Pork Sausages with Cider Vinegar and Herbs

As you might have guessed from earlier posts, I love discovering and using fine ingredients. I am currently obsessed with vinegar. Vinegar should provide acidity as well as flavour, and my favourite at the moment is an apple cider vinegar from Limoges, France. It is clean, sharp and fruity. This particular vinegar is beautifully balanced and compliments the richnes of pork.
I used an Italian style sausage for this recipe. My butcher sells them under the name of Sicilian sausage. These pork sausages are dense, coarse and flavoured with garlic, peppercorns and fennel seeds. Duck or a Tolouse style sausage would make an excellent alternative. Avoid those sausages with funny names, like whiskey & fennel, or teriyaki & pineapple (do people actually eat these?), or with strange fillers and dubious extenders.

Ingredients
500g Italian sausages with fennel seeds (6 sausages)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
75ml extra virgin olive oil
25ml cider vinegar
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Fresh white pepper

Preheat the oven to 200c. Prick the sausages all over with a sharp implement, so they don’t explode whilst cooking. Roast them for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Mix together all the remaining ingredients to form a condiment. Serve with the sausages, either drizzled over or on the side. A very easy and comforting dinner. Serves 2.
Note- New potatoes and baby onions make a wonderful addition roasted along with the sausages. Have lots of bread to mop up the sticky juices left over in the roasting pan!

Cannellini with Prawns, Mussels and Fish

I love the idea of combining pulses and beans to go with seafood and fish. I don’t know why, but they make a fabulous combination and the following dish demonstrates how well these elements complement each other.
Admittedly this dish can be a bit fussy and tricky to get right. The fish and seafood need to be cooked precisely, and they all need to "finish" together. And it is important to use real homemade stock in the recipe. Stock cubes, I am afraid, will result in a sauce too salty and lacking in body. Make your own, it is worth the effort.
I have used Flathead and King Dory, but obviously you can use any firm fleshed fish. This dish is a perfect size for 2 people. More than that and I would probably have a nervous breakdown- there is too much concentration and precision involved to get this stew perfect.
Devour this fishy stew with lots of crunchy bread.

Ingredients
125g King Dory fillets
125g Flathead fillets
2 large king prawns
6 live mussels
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Red chilli to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, plus extra to garnish
100ml white wine
700ml real homemade chicken stock
400g can Italian cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method
Trim the fish fillets into chunks about 6 cm long.
Remove the shells from the king prawns. Reserve the shells. I don’t bother removing the intestinal tract- I detest fiddly jobs and my name is not Cinderella...Let the eaters do it themselves at the table. A bit of DIY wont do any harm.
Remove the beards from the mussels.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and gently sauté the prawn shells until they are pink. Add the stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the shells.
Over a gentle heat, use the remaining tbsp of olive oil and sauté the garlic, chilli and herbs for a minute or so. Throw in the stock and wine and reduce for about 15 minutes.
Now you can begin to cook the seafood. Add the king prawns to the reduced stock, cover the pan and braise for 2 minutes or until pink. Using a slotted spoon remove to a bowl and keep warm.
Add the mussels and cook the same way, until they have opened. Remove the mussels to the bowl with prawns and keep warm.
Finish with the fish, just as described above. The fish should take 1-2 minutes. Place the fish, once cooked to the bowl containing the other seafoods.
To the remaining juices in the pan, add the cannellini beans, turn the heat to high and cook until the liquid has reduced to a soupy/stew consistency.
Season with black pepper.
Serve the seafood on a large platter with the beans, cooking juices, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 2.

Roast Tarragon Chicken

You are probably aware by now the foods I cook are (almost) always seasonal. And every summer I like to cook the classic French style roasted tarragon chicken. Chicken and tarragon are a marriage made in heaven, and there are many versions. This one is my own.
Please use a well-bred chicken- either organic, free range, or corn fed. Or all three, if you are truly obsessed. I know they cost a bit more, but these superior birds are worth the price. I cannot bear to eat supermarket chicken anymore. I call these disadvantaged birds “concentration camp chickens” Just the idea terrifies me. These birds are kept in prison like conditions, injected with bizzare chemicals and even end up psychotic (apparently). How appetizing!
There is a noticeable difference between the maladjusted battery beast and those fine birds which have been properly reared for the table. Not only in the flavour but also in the texture of the flesh and fat. Even the bones and shape of the carcass are sightly different.
As always I spatchcock my chicken, so it cooks evenly and quickly.

