spork me

Red Wine Lamb, White Bean and Fennel Pie

Don’t judge, I actually find making pie an incredibly enjoyable way to spend a Sunday. I made two kinds, this one was really nice and for my first attempt at a rough puff pastry, it wasn’t too bad. Really though, just use store bought. It’s way easier.

Ingredients:

500g diced lamb
Juice of 2 lemons
1 red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 cup plus a good splash of red wine
1/4 cup chopped rosemary and thyme
1 tsp cumin
1 fennel bulb, small, diced
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1 can of white beans, drained
Salt, pepper and olive oil
Frozen puff pastry, thawed

If you want to speed this up, use a pressure cooker. If not, I’ll give you the slow cooking instructions.

Brown the lamb for 5 minutes in a splash of olive oil, then add the garlic, onion, fennel, and cumin, and saute for 5-10 minutes more, until the vegetables are soft. Mash together the butter and flour with a fork, and mix into the pan. Toss everything into the slow cooker with 1 cup of wine, juice of 1 lemon, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Cook for about 6 hours, until the lamb is soft.

Next, add in the white beans, remaining lemon juice, and another hit of wine. Cook on a medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is thick. You may need to put it back into a pan for this (my slow cooker/pressure cooker has a saute setting, so it all just hangs out in there).

Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper accordingly. Cool completely in the fridge. Once cool, fill into individual pie pans with pastry on the top and bottom, and freeze. To reheat, cook on 200C / 375F for about 45 minutes to an hour. Once the inside is bubbling out a bit and the pastry is brown, it’s done.

Lamb Rump Roast with Lentils

After a few weeks getting food at the pub while the oven’s been broken, and a terribly inconvenient case of bronchitis over New Years, I’ve gotten back into cooking. The lentils, we won’t talk about. They didn’t go so well. But, in general, lentils of some sort would be great with this roast.

Last time I made this, I had two smaller rumps, and it worked out great. This was a bit larger, enough for 2, but I still marinated for 24 hours prior and that really makes a big difference. The recipe is only altered slightly, and it’s served with greek yogurt that’s been blended with some mint and jalepeno for a bit of kick.

Ingredients (lamb):

1 lamb rump roast (enough for 2 people)
1/2 cup thyme
1/2 cup oregano
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, diced
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Mix the ingredients and toss into a tupperware to marinade overnight. Remove lamb from marinade, and set the herbs aside. Get an oven-proof pan smoking hot, add a bit of olive oil, and sear the fatty side of the lamb for about 5 minutes, until it’s starting to get really brown and burned. Flip it over, toss the marinade into the pan around the lamb, and bake for 30 minutes at 175C / 350F. Remove when the internal temperature is 50C, let rest for 5 minutes or until the temperature comes to 55C. Slice and serve on lentils.

Saffron Chicken with Basil, Lemon and Almonds

I followed this recipe, cheating a bit and using the pressure cooker to make the chicken really soft. I also swapped the parsley for basil and added a 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives and almonds (about half and half). Really nice recipe and a bit of something different for a weeknight when you need something low-maintenance to cook.

Crispy Duck Breast with Red Wine Mushrooms, Crispy Brussel Sprouts, and Warm Mozzerella with Broad Beans, Lemon and Cilantro

I made some extra sides so I had something for lunch the next day, but couldn’t resist trying a bit of everything. The brussel sprouts I’ve made before, there’s a quick kale salad, and the mushrooms were sauteed with rosemary and red wine, but the broad bean salad was a great side and not anything I’d tried before.

Ingredients (duck):

2 duck breasts
2 tsp chinese 5 spice powder
Salt and pepper

Dry the duck skin, leaving uncovered in the fridge, salted, over the day. Pat dry again and season with salt and pepper. On the flesh side, rub with 5 spice, salt and pepper.

Get a pan very hot (no oil needed), and place the duck skin side down for 7-10 minutes until very brown and the fat has rendered. Cook for 5-7 minutes on the other side until medium.

Ingredients (broad beans):

1 cup of broad beans, having been removed from the shell
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mozzerella balls
Olive oil, salt and pepper

Boil the beans for a few minutes, drain, and then saute in a bit of olive oil for 7-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and then mix with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Osso Bucco with Pea, Lemon, Mint and Goat’s Cheese Fettuccine, and Crispy Brussel Sprouts

This is inspired by the Maggie Beer beef cheeks recipe I made a few weeks ago, it worked pretty well with the osso bucco and I went lighter on some of the ingredients so the veal didn’t get overpowered.

