I vote for Paptert!

Hestelle Robinson

Tomorrow South Africa goes to the voting polls to cast our votes.

A long-standing tradition in our family is to end any voting day with a braai.  So I thought in today’s “Tuesday Tips” I will share my “world-famous-mouthwatering-paptert recipe.

• 1.25 litres water
• About 2 1/2 cups (625 ml mealie meal)
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• Red and green pepper, chopped
• 125 gram bacon, diced
• ½ pack (125 gram) brown mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tin of sweet corn kernels (drained) or 1 1/3 cup frozen corn
• Garlic
• 1 tin chopped tomato
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh herbs of your choice
• Salt and black pepper
• 2½ cups of grated cheese
• 3/4 cup (190 ml) to 1 cup (250 ml) cream

• To make the pap, bring the water and salt to the boil. Add the mealie meal while mixing well.
• Cover with the lid, but stir from time to time.
• The consistency of the pap should be stiff, but still spreadable, so you can add either boiling water or maize until the consistency is correct.
• Simmer for a while (approximately 30 minutes). Stir in the butter.

• Fry bacon / onions / mushrooms / green and red pepper in olive oil. 
• Add chopped cooked bacon and corn.
• Add garlic, butter, tomato, tomato, salt and black pepper, herbs and let it simmer a bit.
•  

• Now layer a greased ovenproof dish with pap and filling (like you would lasagna), first a layer of pap, then a layer of filling, sprinkle some cheese over the filling and then another layer of pap, followed by filing and cheese.
• Pour cream over and bake for about an hour at 180°C until the tart is bubbling gently, and the cheese has browned.