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Duck & Apple Cassoulet with a Herby Crust

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

  • 200 g dried haricot beans
  • 1 x 1.5 kg whole duck , cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this)
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2 onions
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2-3 eating apples
  • 4 sticks of celery
  • ½ a bunch of fresh thyme
  • 100 ml Somerset cider , (cloudy, richer farmhouse style)
  • 1 litre organic chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon tomato purée

CRUMB TOPPING

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 100 g stale bread

Method

  1. The night before you want to make this cassoulet, tip the beans into a bowl and cover with 600ml of water. Leave to soak overnight.
  2. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3. Season the duck with sea salt and black pepper.
  3. Place a large ovenproof casserole dish over a medium heat, add the duck and sear all over. Cook, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, or until lovely and golden.
  4. Using tongs, transfer the duck to a plate and set aside. Spoon out any fat from the dish into a jar to use later.
  5. Peel the carrots, onions, garlic and apples. Core the apples and cut into 6 wedges, finely slice the garlic, and chop the carrots and onions. Trim and chop the celery sticks. Pick the thyme leaves and discard the stalks.
  6. Tip the chopped veggies, apple and garlic into the casserole dish along with the thyme, and cook for 10 minutes over a medium heat until golden and starting to soften.
  7. Drain the soaked haricot beans and add to the dish, along with the cider, chicken stock, tomato purée and the browned duck.
  8. Bring to the boil, then transfer the dish to the oven, covering loosely with foil, and cook for 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes, or until the duck is tender.
  9. After 1 hour, check the duck, give it a stir and add a little seasoning plus some stock or water if it’s looking dry.
  10. Meanwhile, peel the garlic for the crumb topping, and pick the parsley leaves, discarding the stalks. Blitz the bread, garlic and parsley in a food processor until fine.
  11. When the duck is done, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the crumb mix, reserving a little to serve. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the reserved duck fat (or use olive oil).
  12. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until golden on top. Divide between plates and garnish with the reserved crumb topping.

Roast Duck

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

  • 1x 2 kg whole duck, giblets reserved
  • 1 red onion
  • olive oil
  • Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1 clementine

GARNISHES

  • 4 spring onions
  • 4 small carrots
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1 fresh red chilli
  • 1 mixed bunch of fresh mint and coriander (30g)
  • 1 lime
  • 18 Chinese pancakes

HOISIN

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 5 cm piece of ginger
  • 200 g frozen cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons runny honey
  • 2 clementines

Method

Get your meat out of the fridge and up to room temperature before you cook it. Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/gas 4. Peel the onion, cut into wedges and place in a roasting tray with the giblets and a splash of water. Rub the duck all over with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of Chinese five-spice and a really good pinch of sea salt. Halve the clementine and place in the cavity, then sit the duck directly on the bars of the oven, with the tray of onions and giblets underneath to catch the tasty fat. Roast for 2 hours, or until the duck is crispy and cooked through, turning the onions occasionally to prevent them from catching.

While the duck cooks, prep the garnishes. Trim and halve the spring onions and carrots, then finely slice lengthways, scratch a fork down the cucumber, and finely slice it with the chilli. Pick the herb leaves. Cut the lime into wedges.

Remove the cooked duck to a platter, cover, and rest for 30 minutes. Pour all the fat from the tray into a jar, cool, and place in the fridge for tasty cooking another day. Now you’ve got a choice: you can make a dark hoisin utilizing the bonus flavour from the tray, or you can do it separately in a pan to achieve the vibrant colour you see in the picture – both ways are super-tasty, it’s purely personal preference. Using the tray, remove and discard the giblets, leaving the onions behind. Place over a medium heat on the hob, peel, roughly chop and add the garlic and ginger, add 1 teaspoon of five-spice, then stir in the cranberries, picking up all the sticky goodness from the base of the tray. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the soy, rice wine vinegar, honey, clementine juice and a splash of water. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick and glossy. Pour into a blender and blitz until smooth, then taste and season to perfection. If you’re doing it in a pan, just follow the instructions above, adding a splash of oil to the pan before the garlic, ginger and five-spice.

