Christmas day is around the corner and the big question is: What will we feast on this year? Show-stopping turkey, festive gammon, mouth-watering trifle? …this list is endless!

Why not make biltong the main ingredient of your Christmas feast – from biltong soup and cheese & biltong quiche to biltong bread and biltong & avocado salad! All you’ll have to add is something for the sweet tooth.

A truly South African twist for an extra special Christmas season! Enjoy!

15 Biltong Food Recipes everyone should try:

Biltong Tart

Ingredients:

Pastry:

125g Flour (260 ml)

125g cream cheese or cottage cheese

125g Butter (135 ml) 1ml salt

Method:

Sift the flour and salt together. Rub the butter into the flour mixture, using your fingertips. Mix the cream cheese in with a knife. Place the dough in the refrigerator to cool. Roll the dough out to about 3mm thickness. Place pastry in an un-greased pie tin about 200mm in diameter. Bake pastry shell for 15 minutes at 220 degrees C (450 degrees F.)

Filling:

20g Flour (37,5 ml)

50g Mushrooms chopped (150 ml)

20g Butter (25 ml) 3 ml lemon juice

250ml milk 10g onion, chopped (10 ml)

50g finely grated biltong (200ml) 5 ml parsley, chopped

10g Butter (12,5ml) 2 eggs

Method:

Add the milk gradually and keep stirring until the sauce boils. Boil it for 3 minutes. Chop the mushrooms and sprinkle with lemon juice. Sauté the mushrooms and chopped onion in the 10g butter until brown. Add to the white sauce. Separate the eggs, beat the egg yolks and add to the white sauce. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture. Spoon into partially baked pastry shell and bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees C (400 degrees F.) (8-10 servings)

Biltong Scones

Ingredients:

50 g grated biltong (200ml)

100 ml milk or thin cream

95 g flour (400ml) 30 g butter (33 ml)

2 ml marmite 1 egg

Method:

Sift together all the dry ingredients, except the biltong. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with the fingertips until the mixture is crumbly. Add the grated biltong. Beat the egg and milk together and cut the liquid into the flour mixture with a knife. Roll dough out to 25 mm thickness and cut into squares. Place squares on a slightly greased baking sheet and bake at 220 degrees C (450 degrees F) for 12 minutes.

Spread butter onto scones while hot. (12 scones)

Biltong Muffins

Ingredients:

120 g Whole-wheat flour (sifted)

120 g Cake flour (sifted)

200 g Biltong – finely chopped

50 g Cheddar Cheese (grated)

30 ml Baking powder (sifted)

3 Eggs (lightly whisked)

200 ml Milk

100 ml Cooking oil

15 ml Lemon juice

Method:

Combine together all the dry ingredients and then add the eggs, milk, oil and lemon juice. Mix gently until the ingredients are incorporated. Spoon into greased muffin pans and bake at 220°C for 11 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before removing and serving with butter. Serves 10 people.

Biltong & Avocado salad

Ingredients:

200 g Beef Biltong (thinly sliced)

1 packet mixed lettuce salad leaves

1 large, avocado (peeled and diced)

250 g cocktail tomatoes (halved)

1 cucumber (sliced)

50 g feta cheese (diced)

50 g pitted black olives

125 ml salad dressing of your choice

Method:

Rinse salad leaves and drain thoroughly. In a large salad bowl, add lettuce leaves, biltong, diced avocado, cocktail tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese and olives. Toss together and refrigerate. Before serving, sprinkle dressing over salad.

Biltong Soup

Ingredients:

125g butter

250ml flour

10ml black pepper

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground coriander

500ml milk

1.5 litres beef stock

250ml cheddar cheese (grated)

250g biltong (finely grated)

125ml cream

Method:

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir over a low heat for one minute (ensure it does not burn). Add the black pepper, nutmeg and ground coriander. Stirring continuously, gradually add the milk and the stock. Stir over low heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the cheese and 200g of the biltong. Heat without allowing the soup to boil, and add cream to taste, just before serving. Top each serving with a generous sprinkling of grated biltong.

Homemade Biltong bread

Ingredients:

550 g wholemeal flour

200 g white flour

1 tsp instant dry yeast

2 Tbs dark brown sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground coriander

100 g biltong shavings

300 ml Castle Milk Stout

220ml buttermilk

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Put dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together well. Pour the Castle Milk Stout and buttermilk into a jug and whisk lightly to combine. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon to form a sticky dough. Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until soft and smooth.

