CABBAGE MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO

Rollin’ with cabbage

This comfort food is a personal favourite, and when prepared in a potjie over coals with a tomato twist, it gains an extra tasty kick without breaking the bank.

Ingredients

(serves 4-6)

1 thick slice of white bread, crumbed ½ cup milk

1 kg mince meat

1 teaspoon each meat spices and mixed herbs salt and white pepper to taste 2 tablespoons each butter and olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

½ cup meat stock

1 tablespoon flour

2 small cabbages, leaves separated and blanched nutmeg to taste

Here’s how

1 Soak the bread in the milk until soft. Mix the bread, spices and herbs into the mince meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and shape into meatballs, about 18.

2 Melt the butter and oil in a flat-bottomed potjie and brown the meatballs on the outside. Remove the meatballs and fry the onion in the remaining fat until glossy. Add a little more oil if needed.

3 Stir the garlic into the potjie and braai for another minute. Mix in the flour. Now add the tomatoes, bay leaf and stock, and allow the sauce simmer while wrapping the meatballs in the cabbage leaves.

4 Wrap the browned meatballs in the blanched cabbage leaves and place them in the tomato sauce in the potjie. Season with nutmeg and simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to your liking. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Drive & Camp says I like to top the finished dish with a few knobs of real butter for richness and serve chutney alongside for a touch of sweetness. I love how the meatballs peek out from the small cabbage leaves in the potjie, but you can, of course, use larger leaves if you prefer.