Month: February 2014

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

FRESH PASTA


Ingredients:
300 g/10.5 oz “00” flour (see note), or strong white flour
3 eggs
pinch of salt

“00” flour
Flour is graded in Italy according to its coarseness, which designates its ideal use. It is marked “00”(very white and fine) to “04” (close to whole meal). Type “00” flour has a finer grain than commercial plain flours, resulting in light and airy bread and soft and delicate pasta.

Combine the flour, eggs and salt in a food processor until the mixture forms a dough.  Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.   When ready to roll the pasta, remove from the refrigerator and  bring up to room temperature.

WORKING WITH FRESH PASTA
Always allow pasta dough to come up to room temperature before rolling. It allows the gluten to relax which makes the dough much more flexible and easier to work with. Always keep the dough that you are not immediately working with, covered with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.

See Spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli for the method of rolling the pasta and making ravioli.

Categories
MAIN COURSE

Lamb neck casserole with Moroccan flavors


Serve this with papaya, red pepper and spring onion salsa

LINE

Serves 4

MOROCCAN LAMB

The casserole:
3 tablespoons/45 ml vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 teaspoon/5 ml dried ginger, ground
2 teaspoons/10 ml cumin, ground
2 teaspoons/10 ml coriander seeds, ground
½ teaspoon/3 ml turmeric
½ teaspoon/3 ml cayenne pepper
1 medium strong chili, seeds and ribs removed and finely sliced
1 kg/2 lbs shoulder of lamb, deboned cut in 2 cm/0.7 in thick pieces
1 bulb fennel, finely sliced
30 g/1 oz dates, stoned and chopped
1 cup/250 ml lamb stock
salt and pepper
½ cup/125 ml yogurt
juice of one medium-sized lemon
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped

The rice:
1 cup/25 ml Basmati rice (will yield 3 cups cooked)
salt
1½ cup/375 ml water

The mango, raisin and tomato salsa:
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly diced
1 mango, peeled and roughly diced
50 g/1.7 oz seedless raisins
1 spring onion, shredded

The green peppercorn dressing:
1 teaspoon/5 ml pickled green peppercorns, drained and crushed
1 teaspoon/5 ml finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons/30 ml red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon/15 ml olive oil
1 teaspoon/5 ml sugar

The garnish:
fresh coriander

Heat 2 tablespoons/30 ml of the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until light golden. Add the spices and sliced chilli and fry until it becomes quite fragrant. Remove and keep aside.
Wipe the pan clean and heat the rest of the oil, then add the lamb and fry until golden brown on all sides.  Return the fried spices to the pan with the fennel and dates. Stir well and add the lamb stock and salt and pepper. Cover and cook gently for 2 hours. Check regularly to ensure it is not too dry. If necessary add more stock.

When cooked to your satisfaction, remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt, lemon, tomato and onion. Do no bring to the boil again.

Rinse the rice under cold running water until no starch is visible, then boil the rice in the water and salt until almost all the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat, and leave covered until ready to serve. When ready to dish up, fluff up the rice with a fork.

Mix together the tomato, mango and raisins and half the spring onion, and season well.  Combine all the ingredients. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and scatter the rest of the spring onions over.

To serve:
Serve the lamb over the Basmati rice sprinkled with the fresh coriander and spoon the Mango, raisin and tomato salsa with green peppercorn dressing all round.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

Agar-agar


Agar-agar, obtained from certain varieties of seaweed, is another form of setting liquid in a gel form.  Its advantages are that it sets more firmly than gelatin and sets at room temperature. It is odorless, tasteless and  colorless and is used in kosher, vegetarian and vegan cooking.  It is mostly available in health stores and Asian supermarkets.

1 tablespoon/15 ml agar-agar dissolved in
4 tablespoons/60 ml of hot water will set
2 cups/500 ml liquid.

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Pickled beetroot


4 large beetroot
1½ cups/375 ml white vinegar
¾ cup/175 ml sugar
a pinch ground cloves
salt and freshly ground pepper

Wash the beetroot thoroughly and cook enough water to cover it, until tender.
Cool and remove the skin (either by hand or use a knife), then cut the beetroot into slices, julienne strips or grate it on the rough side of the grater.

In a saucepan bring the vinegar, sugar, cloves and salt and pepper to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then strain. Pack the beetroot into hot sterilized jars and top up with vinegar mixture. Seal, date and store in the refrigerator where it will keep for quite a few months.

Categories
METHODS

STILL-FREEZING (MAKING ICE CREAM WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MACHINE)


Place the empty shallow container in which you wish to freeze the ice cream in the freezer for about 30 minutes before pouring the cream mixture into it.  Ice crystals form in the inside of the container as the mixture freezes and it needs to be broken down and mixed into the rest.  Do this after 30 minutes by whisking (or processing with the pulse setting) the mixture until it is smooth again.  Return to the freezer and repeat every half hour for about 3 hours or until it becomes more solid and smooth.  Take care not to overwork the mixture as it might become grainy.

