Christmas has crept up without me noticing this year. It feels like only a moment ago it was October, and now all of a sudden its only a couple of weeks until Christmas Day. This means that I'm now into the busy evenings and weekends of Christmas concerts, Christmas meals, and the last few running events of the year. Because of this, my intention to cook the Daring Cooks December challenge recipes of Char Sui Pork, followed by steamed pork buns using some of the left-overs, fell off the timetable due to time pressure. A great shame as both dishes sounded delicious. I'll have to make an attempt at them when I have a little more spare time.
Instead, I used the pork tenderloin I had bought for those dishes to make two improvised Pork en Croute. I have to say, they were delicious, so I didn't miss the Char Sui too badly! Here's what I did:
Pork en Croute No. 1:
120g pork tenderloin
70g puff pastry (I used shop bought, ready rolled - I'm lazy!)
2 slices serrano ham
Some thin slices of courgette
Finely sliced rosemary and garlic
salt, white and black pepper
Fennel seeds
Unroll your puff pastry and lay the 2 slices of ham on it. Place the pork tenderloin on top of the ham and season. Sprinkle the garlic and rosemary on top before covering with slices of courgette, wrapping the ham over to encase the pork and courgette, then wrapping the puff pastry over and sealing the edges.
Brush with a little melted butter, beaten egg, milk, or olive oil, sprinkle with fennel seeds, and cook as below.
Pork en Croute No. 2:
140g pork tenderloin,
camembert slices
3 slices serrano ham
120g puff pastry
button mushrooms, sliced small
butter, olive oil
Finely sliced rosemary and garlic
salt, white and black pepper
Fennel seeds
Fry the mushrooms, garlic and rosemary in a mixture of butter and olive oil on a low heat. Once cooked remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
Unroll the pastry, lay out the ham on the pastry and place the prok tenderloin on top. Season with salt and the peppers, then spoon the mushrooms onto the meat. Top with a few slices of camembert, fold the ham over to encase the meat and cheese, then fold the pastry over and seal the edges.
Brush with a little melted butter, beaten egg, milk, or olive oil, sprinkle with fennel seeds, and cook.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 15 minutes at 200C, then 10 minutes at 180-190C.
Serve with gravy, apple sauce, new potatoes, and runner beans for a hearty and warming winter dinner.
Showing posts with label Meat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meat. Show all posts
Monday, December 12, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Daring Cooks October Challenge
A really yummy one from the Daring Cooks this month: Moo Shu, which is stirfry pork with Hoisin Sauce and Pancakes.
I'd never even heard of Moo Shu before this challenge was set, let alone cooked it, but I do generally love Chinese food so I was definitely up for trying it out. The brilliant thing about this recipe is that almost all of it can be made ahead. I made my hoisin sauce in the morning, chopped my vegetables ahead of time, and even made my pancakes earlier in the day. I knew that we'd be cooking late and in a hurry that night, so being able to have everything ready to go was great.
I made my pancakes several hours early and kept them under a damp cloth, just reheating them in the microwave for a few seconds when we were ready to eat. The pancakes weren't as soft as I would have liked. Maybe this is because I made them ahead, or maybe I rolled them too thin? I'm not sure of the reason, but they tasted good anyway.
For my stirfry I chose a mixture of thin sliced Sweetheart Cabbage, baby corn, mangetout, bamboo shoots and spring onions, with about 200g pork and 2 medium sized eggs for the 2 of us. I added a shake of Chinese 5 Spice powder to the recipe given by Daring Cooks but otherwise didn't meddle with it.
With a couple of spoonfuls of hoisin sauce on top of the stirfry, and everything folded into the slightly sesame flavoured pancakes, the flavours blended beautifully.
This is a very messy dinner to eat - even worse than fajitas - but really tasty. For nights when there isn't time for making pancakes I think the stirfry would go well with rice instead: And with that version you wouldn't end up with hoisin sauce dribbling down your arms!
We were having a very oriental week this week - ealier in the week we'd had spicy cured swordfish with noodle broth from the Wagamama cook book - a recipe which I highly recommend.
So the message of the week? Go forth and explore the Orient!
The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
I'd never even heard of Moo Shu before this challenge was set, let alone cooked it, but I do generally love Chinese food so I was definitely up for trying it out. The brilliant thing about this recipe is that almost all of it can be made ahead. I made my hoisin sauce in the morning, chopped my vegetables ahead of time, and even made my pancakes earlier in the day. I knew that we'd be cooking late and in a hurry that night, so being able to have everything ready to go was great.
I made my pancakes several hours early and kept them under a damp cloth, just reheating them in the microwave for a few seconds when we were ready to eat. The pancakes weren't as soft as I would have liked. Maybe this is because I made them ahead, or maybe I rolled them too thin? I'm not sure of the reason, but they tasted good anyway.
For my stirfry I chose a mixture of thin sliced Sweetheart Cabbage, baby corn, mangetout, bamboo shoots and spring onions, with about 200g pork and 2 medium sized eggs for the 2 of us. I added a shake of Chinese 5 Spice powder to the recipe given by Daring Cooks but otherwise didn't meddle with it.
With a couple of spoonfuls of hoisin sauce on top of the stirfry, and everything folded into the slightly sesame flavoured pancakes, the flavours blended beautifully.
This is a very messy dinner to eat - even worse than fajitas - but really tasty. For nights when there isn't time for making pancakes I think the stirfry would go well with rice instead: And with that version you wouldn't end up with hoisin sauce dribbling down your arms!
We were having a very oriental week this week - ealier in the week we'd had spicy cured swordfish with noodle broth from the Wagamama cook book - a recipe which I highly recommend.
So the message of the week? Go forth and explore the Orient!
The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
Monday, October 3, 2011
An eventful week
Last week I consider that I was very brave with my food choices. I am proud of this, so I felt it was worth sharing.
I ate mushrooms in a risotto.
Mushrooms are my nemesis in the food world, but I'm trying to be more grown -up about them and not gag at the very thought.
I ate beetroot gratin, and beetroot in a cake.
Yes my wee turned pink which was disturbing, but the food was tasty enough.
I ate lamb's liver in a stirfry.
I have never eaten offal of any kind before. It just seemed un-necessary, but in eating our way through the whole lamb we were given you do eventually have to approach the grizzly bits. It wasn't too bad.
I ate mushrooms in a risotto.
Mushrooms are my nemesis in the food world, but I'm trying to be more grown -up about them and not gag at the very thought.
I ate beetroot gratin, and beetroot in a cake.
Yes my wee turned pink which was disturbing, but the food was tasty enough.
I ate lamb's liver in a stirfry.
I have never eaten offal of any kind before. It just seemed un-necessary, but in eating our way through the whole lamb we were given you do eventually have to approach the grizzly bits. It wasn't too bad.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Birthday cake
3rd May is Dan's birthday. We decided not to go out this year, but I still wanted to make it special so I gave him the option to choose any dinner he wanted. He chose beef wellington and dauphinoise potatoes - high effort, but his absolute favourite. I made myself a monkfish wellington, which was delicious. (I found the recipe on the BBC website here.)
