Bitterballen

Femmy says that when the birthday of the Dutch king is celebrated, this tasty meat snack is traditionally served with a bitter orange liqueur, hence the name.

YOU NEED

• 1 kg stewing beef (Femmy says Jan always used brisket)

• water

• ½ onion

• bay leaf

FOR THE RAGÙ

• 75 g butter

• 150 g flour

• 200 g of the prepared meat

• 400 ml of the cooking liquid

• 2½ teaspoons (12,5 ml) salt

• ½ teaspoon (2,5 ml) freshly milled black pepper

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Aromat

• 1½ teaspoons (7,5 ml) MaggI Liquid Seasoning (see tip below)

• flour

• 2 eggs, beaten

• breadcrumbs

THIS IS HOW

Cook the meat, onion and bay leaf in sufficient water for 2-3 hours or until it is tender and falls off the bone. Remove the meat from the liquid, place it on a plate to cool and then remove all bones, fat and sinew. Strain the liquid and set it aside.

Place the cleaned meat in a food processor and pulse until the meat has been pulled apart evenly.

Make the ragù Melt the butter in a large pan and stir in the flour. Slowly add the cooking liquid, stirring the mixture quickly as you do so. (A balloon whisk works well.) Now whisk in the egg yolk. Once the sauce is thick and smooth, add the pulled beef and all the seasoning. Mix thoroughly, then spread out the mixture on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Place the ragù in the fridge for a few hours to chill. In the meantime, prepare three bowls: one containing flour, another with beaten egg and a third containing breadcrumbs.

Now roll out golf-ball-size rounds of the ragù. First roll each ball in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Arrange the rolled bitterballen on the lined baking tray. They can be deep-fried immediately or frozen for later. Heat the oil until hot – test it by dropping a bread cube into it. If the oil bubbles immediately, the temperature is just right (180 ºC on a thermometer). Slowly place the fresh or frozen bitterballen in the hot oil and quickly fry them until they are beautifully golden brown all over – about 4-5 minutes. Serve with a lovely ice-cold beer.

Tips

1 MaggI Liquid Seasoning can be replaced with soya sauce to which you have added a splash of Worcestershire sauce. But the real deal is available at shops with a Dutch aisle, such as Jasmyn Farm Products at Hartbeespoort and the SuperSpar at Piketberg. Otherwise do some shopping online at makro.co.za, or visit britishcornershop.co.uk – type “MaggI seasoning” in the search bar. And yes, they do deliver to South Africa. 2 Femmy makes her own breadcrumbs by drying out slices of regular store-bought bread in an oven at 100 ºC. Pulse the dried bread in a food processor to turn it into crumbs.

3 You could add aromatics such as grated nutmeg or finely chopped fresh parsley to the ragù. Experiment according to your personal tastes.