Make Your Own…Traditional Meatloaf

Although not as fashionable as it was circa 1970, traditional meatloaf is still a valuable recipe to have.

Containing hard boiled eggs, mustard and curry powder, raisins and even Kraft cheddar cheese this recipe is typical of the sweet and savoury flavour matching that was ever so popular 20 years ago and yet, is still as tasty as ever today!

This recipe might not be one to impress guests with but will defiantly make the tastebuds happy.

Ingredients

250g veal mince

250g pork mince

3 hard boiled eggs, peeled

1 egg

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

1 onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon mustard powder

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup Kraft cheddar cheese, diced (optional, but strongly recomended*)

Salt

Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 180° degrees and line a 23x7cm loaf tin with foil.

In a large bowl mix together the mince, onion, mustard and curry powder, raisins and cheese. Add the raw egg and breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly until well combined. Season with plenty of salt and pepper.

Line the bottom of the tin with 1 inch of the meat mixture, making sure to pack it in tightly. Lay the boiled eggs evenly on top of this mixture and cover with the rest of the mince mixture making sure to press it into all the gaps.

Bake the meatloaf for 40 minutes. Allow to rest in the baking tin for 15 minutes before turning out.

Serves 4 generously. Serve with piccalilli or mustard.

*Kraft Cheddar Cheese is the one that is packed in foil and is stocked out of the refrigerator. What is great about it in this recipe is that has a unique way of keeping its shape while baking and forms pockets of soft and creamy cheese studded throughout the meat loaf.

This Week’s Recipe: Cold Soba Noodles

Why Cold Soba Noodles?

I love the Japanese approach to food. Coming from a long history of social and political changes Japanese cuisine has developed into one that focuses on, above all else, quality and seasonality of ingredients.

Cold soba noodles are generally cooked in Japan during the summer months, where the thought of eating a hot and somewhat heavy meal just doesn’t appeal.

Try them as a fantastic lunch alternative for the warmer months that lie ahead. To be honest I often make these noodles the day ahead and eat them in the kitchen at work during lunch service.

What I love about these noodles is that they are easy to make yet delicious and satisfying and somehow, like with most Japanese food, makes you feel that little bit better just by the act of eating.

Ingredients

125g soba noodles

2 teaspoons black rice vinegar (use ordinary rice vinegar if black is not available)

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon mirin

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1cm piece ginger, grated

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Method

Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

With a bowl of iced water ready, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the soba noodles for 6 minutes (or according to packet instructions) until they are just tender. Plunge the noodles into the iced water to cool and drain. The iced water ‘shocks’ the noodles stopping them cooking further and helping them not stick together.

In a separate bowl mix together the vinegar, honey, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and ginger. Add the noodles and toss to coat.

To serve sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions.

Serves 1 as a main, or 2 as part of a meal.

Bon Appetite

Make Your Own...Gravlax

A Scandinavian dish, gravlax is often confused with smoked salmon. While salmon is commonly used for both dishes, smoked salmon is cured and then smoked (either hot or cold) while gravlax is cold cured in salt, sugar and aromatics.

Gravlax has been around since the middle ages, the name translating to grav meaning grave or hole in the ground, and lax (or laks) translating to salmon. The name derives from the unique method of curing, where salmon was salted and cured by burying it in the sand above the high tide line.

Today however, gravlax is cured by ‘burying’ the salmon in a salt and sugar marinade and leaving it for a few days. Gravlax as apposed to smoked salmon is delicate in flavour and texture, beautifully balanced by the marinade and natural flavours from the fish.

Ingredients

500g coarse sea salt

500g sugar

60ml gin (or vodka)

1/2 cup dill, finely chopped

2 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed

1 teaspoon black pepper, ground

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 kilo salmon fillet, skin on and pin boned

Method

In a bowl mix together salt, sugar, juniper berries, pepper orange zest and gin. Lay out cling film, enough to wrap the fillet in, and sprinkle with half the salt mixture.

Sprinkle half the dill on top of the salt and lay the fish skin side down. Sprinkle the rest of the dill over the fish and cover with the salt mixture.

Wrap the fish tightly and place in a deep roasting tray and cover with a smaller tray. Weigh down the fish with bricks or tins and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before turning the fish over and weighing it down again.

Cure the salmon for 24 – 36 hours (the longer you cure the salmon for the finer the flavour and texture will be).

