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    Showing posts with label Winter delights. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label Winter delights. Show all posts

    Monday, July 13, 2020

    Lamb Shanks-More Winter Fare

    This time of the year people with Citrus trees are blessed with so much fruit.
    So what to do with it?
    I was given a bag of Oranges, we had Lemon on the tree and Grapefruit
    So much colour
    So I decided to use some of the orange juice in a casserole, along with some left over Rose Wine
    Yes I did have some leftover wine!!!
    We also had two Lamb Shanks and some vegetables in the fridge so I  improvised
    These two shanks fed 4 of us

    3 tablespoons Olive Oil
    2 Lamb Shanks
    3 tablespoons Flour
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    1 onion peeled and chopped
    1 carrot chopped
    2 sticks celery chopped
    2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
    Piece of pumpkin peeled and chopped
    1 oxo cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water
    1 cup orange juice
    1 cup rose wine

    Heat the oven to 160C this is a long slow cook

    Dry the lamb shanks in a paper towel
    Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper
    Put the leftover flour to one side
    In a pan drizzle the olive oil
    Brown the shanks and place them in a casserole dish

    Add more oil to the pan if necessary and add the chopped onions
    Cook for about 4-5 minutes until soft but not brown
    Add the carrot, celery, garlic and pumpkin
    Continue to saute until softened
    Add leftover flour and mix well, 
    Add the orange juice, rose wine and oxo cube dissolved in water
    Cook until thickened
    Pour over the lamb shanks and pop into oven 
    Cook for about 3 hours
    When cooked take the meat off the bone
    Return to casserole and best served with mashed potatoes and a green vege of your choice
    Enjoy

    Sunday, April 28, 2019

    Chicken Chasseur - Cooking With Sheryl

    My friend Sheryl was a Runner Up in the Miss New Zealand Contest in 1970
    In the weekend ,we found this clip of Sheryl, holding a Graham Kerr Cookbook
    Apparently  this was her “original” recipe, which caused us quite a bit of mirth
    as Cooking was not really in her repertoire back then
    Of course things have changed and she is a very competent cook now

    So I decided we should cook her favourite recipe
    As I read through I realized it was a Classic French Recipe…Chicken Chasseur
    But we shall continue to call it Sheryl’s Original…Perfect
    The actual recipe was using a whole chicken,
    But I used Chicken Thighs, as that was what we had on hand 
    So I have adjusted the recipe 

    For 4 people

    750 gms Chicken Thighs
    60 gms Butter
    60 mls Olive oil
    1 Onion peeled and chopped
    1 tablespoon Mixed Herbs
    4 tablespoon Tomato Paste
    280 mls Chicken Stock
    280 mls Dry White Wine
    3 slices Shoulder Bacon, chopped
    300 gms Mushrooms chopped
    Lemon Juice
    Arrowroot for thickening
    Parsley for Garnishing


    In a large pan brown the chicken in the oil and butter
    Add onion and fry till tender
    Add herbs, tomato paste, stock and wine
    Season with salt and pepper
    Cook till the chicken is tender
    Remove chicken when cooked and cut into bite sized pieces

    Liquid will have reduced
    Thicken with arrowroot (1 tablespoon)  mixed with  a little water

    In a separate pan fry the bacon till just cooked
    Add the mushrooms, squeeze of lemon and continue cooking till tender
    When the liquid has thickened, add the chicken back plus the bacon and mashroom mix
    You can cook up to this point, earlier in the day
    Then reheat when needed

    Serve over rice and garnish with a little chopped parsley  
    Beautiful,  Well Done Sheryl


    Wednesday, July 25, 2018

    Pork Chops in Creamy Tomato Sauce

    What I am loving about regularly cooking for several people…
    (who will eat anything, well almost everything,) on a daily basis...
    It gives me a chance to try out some of the many recipes I read everyday
    So much inspiration, most, really so so simple and so so tasty
    Just perfect

