Saffarjaliyya

I've made a lot of Persian food over the last few years. There's 2 awesome persian supermarkets close by to where I live so it is really easy to get the necessary ingredients these days. Plus it is such a rich and full flavoured food, especially their more stewish things. I'm not exactly sure how to pronounce this to be honest I didn't really even give it a red hot go as the alternate name is Aleppo Quince and Lamb Stew. Which, I will be truthful, is a lot easier to pronounce for me. Another thing easy to pronounce is delicious, like gloriously delicious. Two of my favourite things, lamb and quince together. 

I really thought I had made this before. However, according to my friend I haven't, the last quince thing I made was a quince and pork stew. Whilst I remember it as being good, this was so much better. I did it a little differently than the recipe I found online but then I mostly do. I would highly recommend it. 

Saffarjaliyya (Aleppo Quince and Lamb Stew)

Lamb: 
1 tbsp oil
750 g lamb, diced
1 tsp bharat
1 tsp salt

2 tbsp tomato past

2 small onions, diced 

2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 6 from memory) 

7 cardamom pods

7 peppercornes

1/4 tsp whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick (I didn't have one so added a bit of ground cinnamon)

100 ml pomegranate juice

1-2 cups water

Quince: 

1 kg quinces, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces

500 ml pomegranate juice

125 ml water

50 g sugar

Quince:

In a medium saucepan, add sugar, water and pomegranate juice, heat to simmer and sugar dissolved. Add quince and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. The quince should be soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork, but not so soft that it’s falling apart.

 Lamb:

Combine bharat, tomato paste and salt to taste and rub over lamb. Brown in batches.

Add onion to the pan and soften, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add whole spices.

Return lamb to the pan and add remaining pomegranate juice and 1-2 cups water. Simmer until lamb is cooked through and only a small amount of liquid remains.

Stir quinces into the lamb adding more liquid if necessary and simmer further 10 – 15 minutes until heated through.

I served it with mashed potato and peas... not very Syrian of me, but it was the best I could come up with on a Monday night. It would be really good with a couscous with pomegranate seeds and herbs stirred in. 

I will definitely make it again and highly recommend you do too. 

Riley St Garage

Do you know what I didn't have access to when I lived up north????

RESTAURANTS

Well, we did have some but country town restaurants.

Do you know what I have access to now?

Every little purple dot on that map is a restaurant/cafe/bar. Look at it, just look. And that is just in the city. There are so many places to go and so many things to try. I could eat out every night for the rest of my life and not get to all of them. I, of course, have a list of must go to restaurants. I have been to a couple of them already. I have been to a lot of other amazing places too. I think I should take you with me too.

Riley St Garage is on my must go list. I'm not sure how or when I first heard of it but I knew that it was absolutely necessary that I go there. I've been to a number of restaurants on my own and, while wonderful, it just isn't the same as when you are sharing it with someone else. I decided to leave going to Riley St Garage until I had someone to go with me.The opportunity arose this past Saturday.

Did you know that Saturday was International Beard Day? Did you know there was an International Beard Day? No, neither did I until a few weeks ago when Riley St Garage posted about it on their instagram with details of an event they were having. It really was some perfect timing. I had a well-groomed friend coming from Melbourne that weekend, a "degustation" menu was in place and, well, it was Riley St Garage. It was a no-brainer that we were going to go there.

Saturday arrived and it was a beautiful day. I will offer a little advice, don't wear new shoes and walk from Central Station to the restaurant. My feet did not appreciate it. If I hadn't been wearing new shoes it would have been an easy gentle walk from the city to the restaurant. Quite often when you look at the map the two points look a rather long distance apart but when you have google maps actually work out the route for you most things are within easy walking distance of public transport. This is no exception in relation to the train. Plus, if you want there is a bus stop pretty much right outside the door!

As per usual we were early, me more so. There is a little cafe next door. Now when I say little, I mean really little. We did consider going there but there was no room inside and secondly I didn't really want to eat or drink anything prior to our coming lunch. We wandered a little but my feet hurt so we sat on a bench and talked.

I know, I know, I can hear you all saying "we don't care about that. tell us about the food". LOL

We were very warmly welcomed, I would love to say by who but...I didn't get names, I also didn't take photos of the set up inside....I'll do better. Everyone was very friendly and jovial. We started at the bar. The stools at the bar were comfortable and sturdy but I had a lot of trouble getting up there. LOL Platform heels next time I guess. A well set out bar and a nice little range of cocktails. I had a sinnaman which was described as an apple pie in a glass (I didn't take a photo, sorry). It was, it really did taste just like an apple pie. My friend asked our bartender to surprise him, I'm not a very good reveiwer, I don't remember what he got now.... looking at the menu I think it was the Tommy's Twisted. He was very happy with the choice.

We moved onto the table and off we went to our table and into an amazing degustation menu.

The oysters came served in a champagne box full of ice. I'll be honest, I'm not usually a fan of oysters. Usually quite happy for others to have my share but I was intrigued by the combination of flavours and wasn't going to miss out. I was very pleased that I did. It would have been very easy for one of the flavours to dominate the dish with either the smoke or the truffle taking over but I found that it was wonderfully balanced and they complimented each other perfectly. It was a wonderful start to the meal. 

 

The tacos were next out in a box filled with barley, another excellent presentation. I admit that I had not come across barley miso before. The crunch of the taco shells were perfect with the soft and buttery tuna. The miso was perfectly proportioned so that it coated but didn't smother the tuna nor soften the crunchy shells. The dabs of mayo on top completed the dish. I assume that the taco shells were some kind of rice paper. I really should have asked...