Shape dough into a round dome shape and place into a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes to rise. Once risen, slash the surface of the dome with an X mark, this allows the bread to expand and release air. Then place on a lightly greased baking tray in the centre of the oven and bake for 60 min, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven onto a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely, about 20 min, before slicing. [This resting period is vital, to allow for thorough baking through]

Biltong sandwich

Ingredients:

300 ml warm water

4 Tbs condensed milk

75 ml oil

100 g sugar

½ tsp salt

475 g cake flour

4 Tbs dried active yeast

1 cup Balsamic vinegar

Method:

For the biltong: Ask your butcher to cut you some beef to use for biltong. Soak the meat in some brown vinegar, a dash Worcestershire sauce and a dash of balsamic vinegar for 2 hours. Once the meat has soaked, take it out the liquid and rub in some biltong spice (also available at the butcher). Hang up the biltong to dry for a few days. For the mosbolletjies: Add the wet ingredients first, then the sugar, the flour and finally the yeast. Use the dough setting on your breadmaker to make the dough. Alternatively mix the ingredients together and knead by hand. Put in a bowl, cover with clingfilm, and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. Knead the dough again, and leave to rise again. Roll your dough into balls, and place into a bread tin.Brush the top with melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes. Test if its done, by poking it with a skewer. If it comes out clean, the bread is ready. If not, leave it in the oven for a couple more minutes. Finally, brush the top of the bread with some condensed milk, and bake for 5 more minutes.

For the balsamic reduction: Put a cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan, and bring to the boil. Allow to reduce until the liquid has halved in volume, and you have a syrupy consistency. Assemble the sandwich by slicing the mosbolletjie loaf, topping it with fresh rocket, thinly sliced biltong, Parmesan slivers (made with a vegetable slicer), and a drizzling of the balsamic reduction.

Crumbed biltong and ricotta fritters

Incredients:

Dipping sauce:

375ml (1 ½ cup) Greek yoghurt

45ml (3tbsp) wholegrain mustard

zest of ½ lemon

Fritters:

230g (1 cup) ricotta

pinch of cayenne pepper

100g (1 cup) sliced biltong, roughly chopped

1 spring onion, finely chopped

15ml (1Tbsp) chives, finely chopped

5ml (½ tsp) fine salt

1 egg

45ml (3tsbp) cake flour

375ml (1 ½ cups) panko crumbs

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Method:

For the dipping sauce: stir everything together and keep it in the fridge until ready to use.

For the fritters: combine the ricotta, cayenne pepper, biltong, spring onion, chives and salt together. Lightly whisk the egg with a fork and stir it into the mixture. Stir in the flour.

Then form it into 12 balls and roll it in the panko crumbs. Heat the oil until it reaches 180°C. Fry the fritters off in batches and drain them on some paper towel. Serve it with the dipping sauce on the side.

Tips:

For a different flavour profile, replace the biltong with some chopped bacon or chorizo sausage.

Add a small chilli that has been finely chopped to the mixture if you’d like to turn it into a spicier fritter.

If you want to go the extra mile and prepare your own breadcrumbs then simply place a few slices of white bread onto a baking tray. Drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and then place it in the oven at 200C for 12-15 minutes. They should crisp and dry. Allow them to cool and then place in a food processor. Process until coarse breadcrumbs form.

Mini cheese and biltong quiches

Ingredients:

2 rolls ready- made shortcrust pastry, defrosted

30 ml butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

100 g thinly shaved or finely

chopped biltong

3 large eggs

375 ml milk or cream or a mixture

Method:

Preheat oven to 160°C. Roll the pastry out lightly and use a cookie cutter or something similar to cut circles out of the pastry to fit mini quiche or muffin tins. Line the tins with the pastry. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Heat the butter and sauté the onion until soft. Spoon a little into each pastry case. Top with biltong and cheese. Mix the eggs and milk together in a jug. Pour into the pastry cases until they are almost full. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until set.

