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Boerewors stew, the ultimate mid-week meal!

By September 30, 2022October 3rd, 2023FinGlobal

Boerewors stew, the ultimate mid-week meal!

September 30, 2022

Boerewors-stew

The British have ‘bangers and mash’ or their infamous ‘toad in the hole,’ Louisianians have their gumbo, and the Spaniards have their Fabada Asturiana, which in English is simply sausage and bean stew. If you’re wondering why we are mentioning these other countries and their tasty sausage dishes, it’s just to point out that while each country seems to have a signature sausage dish, their main ingredient is certainly not boerewors! As you know, boerewors and boerewors meals are part of our traditional cuisine and have been since the seventeenth century.

Not much has changed since then, and every Saffa knows that no sausage, no matter where it hails from in the world, compares with our succulent boerie. Slap it on the coals, and it’s a feast fit for kings whether you eat it jammed between fresh tuisgebakte brood, served with potato slaai and greens, or chopped up in a stew. Did we say stew? Yes, we did!

As a pukka boerie chef, chopping up boerie for stew may have you recoiling in horror. After all, who dares chop the wors before it’s sizzled to perfection on the coals? What sacrilege even is this?

It may surprise you to learn that boerewors stew isn’t a new concept; it’s a proper traditional South African dish and, like the sausage itself, has been made in Ouma’s kombuis since the proverbial dawn of time!

Boerewors stew no matter what the season!

While most may think stew is only for the colder wintery months of the year, the concept of a one-pot meal is also ideal for those of us leading busy lives (don’t we all?) no matter what the season. Who can say there is anything tastier than a hearty stew complete with lashing of vegetables, potatoes, and boerewors chunks, cooked to perfection in a single pot? Furthermore, it’s a great way to minimize the dreaded washing up and is perfect for ensuring the kids eat all their veggies!

In fact, you could call boerie stew eco-friendly as it saves on power (when it’s on!), reduces water usage and tastes so good the kids will lick the pot clean! ‘Waste not want not’ as our Ouma’s would say! Of course, you might want to wash that stew pot after the last dregs have been devoured, but you can see why we think boerewors stew is such an excellent mid-week, any season meal!

Boerie-Kielbasa canelline bean stew

When searching for the best boerewors stew recipes, we wanted to try something special; drum roll, please; enter center-kitchen boerewors and cannellini bean stew. This traditional Polish dish is usually made using Kielbasa (smoked sausage), but for this recipe, we will be adding a ‘groot stukkie’ boerewors for a truly South African twist! So haul out those chopping boards; it’s time to make tasty boerewors meals!

What you need

  • 350 g boerewors (plain) roughly chopped into 3 cm chunks
  • 100 g Kielbasa or smoked Chorizo/Cabanossi chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed/minced
  • 1 medium brown onion diced
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 3 large carrots chopped
  • 2 large potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 4 cups stock (beef or chicken)
  • 1 sweet pepper chopped
  • 1 can cannellini beans drained ( kidney beans/ organic black beans, butter beans)
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning

What to do

  • Place a large skillet over medium-to-high heat and add the olive oil, boerewors chunks, and Kielbasa; saute until cooked through and browned.
  • Remove the browned boerewors and Kielbasa chunks from the pan and place them on a plate to one side.
  • Next, add the unsalted butter, chopped celery, diced onion, and carrots to the pot. Gently fry over low heat until the onions turn glassy and slightly brown.
  • Now stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and paprika, and cook for another two minutes.
  • Then, add the stock, potatoes, cannellini beans, and sweet pepper, stir well, increase the heat, and allow the mixture to start to boil.
  • When the mixture boils, reduce the cooking temperature to a rapid simmer and cook with the lid on for approximately 30 minutes. Remember to stir the boerewors stew occasionally to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • When the potatoes and carrots have softened, your stew is ready!

*TIP Add a half cup of water or stock if the water looks too low while waiting for the vegetables to soften. You can add more if required but only in half-cup increments if you want to avoid making boerie soup!

Serving suggestions for boerewors meals:

While boerewors stew is an entire meal in itself, there are some extra tasty ways to serve it that make it all the more moreish! Try one of our favourites below.

  • Serve with thick slices of crusty homemade bread slathered in farm butter.
  • Add a side serving of Ceasar salad for a healthier boerie stew meal.
  • Alternatively, serve with heaps of sauteed green beans and broccoli with garlic, yum!

The final bite

Of course, no matter how you prepare your boerewors, it will taste wonderful; ask any Saffa, and they will agree! Something about this traditional South African sausage’s combination of flavorings, spices, and meat makes it the ultimate wors on this side of the planet!

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For accredited advice regarding financial emigration, taxes, pensions, retirement annuities, and more, we at FinGlobal can assist you. And with a decade and more of experience under our belts, ours is certainly the name to trust. So contact our friendly team today and get your emigration dream kick-started into action!

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