We were just finished with our tacos and the beef carpaccio was next to hit the table. I read the menu, we both read the menu, and I still ask my companion if it was parmesan, to which he agreed. It was not because the menu very clearly states salted ricotta....not a good foodie! LOL I'll also admit to another little d'oh moment with this dish in that there was some crunchy pieces in it and I asked "do you think this is fried garlic slices?" No that would be the horseradish. I've never had a carpaccio before. I've always been really hesitant of having raw beef but I did really enjoy it the beef was, like I said with the tuna, soft and buttery. I had always wondered how difficult it would be to eat it raw. I guess, like every other situation it depends on the cut and how you treat it to get the result you want. I wouldn't hesitate to try it again.

Can I just say how much I love burrata?  I do, I really do. It looks like it's firm like mozzarella but it is oozy inside. This one was perfect a little resistance when first cutting into it, with a spoon, but then so soft, silky and oozy inside. The pickled onion was a perfect accompaniment with the cheese. It had a vinegary flavour but it was not over-powering. The pistachios added a lovely crunch to the dish.

I wasn't completely sure what to expect with the corn dogs. I do love a good chorizo and this was a really good one. I'd never had a lamb chorizo before and I didn't really notice the lamb flavour in it. My mum would have I'm sure. She could tell if the meat grinder hadn't been cleaned completely after mincing the lamb before the beef, she really didn't like lamb. The chorizo was perfectly seasoned, a nice bite to it but nothing over powering. The batter coating it was perfectly cooked and an excellent batter to meat proportion. The pickle and sauce completed it nicely.

The lamb shoulder, truffle mash and broccolini all hit our table. The lamb was just melting off the bone. A spoon was all that was needed to break it apart. It was saucy and juicy the labne and little crunch bits or garlic were delicious with it. The truffle mash was absolutely to die for. I really could have just sat there with the spoon and eaten the whole dish. The truffle flavour was strong but not too strong. The actual mash was so creamy. I love creamy mash and, I'll be honest, is one of the few reason I keep my thermomix. The broccolini was perfectly cooked. The smokey charred flavour came through beautifully. The three components of the main course fitted together so perfectly.

After devouring all of that food we were grateful that they offered a bit of a break before the dessert. It was nice to sit with the flavours for a while and not have them rushed off your palate with a burst of sugar. A glass of wine, Sauvignon Blanc for me and Pinot Noir for him, had also been consumed during lunch. We just stayed with water for the rest of the meal. The dessert made an appearance flaming away (I really should have done a video), and we waited for it to die down. there was a beautiful crack on top when we broke into it. It looked like it was going to be really sweet and really heavy but it really wasn't either of those. Yes, it was sweet but not overpowering. It wasn't a huge rush of sugar into my system. The brownie was dense but not so dense that it weighed down in my stomach. I will admit that we didn't finish it. I'd had the perfect amount of food and any more really would have been too much so the last bit went begging.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Everyone was very friendly and the service was excellent. I can tick it off my go to list but will leave it on there as I'd really like to go to Riley St Garage again. 

March 2014 - Lamb & Mint meatball tagine with chermoula

The last couple of issues I have struggled to find something that I have really wanted to make from the issues. Initially I wondered if it was because of changes with delicious magazine however I realised it was more about my apathy for cooking. I have mainly been doing sustenance cooking, mainly pretty boring food that keeps me going. There has also been quite a bit of snackish meals and take away. All in all I had lost my desire to cook. Not surprisingly it has happened at a time when I am quite anxious and stressed in life. The stress and anxiety are still hanging around but I decided that I need to start doing the good things that will make it all easier, eat/sleep/exercise. So, I have been swimming again over the past week. I finally cooked a good meal tonight. Sleep...well... it is usually my downfall but I am trying. 

When looking at this delicious magazine I decided to focus exactly on what was in it. To focus on stuff that is full of flavour and colour or something a bit different. A number of recipes really caught my eye. The first is Jamie Oliver's Rhurbarb sorbet with pistachio brittle. It is just such an unusual combination. I have the mix for the sorbet chilling in the fridge to be churned tomorrow. I am not going to make the brittle. I really hate making toffee things I always burn myself with the bloody stuff. Plus pistachios are insanely expensive. 

I am also really keen on making the Pork belly with caramelised pears and pickled kohlrabi. Now when I first saw this recipe I thought that it would be awesome to make but didn't think that I had any chance of getting kohlrabi here so had pretty much decided that I wouldn't get to make that one. However I walked into the supermarket the other day and there was some kohlrabi and I grabbed on and will make this one on the weekend. 

I decided to start with making the Lamb & mint meatball tagine with chermoula. It was very easy and so very good. It was such a complex meld of flavours but it was just balanced perfectly. I did manage to cook the meatballs a bit long as I didn't get the rice on soon enough but there was enough sauce that it didn't matter. My lamb mince was very lean so I think that they may have been a little dry from that as well. I used my thermomix to make the chermoula. I really haven't been using it very much. Perhaps getting back into cooking can also mean starting to use my thermomix more. I am finding myself forgetting just how easily it can do things and that it is easy to clean. So time to start doing more with it. 

October 2013 - Couscous, watermelon & feta salad with spiced lamb

Nothing to much to say. This was nice but I made a few changes. I didn't have lamb backstrap so I just used some lamb cutlets. There was no vegetables in the meal at all so I added cherry tomatoes, asparagus and snow peas. The dressing was a bit sweet for me. I doubt I would make this again. 

Couscous, watermelon & feta salad with spiced lamb

125 g Pearl couscous

1/4 c evoo

2 x 250 g lamb backstraps 

1/3 c dukkah

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp honey

1/4 seedless watermelon, sliced

150 g marinated feta, crumbled

2 cups picked watercress sprigs

Cook couscous as per packet instructions. 

Season & cook lamb in a medium high heat. Remove from pan & roll in dukkah. 

Combine lemon zest & juice, honey and oil. Add couscous and stir to combine. 

Slice lamb & serve on top of couscous with watercress, watermelon & feta. 