In batches, warm the pancakes in a bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water for just 1 to 2 minutes. Slice the duck meat, or get two forks and ravage it all off the bone. Serve everything in the middle of the table so everyone builds their own. The crispy duck skin will be an absolute treat dotted on top!

Braised Red Wine and Rosemary Lamb Shanks

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

4 frenched lamb shanks
¼ cup plain flour
8 whole baby brown onions, peeled
4 stalks rosemary
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
½ cup red wine
1½ cups beef stock
Mashed potato and steamed green vegetables to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and mix well. Dust lamb shanks in the seasoned flour, shake off excess.
2. Heat a large fry pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil. Brown the lamb shanks well on all sides. Remove and place them in a small roasting dish or large casserole dish.
3. Reduce heat in pan and add a little extra oil, add the baby onions, cook for 1 minute, stir occasionally. Add rosemary and garlic, stir for 30 seconds.
4. Gradually pour in the combined wine and stock. Stir until the mixture boils. Pour over the lamb shanks. Cover the dish tightly with lid or foil, place in oven. Cook for 1½-2 hours or until the lamb shanks are very tender. Serve shanks with a spoonful of the thickened sauce and mashed potato and green vegetables (beans and sugar snap peas).

Barbecued Lamb Loin Chops with Avocado Salad and French Dressing

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

8 Lamb loin chops
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 baby cos lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1 watercress, washed and trimmed
1 avocado, sliced
4 radishes, thinly sliced
¼ cup French salad dressing

Method

1.Brush the Lamb chops lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the rosemary. Preheat the barbecue before adding the Lamb.
2.Cook on one side until the first sign of moisture appears. Turn Lamb chops once only. Test the chops for degree of doneness with tongs. Rare is soft, medium feels springy and well done is very firm.
3.Remove Lamb from heat, loosely cover with foil and rest for three minutes before serving. Toss together the lettuce, watercress, avocado and radishes, drizzle with the salad dressing.
4. Serve the Lamb chops with salad.
Tip: You can use Lamb cutlets, eye of shortloin/backstrap or Lamb fillets/tenderloins for this recipe.

Beef Burgers with a Topping of Avocado, Sweet Chilli Sauce, Toasted Pine Nuts

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

500 g beef mince
2 tbsp water
¼ cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Halved crusty rolls
Lettuce leaves
Sliced tomato
Sweet chilli sauce
Diced avocado
Toasted pine nuts

Method

1. Combine the beef mince, water, tomato sauce and parsley. Mix lightly and shape into 4 burgers.
2. Preheat the barbecue flat-plate or pan to moderately-high. Lightly brush or spray the burgers with oil. Add burgers to the barbecue or pan, after 1 to 2 minutes lower the heat to moderate.
3. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes each side or until thoroughly cooked. Turn them once only. To serve, place lettuce and sliced tomato on rolls, add burgers, drizzle each with sweet chilli sauce and top with avocado and pine nuts.

Shepherd’s Pie

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

  • 500g lean Quality Mark lamb mince
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • ½ C beef stock
  • ½ C good quality chutney
  • 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Topping

  • 1kg potatoes for mashing, peeled
  • 2-3 Tbsp milk
  • 1 C grated tasty cheese

Method

Topping: Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and mash with milk and half the cheese. Season with salt and pepper if wished.

Brown lamb mince in a dash of oil in a hot frying pan. Keep the temperature high so the meat browns and does not stew. This is best done in 2 batches. Set aside.

Gently pan-fry the onion and parsnip in a little oil until tender. Stir in the flour and cook until frothy, gradually add the stock, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Return the meat to the pan with the chutney and rosemary and season with salt and pepper.

Turn into a large lasagna-style dish and cover with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with a little extra grated cheese if wished.
Bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes until golden and hot.

