MEAT COOKED IN A CARROT SAUCE
A lovely meat dish with an interesting sauce.
1 kg (2 lb) veal, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
62.5 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
1 onion, peeled and thickly grated
2 leeks, split lengthwise, thoroughly washed, and thickly
chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
A bouquet garni (2 twigs parsley + 1 bay leaf + 1 sprig
rosemary)
6 carrots, scrapped and thickly grated
62.5 ml (¼ cup) balsamic vinegar
250 ml (1 cups) white wine
500 ml (2 cups) meat stock
Season the meat with salt and pepper and sauté in olive oil
until browned on all sides. Then add the onions, leeks, garlic, carrots and
cook for a few minutes more. Pour in the
balsamic vinegar, and wine cooking for 6 minutes until the alcohol evaporates
then add the meat stock, decrease the heat and simmer gently, covered until
the meat is tender, and the sauce thickens.
Serve drizzled with olive oil and mashed potato and celeriac.
AVOCADO AND SALMON PASTA SALAD
Do prepare this delicious salad for your family and friends.
500 g (1 lb) shell macaroni, boiled al dente in salted water
and drained
250 g (12 oz) tinned salmon, drained and flaked
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 tbsp Kalamata olives, stoned and chopped
(Mix everything well together)
1 cup vinaigrette (3/4 cup olive oil, ¼ cup estragon
vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste)
½ cup chopped parsley
Combine the pasta
with the salmon/avocado mixture, pour in the vinaigrette and toss gently
together. Serve sprinkled with chopped
parsley.
CHICKEN THIGHS COOKED IN WINE
2 x 1 ¼ kg (2 ½ lb) chicken thighs, boned and cut into
serving pieces
Chicken livers
2 onions, peeled
1 bay leaf
625 ml (2 ¼ cups) red wine
2 tbsp tarragon vinegar
The juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
The juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
3 ½ tbsp butter
1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
250 ml (1 cup) red wine
500 ml (2 cups) beef stock
2 tsp cornflour diluted in
1 tbsp water
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf – 1 sprig thyme – 1 sprig
rosemary)
Slice the onion and break into rings. Place the onion rings, chicken and bay leaf
into a shallow bowl. Pour in a mixture
of wine, vinegar and lemon juice, zest and salt and pepper cover and refrigerate
for 24 hours. Then drain the chicken and
reserve the marinade an onion rings but discard bay leaf.
Chop chicken livers and sauté in 2 tbsp butter, chop the
remaining onion and add to the apple and livers and cook until tender. Add a
cup of the marinade and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
Brown the chicken in the remaining butter on all sides. Add the spring onions, reserved onion rings,
the remaining marinade, beef stock and simmer for about 1 hour or until
tender. Remove the chicken and keep
warm.
Puree the livers in a blender until smooth and stir in the
cornflour, bouquet garni, a little of the cooking liquid and cook stirring
until the sauce thickens, about 10
minutes and discard the bouquet garni.
Serve the chicken with the liver sauce and creamy mashed
potatoes or steamed rice.
FISH WITH OKRA
This is an interesting and tasty Cretan fish dish.
1 kg (2 lb) fresh okra
2 tbsp vinegar
1½ kg (3 lb) firm white fish like bream or sea bass, gutted,
scaled, thoroughly washed and sprinkled with salt and thyme, drizzled with a
little lemon juice, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
1 kg (2 lb) ripe but firm tomatoes, cut in half, seeded,
grated, skins discarded
Cut the stems off the okra, without piercing the pods. Dip the cut part into salt, and drain in a
colander for 30 minutes. Then rinse in
water mixed with vinegar.
Sauté the okra on all sides, in half the olive oil, over
medium heat, until slightly coloured.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a dish. In the same saucepan, sauté the onions,
adding the remaining olive oil, stirring occasionally, until limp. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute
more, then transfer the okra into the saucepan. Pour in the wine and after 3-4 minutes, add
the grated tomatoes and, possibly, just enough hot water to cover the
okra. Cover the saucepan and simmer
gently for about 30 minutes or until the okra is tender but firm.
Place half the okra in an oiled oven-proof dish place the
fish, evenly, over and spread the remaining okra around the fish, cover with
parchment and tin foil and bake for 35 minutes or until the fish flakes when tested with a fork.
Serve hot with a potato salad or a green salad,
WOODCOCKS IN A WINE SAUCE
A delightful gourmet dish.
4 woodcocks, plucked and cleaned
3 tbsp butter
2 onions, peeled
1 tbsp plain flour
125 ml ( ½ cup) red wine
4 ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded, grated, skins discarded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 slices of bread fried in
Butter
Sprinkle the woodcocks with salt and pepper and secure the
beaks between the legs. Sauté the
woodcocks in butter and place them in a saucepan.
Sauté the onion in butter in a frying pan and stir in the
flour and cook until golden. Pour in the wine and grated tomatoes and when they
come to the boil pour over the woodcocks. Season accordingly and cover the saucepan
and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve the woodcocks with fried bread drizzled lavishly with
sauce.
TURKEY
THIGH CHOPS
8 turkey thigh chops
2 lemons grated rind
125 ml (½ cup) lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup chopped parsley
Place the turkey chops in a Pyrex dish in a single layer.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and grated lemon zest and drizzle with lemon
juice and olive oil, place a rosemary twig. cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Cook for 5 minutes on each side and bake until tender. Serve with roast potatoes and a green salad.
PUFF PASTRY ROLL
1 puff pastry sheet
4 rashers turkey bacon, fried until crisp, and finely chopped
500 g (1 lb) mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
White sauce:
250 ml (1 cup) hot milk
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper, grated nutmeg, but be sparing with the salt due to the Parmesan
Saute the cornflour and bay leaf in butter stirring, for 3-4 minutes to prevent the taste of raw cornflour and gradually pour in the hot milk, stirring constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Add the Parmesan, bacon, pepper and the nutmeg, and a little salt, if necessary, Fold in the mushrooms and garlic.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and place the puff pastry on a working surface and spoon the filling evenly over. Fold the sides over and roll up to enclose the filling. Make 3 slashes on the top and bake for 35 minutes until puffed and golden.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES
24 chocolate digestive biscuits, finely crushed
6 tbsp. butter, melted
A pinch of salt
(Mix everything well together and press into the base of a
springform tin and refrigerate)
Chocolate Mousse:
2 tbsp powdered gelatine
2 ½ tbsp. cold water
2 ¼ cup dark chocolate, finely chopped
750 ml (3 cups) thick cream, separated
½ cup icing sugar
1 ½ kg (3 lb) strawberries, hulled
Topping:
2/3 cup thick cream
2 cups chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp honey
Chocolate shaving for garnish
For the chocolate mousse, soak the powdered gelatine in cold
water for 10 minutes, then whisk until thoroughly dissolved.
Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and bring a cup of
cream to a simmer and remove from the heat.
Add the soaked gelatine and stir well and then pour the mixture over the
chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts. Allow cooling, stirring
occasionally.
Beat the remaining cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks
and stir ¼ cup into the melted chocolate.
Then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until no white streaks
are evident.
Spread a thin layer of mousse over the biscuits crust. Cut enough strawberries in half and place
them around the sides of the tin. Spoon
in the remaining mousse, lever the top, cover with cling film and ice for 6
hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the ganache. Heat the cream and pour over the chopped
chocolate, after 2-3 minutes add the honey and stir vigorously until smooth
shiny. Refrigerate for 12-15 minutes so
that it thickens a little and spread it over the mousse. Sprinkle the top with chocolate shavings,
garnish with strawberries and cover and ice before serving.
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