Ingredients
1.2 kilo chicken (mine was organic)
2 tbsp of tarragon vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped French tarragon
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
50g butter (cultured and unsalted)
300ml cream (35% milk fat)
50 ml white wine

Method
Cut away the backbone from your chicken, using kitchen scissors. If you are using a well-bred bird, you may notice the bones are stronger, than those birds which are bred in inhumane conditions. Lay the bird out like a book, and using your hands apply pressure, so to flatten the carcass.
Combine the vinegar, oil, 1 tbsp of tarragon, salt and pepper. Pour over the bird and massage into the skin. Allow to marinate for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 230c.
Dot the bird with butter. Place the bird breast side down in a roasting dish. Add a small glass of water to the pan. Cook for about 30 minutes or until golden brown, basting from time to time. Turn the bird over and continue to roast for another 15 minutes, or until the breast has browned. Remove the bird to a plate, cover and allow to rest.
In the meantime, deglaze the baking pan with white wine. Add the cream and reduce rapidly until you have achieved a sauce like consistency. Add the remaining tarragon and check for seasoning.
Serve the creamy and fragrant sauce with the chicken.
I like to serve the chicken with roast potatoes and roast garlic, which I have very coarsely smashed and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and chopped parsley.
A 1.2 kilo bird will serve 2-3 people.

Angela's Arroz

This dish is what I call Latino comfort food and I ate this more than anything else when I was growing up. Well okay, my mother didn’t use Spanish calasparra rice or fresh fish. She used Australian long grain rice and tinned tuna, but I guess she had more mouths to feed than I do and it was cheap that way. Actually tinned tuna is delicious stirred through this rice at the last minute, so don’t hesitate to do that if you are down on time and cash. Feel free to substitute beans or chickpeas for the fish too, they work just as well
I love this peasant-style dish. This just goes to show that food doesn’t have to be posh to be fabulous.

Ingredients
1 onion (red or brown), finely chopped
1 celery stalk (optional), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp dried greek oregano
About 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
A pinch chili flakes
1 tsp Spanish paprika (not smoked)
200g calasparra rice (buy from Spanish delis)
75ml rose wine
30g tomato paste
Fish stock (I used Spanish fish stock cubes and water)
200g fish fillets (any type)
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Freshly chopped parsley
Thyme sprigs, to garnish

Method
Begin with the sofrito-that is gently cook the onion, celery, garlic and herbs in the olive oil very gently for about 30 minutes, or until beginning to caramelize.
In the meantime, poach the fish in the stock. Remove the fish to a plate and reserve the stock.
When the fish is cool enough to handle, break it into small chunks.
Add the chili and paprika to the onion mixture. Stir well. Bring the heat to medium and throw in the rice. Toss the rice in the pan for a minute or so. Splash in the wine and tomato paste, then allow to evaporate.
Now I begin to add the stock bit by bit, just as you would for risotto. My mother never did this, she added all the liquid at once and cooked it by absorption. I prefer my method only because I have become so accustomed to cooking risotto and because I have a crazy obsession with perfectly cooked rice. Please yourself. When the rice is cooked al dente, stir in the fish and parsley.
Add salt and pepper, if you haven’t already done so. If you have gone the tinned tuna route, adding a garnish of thyme will prevent you feeling like a pauper. Either way, I always add a touch of glamour.
Serves 2.

Peaches with Bubble Syrup

My original idea for this dessert was to make Bellini sorbet i.e. white peach and sparkling wine sorbet. But my very persuasive partner, suggested peaches poached in sparkling wine instead. So I sent him off to purchase some lovely peaches and Australian sparkling wine (I cant use the word “champagne” here, I may be sued like YSL!). He returned with some lovely yellow peaches and the bubbles. I must say, food writers and chefs get very excited by the white peach, but the yellow variety is just as lovely and I don’t think it deserves such snobbish treatment just because it isn’t white. Both are suitable and ultimately the choice is yours.
The only drama I encountered with this recipe was removing the skins after poaching. Peeling anything is usually enough to induce a tantrum on the kitchen floor. Luckily my beloved partner was by my side to take over with this hideous task. I love happy endings…

Ingredients
Peaches
Sparkling wine
Cinnamon stick
A few cloves
A vanilla pod, split in half
Sugar

