Month: July 2014

Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI


Making ravioli at home using a pasta machine is time consuming but incredibly rewarding, especially when you choose a filling that you enjoy.   These ravioli make a gorgeous vegetarian dish or can be served with Deep fried pork loin sandwich with a spicy sauce.

RAVIOLI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the filling:
1 tablespoon/15 ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
225 g/8 oz Swiss chard, finely chopped
250 ml/1 cup ricotta (make your own)
3 tablespoons/45 ml pine nuts, toasted
4 tablespoons/60 ml Parmesan cheese, finely grated
extra Parmesan cheese for serving

For the ravioli:
See recipe for fresh pasta.

  • To make the filling, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the garlic and the spinach and cook until the stalks of the chard is almost soft.  Remove from the heat and drain.
  • When cool enough squeeze as much of the liquid as possible out of the chard.
  • Add to a food processor with all the other ingredients and pulse until everything is reasonably fine but still with some texture.  Set aside until ready to use.
  • To make the ravioli, bring the pasta dough up to room temperature and then divide it in two.
  • Roll both the pieces of pasta out to the second narrowest setting. Dust the counter with flour and lay out the two long sheets of pasta next to each other.
  • Spoon about 1 tablespoon/15 ml of the filling 50 mm/2 in apart on the  one sheet and repeat until you reach the end of the pasta sheet.
  • Brush all round the fillings with water, then lay the other sheet of pasta on top of the filling portions.
  • You might have to stretch the pasta a little bit to meet the other edge.
  • Press down around the filling to press out any air and then, using the blunt end of a pastry cutter, just big enough to fit over the filling, to gently press down on the pasta to make sure that the filling is “locked” in.  Then, with a slightly bigger cutter, cut the ravioli.
    The ravioli can be cooked straight away or stored on a sheet pan dusted with fine semolina for up to two hours. You can also freeze them at this stage and then cook them from frozen when you are ready.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
  • Add the ravioli, and cook until for about 4 minutes or until they rise to the surface of the water.
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to serving bowls.  Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan and serve immediately.
  • This ravioli can be served as a vegetarian dish or with Deep fried pork loin sandwich with a spicy sauce.
Categories
SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

ROAST PIG’S HEAD AND DUCK GIBLET CONFIT PATé


LINEThis is one of the many dishes that can develop out of a roasted pig’s head

PIG'S HEAD PATE 2

For the pig’s head:
½ pig’s head (if you can only buy a whole head, ask you butcher to cut it in half for you and freeze the other half for later use)
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 stick celery, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cloves
salt and pepper
1 liter/2 pts pork stock
½ cup duck fat, hot

For the duck giblets confit:
500g/1 lb duck giblets (excluding the liver)
salt and pepper
1 liter/2 pts duck fat

For the paté:
the cooked pork meat
the cooked duck giblets
a pinch of five-spice powder
1 tablespoon/15 ml rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons/30 ml spring onions, finely chopped

Remove any hair on the skin, paying special attention to the eyes, ears and snout, by using a blow torch.  Then scrub well in all the crevices using a vegetable brush.  If need be you will have to shave off the stubborn hairs but hopefully the butchery will see to that.  Rub the salt all over into the skin, fold a clean cloth (not plastic) loosely around it and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Rinse well with cold water and pat dry.  There will be lots of excess fat and it is better to remove as much as possible.  (It can be rendered down for use some other time.)  Place the head on a cake rack in the sink and pour a kettle full of boiling water over.  Leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.

Rub salt and pepper all over the skin and underneath. I suggest that you cover the ears with some foil to stop it from burning.  I did not do it and the ears dried out quite a lot.

Prepare a baking tray big enough for the pig’s head to fit in and add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic and onion with the pork stock.  Place the head on top of the vegetables, then pour the hot duck fat over the head.  Bake in the preheated oven for 1½ hours then lower the heat to 160°C/325°F and bake for an additional 2 hours.  When the head is cooked and browned nicely, remove it from the oven and cool until it is comfortable to handle.  Strain the pan juices and reduce to a syrupy consistency, removing as much of the fat as possible.

