Autumn comfort food
Gather family and friends as the weather cools to enjoy Ina Paarman’s traditional paptert. The recipe is from her latest book, My Favourite Recipes.
Paptert with mushrooms and cheese
What a surprise it was when my guests and Cape family went mad for this traditional deep-dish paptert. It’s ideal as a side with a braai, or as a vegetarian main dish accompanied by salad.
4–6
Serves Preparation time 20 minutes Baking time 35–40 minutes
YOU NEED
• 4 cups (1 ℓ) water
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Ina Paarman’s Beef Flavour Stock Powder
• ¾ cup (180 ml) polenta or yellow braai pap
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) butter
FOR THE MUSHROOM AND CHEESE LAYER
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon (2,5 ml) Ina Paarman’s Green Onion Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 250 g punnet portobellini mushrooms, sliced
• Ina Paarman’s Garlic Pepper Seasoning
• 100 g cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 sachet (400 ml) Ina Paarman’s Ready to Serve Cheese Sauce
FOR THE TOPPING
½ cup (125 ml) fresh breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter, melted
THIS IS HOW
Make the pap Bring the water to the boil and add the beef stock powder. Add the polenta or braai pap in a thin stream while whisking with a wire whisk.
Cook slowly, half covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons (30ml) of butter and stir until melted.
Butter a lasagne dish measuring
22 cm x 16 cm with the remaining tablespoon (15 ml) of butter.
Pour half the pap into the buttered dish and cover with clingfilm. Pour the remaining pap over the clingfilm and leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Prepare the mushrooms Sauté the onion, seasoned with Green Onion Seasoning, in the butter and oil. When the onions are soft and beginning to brown, add the sliced mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute over high heat. Season to taste with Garlic Pepper Seasoning.
Assemble Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
Lift off the top layer of polenta. Cover the bottom layer with half the mushrooms and half the grated cheese, and spread half the cheese sauce evenly over it. Add the second layer of polenta, and repeat the layers. Mix together the breadcrumbs and melted butter and generously sprinkle over to top off your paptert.
Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.