Method
This is very simple. Select peaches that are ripe, but still firm.
Place the peaches into a saucepan with the aromatics. Pour in the wine. The peaches should be completely submerged. If this is not the case, add water.
Add sugar. The amount of sugar you add will depend on the sweetness of the peaches and the wine, and of course your personal taste.
Bring to the boil, and switch of the heat immediately. The residual heat will be enough to gently poach the peaches.
Leave them to cool in the syrup.
Remove the skins from the peaches. This will require patience- a virtue that I lack.
Reduce the syrup until it is thick and nectar like. Add more sugar, if you think it needs it.
When the syrup has cooled, discard the aromatics and pour the syrup over the peaches. Leave to macerate in the fridge.
Serve the peaches unadorned in shallow bowls, with the sweet pink nectar drizzled over. They are lovelier if you remove them from the fridge about 15 minutes before serving.

Tomato Gazpacho

I knew it was going to be stinking hot today, so I prepared the glorious Spanish soup, Gazpacho. This tomato soup is served cold, so its great for summer days. I roasted my tomatoes the day before, so this way I would not have to turn on the oven in such ridiculous weather conditions. However, you can also do this with raw tomatoes-that’s how it is done in Spain anyway.
This is an austere soup and I have tasted some revolting gazpachos in the past, insipid and watery. If you use the best bread, olive oil, vinegar and tomatoes for this dish, it will be a success.

Ingredients
1.5 kilos beautiful, red, ripe tomatoes
50g peeled cucumber, roughly chopped
150g red pepper, cut into rough chunks, seeds and membranes removed
1 garlic clove
100g crustless sourdough bread, cut into chunks
A pinch of chilli
A pinch of dried greek oregano
50ml sherry vinegar
50ml herb infused red wine vinegar
100ml extra virgin olive oil
500ml cold water
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Sugar, if you need it to balance the acidity

For the garnish
Very finely chopped cucumber, red and yellow peppers, tossed with a touch of olive oil

Method
Roast the tomatoes at 200c, until the skins have split, and they are tender within (about 45 minutes). Do not allow them to caramelize.
Cool and remove the skins.
Now all that is needed is to blend or process all the remaining ingredients (except the garnish). You can have your gazpacho, silky smooth or coarse and rustic. I like mine on the smooth side, but I will leave the choice up you.
Chill in the fridge and serve sprinkled with the garnish ingredients.
I like this soup with lots of bread. Enough for 6-8 serves.

Veal and Spinach Involtini

Try to find white, milk fed veal for this dish. I'm sorry to say, darker grass fed veal will dissapoint - it is dry and tasteless, and no magical cooking technique will correct this problem.
For this dish, veal slices are spread with a lemon and spinach paste, rolled and fastened with string. The veal rolls (or involtini) are then braised gently until they are tender.
This dish is suitable for a casual weekday dinner, or if multiplied, would do very well as an elegant dish for a fancy dinner. I like to serve this dish with braised mushrooms.

Ingredients
600g sliced veal (about 8 – 10 escalopes, palm size)
200g baby spinach leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary needles
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
2-3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
30g butter
sea salt
Fresh white pepper
Fresh black pepper
Freshly chopped parsley

Method
Use a meat mallet to pound the veal slices, so they are thin.
In a large saucepan, cook the spinach until wilted. Remove to a sieve and allow to drain naturally (I think people who squeeze spinach to extract the liquid are crazy!). When it is cool, chop it finely.
Cook the onion in oil gently, until soft and sweet (about 20minutes).
Add the spinach, lemon zest, rosemary, salt and both peppers. Cook gently for 15 minutes. The spinach will deepen and sweeten in flavour.
Spread the spinach mixture onto each veal slice, roll and tie with string.
In a pan large enough to fit all the veal rolls, heat 1 tbsp of oil over a high heat and brown the veal rolls on all sides.
Throw in a glass of water, lower the heat, cover and braise gently for 45 minutes. Check from time to time the pan isn’t drying up. Add more water if this is the case. I also throw in a couple of woody rosemary stalks (no leaves) for extra flavour
Remove the rolls to a plate, when they are tender.
Add lemon juice and enough water to the pan to create a sauce. Turn off the heat, and throw in the butter, amalgamating well into the sauce.
Check the seasoning and serve the sauce drizzled over the veal rolls, with chopped parsley. Enough for 2-3 people.
I don’t remove the strings before serving, but of course, do so if you wish.