Smoky Samp, Chorizo & Cheddar Bake

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Elevating Humbleness ...

An unexpected take on that old retro classic: Mac & Cheese. Smoky chorizo packs the flavour punch and samp (cracked maize kernels) provides substantial texture and pleasant resistance to chewing. Samp – a Southern African staple – provides a novel alternative to oft overcooked and regularly mutilated macaroni.

Let’s start by setting the score straight: this is not slimming or diet food. It is pure and simple comfort food for those with voracious appetites & earnest stomachs...

Secondly, let’s clarify the nature of samp, and corn, in the South African context. Americans, Australians and New Zealanders generally know maize meant for human consumption as ‘corn’ whereas the rest of the planet knows it as – well... – maize (except in some industrial applications where it’s universally referred to as ‘corn’. Sigh...). Off course, these little terminology  idiosyncrasies tend to sow confusion all over the globe.

‘Our’ samp is hulled, cracked (roughly broken) maize kernels. It is manufactured from dried, almost exclusively white maize kernels. In the process, the tough and hard outer seed coat (hull or pericarp) is mechanically removed along with the seed germ. Only the brittle, dense endosperm remains and this is almost pure starch. The final product is composed of rough, irregular shaped granules with a particle size approximately between 6mm – 8mm. It is commonly cooked in water, although local variations cooked with milk also exist. Generally, samp is cooked until mushy and doubled in size and is then enriched with butter and or black pepper. It has a reputation for blandness and being boring – purely through lack of imagination by lazy cooks.

South African samp should not be confused with what North Americans refer to as ‘samp’ – which is a corn pudding (or mush) made from rough ground, gritty corn meal and milk. It is a dish common to New England (and surrounding States) and originates from Colonial times. It is quite similar to the British “Hasty Pudding” (dating from the 16^th century). Ironically, hasty pudding is made from wheat flour.

Unfortunately our Smoky Samp, Chorizo & Cheddar Bake of today’s post requires a bit of preliminary planning. Samp – usually meek and mild – demands overnight soaking in water to reduce it’s cooking time to something in the realm of reasonable. At the bare minimum (in an emergency), samp requires at least 4 hours of soaking in room temperature water. Once soaked, samp rolls over and becomes a real dozy to work with.

I believe a pressure cooker eliminates the use for pre-soaking. Sadly, I have no experience of this procedure as my general cooking and life styles do not require such a device. However, several family members and friends swear by theirs for application to samp. I suspect some trial and error will be required to determine optimal cooking time.

One caveat though: this dish requires same day consumption. Freshly cooked starch – particularly amylose – does not take well to refrigeration. In fact, it becomes positively ornery once refrigerated. The process is called starch retrogradation and involves the hot, swollen and loosened starch molecules expelling water on cooling and reorganising themselves into tight, cross linked clusters. The same for holds true for samp: it will not return to it’s original mushy, chewy consistency that lent it so much charm in the first place.

Recipe yields: 6 – 8 Portions

Preparation time: 1 day + 75 minutes

Baking time: 35 minutes

Difficulty level: Easy peasy!

Special Equipment Required:

1 x Rectangular oven baking dish, approx. 2.5L capacity

1 x Large sauté or frying pan

Ingredients:

Samp	350g
Water	700ml
Dried bay leaves	3 – 5
Cumin seed, dried	1.25ml
Mild chorizo, sliced & diced	1
Medium onion, roughly diced	1½
For the béchamel sauce:
Cake / All purpose flour	35g
Butter, salted	25g
Full cream milk	500ml
Fresh cream	60ml
Chopped garlic	30ml
Salt	10ml
Wholegrain mustard	7.5ml
Smoked paprika	7.5ml
Fine white pepper	1.2ml
Grated Cheddar cheese	100g
For the cheese topping:
Grated Cheddar cheese	75g
Thick tomato slices	4 – 6
Ground paprika to dust over the top

Method:

1. Rinse the samp repeatedly with cold water until the wash water runs clear; 3 – 4 rinsings. Discard any floating material. When done, cover with fresh, cold water to one finger depth and set aside, covered with a plate, to soak overnight.
2. Discard the soaking water and transfer the samp to a suitable, thick bottomed stewing pot. Add the water, bay leaves and cumin seed. Put the lid on and set over medium heat until boiling. Reduce the heat until the liquid just simmers. Simmer until all the water is absorbed, approx. 45 – 60 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure the bay leaves are covered in cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves when the samp is done. Keep the cooked samp warm and covered until needed.
3. Sauté the chorizo over medium heat in the large sauté pan. Stir frequently. Do not add any extra oil as the chorizo will quickly render it’s own fat. Sauté until well done and browned all over. Transfer the chorizo with a slotted spoon to a heat proof bowl and set aside until needed. Pour half the remaining fat in with the margarine / butter to be used for the béchamel sauce later.
4. Sauté the onions in the remaining fat in the same pan over medium heat until soft and starting to brown on the edges. Stir frequently and do not allow the onions to catch and char. Combine the done onions with the sautéed chorizo.
5. For the béchamel sauce: Combine the flour, butter and reserved chorizo fat in the same sauté pan used for the chorizo and onions and place it over medium heat. Whisk the flour and fat together until the flour fully absorbs the molten fat thus forming a lumpy roux. Reduce the heat to low. Add the milk in small portions while whisking continuously to combine the hot roux and milk into a smooth paste. Adjust the heat to medium and add the remaining milk in increments to form a smooth liquid. Heat until the sauce starts to thicken and simmer. Turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients of the béchamel sauce. Stir thoroughly until the cheese is fully absorbed into the sauce.
6. For the final dish: Add the reserved chorizo and onion to the béchamel sauce and mix through. Add the warm, reserved samp in two batches to the béchamel sauce mixture. Use wooden spoons to mix. Spray the oven dish with non-stick food spray. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and level the surface with an off-set spatula. Evenly distribute the remaining grated Cheddar cheese over the surface of the filling. Decorate with tomato slices and sieve a light dusting of paprika over for effect.
7. Bake 35 minutes at 165°C (330 deg. Fahrenheit) in a preheated convection oven or until the béchamel sauce bubbles up from underneath the molten cheese topping layer. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving thus letting the flavours develop.

Comments:

• The smoked paprika may have to be sieved before use as the spice tends to clump in it’s container – particularly when it is not properly sealed after initial opening. The lumps of paprika are difficult to break up once added to the béchamel sauce.
• Reduce the chopped garlic by half to accommodate those concerned about their public image.

© RS Young, 2018

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