12 hour roast lamb

I had good intentions of posting consistently this month. As you may have noticed it really hasn't happened. I have meals that I made ages ago that need to be blogged but just haven't gotten around to doing them. I think that I may have mentioned at some stage previously that I have depression and sometimes it just gets on top of me. I am really struggling with it at the moment. I usually like to "cook my way out" however even that is a struggle at the moment. Cooked meals are few and far between, well at least anything that involves any work. There has been quite a few "antipasto" plates, tins of soup and too many takeaways, mainly McDonalds.... The lack of good food contributes to the problem so it is important for me to start cooking my way out. 

Last weekend I did a pork roast which turned out really well and gave me leftovers, that I took to work for lunches. So I decided to do another roast this weekend. A couple of months ago I purchased a whole lamb, all cut up. I forgot to get the butcher to cut the leg roast in half. They are pretty big and I had been planning to save them for when I had visitors (rare) or cook and take it somewhere. However yesterday I thought that I should just cook it for myself and then I can freeze some for later. I didn't want to just do anything I wanted something a bit different. I had heard before about making 12-hour roasts and thought that this would be a perfect opportunity. All the recipes that I saw involve rosemary, which is traditional with lamb, but I really don't like rosemary. I searched all over the place but could not find a recipe for anything that I wanted to make. So I made it up as I went along. 

1 leg lamb

2 cloves garlic, sliced 

Peel from 1/2 lemon, chopped into small pieces

1 tbsp sumac

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 carrot

1 onion

1 celery stick

1 c chicken stock (some wine would be nice too) 

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses extra 

Pre-heat oven to 100 C

Pierce lamb with a knife and place pieces of garlic and lemon in the holes. Sprinkle with sumac and rub in. Combine pom molasses and olive oil brush over lamb. 

Chop carrot, onion & celery and place in bottom of baking dish and place lamb on top. Pour stock into the bottom of the pan. Cover with a double layer of foil and roast in the oven for 11 hours. 

Remove from oven, increase temperature to 200 C and place tray of mixed veg, I used pumpkin, potato, sweet potato and baby turnips, to roast. 

Drain liquid from lamb and then drizzle with extra pomegranate molasses and place back in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Skim fat off the liquid, bring to boil and reduce by half. I added some cornflour to thicken after about 20 minutes. 

Remove lamb from the oven, cover with foil and let rest until vegetables are completely cooked, another 20 - 30 minutes. 

Serve lamb with gravy, roast veg and steamed greens. 

Delicious April 2013 - Warm Moroccan Carrot Salad

So, I really struggled to find something to make from this issue. There really wasn't anything that jumped out and grabbed me. No, that isn't exactly true, there just wasn't a lot that grabbed me enough to insisted that I make it immediately.

The chocolate & halva tiramisu on the cover looks really good but I don't have anywhere to buy halva. I know that I could probably make it but since I am trying to avoid too much in the way of sweets I decided that it wasn't really worth it. Plus I find it difficult to scale down tiramisu recipes much for some reason. 

I also marked the Fish kofta with eggplant salad as a possibility. It sounded like something different and a bit unusual. The eggplant was roasted and combined with tomato, red onion, herbs, a lemon & olive oil dressing plus pomegranate seeds and pomegranate molasses. I love roasted eggplant. I don't have a gas cook top so cannot blacken the skin over that but I recently purchased a weber bbq so could definitely do it on that and get that smoky flavour to it. The salad has fresh coriander, parsley and mint. If you have been reading for a while you will know how I feel about coriander. I have used small amounts recently and I would probably put a small amount in this and increase the parsley to compensate. Again if you have been reading for a while you will know how I feel about fish too. I am on a bit of a mission to get more into my diet since it is so very good for you. I do like salmon and it is full of the omega 3's that are good for you but it would be nice to increase the repertoire a bit. I will get around to making this but I need to wait for a time when I can get some good fish. 

I really wanted to make Jamie Oliver's Pork Belly Buns however it was part of his "Party Pleasers" feature which meant that the recipe serves 20. That is a massive amount of servings. When you have a recipe like that scaling it back too far just doesn't work. I did think about just halving it and freezing any leftovers for later use but sometimes I have a tendency to forget about leftovers in the freezer until they get to a point of not being edible any more. So unless I have friends over then this recipe will just have to remain unmade. 

I did have a recipe for Jerk Chicken with Red Onion Flatbread marked to make. I did in fact make the jerk chicken but I was too lazy to make the flatbread. The recipe did suggest that if you didn't want to make the flatbread you could just use bought naan but I didn't get to the supermarket to buy that either. The chicken was good, although I did find the actual flavours rather overwhelming. However that could have been my fault since the recipe recommends marinading for 4 hours or overnight and, through circumstances, mine ended up marinading for 2 nights. So I am sure that would have had an effect on the intensity of the flavour. I am sure that if I had cooked it after the first night it wouldn't have been so strong. I had previously made Jamie Oliver's jerk pork belly that I loved and it was nowhere near as strong so perhaps I will give the chicken another try at some stage. 

I ended up making the Warm Moroccan Carrot Salad from Kepos Street Kitchen. I did make a few alterations to the recipe though. The original recipe called for 2 bunches of dutch carrots. I didn't have them. Purchasing at the supermarket is not an option as they are always soft and floppy, clearly beyond their best. I have never found them at our local markets either. I haven't grown any carrots for a while now so perhaps I will get some in the garden this year. So instead I used a couple of regular carrots and added some zucchini as well. I didn't have any fresh green chillis nor did I have any fresh red chillis so I used a bit of chilli paste. I didn't have, and don't really like, goat's cheese so I used feta cheese instead. I really enjoyed this a lot. It was so full of flavour and it went really well with the bbq Moroccan lamb flaps (belly/ribs) that I made that night. Well, I say made but I really should say cooked the pre-rubbed flaps that I got from my local butcher but so much flavour that I will definitely get them again. 

