Liver pâté ( turkey )

It is Advent, the Christmas season is upon us and with that all the wonderful culinary treasures this season has to offer us.
Last year I shared with you my recipes for the Turkey, the Goose and the Baked Ham. Now it is time that I let you into the secret of my home made Pâté .
It has been  part of our tradional Christmas Eve Dinner for as long as I can think back and it has become a firm favourite not only with the family but also with friends. I always ask the butcher, where I buy the free range turkey, to make sure that I get the liver, as some do not include the giblets. This request has sometimes been to my benefit as I would find more than one liver in the giblets bag. This of course gives me the chance to make enough Pâté  to give as presents to the nearest and dearest.
When you get the liver make sure that it has not been contaminated by the green gall bladder juice which would make the liver bitter. Should you detect even a little green discoloration, just cut it off and discard it. Make sure to get rid of any veins and sinuses as well. Some recipes call for putting the liver into milk the night before, I do not do that. I prefer to gently sauté the liver in butter, until it is just coked.

If you buy a frozen goose, it usually has all the giblets inside. One goose liver should give you enough to make a small pot of Pâté . Just half the ingredients below. You can of course use chicken liver as well.  The consistency and taste will be a little different. 

Our family prefers a Pâté which does not taste too "livery"! That is the reason for using half liver and half pork meat. I think Pâtés are like stews, casseroles etc. you will find the ratio of the mixture that will suit your taste buds.

I use a normal household food processor to mix all the ingredients, which will take a little time and patience!

Preparation Time: approx. 40 min

Ingredients

250 to 300 g turkey liver (goose or chicken can be used as well)

125 g smoked streaky bacon

250 g minced pork or pork pieces

1/2 medium finely cut onion

2 cloves garlic

250 g butter

1 tsp majoram

Salt and pepper to taste

I measure of good brandy ( cognac)

Method

1. Gently fry the bacon and onions in some of the butter, put aside.

2. Add more butter to the pan and add the liver, gently sauté it until it is just cooked
3. Fry the pork gently in a separate pan

4. Put liver, bacon, onion, pork mince  into a food processor, add the remainder of the butter
5. Add garlic, majoram, brandy, pepper and whisk the ingredients into a smooth Pâté .

Depending on your processor it might take 10 to 15 min before the Pâté  is smooth.

6. Adjust the seasoning .
7. Put Pâté into a small dishes with a lid.
8. Melt some butter and pour it over the Pâté , add some sprigs of fresh Thyme and put it into the
Fridge to set. Once set the Pâté  will stay fresh for a week. At this stage you could freeze it, if you   want to keep some for later.
 

Note: Best eaten with water crackers or really fresh crusty bread. As it is Christmas our usual tipple with the Pâté  is a glass of bubbly!

      

                                               

Happy Christmas , Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeux Noël, Buon Natale, Feliz Natal, God Jul

                          

                                                   Happy Holidays

My Thai ( Pork or Vegetables)

The last week has been a fight against a tummy bug. This was  tough enough , but what was tougher was that I had lost my appetite. During my morning swim I was thinking what would be a nice tasty dish to activate the taste buds. Ginger and coconut came to mind. By the time I was finished swimming I knew how the dish  was to taste. Our eldest granddaughter who happened to visit and  my husband were to be the perfect guine pigs. And the result made us all happy!

As I did not want to go shopping I decided to use what I had in the house. A little trick I use on myself when I want to create a new dish.

Well, I always have a tin or two of coconut milk in the larder (store cupboard), just in case. The same goes for fresh ginger, garlic, onions, red peppers, fresh basil, lime, lemons and of course rice. I was lucky to have a pork steak in the freezer and I happen to have a jar of red curry paste, waiting to be used.

I have to admit that I am a bit of a food hoarder. The minute I use up groceries I renew them at the next shopping, so that whenever I get an idea, the "just in case" ingredients are to hand.  My family is convinced I could feed us for two weeks without doing any additional shopping. I think that is a little exaggerated, but I do think that a well stocked cupboard is essential, if you like cooking. 

With regard to the meat, I think you could use free range chicken breast as well, but the pork steak is not called tenderloin for nothing, besides Fillet steak (beef), it is the most tender meet we have.

If you are vegetarian  use  potatoes or a mixture of sweet and normal potatoes, or any vegetables you like.