Carefully remove the skin so that you have quite a few large pieces and set aside.  Cut away as much as possible and separate the rest from the meat.  Finely slice the meat and moisten it with the reduced pan juices.  At this stage serve with a salad or on bread but if you want to continue with the recipe and add the Duck giblets to it, put it in a sealed container and refrigerate.

When the pork is out of the oven, lower the oven heat to 80°C/175°F.

Clean the duck giblets and cut away all the loose bits of fat and sinew.  Cut off the tough stomach wall and slice everything into small cubes.  In a small ovenproof saucepan, heat the duck fat to 80°C/175°F, season the giblets with salt and pepper and add to the fat.  Place the saucepan in the heated oven and cook for 3 hours.  Remove from the oven and let the giblets cool in the fat.

When ready to assemble the paté, remove the giblets from the fat and drain, trying to get rid of as much of the fat as possible.

Assemble the paté:
Mix all the ingredients together, check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.  Put everything in a food processor and pulse until you have a rough consistency.

If you want a smooth paté, grind it longer until you are satisfied.

Pack the mixture tightly into ramekins or any other container in which you can serve the paté directly.  Keep in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to give the flavors a chance develop.

Serve with thin slices of toasted bread, mango chutney and cornichons. Add some salad leaves if you wish.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

WHY MAKE STOCK?


Chicken stock

Stocks have become the foundation of my cooking.  I use it not only to make soups, add it to stews or making fabulous sauces, but cauliflower cooked in chicken stock and butter, or potatoes simmered in duck stock with a bit of duck fat, even risotto made with fish stock, finely chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese, changes an ordinary side dish to something  sublime.  Making stock, however, is time-consuming with lots of fussing and do’s and don’ts, and unless you are committed to getting maximum flavor out of your food, you will find it a bore and unnecessary.  For me it certainly has become a labor of love and deeply satisfying and the more I do it, the easier it gets.  There are some basic rules, though, but you will not regret sticking these.

  • Use bones as they often have stray bits of meat on them. Roast the bones in a hot oven until crispy and brown before adding to the stock pot, except in the case of white chicken or seafood stock.
  • Start off with the vegetables according to your recipe and always sauté them before adding the roasted bones.  Only then add cold water.
  • Never let the stock boil. Bring it to a bare simmer only. Boiling will cloud your stock and can make it bitter.  The longer the stock cooks, the better the flavor.  But not for fish or seafood stock. Cooking time for this is not more than 20 minutes, otherwise it becomes bitter and nasty.
  • Do not add salt.  In doing so, means you’re committed to that salt later. Remember the idea of making stock is to concentrate flavours.  And the more you reduce the sauce you are making from the stock, the more the amount of salt concentrates and increases in saltines.  Salt does not evaporate with the water.
  • Skim the stock while it is simmering. During the simmering process fat and impurities will float to the surface and gather in a foamy scum. Use a large spoon and skim it off.  It is especially important in the beginning.  Have a container with warm water ready to rest your spoon in between skims.  This way the scum from the previous skimming won’t stick to it and is put into the stock.
  • When the stock is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit, not only to cool but to infuse a little longer.
  • Strain the stock with a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. If you have rather large bones, lift them out with tongs first.
  • Stock will last for about 4 days in the refrigerator, but it works very well freezing it in small containers.

See recipes for Chicken stock, Beef stock, Fish stock (see Poached salmon in seafood broth with fennel and tomato), Lamb stock (See Lamb neck casserole  with Moroccan flavors), Prawn stock, Pork stock,  Duck stock, Venison stock, etc.

neral

 

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

VENISON STOCK


1.8 kg/4 lbs venison bones
4 tablespoons/¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon/15 ml crushed juniper berries
2 tablespoons/30 ml fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon/15 ml black pepper
4 chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon/15 ml thyme
2 star anise pods
4 bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
Place the bones on an oven tray and roast in the preheated oven until browned all over.  In a large stockpot, heat the oil and lightly fry the onion, carrots, celery and garlic.  Add the roasted bones and the rest of the ingredients and 4 liters/8.5 pts cold water, and bring to a gentle simmer, regularly skimming the brown foam that forms on the surface.  Simmer for 4 hours, then remove from the heat.  Cool to room temperature, then strain, do not press down on the solids as this will cause the stock to become  cloudy.  Cover and refrigerate until cold, then remove the fat from the surface.  Refrigerate for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Discard the solids.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