Warm Moroccan Carrot & Zucchini Salad

2 carrots, peeled (if needed) and cut into batons, 

2 zucchini, cut into batons 

olive oil 

1 tsp chilli paste (or to taste) 

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp honey (I just poured some in) 

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sumac (I don't have a very good one at the moment so used more) 

crumbed feta

Blanch carrots and zucchini until just starting to soften. Heat oil in pan and add carrots and zucchini and toss until coated. Add chilli paste and garlic and toss until fragrant. Add honey and cook until starting to caramelise and then season. Cool slightly and serve topped with crumbled feta. 

March 2013 - Slow Roast Lamb with tomato & garlic crust

So delicious. has brought their Italian issue out a couple of months early this year. I have found a lot of recipes in the issue that I want to make, in fact I have already made three, however my previous criticism still stands. It is time for an issue dedicated to and another cuisine. I would love to see an issue dedicated to something a little bit different. I am not sure exactly what but they are a talented bunch at delicious. I am sure they could work something out.

As I said there are a number of recipes that I want to make from this issue. One of which is Jamie Oliver's Cauliflower risotto with chilli pangrattato. It seems to be an unusual combination I would never have thought of putting cauliflower in risotto.

Another recipe that I am planning to try, hopefully this coming weekend, is from the month's guest chef Marie Zarro. It is her Braised pork with leek & ribiola mash. I will have to do the suggested substitute of a combination of ricotta and mascarpone in place of the ribiola as there is no possibility of getting that here but at least a suggested substitute was given. It sounds like it will be wonderfully decadent. I am also keen to make her brutti ma buoni (ugly but delicious) They are basically a meringue with hazelnuts and some cocoa powder. It reminds me of cookies that my mum used to make for me that were a meringue with chocolate chips stirred through and then dropped in tablespoonfuls and baked until crispy but the chocolate chips would still be soft and a bit oozy. I will give the brutti ma buoni a go but may also make my mum's choc-chip meringue cookies too. 

The first recipe that I made was The Food Dept.'s Slow-roast leg of lamb with tomato & garlic crust. It was wonderful. I had a smaller leg of lamb but I still made the whole amount of the crust. Instead of doing it in the oven I used my new weber bbq. I am still learning how to use the weber but it  worked well I think. Since it was smaller I cooked for less time but I think that it could have easily been done for a bit longer as it wasn't quite as 'fall apart' as I hoped it would be. The tomato and garlic crust was fabulous. The only change that I would make would be to add 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar to the mix as the tomato paste flavour is very strong and it would cut through it well. Like always, I had problems keeping the double layer of foil over the pan. I had to move it as I had an issue with the bbq maintaining heat and it broke the "seal". I think that I am going to have to find myself a pan that has a lid which will fit in both my oven and bbq that I can use. I would still put the foil on but then the lid on top to stop the seal from being broken and letting steam escape. The roasted tomatoes that went with the roast were excellent too. 

Slow-roast Leg of Lamb with Tomato and Garlic Crust

2kg leg of lamb, trimmed

1 garlic bulb, cloves separated unpeeled

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

1 and 1/2 cups (375ml) white wine vinegar 

500g vine-ripened tomatoes, halved

1/2 bunch thyme springs

Handful fresh bay leaves

Preheat weber to high, reducing heat once up to temperature. 

Crush two of the garlic cloves and combine with tomato paste, oil and some salt & pepper and rub all over the lamb (the recipe said brush but hands are easier). Pour vinegar into the pan around the lamb. Cover baking paper, then cover with 2 sheets of foil. 

Place in the weber and oven and roast for 3- 4 hours maintaining temperature at 150 C. 

Remove the foil and baking paper add the to the pan, sprinkle over the thyme, bay leaves, remaining garlic cloves, drizzle tomatoes with oil and season. Return the pan to the weber and roast for the further 1 hour or until the tomatoes have softened. 

Harissa lamb chops

Since I made the harissa paste I decided that I just had to try it out. I have had two favourite ways of using it. Firstly with lamb and with pork. If I had had some pork belly I would have made the harissa pork belly again. Unfortunately I didn't so I decided to go with lamb. I have quite a few lamb fore-quarter chops in the freezer that need to be used up so I thought I would find some way to use them it. It turned out so well. The lamb, while not quite fall apart point, was extremely tender and beautifully flavoured. I served it on wraps, lebanese bread would be better, with a quick salad, hummus and a sauce made from yoghurt and harissa.

Harissa lamb chops

1 tbsp harissa paste
2 tsp olive oil
Juice 1/2 lemon

Combine in a small bowl and then spread over 2 lamb forequarter chops (there would have been enough for more). Cover and place in fridge for 2 - 3 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 180 C.

Heat small amount of oil in an oven safe fry pan over a medium-high heat. Brown chops and then place in the oven and covered with a lid for 30 minutes. Then remove lid and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and shred meat and serve on wraps with hommus, salad and a sauce of yoghurt mixed with harissa to taste.

Scottadito con vignarola

Doesn't that name sound so much more fancy than Lamb cutlets with braised vegetables? This was really, really good. Another recipe from the May issue of delicious magazine. (I still stand by my rant though. lol) I loved the marinated artichoke hearts in the vegetables. I would definitely do vegetables like this again. In fact I would probably add some other stuff to it as well. I think that some semi-dried tomatoes would go really well in it. You really could serve it with most meats not just lamb. 

Scottadito con vignarola

6 marinated artichoke quarters (1 small jar)

1/3 c olive oil (I don't think I used this much)

100 g pancetta, chopped 

1 onion, thinly sliced (I think that shallots would be good)

1/4 c white wine

1/3 c vegetable stock 

60 g chilled unsalted butter, chopped 

1 1/4 cups frozen baby peas, blanched, refreshed (I just ran them under some hot water then cold water)

12 French-trimmed lamb chops (I didn't worry about frenching) 

Cook pancetta over medium heat with a drizzle of oil until golden and then add onion and cook stirring until translucent. Add wine and simmer for a minute, add stock and bring to the boil. Then whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until the sauce thickens and emulsifies. Stir in peas & artichokes. Taste and season if necessary. 

Cook lamb over a medium-high heat until cooked to your liking. 

