Pak Choi And Carrot Meatballs For The Secret Recipe Club

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Tandy

This month, I have been assigned Lick The Spoon for The Secret Recipe Club challenge. The name of the blog conjures up images of cake baking and offering the spoon to Dave – something he loves to do. It also reminds me of my niece Sasha, who licks away at her fingers the whole time during the baking process. Louise is an experimental Australian cook who is also a mum and a housewife and she shares with us that she bakes when she has time! I considered trying a baking recipe, but we are still on diet! I spent quite a long time browsing and trying to decide what to make. Not an easy thing to do before breakfast, when you are hungry and all the dishes look good! I finally decided I would make the Spinach and Carrot Meatballs as we are eating a lot more vegetables now that we are on a low carbohydrate diet. I had just purchased a packet of pak choi (bok choy) which is a Chinese cabbage. It has a soft green leaf, similar to that of spinach, and I thought it would make a great substitute. I included the entire stem and this may have resulted in my balls not forming without the aid of an egg yolk. The meal was delicious (thanks Louise) and we had enough meatballs for a generous portion for supper, as well as lunch for me the following day.

and if you are wondering what all the marks are on the plate, it is flaked oryx salt I used as a finishing salt.

PAK CHOI AND CARROT MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

20mls olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

A clove garlic, finely chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground paprika

250g ground beef

125g pak choi, finely sliced

1 medium carrot, grated

A very generous amount of salt to season

1 egg yolk

Method:

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pan

Sauté the onion and the garlic until soft

Add the spices and cook until you can smell the spices

Set aside to cool

When cool add to the ground beef

Add the pak choi and the carrot

Season well

Add the egg yolk and mix together

Form into just bigger than bite size balls

Place into the fridge for 30 minutes to allow them to firm up

Heat the balance of the oil in the pan and cook the meatballs for about 3 minutes per side

Make sure they are cooked through before serving

© recipe from Lavender & Lime Blog

Tandy

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Tapas Tomatoes

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Tandy

I did not manage to get my tapas recipe in on time for the food24 competition so decided it would be perfect for this month’s vinatics. I just love nibbling while drinking and even more so when it is with friends. We have done a fair bit of entertaining this past month and the one thing I know about myself is that I need to eat when I drink. Tapas make the perfect sense to start an evening off with – a small bite or two to whet the appetite, as well as to make sure the wine does not go down on an empty stomach. We were tasked to choose something from the KWV Classic Collection and this was my choice as it goes down perfectly at the start of a warm evening.

Chill the pinotage before serving and enjoy! This tapas was inspired by my gezpacho however, some people like my husband do not like raw onions, and so I needed to cook the ingredients before serving them. I grew up eating raw onions, but since I have stopped eating them raw to suit Dave’s palate, I have found them quite offensive in some dishes. The raw onion flavour overpowers everything else. These little tapas are a perfect way to start the evening – a little slurp of something before tucking into the wine, and the conversation.

TAPAS TOMATOES

ingredients:

2 roma tomatoes, cut in half

1 red pepper, cut in half and deseeded

2 garlic cloves, cut in half (you can leave the paper on)

olive oil for sprinkling

salt for seasoning

small handful of fresh thyme

1 tablespoon lemon infused olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon hot paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

handful of flat leaf parsley

150mls vegetable stock

method:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

place the tomatoes skin side down into a baking tray

play the red pepper skin side up into the baking tray

add the garlic and then sprinkle with olive oil

season with salt, and add the thyme

bake for 20 minutes and then leave to cool

heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions until soft

add the paprika and the cumin

remove the garlic from the skins and add to the onion

roughly chop the tomatoes and the pepper

add them to the onions with any of the juices

place all of the ingredients into a blender with the parsley and the stock and process until smooth

Printable Version

Edit September 21st: I have withdrawn my entry from the Vinatics competition as it does not quite comply with food24′s rules of blogging about the actual evening and publishing photographs of my guests.

Tandy

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Smokey Chicken

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Tandy

I did a post on poached crayfish, and straight away someone wanted to know if I was handcuffed and waiting in shackles, after having poached the crays! The crays of course were legally caught, and poached in stock! So, I hope he is not going to wonder if I smoked the chicken! Seems titles can be confusing sometimes but this is what I originally called the dish when I made it in April. The smokiness comes from the smoked paprika I used. This spice does not get used that often in my kitchen but every now and then it makes an appearance when I feel like a Spanish twist to my meals. Hopefully my new friend Chica Andaluza does not think I am being too hopeful by imagining that a little bit of paprika can transport me to Spain!

