Pap Cakes & Portabellinis
Another South African culinary delight is Pap Cakes & mushrooms, paired with portabellini mushrooms. These cakes can be eaten as a starter or as a side dish.
Ingredients
For the pap
- 180g g maize meal
- 750 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 spring onions thinly sliced
For the mushrooms
- 6 spring onions thinly sliced
- 250 g mini portabellini mushrooms quartered
- 1 tbsp butter
For the cakes
- 125 ml cream cheese
- 3 tbsp tahini
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tbsp za’atar for serving
- clarified butter / ghee for cooking
Instructions
For the pap
- Bring stock to a simmer in a large pot. Pour in the maize meal and whisk constantly until smooth.
- Simmer and stir for 10 minutes until cooked. Stir in the butter and spring onions. Season well to taste.
- Pour the maize meal into a dish or tray that is ± 1.5 - 2cm deep and smooth the surface. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for ± 4 hours or overnight to set.
- Cut the firm maize meal into little rounds using a glass or cookie cutter. Heat a non-stick frying pan with a dollop of ghee / clarified butter over high heat.Place pap cakes into the hot pan in batches and cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
For the mushrooms
- Into the same pan add the sliced spring onions. Cook on high heat until beginning to char.
- Add in the sliced mushrooms and the butter. Sauté until the mushrooms are just tender. Season lightly.
- Whisk the cream cheese and tahini together and season with a pinch of salt. Spread a dollop of tahini cream cheese onto each pap cake.
- Top with a generous mound of mushrooms and spring onions. Sprinkle everything with a little za’atar and serve straight away. Enjoy!