Divide vegetables between plates and top with lamb. 

Satay Lamb with Carrot Pilaf

Quite a while ago now I bought a whole lamb all cut up and put it all in the freezer. I have been slowly using it, although not really quickly enough. I made this satay lamb quite some time ago and I think that it is almost time to make it again. 

It really was very easy to make. I found a recipe for satay sauce on Taste.com.au but it wasn't exactly what I wanted so I experimented a bit with it and it turned out really well. The carrot pilaf is a recipe from Taste. I really enjoyed it, I think that it could be served with a lot of meals. If you are not serving the satay with the carrot pilaf I would add carrots to the with the capsicum and beans. You could use whatever vegetables you liked.

Satay Lamb

6 lamb forequarter chops

1 tbps grapeseed oil)

Satay sauce (recipe below)

1 red capsicum, seeded & sliced

200 g green beans, halved (I don't know if this is the right amount, I just used what I had in the fridge)

 

Cut the meat off  lamb chops and dice. 

Heat heavy based pan over a medium-high heat. Add oil and lamb and brown. 

Poured the satay sauce stir to combine. 

Add capsicum and beans. Placed the lid on the pan for about 10 minutes then removed the lid and cooked until the sauce reduced down.

Serve with carrot pilaf. 

Satay sauce

1 tsp grapeseed oil

1/2 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tsp sambal olek (or to taste)

3 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (I ground my own peanuts probably about 1/2 c)
125ml water
1 tbs lime juice
2 tsp kecap manis

1/2 tsp brown sugar 

 

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft and golden. Add garlic and sambal olek and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add curry powder and turmeric and cook for a further minute. 

Add peanut butter and stir  then add water, lime juice, kecap manis and sugar. 

Cook, stirring, for 3 - 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.

 

 

Herb-crumbed cutlets and bean & parsley salad

So I performed a little surgery and gave the place a bit of a facelift. I also finally got around to making my own header. I think that it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. I actually had quite a bit of fun playing around with some photo editing software over the weekend. Even better, I have a one day photography course coming up in a couple of weeks. I hope that it will improve my photos. Most of the time getting a good photo is pretty much a matter of luck for me. I suppose if I really sat down with my camera manual I might be able to work it out but I think it will be a lot easier having a professional photographer how to get the best out of your camera. There is also the possibility of a longer course next semester. I am actually quite excited at the prospect. 

I made this recipe quite some time ago now. At the moment I am in a bit of a funk and can't really be bothered cooking or even eating much. I am, of course, still eating and trying to eat well but there is just nothing exciting being made in my household. Chicken & sprout sandwiches really aren't blog worth. 

I plan on making this recipe again. I have more cutlets in the freezer. I only made a few changes to the recipe. I used sourdough in place of the white bread for the crumbs. Instead of flour & egg wash I lightly coated the cutlets in low-fat greek yoghurt. I had some green beans that really needed to be used up so I sliced and blanched them and added to the salad. It was nice and filling and I can't wait to make it again. Perhaps with some different herbs in with the crumbs and next time I might give them a spray with some olive oil and cook under the grill instead of pan frying. 

Chutney lamb chops

Some time ago I had to replace my refrigerator. I had been having trouble with the previous one for some time and one day I came home and it had given up so off I went and got a new one. At the time the store was having a good interest-free terms deal so I decided to get myself a small chest freezer at the same time. In my old house I had an upright freezer when I moved I sold it. I knew that I wouldn't have room for it plus I really didn't have a need for such a large freezer. Most of the time it was 3/4 empty and that really is just a waste of power. I did find though that the freezer over the fridge wasn't enough. So the small chest freezer was a great compromise. I am very pleased with it. Not long after getting the freezer I decided that it needed some filling so I purchased some bulk meat. A whole lamb, all nicely chopped up how I wanted and packaged up, a bunch of pork loin chops and spare ribs, a lot of mince and some sausages. I have been slowly using up what I bought. 

I am always on the look out for recipes for using the lamb though. I really do love lamb chops just pan fried and served with mash and vegies but some times it is just nice to have something a bit different. I have a number of different recipes saved to try out. I was very happy with this Chutney lamb chops recipe. It was so very tasty and something that I never would have thought to make myself. I didn't have a fruit chutney at home and really didn't want to buy one so I used half tomato chutney and half mango chutney. I also decided to dispense with the rosemary, not my favourite herb, as I usually find it overpowering. I served it with brown rice instead of the risoni and some steamed carrots and zucchini. It was a super simple meal but extremely tasty. I have even passed the recipe on to a couple of friends already.

Dukkah-Crusted Lamb with Pearl Couscous Salad

I was invited to spend Christmas with friends this year and it was wonderful. I enjoyed taking a break from cooking and it was nice to be away from home for a few days. It was also terrific to spend time with my friends. However there was a bit of indulgence involved, especially with a trip to Bourke Street Bakery, along with all the other associated Christmas goodies. So I feel the need to have a few lighter meals for a while. This does not include the feast that I am making tomorrow for New Year's Eve, although I am mainly doing that for the leftovers that I can have for lunches. 

I started my lighter meals last night with this lamb recipe over on Taste but I didn't really follow the recipe so will post what I did instead. It was very good, although I think that my dukkah is starting to get some age on it and therefore lose a bit of its flavour so I think I will probably toss it and make up a new lot. The couscous was very good although I think I could have made it a bit healthier if I had used quinoa instead of the pearl couscous. You really could add any salad veg that you wanted to.

Dukkah-Crusted Lamb with Pearl Couscous Salad 

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

4 Lamb loin chops

Olive oil 

Pistachio dukkah (made with pistachios instead of almonds)

1/3 c pearl couscous

1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

1/4 continental cucumber, pealed, quartered and sliced 

1/4 red onion sliced 

1/2 avocado diced 

2 slices of feta cheese, diced 

Handful mint leaves, chopped

Raspberry vinegar (I bought this ages ago, it is so good and well worth it)

salad leaves to serve

Method: 

Drizzle lamb with oil and sprinkle with dukkah giving it a good rub. Set aside while making salad. 

