Chicken & Prawn Salad

The following salad is an idea I borrowed from the late Elizabeth David. It is a perfect dish to have on balmy evenings with good, crusty bread. The addition of prawns and horseradish take this chicken salad to another dimension. The only ingredients I bothered to measure, are the main ones. That is equal quantities of chicken, prawns, mushrooms and potatoes-200g of each for 2 people. Being the purist that I am (in the kitchen, that is), I prepared all the cooked ingredients myself. I am sure you could do it with shop cooked chicken and deli marinated mushrooms. I wouldn’t by cooked prawns though- that’s a bit scary. And while on the subject of scary things, I would not use commercially prepared mayonnaise either. Make your own if you can. The homemade stuff is worlds away from the sweetened glue that is passed of as mayonnaise. But I will leave that up to you. I do realise most people would not be inclined.

Ingredients
Cooked chicken
Mushrooms, cooked or raw as you prefer
Cooked baby potatoes
Cos lettuce
Cooked prawns
Fresh parsley leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Mayonnaise
Horseradish (I used jarred)

Method
Tear the chicken into chunks.
Put them into a bowl with the mushrooms, potatoes, and prawns.
Drizzle over some olive oil and seasoning. Cover and leave.
In the meantime take some mayonnaise (2 heaped tablespoons for 2 people ), and flavour with some horseradish. Thin it out with a bit of water to give it a pouring consistency. Spoon into a small serving dish and reserve.
When you are ready to eat toss the chicken and etcetera with the cos, parsley and lemon juice. If you add too much lemon, just correct it by adding more oil.
Serve on flat plates and drizzle with the horseradish dressing at the table, as you wish.

Heart Attack on a Plate

You may have noticed this recipe here before. I am re-posting it today with some changes to the method.This is my most favourite thing in the world to cook and eat. But it must be made with love and the best ingredients. It must also be made full of fat and cream because this is the nature of the dish. It is loaded with reduced cream and salted pork fat. I only use one third of the fat used in the original recipe, and it is still very rich. You will feel like a fat pig the next day, but it is worth it as the flavour and texture of the sauce is divine. Salted pork fat is difficult to find. If unavailable substitute pancetta but use 250 g to make up for flavour and richness.
Don’t even bother making a low fat version of this. You will be missing the point. I have tried and it was not at all satisfying. This is what I call heart attack food!

Ingredients
125ml 35% fat cream, reduced for a few minutes until thick and yellow
100 g salted pork fat, blanched for 3 minutes, and then very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
1 celery stalk, very finely chopped (use the paler stalks from the center of the bunch)
1 red onion, very finely chopped
500 g minced meat(beef, pork or veal)
125 ml wine (red or white, depending on the type of meat you are using)
30g tomato paste
250 ml stock(fake if you like, but real is better)
250 ml full fat milk (I use unhomogenized, organic)
Black pepper, from the grinder

Method
Sauté the pork fat and vegetables gently in a deep saucepan. Some of the fat will melt and turn translucent. The vegetables will soften and begin to caramelise. This should take about 30 minutes.
Now add your chosen meat and sauté, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Do not brown any of the above ingredients. You want the flavours to be gentle. This is supposed to be a graceful sauce. Fat, but graceful.
Add your wine and reduce until not much is left.
Then add the stock, tomato paste and grindings of black pepper.
Reduce the heat to very low and simmer for around 1 hour.
From time to time add a couple of spoonfuls of milk to keep it moist.
The end result should be pinky brown, pale & glossy. Definitely not red. If its red, you have used too much tomato. You should barely be able to taste tomato in the finished sauce.
Toss with al dente tagliatelle and serve with some greens tossed in butter. Or just a green salad. And good Italian bread.

Tonight im serving this with salad leaves tossed with Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Although this is not traditional you may add very small amounts of herbs (in a bouquet garni) and aromatic spices:

• With beef, try cinnamon and parsley.
• Rosemary, and sage go with pork.
• Veal works with parsley, rosemary and sage. When I use rosemary, I only use the woody stalks without the leaves and discard it before serving.

Enjoy this dish. Tomorrow you may regret it, but you have been warned…..

Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmagiano or Grana Padano at the table.