SMOKEY CHICKEN

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 chicken pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

140g button mushrooms, quartered

160g whole baby plum tomatoes

1 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup frozen peas

1 teaspoon arrowroot

method:

heat the olive oil in a pot or tagine

season and brown the chicken pieces

remove and set aside while you cook the mushrooms

add the tomatoes and the wine

when the wine has come to the boil adjust the seasoning and add back the chicken

add the herbs and spices

cover and simmer for 40 minutes

remove the lid and add the peas

using 2 tablespoons of the gravy, mix in the arrowroot

add back to the pot and allow the sauce to thicken

Printable Version

Tandy

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Tomato and Aubergine Chutney

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Tandy

Chutney is a word we have borrowed from the Hindi language and even though the condiment is from South Asia, it is an extremely common ingredient that can be found in most South African homes. In fact, when I went to Germany earlier this year Michelle asked me for Mrs. Ball’s Chutney. This is a truly South African product, and when we were growing up came in one flavour only. The brand has grown, and all sorts of flavours are now available. Unfortunately for me there is no sucrose free one available on the market and so I have resorted to making my own for the past 20 years.

TOMATO AND AUBERGINE CHUTNEY

adapted from Food & Home Entertaining July 2005, page 69

ingredients:

500g Roma tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped

200g aubergines, finely chopped

200g red peppers, deseeded and finely chopped

300g onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

180g sugar – I used fructose

150mls white wine vinegar

7.5mls salt

5mls coriander seeds

7.5mls ground paprika

5mls cayenne pepper

Please note, do not be too exact with the vegetable measurements, just get as close as you can!

method:

place the tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, onions and garlic into a sauté pan over a medium heat

you want everything to get really hote

cover and reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally

add the balance of the ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved

continue to simmer with the lid off for 20 minutes, or until the liquid has dissolved

you want a chunky chutney consistency

stir towards the end of the cooking time to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of your pan

cool and place into sterilized glass jars for storing

Printable Version

Tandy

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Crayfish Curry

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Tandy

I love the scent of spices slowly warming in a pan. They remind me of walking through the Souk in Jerusalem. When I was 16 a group of friends and I went to experience the wonders of the Holy Land. Cooking was not on the agenda, and as it was not something I loved or wanted to do, the Souk was a sight experience, not a shopping experience. I was fortunate enough to visit the spice Souk in Dubai and that was all about shopping. I went to spend the millennium in Dubai, with one of my oldest and closest friends. She was working there, and I went to see her and the country. It was the middle of Ramadan and so the Souk’s were open late and we could walk through at night. The sights were something to behold and as I type this I regret not having taken photographs of the colours of the spices laid out for people to buy. I bought some saffron and I still to this day look for the same packaging, as I know the quality was excellent. I usually make my curry blends fresh and if you have the time, do so yourself as well.

CRAYFISH CURRY

ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 red onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 piece ginger (2.5cm), peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder (add more if you prefer your curry hot)

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 small handful fresh coriander, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 star anise

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ cup white wine

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

½ cup water (if needed)

2 crayfish tails, sliced

method:

in a pan, heat your oil

sauté the onion until soft

add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and chilli and cook until you can smell the spices

add the coriander, paprika, star anise and cumin

once you can smell the spices, add the white wine

cook until the alcohol has burnt off

add the seasoning and loosen the sauce with water if necessary

add the crayfish and cook until done (about 5 minutes)

Printable Version

Tandy

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Chicken Stuffed With Avocado

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Tandy

Avocado is one of the healthiest fats you can eat. I can highly recommend that when they are seasonal you make the most of the lovely green flesh and eat them in which ever way takes your fancy. I love them plain, or with salt. My grandmother loved them with brown malt vinegar and sugar and as I type this I am salivating at the thought. I use avocado on pizza and will eat it with cheese on toast. It is great with pasta and even better with chicken. This dish is easy to prepare and all you need to do is be a bit patient when you slice the chicken breasts and stuff them. The oven takes care of the rest.

CHICKEN STUFFED WITH AVOCADO

ingredients:

70g cream cheese

70g avocado

½ red chilli, sliced

2 chicken breasts

handful of rosemary stalks

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

paprika for colour

method:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

using a fork mash together the cream cheese and the avocado

add the chilli

make a slit in the flesh of the chicken breast

using a spoon or a piping bag fill the slit with the avocado mix

place the rosemary stalks on the bottom of an oven proof dish

place the chicken breasts on top of the rosemary

season

sprinkle the paprika over the skin

bake for 40 minutes, making sure they are properly cooked before removing from the oven

Printable Version

Tandy

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Crayfish Goulash

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Tandy

According to my Larousse, goulash is a Hungarian beef soup named after the keepers of the Magyar oxen (gulyas). The origin of this dish which is now made with onions and paprika and garnished with potatoes, dates back to the 9th Century, before the foundation of the Hungarian state, when nomadic tribes prepared a meal that was in keeping with their way of life. At that time goulash consisted of chunks of meat stewed slowly until the cooking liquid completely boiled away. The meat was dried in the sun to be used later to prepare a stew or a soup by boiling it in water.