To serve unwrap and scrape away the curing mixture, making sure to pat the fish dry with absorbent paper. Using a sharp knife slice the gravlax at 45° angle into slices.

Gravlax will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Bon Appetite

This Week’s Recipe: Olive Oil Poached Tuna

Why Olive Oil Poached Tuna?

Tuna cooked and preserved in oil, is a tradition perfected by the Italians. Today we enjoy this tradition without much thought - in the form of tinned tuna.

If you are a tinned tuna conspire like myself (it has often gotten me out of many meal dilemmas) you will know that the finest tinned tuna comes from Italy or Spain where they pride themselves in cooking the best cuts of tuna (especially the belly) in fruity olive oil and aromatics.

Slowly poaching tuna in olive oil is an easy way to re-create a far more luxurious version of this tinned fish. By cooking with this method (also known as confit), the tuna remains tender and moist, as the oil doesn’t allow any moisture to escape. The tuna also becomes subtly flavoured by the olive oil itself and other aromatics you add, my favourites being bay leaves and garlic.

What I love about poaching tuna in olive oil, is that while it is simple to do, and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (covered in its cooking oil), it is also one method of cooking fish that will guarantee your house smelling fish free.

Enjoy this tuna with a light green salad, on its own with crusty bread or on an antipasto plate.

Ingredients

1x 300g piece of tuna (sashimi grade is possible)

2 cups olive, not a very expensive one

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

4 bay leaves

1 lemon, sliced

Method

Season the tuna with salt, pepper and fennel seeds, wrap and marinate in refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or 12 hours for best results.

After 3-12 hours place the tuna with the salt, pepper and fennel seeds still coating in a medium sized pot. Cover with olive oil (add more if needed) and add 2 slices of lemon, the garlic and bay leaves.

Turn the heat on low, making sure to move the fish gently in the first 10 minutes to avoid it catching on the base of the saucepan.

Continue to cook the tuna on a very low heat (you want to see the oil ripple gently), adding 1 teaspoon of water every 30 minutes. The water helps maintain the low temperature of the oil by slowly evaporating.

Cook the fish for 2 hours, or until it flakes when pushed with a fork.

Allow to cool in the oil before serving.

Serves 1

Bon Appetite

Make your own... Indian Pickled Cauliflower

Pickled vegetables are easy to make yourself and give you the advantage of mix and matching vegetables and flavours.

Besides being a great accompaniment to antipasto plates, in salads or simply as a nibble before dinner, this recipe is fantastic matched with hot Indian curries.

I love curries, possibly, because what I really like is the chutneys and condiments that you have with them. From sweet chutney to cooling raita this turmeric and cardamom pickled cauliflower is just one more great condiment that will enhance that favourite curry.

Ingredients
650g cauliflower florets
1 peeled garlic clove
1 teaspoon turmeric
6 cardamom pods, bruised with the back of your knife
2 bay leaves
6 cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 saffron threads
2 cups white wine vinegar
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt


Method
Divide cauliflower, garlic, spices and aromatics amongst 2x450g sterile preserving jar. Bring vinegar, sugar and salt to the boil and boil for a minute.

Pour it over the cauliflower, which should then be covered with vinegar. If it isn't, simply boil more vinegar to top it up. Secure the lid and let the jar stand to cool.

Store it in a cool, dark place for 2-6 weeks before using.
After opening store in the refrigerator.

Bon Appetite.

This Week’s Recipe: Asian Chicken and Cabbage Parcels

Why Chicken and Cabbage Parcels?

Yum Cha is one of my all time favourite dining experiences. A Chinese tradition of eating small servings of different foods from steamed dim sum to BBQ Pork with Chinese broccoli all delivered and sometimes cooked on trolleys that are pushed around while you drink Chinese tea and eat.

Yum Cha ignited my love of Asian steamed parcels and dumplings and is the inspiration behind my steamed chicken and cabbage parcels.

They are great as a delicious canapé, or simple yet tasty lunch or light dinner. I enjoy them hot or cold but always make sure to eat them with chopsticks and out of the bamboo steamer to create the right Yum Cha feel.