Bugs Bunny (Roasted)

Years ago (before I knew any better) I decided that I was going to cook a rabbit. This was after I had experienced a delicious Spanish style rabbit dish dinning out. So I chose my recipe and bought my rabbit from a rather posh butchery. When I opened the vac-pac at home I was a bit disturbed. The first thing I noticed was the perculiar smell. It was like chemicals and lavender soap. It was revolting, actually. I can honestly say that to this day I have never had any meat which gave of this odour. So I began to inspect the meat. Had it gone off? That’s when I noticed that the colour of the flesh was dark pink and the fat very yellow, but it seemed fresh (the rabbits that I have cooked since have had a paler meat and white fat). Anyway, as I am always ready for a culinary challenge, I commenced the plan of attack. I read in a book that strong tasting rabbits should be soaked in a vinegar bath, prior to cooking. So this is what I did for a few hours. It still smelled wrong. “Not to worry” I thought. ”It will taste divine” I lied to myself. I cooked the recipe. The meat was perfect in texture and falling of the bones. But the smell.Yuck! It had permeated every corner of the house and if I could smell it right now it would induce a vomiting fit. But still being in denial, I persevered. I had come this far so I may as well continue. I served myself a portion and cut the meat with my cutlery. It was the vilest (and still is) thing I have ever put in my mouth. It went straight into the bin, as did the contents in the pot. I had to wash the pot numerous times to get rid of the pungent odour. And the smell that had soaked into every crevice in my apartment didn’t leave for a few days either. In hindsight I don’t think it was rabbit. I have no idea what it was. Maybe some other type of rodent- a possum perhaps I will never know. Needless to say, the butcher who sold me the mysterious feral, has since gone out of business. Live and learn I say. I hope I haven’t put you off rabbit. To me rabbit is luxurious.
I did not eat rabbit growing up (apart from once, although it was tough and dry), so to me it is not common the way chicken is. And in fact, if it where more easily available and cheaper, I would eat rabbit more often. I guess chicken has become the poor mans rabbit. Generations ago the reverse was true. Rabbit can be tricky to cook. It is easy to end up with meat that is too tough, so the trick is to roast it quickly, or braise it slowly. The following recipe will result in meat that is tender and very juicy. Rabbit meat is lean but rich. This recipe is plenty for 2 carnivores.

Ingredients
1 farmed rabbit
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine
1 garlic clove
1 rosemary sprig (small)
Salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Ask your butcher to joint the rabbit for you- 2 hindlegs, 2 forelegs, and the saddle. So a total of 5 pieces. You only need the 4 legs. The saddle tends to dry out. So reserve it for making stock, along with the kidneys and liver (if your butcher has included them)
Process the garlic, seasoning, rosemary, oil and wine in a baby processor (for best results). Massage the rabbit pieces with this marinade and leave for a few hours at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 180c. The temperature is important here. I use an oven thermometer to be sure.
Place the rabbit dishes into a baking dish and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the pieces and sprinkle them with a bit of water- about ½ tbsp on each piece. Roast them for a further 15 minutes.
A very fine dish indeed. I served this with roast Kipfler potatoes, Swiss brown mushrooms, onion, pancetta and thyme. My palate tends to be rather extravagant (really), so I made a reduction of clarified rabbit stock, flavoured with red wine. But that requires another recipe in itself.

2 Ways with Artichokes

Artichokes are not difficult to prepare, but you must be aware that there is a lot of wastage and that you must work quickly. Artichokes oxidize rapidly, much quicker than any other vegetable. Begin by setting aside a bowl of water, with the juice of a lemon. This acidulated water will slow down the oxidation. Prepare one at time. Trim the stalk to about 5cm in length. Now begin to rip of the leaves until you reach the tender, yellow leaves. Slice of the top of the artichoke. Using a vegetable peeler, peel of the green skin from the stalk. Also peel the base of the artichoke where the tough leaves were torn away. Place into the bowl of lemony water and continue with the rest. You may also choose to remove the choke with a small spoon. I usually do not- the chokes do not bother me. The following are 2 artichoke recipes. I love them both.

Roast artichokes

Ingredients per person
1 artichoke, prepared as above
1 garlic clove
Fresh herbs-parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay Leaf
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Butter
Fresh lemon, for the table

Method
Preheat the oven to 220c.
Place one artichoke on a piece of foil. Stuff the cavity with the garlic clove. Place your chosen herbs by the artichoke. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the oil over and add a nut of butter.
Wrap up the artichoke with the foil and roast for 30 minutes.
The artichokes will be tender like butter and beautifully perfumed by the aromatics.
Squeeze over lemon at the table.
These are especially good with grilled fish.

Vignarola
No crisp vegetables here, save them for another time! This is a Roman vegetable braise which is only ever prepared in the spring, with the freshest vegetables. I cheat and use frozen peas and broadbeans. I honestly cannot be bothered with shelling these. This dish goes very well with grilled lamb.

