All posts by Heather

Bobotie for 6-8

Beef, Holidays, Main Courses

  • 1kilo mince
  • 2 lge onion, chopped
  • 1oz butter
  • 2 large slices white breaD
  • 2 tbsp Madras curry paste
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 2 tbsp mango chutney
  • 3 tbsp sultana
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs
  • Half tspf ground cloves
  • Half tspf all spice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • Half pint Milk
  • 6 bay leaves

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4/Fan160. Pour cold water over the bread and leave to soak.

2. Fry the onions in the butter, stirring for 10 minutes. Add garlic and mince stirring until colour changes. Stir in curry paste, herbs, chutney, sultanas, spices and a couple of bay leaves. Sali and pepper.

3. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Squeeze the water out of the bread and mix into the meat. Put mixture into an ovenproof dish and press down.  Best made previous day and kept chilled.

4. For topping, beat eggs and milk with seasoning and pour over the meat. Rest of bay leaves go on top and bake for 40 minutes until top is set and beginning to look golden.

na

Dorothy’s Cuban Chicken

Chicken, Main Courses

  • 1/2lb rice
  • 4lb chicken
  • 1 pint chicken stock
  • 3 tbsp dry white wine
  • Pinch saffron
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 3 tsp lard
  • 3 tbsp cooked peas
  • 8 small tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Parsley, chopped
  • Strips of red pepper to garnish

1. Cut meat off chicken and boil skin and bones for stock. Fry meat slightly in hot lard. Add to stock.

2. Add tomatoes, parsley, green pepper, onion and garlic. Season and add wine. Cook for 10 minutes.

3. Dissolve saffron in 1tbsp of stock and add to chicken. Add sauce now and bring to boil. When chicken is nearly cooked add rice and cook for 1/2 hour.

4. Add peas and decorate with strips of red pepper

Roasted Vegetable Paella

Main Courses, Side Dishes, Starters, Vegetarian

  • 75g/23/4oz courgettes, cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks
  • 75g/23/4oz aubergines, cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks
  • 1/2 red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 small stick celery, cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks
  • 1/2 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 75g/23/4oz cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 small sprig rosemary
  • 1 small sprig thyme
  • 2tbsp virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 75g/23/4oz basmati rice, washed and drained
  • 300ml/1/2 pint chicken or vegetable stock
  • Chopped fresh herbs to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Put all the vegetables in a large roasting pan or shallow ovenproof dish with the garlic and herbs. Sprinkle with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and roast for about 45 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown slightly at the edges.

2. Put the rice in a small ovenproof dish, put the vegetables on top and pour over the stock. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Serve on hot plates sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Salmon Mousse

Fish, Salads, Side Dishes, Starters

  • 225g/8oz cooked salmon
  • 300ml/1/2 pint cold bechamel sauce
  • 150ml/1/4 pint mayonnaise
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 oz gelatin, dissolved in 3 tbsp water
  • 75ml/21/2fl oz doubel cream, whipped
  • 50g/2 oz chopped prawns

1. Oil dish. Pound salmon until smooth. Add bechamel sauce and mayonnaise to salmon a little at a time. Season.

2. Fold in dissolved gelatin, cream and prawns. Turn into mould and leave to set.

Lamb with Aubergines

Lamb, Main Courses

  • 900g/2lb lamb neck fillet
  • 2 hot red chillies
  • 675g/11/2lb onions
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 5cm/2in piece of root ginger
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 10 rosemary leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 150ml/5fl oz olive oil
  • 3 sweet red peppers
  • 225g/8oz potatoes
  • 450g/1lb small aubergines
  • 450g/1lb tinned chopped tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • Handful of coriander leaves
  • Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves

1. At least 5-6 hours before serving: cut the lamb into 5cm/2in cubes and put into a bowl. Deseed the chillies, cut the flesh into thin strips and scatter them over the lamb. Peel and thinly slice the onions. Peel the garlic and cut into paper-thin slices. Peel the ginger and cut it into julienne strips. Sprinkle all these over, together with the oregano, rosemary leaves and crumbled bay leaf. Grind about 1tsp of black pepper over all. pour over the olive oil and turn to coat and mix. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to marinate at room temperature for 3 hours. You can prepare the dish to this point and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours but, if you do, remember to bring it to room temperature at least 2 hours before cooking because the olive oil will set in the refrigerator and not work as an effective marinade.)

2. When ready to cook: preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Char the peppers over an open flame until blistered, then put in a covered bowl for the skins to steam loose. Peel, deseed and cut the flesh into strips. Add to the meat.

3. Peel and cut the potatoes into 2.5cm/1in cubes. Cut the aubergine into cubes the same size. Stir the potato and aubergine cubes into the meat together with the chopped tomatoes with their liquid. Season with slat. Transfer to a casserole into which all the ingredients will just fit and cover with the lid. bake for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160C/325F/Gas 3 and continue to cook for a further 11/2 hours, checking from time to time that it is not drying out. If it does, add a ladleful of water, but this should not be necessary.

4. Remove from the oven and try a piece of the meat. it should be meltingly tender and moist. If necessary, cook a little longer and add more salt if you think it needs it. Serve in bowls, scattered with whole coriander and parsley leaves.

Serves 4