Beef & Pumpkin Potjie Recipe
With Halloween fast approaching, a cast iron pot brings to mind spooky witches leaning over a bubbling steaming mixture of unspeakable ingredients. While this recipe does use a cast iron pot- the ingredients are less unspeakable, unless you’re vegan- then you’ll just have to substitute some items.
Literally meaning “small pot food”, Potjiekos (Poy-Key-Kos), is a traditional South African way of cooking that has evolved into a delicious and social way of making hearty stew around an open fire with friends and family.
Potjiekos traditionally includes meat (whatever is readily available), vegetables like cabbage, carrots, pumpkin or cauliflower and starches like rice or potatoes, all left to slow-cook in Dutch-Malay spices. These days though, anything goes, from Potjie Chips (Fries) to Biltong Potjie and of course this special Halloween recipe.
Here is another Potjie recipe just for you! If you have any favorites you'd like to share with us, we're all ears (and open mouths). Ok. On with the show. Here's how you make this special Halloween recipe.
You'll Need:
- 3.3 lbs beef shin (bone-in)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Splash of oil for frying
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
- 1 bottle Pumpkin Ale
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) beef fond
- 1 tsp (5 ml) cornflour
- ¼ C (60 ml) water
- 2.2 lbs pumpkin, diced
- 12 baby onions, peeled
Method:
Season your meat with salt and black pepper, then brown over a smoking hot fire to seal. Once the meat has cooled enough to work with, cut it into bite-size chunks. Keep the bones with the marrow for extra flavor in the pot. Heat a splash of olive oil in a cast iron pot and fry the sliced onion until golden. Add the garlic, thyme, sage and cinnamon, and fry for another minute.
Add the meat and bones to the pot, and then pour in the pumpkin ale and the stock. Simmer with the lid on for 1 hour. Mix the cornflour with the water then add it to the pot, along with the pumpkin and baby onions. Give it a good stir to combine- this is the last time you're going to stir it. Cook with the lid on for another 45 minutes. Serve!