But a birthday isn't a proper celebration without cake, so I had to make a birthday cake. Dan's not a particular fan of chocolate cakes and sponge cakes, and with just the two of us in our household we wouldn't get through that kind of cake before it went stale anyway. Instead I chose to make an Orange Polenta Cake - the recipe comes from the Ottolenghi cook book. I'm a total amateur with sugar cookery, so I had to make 3 attempts before I managed a proper caramel for the top of the cake, but I got there in the end. The citrusy-fresh orange scent of the cake was AMAZING as it cooked. Here it is straight out of the oven:
(although the colour cast seems a bit odd on this photo.)
And this is it once it had cooled and I'd glazed it with some of my Mum's homemade marmalade:
We had a slice of the cake each on Dan's birthday. Dan had his with a scoop of creme fraiche. The cake had a slightly grittier texture than a normal sponge (possibly because I coudn't find instant polenta). That wasn't unpleasant though - in fact it was rather nice. The cake was moist, slightly bitter on the top, very orangey and utterly gorgeous. I'd buy the recipe book just for this cake!
Traditionally you have to take cakes to work on a birthday, and orange cake didn't seem the most portable variety, so I also made some rasberry cupcakes. (Dan was fitting our new bathroom all weekend, so it seemed only fair that I assume responsibility for work cake snacks for him!) The recipe was from the Primrose Bakery cupcake book - a vanilla sponge swirled with homemade rasberry jam, then filled with a little spot of rasberry jam and iced with vanilla buttercream icing. I decorated them with a little grated white chocolate and silver sugar balls.
I know they look a bit girly and pink and white for a boy's birthday, but if you're going to get your girlfirend to make cakes for your office what do you expect?!
Of course he told everyone he made them himself. Some of them even believed it.
But a birthday isn't a proper celebration without cake, so I had to make a birthday cake. Dan's not a particular fan of chocolate cakes and sponge cakes, and with just the two of us in our household we wouldn't get through that kind of cake before it went stale anyway. Instead I chose to make an Orange Polenta Cake - the recipe comes from the Ottolenghi cook book. I'm a total amateur with sugar cookery, so I had to make 3 attempts before I managed a proper caramel for the top of the cake, but I got there in the end. The citrusy-fresh orange scent of the cake was AMAZING as it cooked. Here it is straight out of the oven:
(although the colour cast seems a bit odd on this photo.)
And this is it once it had cooled and I'd glazed it with some of my Mum's homemade marmalade:
We had a slice of the cake each on Dan's birthday. Dan had his with a scoop of creme fraiche. The cake had a slightly grittier texture than a normal sponge (possibly because I coudn't find instant polenta). That wasn't unpleasant though - in fact it was rather nice. The cake was moist, slightly bitter on the top, very orangey and utterly gorgeous. I'd buy the recipe book just for this cake!
Traditionally you have to take cakes to work on a birthday, and orange cake didn't seem the most portable variety, so I also made some rasberry cupcakes. (Dan was fitting our new bathroom all weekend, so it seemed only fair that I assume responsibility for work cake snacks for him!) The recipe was from the Primrose Bakery cupcake book - a vanilla sponge swirled with homemade rasberry jam, then filled with a little spot of rasberry jam and iced with vanilla buttercream icing. I decorated them with a little grated white chocolate and silver sugar balls.
I know they look a bit girly and pink and white for a boy's birthday, but if you're going to get your girlfirend to make cakes for your office what do you expect?!
Of course he told everyone he made them himself. Some of them even believed it.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Comfort food for a cold weekend
Its been a cold weekend again. Frost in the mornings, icy roads. There's been a beautifully clear and crisp feel to the air.
To my mind freezing weather requires home comforts, and I don't think it can get any more comforting than bangers for tea. Dan's dad and uncle had made a load of sausages and given us a few, so it seemed the perfect time to try out a dish that has been on the 'to do' list for a while: Toad in the Hole. Very traditional, very stodgy, and oh so perfect for a cold night.
I went back to my good old Kitchen Bible for this recipe, so it was Tamasin Day-Lewis' method. It turned out really well, despite the fact that I'd run out of plain white flour so had to use nearly all wholemeal. That didn't seem to spoil it in the least.
It even looked like the picture in the book! I was so proud.
Neither Dan nor I had ever had Toad in the Hole before, but we'll definitely be having it again. Dan had so much that he had to lie down to recover. The combination of crispy yorkshire pudding batter, good sausages, and wholegrain mustard, all dished up with green veg and gravy (me), plus mash (himself) - oh yes, its definitely a keeper.
Also this week, I finally baked the cookie dough I made before Christmas. It has sat in the freezer for over a month feeling unloved, but it is designed to be frozen, and it came out and baked up unspoilt.
So, White chocolate and Pecan Cookies (from the Hummingbird Bakery cook book) were also eaten in quantity over the last couple of days. Yummy. (A few did make it to the intended recipients - my running club - but not as many as I had planned. Dan kept swiping them every time he walked through the kitchen.)
To my mind freezing weather requires home comforts, and I don't think it can get any more comforting than bangers for tea. Dan's dad and uncle had made a load of sausages and given us a few, so it seemed the perfect time to try out a dish that has been on the 'to do' list for a while: Toad in the Hole. Very traditional, very stodgy, and oh so perfect for a cold night.
I went back to my good old Kitchen Bible for this recipe, so it was Tamasin Day-Lewis' method. It turned out really well, despite the fact that I'd run out of plain white flour so had to use nearly all wholemeal. That didn't seem to spoil it in the least.
It even looked like the picture in the book! I was so proud.
Neither Dan nor I had ever had Toad in the Hole before, but we'll definitely be having it again. Dan had so much that he had to lie down to recover. The combination of crispy yorkshire pudding batter, good sausages, and wholegrain mustard, all dished up with green veg and gravy (me), plus mash (himself) - oh yes, its definitely a keeper.
Also this week, I finally baked the cookie dough I made before Christmas. It has sat in the freezer for over a month feeling unloved, but it is designed to be frozen, and it came out and baked up unspoilt.
So, White chocolate and Pecan Cookies (from the Hummingbird Bakery cook book) were also eaten in quantity over the last couple of days. Yummy. (A few did make it to the intended recipients - my running club - but not as many as I had planned. Dan kept swiping them every time he walked through the kitchen.)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Daring Cooks January 2011 Challenge
Hurrah! The Daring Cooks January Challenge was to make Cassoulet. Last time I had Cassoulet was in Southern France near Carcassonne, and I've been meaning to try making it myself for quite some time. Walking round the walls of Carcassonne in the morning we could smell them starting to make the dish for the lunchtime customers. A wonderful garlic-y waft.
The gap between Christmas and New Year seemed the most logical time to make the recipe. It takes several days to put it all together, so I couldn't see myself feeling inspired once I'm back at the grindstone. Also, since we'd had roast duck for Christmas dinner, the leftovers from that seemed like the perfect starting point for Cassoulet.
So, Monday saw me starting to cook dinner for wednesday.
Here's the method:
I started with breast of lamb: I placed it in a casserole with half an onion, a couple of chopped celery stalks, 1 chopped carrot, some thyme and covered the lot with a glass of white wine and some water. I then put the lid on and cooked it at 140C for 3 hours. I turned and basted the meat 2 or 3 times during the cooking time.