    Recently staying with my Hawkes Bay Hosts, I came across this on the Better Recipes Site, submitted by Rachel Popa
    Pork Chops in Creamy Tomato Sauce... of course, as usual, I often make some changes to make the recipe my own
    Usually to add some extra flavour
    This time I added Onions...Everything tastes better with Onions
    Plus I used Passata instead of canned tomato sauce recommended by the recipe writer
    And for extra seasoning some Vegeta Powdered stock.
    Thumbs up from the hosts

    Ingredients:

    4 Pork Chops
    2 teaspoons Garlic powder

    Sea Salt and Black Pepper
    1 tablespoon Olive oil
    1 onion thinly sliced
    1 cup Tomato Passata
    1/2 cup cream
    1/2 cup hot water with 1 tsp Vegeta dissolved
    1/4 cup basil chopped


    Directions:
    First, preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
    Trim excess fat off the pork chops
    Place the fat in a cold pan and slowly raise heat to medium and render it
    Perfect for browning the chops

    Sprinkle pork chops in garlic powder
    Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    Brown in the fat over medium heat… for about two or three minutes on each side.
    Set aside
    Add olive oil to pan and add onions
    Lightly sauté till translucent
    Meanwhile mix Passata, Cream and hot water with powdered Vegeta
    Add to onions in the pan
    Cook for about 2-3 minutes
    Add chopped Basil
    Place the pork chops in a baking dish, and pour onion sauce over pork chops..
    Bake covered in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through.
    Tear some basil leaves over the top

    Serve with Mashed Potato and other vegetable of choice… we had Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower
    Delicious
    NB: Mary used the leftover sauce mixed with some fried bacon to smother some pasta
    Waste not want Not, Another Dinner...always a winner

    Tuesday, July 11, 2017

    Garlicky Chicken With Lemon-Anchovy Sauce and Spinach

    Who doesn't like Roasted Juicy Lemony Garlic Chicken
    The anchovies add that extra "je ne sais quoi"
    So please add them, even if you are not keen on anchovies
    Just think of extra seasoning
    I found this on the NY Times Cooking Page, recipe attributed to Melissa Clarke
    It's more or less true to the recipe
    BUT, I added some spinach for colour and goodness
    Also the recipe called for Boneless, Skinless Thighs
    Noooo we want the bone and the skin for that extra flavour
    Plus, if you are not calorie counting, there is the gorgeous skin to eat
    AND the bones to suck, the best bit I reckon
     
    Ingredients for 4 people

        4 large chicken thighs, Skin on, Bone in
        1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
        Freshly ground black pepper
        6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
        ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
        5 anchovy fillets
        2 tablespoons drained capers, patted dry
        1 large pinch chile flakes
        1 lemon, halved
        Fresh chopped parsley, for serving

    1 bag spinach, broken up


    Method
    Heat oven to 175C
    Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper
    and let rest while you prepare the anchovy-garlic oil. 
     Mince one of the garlic cloves and set it aside for later.

    In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil.
    When the oil is hot, add the 5 smashed whole garlic cloves,
    the anchovies, capers and chili.
    Let cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies,
    until the garlic browns around the edges and the anchovies dissolve,
    3 to 5 minutes.
    Add the chicken thighs skin down and cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes. 
    Flip the thighs, place the pan in the oven and cook another 5 to 10 minutes,
    until the chicken is cooked through.
    When chicken is done, transfer thighs to a plate (be careful, as the pan handle will be hot).
    Place skillet back on the heat and add remaining minced garlic and the juice of one lemon half.

