BIG BOMBASTIC MEATBALLS AND RICH TOMATO SAUCE

March 18, 2014 — Leave a comment

Big, tasty, rich and full of flavour – thats pretty much all there is to say about this simple recipe. This recipe is the king of meatballs. And the recipe is so easy to make, that with practice and prep you can have the meal ready, on the table and ready to munch in 30mins flat. This makes the effort to flavour ratio a no brainer.

The (not-so) secret to these moist, light meatballs is the white bread soaked in milk. To those unused to this, at first this may sound a touch weird. But doing this allows the bread to act as a binder – adding structure to your balls, without imparting any overpowering flavours or making them to tough. Also only using one egg as binding agent makes the meatballs softer, as the bread soaked in milk will make them bind enough. The simple tomato sauce acts like a rich tomato gravy – adding some zing to the meatballs whilst moistening the whole dish and imparting its own strong and complimentary sweet, tangy flavours. And the meatballs can be frozen raw, or even cooked and saved for a few days – just make sure they are properly defrosted and then heated properly. My girlfriend likes to make up a really good mini-salad of mozzarella and sliced tomato, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar that is great with this dish too.

INGREDIENTS

200g white bread – stale if possible
Milk – enough to soak the bread
500g minced beef
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp grated parmesan
4 anchovies, chopped finely
2 tins of tomatoes
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp of caster sugar
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of beef stock
1 cup of red wine
1 tbsp of dried oregano
400g/14oz dried spaghetti
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

PREPARATION METHOD:

Start by preparing and cooking the tomato sauce. In a saucepan, heat a tbsp of olive oil, then add half the chopped onions and garlic and saute until the onions are caramelised and starting to brown – around 3 mins.
Add the red wine vinegar. Add the tinned tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon juice, some Worcestershire sauce, stock and the sugar. Reduce to a simmer and leave to reduce while making the meatballs for around 7-10 minutes, and until you have a thick sauce.
Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. In a suitable container leave the bread to soak with the milk. In a larger mixing bowl, mix the minced beef, parmesan, anchovies, half the parsley and the rest of the onions and garlic, then the egg.
Add the bread, carefully squeezing most of the excess milk from it first. Then the red wine. Mix in well, really get stuck in, and then season with salt and pepper. Mould into balls – the mix should make around 12 balls.
Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, and when hot, add the meatballs, turning as they colour; this should take about five minutes. If necessary, cook in batches so they are not all squashed together – otherwise to much moisture will infiltrate the pan and you’ll end up stewing them. Transfer the pan to the oven and flash them for 5 mins.
In a pan of salted boiling water start to cook the spaghetti.
Then, drain the oil from the meatball pan, then transfer them to the same pan as the sauce.
Place the whole mixture in the oven for 5 minutes – stick a knife in to check that they are hot in the centre.
To serve, drain the spaghetti when cooked, place a small mound of the pasta on to a plate, spoon on a good quantity of the tomato sauce, place the meatballs on top.

MUSIC I COOKED TOO:

‘WHO NEEDS NANDOS’ ULTIMATE PIRI PIRI CHICKEN AND SPICY RICE

March 17, 2014 — 3 Comments

So there is a brief bit of history behind this recipe’s origination. Basically about 2 years ago a certain well known Piri Piri chicken chain changed their loyalty cards and refused to accept the two I had diligently been collecting stamps for – despite the fact they were completed and I was eagerly anticipating two, whole, juicy, spicy and most importantly FREE chickens. Thanks to this crappy customer service, in a fit of (pathetic) rage I decided to boycott said restaurant chain and invent my own Piri Piri chicken recipe to get me over my frequent cravings.

Thus began many hours of sad, sad research into Piri Piri preparation. And not just Piri recipes – I looked at all sorts of spicy chicken recipes from american bbq to indian curried, in my quest to invent what I believe to be the ultimate in Piri Piri chicken. This isn’t a purists Piri chicken – I’ve added a few elements and steps that you wouldn’t find a your average, bog standard Piri recipe – But it is better! This is, what I hope, a Piri Piri recipe would look like if it evolved towards self awareness.