Once it came out of the oven I put the meat between 2 chopping boards, weighed it down with a few tins of beans, and left it for 3 hours. I strained the cooking liquid and put it in a jug in the fridge overnight. Then I chopped the lamb up into long slices, arranged it on a wire rack over a roasting tin and cooked it for 20 minutes at 180C.
I already had a cooked duck leg from Christmas Dinner (otherwise I would have had to roast one at this point), so I chopped the meat off the bone and put that to one side too.
Next up were the beans: I weighed out 200g dried cannelinni beans and covered them in water and left them to soak overnight. The next day I drained the beans, rinsed them a couple of times, then placed them in a heavy based pan. I took the lamb stock out of the fridge, skimmed the fat off the top, and poured the liquid into the pan, topping it up with cold water to cover the beans. Then I added a few sprigs of parsley and a shake of dried thyme (as I had no fresh thyme to hand). I brought this little lot up to the boil, boiled it hard for a couple of minutes, skimmed the top, then turned it down to simmer for about 1hr 20 mins. Once the beans were done I drained them, reserving the liquid again, and fishing out the parsley.
Next were the pork sausages: I twisted each of the 2 sausages into 3 sections and cut them up.
Then, slice 1/2 an onion and 4 garlic cloves finely. Melt about a dessertspoon of duck fat and gently fry the onion. Add the garlic after about 5 mins and continue to fry until the whole lot is soft. Then add a handful of chopped pancetta or streaky bacon. Continue to fry gently for a few more minutes.
Then, layering up the casserole. I started with a layer of beans (1/3 of the quantity) in the bottom of your casserole dish, then added 1/2 of the onion mix, 1/2 of the lamb, 1 or the sausages, 1/2 of the duck slices, repeated the layering, then topped with the final 1/3 of the beans. I poured the stock over the lot, added a little more water until it comes about 2/3 of the way up the mixture. I sprinkled the mix with a small handful of breadcrumbs.
This is what it looked like (remarkably, a lot like it should really!):
I put the mix to one side for several hours for the flavours to develop (overnight is perfect).
The next day, I preheated the oven to 170C and put the casserole in for 1 hour (without the lid); once it had formed a gold crust I stirred it all through, put it back for another hour until another crust had formed, then repeated once more.
At this point I took the cassoulet out of the oven, spooned 2 portions into small casserole pots (there were 2 more portions left over after this), splashed a little more water in, and allowed it about 40 further minutes in the oven.
Once a final crust had formed, I served it with crunchy crusty bread and green salad. Very filling. A very appropriate dinner for a cold winter's day, and goodness I felt like I deserved it after all the effort of cooking it!
Another major hit with Dan (unsurprisingly - lots of fat and meat is always a hit with him!).
BlogChecking lines: Our January 2011 Challenge comes from Jenni of The Gingered Whisk and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. They have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn how to make a confit and use it within the traditional French dish of Cassoulet. They have chosen a traditional recipe from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman.
My recipe was a cross between the Anthony Bourdain recipe and Elizabeth David's one from French Country Cooking, adapted slightly to my own tastes and fridge contents.
The gap between Christmas and New Year seemed the most logical time to make the recipe. It takes several days to put it all together, so I couldn't see myself feeling inspired once I'm back at the grindstone. Also, since we'd had roast duck for Christmas dinner, the leftovers from that seemed like the perfect starting point for Cassoulet.
So, Monday saw me starting to cook dinner for wednesday.
Here's the method:
I started with breast of lamb: I placed it in a casserole with half an onion, a couple of chopped celery stalks, 1 chopped carrot, some thyme and covered the lot with a glass of white wine and some water. I then put the lid on and cooked it at 140C for 3 hours. I turned and basted the meat 2 or 3 times during the cooking time.
Once it came out of the oven I put the meat between 2 chopping boards, weighed it down with a few tins of beans, and left it for 3 hours. I strained the cooking liquid and put it in a jug in the fridge overnight. Then I chopped the lamb up into long slices, arranged it on a wire rack over a roasting tin and cooked it for 20 minutes at 180C.
I already had a cooked duck leg from Christmas Dinner (otherwise I would have had to roast one at this point), so I chopped the meat off the bone and put that to one side too.
Next up were the beans: I weighed out 200g dried cannelinni beans and covered them in water and left them to soak overnight. The next day I drained the beans, rinsed them a couple of times, then placed them in a heavy based pan. I took the lamb stock out of the fridge, skimmed the fat off the top, and poured the liquid into the pan, topping it up with cold water to cover the beans. Then I added a few sprigs of parsley and a shake of dried thyme (as I had no fresh thyme to hand). I brought this little lot up to the boil, boiled it hard for a couple of minutes, skimmed the top, then turned it down to simmer for about 1hr 20 mins. Once the beans were done I drained them, reserving the liquid again, and fishing out the parsley.
Next were the pork sausages: I twisted each of the 2 sausages into 3 sections and cut them up.
Then, slice 1/2 an onion and 4 garlic cloves finely. Melt about a dessertspoon of duck fat and gently fry the onion. Add the garlic after about 5 mins and continue to fry until the whole lot is soft. Then add a handful of chopped pancetta or streaky bacon. Continue to fry gently for a few more minutes.
Then, layering up the casserole. I started with a layer of beans (1/3 of the quantity) in the bottom of your casserole dish, then added 1/2 of the onion mix, 1/2 of the lamb, 1 or the sausages, 1/2 of the duck slices, repeated the layering, then topped with the final 1/3 of the beans. I poured the stock over the lot, added a little more water until it comes about 2/3 of the way up the mixture. I sprinkled the mix with a small handful of breadcrumbs.
This is what it looked like (remarkably, a lot like it should really!):
I put the mix to one side for several hours for the flavours to develop (overnight is perfect).
The next day, I preheated the oven to 170C and put the casserole in for 1 hour (without the lid); once it had formed a gold crust I stirred it all through, put it back for another hour until another crust had formed, then repeated once more.
At this point I took the cassoulet out of the oven, spooned 2 portions into small casserole pots (there were 2 more portions left over after this), splashed a little more water in, and allowed it about 40 further minutes in the oven.
Once a final crust had formed, I served it with crunchy crusty bread and green salad. Very filling. A very appropriate dinner for a cold winter's day, and goodness I felt like I deserved it after all the effort of cooking it!
Another major hit with Dan (unsurprisingly - lots of fat and meat is always a hit with him!).
BlogChecking lines: Our January 2011 Challenge comes from Jenni of The Gingered Whisk and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. They have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn how to make a confit and use it within the traditional French dish of Cassoulet. They have chosen a traditional recipe from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman.
My recipe was a cross between the Anthony Bourdain recipe and Elizabeth David's one from French Country Cooking, adapted slightly to my own tastes and fridge contents.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Moroccan meatballs
With all the Christmas roast meat I really felt like a different kind of dinner this week. A while back I spotted that a fellow Daring Cook had tried out a Moroccan meatballs recipe for our December 2010 challenge. In that version it was served with a poached egg (poaching was our challenge for the month). Looking for a slightly less rich dish after all the Christmas excesses I actually served it without the egg, but it would clearly be delicious with one. We had steamed rice and spinach instead.