You will notice that I did  not use fish sauce, an ingredient which is added to most Thai dishes. I am honest I am not a great friend of it at the best of time and with my tender stomach issue, I decided to leave it.

Ingredients

Some rapeseed/sun flower oil

1 Tsp red curry sauce

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion

I red pepper

2 -3 cm piece of fresh ginger, grated

1/4 teaspoon Chili 

2 tins of coconut milk

Juice and rind of a fresh lime

Juice and rind of a fresh lemon

300 g pork steak/pork tenderloin or any choice of Vegetables

1 Tbsp corn flour 

Salt and pepper

1 Tbsp fresh Basil

Method

1. Gently fry the crushed garlic, grated ginger, diced onion, diced red pepper, Chili  and the red curry paste for a minute or two.

2. Add the coconut milk, lime and lemon , some black pepper and a little salt ( be careful with the salt,  I only added less than 1/4 teaspoon)

3. Cut the pork steak into small strips, discarding fat and sinuses

4. Coat the meat with the corn flour, which you seasoned with a little salt and pepper.
Note: if you are using vegetables omit the coating with the cornflour

5. Add the meat to the coconut milk mixture.

6. Simmer for approx 10 min, while the rice is cooking.

Note 1: be sure just to simmer the mixture.

Note 2: instead of meat or vegetables you can of course use any kind of fresh white fish

By the way, I had the leftovers the next day and as usual it tasted nearly better than the day before! 

Annegret's Casserole

Well, the traveling is truly over for this year (well nearly!) and the stormy and wet season is upon us. So it is time that I share some more recipes with you

I have tried a few new dishes, but I feel I need to test them a little more, before I share them with you. The summer is over ( at last!) and Autumn is truly upon us and with that time to cook tasty comfort food, slowly cooked casseroles (the French certainly know how to do them) are one of the more delightful  dishes to serve during the cold dark months.

Casseroles are the perfect dish to prepare in advance and lend themselves to share with friends, as you are going to end up with enough to feed 6 to 8. It also freezes well, so any leftovers can be enjoyed at a later date.
This casserole is for true  meat lovers, as  it is based on three different kind of meats: beef, pork and smoked ham/bacon. ( I will post some mixed and totally vegetarian ones later).
The secret lies in the slow cooking. So it is not something you think of now and can eat within the next hour. A proper casserole needs planning, at least a day in advance . As usual the quality of the ingredients will determine the excellence of the casserole.
I do not have many photos for this recipe as I only decided at the last minute, when I had the Casserole in the oven, to write about it and then I forgot to take more photos!  Easy known I have been away from my blog for awhile!

I have added a comment re doing the recipe in a slow cooker at the end.

Ingredients  ( serves 6 to 8)

500 g (approx*) beef , preferably, sirloin or chump or rump steak  ( round steak is possible , if well hang, but the texture will be different)

500 g (approx*) pork steak

500 g (approx*)smoked ham or bacon 

2 large onions

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 leek

1 or two stalks of celery

1 or 2 medium size carrots

2 dried bay leaves ( or 3-4 fresh ones)

1 tsp dried herbs ( mixture of oregano,majoram, thyme - herbs de Provence)

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 

Some black pepper

Salt to taste
Rapeseed oil for frying

1/2 l to 3/4 l water or stock 

1/2 l red wine

*approx. means that if you see a really nice piece of meat and it is slightly bigger, take it 

Note:  be careful with the salt as the ham/bacon will be adding salt already, I would advise to wait until after the first few hours of cooking before adding salt

I did not use any garlic, no special reason, if you like garlic you can add 1 or two cloves

Note 2:
You will have to replenish some liquid during the slow cooking process.

After 4 hrs cooking, with the vegetables on top

Method 

Day one

1 cut the meat into cubes and cut off any fat.

Fry the meat in batches until brown and put into the casserole dish, loosen the juices from the pan with some water and add to casserole

2. Peel and cut the onions and fry until brown, add to the meat.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, and the spices, add the liquids.

4. Clean and wash the leek, celery and carrots , place whole on top of the meat.

5. Put the lid on the. Casserole and put into the oven at 150 C after 3 hrs reduce heat to 100 C for a further hour. Check the level of the liquid regularly and adjust the level. 