Ingredients
300g frozen broadbeans
200g green onions, finely chopped (These are called salad onions in the state of Victoria)
100g prosciutto, in one thick slice and cubed
3 artichokes, prepared as above
1 tbsp of e.v.olive oil, plus extra
20g butter
200g frozen baby peas
Pinch of sugar
Fresh black pepper
1 tbsp of freshly chopped mint
1 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley

Method
Boil the broad beans for one minute only. This will loosen their skins. Cool by running under cold water. Pinch of their skins and set aside.
Gently fry the onion and the prosciutto in the oil and butter. Do this slowly, it should take about 15 minutes. The onions will melt down and become lightly golden and sweet.
While this is happening, cut the artichokes into quarters. Remove the hairy choke if you wish.
Add them to the pan. Give the whole a stir and cover. Allow the artichokes to braise gently for 10 minutes.
Add the peas and sugar to the pan with a splash of water, cover and cook gently for another 10 minutes.
Now add the broadbeans and another splash of water. Cook again for another 10 minutes.
Season with the pepper. Off the heat add the herbs.
Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil- a green peppery oil will add a new dimension to this dish.
The final result should be a khaki green colour and a bit messy. Dont let the hideous appearance fool you-the flavour is divine. You can serve this warm or at room temperature-it is delicious both ways.

A big bowl of red

A Big Bowl of Red is what Texans call their state dish, otherwise known as Chilli con Carne. The literal translation from Spanish is “chilli with meat”. For this reason Texans do not add beans to their “chilli” as do other states in America. I do not heed by this practice, I like mine with beans. There are some very good traditional recipes posted on the internet, and one that was very strange. The ingredients included road kill (anything but skunk) and way too much chilli.I guess such a copious amount of chilli is to mask the flavour of the road kill!As mentioned earlier mine has beans, deeming it inauthentic. I also replace the sugar with port. It works really well. This is great comfort food. I like it for dinner with rice and a salad, or for breakfast with good crusty bread.

Ingredients
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
130g bacon, finely diced
30g lard
600g coarse ground beef
1 tsp crushed dried chilli
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika (I use Spanish, it is by far superior)
1 tsp fresh white pepper
1 tsp fresh black pepper
125ml port
400g can tomatoes, chopped
400ml stock (fake is fine)
400g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Fresh parsley

Method
Melt the lard over a gentle heat and fry the carrot, celery, garlic, onion, red pepper and bacon until golden. Do this slowly. It should take about 15 minutes.
Remove this to a bowl and keep aside.
Add the beef to the pan and let it brown a bit (not too much or the meat will be hard). Break it up a little, keeping it chunky.
Now return the vegetables and bacon to the pan.
Add all the spices, port, tomato and stock. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes. Check from time to time that it isn’t drying out. The final result should be a bit saucy
Add the beans and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Finish with parsley. Don’t bother being delicate with the parsley. This is supposed to be a rough and ready dish.

Slow Cooking...

I love slow cooking. It allows you to combine natural, simple ingredients with all the flavours coming through at the end. I took this idea from the classic Milanese dish of osso buco and risotto. In fact osso buco was my first choice but the butcher did not have any. So I chose the diced veal option. The braised veal is easy. It all goes into a pot and it is left to simmer for an hour or so. Veal has an amazing texture If you haven’t tried real veal than go to the butcher and get some. It should be pale pink in colour (a bit like chicken ) and have a milky smell. Whatever you do not buy veal from the supermarket. I don’t know what it is but it doesn’t look, smell or taste like veal. How long can they keep fooling people I wonder?

Slow Cooked Veal with Spring Carrots and Garlic

Ingredients
500g diced veal
6 garlic cloves, peeled and whole (organic garlic has a stronger flavour and aroma)
1 celery stalk, cut in 2
1 carrot, sliced through the center
Chicken stock ( fake stock is fine )
1 fresh bouquet garni of thyme and parsley
Fresh white pepper
1-2 tbsp flour
100g celery, destringed and cut into 5cm chunks, extra
100g baby carrots, peeled and trimmed, extra
20g butterFresh chopped parsley to garnish

Method
Place the veal, garlic, celery, carrot and bouquet garni in a pot.
Cover with stock and season with the white pepper. Place a lid over the pot and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour until the veal is tender.
Remove the celery stalks and carrot and discard.
Dissolve the flour with some water in a small bowl. Add it to the veal and bring to the boil, stirring gently to avoid lumps. You may need more or less flour. It depends on the amount of liquid in the pot and how thick you like it. Adjust accordingly.
Add the extra carrot and celery. I do this part whilst I am making the risotto. Simmer until the carrots and celery are tender, about 10 minutes.
Finish by adding the butter to enrich the sauce.
Serve with Risotto Bianco. This makes a hesrty meal for 2.

