Springbok Potjie

A little outdoors

When I mentioned I was thinking of featuring a Springbok potjie, a friend with a sense of comic timing said: "I know
they're playing badly, but..." More a case of drowning our sorrows, because this time I've used sherry to soften the
gamey flavour and add a subtle, nutty depth of its own.

Having time to spare one Tuesday evening, I even made Springbok stock! Not essential, but if you're in the mood,
roast the bones in a 180' C oven until brown, then add 15-30ml of vegetable oil, a couple of roughly chopped
onions, carrot and celery (maybe a few small sprigs of rosemary) and roast till the vegetables are coloured and
softening. On the stove in a large pot, cover the bones and vegetables with 3 - 4 litres of cold water, bring to a very
slow simmer and continue to simmer for at least 4 hours. If you're left with more than 500ml, boil rapidly to reduce
(after straining). For extra refinement, strain through muslin before cooling and then skimming off any fat.

During testing I doubled this pot (many hungry Sunday Grand Prix watching friends) and just managed to fit it into
a flat bottomed No. 6 potjie, so vary as necessary.Use shoulder, flank or shin, trimmed of as much fat and sinew
as you have the energy for and then cut into about 3cm cubes.

Springbok Potjie
750g - 1kg cubed Springbok (4 - 6 people)
30 - 45ml vegetable oil
12 baby onions
4-6 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
500ml hot beef/mutton stock (or home-made with 5-10ml salt added)
125ml sherry (OB's is still IN!)
1or 2 bay leaves
1 fresh or dried bouquet garni
12 baby potatoes
12 baby carrots
12 small cubes butternut
12 chunks baby marrow
12 button mushrooms

Start with a well-seasoned pot over enough fairly hot coals; fry the baby onions with the bacon until softening and
browning (up to 5min). Remove from the pot and set aside. Add the meat in 2 equal-sized batches and brown,
using more oil if needed. With all the meat in the pot, add the sherry and hot stock. Allow the liquid to come to the
boil before scraping away enough coals to keep it at the gentlest simmer possible. Stir every half hour for about 3
hours before adding back the onions and bacon. Do NOT remove the lid unnecessarily. After 4 hours add the
potatoes, carrots and butternut and add enough coals to make the heat medium. Add baby marrows and
mushrooms after about 4 1/2 hours.

Some people are fanatical about the layers in a potjie; if you're one of them, you're going to need to find a way to
thicken the pot that doesn't involve stirring... You could cheat, as I did, and pour the liquid into another pot and
thicken it before adding it back. An easier way (and probably more authentic) would be to bring the potjie to a slow
boil and stir in about 15ml cornflour and 15ml flour mixed well into about 50ml water. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes
to remove the "raw" flour taste. Serve on pap, rice, couscous etc...

The cooking time can be reduced by marinating the meat in the sherry (at least) overnight. I have substituted beef
flank for the Springbok quite successfully. Pick a good weather Sunday before winter is over, assign jobs to all
concerned and have a Springbok potjie.