The Moroccan Merguez Ragout recipe has a wonderful blend of spices, both in the meatballs and the accompanying ragout. I'm always going on about how much I like Moroccan and Middle Eastern food, so no surprise that I liked the dish, but Dan also particularly loved this, so thanks to Audax for a very delightful dinner!
Find the recipe here.
The Moroccan Merguez Ragout recipe has a wonderful blend of spices, both in the meatballs and the accompanying ragout. I'm always going on about how much I like Moroccan and Middle Eastern food, so no surprise that I liked the dish, but Dan also particularly loved this, so thanks to Audax for a very delightful dinner!
Find the recipe here.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
TV dinner
We were idly watching Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers programme the other evening when all of a sudden I pricked up my ears. Why was this? Because he was demonstrating a duck recipe.
Now I really do like duck. And my hunt for the perfect duck recipe has been tracked on this blog. We've tried duck accompanied by mango, cherry, and plum sauces, but tonight it was Nigel Slater's Duck with honey and figs on the menu.
The recipe is very citrusy, with orange zest and juice and lemon zest included, as well as ginger. It certainly sounded like it would be a good pick-me-up for a cold snowy night. And it did prove to be a good dinner - the citrus was refreshing but not overwhelming, the figs went lovely and soft, and with the addition of rice steamed with star anise and pak choi it was filling and warming.
Find the recipe on the BBC food website here.
So all in all, Nigel did not let us down, but the favourite Duck accompaniment remains as cherries. Will anything ever knock that off the top spot I wonder?
PS One day I will start taking beautifully lit, perfectly poised, photos of the food I make. For the time-being you will have to continue to suffer my "snap and eat" approach to food photography! Sorry about that!
Now I really do like duck. And my hunt for the perfect duck recipe has been tracked on this blog. We've tried duck accompanied by mango, cherry, and plum sauces, but tonight it was Nigel Slater's Duck with honey and figs on the menu.
The recipe is very citrusy, with orange zest and juice and lemon zest included, as well as ginger. It certainly sounded like it would be a good pick-me-up for a cold snowy night. And it did prove to be a good dinner - the citrus was refreshing but not overwhelming, the figs went lovely and soft, and with the addition of rice steamed with star anise and pak choi it was filling and warming.
Find the recipe on the BBC food website here.
So all in all, Nigel did not let us down, but the favourite Duck accompaniment remains as cherries. Will anything ever knock that off the top spot I wonder?
PS One day I will start taking beautifully lit, perfectly poised, photos of the food I make. For the time-being you will have to continue to suffer my "snap and eat" approach to food photography! Sorry about that!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
This week's colour is green
Green...It's the new black.
And it was the theme of this week's cooking. First up I made Lamb koftas's with green sauce. This is an indian dish of mildly spiced lamb meatballs in a yoghurty-herby sauce. It was something I found here on the BBC website and I've been meaning to make it for a little while. It makes a good winter night dinner with its comforting blend of warming spices and the creamy yoghurt sauce. You can make most of it ahead of time so it can be made quickly when you're ready to eat. Its definitely a tasty dinner, but not extraordinary in any way in my opinion.
Then at the weekend I made slow-cooked courgettes with lemons and dill to have on toast for lunch. This was from the Riverford Farm cook book, and can also be found here on their website. It was very good. I love the distinctive flavour of dill, so perhaps its unsurprising that I enjoyed the dish so much.
Not green, but a new twist on an old favourite, was a goats cheese souffle topping for fish pie. It worked well. Dan really enjoyed it. Because the souffle only needs a short time in the oven everything else does need to be cooked before you put the topping on - it doesn't spend long enough in the oven to cook the other ingredients.
Hope you enjoyed bonfire night!
And it was the theme of this week's cooking. First up I made Lamb koftas's with green sauce. This is an indian dish of mildly spiced lamb meatballs in a yoghurty-herby sauce. It was something I found here on the BBC website and I've been meaning to make it for a little while. It makes a good winter night dinner with its comforting blend of warming spices and the creamy yoghurt sauce. You can make most of it ahead of time so it can be made quickly when you're ready to eat. Its definitely a tasty dinner, but not extraordinary in any way in my opinion.
Then at the weekend I made slow-cooked courgettes with lemons and dill to have on toast for lunch. This was from the Riverford Farm cook book, and can also be found here on their website. It was very good. I love the distinctive flavour of dill, so perhaps its unsurprising that I enjoyed the dish so much.
Not green, but a new twist on an old favourite, was a goats cheese souffle topping for fish pie. It worked well. Dan really enjoyed it. Because the souffle only needs a short time in the oven everything else does need to be cooked before you put the topping on - it doesn't spend long enough in the oven to cook the other ingredients.
Hope you enjoyed bonfire night!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Mr McGregor
I am possibly not quite as bad as Mr McGregor since I didn't actually try to catch and eat Peter Rabbit, however we did have Rabbit Stew this week.
I spotted rabbit at the butcher's and bought some on impulse. The butcher said stew was the way to go with this particular specimen.
I'd never eaten rabbit before, and Dan had never had wild rabbit. Although he did tell me a charming anecdote about killing his pet rabbit when he was a kid and getting his mum to cook it for dinner. What a lovely boy I've ended up with.
Anyway, rabbit stew; it was quite tasty done to Jamie Oliver's stew recipe, although the meat was very lean so might be better in a creamy or yoghurt-y sauce in future. That would just keep it a bit moister I think.
The butcher did offer me a pigs trotter to go in the stew to up the fat content, but I felt that rabbit was enough new-ness for one meal. Couldn't quite bring myself to use a pig's foot!
I spotted rabbit at the butcher's and bought some on impulse. The butcher said stew was the way to go with this particular specimen.
I'd never eaten rabbit before, and Dan had never had wild rabbit. Although he did tell me a charming anecdote about killing his pet rabbit when he was a kid and getting his mum to cook it for dinner. What a lovely boy I've ended up with.
Anyway, rabbit stew; it was quite tasty done to Jamie Oliver's stew recipe, although the meat was very lean so might be better in a creamy or yoghurt-y sauce in future. That would just keep it a bit moister I think.
The butcher did offer me a pigs trotter to go in the stew to up the fat content, but I felt that rabbit was enough new-ness for one meal. Couldn't quite bring myself to use a pig's foot!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Spring Lamb in pub loos
Last year Dan's Dad very generously gave us half a lamb. An unusual gift, I grant you, but a useful one nonetheless.
(Sorry if the photo's in poor taste, but y'know we have to acknowledge where meat comes from.)
The one cut I had been rather dreading was the Lamb belly. I had no idea what to do with it, and I feared inedibility due to the fattiness of it.
I put it off, and put it off, and then delayed some more. But it has now been sitting in our freezer for a year, so this weekend I decided it was time to stop being a scaredy-cat and tackle the belly.
I took the recipe from a pub toilet wall.
Yes you read that right.
We ate at the Kingham Plough a few months back (very good - I recommend it, but not too often or you'll be bankrupt). They had papered their loo walls with pages from old farmhouse recipe books. While washing my hands I noticed one for how to cook lamb belly and figured it was one to remember since I knew I'd have to tackle the lamb belly in the freezer sooner or later.
