Slow braised Rabbit with mint and parsley

A relatively simple dish especially good as an alternative to a Sunday roast. 

Depending on the size of your rabbit, portion wise, one saddle is generally fair for each person. 

For four, simply increase all the ingredients by a similar ratio, although the amount of parsley should only be increased by half. 

Marjoram and Thyme are also great additions to the herb mix for this particular recipe and if using either, I would tend to use 15 grams of parsley to 5 grams of either of these herbs; i.e. still maintaining a 20 gram portion of fresh herbs in total.

For two saddles of Rabbit:

• Four dessert spoons of good olive oil
• 10 grams of mint, chopped finely
• Three large cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• Two good pinches of salt
• Two good pinches of caraway seeds
• 20 grams of flat leaf parsley, chopped roughly
• Two large onions, sliced
• 500 mls of good vegetable stock, reduced by half
• 50 mls of good balsamic vinegar

Place your Rabbit in a large bowl.  Add the oil, mint and garlic, the salt, the caraway seeds and the sliced onions and ensure the meat is evenly covered.

Place to one side, covered, at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or, in a sealable plastic bag in the fridge overnight, taking the bag out about an hour before you need to start cooking.

Pre-heat oven to 160c.

Reduce your stock and allow to cool slightly, then add the balsamic.

In a heavy oven dish, scatter a little more oil in the base and put half your parsley/herb mix onto the bottom.  Place the rabbit and onion mixture and the remaining parsley scattered on around and on top.  Add the liquid to the side rather than pouring over the top of the meat.  Cover tightly with oven foil and place in the in oven, for an hour.

At the end of this period, uncover, increase the heat to 180c and cook for a further 25/35 minutes, depending on the size or the number of rabbit pieces you have placed in your oven dish.

Take out of the oven, cover loosely and allow to stand in its juices for 20 minutes. 

Serve on a bed of Spring greens or puy lentils.

If you are serving with roast potatoes and want a thicker gravy, I would transfer the remaining juices into a saucepan and whisk in a little butter and flour, perhaps adding a little pinch of ground black pepper at the end.

Ten Bean Red Curry

Background

What to do with a new ten bean mix from Waitrose?  I must admit, the colours of the beans are actually what attracted me to the packet and the thought of doing so kind of Italian bean stew or a bean loaf was my first instinct.

But I had just found a second hand book in a charity shop and had read the article of Madhur Jaffrey's new series in Guardian, and decided by the time I had gotten home that evening that that I would "make a curry".

I love vegetable currys, I "like" meat ones, but I love the flavours of vegetable currys as these (to my taste) tend to be more complex.    This bean curry is an amalgamation of a vegetable curry I was quite addicted to in my past and a butter bean korma that I used to make with onions, mint and yogurt.

For the vegetable curry, just leave out the beans, sieved tomatoes and mint and halve the amount of ginger.  I would double the amount of fresh tomato and probably add a couple of handfuls of spinach towards the end.

Currys for me are a layering process.  First the spice mix or paste, then the onion base (if separate) and then the meat and vegetables.  I get in the "zone" when making highly spiced dishes (be it Asian or north African) as I want the foundation of the spices and herbs used to be just right.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed making (and eating) it.

Ten Bean Red Curry

 

Ten Beans

 

250 grams of mixed dried beans (Black eyed beans, black turtle beans, butter beans, haricot beans, lima beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, rose cocoa beans, alubia beans and mung beans) - soaked overnight with two changes of cold water.  Then in fresh cold water, brought to the boil for 15-20 minutes with a whole medium onion and then allowed to simmer until tender.  Drain, remove the onion and set aside.

 

Spice paste

• 2 teaspoons Coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons Cumin seeds
• 1 level teaspoon salt
• 1 or two dried chillies
• 2 sticks (approximately 4 cm long and 1.5 cm thick/round each) ginger - grated
• 3 large cloves of grated garlic
• 1 table spoon of melted butter or gee

In a frying pan, dry roast the coriander,, cumin and dried chilies until the coriander and cumin seeds start to change colour.  Take off the heat and in a pestle and mortar (or in a spice grinder) crush and reduce to a rough powder with the help of the salt.   Then add the ginger and garlic and fat and combine for a thick paste.