Baked Potato

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

  • 500g lean beef or lamb mince
  • 1 Tbsp canola or sunflower oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 Tbsp tomato purée
  • 400g can tomatoes in juice
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (optional)
  • 4-6 medium sized potatoes
  • ½ cup cheese (edam), grated

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan, and cook the onion gently for 5-6 minutes, until tender. Add the mince, breaking up with the back of a spoon to form small pieces until cooked thoroughly and no longer pink. Stir in tomato purée, canned tomatoes and herbs. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes until reduced and thick, but still moist.

Bake or microwave 4-6 medium sized potatoes. Combine the mince mixture with the flesh of each potato, reserving the cooked skin. Fill the potato shells with the mince and potato mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with your favourite vegetables.

Meat Pies with Cheesy Mash Crust

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

  • 500g lean beef or lamb mince
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 packet Continental Rich Beefy Mince Recipe Base
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups mashed potatoes
  • 1/4 cup grated reduced fat tasty cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

In a large pan, brown mince and onions, add Recipe Base, carrot and water; stir well. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

Combine mash potato and cheese.

Divide mince mix between 4 bowls, topping each with the potato mix. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden.

Hint: For traditional “pie floaters”, top each pie once cooked, with mushy green peas and gravy.
Mushy peas: 1 cup frozen peas, cooked as directed, and mashed with a potato masher. Finish with 1 teaspoon Flora Buttery spread.
Gravy: Prepare 1 packet Continental Brown Onion Gravy as directed.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine and Couscous

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

This delicious meatball recipe is inspired by the traditional Moroccan tagine, or slow-cooked stew. Using minced meat instead of shanks more than halves the cooking time. The meat is tender and the sauce is rich and spicy. Look out for Moroccan spice mix at the supermarket or ‘ras el hanout’ at specialty food stores. You can cook this dish equally well in an ovenproof dish covered with tin foil if you do not have a clay tagine.

Meatballs

  • 500g lamb mince
  • 2 tsp Moroccan spice mix
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally
  • 1 large kumara, cubed
  • 200 g canned tomatoes (puréed or mashed)
  • 50 g dried peaches or apricots, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 375 ml chicken stock
  • 2 tsp Moroccan spice mix
  • 1 tsp allspice

Buttered couscous

  • 250 g couscous
  • 200 ml boiling water
  • knob butter
  • fresh herbs

Method

In a large bowl, mix together lamb mince, spice mix, breadcrumbs and egg yolk. Get in there and use your hands!

Shape meatballs from a tablespoonful of mixture rolled in the palm of your hands. Then roll each ball in flour that you have seasoned with salt and pepper. The flour coating will seal the balls and also help thicken the sauce. Heat oil in a non-stick frying-pan and brown meatballs gently on all sides for 10 minutes. Place in tagine or covered casserole dish and prepare sauce.

Preheat oven to 180 °C.

For sauce, heat oil in a frying-pan and gently sauté onion and garlic until softened, before adding remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer for 5–10 minutes. Pour sauce over meatballs and cover tagine before baking in a moderate oven for 30 minutes to enable flavours to develop.

Ten minutes before tagine is cooked, put couscous with salt and pepper to taste into a large bowl and stir in boiling water. Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Add a knob of butter and fresh herbs to taste. Heap couscous directly into tagine and serve at the table.

Chicken and Chorizo Meatballs

Posted on: January 18th, 2017 by gherkinmedia No Comments

Ingredients

  • 500g chicken breast mince
  • 1 chorizo sausage
  • 1 red onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ½ tsp sweet paprika (Hungarian style)
  • 1 tbsp powdered chicken stock or 1 chicken stock cube.
  • ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (for frying)

Method

Place all ingredients into a food processor – except for the oil – and process until thoroughly combined.

Cover a tray with baking paper. Roll tablespoon sized balls of the meat mixture and place on the tray.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the meatballs, gently turning with a spatula until they are brown and cooked through. This should take around 5 minutes.

Alternately you can bake these at 160°C fan-forced for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve in soft tortillas with salad and salsa or on a platter as finger food with a delicious chutney.

Notes

Frying these in a pan makes them all nice and golden, but if you bake them they stay a pale colour.

If you don’t have a food processor you can just cut these ingredients finely and mix together with your hands and you will get the same great taste.