So, here's the loo method:
Lamb Belly (or breast of lamb, which somehow sounds more appetising) with Butterbeans
serves 3
approx 500g lamb belly - trim off as much fat as possible, then roll it up with some sprigs of rosemary and thyme and a crushed garlic clove in the middle. Tie with string or cotton. I did 3 separate rolls, but I imagine one large one would also work.
Place this into a pan of boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes, then fish out the meat and put it into a bowl of cold water. I left this in the fridge for a few hours until I was ready to cook dinner, but I would think you could move straight onto the next step.
Place 2 or 3 rashers of bacon in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice a lemon and lay the lemon slices on top. Put the lamb pieces on top of the lemon.
Cover with 2 or 3 more slices of bacon.
Finely chop an onion and scatter over the top. Sprinkle on some rosemary and thyme.
Season with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt though as the bacon is salty).
Slosh about a glass of white wine into the pan, add 300ml of stock (or a stock cube), then top up the pan with cold water until the water just covers all the meat.
Bring slowly to the boil, skim off any scum that rises to the top with a slotted spoon, then allow to simmer for about an hour and a half. Keep the water topped up during this time.
About 10 minutes from the end of the cooking time cook any other vegetables you fancy (we had purple sprouting broccoli). Drain a 400g can of butterbeans, add a ladle of the liquid from the lamb pan and gently heat through.
Serve.
The verdict:
I won't be buying lamb belly; its too greasy for me to really enjoy it. But if I get given some again I won't be horrified. It was tender and had a nice flavour, but I think roasting it might be more successful as it would give all that fat a bit more opportunity to run off into the pan rather than ending up in the finished meal. I liked the flavours though so I would roll it with herbs and place some lemon on top, and butterbeans made a nice change from potatoes.
(Sorry if the photo's in poor taste, but y'know we have to acknowledge where meat comes from.)
The one cut I had been rather dreading was the Lamb belly. I had no idea what to do with it, and I feared inedibility due to the fattiness of it.
I put it off, and put it off, and then delayed some more. But it has now been sitting in our freezer for a year, so this weekend I decided it was time to stop being a scaredy-cat and tackle the belly.
I took the recipe from a pub toilet wall.
Yes you read that right.
We ate at the Kingham Plough a few months back (very good - I recommend it, but not too often or you'll be bankrupt). They had papered their loo walls with pages from old farmhouse recipe books. While washing my hands I noticed one for how to cook lamb belly and figured it was one to remember since I knew I'd have to tackle the lamb belly in the freezer sooner or later.
So, here's the loo method:
Lamb Belly (or breast of lamb, which somehow sounds more appetising) with Butterbeans
serves 3
approx 500g lamb belly - trim off as much fat as possible, then roll it up with some sprigs of rosemary and thyme and a crushed garlic clove in the middle. Tie with string or cotton. I did 3 separate rolls, but I imagine one large one would also work.
Place this into a pan of boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes, then fish out the meat and put it into a bowl of cold water. I left this in the fridge for a few hours until I was ready to cook dinner, but I would think you could move straight onto the next step.
Place 2 or 3 rashers of bacon in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice a lemon and lay the lemon slices on top. Put the lamb pieces on top of the lemon.
Cover with 2 or 3 more slices of bacon.
Finely chop an onion and scatter over the top. Sprinkle on some rosemary and thyme.
Season with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt though as the bacon is salty).
Slosh about a glass of white wine into the pan, add 300ml of stock (or a stock cube), then top up the pan with cold water until the water just covers all the meat.
Bring slowly to the boil, skim off any scum that rises to the top with a slotted spoon, then allow to simmer for about an hour and a half. Keep the water topped up during this time.
About 10 minutes from the end of the cooking time cook any other vegetables you fancy (we had purple sprouting broccoli). Drain a 400g can of butterbeans, add a ladle of the liquid from the lamb pan and gently heat through.
Serve.
The verdict:
I won't be buying lamb belly; its too greasy for me to really enjoy it. But if I get given some again I won't be horrified. It was tender and had a nice flavour, but I think roasting it might be more successful as it would give all that fat a bit more opportunity to run off into the pan rather than ending up in the finished meal. I liked the flavours though so I would roll it with herbs and place some lemon on top, and butterbeans made a nice change from potatoes.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Buffalo
Tonight I ate a buffalo.
Or at least, a buffalo burger.
And just because the sense of completeness pleased me, I had it with a tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella salad.
I went to a new farmers market at the weekend. New to me that is. There was a buffalo farmer there: They make a buffalo milk hard cheese and buffalo milk icecream, although I didn't buy either of these, as well as selling burgers, steaks etc. Oddly they don't make buffalo mozzarella; apparently its really fiddly!
The burgers were really good. Its a very low fat red meat and extremely nutritious. Slightly smokey flavoured. Hardly any fat came out as I grilled the burgers, so clearly they really are very lean.
I'll have to give the icecream a try next time and see if it agrees with me better than cow icecream.
Check it out!
Or at least, a buffalo burger.
And just because the sense of completeness pleased me, I had it with a tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella salad.
I went to a new farmers market at the weekend. New to me that is. There was a buffalo farmer there: They make a buffalo milk hard cheese and buffalo milk icecream, although I didn't buy either of these, as well as selling burgers, steaks etc. Oddly they don't make buffalo mozzarella; apparently its really fiddly!
The burgers were really good. Its a very low fat red meat and extremely nutritious. Slightly smokey flavoured. Hardly any fat came out as I grilled the burgers, so clearly they really are very lean.
I'll have to give the icecream a try next time and see if it agrees with me better than cow icecream.
Check it out!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Jamie O's Duck salad
I wasn't going to blog about this, but it was SO pretty with all the different colours on the plate that I just had to mention it.
This was it before I added the duck:
Even with the meat (which I don't think ever looks very pretty!) it was still a very attractive looking dish.
There's something very pleasing about having a dinner which looks lovely! I get the same satisfaction from mixed multi-coloured roast autumn vegetables. Such a colourful combination. Am I wierd or is this normal? Who knows?! Still, I suppose its nice that I'm easily pleased!
Here's the link to the recipe, which I got from the Jamie Oliver website. I recommend it. Very tasty.
This was it before I added the duck:
Even with the meat (which I don't think ever looks very pretty!) it was still a very attractive looking dish.
There's something very pleasing about having a dinner which looks lovely! I get the same satisfaction from mixed multi-coloured roast autumn vegetables. Such a colourful combination. Am I wierd or is this normal? Who knows?! Still, I suppose its nice that I'm easily pleased!
Here's the link to the recipe, which I got from the Jamie Oliver website. I recommend it. Very tasty.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
St Patrick's Day
Today is St Patrick's Day, and the most Irish thing I could think of (other than Guinness which I'm pretty sure I couldn't make!) was lamb stew. So that's what I have for lunch today.
My sisters will understand why it is a truely unbelievable occurence that I have made this....but let me explain.
My Dad, being retired, does the week-day cooking at my parents' house. He's a pretty decent cook. I like his spag bol, and shepherd's pie is always a favourite. Bacon and egg pie, also good. And he passed on a fantastic recipe for a smoked fish and potato dish.