6. Let the casserole cool down and refrigerate until the next day.

Day two

1. Approx 3 to 4 hrs before you want to eat, reheat the casserole first at 150 C and after an hour or two reduce the heat to 100 C.

2. An hour( approx.) before serving take the casserole out of t he oven and discard the vegetables.

3. Mix approx 50 to 100 ml of water or wine with 1 Tbsp plain flour, mix well, and add to the casserole stirring well, to avoid lumps.

4. Return to the oven for a further   30 min. minimum at  100C

*Serve with mashed potatoes, or any Pasta you like, or rice. It depends on your likes and preferences.

  Each one works perfectly.
**My personal favourite is: creamed potatoes 

    I serve also a green salad  with the dill cream dressing.

***You can of course do it the peasant way and simply eat it with a crunchy baguette! 

Despite the length of cooking time, once you have all the ingredients in the casserole dish and the dish in the oven, it requires very little attention and even if you forget it in the oven,for a few hours, the wonderful smell will remind you that there is something delicious in the oven waiting for you. The secret lies in the low  temperature and time.

PS

Thanks to a question from overseas I want to add that the casserole could be done in a Slow Cooker as well, but as I haven't tried it yet, it will be a trial for you. In case you wish to try it in a slow cooker, make sure you brown the meat properly, otherwise the dish will be more like a version of an Irish stew. 

You will have to adjust the liquid too, in this case less, as the evaporation will be less. Good luck trying

4th July fun fare

What better time to share some delicious summer food with you than now. I am at the moment in Omaha, Nebraska and enjoying food put in front of me rather than cooking myself. The following recipe for Stuffed Jalepenos, Sweet peppers, is a Mark and Marianne creation. It is quickly prepared and quicker eaten.

You need:

As many small Jalepenos as you would like to eat. I warn you, they are very "morish"

The red and yellow are the small sweet peppers, the green one is the hot one.

You choose!

Ingredients

3-4 peppers per person

200 g cream cheese approx (Philadelphia  will do nicely)

1/3 slice of streaky bacon per pepper half

150g grated cheddar cheese (depending on how many people you are serving)

Method

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise,

deseed them!

Fill the peppers with cream cheese, put the bacon and the grated cheese on top.

The sweet peppers before the grated cheese

This is the hot green version

You can either grill the peppers on an open charcoal Grill, or they do equally well in the oven,were they would take approx 20 min at 175 C, depending on your oven.

On the Grill!

Can't wait!

Ready at long last ! They are so good!

What a day! Happy 4th July!

I apologize for any typos! I wrote this on my iPhone !

Argentinian Potato Pie

Well, I wrote this and finished this recipe start of May, why I did not publish it, I do not know. In the last few days, when it was certain that Germany was playing Argentina in the World Cup for the coveted Trophy, I decided in honour of Argentina, I would put it up, whether they would win or  loose.

Today they lost, but they were formidable opponents. As the French say, "chapeau"! This is for Argentina!

There is an interesting story attached to this recipe. A recipe which has been in the family for 32 years and every so often, when simple delicious food is called for, I think of this particular pie.

I got the recipe from an Argentinian called Jorge. We met him and his friend Wym in Lisbon on the Munipal camp site. They had pitched their tent beside ours. We shared some wine and before they left, they invited us to visit them in Den Haag, Holland, where Wym, a Dutchman, taught Piano and Jorge worked as a hairdresser. A year later, we did what we called the Grand Tour d'Europe, and visited Wym and Jorge in Den Haag. It turned out that Jorge was not only an exceptional swimmer and diver, he taught our gang how to dive, but also a great cook.

The following is a family recipe from Jorge. I hope you enjoy it as much as we still do.

Ingredients 

1 kg potatoes 

3 to 4 hardboiled eggs

150 g cooked ham

150 g grated cheddar or Emmenthal cheese

Some grated Parmesan cheese

50g butter

Enough milk to cream the potatoes

Salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Method

1. Peel and boil the potatoes

2. In the meantime prepare the eggs, ham and cheese.

3. In an ovenproof dish cover the bottom with creamed potatoes

4. Layer the eggs, ham and top with the cheese

5. Finish with a layer of creamed potatoes

6. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake the pie for approx. 30min at 175 C.

Serve with any salad of your choice , although a simple green lettuce salad with the basic Vinaigrette suits the pie best ( my humble opinion)

The finished result!

