Beans Minced Meat Pottage

I have been experimenting lately with different dishesmade  with beans like my Beans Minced meat Pottage. But first let me take you into my ….No- NEPA maneuvers at Night

The heat is building up in Lagos, Nigeria. The electricity situation has not improved, and for most nights, I feel like fish dragged out of water to die slowly on the shore.

I live in an estate where for security reasons we have agreed not to run our generators through the night, so this “sufrisation” (discomfort) is not going away in a hurry. I have invested in rechargeable fans, hand fans, I even remember every night to keep a small bowl by the bed side with wet hand towel in it to mop up sweat so I don’t necessarily have to stand up else the sleep completely takes a flight for the rest of night. My night wear is wet, hair is wet from sweating and the night is not far gone at all. In the meantime hubby is has just released his new ‘snoring single’. I tap him to position his head properly so that hopefully the snoring stops, and I can drift back to sleep because tomorrow is another day at work.

How I manage to create dishes, cook, photograph, write posts each week amazes friends and even me. But like they say if this is passion you don’t even notice the pain.

It was on one of such nights as I have just described above that the idea of this dish came. Today I bring you Beans Minced Meat Pottage with Dodo. This is one other way to bring excitement to beans besides beans pottage or moi moi. In order to make it that extra special I offer it in an Onion cup in keeping with the global destination of African dishes. Enjoy.

 

Recipe for Beans Minced Meat Pottage

Ingredients

1 cup minced Meat

¾ cup Boiled Brown Beans

2 cloves Garlic

1 teaspoon dry Pepper ( or to taste)

½ teaspoon Rosemary

½ teaspoon Curry

¼ cup mixed Vegetable (carrots, runner beans, green peas)

¼ cup bell Peppers( green and red)

½ small Onion (chopped)

3 pieces Tomato (chopped)

1 table spoon Butter

2 cooking spoons Vegetable oil or Olive oil

1/4cup Beef Stock or water

Beef seasoning to taste

Salt to taste

1 large Onion ( cup for serving)

 

Method

1. Season the minced beef with pepper, rosemary, garlic, salt , little beef seasoning and 2 tablespoons water. Mix or knead well to get the seasoning well into the meat. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes

2. Heat the oil, fry the onion, tomato and pepper until soft and add the meat and continue stirring to brown the meat. Be sure to break up the meat as you stir so it does not form one whole mass.

3. As soon as meat browns on the outside, add the beans, stir and add ¼ cup meat stock or water cover. Cover and cook under low heat for about 5 minutes to allow the base sauce thicken a bit.

4. Add the vegetables, bell peppers, carrots, peas, runner beans and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Then add butter and allow to melt to bring extra flavour to the sauce.

5. Serve with boiled or fried plantain, bread or yam.

To make the Onion cups:

1. Bring water to boil such that it will cover the Onion

2. Drop the onion in the water with the outer skin on and boil for about 3- 5 minutes

3. Bring out the onion, allow to cool enough to handle, cut into 2. One half is 2/3 and other side is 1/3.