But, as you may have deduced from the above list, cooking light meals is not something my Dad ever does.
Now, don't get me wrong; I do not mean to sound ungrateful here, but I have to confess that my heart literally sinks into my boots whenever the question 'what's on the menu?' is met with the reply 'good old bog standard'.
This means lamb stew.
And for some reason, I don't know why, it always seems a bit too greasy, a bit too fatty, a bit too heavy. I don't HATE it, but I would NEVER choose it.
Except that today I have lamb stew.
I cooked it long and slow with no added oil. I skimmed the fat off when it had cooled, and again when I took it out of the fridge to warm it up. I have little new potatoes in it instead of serving it with mash. I have nice fresh carrots and onions in it. And herbs.
I hope that all of this makes it more palatable to me. But I suspect that lamb stew just is, by its very nature, a heavy, fatty meal. That's the point of it.
Wish me luck....
UPDATE - Nope. Still don't like it much. Ah well, I tried!
My sisters will understand why it is a truely unbelievable occurence that I have made this....but let me explain.
My Dad, being retired, does the week-day cooking at my parents' house. He's a pretty decent cook. I like his spag bol, and shepherd's pie is always a favourite. Bacon and egg pie, also good. And he passed on a fantastic recipe for a smoked fish and potato dish.
But, as you may have deduced from the above list, cooking light meals is not something my Dad ever does.
Now, don't get me wrong; I do not mean to sound ungrateful here, but I have to confess that my heart literally sinks into my boots whenever the question 'what's on the menu?' is met with the reply 'good old bog standard'.
This means lamb stew.
And for some reason, I don't know why, it always seems a bit too greasy, a bit too fatty, a bit too heavy. I don't HATE it, but I would NEVER choose it.
Except that today I have lamb stew.
I cooked it long and slow with no added oil. I skimmed the fat off when it had cooled, and again when I took it out of the fridge to warm it up. I have little new potatoes in it instead of serving it with mash. I have nice fresh carrots and onions in it. And herbs.
I hope that all of this makes it more palatable to me. But I suspect that lamb stew just is, by its very nature, a heavy, fatty meal. That's the point of it.
Wish me luck....
UPDATE - Nope. Still don't like it much. Ah well, I tried!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
In (late) celebration of Chinese New Year
It was Chinese New Year last weekend (14th February), but I had a busy weekend and got back late on sunday from playing the cello at a wedding, so my intended Chinese-style meal had to be postponed for a week. This turned out to be a good thing in the end, as leafing through this saturday's Guardian newspaper I came across a delicious sounding Thai/Chinese style salad which I decided to make for the main course.
I tried out Salt and Szechuan Pepper Prawns (I have made these before, so they can't count towards a Recipe of the Week!), which are always yummy. I love the flavour of szechuan pepper.
Also, steamed vegetable stuffed spring rolls. I used rice noodle wrappers for these, which were a disaster! Rubbish to work with; either too sticky or too easy to crack. The filling was delicious but the wrappers were completely inedible. Never again. I'll use wonton wrappers next time.
Then the piece-de-resistance, Pork and Mango Salad. I tweaked the recipe from the newspaper in the following ways:
I used Pork instead of Beef.
I didn't have any avocado so I left it out, but added a few cherry tomatos and a few slices of spring onion.
I had watercress in the fridge but no rocket, so it was a watercress salad for us.
Dan had the salad with oodles of noodles, I had it as it came. Both were good.
Delicious - thank you Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Find the salad recipe here
I also made crumpets this weekend; nice to have on a snowy day after a run across the hills.
They were quite time-consuming to cook though, and not so much better than shop-bought ones, so I think laziness will prevail in future and I'll buy them ready-made!
I tried out Salt and Szechuan Pepper Prawns (I have made these before, so they can't count towards a Recipe of the Week!), which are always yummy. I love the flavour of szechuan pepper.
Also, steamed vegetable stuffed spring rolls. I used rice noodle wrappers for these, which were a disaster! Rubbish to work with; either too sticky or too easy to crack. The filling was delicious but the wrappers were completely inedible. Never again. I'll use wonton wrappers next time.
Then the piece-de-resistance, Pork and Mango Salad. I tweaked the recipe from the newspaper in the following ways:
I used Pork instead of Beef.
I didn't have any avocado so I left it out, but added a few cherry tomatos and a few slices of spring onion.
I had watercress in the fridge but no rocket, so it was a watercress salad for us.
Dan had the salad with oodles of noodles, I had it as it came. Both were good.
Delicious - thank you Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Find the salad recipe here
I also made crumpets this weekend; nice to have on a snowy day after a run across the hills.
They were quite time-consuming to cook though, and not so much better than shop-bought ones, so I think laziness will prevail in future and I'll buy them ready-made!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Persia and the Middle East
I'm at the stage in this project where I've made quite a few curries, a few Italian recipes, some Spanish and Latin American dishes and I'm craving something a bit more unusual.
Middle Eastern cooking is something I would love to investigate: I love the subtle warmth of spices in middle eastern and north-African cookery, and the subtle balancing of couscous, dried fruits, nuts, lamb. Beyond houmous and pitta bread its not all that easy to find good examples of food from the region in the UK. Actually, I think that the pitta and houmous you can generally find over here probably isn't that good when you compare it to the real thing.
I recently discovered that my local library has a rather good selection of recipe books, which gives me wonderful chances to experiment with new recipes without making my bank manager cry.
Last week I unearthed an old Middle Eastern cookery book by Claudia Roden. Its crammed with fantastic sounding recipes, so I've been struggling to choose where to start by experimenting.
This weekend I finally made a decision and attempted Spinach with Almonds, Terbiyeli Kofte (Turkish Lamb meatballs in lemon sauce), and steamed rice. Served with a small bowl of kalamata olives it all felt suitably authentic!
Terbiyeli Kofte
For the meatballs:
250g lean minced lamb
1 slice white bread (crusts cut off)
1/2 beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
salt
For the sauce:
1 egg yolk
juice 1/2-3/4 lemon
100ml water
salt and pepper
First make the meatballs.
Soak the bread in a splash of warm water, then squeeze the liquid out and combine with all the other ingredients, mixing well with your hands until it is all smooth and well-combined.
Form the mixture into marble-sized meatballs. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, reduce to a simmer and poach the meatballs for about 15-20 minutes.
Put the rice on to cook at this stage if you are having it as an accompaniment.
When the meatballs have about 10 minutes left to go make the sauce:
Bring half a pan of water to simmer point.
In a heat proof bowl (which will fit over your pan of water) stir the egg yolk until pale, then gradually add the lemon juice stirring as you go.
Once the lemon is incorporated add the water and season with salt and a little pepper.
Place the bowl on top of the pan of simmering water and warm through. DON'T let the sauce get to simmering point or it will curdle.
When the sauce is warm fish the meatballs out of their water with a slotted spoon. Put them in the lemon sauce and gently stir them round to coat them.
Serve.
I think that poaching meatballs is a fantastic way to cook them. I make a pasta recipe where the meatballs are poached in tomato sauce. They come out soft and flavoursome, and its a healthier way to cook. They really don't need to be fried.