Old reliables baked a different way

Another month is gone and I have not written another blog, what I have done though is experimenting with some old reliables, preparing and baking  them in a new tasty way.
We eat quite a lot of dishes which do not contain any meat, although we are not Vegetarians, simply because we like vegetables.

The two recipes I am sharing with you, I have tried out in the last weeks and they are simply a twist on old reliables! like the humble potato.

Potatoes are underrated and have been given a bad time by some "diets" as being the culprit of piling on the pounds. Nothing is further from the truth. One of the best balanced meal is the simple baked potato with cottage cheese. The following recipe is a more "up market" version of this and it tastes absolutely delicious

New potato bake

Ingredients.

Take 2 medium potatoes per Person

Cheese Mixture

1 pot of cottage cheese

100 ml single cream

3 eggs ( as free range as you can get)

50 g finely grated Parmesan cheese

Some fresh thyme and/or oregano

Some salt and pepper

Some grated Parmesan to put over the potatoes

A dozen approx. of cherry tomatoes

Method 

1. Peel the potatoes and cut the top into a fan. Do not cut the potato through.

2. Put potatoes into a  greased oven dish and sprinkle lightly with some olive oil.

3. Put potatoes into oven and bake at 175 C for approx. 20 tp 25 min, depending on your oven.

4. During that time prepare the cheese mixture,  put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly 

5. Take the potatoes out of the oven and pour the cheese mixture slowly into the tin, being careful not to pour it over the potatoes. 

6. Place the tomatoes between the potatoes and sprinkle the potatoes with the grated Parmesan .

7. Then put the dish back into the oven and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes. If the top looks too brown, reduce the heat and bake until the mixture is set.

Serve with a green Salad. I use a cream dressing with Parmesan to compliment the potatoes.

( 3 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp cider or white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, 1/3 cup of single cream, 1 clove of garlic, 2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan )

Note: this recipe for the dressing can be used also for  Caesar Salad.

If you are cooking for a larger crowd you can add to the above the following Ratatouille .

Ratatouille with a difference

Usually the vegetables for the Ratatouille are quickly fried and then put into an ovenproof dish and baked for approx. 30 min. This recipe is different in that you prepare a base of onions and tomato puree and then layer the vegetables in an ovenproof dish on top of it. See the pictures. The amount and type of vegetables is up to your own personal choice. I like to use aubergine, gourgette, red and/or yellow pepper and mushrooms.

These are the ingredients


Fry the inions lightly in a little oil and put a tablespoon of tomato puree in and mix thoroughly around add the crushed garlic

This is the base for the Ratatouille


Layer the base of an ovenproof dish with the onion mix and layer the vegetables, which are cut into thick slices, upright on top of the onion. Sprinkle with olive oil, black pepper and some salt. 

 

Arrange some cherry tomatoes and some Mozzarella slices on top.
Bake for approx. 30 to 40 min depending on your oven at 175C

Serve with crusty bread or as accompaniment to the above potato pie. It tastes equally delicious with any grilled meat or roasts.

Crunchy Winter Salads

The wind is howling outside and it is more the weather for a wholesome stew, than for a salad. Yet it is especially important in the winter to eat fresh fruit and vegetables in order to get our supply of vitamins and minerals.
 It is far more healthy for your body and soul to make a colourful salad out of what the winter has to offer us, than to swallow a few vitamin tablets.
The first salad uses red cabbage, apples, nuts and raisins. The second salad is based on cooked beet root and has a few more ingredients, which you can change to your own taste.
You might ask, why two red salads? I think nature is wonderful in supplying us with very colourful winter vegetables to cheer us up. Besides the red, look at the dark green of the Kale or of the wonderful marble colouring of the Brussels Sprouts, both make an excellent addition to  any winter salad. Just blanch them for a minute and cool down immediately in ice water before using.

Red Cabbage Salad

Ingredients 

1/2 head or a small head of red cabbage shredded

2 ripe apples, a winter variety, like cox orange, diced

50 to 75 g roasted walnuts or hazel nuts, chopped

50 g raisins or sultanas soaked in cider or white wine over night* ( if you haven't any cider, you can use apple juice or any fruit juice

A vinegar dressing made with a good Balsamic Vinegar ( see salads)

* freeze in leftover wine or cider in a ice cube freezer bag and you have at hand small quantities when you may need .

