Bobotie Bash

So I took the ACTs the other day. It was the second time I had taken them and I think I did really well. The last time I had taken them I took them at my school and I was comfortable, really comfortable. I was so relaxed that I thought I had more time than I did. Well I learned the conservation of time method the hard way. But this time I was prepared. I even had a watch, even though I didn't use it (don't tell my dad!). I woke up and performed some of the tips I was given to prepare. I read a little to exercise my eyes, I took a shower and scrubbed my arms to get the blood flowing. I asked my dad if he would make breakfast. Now mind you, my dad makes eggs very well, but only for his taste. He doesn't cook them as long as I would like him too and doesn't season them as well as I would. But I don't complain, I'm glad he makes them for me and I just like the company before I leave. On day I made friend eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and creme fraiche for my dad and my sister. I don't know why I mentioned that, I just ........ mmm. Anyway, so I had my eggs and went to the test in Buffalo Grove. The atmosphere was good, except for the stupid girls in front to me who kept asking each other if the test was out of 36, 1600, or 5. I didn't bother enlightening the fastidious wonderers.
After the test was on my way home when I realized I still didn't have a grab bag gift for the party that my boss was having that night. I stopped at Whole Foods (which is pretty much where I would like to live) and bought a Burt's Bees kit and a SEXY chocolate bar with ginger. I know women, let's just say that. I had to get home though because my mom called me and reminded me she was making one of my favorite dishes for a dinner party she was having that night. I get home and my mom throws vegetable after vegetable at me to chop or julienne or slice. I was making Bobotie Bowls for her, a great ground beef recipe from South Africa. I had also come up with a good idea for an appetizer that I came up with in psychology class the day before.
One thing I love about my mother, and something I share with her, is her love for learning. Often I will ask her to help me study for history or write a paper for english and she will take the book ask me a few questions but then she will lose interest in helping me and start to read the book. She will exclaim out that something is interesting or, "I didn't know that the teddy bear was named after Theodore Roosevelt." I have to tell her to focus every 3 minutes or she will engross herself in the book again. She is the same way about cooking. She will read the ingredients and see grated lemon zest and hand the lemon to me. However, once I hand it back with the fine grater I bought and show her how to do it, she will zest with great zeal (hehehe!).
She is incorrigible with cakes though! I greased and floured her cake pans, put them in the oven, but didn't set a timer. She freaked out! I gave her some bull about how a real cook has an intimate connection with anything in the oven and doesn't need a timer. She didn't like that. I finished chopping the cilantro in silence and then left to get ready for my boss' party.
Bobotie Bowls
1/4 C. sliced almonds
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef (if you want lowfat, use sirloin there is enough taste to compensate but I like to use ground round)
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
2 celery ribs, chopped how you like ( i like to chop my celery only crosswise 1/4 in. but you could chop it to fit the ground meat size)
1 carrot, finely chopped (I love the taste of the sweet peeled baby carrot in this dish, chop the equivalent of I large carrot and you will love the taste, and you don't have to peel.)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 roasted assorted color peppers (if you can find the jarred sweet pickled peppers great, tell me where they are)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 C. golden raisins
1/2 C. mango chutney (I like the sliced mango chutney but you could use major grey's)
1 C. beef broth
2 T. mild curry paste (Patak's is good)
1 t. turmeric
1 1/2 t. ground coriander
1 t. lemon zest
1/2 C. chopped cilantro (use the whole sprig not just the leaves, there is a lot of flavor in the stems, just clean very well and chop off the very bottoms)
Omelets
eggs
cream
butter
salt/pepper

Toast almonds in dry skillet on medium heat until light brown. You could also toast them on a baking sheet on the top rack of a 400 degree oven for like 3 minutes.

Use a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and wait a couple of minute for it to get hot. Add the beef and cook until browned the create a space in the middle of the pan. Add bay leaf, celery, carrot, onion, peppers, garlic, and season. Cook for couple of minutes then mix into the meat. Add the raisins, chutney, broth, curry paste, turmeric, coriander, and lemon zest. Stir together and simmer until the broth evaporates and the mixture thickens. Remove bay leaf and stir in the almonds; reduce the heat to low.

Heat your smallest skillet over medium with a pat of butter. Beat an egg, salt, pepper, and one T. of cream together. Make a mini omelet and transfer to a plate while you make one for everyone eating. I like to let my guests make their own and I put out extra seasonings to add if they would like. I put out hot sauce and the chopped cilantro, some chopped parsley, chopped basil, more lemon zest, some cinnamon, truffle salt. Each guest can make their own unique omelet. But help them if they need it. I once mad this for my extended family that lives in Massachusetts. I cooked the meat while my dad and my uncle made the omelets. There was extreme discussion on how to make a perfect omelet, and also skepticism about the use of cream. I can't tell you what I had to defend myself against. My mom is the youngest of four and her oldest sister is 10 years older than her. So I am way far down on the seniority scale in Massachusetts and to be telling my uncles (who know a thing or two about making a good clam bake or fish barbecue, and who I always would go to to learn how to drive a boat) how to make eggs was just not done. My uncle Larry worked in his parents' restaurant for years as a teen. So I have him on one end, defending my position and doing an excellent job on the omelets, and my Uncle Jim and my dad just fooling with me on the other end. I'm working in my late grandmother kitchen and I'm having difficulty finding everything I need. I visit my Uncle Jim and Aunt Ana Amor in the connecting house for supplies every minute. I asked my uncle for a grater for the lemon and he goes on a hunt. He comes back from the garage with a rusty wood planer! I considered getting a torch to sanitize it but decided against it and just julienned some lemon. Anyway, the meal went well and everyone liked it. We all decided we liked the omelets best on top of the meat, not under it.
Have fun and stay in school!