Potjiekos
A slow-cooked South African stew named for the three-legged cast-iron pot (potjie) it's cooked in, its technique tracing back to Dutch communal hodgepodge cooking (hutspot) from the 1573-74 Siege of Leiden, brought to the Cape by Dutch colonists in 1652 and refined by Voortrekker pioneers on their 19th-century treks inland. The layered ingredients — meat on the bottom, vegetables stacked in ascending order — are traditionally never stirred during cooking, letting the layers slowly steam-braise into each other over low open-fire coals.
Meat
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg stewing beef or lamb, cubed
- 2 onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 potatoes, quartered
- 3 carrots, chunked
- 1/2 butternut squash, cubed
- 1/4 cabbage, wedged
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup brandy or red wine
- 500ml beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Thyme, salt
Steps
- Brown the meat in the potjie or a heavy pot over the coals or on the stovetop.
- Layer in the onions and garlic, then the root vegetables in ascending order, hardest and longest-cooking first.
- Add the stock, wine or brandy, sugar, and herbs.
- Cover with the lid and simmer very slowly over low heat for 3-4 hours without stirring, letting the layers braise into each other.