The curry

• Spice paste
• 20 mls of corn oil
• 1 large onion - roughly chopped
• 100 mls of water
• 2 large red peppers/paprika - roughly chopped
• 2 large ripe tomatoes - cored and roughly chopped
• 150 mls of sieved tomatoes (or plain passata)
• 250 grams of roughly chopped aubergines
• 20 grams of chopped mint

In a deep pan, warm through the spice paste and oil and add the onions on a low to medium heat until softened.  Add a third of the water and reduce until it has the consistency of a "sauce", add a further third of the water and repeat the process a further time using all the water.

Add the peppers/paprika and coat with the spiced sauce and then add the tomatoes.  Turn the heat to low and cover for ten to fifteen minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes.  Add the sieved tomatoes and aubergines, stir thoroughly and cover.   Allow to heat through for a further ten to fifteen minutes and add half of the chopped mint and the cooked beans.  Stir thoroughly and cover and cook for a further ten to fifteen minutes and then add the remaining mint.  Stir in and turn off heat and remain covered.   Allow to stand before reheating to serve (on a low to medium heat) for a minimum of an hour to allow the favours to fully mature through dish.

Leeks braised in a garlic butter sauce

Last night's supper included this braised leek dish that Julia Child would have been proud of.

Using a simple French method for a butter sauce I used some more of the smoked garlic from our visit to the Isle of Wight last month.   The quantities are approximate so I would use what you have to hand.  I've just used leeks this time around, but have also made this dish with quartered, medium sized onions and courgette battens, which also work wonderfully.

For the leeks I like to use quite thin, long ones as I try to get three 10 cm lengths out of each one.  If they are too thick you tend to get too much waste as the outer layers tend to be tough, so thinner ones seem to be more economical.

For a generous accompaniment or starter for two:

Six leeks, prepared as described above.

40 grams of salted butter - 20 grams plain, 20 grams of smoked garlic
3 heaped teaspoons of plain flour
100 mls of good white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis would be ideal
Salt and white ground pepper.

Blanche the leeks in boiling, salted water for five minutes.  Set aside and retain 200 mls of cooking liquid

Pre-heat your oven to 190c.

To make your butter sauce, melt your butter over a medium heat and, just before it melts completely, add the flour and whisk vigorously  Once the flour has been amalgamated, add the wine and continue to whisk, turning the heat down slightly.  Add the leek cooking liquid slowly and continue with your implement - the sauce will be very cream consistency.  Check for seasoning, it may require a little salt, depending upon on the salt levels of the butter used. At this stage add a couple of pinches of white ground pepper.

With medium deep oven proof dish (about 4 cms) or deep oven tray, pour half the sauce on its bottom and lay the drained leeks on top.  Add the remaining sauce on top and cover with foil. 

Place in the oven for 15 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes.  The sauce should not be turning and should remain a bright green colour.  The parsley in the garlic butter will assist within the slightly freckled look to the sauce.

Simple Olive and Garlic pastry twists

These are so simple and quick and are so good with a G&T or martini any day!

Using both Olive and Smoked Garlic butters, this is a sure fire way of starting a get together at home to a great start.

Using pre-made puff pastry, simply roll to a half centimetre thickness, cut in half, spread some olive butter on one piece, cut into one centimetre strips and twist them a couple of times.  Lay on an oven tray with grease proof paper.

Do the same with smoked garlic butter and then place in a pre-heated oven at 190c for about 10-15 minutes, keep checking them in case they burn due to the high butter content of both the spread and the pastry.

Simple slow baked potatoes with smoked garlic

Not quite done with the garlic fest after visiting the Garlic Farm and the Isle of Wight, I had to go and use some more of that lovely smoked garlic butter for this melt in the mouth, potato bake.

Very simple to do and very, very tasty.

250 grams of small potatoes, sliced on the round
50 grams of smoked garlic butter
50 mls of veg stock or water

Pre-heat the oven to 175c.

In a medium sized oven proof dish, spoon a layer of garlic butter on the bottom and add your first layer of sliced potato.

Dot some more garlic butter on the top of these and then repeat the layering process until all your potatoes are used up.

Add your stock or water and cover tightly with kitchen foil and place in the oven for an hour and 20 minutes.

My thanks again to the Garlic Farm in the Isle of Wight for my inspiration.

