Paptert Recipe

Ingredients

• Maize porridge
• 500g maize meal
• 1 heaped tablespoon salt
• 2 heaped tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
• Filling
• Sunflower oil and butter for frying
• 2 packs bacon, diced
• 3 tomatoes – peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 pack mushrooms, chopped in slices
• 4 cups grated Cheddar cheese
• Fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Maize Porridge

1. Pour 1.5 litre warm tap water into a big pot, add the salt, butter and sweet basil and mix.
2. Add the maize meal and stir. (To avoid lumps, it’s always better to use warm tap water instead of boiling water).
3. Put the stove plate on low, cover with a lid and cook for about an hour – stirring occasionally.

Filling

1. Sauté the onion and bacon in sunflower oil and butter until the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms and then the tomato.
2. Add the sugar, salt and pepper to the mixture.

Layering

1. Cover a large oven dish with a non-stick spray.
2. Spoon half the porridge in the dish – even out the surface with a big spoon.
3. Spoon half the filling over the porridge – evening it out again.
4. Sprinkle half the fresh chopped basil over, then half the grated cheese.
5. Spoon the rest of the porridge over the filling (be careful not to mess up the filling – if the porridge is too thick to comfortably spoon over, mix a little water in the pot and stir until it’s fully incorporated.)
6. Once again, spoon over the rest of the filling, and finish with the basil and cheese.
7. You could grind a little black pepper over if you want. Put the dish in a 180°C oven for about 15-20 minutes – or until the cheese is melted.
8. Let the dish stand for about 10 minutes before serving – just to let it set.

Notes

It’s very important that the pap’s consistency is right – you don’t want it runny – then it won’t set easily, but you don’t want it too thick either – then it’s hard to do the layers neatly.