Ingredients
1 Chinese cabbage
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
1 bunch coriander, washed
1 birds eye chilli, seeded
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
10g palm sugar or caster sugar
250g tin water chestnuts
4 boneless organic chicken thighs, skin removed
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup sweet chilli sauce
Salt
Pepper

Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Remove and discard the outer leaves of the cabbage and undo the remaining leaves. Place them 2-3 at a time in the boiling water for 2 minutes or until the stem is just soft. Once cooked, place in a colander to drain and cool. Repeat until all cabbage leaves are cooked.

In a food processor place the garlic, spring onions, half the bunch of coriander including the stalks, and a pinch of salt and blitz until roughly chopped. Add your chicken, water chestnuts, palm sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and pulse until the chicken is minced evenly.

Lay the cabbage leaves out and cut an inverted V where the white stalk is and push the leaves together to close the gap. Place a heaped tablespoon of mince onto the middle of the cabbage leaf and fold it up starting with the cut end of the leaf closest to you. Roll the cabbage leaf half way over the mince and fold the left and right edges of the leaf on top and continue to roll.

When all cabbage leaves are filled place the parcels tightly into the steamer making sure to have the seam facing the bottom so that they stay closed.

Place the steamer over a pan of boiling water and cook for 6-8 minutes.

For the dipping sauce; mix together sweet chilli sauce, vinegar, soy sauce and 1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander.

Serve warm in the bamboo steamed along with the dipping sauce.
Makes 18.

Bon Appetite

This Week’s Recipe: Blood Orange Tarts

Why Blood Orange Tarts?

I am not a fan of oranges. Ever since I can remember I have never enjoyed them as much as everyone else. To me oranges (and I know this will sound harsh) are mundane.

From orange juice, to quartered oranges in kids lunch boxes, and even the classic duck a la orange, there is nothing about this fruit that excites me.

I understand that I am lucky and live in a time where I am spoilt for choice. I also realise that such a fruit as the orange, in earlier times would have paved the way for many, but for me they remain somewhat boring.

Give me blood oranges, however, and I feel like I am in paradise. I think the excitement is that firstly they are seasonal. Secondly, while they might look like a mere orange with a reddish blush, inside they are much more.

Inside their flesh is flecked with bright orange, red and a deep crimson; making them appear like they are bleeding.

Looks however are not everything. The taste and aroma of a blood orange is also wonderful. They have a tangy rich orange flavour with sweet subtleties that make you think of raspberries and strawberries.

A twist on the classic lemon tart is my tribute to a favourite fruit, the blood orange.

Although I may not speak highly of the typical orange, please don’t take my words to heart. I have made this same tart with naval oranges and know that it also beautiful. Simply reduce the amount of juice from oranges from 3 to 2

Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
250g (1 2/3 cups) plain flour, sifted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch salt
115g cold butter, chopped

Blood Orange Filling
400g sugar
6 eggs
1 egg yolk
115g butter, chopped
Juice of 3 blood oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of 2 blood oranges

Method

For the shortcrust pastry; put the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt into the bowl of a food processor and add the butter. Pulse the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix with a little cold water to form a dough. Roll out and rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

For the filling, beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl and add the butter, juices and zest, stirring well. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until thickened. This should take up to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In the meantime preheat oven to 180°C fan forced. Roll out pastry and line 6x12cm tart shells with pastry (or 1x22cm tart shell), and prick the bottom with a fork. Return to the refrigerator for 5 minutes before baking for 10 minutes or until the pasty appears dry on the surface.

Once tart shells are cool fill the tart cases evenly with the cooled citrus curd and bake for 10 minutes or until they are just set.

Leave to cool before serving.
Serves 6 generously.

Make your own...Strawberry Jam

There is nothing better than hot buttered toast smeared with homemade jam.

From the intense ‘candy red’ colour to the sweet strawberry scent, homemade strawberry jam is something I believe everyone should make at least once in his or her lifetime.

Ingredients

900g strawberries, stalks and hulls removed, and rinsed well
2 lemons, juiced
800g caster sugar

Method

Put the strawberries in a large saucepan with the lemon juice and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes before testing for setting. Making sure to skim off any impurities while it is cooking.

To test for setting pour a little jam on a plate and place in the refrigerator if it ‘jellies’ (so if feels tacky to touch but does not slide around the plate) in a few minutes it is ready.

Remove from the heat, stirring occasionally, and when it is slightly cool pour into sterilised jars.

Makes 3.4 cups.
Store in cupboard un opened for up to 6 months, or opened in refrigerator for up to 1 year.