I’ll admit that this recipe does require a smidgeon more effort than popping down to your local high street food chain… BUT it is so worth it. The extra effort is minimal – all thats required is a small amount of pre-planning and effort in order to prepare the dry rub salt cure for the chicken and cook some rice about a day before hand. This dry rub may seem like a lot of needless prep, but the extra juicy, moistness and booming flavour it adds to the meat is astounding. Dry rubs essentially work by using the salt/sugar to draw out the water in the meat, allowing it to mingle with the flavours in the cure, before, through a process of osmosis, all the surrounding moisture is drawn back into the meat. And just like that – BOOM – your meat becomes juicy flavour central. Then with an extra short marinade for good measure this recipe packs a hot, spicy, sweet, sticky wallop of Piri Piri awesomeness.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken dry cure rub

salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 chopped and crushed garlic cloves
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
2 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
2 tbsp smoked paprika
4 tsp. rock salt
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
10 sprigs lemon thyme
2 tsp. light brown sugar

For the chicken

2kg/4½lb whole free range/organic chicken
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150ml/5fl chicken stock
250 ml/5fl red wine
250ml/5fl Cider
3 red onions

For the peri peri sauce

4 garlic cloves
5 red chillies
2 Birds Eye Chilli
2 tbsp of tomato puree
2cm/1in piece of ginger, grated
50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
25ml/1 fl oz white or red wine vinegar
250ml/5fl Cider
3 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp hot Tabasco
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp chilli powder
3 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chopped lemon thyme
1 tsp caster sugar
1 lime, zest and juice

For the spicy rice

300g of cooked rice
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 brown onion
3 sticks celery
½ bunch spring onions
a large handful of sugar snap peas
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 garlic glove

Preparation method:

Rub chicken with garlic, oregano, rosemary, salt, sugar, lemon zest, and pepper. Place in a resealable plastic bag. Add thyme, seal bag, and chill at least 12 hours and up to a full day.
To make the piri-piri sauce, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Place the chillies on a roasting tray and roast them for 10 minutes.
Cool and finely chop the chillies. Heat some oil in a large pan. Place the rest of the ingredients for the sauce in the saucepan, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Allow the mixture to COOL. Very important – unless you’re a fan of E.coli and salmonella bacteria
You can use a large mortar and pestle or a blender to turn the mixture into a more paste like consistency, though its not vital. I didn’t.
Spatchcock the chicken – remove the chicken’s backbone, then break the breast, whilst flattening out the chicken. Spatchcocking the chicken allows it to roast quicker in the oven, at a high temp, and crisp up the skin better. If you’re unsure how to spatchcock a chicken, just use one of the many tutorials available on the web. Add half the piri-piri sauce, spreading it evenly over the chicken. Seal with cling film and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6, AND preheat a large griddle or sauce pan on the hob.
Season the marinated chicken, and cook it on the pan for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the skin is golden brown.
Transfer the browned chicken to a roasting tray with a rack. Pour the cider and red wine into the bottom of the roasting tray. Peel and quarter the red onions, then scatter in the roasting tray. Cover in foil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
After twenty minutes remove foil, scatter a tbsp of caster sugar over the top of the chicken and increase temp to 250 for around 10 minutes to crisp up the skin, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh registers 165°F / 72C° and the juices run clear.
For the rice – heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onions until browned. Cook the peppers, celery and white parts of the spring onions for 5 mins. Finely slice and chop the garlic and ginger then add to the pan.
Tip in the purée and paprika, stir, then add the cooked rice, breaking up with a wooden spoon so all the grains are coated well. Use a high heat and scrape any that sticks off the bottom so you get some soft and some crispy parts. Heat until piping hot. At the last moment add the sugar snap peas and cook everything, stirring regularly, for around 3 minutes.
Scatter the green parts of the spring onion on top and set aside briefly.
Back to the chicken – Once cooked, carefully lift the chicken from the roasting tin onto a plate and cover it loosely with foil so it can rest and become juicier.
Now to make some more Piri Piri sauce to serve with the chicken. Carefully pour the oil out from the roasting tin, leaving the juice and sticky bits behind. Put it on a medium heat and add the onions, the rest of the prepared sauce mixture, some chopped tomatoes and the cider, stock and red wine. Allow to simmer and reduce for a some minutes, scraping up all the sticky bits from the bottom.
Returning to the chicken, pour any juices on the plate into the sauce before carving the meat. Arrange on serving plates with the roasted Piri Piri sauce and a helping of the spicy rice.