Method

Simply mix all the ingredients

together.

Serve salad on its own with cold meats and cheeses,

or as a side salad with fried/grilled pork chops, Roast Pork, actually with most Pork dishes







Beet Root Salad

Ingredients

2 to 3 cooked Beet Root, cubed
1 juicy apple, cut
25-50 g cashew nuts ( depending how crunchy you want the salad to be)
2 pickled cucumbers ( optional)
2 hard boiled eggs*
1 small gourgette, cut into small strips ( optional)

1 fresh Fennel roasted with a little oil and salt and pepper ( the fennel takes about 15 min. depending on your oven at 175C)

1 cream vinegar and oil dressing ( basically the normal vinaigrette with about 3 Tbsp fresh cream)

Leave the fennel cool down before chopping and adding to the rest of the salad

*Boiling eggs, a simple thing to do you might say,
but......
to achieve the nicely boiled egg as on the picture
you simply bring the eggs to the boil and then you turn of the cooker. Leave the eggs in the hot water
for approx. 20 minutes, cool down and chop


Method

As you see from the pictures, it is very easy to prepare the salad.
Chop all the ingredients, add the dressing and adjust the seasoning.
Depending on the size of the Beet Root you might want to add a little more salt.
If you don't use pickled cucumbers, you might want to add a little more vinegar.

This salad is a well balanced meal and does not need any extras, but any nice crunchy fresh bread would go very well indeed with it.

Note

Both salads can be prepared well in advance, as a matter of fact, they benefit from a few hours resting.

Good intentions

January is the months of good intentions, and the media is full of good advice to change your eating, drinking and exercising habits to a more healthier one.

No or little alcohol, less meat, more fruit and vegetables, regular exercises etc, etc.  Every year I totally ignored all these well meant 'healthy change your life efforts". Well this new year , due to circumstances so totally out of my control, forced me to change my eating and drinking habits, not because I had this sudden insight, but because I had no other choice. 

The interesting bit about it, I am actually enjoying it . So I thought I share  some of the small things I added or changed to my new and hopefully lasting eating habits .

Sweet Potato with Avocado Dip and Cottage Cheese

We all know or should know, that a healthy balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates should be our daily intake. 

Funnily enough, our parents and grandparents did the right thing without any help of health gurus.

They only used and ate what was in season; only used regional produce, had three meals a day, according to the  motto :

breakfast like an emperor , lunch like a king and eat in the evening like a beggar. Looking at old photos you see that obesity was a problem they did not have.

So what have I changed?
Porridge for breakfast ( the real McCoy, made with organics oatflakes) in the microwave, done in a minute or two, or the tradional way, soak the night before, ( put some blueberries in and some honey or maple syrup and you have a meal fit for an emperor),
I try to have the main meal at lunchtime now, eat fruit for snacks and eat little meat, I haven't eaten red meat for a month ( mind you slowly the thought of a nice steak is starting to appeal again!)
I rediscovered the Baked Potato. Yes, a big potato baked in the jacket and eaten with a big blob of good low fat cottage cheese. The mix of carbohydrates, protein and little fat gives you a perfect balanced meal.
To add variety instead of the humble potato, I use Sweet Potato.
Not to get bored with just cottage cheese, I tried a new new combination of avocado and chickpeas and I liked it!
Here is the recipe for the new dip.


Creamy Avocado/Chickpea Dip

Ingredients

1 ripe Avocado
1/2 tin of chickpeas
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, crushed (optional)
2 Tbsp low fat yoghurt
salt, pepper to taste 
a little tabasco or chilly flakes

Method 

1. Scoop the inside of the avocado in to a bowl and add the lemon juice and garlic.
2. Add the chick peas and yoghurt and with a blender purėe to a  smooth paste.
3. Add salt ( go easy), pepper as much as you like and the tabasco ( go gently).

Serve with baked potato, baked sweet potato or use a dip with fresh vegegtables or fresh crunchy bread.

What I like about this dip is that you use the chick peas to add protein, but unlike for Hummus you don't need Tahini.

Little Tip: Pepper and Chili activates your digestive system due to Capsaicin. Good if you want get rid of a pound o two!

Coming Next: Crunchy Winter Salad