Other garlic recipes include:

Smoked garlic butter
Lamb with smoked garlic butter sauce
Garlic pork with pinto beans
Black Olive & Garlic Salsa Verde

Smoked garlic butter

After a truly inspiring visit to the Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight this month, I couldn't wait to make this incredibly adaptable flavoured butter.  Simple to the last, it can be used in so many ways.

• Take eight large juicy cloves of smoked garlic
• 50 grams of chopped flat leaf parsley
• 25 mls of good extra virgin olive oil
• 100 grams of softened salted butter

Whizz these through in a food processor, the olive oil gives the butter a fluid consistency and, when refridgerated and then brought back up to "soften consistency, allows the mixture to be re-emulsified to its creamy texture much more easily.

If you don't have a food processor, crushing the garlic and chopping the parsley finely is just as good, you need a good strong blending arm instead.

My thanks to the Garlic Farm for such a lovely morning.

Preserving Summer - Passata

Passata, a word that, for me at least, evokes the feeling and smells of a preserved Summer.

A classic Passata, I'm told, includes tomatoes, onion, a little garlic and basil.  Other suggestions leaving out garlic and basil to keep it "plain".  Other additions to mix include red peppers, celery, oregano or bay (instead of the basil).  I have also made it in smaller batches, with chilli, additional garlic and dill.  But label your jars or freezer boxes accurately!

The Passata that I make, is more inclined towards the former classic rather than the paired down version and I do tend to add a little more onion than is, I gather, the norm.  For each five measures of tomatoes and I use one measure of onion.  I also use celery as I think it complements the basil very well.

Another difference is that I tend to freeze mine rather than bottle it.  But the method of actually making it remains the same.

For about two and half litres of Passata the following quantities should be sufficient, but if you like to make your Passata slightly thicker, obviously the remaining quantity will be less than this.

• 5 Kg of ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 Kg of onions, roughly chopped
• 100 grams of celery
• 5 good sized cloves of garlic, chopped
• 60 grams of basil
• 25 mls of good olive oil

In a deep pan, a preserving pan is ideal, add the onions and oil over a gentle heat.  You are aiming to release the onion's own juices without them evaporating.  As the onions start to soften, add the chopped garlic and continue to cook gently, being careful not to burn the mixture.

Add the tomatoes and mix thoroughly and allow to warm through, add a little water if your tomatoes are not quite the end of season - so this assists in their pulping down.  Once warmed through, you can turn up the heat to moderate and allow tomatoes to come to a gentle simmer.  Keep watching though, if the heat is too high it will catch.  If this starts to happen, take the pan off the heat immediately, add half a cup of cold water, mix thoroughly and return to the heat, but on a lower setting.

Keep simmering until the mixture is reduced by a quarter and a third and then add your basil.  Keep on a low simmer until the basil has completely softened (stalks and all) and then take off the heat and cover and leave to cool.

After about 30 minutes, and using either a sieve or a mouli work the mixture to a thin paste.  Using a mouli is very quick, but a sieve will need a little more patience.  At this point you will have an idea as to whether you want to reheat and reduce further, or to leave as is.  This is also the point where you taste the Passata for seasoning. 

Seasonings:

• Black Pepper
• Salt
• Cayenne Pepper
• Chilli
• Paprika

Using these seasonings for your Passata is completely up to you.  I prefer not to add any of the above with only one exception, Paprika, and this is only if I make a very thick Passata and intend to use it more as tomato concentrate, rather than a Passata. 

Once you have your initial puree, simply pour back into a clean pan and add your seasoning(s) and heat again to either reduce the liquid further or to bring up to a sufficient temperature to bottle up (in sterile jars/bottles in a similar way to jam making).

Personally, for this amount I normally add one full teaspoon of sweet paprika and I reduce the sieved amount by a further quarter or so, just enough so I have enough Passata to fill two 1 litre jars or (when cooled) four 500 ml freezer boxes.  Any surplus, I use on the day for pasta.

Garlic Pork with Pinto beans

This is my first late Summer, early Autumn, dish and one that has a number of really good attributes. 

