-fried mushrooms, onions, sweetcorn, canned tomatoes, bacon and cream), topped with melted, grilled cheese. It is undeniably delicious and it’s outstanding as a braai side dish.
Ingredients
Method
- 4 cups water
- 375 g white maize meal or braai pap
- 1 t salt
- coriander, to garnish (optional) For the filling and topping:
- 2 T olive or vegetable oil
- 1 onion , peeled and chopped
- 200 g streaky bacon , chopped
- 250 g mushrooms , chopped or sliced
- 2 x 410 g cans chopped tomatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup fresh cream
Method
Ingredients
1. To make the pap, add 2 cups water and all the maize meal to a mixing bowl and stir.
2. Bring the remaining water and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the maize-and-water mixture, stirring well, and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes over a low heat, stirring, then remove from the heat, cover with a lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer half the mixture to a deep rectangular baking dish (about 30 x 20 cm), smoothing the top. Cover with a layer of clingfilm, then pour over the remaining pap and smooth it out (you’ll remove this layer later for assembly). Cover with more clingfilm, then allow to set and cool completely (at least 2 hours or overnight).
4. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion, bacon and mushrooms. Fry until golden brown, then set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the top layer of pap and set aside. Pour 1 can of tomatoes over the bottom layer of pap, spread it out and season with salt and pepper.
6. Top evenly with half the fried bacon mixture, as well as half the cheese. Remove the clingfilm from the second layer of pap and place onto the filling, pressing down lightly.
7. Top with the second can of tomatoes, seasoning, remaining bacon mixture and cheese, then pour over the cream.
8. Bake for 30–40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven, allow to stand for at least 5–10 minutes before serving, and garnish with coriander if you like.
Cook’s note: Some prefer a tomato-based paptert and others a cheesy version with no tomato. Use whatever you prefer.
Find more maize meal recipes here
Extracted with permission from Timeless South African by Ilse van de Merwe
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