    Cook for about 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
    Return chicken to the pan and cook it in the sauce for another 15 to 30 seconds.
    Transfer the chicken to a warm serving plate
    Add spinach to the pan
    Cook for 2-3 minutes, till spinach wilts

    Squeeze the remaining lemon half into the pan and
    pour everything over the chicken
    Serve.
    Goes well with Potato Bake

    Argentine Steak-More Food for Winter

    I have no idea why dish this was named Argentine Steak...but once again it came from the tried and true "Triple Tested" Cook Book...A favourite Cookbook from the 60's and 70s for those of us that lived in Wellington and Environs, during that time 
    Perfect for a dinner party
    Simple, cheap and better still... best prepared the night before
    A young Mothers' Dream Party Meal

    I have resurrected it for this Winter
    Got thumbs up from my guests
    Ingredients
    1.5 Kg Blade steak 
    2 tablespoons sugar
    2 Tablespoons Flour
    1 tsp curry powder
    1 tsp ground ginger

    1 glass port
    1 glass tomato sauce
    1/2 glass vinegar
    1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
    Juice and zest of 1 lemon
    1 clove garlic crushed with a some sea salt


    Cup Grated cheese
    Chopped bacon (3 rashers)


    Handful Pitted Prunes

    Garnish
    Parsley, finely chopped

    Cut Steak into 2 in pieces
    Place on flat oven proof dish 13” x 9” / 350 x 240 mm
    Mix sugar, flour, ginger and curry powder
    Massage into meat
    Pour over Port, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire. lemon juice and rind
    Plus grated  cheese and chopped bacon
    You can prepare the dish ahead and leave overnight in the fridge ( recommended )
    Pre-heat oven 175C
    Cover with tinfoil
    Bake for  1 hour
    Add prunes
     Bake for another hour
    Garnish with some finely chopped parsley
    Serve with Potato Mash and Garlicy Green beans

    For the beans
    Top and tail the beans
    Blanch in salted boiling water for just 2 mins
    Drain and run under cold water to cool
    Put aside till you need them

    In another pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil
    2 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed with a little sea salt
    Zest of 1 lemon


    Heat gently over medium heat, don't brown the garlic, it will get bitter
    Add cooked green beans
    Toss over medium heat till they are heated through

    Monday, July 10, 2017

    Veal Orloff - Veal Roast That Can Wait

    Veal Prince Orloff, Veal Prince Orlov, Veal Orloff, or Veal Orlov is a 19th-century dish of Russian cuisine, which was created by the French chef Urbain Dubois in the employ of Prince Orloff, 
    former Russian ambassador to France.  Source Wikipedia 
    The secret of this dish is in making a very tasty stuffing, which is slathered over slices of perfectly cooked Veal,  Covered with Cheese sauce and can be prepared earlier in the day and baked just before dinner is needed

    Make ahead, in fact it is probably better, so that flavours meld
    I was inspired by Julia Child and it was excellent
    You can buy the meat especially, to make this dish or 
    Even better, on this occasion I had a piece of Lamb Rump
    leftover from dinner the previous night
    Why not improvise and use Lamb instead of Veal, so I did
    Got the thumbs up from my Lodger
    I served it with Mashed Potatoes and Mrs Child’s idea for tarting up Frozen Peas
    Recipe below


    I will give the instructions to make the "stuffing" first
    This can be made and put aside until needed
    It is made up of of Rice and Onion Puree
    Chopped Mushroom Sauce
    and a good old Bechamel Sauce

    Please don't be put off by the steps, it is worth it

    First prepare the Soubise (Rice and onions)
    ¼ cup raw white rice
    1 litre boiling water
    1 Tb salt


    Drop the rice into boiling salted water.
    Boil 5 minutes. Drain.

    3 Tb butter
    A 6- to 8-cup, heavy, fireproof casserole with cover
    1 lb. (3½ cups) sliced yellow onions
    ½ tsp salt


    Melt the butter in a pan
    Stir in the onions and salt, and coat well with butter; 

    stir in the rice.
    Cover and cook over very low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour,
    until the rice and onions are very tender but not browned.
    Keep an eye on it and if the mix is getting too brown add some water
    Puree in a blender and set aside

    The Mushroom Duxelles
    250 gms finely minced fresh mushrooms (makes 2 cups)
    3 Tb minced shallots or green onions
    2 Tb butter
    1 Tb oil


