A state of suspension - and a time to talk - *and* a new challenge: Something Old Something New

I write the early part of this post in a state of suspension - I am waiting for a thing to come out of the oven, and I don't know at all what it will be like. It's a South African classic, called bobotie, and it comes from a recipe book I trust (New Kitchen Basics, again - the author is South African). Otherwise I'd probably not have tried it, but I am quite excited. I like cooking faves, I have still to do my own Elsewhere Kitchen (later this week), and I also like Katie's #ConfinedTwiddlybits cookery when I am in the mood to get away from screens. But why not leap into the unknown (relatively speaking) and try a cuisine you know nothing about? I like thinking about why things are as they are, even when it's wild speculation. (Had a chat on twitter a while back with some CKers who don't like American recipe measures, sticks and cups, but I love how pioneer they sound - how far you were from European consumerism that your standard recipes were volume-based when recipe books were kicking off c1850, and have that stick).

I've never been to South Africa, and most of my South African food knowledge comes from some ex-neighbours who were way, way too devoted to the braai, and that one Masterchef special with the weird chef-patron no wait that isn't narrowing it down at all. So this is a whole new thing for me. But otoh, it's definitely just mince. Mince with a topping, like shepherd's pie, or like siniya, or moussaka, or.... It's spiced and fruity, a bit like a medieval recipe - is it from the Netherlands, gussied up by being on the spice route? Or is it the other way around, coming from the spice islands along with the spices? [I've looked it up while waiting - Indonesian background, apparently. No wonder it's got some excitement to it; it's another cuisine I don't know much about.]

Anyway. Guess what, we start by chopping an onion. Argh. (Do. Not. Tell. Me. About. Frozen. Ones. I shall describe, with diagrams, the exact state of my one-shelf freezer to the next person who does. Peas, meat, emergency milk, bread, and, well ice cubes and ice cream and herbs, there isn't space for a gnat in there.)

Sweat the onions in either a frying pan or something stove/ovenproof. Add lamb mince and brown.  Heat the oven to 150deg/140 fan. Clear a sideboard. There are Ingredients.

Then it gets interesting:
Garlic - grated
Ginger - grated
Ground coriander - 2tsp
Ground allspice - 1/2 tsp
Curry powder of choice - 1tsp
Chili of choice
- cook for a couple of minutes

Then more interesting:
50g breadcrumbs soaked in 50ml milk
A grated green apple
50g raisins or chopped dried apricots, soaked in warm water for a bit
Plenty of seasoning
- stir it all in and transfer it over to an oven dish if you're using a pan at the moment

Then... weird:

3 eggs mixed with 100ml more milk. Pour it over the top. Add a few bay leaves.

???

Don't ask questions, put it in the oven.

Give it 35-40 minutes, till patchily golden. Then leave 10 mins to soak down a bit.

[back after these messages]

*

I was also reminded at work that it's Time to Talk again. It's easy to say these mental health awareness days are sticking plasters, and definitely if you've ever needed treatment for mental health you will know it's damn hard to access anything good. But equally, it remains *bloody* hard to talk about poor mental health, especially for the first time, and good to say that we're here if you need. The situation at the moment is enough to drive anyone round the twist, frankly, and I hope in a way that makes it easier to say you're struggling. But it also probably means more of us *are* struggling, which is ungood. This club is frankly and openly about helping me, Liz and hopefully some of you to stay in touch, stay sane and make a new online community to help us all out a bit.

I know that for some of you, posting here has itself become a bit of a stress - especially if you have an internal narrative about whether you're doing it enough/too much/well enough/etc. Whatever you're wondering, honestly? You're fine. We love to hear from people; in their own words, when they feel like it. Don't add it to the pile of Worrisome Stuff, if you possibly can.

Personally, I am both better than last week and on about my antepenultimate nerve with everything, from twitter to washing up to my own irritability. Sucks. But it's okay to find it hard, while also knowing you're not in the worst position, and some days you're acting like a brat. (I am acting like a brat, at least internally. Oof.)

I hope you're doing better. I hope you'll let us/me/someone know if you're not. And if you can't talk about it, I hope taking a few minutes or hours to make something tasty, well away from screens, will at least be a good thing for you - in brain, or stomach, or both.

*

....and here's the big reveal:

My first bobotie. Really tasty. Kind of messy, but all the more joyous for it. Lots of spicing, and the custard is really moussaka-reminiscent, but with a fruity edge like some appley stews. If you need mincespiration and have relatively unsceptical eaters to feed, give it a whirl, I reckon.

*

I gave you my Old Faithful Lemon Chicken earlier in the week. Now it's something new. So, here's a new challenge for you - whether it's something old that you return to over and over, or something new that you're doing to pass the time, tag it up.

Want to take it further? Something borrowed [from a blog, from a friend], is always welcome. Something blue? Well, good luck with that one.