The lemon sauce may sound like a wierd thing to put with meatballs, but trust me - its unusual but gorgeous.
This went well with spinach. Its definitely making it onto by 'make again' list, and I'll be working my way through more recipes from the same book in the coming weeks.
Middle Eastern cooking is something I would love to investigate: I love the subtle warmth of spices in middle eastern and north-African cookery, and the subtle balancing of couscous, dried fruits, nuts, lamb. Beyond houmous and pitta bread its not all that easy to find good examples of food from the region in the UK. Actually, I think that the pitta and houmous you can generally find over here probably isn't that good when you compare it to the real thing.
I recently discovered that my local library has a rather good selection of recipe books, which gives me wonderful chances to experiment with new recipes without making my bank manager cry.
Last week I unearthed an old Middle Eastern cookery book by Claudia Roden. Its crammed with fantastic sounding recipes, so I've been struggling to choose where to start by experimenting.
This weekend I finally made a decision and attempted Spinach with Almonds, Terbiyeli Kofte (Turkish Lamb meatballs in lemon sauce), and steamed rice. Served with a small bowl of kalamata olives it all felt suitably authentic!
Terbiyeli Kofte
For the meatballs:
250g lean minced lamb
1 slice white bread (crusts cut off)
1/2 beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
salt
For the sauce:
1 egg yolk
juice 1/2-3/4 lemon
100ml water
salt and pepper
First make the meatballs.
Soak the bread in a splash of warm water, then squeeze the liquid out and combine with all the other ingredients, mixing well with your hands until it is all smooth and well-combined.
Form the mixture into marble-sized meatballs. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, reduce to a simmer and poach the meatballs for about 15-20 minutes.
Put the rice on to cook at this stage if you are having it as an accompaniment.
When the meatballs have about 10 minutes left to go make the sauce:
Bring half a pan of water to simmer point.
In a heat proof bowl (which will fit over your pan of water) stir the egg yolk until pale, then gradually add the lemon juice stirring as you go.
Once the lemon is incorporated add the water and season with salt and a little pepper.
Place the bowl on top of the pan of simmering water and warm through. DON'T let the sauce get to simmering point or it will curdle.
When the sauce is warm fish the meatballs out of their water with a slotted spoon. Put them in the lemon sauce and gently stir them round to coat them.
Serve.
I think that poaching meatballs is a fantastic way to cook them. I make a pasta recipe where the meatballs are poached in tomato sauce. They come out soft and flavoursome, and its a healthier way to cook. They really don't need to be fried.
The lemon sauce may sound like a wierd thing to put with meatballs, but trust me - its unusual but gorgeous.
This went well with spinach. Its definitely making it onto by 'make again' list, and I'll be working my way through more recipes from the same book in the coming weeks.
Monday, December 14, 2009
up to date!
I've caught up!
My post here is what I cooked this weekend - Zanzibar chicken.
And very tasty it was too. I got the recipe from the BBC website ages ago but hadn't tried it out. Here it is.
It was quick, which was handy as I have been ill this week so didn't fancy making much effort. It was easy - even better. And it was filling, nutritious, tasty, warming. A keeper.
I think it would be just as good with chunks of white fish instead of chicken, and I would be inclined to use cubes of skinless chicken in future rather than putting in whole joints of the meat. That would make it even speedier.
I had intended to make sweet potato pie for pudding, but after having had a tummy bug for a couple of days I wasn't feeling the need for a two-course dinner, so that one has been postponed.
My post here is what I cooked this weekend - Zanzibar chicken.
And very tasty it was too. I got the recipe from the BBC website ages ago but hadn't tried it out. Here it is.
It was quick, which was handy as I have been ill this week so didn't fancy making much effort. It was easy - even better. And it was filling, nutritious, tasty, warming. A keeper.
I think it would be just as good with chunks of white fish instead of chicken, and I would be inclined to use cubes of skinless chicken in future rather than putting in whole joints of the meat. That would make it even speedier.
I had intended to make sweet potato pie for pudding, but after having had a tummy bug for a couple of days I wasn't feeling the need for a two-course dinner, so that one has been postponed.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Cuban cooking
I've been going on and on about wanting to go to Cuba for ages now, so this year Diane bought me a fantastic Cuban recipe book for my birthday. It is packed with lovely photos of the country and the people who live there, as well as some exciting sounding recipes.
I've had the book sitting on my shelf since August, and although I'd looked longingly at the pictures I hadn't actually cooked a single one of the dishes until this week. The recipes seem pretty authentic, which I think is fantastic as it gives a wonderfully evocative sense of how people might actually cook in the country, but it does make some of them quite tricky to do in the UK as we obviously don't have all the same ingredients readily available.
This week I was determined to use the book for its intended purpose, and flicking past whole roast piglet (a little impractical I felt, although maybe I'm being unambitious?!) I decided upon pork meatballs stiffed with quail eggs in tomato sauce.
Have you ever had a quail egg? I hadn't, but I found them in the shops fairly easily, and I was charmed by their prettiness - a lovely blue tinge to their shells and speckled all over with brown freckles.
The recipe called for them to be hardboiled and peeled. They were fiddly little buggers to peel! I got there in the end though, and they were certainly a lovely added touch to the meatballs. I did adapt the recipe slightly from the one in my book. A year or so ago I made this recipe for lemony meatballs which suggested just cooking the meatballs in tomato sauce without pre-frying them. It tasted good and cut out an extra step in the cooking (I'm all for simplifying) so I always do that with meatballs now. If you want to fry them though, go ahead!
I served this with rice and some spinach. It might work with pasta, or just a chunk of nice fresh bread. Please don't be daunted by the fact that this recipe looks long - its actually easy!
Here's the recipe (including my changes); enough for 2 people:
9 quail eggs (hardboiled and peeled)
For the meatballs:
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1/2 onion (sliced)
200-225g pork mince
1/2 beaten free range egg
1 slice of white bread (crusts cut off)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch ground cloves
about 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or a tablespoon of fresh if you have it)
salt and black pepper to taste
For the tomato sauce:
400g tin of plum tomatoes
100g passata
1/2 onion (sliced)
1 garlic clove (finely sliced)
salt + pepper to taste, plus a teaspoon dried oregano
Put all the ingredients for the tomato sauce in a pan together and cook over a low heat while you make the meatballs. The sauce can happily cook away for anything up to an hour (not that it will take that long to make the meatballs!)as long as you give it the occasional stir, and perhaps add a little water if its getting a bit too thick.
Turn oven on to heat up to 190C.
Put all the meatball ingredients for the meatballs into a food processor and blitz them to combine. Then take a small handful at a time (about the size of a golf ball), flatten it in the palm of your hand, place a quail egg in the middle and wrap the meat mixture around it. Repeat until you have 9 meatballs and have used all the mixture.
Place the meatballs in an oven proof dish and spoon over the tomato sauce which you have had cooking away. Its best to use a dish of the size where the meatballs fit reasonably snuggly in the base rather than having lots of room around them. Cover the dish and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
The taste test:
I loved the flavour of the cloves in this - I would never have though to add that myself, but it enhanced the flavour of the pork.
The quail eggs were beautiful - a richer taste than hens eggs, but so small that it definitely didn't overwhelm the other flavours.