 

The favours in this dish hit you on so many levels.  Try for the large chops or thick steaks for this dish as the portions really do work out wonderfully for four people.   No additional vegetables are needed as a main course and, as this is relatively low maintenance recipe, this is not only great for a supper dish after work (as you can cook it the previous day and then re-heat) but also a great reserve for dinner parties as, unerringly, this is quite a light dish so can be twined with starters, a fish course and a dessert if you feel so inclined.

As you can see from the photographs, I've used Fragata olives and capers for this dish.  As the cooking time is quite long, the waxy quality of black olives helps them hold their shape even when sliced.  The capers are a great way to cut through the earthy favours of the beans and these particular ones were large and juicy!  Always a good thing.

The garlic I've used this time around is elephant garlic and the cloves are huge!  Brilliant in this dish, if you can get a hold of them, as they have milder, almost sweeter flavour, so I've used two.

I've also used what I've knicknamed sour peppers (which are pictured separately), please let me know if you have the proper name for them.  Helpfully, they are described as "Eastern" peppers in my local market.  As my descriptive knickname suggests, they taste sour, rather than bitter and with their seeds they are actually a little spicy.

The reason I've added the Tarragon in two batches during the initial cooking of the vegetables is that it seems to give a deeper flavour.  The addition of sherry or vermouth to the stock just prior to putting this in the oven is optional, but this also enhances the tarragon and is well worth it.

• 1 Kg of Pork, ideally four large chops or thick cut steaks on the bone
• 700 grams of cooked Pinto Beans
• Six plump garlic cloves, halved and sliced thinly
• One medium onion, chopped roughly
• Two medium red paprika, chopped roughly
• One medium white paprika, chopped roughly
• Two medium "sour" peppers, chopped roughly
• 50 grams of black olives, sliced
• Three good teaspoons of capers
• 15 grams of tarragon, roughly chopped
• 500 mls of veg/chicken stock
• 50 mils of dry sherry (or vermouth)
• 25 mls of extra virgin olive oil

In a deep oven/hob dish (at least five litre capacity), warm the oil through on a medium to high heat.  Brown the pork on each side.  You will need to do this in two batches.  Put aside.

Turn down the heat at notch or two and add the chopped vegetables, and only adding half the tarragon  Cook until softened and then stir in the capers and olives and remaining tarragon and stir thoroughly.  Then add the cooked beans and again, stir thoroughly, ensuring the mixture is warmed through completely. 

Then, take two thirds of mixture out of the dish and place the two of the chops/steaks on a base of the mixture, adding a further third of the mixture on top and then adding the final two chops/steaks on top these.  Using the remaining bean mixture to finish off the layers.

Take the stock and sherry (or vermouth) and pour gently into the dish.  Depending upon the dish itself, you may need to add a further 100 ml of water just to bring the levels up to just above the top layer of pork.

Cover the dish and place in a medium to hot oven at 180c for an hour and 30 minutes.

Again, many thanks to Fragata for the above ingredients, please see go and visit them at http://www.facebook.com/FragataUK/ or fragata.co.uk

Fresh tomato with sage, tagliatelle

Quick, simple and full of flavour and great for a light lunch for one

• Take one or two very ripe large tomatoes, chopped roughly
• One large clove of garlic mashed with a good pinch of salt
• dozen large leaves of sage, chopped finely

On a medium heat with two table spoons of oil and a knob of salted butter, add the above ingredients and warm through.

Whilst this is cooking put one portion of tagliatelle in boiling water and cook until  al dente.  Drain and add to tomato mixture.

Sprinkle parmigiano-reggiano over top to taste.

Other pasta dishes

Penne with Garlic and Chilli
Easy Milanese with Lemon

Another cheeky one - baby chilli aubergines

After work drinks are never going to be the same again... great, believe it or not, with dry martinis or an ice cold limoncello.

This is what baby aubergines (the ones which are only a couple of inches long or less) were grown for!

A great addition to the Cheeky Wednesday experience, although it may take just a spot more than 30 minutes to prepare and cook.

Take twenty to thirty of the little beauties and coat with garlic oil and two finely chopped chillies.  Leave whole and with the stalks on as you will need something to hold them with.  Place on a baking tray in a pre-heated 180c oven for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly and sprinkle with rock salt.

Alternatively, used the long slender "finger" aubergines, bake them as above and portion in one inch lengths, really GOOD!

Also see:  Mid-week cheeky one