Traditionally, goulash is made in a special cauldron (bogracs). There are a number of regional variants of the recipe according to the cut of beef and the cooking fat used, but purists agree that goulash should not include flour or wine, nor should soured cream be added just before serving. Hungarians regard Viennese goulash as a flour-thickened version of genuine goulash soup; in Hungary the latter is sometimes served with potatoes and small quenelles of egg pasta, poached in stock.

I was given a bag of paprika from my friend after their visit to Hungary and knew that I had to use it straight away. We did not have any beef out of the freezer, but as our local ingredient is the crayfish we catch ourselves, I could see no reason why not to substitute the beef for crayfish.

recipe adapted from Larousse

ingredients:

50g butter

125g onions, peeled and sliced into rings

250g tomatoes, peeled and seeded and cut into quarters

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 bouquet garni

1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika

400g potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

500mls stock

2 crayfish tails, sliced

method:

melt the butter in a casserole dish

add the onions and cook until soft

add the tomatoes, garlic, bouquet garni, paprika and potatoes

cover with the vegetable stock and season

bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft

add the crayfish tails and increase the heat and bring back to the boil

adjust the seasoning and serve very hot

Tandy

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Roasted Red Pepper and Roasted Tomato Soup

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Tandy

When I set the challenge for this week, to make use of peppers (capsicums), I had not yet seen the Vinatics theme for the month. As soon as I saw that they were doing a vegetarian theme, and one of the dishes was a Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, I knew what I was going to make. Poor David, he had to get soup two nights in a row. I took some inspiration from PinkPolkaDot who used some smoked paprika in the soup she made. This soup is hot and spicy, and you can decide how much hot paprika to add to your dish. It was lovely the next day, warmed up for lunch. I served it two ways – one with coriander and one with cream, and I don’t think either one was a clear winner as they were both good. I would even have combined the two if there had been more coriander to hand.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

ingredients:

5 red peppers (capsicums), cut in half and deseeded (you can use any colour but not green!)

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 roma tomatoes, cut in half

2 baby leeks, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

500mls vegetable stock

¼ teaspoon hot paprika – you can add more if you like it hot and spicy but I would not go beyond ½ a teaspoon

salt

small handful of coriander, chopped, for garnishing

and/or 1 tablespoon cream

method:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

place the peppers flesh side down in a roasting pan

drizzle with some olive oil and bake for 20 minutes

place the peppers into a glass bowl and over with cling film

reserve the juices

place the tomatoes flesh side down in the roasting pan

drizzle with some olive oil and bake for 15 minutes

heat the remainder of the olive oil in a soup pot

sauté the leeks and the celery until soft

peel and roughly chop the peppers

add the peppers and the reserved juice to the pot

peel and roughly chop the tomatoes

add them and the juices, plus any roasting liquid to the pot

add the vegetable stock and paprika and simmer for one hour

add salt to taste

purée until smooth

serve with your choice of garnishes

Printable Version

Tandy

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Preserved Lemons

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Tandy

For this recipe you will need lemons that are nice and soft. If you have not picked them off your own tree then remember to scrub the wax off the lemons! Preserved lemons are a staple ingredient in Moroccan food, but you are not limited to using them only in your tagine. They can be used in a variety of dishes, and your imagination is your only boundary. I make sure that when the lemon tree is being generous I bottle as many as I can.

ingredients:

6 lemons

5 tablespoons coarse salt

optional extras: paprika, black peppercorns, vanilla

method:

cut 5 lemons from the stem end into quarters almost to the base

insert 1 tablespoon rock salt into each lemon and close it up

place the lemons into a wide mouthed sterilized glass jar

cut the last lemon in half and add the juice to the jar and then top with boiling water

add any or all or none of your optional ingredients!

wash the peel of one half and place on top of the lemons you are preserving

seal and store in a cool dark place for 4 weeks – for the first week you must gently shake the jar once a day

when you open the jar for the first time discard the lemon peel

keeps for 6 months – refrigerate once opened

now for use in cooking:

remove a lemon from the jar with a fork

separate the lemon into quarters and rinse under cold running water

remove and discard the pulp – it has a bitter taste so if you do want to use it, use sparingly

rinse the rind, pat dry and slice finely

Tandy

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Spanish Chicken

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Tandy

For the ingredient challenge I decided to use the Spanish Chicken recipe from Le Creuset as a base. I could not follow the recipe exactly as one of the guests we were having for dinner does not eat pork and so I substituted the chorizo. I was fortunate enough to have a friend with an oval Le Creuset casserole but if you don’t have one you can use any large casserole dish with a lid.