Cook pearl couscous in some vegetable stock following packet directions, rinse in cool water and drain well. Combine couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, avocado, feta and mint, drizzle with a small amount of raspberry vinegar and mix to combine. Refrigerate until serving. 

Heat pan over medium-high heat and add a small about of grapeseed oil to pan. Cook chops for a few minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove and drain on paper towel and trim fat from lamb. 

Serve with salad leaves and couscous salad with an extra drizzle of vinegar. 

December 2011 - Couscous salad with Honey & Saffron Dressing

So, I have had a bit of a crazy weekend. Have done a lot of stuff over the past couple of days and now I am really tired. There is still some stuff I want to get done but it is not going to happen this evening. Hopefully I will get it done tomorrow after work. 

I am going to be honest and tell you that I really haven't looked at this issue that closely. I have flicked through it and saw some lovely food. While flicking through I marked two recipes to make. Both were part of a Moroccan menu by David Morgan. 

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a full lamb along with some pork and beef to fill up my freezer and because meat is so much cheaper if you can buy it in bulk. I picked it up last Wednesday and invited by grandparents up for a meal. I decided to do the Moroccan menu for them and it was a big hit. I made the Chermoula Lamb with yoghurt dressing. I made some changes. I marinated it and but used a on the bone roast instead of boned & butterflied. I also slow roasted instead of doing it on the barbecue. I also didn't have any preserved lemon for the yoghurt dressing (at least I couldn't find the jar I am sure that I have)  so I used some fresh lemon zest in it instead. 

To go with it I made the Couscous salad with Honey & Saffron Dressing. This was so good. My grandmother was really impressed with it. I did make some changes. I added in some capsicum when roasting the other vegetables.  I used craisins in place of the sultanas and omitted the green olives. I didn't have enough oranges so I used grapefruit juice in the dressing instead. I will definitely make this one again. 

Couscous salad with honey and saffron dressing

Serves 8 (actually I think it would feed an army...lol) 

1 kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped
2 red onions, cut in wedges
1 red capsicum, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups couscous
200 grams of chopped apricots
100 g craisins
1 3/4 to 2 cups vegetable stock, hot
2 oranges, peeled and segmented

For the dressing
100 ml grapefruit juice
1 tbsp honey
a pinch of saffron threads
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees°C. Mix the pumpkin, onion and capsicum with the olive oil and roast this for 25- 30 minutes or until cooked. Let cool slightly and then peel capsicum and slice into strips.

Combine couscous, apricots, craisins and stock in a bowl and cover with glad wrap or a tight fitting lid until all liquid is absorbed.

Mix the pumpkin and onion with the couscous, apricots, sultanas and orange segments

For the dressing,

Heat the juice, honey and saffron in a small pan until it comes to a boil, then set aside to cool. Whisk in the oil and season to taste. Stir the dressing into the salad and serve.

The photograph here is from the following night when I served some of the left over salad with some lamb cutlets that had be marinated in olive oil and sumac. 

Delicious September 2011 - Moroccan Lamb with Carrot Salad

I can't believe at how quickly this month is passing by. I all of a sudden found myself staring at not having a recipe cooked out of this month's Delicious magazine and I just couldn't let that happen. I kind of lost my cooking mojo lately. I have still been making stuff to eat but certainly nothing worth writing about. In fact not much cooking involved with pre-coated chicken breast schnitzels and frozen veg. I have, of course, had a few exceptions but I just haven't seemed to have gotten around to writing about them yet. I have a bit of catching up to do. 

From this issue I had initially wanted to make Nigella's Chocol-Oat Cookies. Basically a double chocolate oat cookie having both cocoa and chocolate chips. They sounded so good but had already made some other biscuits at the time and didn't really need two different types in the house. 

When menu planning for this week I decided to make two recipes from this issue this weekend. The first was Chicken with Shanghai Noodles from the Global Flavours feature. I had just scanned the recipe looking at what was required for it. Finding that I had almost all the ingredients I decided to make it for dinner on Saturday night. I, however, came down with a cold. Saturday morning I still planned on making it however by the afternoon I was starting to feel pretty awful again and on further reading of the recipe there was a lot more to it than I originally thought. So I have stuck the chicken thigh fillets in the freezer and I hope to make this on Wednesday when I have the day off and hopefully will be better. 

The other recipe on my menu plan from this issue is the one that I ended up making tonight, Valli Little's Moroccan Lamb with Carrot Salad which Valli says is inspired by Joanne Weir. This was very good. Although I did have a couple of issues. The first was the "lamb neck fillets" in the recipe, my very good local butcher didn't know what they were. So on my butcher's suggestion I purchased a 400g lamb leg roast portion. It was very lean and looked like it would be perfect. Second issue was that I couldn't get Dutch carrots, so I just used some regular carrots that I quartered. Finally, there was too much salt in the spice mix. I think reducing it by half would be better. I also reduced the amount of pepper. Oh, and very last, the citrus zest in the oven....200C was way too hot. 