MUSIC I COOKED TO:

Glazed Sea Bass & Sugared Asparagus with Sauce Vierge

March 15, 2014 — Leave a comment

Staring at the contents of the fridge, and the sea bass fillets that were supposed to be used in yesterdays recipe, inspired me to come up with another quick, colourful and easy fish dish. The flavours here are really great, and work really well with each other – the sweetness and heat of the glazed fish softening the acidity of the sauce vierge and the saltiness of the anchovies within it. Then the slightly sweetened, glazed asparagus brings everything together in one blaze of tasty glory.

Glazing is a great technique to bring all sorts of foods to life and add a supreme, slightly smokey sweet flavour kick. Don’t worry if some of the fish looks a slightly blackened and “burnt” – this is supposed to happen (within reason), and is just some lovely caramelisation of the sugary glaze. Also Stripping the skin from the lower sections of the asparagus gives them a luscious tender quality, and also makes sure they soak up loads of flavour from the pan. Similar to the previous salmon dish, this makes a great mid-week, after work dinner, or a light, lazy lunch in the spring and summer. The colours from this dish really leap out at you and somehow seem to make those intense flavours even more intense. The sauce vierge (or green sauce) from this dish also makes an awesome accompaniment to pretty much any grilled or pan fried fish dish, and can be kept, in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 5 days afterwards. And remember people – the better the source of your fish and ingredients the better the dish will taste. Anyway – just cook this one… its frickin awesome.

INGREDIENTS

For the chilli, lime and brown sugar glazed sea bass:

2 large sea bass fillets

4 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 limes, juiced
1 finely chopped chilli (you can cheat by using pre-chopped in a jar, but don’t)
200ml red or white wine vinegar
2 tbsp shaosing rice wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 small glass cider

For the Salsa Verde:

1½-2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small handful capers
6 anchovy fillets
2 large handfuls flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
1 handful fresh mint, leaves picked
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons really good extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

For the Sweet Asparagus:

8 asparagus
salt
butter
chilli/lime syrup (from fish) to glaze
1 tsp sugar

Preparation Method:

For the Salsa Verde:

Finely chop the garlic, capers, gherkins, anchovies and herbs and put them into a bowl.
Add the mustard and vinegar, then slowly stir in the olive oil until you achieve the right consistency.
Balance the flavours with freshly ground black pepper, a bit of salt and maybe a little more vinegar.

For the glazed fish and asparagus:

Preheat the grill to hot and put a baking tray under it (choose a good strong one that won’t buckle).
Make the glaze by mixing all the ingredients together. If it tastes too sweet (some limes are sweeter than others), add a splash more of red or white wine vinegar.
Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Pour the sauce into a small bowl.
Rinse and dry the asparagus. Cut off the bottom 1/4-inch of the stalks. Using a vegetable peeler, or small vegetable knife, gently remove the tough green skin covering the lower third of each stalk. You can use the discarded parts and any other leftover asparagus as a base for a soup if you want.
Cook in salted boiling water (10g salt per litre of water) for about 1-2 minutes. Once cooked, refresh in iced or cold water to ensure that the asparagus does not lose its colour. Do this as soon as you’ve taken the asparagus out of the hot boiling water.
Brush the skin side of each sea bass fillet with olive oil.
Brush the flesh side with the glaze, keeping 1 tsp back. Season well. When the tray is hot, carefully slide it out and put the sea bass fillets on it, skin-side down.
Then slide back under the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. The timing on this will depend on the strength of your grill and how far from the heat your tray is.
While the fish is cooking, finish preparing the asparagus.
Melt butter in a large skillet and add asparagus. Dip the asparagus in the chilli/lime glaze. Sautee over medium-high heat, sprinkle with a small amount of sugar – just enough to dust all the stalks. Sautee until the asparagus beings to blister, around 2-4 minutes (if you like it on the softer side, sautee it longer). Serve immediately.
Transfer the cooked fillets onto warmed plates and top each with the sauce vierge, and place the asparagus beside the fillets to serve.