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

CASSATA (Glazed fruit ice-cream cake with a fresh strawberry compote)


This dessert definitely has the wow factor and can be prepared well in advanced, therefore ideal for entertaining.

CASSATA

The sponge cake:
225 g/8 oz self-raising flour
½ level teaspoon baking powder
225 g/8 oz caster sugar
225 g/8 oz unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
½ cup/125 ml milk and water mixed
1 large egg
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt

The candied fruit:
4 tablespoons/60 ml candied fruit
4 tablespoons/60 ml rum

The vanilla ice-cream: 

As a time saver, use a good quality bought vanilla ice-cream.

150 g/5 oz sugar
6 free-range eggs
1 cup/250 ml milk
1 cup/250 ml full cream
beans of 1 vanilla pod
grated peel of 1 lemon

The cream:
2 free-range egg whites
75 g (2.6 oz) sugar
the soaked and drained candied fruit
¼ cup/60 ml crème fraîche, stirred until smooth

Any left over egg whites can be frozen and thawed for future use. Freeze each egg white in an ice-cube tray and then transfer to either a freezer bag or a container. Once thawed, whites will beat to a better volume if allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

The strawberry compote:
1 cup/250 ml sugar syrup
½ cup/125 ml fresh orange juice
1 cup/250 ml fresh strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped

The garnish:
a selection of red berries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/356°F. Grease a cake pan with a loose bottom, about 22 cm/8.6 in diameter, then dredge the inside with a mixture of flour and caster sugar.

Into a mixing bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk together the egg, butter, milk and water and mix into the flour until it forms a smooth batter.  Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until well risen and golden. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the cake tin and leave to cool totally.

Cut the cake into strips of 2 cm/0.7 in thick each. Line 1 ℓ/1 qrt bowl with cling wrap, then line with the strips of the sponge cake.

Soak the candied fruit in the rum for about 4 hours or overnight.

Whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until pale. Bring the milk and cream with the vanilla beans to the boil and pour half of it onto the sugar and egg mixture.

The ice-cream recipe contains raw eggs and is not suitable for pregnant women, the elderly or very young children.

Whisk well, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and return to very low heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve into a clean bowl placed over a bowl of ice cubes and water to cool the mixture as quickly as possible. Pour into an ice-cream machine and churn, otherwise you can still-freeze it.

Fill the cake lined bowl with the ice-cream, leaving an ample hollow space to fill later with the candied fruit cream. Put back into the freezer for about 1 hour or until frozen.

Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff. Drain the candied fruits and add to the egg whites. Gently stir in the crème fraîche until the whole mixture becomes well blended. Fill the bowl (lined with the cake and frozen ice-cream) with this mixture and smooth with a knife. Cover and freeze overnight.

Bring the syrup and orange juice to the boil and pour over the strawberries. Leave to cool then refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve:
Turn the mold out onto a plate, slice it to reveal the center and pour the strawberry compote on the side. Garnish with a selection of the red fruits.

 

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Tiramisú


This is a popular coffee-flavored Italian dessert with many different versions.  Although this is a most delightful dessert, there is unfortunately no recipes for Tiramisú with ingredient substitutes for the weight conscious.
BLOCK HORIZONTAL LINEServes 4

TIRAMISÙ

3 very fresh eggs, separated
¼ cup/60 ml sugar
1 cup/250 ml Mascarpone (make your own)
1 cup/250 ml cold, strong black coffee
80 ml/⅛ cup Noilly Prat / Marsala / Tia Maria
200 g/7 oz sponge fingers

Mascarpone is a thick, double or triple cream, soft cream cheese with a very high fat content. The texture is that of thickened cream that is on its way to becoming butter. Making your own mascarpone at home is simple, cheaper than the shop bought ones and utterly delicious. It can be used for both sweet and savory dishes and enhances the flavor of the dish without overwhelming the original taste. Mascarpone can be served alone with fruit or fruit syrup;  it makes charming canopies, topped with anchovies, tomato, smoked salmon, etc in fact, any topping you would normally put on top of a cream cheese snack. Mascarpone needs to be consumed within a few days.

The garnish:
unsweetened cocoa powder to finish

Over a double boiler, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Fold the mascarpone into the egg mixture, a spoonful at a time. Beat the whites separately until stiff, and fold into the mascarpone mixture.

Mix the coffee with the liqueur in a shallow bowl, then briefly dip half the sponge fingers in the liquid, soaking one side only and arrange in a single layer on the bottom of a shallow serving dish the dry side of the biscuit facing down.

Do not soak the sponge fingers for longer than 3 seconds as it falls apart easily when wet. Other liqueurs can be used but if you prefer without alcohol, the coffee should be enough.

Pour half the mascarpone mixture over the sponge fingers. Dip the remaining sponge fingers in the coffee and liqueur mixture and arrange on top of the mascarpone cream. Finally, pour over the rest of the mascarpone cream, and smooth the surface. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

This recipe contains raw eggs and is not suitable for pregnant women, the elderly or very young children.

To serve:
Before serving, sprinkle generously with cocoa powder. (Using a small sieve makes this easier).