Moroccan Lamb with Carrot Salad 

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp finely grated orange zest 

2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest 

2 tsp cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp chilli flakes 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

2 x 400 g lamb leg portions 

1 cup whole-egg mayonnaise (I would use yoghurt next time) 

2 tsp harissa (I used more) 

Carrot Salad 

4 large carrots, quartered

2 tbsp honey (I used Leatherwood) 

100 ml extra virgin olive oil 

2 tbsp redcurrant jelly 

Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange 

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley 

radishes, sliced

sprouts, salad leaves, feta (I used garlic feta), to serve 

Method: 

• Pre-heat oven to 160 C. 
• Bake zest and a tray for 5 - 10 minutes. Watch very carefully as it will burn quickly. 
• Add cumin seeds and bake a further 5 minutes or until zest is crispy. Cool.
• Crush zest, cumin, chilli with 1 tbsp each of salt and black pepper (original recipe was 2 tbsp each). 
• Combine half the spice mix with oil and rub over lamb, cover and chill for 2 -3 hours or overnight. 
• Pre-heat oven to 180 C. 
• Combine carrots, honey and 60 ml oil and roast for 20 minutes or until just soft. 
• Combine jelly and juices in a pan over a medium heat. Reduce by half and then add cinnamon. 
• In a bowl combine parsley, radishes, sprouts, salad leaves, feta and carrots and dress with a small amount of dressing just before serving. 
• Heat an oven-proof fry pan over a high heat. Brown lamb on all sides and them place pan in oven and roast for 15 - 25 minutes (time will depend on how thick your lamb portion is and how well done  you like it). Let rest 10 minutes, covered with foil.
• Combine mayonnaise and harissa and place in a serving bowl. 
• Slice lamb and serve with carrot salad and mayonnaise. 

Delicious: July 2011 - Crumbed Lamb Chops with Roasted Greek-Salad Vegetables

It seems like it has been a really long week and I am having trouble unwinding tonight. I was hoping to get to bed early tonight but I wasn't tired earlier. I am finally started to feel a bit sleepy now so hopefully I will get this typed up quickly and then be able to get some sleep. 

This would have to be my favourite recipe that I have made out of this issue of delicious magazine. I really, really loved the roasted greek-salad vegetables. I have made them twice since as well. The lamb when with the vegetables perfectly. I used some lamb loin chops rather than the frenched cutlets. The only reason was that the loin chops were half the price of the cutlets. I really liked the lemon zest in with the breadcrumbs. It was also a really easy meal to make. I can see this one entering into rotation on my menu planning. 

Crumbed lamb cutlets with roast greek-salad vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 3 roma tomatoes, halved (I used a punnet of cherry toms) 
• 2 red capsicum, roughly chopped 
• 3 zucchini, halved lengthways and thickly sliced 
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
• 1/3 c olive oil (I used garlic olive oil) 
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 200 g feta, chopped 
• 1/2 c kalamata olives (I used pitted ones) 
• 1 tbsp oregano leaves, plus extra to serve 
• 1 c dried breadcrumbs (I used panko breadcrumbs) 
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 8 French-trimmed lamb cutlets
• 1/4 c plain flour, seasoned 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten 
• lemon wedges, to serve

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 200 C and line a large baking tray with foil.
• Toss vegetables and garlic with 2 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Season. 
• Spread on the tray and bake for 15 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. 
• Add feta, olives and oregano leaves and bake for a further 5 - 8 minutes until feta is golden. 
• Meanwhile, combine crumbs with zest and remaining 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Coat lamb first in flour, then in egg and crumbs, shaking off any excess. 
• Heat remaining oil 2 tbsp oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat (I used grapeseed oil). 
• In batches cook lamb for 2 - 3 minutes each side for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking. 
• Place lamb cutlets on a serving platter with rated vegetables, lemon wedges and oregano leaves.

Jamie Oliver's Mechoui Lamb & Moorish Crunch Salad

Well, that post scheduling works well. I will have to keep that in mind for when I get the urge to do some posts and I can do a couple at a time. I have quite a few things that I have made from Bill's Sydney Food that I haven't blogged about yet and I really should get those cleared so that I can start posting as I make things again. Although I suppose I could just post the older ones in between new stuff. 

I promised myself that I would at least get one new post done today. Yesterday I woke up with a rash on my face and feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I went to the doctor and was prescribed some heavy duty antibiotics as the doctor thinks it is an "infection", no idea what kind or why. I ended up coming home from work early yesterday as I was feeling so awful. I normally have Wednesdays off work so today is okay. I was feeling okay this morning as I got up and got my nails done and did a couple of other things however I have crashed since lunch time. I had a nap but not sure that it really helped. Perhaps I should have turned the air conditioning on before I laid down on the lounge as I woke up all hot and achy.

At the same time as cooking every single recipe from Bill's Sydney Food. I have also been trying to use more of the rest of my cookbook collection. I have a large number of them that just seem to sit there and look pretty. I had purchased Jamie Does... after watching a couple of episodes of the show and was pushed over the edge by the recipe for the Sexy Swedish Buns (which everyone should make by the way). There were also a couple of other recipes from the show that caught my attention. I was particularly taken with the episode that he did in Morocco. The lovely combinations of spices. His enthusiasm in the markets and showing us all about it. His excitement at actually making the recipes. Now, of course, there are going to be ingredients that I cannot get. Although for his Mechoui Lamb the only thing that I was unable to get was the smen which I understand is some kind of fermented butter. This dish was so lovely. When I went to purchase a shoulder of lamb my butcher asked what I was making. When I told him he suggested trying it with a boned out leg next time. I think I will give that a try, although it will be more expensive, it will be less fatty and less wastage. The only thing that I would then have to watch for is that it doesn't dry out. All the fat on the shoulder would have contributed to keeping the meat as moist as it was. It also would have helped with the way that the meat just fell apart after cooking. However I think that I lost some of the spice flavour with it being removed from the meat with the large amount of fat before serving. It was still amazing though and made some incredible lunches over the week afterwards with some more in the freezer for use at a later date. Definitely a nice change from a traditional roast dinner on a Sunday night.

I wanted to make something a bit more substantial than the carrot and orange salad to go with it so went with Jamie Oliver's Moorish Crunch Salad which I had made previously. It went perfectly with the lamb and was also excellent inside wraps and pitas for lunches. In fact I have made this salad a couple of times since I first made it in November last year. It really is a great side. 

Bill's Lamb Cutlets with Skordalia and Parsley salad

Well, summer has arrived finally. Goodness it has been hot here the past few days. It is so draining and I haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. I guess however the heat really did have to turn up at some point. It is just such a shock to the system when it turns up all at once and doesn't gradually heat up. 