Risotto Bianco
I dont need to tell you that you need a specific type of rice to make risotto ( I think everyone knows that) The Italians call this class of rice superfino. And there are about 10 varieties within this class. Three of these are available here in Australia, that I know of. They are vialone nano, carnaroli and of course Arborio. Arborio is the most common and cheapest but not the best. The former are superior but also expensive, about $10 a packet compared to $2 for the Arborio. However they are worth it. I must admit that I used Arborio from the supermarket. It was too hot to go on a rice hunting mission yesterday. And if I am going to be a nazi about the rice, then I should mention stock. Fake stock is wrong and out of place for risotto. The artificial flavour is amplified and the result is aggressive and too salty. You must use home made stock. Keep it light and aromatic, not dark and full bodied as you would for demi-glace. Good risotto really depends on these 2 factors. Without them I would not bother. The following recipe is a brief outline.

Ingredients
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
½ onioin, finely chopped
200g of superfine rice
White wine
Hot stock, I used a combination of chicken and rabbit
Salt and fresh white pepper
A few scrapings of nutmeg
Parmesan cheese to taste
1 tbsp of cream
20g butter

Method
Fry the onion in the olive oil until softened but not coloured.
Add the rice and fry it gently for a couple of minutes.
Add a splash of white wine (not too much or the risotto will taste sour). Allow that to absorb over the heat.
Now begin to add the hot stock progressively with stirring until no more can be absorbed and the rice is moist and creamy. How moist you like your risotto is up to you, but make sure the rice is al dente. The entire process should take about 30 minutes.
Season well and finish with the nutmeg, parmesan, butter and cream.
Eat immediately. Risotto should not be reheated but if you must do it in the microwave. Enough for 2 people.

Tortilla Espanola

Tortilla Espanola translates as Spanish omelette. It is not to be confused with Mexican tortilla, they are totally different. The Spanish variety consists of sautéed onion and fried potato and is bound together with egg and shallow fried on both sides. Olive oil is essential to its flavour. My mother made this often, when I was young. I love this, it is so simple and so delicious. This is great warm or cold and served for any meal- breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is also good after a night of drinking (like pizza). There are few ingredients here, and as always the success lies in the ingredients. As egg is central to this dish, I use organic and free range. They are expensive, but they are worth it. If the fabulous food writer Nigella Lawson, who lives in England, buys her eggs from Bologna in Italy, I can buy mine free range and organic from the local farm! The best potato to use here are the yellow waxy Nicola potatoes. I have also used red skinned potatoes from the supermarket with success. The following recipe is exactly how my mother taught me to make “tortilla” and so I dedicate this recipe to her.

Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil
600g Nicola potatoes, peeled weight
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 eggs, free range and organic
Salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Cut the potatoes into 1 cm cubes.
In a pan large enough to fry the potatoes in a single layer, heat enough olive oil to deep fry the potatoes. This recipe requires quite a bit of oil. Do not despair, most of the oil is drained away. If that still bothers you, just do as I do and run 20 kms everyday (just kidding). Anyway, heat the oil over a medium heat, and when it is hot, fry the potato cubes. The idea here is to do this gently. Don’t use a fierce heat. It will take about 10 minutes. The potatoes will be crisp and tender, but still pale. Do not allow them to colour. Drain them, and add them to a bowl.
While the potato is frying, you can sauté the onion and garlic in another pan in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Again do this gently, so the onion becomes sweet- about 20 minutes. Do not allow the onion and garlic to colour either.
Mix the eggs together with salt and pepper.
Add the potato and onion and combine.
You need to choose an appropiate size pan to cook your “tortilla” I use my omelette pan, which I only ever use for omelettes. It is 20cm across and about 3 cm high. This size is perfect for this amount of eggs and potato.
Heat enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan. Do not be stingy-I use about 4 tablespoons. You need to be generous, otherwise your tortilla will stick to the pan and that is a disaster.
Heat the oil on a high flame. It has to be hot before you pour in the mixture.
Cook it like this for 1 minute and then adjust the flame to low, and cook it for about 10 minutes. Check that it is not browning too much. It should be golden brown.
Now, this is the tricky part. Take a large plate and place it upside down over the pan. Holding onto the handle with one hand, and the other hand on the plate, quickly flip it over so the half cooked tortilla lands reverse side on the plate. Now slide it back into the pan. Cook it for another 5 –10 minutes until cooked through. If you are not confident with the flipping, you can finish it off under the grill, but then it is no longer a Spanish “tortilla” and it becomes an Italian “frittata”.
Slide it out of the pan and on to a plate. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes and eat, cut into wedges.

Serves 2 for dinner.

Serving suggestion- This is not traditionally Spanish, but I like to serve it with my Grilled marinated Chillies, minus the lime and my Lemon and Mint Yoghurt (recipes for these elsewhere in this blog).