South African "Rhodes" Bobotie

One of my adventures during this interim period was volunteering for a few months in South Africa. In addition to learning about the complex past and current situation of this country, I was also exposed to some of the most amazing landscapes and cooking in my life.

This dish was made by my fellow architect friend Heidi, who is a native South African (and also knows how to make an amazing Bobotie). She explained to me that this dish  is quintessential South African cooking and is a  common dish for large get-togethers when grilling or doing a "braai" is not an option.
After eating this dish I was reminded of one of the most beautiful hikes I experiences in Cape Town. My first stop was the Rhodes Memorial and then further up into Devils peak, which is a part of the Table Mountain National Park and is by far the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen.
Bobotie is an amazing and complex dish that leaves you wanting more with every changing bite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_Memorial
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobotie

and feel free to take a look at my photos from my trip

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joe_baker/sets/72157620011234355/


Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground lamb or beef, or a mixture of the two
• butter, olive oil
• 2 chopped onions
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 2 slices bread, crumbled
• 1/4 cup milk
• grated rind and juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon salt, milled black pepper
• a large handful dried apricots, chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• a handful of slivered almonds
• 6 bay leaves
• TOPPING
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Set the oven at 325°F. Butter a large saucepan and add a bit of olive oil.
2. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan and ( do not quite fully) brown the meat, onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric, and cook briefly until fragrant. Remove the pot from the heat.
3. Mix together the crumbs, milk, lemon rind and juice, egg, salt, pepper, apricots, apple, golden raisins and almonds and mix in. 
4. Pile into the casserole dish and level the top. Push in the bay leaves and bury them in the meat mixture. 
5. Seal with foil and bake for 1 hour. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. 
6. Mix together the topping milk, eggs and salt (you may require extra topping if you've used a very large casserole dish), 
7. Pour over and bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. 
8. Serve with basmati rice and chutney, sprinkle a bit of turmeric over the rice for added yellow color.