It was time to get back to Bills. I have a couple of other recipes that I have made from Bills Sydney Food to post but I just had to post this one from last night first. I will admit that a day of 35 C temperatures was probably not the time to be making this. I was so hot by the time I had finished cooking and served it up that I thought I was going to melt. The flavours of this meal completely made up for all the heat in  the cooking and the eating though. 

I had started this on Sunday afternoon but decided that it would be better to give the lamb rack longer in the marinade so left it overnight and cooked it last night. I think this really was worth the extra time in the marinade, even though I did have to find something else to make on Sunday night. Thankfully though, this was a really quick recipe to make so was easy to make after work. The lamb needed longer to cook than Bill's recipe suggested. I cooked for longer but it was still way too pink for my liking. I find it difficult to determine when a rack is done to my liking. After the standing time, I sliced the rack into cutlets for the pictures, while doing this I reheated my fry pan and then cooked the cutlets for about 2 minutes on each side so they were perfect after that. I really enjoyed the flavours, the harissa went perfectly with the lamb. 

I was most impressed with the skordalia though. It truly was the highlight of the meal. The gloriously creamy lemony garlicy mashed potatoes. Done in a processor while pouring in a bunch of olive oil. It was sticky and very much the consistency of homemade mayonnaise however it tasted incredible. I have to admit that I am not sure it is a good thing to have discovered this incredible side dish or not. Being packed full of olive oil it is certainly not healthy but oh my goodness it is so, so good. Then again isn't everything naughty good. This will be saved for special occasions only. The raw garlic in it was fabulous but I would love to try it with some roasted garlic or even better some of the cold-smoked Australian garlic that I have in the cupboard. 

Lamb Cutlets 

1 tbsp tomato paste 

1 tbsp harissa paste 

3 tbsp olive oil 

2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 x 4 cutlet racks of lamb (I had a 1 x 5 cutlet rack and it was plenty for 2 meals) 

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl and then pour over lamb and rub in. Marinate in fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. 

Pre-heat oven to 220C. 

Heat an oven proof frying pan until very hot. 

Place lamb racks, fat-side-down, in the pan and cook for 2 minutes. 

Turn racks over and place in the oven for 10 minutes (very rare, I left for 13 minutes but think that 18 would have been more to my liking). 

Remove from oven and rest for a further 10 minutes. 

Slice racks into cutlets. 

Skordalia

3 potatoes, peeled and diced 

4 cloves garlic

pinch of salt 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

3/4 c. olive oil 

1/4 c. milk

Cook potatoes in boiling water until soft. Drain well. 

Place in food processor with garlic, lemon juice and salt and start processing. 

Drizzle oil in, in a slow stream, as for mayonnaise, until it is all incorporated. 

Add milk slowly until combined. 

Serve at room temperature. 

Parsley Salad 

2 white onions, finely sliced (I used red) 

1 tsp sea salt 

1/2 c. parsley, roughly chopped 

1/4 c. mint leaves, roughly chopped 

1 tsp sumac 

1 tbsp olive oil 

Place onion and salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Leave for 5 minutes and then rinse and dry. 

Mix onions with parsley, mint and sumac. Drizzle with oil just prior to serving. 

(This would have been better with a drizzle of vinegar or lemon juice in place of the oil or sub half the oil for lemon juice)

August 2009 - Lamb Paprikash and Noodle Kugels

Goodness, all of the desserts that have been on the covers of the August issues have looked delectable and issue #85 was no different. The Almond croissant pudding with chocolate sauce looked divine and I am sure that it would taste incredible too. However being essentially a bread and butter pudding made with croissants and almonds and topped with chocolate sauce it would be a bomb of calories. 

Ben O'Donoghue's Pakistani spiced pumpkin sounded really good a nice vegetarian dish, although I a pretty sure that it would need to be served as part of a meal with at least another vegetarian dish or meat curry and rice. I really didn't feel like making that much food. 

I was very interested in Sophie Zalokar's Slow-cooked breast of Twin Lakes lamb with pomegranate molasses. I knew that I would not be able to get Twin Lakes lamb, since the article was a focus on regional Western Australia, however I am sure that I would be able to get a breast of lamb from the butcher. It is an interesting recipe that involves slow-roasting the lamb with various vegetables & herbs and rubbed with the pomegranate molasses. It is then chilled overnight, and then a tray placed on top of the meat and weighed down on it and chilled again. After all this the breast is then cut into wedges and eggwashed, crumbed, browned in a fry pan and then finished off in the oven. After this treatment I am sure that the lamb would be delightfully tasty and wonderfully tender. I have pomegranate molasses in the pantry, I had purchased it quite a while ago to use in a recipe and since then I have use it in vinaigrettes and I found a delightful recipe for Pomegranate cupcakes that used quite a bit of it. I don't have much left, not sure that I would have the full 1/2 cup called for in the recipe. I was considering making this lamb dish on the weekend as I have invited my grandparents for lunch on Sunday since it is father's day here in Australia this coming Sunday.

Ultimately, I decided to make Valli Little's Lamb paprikash and Noodle kugels. I had everything to make the dish with the exception of the lamb shanks. I thought that I had some diced lamb in the freezer that I could use in place of the lamb shanks in the recipe. I guess that I must have used it in something else as I couldn't find it in the freezer when I went looking. So I decided that I would forego the all pantry/freezer items for this recipe and I bought some lamb shanks. Unfortunately when I got them I didn't ask for frenched lamb shanks so they were not trimmed. This wasn't really a problem but they just didn't look very nice. The dish was very tasty. Although I have noticed that I tend to eat a lot of tomato based dishes and I think that it is time to branch out a bit on that. I made the noodle kugels using some spinach fettucine. I wasn't overly impressed with them. They were a bit stodgy and bland. They could, perhaps, be improved by some parmesan added. Although I don't think I would bother making them again. If I make the dish again I would probably serve it with some kind of mash, perhaps celeriac & potato or sweet potato.