Biltong is already salty and intensely beefy, so it seasons a cream sauce better than bacon. Add it off the heat at the end — cooked biltong turns tough and loses its aroma.
Creamy Biltong Pasta
A twenty-minute weeknight pasta where shredded biltong does all the seasoning work.
- Prep
- 5 minutes
- Drying
- 15 minutes cooking
- Total
- 20 minutes
- Yield
- Serves 4
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 g penne or tagliatelle
- Salt for the water
Sauce
- 30 ml butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 250 ml cream
- 100 ml grated mature cheddar or pecorino
- 150 g biltong, shredded or sliced thin
- 5 ml cracked black pepper
- Handful of chopped parsley
Method
- 1
Boil the pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of the cooking water.
- 2
Melt the butter and soften the onion for 5 minutes, then add the garlic for a minute more.
- 3
Pour in the cream and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 4
Stir in the cheese and black pepper until smooth, loosening with pasta water as needed.
- 5
Toss the drained pasta through the sauce, then remove from the heat.
- 6
Fold in most of the shredded biltong and the parsley, and scatter the rest over the top to serve.
Tips from the box
- • Do not add salt to the sauce until you have tasted it with the biltong in.
- • Wet biltong shreds better than dry; dry biltong is best shaved on a grater.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cook the biltong in the sauce?
Rather not. Simmering biltong makes it leathery and dulls the coriander. Fold it in off the heat.
What kind of biltong works best in pasta?
Lean, medium-dry beef biltong. Very fatty or heavily chilli-spiced biltong can overwhelm a cream sauce.