Charleston Hobotee
By kmorganmoss • Aug 18th, 2008 • Category: Chicken & Meat, Eggs & Cheese •
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Whipping up a few dishes using ground meat is easy if I were cooking anywhere but the South. Coming up with a Southern recipe was a challenge and luckily, I found a grand solution to my soon to expire meat dilemma-a curried meat custard dish called Charleston Hobotee.
The South is full of hidden and almost forgotten gems. I delight in these when I discover them. It is as if I have found another clue on a treasure map. I found such a gem in James Villa’s book, The Glory of Southern Cooking. His recipe for Charleston Hobetee provided a superb meal for a light Sunday supper.
My pantry happened to include all of the ingredients that the recipe called for. The most important was curry powder of which I had just previously made a homemade batch of a few weeks ago for my Country Captian. I urge you to make your own curry powder in lieu of store bought, it does make a difference.
Finding any information about Charleston Hobotee was difficult to say the least. Hobotee which according to James Villas was served for breakfast and dinner during the Plantation Era, almost went extinct. With good fortune it was saved from being lost. I am grateful as it is a treat and easy to prepare. Each ramekin produced a velvety light custard rich with curried meat that made us all swoon with every mouthful.
We all hated for our dining experience to end as each bite was savored. Serve this in a large casserole and you have the sense of good comfort food when followed with a simple salad and cornmeal muffins. Need a appetizer or first course for company- serve Hobotee in small ramekins and watch the grins and silence as your guests enjoy a dish from our past .
Charleston Hobotee
James Villas, The Glory of Southern Cooking
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder( see above to make your own)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked beef, veal or pork
1 slice white bread, soaked in milk and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
1 cup half-and-half
Dash of white pepper
Small bay leaves
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
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In a skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the onion, and cook, stirring till softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
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Add the curry powder and cook, stirring 2 minutes longer.
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Transfer the onions to a mixing bowl, add the meat, bread, almonds, lemon juice, one of the eggs, the sugar and salt and blend thoroughly.
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Butter six 1/2 cup ramekins and divide the meat mixture among them. (Likewise, do the same to a large casserole to make one dish)
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In another bowl, combine the remaining 2 eggs, half-and-half, white pepper and whisk till blended.
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Pour equal amounts of the cream mixture into the ramekins, garnish the tops with the small bay leaf, and bake till golden, about 25 minutes.
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Serve hot.
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I needed to hit mine under the broiler for a minute to brown the tops.
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kmorganmoss is the aspiring writer, photographer & passionate cook of ayankeeinasouthernkitchen.com; she is currently blogging and hopes to find her calling.
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Now that is a hearty comforting meal! I’d be so happy with a nice little ramekin of my very own!
This is soul food Kim! I already feel pampered just by looking at the photos
That looks scrumptious! This Hobotee is very similar to the South-African “Bobotie” dish… Is there a link?
Cheers,
Rosa
Hobotee. What a great word.
This looks lovely - I’ll have to keep it in mind the next time I have ground meat that needs to be used up.
LOVE those photos Kim! Although I have one issue I need to address with you…. they make me hungry!
What a lovely combo of flavors but mostly I love the name!
Who wouldn’t want to try this after the mouthwatering description you just gave! I can’t wait to make this, the photos are wonderful!
Definitely adding this on the dinner list. It looks yum-O.
That looks wonderful! Where did the name come from? It’s so orginal!
I’ve never heard of this dish, but is sounds divine. It reminds me of a lasagne except with the only the best bits - bechamel/custard and meat! The curry powder is intriguing too, can’t wait to try this. Thanks Kim!
just from the ingredient list one can see that this would taste great…
your photography is really nice these days
Growing up in South Africa this was a familiar dish that made an appearance on the family table at least once a month. It was called Bobotie a name likely derived from the Indonesian Bobotok and traced its roots back to the the 17th century spice trade when the Dutch East India company was making pit stops in the Cape of Good Hope (now called Cape town). From South Africa there the dish migrated to various other countries in Southern Africa like botswana, Kenya and as far afield as Argentina. It probably reached the American South during that unfortunate period in history when the spice trade was replaced by the slave trade. The recipe differs from country to country but the basic concept ground meat, milk soaked white bread, spices, fruit or nuts, eggy custard and bay leaves.
I’d agree with Elton that this dish does sound like Bobotie!
this looks and sounds extremely appetizing! i’ve not heard of it (and i’d remember if i had–what a great name), so thanks for bringing it to my attention! frankly, your pictures are putting my computer screen in danger of being licked.
I did a little research based on some of your comments and indeed the recipe for Charleston Hobotee is almost exactly like that of the South African dish Bobotie. Though I am far from a historian of any sort, this would explain the origin of Hobotie in Charleston during the Plantation Era. This dish is pure comfort food and not to be missed.
Wonderful photos! I was instantly drawn to this dish. I will be saving this and making it soon. This is definitely comfort food at it’s best.
This is such an intriguing dish! We have a similar one that uses pork but what I love about this is the curry. I love this curried meat custard! Bookmarked to make soon. Thanks!
That looks tasty!
YUM! Looks like a meal I could cozy up to by the fire with, wearing big fluffy socks, a cold nose and a blanket. Wait, I’m in Arizona… Looks great though. Yum!
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