    An 8-inch heavy-bottomed skillet
    Salt and pepper

    Melt the butter and the Oil in the hot pan
    Add onions and mushrooms
    Toss together and cook for about 5-6 minutes until  all juices are absorbed
    Season with Salt and Pepper
    Set aside

    Make the Béchamel Sauce
    Take a  heavy-bottomed saucepan

    6 Tb butter
    8 Tb flour
    3 Cups Hot Milk
    1 Bay leaf
    Sea salt and Freshly Ground Black pepper
    Pinch of nutmeg


    ½ cup whipping cream
    1/2 cup Grated Cheese
    Extra grated Cheese for topping

    Infuse the milk with Bay Leaf and good grind of Pepper 
    Use the microwave for this so so simple

    Melt the butter in the saucepan.
    Stir in the flour and cook slowly together, stirring,
    until they foam for 2 minutes without coloring.
    Remove from heat,
    pour in all the hot liquid at once and beat vigorously with wire whip.
    Beat in the seasonings.
    Bring to the boil, stirring, and boil for 1 minute.
    Correct seasoning.
    Sauce will be very thick.
    Pour 1 cup of sauce into the cooked rice and onions.

    Add mushrooms to the onion and rice mix

    Beat the cream into the rest of the sauce and set aside

    Now you are ready to assemble

    Slice the roast meat into neat serving slices about 3/16 of an inch thick,
    piling them to one side in the order in which you sliced them.
    The roast is now to be returned in slices to the serving platter:
    Place the last slice you carved in the platter,
    sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper,
    then spread with a spoonful of the filling.
    Overlap the next slice of veal on the first, sprinkle with salt and pepper,
    spread with filling, and continue thus down the length of the platter.
    Spread any extra filling around and over the meat.
    Take the remaining Béchamel Sauce and warm it up
    You may need to add a little more cream or milk if necessary
    Take off heat
    Add the 1/3 cup grated cheese
    Beat well till cheese melted

    Spoon over the meat
    Cover with extra grated cheese
    About 30 to 40 minutes before serving, set in the upper position of a preheated, 180 C-degree oven until the sauce is bubbling and the top has browned lightly.
    Do not overcook, or the meat will dry out and lose character.

    Once ready, the dish will stay warm for 20 to 30 minutes in the turned-off hot oven, its door ajar.

    So to make the best Pureed/Mashed Potatoes
    This may sound strange but I got this idea from another Cooking Icon
    Delia Smith
    Beat your cooked potatoes with a hand held electric Beater
    It's a bit hard to give exact quantities, so this a rule of thumb way to cook


    1 med Potato per person, more for greedy people
    Milk
    Butter
    Freshly Ground Black Pepper

    Peel and cut potatoes into large cubes
    Put into cold salted water
    Bring to boil and simmer till fork tender

    Drain
    Back onto the heat
    add enough milk to just cover the bottom of the pan
    Get out your handbeater and start slowly to beat
    Start adding  knobs of cold butter, till it reaches the consistency that you like

    Season with Freshly Ground Black Pepper

    Now
    How To Make Frozen Peas a bit more exciting
    This method of cooking frozen peas gives them the character they often lack.
    Use two pans when you are cooking more than two 500 gms packs of peas;
    if too many peas are cooked in one pan,
    the cooking liquid will not evaporate by the time the peas are done.
    For each 500 gm package of frozen peas:
    1 Tb butter
    1 Tb minced shallots or green onions
    ¼ tsp salt
    Pinch of pepper
    ½ cup chicken stock or canned chicken or mushroom broth, or water


    Allow the peas to thaw enough so they can be separated.
    Bring the butter, shallots or green onions, seasonings, and liquid to the boil in a pan. 
    Add the peas, cover, and boil slowly for 5 to 6 minutes or until the peas are tender.
    Uncover and rapidly boil off any remaining liquid.
    Correct seasoning.
    Put peas and potatoes in serving dishes
    Maybe a little more  butter on the Potatoes
    Voila... Dinner is served
    Devour. It is fantastic