DUCK STOCK


This quantity of stock is made with the bones, trimmings and gizzards (except the liver) of one duck.  If you are lucky enough to get lots of bones, just increase the rest of the ingredients.

bones, trimming and gizzards (excluding the liver) of one duck
50 ml olive oil
½ medium onion, roughly chopped
1 small carrot, roughly chopped
½ cup/125 ml celery, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ cup/125 ml Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon/5 ml ginger
1 star anise
1 tablespoon/15 ml Sichuan peppercorns, crushed

Heat the olive oil in a big enough saucepan for your stock and brown the bones, trimmings and gizzards, excluding the livers.  Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and lightly fry them.  Deglaze with the  Shaoxing rice wine and as soon as all the wine has evaporated, add cold water (about four times the volume of the solids), and bring to the boil.  Add the ginger, star anise and Sichuan peppercorns, then turn down the heat.  Simmer gently over low-medium heat, regularly skimming the brown foam that forms on the surface. After 5 hours, turn off the heat and cool to room temperature, then strain.  Do not press down on the solids as this will cause the stock to become cloudy.  Cover and refrigerate until cold, then remove the fat from the  surface.  Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze in smaller containers for up to 3 months.  Discard the solids.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

PORK STOCK


5 kg/11 lbs pork bones
2 pig’s trotters, cleaned thoroughly and split in half
50 ml olive oil
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 carrots, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 cup/250 ml white wine
1 garlic bulb, cut in half
a few sprigs of thyme
1 bay leave

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F.
Place the pork bones and the trotters on an oven tray and cook in a very hot oven until browned all over.  In a large stockpot, heat the oil and lightly fry the onions, carrots and celery then add the pork bones and trotters. Deglaze with the white wine and as soon as all the wine has evaporator, add the water, and bring to the boil.  Add the garlic, the thyme and bay leave and turn down the heat.  Simmer gently over low-medium heat for 5 hours, regularly skimming the brown foam that forms on the surface. After 5 hours, turn off the heat and cool to room temperature, then strain.  Do not press down on the solids as this will cause the stock to become cloudy.  Cover and refrigerate until cold, then remove the fat from the  surface.  Refrigerate for up to 2 days or frozen in smaller containers for up to 3 months.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

PRAWN STOCK


25 g/0.8 oz butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
reserved prawn shells of approximately 8 medium prawns
2 cups/500 ml fish stock
1 tablespoon/30 ml fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon/5 ml Noilly Prat
juice of ½ lemon

In a deep sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and fry the garlic for 10 seconds.  Add the prawn shells and fry until the shells turn pink, about 1 minute.  Add the fish stock and bring to the boil.  Add the parsley, Noilly Prat and lemon juice and bring to the boil again.  Boil for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.  Pour the stock through a colander lined with a muslin cloth. Leave to cool, then chill or freeze in smaller containers until needed.  Discard the solids.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS

PORK STOCK


5 kg/11 lbs pork bones
2 pig’s trotters, cleaned thoroughly and split in half
50 ml olive oil
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 carrots, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 cup/250 ml white wine
1 garlic bulb, cut in half
a few sprigs of thyme
1 bay leave

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F.
Place the pork bones and the trotters on an oven tray and cook in a very hot oven until browned all over.  In a large stockpot, heat the oil and lightly fry the onions, carrots and celery then add the pork bones and trotters. Deglaze with the white wine and as soon as all the wine has evaporated, add the water, and bring to the boil.  Add the garlic, the thyme and bay leave and turn down the heat.  Simmer gently over low-medium heat for 5 hours, regularly skimming the brown foam that forms on the surface. After 5 hours, turn off the heat and cool to room temperature, then strain.  Do not press down on the solids as this will cause the stock to become cloudy.  Cover and refrigerate until cold, then remove the fat from the  surface.  Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze in smaller containers for up to 3 months.  Discard the solids.