Biltong and basil paté

Ingredients:

1 tub full cream, smooth cottage cheese

1 cup powdered biltong

1 handful fresh basil, finely cut

half an onion, finely chopped

A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

A few grinds of black pepper

Method:

In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon until combined. Line a dessert bowl or plastic container with cling film, transfer the paté, cover and refrigerate until use.

Biltong and goat’s milk cheese pizzettes

Ingredients:

2x 100 g logs of chevin (goat’s milk cheese)

2 onions, sliced

2 Tbs butter

8 baby pita breads

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

2 Tbs olive oil

To Serve:

50 g biltong, sliced

wild rocket

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Heat butter in a heavy-based pan and cook onions over a low heat until caramelised. Split each pita bread in 2, horizontally. Slice each chevin into 8 rounds. Top each round of pita with a little caramelised onion, a round of goat’s cheese, a few thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. Place under the grill until the cheese begins to brown and the pita is toasted. Top with biltong and rocket leaves and serve immediately.

Baked potato with mushrooms and biltong

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, boiled until soft in the centre – but not mushy

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 small onion, sliced

250 g button mushrooms

1 sprig rosemary

250 ml sour cream

125 ml chicken stock

Pinch paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220°C and prick a few holes in the cooked potatoes, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Sauté the onions until golden and soft, add the mushrooms in batches and fry until browned or until the liquid has cooked away. Over medium heat, stir in the cream and stock and simmer gently for +- 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. This can be made in advance and reheated too! Remove the potatoes from the oven – the skin should be crisp with a soft centre. Cut each one and squash open. Top with creamed mushrooms and end off with some biltong and black pepper.

Biltong and Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

350 g exotic tomatoes

150 g fresh fior di latte mozzarella

2 cup chilli biltong

3 Tbs basil pesto

Handful of basil leaves

olive oil to serve

Method:

On a large salad bowl, arrange cut tomatoes, mozzarella and biltong. Spoon over basil pesto. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with olive oil.

Mini vetkoek with butternut and biltong paté

Ingredients:

Pate:

500 g cubed butternut

6 cloves garlic

1 onion, cut into wedges

sprig of thyme or

1 ml dried thyme

30 ml olive oil

250 g soft sliced beef biltong

20 ml lemon juice

60 ml cream

Vetkoek:

270 g cake flour

10 ml baking powder

5 ml salt

5 ml cumin seeds

250 ml milk (approximately)

2 large eggs, beaten

sunflower oil for deep-frying

Method:

Place butternut, garlic, onion and thyme in a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in a 200 °C preheated oven for 20 minutes or until tender. Turn once during cooking. Place butternut and onion in a food processor. Squeeze garlic out of skins and pull thyme leaves off the stick. Add to the processor with 200 g of the biltong, lemon juice, cream and seasoning to taste. Blend until smooth. Add remaining biltong and blend for a few seconds so that the biltong pieces remain chunky. Leave to cool.

Vetkoek:

Sift dry ingredients together. Mix in the cumin seeds. Beat milk and egg together, and stir into dry ingredients gradually. Add enough milk to form a soft dough. Heat oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once hot, drop small spoonfuls of batter into the oil and deep-fry until golden and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper. Cut in half and spread with pâté. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve immediately.

Biltong treats

Ingredients:

270 g self-raising flour

5 ml baking powder

5 ml mild mustard powder

1 ml cayenne pepper

1 ml dried thyme

250 g biltong, grated or finely chopped

125 g cold butter, cut into cubes

Toppings:

200 ml biltong, grated or finely chopped

30 ml freshly chopped chives

50 ml mature Cheddar cheese, grated

30 ml Parmesan cheese, grated

30 ml blue cheese, crumbled

1 large egg

Method:

Preheat oven to 220°C. Sift flour, baking powder and mustard powder into a mixing bowl. Stir in the cayenne pepper, thyme and biltong. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually stir in enough cold water to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 2.5cm thick and transfer to a 36 x 26 x 5cm baking tin. Mix together all the topping ingredients except the egg and set aside. Whisk the egg with a little water and brush the dough. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the prepared dough. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, then allow to cool. Cut into small squares and serve.

And there you have it, 15 delicious biltong flavoured food recipes you can now share with your friends and family at home or abroad. We also have a recipe on how to make your own biltong, and don’t forget that “sharing is caring”, so don’t be selfish with your biltong!

If you’d like to read the original recipes you can click on the links below: