Meatloaf in Savoy Cabbage Leaves

Meatloaf in Savoy Cabbage Leaves

Ingredients:

300 grams chicken breast
100 grams raw ham
4 anchovy fillets, in oil
1 egg
2 tablespoon dried chives
100 grams bulgur
1 little savoy cabbage
salt
kitchen string

Procedure:

Remove outside leaves from cabbage, put it in a large kettle of salted water and boil for 10 minutes. Cook bulgur according to instructions. Cook over gentle flame until water is well retired. Let it cool. Grind or mince finely chicken breast, raw ham and anchovy fillets and put in a bowl. Add chives, bulgur and egg. Season to taste with salt and stir with wooden spoon. When cabbage is cold, detach leaves intact from stalk and lay them out on kitchen table to obtain a continuous surface, greater than meatloaf. Put stuffing in center; roll it up in anchovy leaves then tie up with kitchen string. Put meatloaf in large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil; keep on cooking, half-covered, for 45 minutes. Remove meatloaf from pan, drip very well and put on small tray. Serve sliced.

Smoked Duck

Smoked Duck

Ingredients:

2 ducks with feathers
100 scallion
100 grams ginger
25 grams anise

Procedure:

Clean ducks, rub over with salt and pickle in a jar for 4 hours. Dip ducks into boiling water until skins shrivel, hang in a draft and rub off feathers. Put 4 thin iron sticks in smoking pan, hang ducks on sticks with their backs downward. Smoke for 5 minutes, turn over and smoke for further 5 minutes. Put water, spices, soy sauce, scallion, and ginger into large saucepan and bring to boil, put ducks in and simmer for 45 minutes.

Turkey Breasts with Herbs

Turkey Breasts with Herbs

Ingredients:

500 grams turkey breast, in a piece
1 little onion
10 tablespoon olive oil
10 tablespoon white wine
1 teaspoon dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt
2 tablespoon dried/fresh chives (optional)
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Procedure:

In a large bowl, with abundant water, dip the turkey breast; add cubed onion, wine, dried herbs and 2 tablespoon olive oil. Cover and allow to marinate for 3-4 hours. Then season with salt and bring to the boil. When water begins to boil, lower heat to just simmering point, cover and leave to cook for about an hour. Let cool in the cooking stock. Cut meat into thick slices and dress with olive oil and, if you like, with fresh or dried chives.

Greek Farmhouse Style Pork Sausages

Greek Farmhouse Style Pork Sausages

Ingredients:

1 kg. skinless boneless pork shoulder
60 ml. port or sweet wine
5 ml. black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
3 ml. freshly ground black pepper
12 ml. ground coriander seed
3 ml. ground cinnamon
3 ml. whole cumin seeds
10 ml. salt
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
grated rind of one orange
sausage casings

Procedure:

Mince pork in food processor. Mix with all other ingredients except casings and leave covered, in fridge over night. Fill sausage casings using a funnel with a long nozzle. Put sausage casing on the end of funnel nozzle and ease it off as it fills. Push meat through with handle of a wooden spoon. Knot end of skin as meat begins to come through nozzle. When casing is filled, twist into sausages about 15 cm. long and knot end. Sausages can be stored loosely covered in fridge until required. Can be fried in olive oil or grilled and served cut into chunks.

Rolled Roast Pork, Stuffed with Spinach and Mortadella

 Rolled roast pork, stuffed with spinach and mortadella

Ingredients:

800 grams boned pork loin
150 grams frozen spinach
5 slices Italian mortadella
6 tablespoon dried chives
4 teaspoon dried marjoram
8 tablespoon olive oil
300 m.l red wine
salt
pepper, if liked
kitchen string
500 ml. jelly
4 tablespoon white vinegar

Procedure:

Thaw frozen spinach putting them directly in a pan with 2 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tbsp water. Let them cook, half-covered, over medium heat until cooking juice is very well reduced. Season to taste with salt and let them cool. Open slice of pork loin over work surface, sprinkle with 2 tablespoon dried chives, season to taste with salt; arrange slices of mortadella and then spinach and marjoram. Roll slice of meat and tie roast with kitchen string at 1″ intervals. Put meat in saucepan with remaining olive oil and chives; brown on all sides and then pour in wine and allow to evaporate a little. After few minutes add some hot water. Keep on cooking over gentle heat, half-covered, stirring sometimes, until meat is tender (it may take an hour-and-a-half). If necessary, add water. Let the roast cool for a night. The day after prepare jelly adding 4 tablespoon white vinegar. Cut roast into slices 1/2″ thick and arrange them on a deep dish. Pour in warm jelly and let dish refrigerate for almost 2 hours before serving.

Roasted Lamb Leg with Garlic Sauce

 Roasted Lamb Leg with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

lamb leg (around 2 kg.)

Seasoning butter:
150 grams butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoon ground fennel or anise seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Garlic sauce:
12 cloves garlic
200 ml. white wine (or water)
1/2teaspoon caster sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4 egg yolks

Procedure:

To prepare and roast lamb leg: Mix together all ingredients for seasoning butter and use to coat the lamb leg. Place in a roasting pan and allow to marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Roast lamb leg in preheated oven at 160ºC for about 2 hours, or until the juice runs clear when pierced with a skewer (for every kg of meat, allow 30 minutes cooking time). Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

To prepare garlic sauce: Peel garlic and simmer for 20 minutes in salted water. Drain and process in blender with white wine (or water), sugar, salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a saucepan. Add egg yolks and place pan over a low fire. Whisk briskly until mixture doubles in volume and becomes creamy.
To serve, carve lamb and spoon a little garlic sauce over each portion, or serve sauce on the side.

Pan-fried Loin of Venison with a Lavender Sauce

Pan-fried Loin of Venison with a Lavender Sauce

Ingredients:

loin of venison
100 grams chopped shallots
2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
8 heads of lavender
60 ml. brandy
1 bay leaf
200 ml. dry red wine
1 teaspoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
200 ml. brown game stock
1 teaspoon good honey
50 grams unsalted butter
venison trimmings

Place all ingredients, except venison, in bowl. Season well with black pepper. Mix well and add venison. Place in fridge for at least 2 hrs. Heat a large, heavy bottomed, frying pan. Add a little oil and half the butter. When frothing stops, add venison loin. Brown well on all sides, ( 2 minutes on each side). Remove from pan and drain. Add trimmings and brown well. Add tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes longer. Flame with brandy. Add stock and marinade. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add honey, redcurrant jelly and reduce sauce to syrupy texture. Strain sauce and beat in remaining butter. Slice loin and serve.

Oven Roasted Quail with “Cassatta” Stuffing, Potato Puree, Cipollini & Port-Poached Figs

 Oven Roasted Quail with “Cassatta” Stuffing, Potato Puree, Cipollini & Port-Poached Figs

Ingredients:

4 semi-deboned quails
2 cups hot sausage meat
1 tablespoon dried currants
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3 potatoes – peeled and diced
1½ tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
16 peeled pearl onions
4 fresh figs
2 cups Port wine

Procedure:

Combine sausage meat with ricotta cheese and dried currants. Stuff quail with this (1 tablespoon each). “Fluff” gently. Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Roast at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes. Place figs into small sauce pot and add port wine. Simmer about 15 minutes. Remove figs from port and set aside. Continue simmering port until reduced by half. Remove and place into a squeeze bottle. Place peeled onions on baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees F until they begin to caramelized. Boil potatoes until soft. Separately boil heavy cream and butter. Transfer potatoes and hot cream into food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Spoon tablespoon potato puree alongside quail. Lean poached fig against quail and drizzle port around. Serve.

Stewed Bird’s Nest with Coconut and Ham

Stewed Bird's Nest with Coconut and Ham

Ingredients:

150 grams Lo Hong Ka Bird’s Nest
1 large coconut
10 grams ham
1 tablespoon chopped ham
1 cup fresh coconut juice
3 cups stock
2 slices ginger
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

Procedure:

Cut 1/5 part of the top of coconut as lid, reserve coconut juice for later use. Add ham slices, ginger slices, stock and Shaoxing wine. Cover with coconut lid. Seal with mulberry paper. Stew over boiling water for 2 hours. Add coconut juice and Lo Hong Ka Bird’s Nest. Then stew for another 5 minutes. Add chopped ham and slat. Serve.

Ostrich with Black Pepper & Honey Sauce

Ostrich with Black Pepper & Honey Sauce

Ingredients:

200 grams ostrich fillet
½ medium onion, finely diced
1 medium clove garlic, crushed
small shake (½ -¾ tbsp.) dark soy
1½ tbsp clear honey
2 tsp finely ground black pepper
2 tsp five spice
vegetable or groundnut oil for frying
a portion of rice or noodles to serve

Procedure:

Cut ostrich fillet into inch wide strips and season with a little freshly ground black pepper and five spice. Set aside. Gently fry garlic and onions until onion is soft. Add stock, black pepper, honey, soy sauce and five spice. Mix together well and bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer. When sauce is about 1/2 it’s original volume, taste it and adjust seasoning. Turn down heat on the sauce to a low simmer. Get a frying/griddle pan really hot, so it is almost smoking. Sear ostrich slices on each side for about 30s and remove from pan. Add ostrich pieces to the sauce and stir them in. As soon as the sauce starts to bubble again, turn off the heat. Serve with rice or noodles and some stir fried vegetables.

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