Categories
METHODS

VANILLA PASTE


VANILLAMake your own beautiful vanilla flavors by simply putting a few whole vanilla beans in a tall bottle (taller than the length of the vanilla bean) and fill the bottle with vodka.  Close the bottle with a stopper and store in a cupboard or dark corner.  After about 6 weeks you can take a peep.  Pull out one of the beans, cut off the tip and squeeze out the tar-like gel, beautiful thick shiny vanilla paste — yum.  No, the paste certainly does not taste of vodka but the vodka is so strongly infused with the vanilla, that a quantity of that can definitely be used as vanilla extract.  Brilliant, don’t you think?

Categories
MAIN COURSE

Veal rolls stuffed with chicken liver and prosciuto in a Marsala and white wine sauce


Serve it with polenta cakes and pickled beetroot.

LINE

Serves 4

The rolls can be prepared the previous day and cooked just before serving.VEAL ROLLS

The filling for the veal rolls:
15 ml/1 tablespoon oil
15 ml/1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
2 rashers of bacon, finely diced
2 free-range chicken livers
5 ml/1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
30 ml/2 tablespoons fresh white breadcrumbs
30 ml/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
5 ml/1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
1 free-range egg, beaten
pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
5ml/1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The veal:
12 thin slices of veal
12 slices of prosciuto
50 g/1.7 oz butter

The sauce:
30 ml/1 tablespoons olive oil 125ml/½ cup shallots, thinly sliced
5 ml/1 teaspoon garlic, minced
80ml/⅓ cup beef stock
80ml/⅓ cup Marsala wine
salt
10 ml/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
10 ml/2 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped

If Marsala wine is not available, use port or sherry.

The polenta:
2 liters/4.3 pts milk
300 g/10.5 oz polenta
50 g/1.7 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
50 g/1.7 oz butter
1125 ml/½ cup chopped fresh chives
salt
150 g/5.2 oz butter for frying the mushrooms
500 g/1 lb mixed mushrooms
freshly ground black pepper
60 ml/¼ cup vegetable oil

Heat the oil and fry the onion and bacon until crisp, remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Add the chicken liver to the same pan and fry for 1 minute, remove and drain, then chop the liver fine and mix well with the bacon and the rest of the filling ingredients. Divide up into twelve portions.

Between two sheets of cling-film, beat the slices of veal flat with a mallet. Put a portion of filling on top of each of the veal slices and carefully roll up the veal with the filling, taking care no to let the filling push out on the sides. Put each roll on top of a slice of prosciuto and roll up again. Secure with toothpicks. Cover and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
In a heavy based saucepan and over medium heat, melt the butter and fry the veal rolls until they are evenly cooked and golden brown – about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and keep aside in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Add the olive oil to the saucepan in which the veal rolls were cooked, add the shallots and over low heat saute for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic. Turn the heat up and deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine, then add the chicken stock, parsley and rosemary and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Season to taste and return the veal rolls and any accumulated juices to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the veal rolls and simmer for about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, bring 2 liters/4.3 pts milk to the boil in a large saucepan, add the polenta gradually in a thin, steady stream, stirring all the time. Add salt and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove the polenta from the heat and gently stir in the Parmesan cheese and chives. In a frying pan, heat the butter then fry the mushrooms until cooked and mix in with to the polenta which should be quite soft.  Pour the hot polenta into a square dish about 2 cm/0.7 in thick. Leave to set then slice into squares of about 8 x 8 cm/3 x 3 in.
Heat a frying pan with the oil until quite hot. Gently lower the polenta squares one by one into the hot pan and fry until golden on both sides. Drain on kitchen towel.

Serve the veal rolls sliced at a slant across with the polenta and Pickled beetroot salad. Drizzle the sauce around and serve immediately.

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

Marachino cherries and marzipan tarts


If this recipe yields too many tarts for one sitting, it is better to half the recipe as they are at their best when still slightly warm. But it should be no problem. They are delicious and small enough to have more than one, two, three ….

Makes 30

CHERRY MARZIPAN

45 pitted Marachino cherries, drained thoroughly on kitchen paper (it is available in jars at any supermarket)
150 g/ 5 oz marzipan (make your own)
2 sheets puff pastry (use bought pastry but see recipe to make your own)
½ cup/125 ml almonds, finely chopped
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry to 5 mm/0.2 in thick. Use a 5 cm/2½ in pastry cutter and punch 30 rounds from the rolled pastry. Carefully place each round on the two prepared baking trays and prick each one all over with a fork. Cover them with another sheet of parchment paper, then two more baking trays on top of each baking tray. (If you don’t have enough baking trays, do this in two sessions.) This is to weigh the pastry down preventing them from rising during the cooking. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven. Lift off the extra trays and parchment paper and leave the pastry to cool.  

Roll out the marzipan to about 2 mm/0.7 in and punch 30 rounds with pastry cutters slightly smaller than 5 mm/0.2 in and place on top of the cooled pastry discs. Cut each cherry in half and place 5 halves on top of each marzipan disc. Put the trays back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and when they have cooled down slightly, sprinkle over the icing sugar and the chopped almonds.