I realise that the pictures below do not make this look appetizing! What can I say? I was hungry so I just took a quick snap and ate! Don't be fooled by my poor photography - its delicious!
The meatballs could be roasted or fried and served cold as part of a picnic meal, a bit like scotch eggs, or served warm with or without the tomato sauce as part of a tapas-style dinner.
All I've got to do now is actually make it to the country! I've got my eye on this tour. I even have some vouchers. Fingers and toes are all crossed for the hope I might finally make it this spring.
Also this week: Dauphinoise potatoes with obscene amounts of double cream. Dan was a very happy boy!
They didn't last long.
I've had the book sitting on my shelf since August, and although I'd looked longingly at the pictures I hadn't actually cooked a single one of the dishes until this week. The recipes seem pretty authentic, which I think is fantastic as it gives a wonderfully evocative sense of how people might actually cook in the country, but it does make some of them quite tricky to do in the UK as we obviously don't have all the same ingredients readily available.
This week I was determined to use the book for its intended purpose, and flicking past whole roast piglet (a little impractical I felt, although maybe I'm being unambitious?!) I decided upon pork meatballs stiffed with quail eggs in tomato sauce.
Have you ever had a quail egg? I hadn't, but I found them in the shops fairly easily, and I was charmed by their prettiness - a lovely blue tinge to their shells and speckled all over with brown freckles.
The recipe called for them to be hardboiled and peeled. They were fiddly little buggers to peel! I got there in the end though, and they were certainly a lovely added touch to the meatballs. I did adapt the recipe slightly from the one in my book. A year or so ago I made this recipe for lemony meatballs which suggested just cooking the meatballs in tomato sauce without pre-frying them. It tasted good and cut out an extra step in the cooking (I'm all for simplifying) so I always do that with meatballs now. If you want to fry them though, go ahead!
I served this with rice and some spinach. It might work with pasta, or just a chunk of nice fresh bread. Please don't be daunted by the fact that this recipe looks long - its actually easy!
Here's the recipe (including my changes); enough for 2 people:
9 quail eggs (hardboiled and peeled)
For the meatballs:
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1/2 onion (sliced)
200-225g pork mince
1/2 beaten free range egg
1 slice of white bread (crusts cut off)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch ground cloves
about 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or a tablespoon of fresh if you have it)
salt and black pepper to taste
For the tomato sauce:
400g tin of plum tomatoes
100g passata
1/2 onion (sliced)
1 garlic clove (finely sliced)
salt + pepper to taste, plus a teaspoon dried oregano
Put all the ingredients for the tomato sauce in a pan together and cook over a low heat while you make the meatballs. The sauce can happily cook away for anything up to an hour (not that it will take that long to make the meatballs!)as long as you give it the occasional stir, and perhaps add a little water if its getting a bit too thick.
Turn oven on to heat up to 190C.
Put all the meatball ingredients for the meatballs into a food processor and blitz them to combine. Then take a small handful at a time (about the size of a golf ball), flatten it in the palm of your hand, place a quail egg in the middle and wrap the meat mixture around it. Repeat until you have 9 meatballs and have used all the mixture.
Place the meatballs in an oven proof dish and spoon over the tomato sauce which you have had cooking away. Its best to use a dish of the size where the meatballs fit reasonably snuggly in the base rather than having lots of room around them. Cover the dish and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
The taste test:
I loved the flavour of the cloves in this - I would never have though to add that myself, but it enhanced the flavour of the pork.
The quail eggs were beautiful - a richer taste than hens eggs, but so small that it definitely didn't overwhelm the other flavours.
I realise that the pictures below do not make this look appetizing! What can I say? I was hungry so I just took a quick snap and ate! Don't be fooled by my poor photography - its delicious!
The meatballs could be roasted or fried and served cold as part of a picnic meal, a bit like scotch eggs, or served warm with or without the tomato sauce as part of a tapas-style dinner.
All I've got to do now is actually make it to the country! I've got my eye on this tour. I even have some vouchers. Fingers and toes are all crossed for the hope I might finally make it this spring.
Also this week: Dauphinoise potatoes with obscene amounts of double cream. Dan was a very happy boy!
They didn't last long.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Moroccan flavours for winter warming
When I went to Morocco I didn't get to taste a single morsel of the food. I was playing on a cruise ship, we docked for less than 24 hours and I had to be back on the ship for rehearsals at lunchtime. What a shame that now seems.
This week's recipe was Moroccan roast lamb, so I decide to keep the theme running and have a go at homemade houmous too.
The lamb was good. Roasted with butter, garlic, and cumin, and served with couscous and roast Mediterranean vegetables. The only problem with it was that on a cold British sunday what you really want with roast lamb is rosemary, garlic, gravy and roast potatoes. A good dish for a springtime meal though I think.
The houmous on the other hand, I was proud of. Made from scratch, including soaking the chickpeas overnight, it was firmer and less oily than the shop variety. I expect that canned chickpeas would be absolutely fine, but it seemed not quite in the spirit of the project to use them. At least not the first time.
Houmous
100g dried chickpeas
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon tahini
1-2 garic cloves - crushed
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Cover the chicpeas in cold water and leave to soak overnight.
The next day rinse the chickpeas, put in a heavy bottomed pan, cover in cold water, bring slowly to the boil. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface, reduce the heat and leave to simmer with the lid on for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the chickpeas are tender.
Drain, reserving a bit of the cooking liquid. Put into a food processor with the lemon juice, tahini,garlic and seasoning and blend until smooth. Mix in a little olive oil and some of the cooking water until the houmous reaches your prefered consistency.
Taste and adjust to your own preferences - personally I like my houmous fairly lemony but not too oily. I also added a little sprinkle of paprika at the end. A few toasted cumin seeds are also a good addition.
Enjoy!
This week's recipe was Moroccan roast lamb, so I decide to keep the theme running and have a go at homemade houmous too.
The lamb was good. Roasted with butter, garlic, and cumin, and served with couscous and roast Mediterranean vegetables. The only problem with it was that on a cold British sunday what you really want with roast lamb is rosemary, garlic, gravy and roast potatoes. A good dish for a springtime meal though I think.
The houmous on the other hand, I was proud of. Made from scratch, including soaking the chickpeas overnight, it was firmer and less oily than the shop variety. I expect that canned chickpeas would be absolutely fine, but it seemed not quite in the spirit of the project to use them. At least not the first time.
Houmous
100g dried chickpeas
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon tahini
1-2 garic cloves - crushed
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Cover the chicpeas in cold water and leave to soak overnight.
The next day rinse the chickpeas, put in a heavy bottomed pan, cover in cold water, bring slowly to the boil. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface, reduce the heat and leave to simmer with the lid on for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the chickpeas are tender.
Drain, reserving a bit of the cooking liquid. Put into a food processor with the lemon juice, tahini,garlic and seasoning and blend until smooth. Mix in a little olive oil and some of the cooking water until the houmous reaches your prefered consistency.
Taste and adjust to your own preferences - personally I like my houmous fairly lemony but not too oily. I also added a little sprinkle of paprika at the end. A few toasted cumin seeds are also a good addition.
Enjoy!
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