Ingredients (osso bucco marinade):

4 pieces of thick cut osso bucco
4 roughly chopped garlic cloves
4 sprigs of rosemary
4 bay leaves
Rind of 1 orange
2 tbsp juniper berries
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Toss together the day before cooking.

Ingredients (osso bucco):

Osso Bucco, removed from marinade
1 chopped onion
2 chopped carrots
1 cup red wine
Juice of 1 orange
2 cups of beef stock

Sear the osso bucco in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil, then remove, cleaning the pan of most of the oil. Saute the carrot and onion until soft, seasoning with salt and pepper. Mix in the liquids and bring to a simmer before adding the osso bucco back in. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Before serving, remove the osso bucco and reduce the liquid so it forms a sauce.

Ingredients (brussel sprouts):

3 cups of brussel sprouts, sliced in half
Zest of half a lemon
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Mix and bake for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through, until crispy.

Ingredients (fettuccine):

2 cups of cooked fettuccine
1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup crumbled goat’s cheese
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and pepper

Saute the peas in a bit of olive oil. Once warm, mix with the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Zucchini Fritters with Poached Eggs and Tomato

The lemon zest in this is really citrusy and flavorful, but I prefer big flavors and without it it would have been too bland. Press as much water out of the zucchini as you can and use the wet and dry ingredients to get the right texture so it sticks together and forms patties.

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, grated and water pressed out
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup wheat flour
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for frying

Mix the ingredients; the mixture should be fairly dry but stay together. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden.

Serve with fresh tomato and poached eggs.

Date and Thyme Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Carrots

Even though the dates are under the skin, the sugars go through it and carmelize the outside of this chicken. I probably used less dates that this, but it needed a bit more so I’ve added them into the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, flattened
1 cup chopped and pitted Medjool dates
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
Juice of half a lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Olive oil, salt and pepper
5-6 whole carrots

In a mortar and pestle, mash up the garlic, lemon, almonds and thyme with a bit of olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Mix in the dates, and stuff the mixture until the chicken skin. Season the top of the skin with salt and pepper.

Sear the chicken in an oven proof pan with a bit of olive oil, skin side down, for about 7 minutes, until skin is golden. Flip the chicken over, and add the carrots, making sure they’re coated in olive oil and pan juices. Bake for 25 minutes at 200C / 375F. Let rest before serving.

Dukkah Chicken with White Wine Barley and Mushrooms, and Red Cabbage

Ingredients (chicken and mushrooms):

2 chicken marylands
2 tbsp dukkah
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of white wine (you can use half verjuice if you have it)
1/2 cup barley
1 cup water
2 cups roughly chopped mushrooms (any kind)
Salt, pepper and olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, diced

In an oven proof pan, saute the garlic a bit in some olive oil. Add the mushrooms, mix, then the barley. Top with the wine and get warm, then add the water. Season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken, skin side up, on top. Rub the chicken with olive oil, the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the whole dish with dukkah, and put in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200C until the chicken is crispy and the liquid has absorbed.

The red cabbage is a variation of this one; I ran out of dried fruit and used cilantro instead of dill, but it was really nice with this dish.

Dill Quinoa Cakes with Sauteed Mushrooms and Leeks, Smoked Salmon and Poached Egg

I was really excited to try this recipe for quinoa cakes, but as usual, I didn’t really read it, and I probably should have. My cakes didn’t really stay together, so my suggestion? Follow the recipe, but add a little chopped leek and feta for extra flavor.

Goat’s Cheese and Sage Stuffed Chicken with Caramelized Fennel, Roasted Mushrooms and Pomegranate

I’ve been making this style of chicken quite a lot, but am trying to mix up the stuffings. So what’s the #1 way to improve a recipe? Add cheese. It’s the American way.

Ingredients (chicken):

1 whole chicken, cut up the backbone and flattened
1/4 cup goats cheese
3 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch of sage, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Juice of half a lemon
Salt, pepper and olive oil

Mash the ingredients, starting with the garlic, and add a few tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. Stuff under the skin of a flattened whole chicken, and the brown skin side down in a skillet for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 5 minutes more before putting in the oven for about 30 minutes at 220C / 400F.

This side, on it’s own, is a lovely vegetarian dish and would have been very sufficient as dinner. The caramelized fennel I got from the book Plenty I’ve been raving about, and served with oven roasted mushrooms and fresh pomegranate. Buy this book.