Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the onion and fennel seeds until the onion has softened.
2. Add the pork mince and cook, stirring continuously, until browned.
3. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and sugar, season to taste and reduce the heat.
4. Leave to gently simmer for 15 minutes while you prepare the pap.
5. Place the vegetable stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
6. Sprinkle in the maize meal while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.
7. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15–25 minutes until the pap is thick and cooked through. It should come away from the sides of the pan.
8. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
9. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
10. Grease a 2-litre capacity ovenproof dish and evenly spread half the pap over the base.
11. Pour over the mince sauce and spread the remaining pap on top.
12. Sprinkle over some extra Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.

Extracted from Simply Delicious by Zola Nene (Struik Lifestyle)
Photographs: © Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd / Dawie Verwey