Braised Oxtail Pot Pies

This November in Perth has been very unseasonal for spring, in that it has been quite cold and very wet this month, In fact, we have received double the usual rainfall for the month and we still have two more weeks to go. So, I thought this would be a good opportunity to get one more slow-cooked comfort meal prepared before the BBQ season is upon us.

Whilst seeking out marrow bones at the local butcher for a beef stock I was planning on making, I came across an often-ignored beef cut, oxtail, and one I have not used for years. So I decided to buy them also and prepare them for tonight’s dinner.

Ingredients

500 gms oxtail cut into sections

1 Large diced onion

1 Large diced carrot

3 sticks diced celery

4 - 6 sliced mushrooms

3-star anise spices

2-3 garlic cloves crushed

1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon (save the remainder of the bottle for the cook.)

2 - 3 cups beef stock

Salt and cracked pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin of olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1-2 tablespoons butter 

Butter puff pastry

Method

Lightly season in the flour with salt and pepper and put it into a plastic bag.

Remove excess fat from the oxtails and place them into the plastic bag and give it a good shake to ensure they are all coated with the seasoned flour.

Preheat your cast-iron casserole with the olive oil and brown off the seasoned oxtails.

Remove the oxtails to another container.

Add additional olive oil to the casserole and sauté the onion celery carrot mushroom and garlic.

Deglaze the casserole with the wine and cook off some of the alcohol. Add the star anise and return the oxtail to the casserole.

Top up the casserole with stock so that all the ingredients are covered. I like to place a cartouche on top to prevent excessive evaporation while cooking. Place the lid on the casserole and place it into a preheated oven at 170°C. The cooking time is between two and three hours. Check the casserole after an hour and a half to ensure the casserole does not dry out.

Test the oxtail so they are almost falling off the bone.

At this point, you can add about a tablespoon of butter to the remaining liquid to give a gloss to the sauce. If there is excessive liquid lightly cook it off so that the remaining liquid is a semi thick. It may require some cornflower to ensure you have a semi-thick sauce.

Once the casserole ingredients have cooled place them into individual pots or pie dishes.

Cut the pastry to the shape of the individual pots so that each pot can be sealed with the puff pastry. Lightly glaze the pastry with an egg wash and make a small hole on top of the pastry to allow any excess heat to escape.

Place the pie pot/s into a pre-heated oven at 220°C and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy the remaining wine. 😉

Chicken Stock Recipe

As I am writing this blog, the stock is slowly bubbling on the stove and the aroma is permeating through the kitchen and into my office. Nothing beats homemade chicken soup on a cold winters day like today. With storms forecast for the next few days, it is time to stay indoors and make some stock. One of our family favourites is chicken stock: also known as Jewish penicillin, winter elixir, broth of life and no doubt there are many more nicknames.

The secret ingredient to my mind is making the stock yourself by choosing and preparing the freshest ingredients, not as a chore but done with good intent and a positive mindset. Doing the preparation mindfully, slowly and with love. Having said that I give thanks for the love of cooking and inspiration given to me by my Dad and Baba K.

Slow cooked comfort food is one of the joys of winter.

Chicken Soup/Stock

Ingredients:

Chicken

6 stalks celery

4 brown onions

1 tbs Himalayan salt

5 sprigs Parsley

3 sprigs thyme

6 peppercorns

2 Bay leaves

2cm Ginger (optional)

2 Long Chillies (optional)

1-star anise (optional)

Water about 4 litres (enough to ensure the chicken is covered)

Options with the chicken:

I’ve used a whole uncooked chicken in my recipe however, it can be quartered or even roaster as can the onion and carrot if you prefer a coloured stock.

If you want to save the chicken meat to add to your soup or sandwiches or salad etc, remove the chicken from the stock after two hours let it cool slightly, peel away the meat and return the carcase to the stock and continue to simmer for at least another two to four hours.

Method

Add all the ingredients to a large stockpot and bring it to just below boiling point.

Gently simmer with the lid on for at least two hours in the early stages skim off any scum floating on top.

Remove chicken if you want to save the meat for soup or another recipe see above.

Add additional water if necessary to ensure chicken is covered and continue to let the stock bubble away for another few hours, the longer the better.

Let the stock cool then strain the liquid into large bowl cover and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Next morning gently remove any fat and either freeze the remaining stock or use it for your soup recipe.

My Chicken Soup ingredients recipe

1 x     Leek

2 x     Brown onions

2 x     Carrots

3 x     Celery Stalks

1 x     Cup diced or shredded chicken (optional)

½x    Cup alphabet pasta or risoni or make some matzo balls

Method

Dice all the vegetables and gently sauté them in a tablespoon of butter or oil till they are softened.

Add the stock and bring the stock to the boil.

Add pasta or matzo balls and simmer till tender about 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread.

Bon Appétit

Mini Kolokithopitas (Zucchini pies)

Traditional Kolikithhopita ingridients may include filo pastry with lashing of butter. Trying to get away from pastry I choose to omit this ingredient. Also any type of squash can be used instead of zucchini  eg pumpkin.

Zucchinis must be plentiful this time of the year as my local providore of fruit and vegetables was just about giving them away. So I decided to try a few of the ones I puchased to make this recipe. There are a number of ways this can be prepared. Baking as a loaf or in individual serves in a muffin tin or made into individual patties and fried. I choose to try the healthier version baking individual serves in a muffin tin.

Ingredients

2  zucchinis grated

2 eggs

1 brown onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves crushed

2 bacon rashes diced (optional)

200 grms Feta grated or crumbed

½ cup Panko bread crumbs or fresh bread crumbs

½  cup Italian flat leaf parsley finely chopped

¼  - ½ tsp dried dill or dried oregano

Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat  your fan forced oven to 200 C. I also preheat a granite pizza slab at the same time. The pizza slab will provide a good source of heat for the bottom of the muffin tin. I used a large muffin tin for these pies which is sprayed with olive oil and set aside while the oven is heating.

Grate the zucchini and sprinkle it with salt and let it rest it in a colander to drain for 10 minutes. Then rinse with clean water  and squeeze out any remaining liquid.

Lightly sauté the onions, garlic and bacon and allow to cool.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and combine all the ingredients ensuring everything is evenly mixed.

Using a spoon fill the muffin cups to the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, then test to see the mixture has set.

Alternatively you can shape the mixture into patties dust with plain flower and shallow fry in olive oil. Drain on a paper towel before serving.

Serve with Tzatziki  sauce or Greek yoghurt

Vegetarian Tuscan Kale and Bean Soup

I love my green leafy vegetables and recently have become a fan of using Kale in a few recipes. I have used it in stir frys, steamed and even made kale chips. Kale is member of the Brassica family which includes cabbage and broccoli. There are lots of powerful nutrients contained in this leafy green vegetable which puts it into the super food category. For more information on the benefits of adding this vegetable to your weekly menu check out this web site. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale

Last weeks hunting and gathering exercise at Fresh Provisions included a large bunch of fresh Kale, celery and an assortment of organic tinned items which formed the basis of the easiest, most nutritious and nourishing soup you will ever make. This recipe will make about 8 - 12 serves and any leftovers always taste better the next day.

1 bunch Kale
2 onions diced
4 cups celery diced
1 cup sweet potato diced
1 potato diced
2 tomatoes diced
4 cloves garlic crushed
1 x 400 grm  tin Organic 4 bean mix
1 x 400 grm tin butter beans
1 x 400 grm tin crushed tomato
1 x Massel stock cube (salt reduced)
1 tbs soy sauce (salt reduced)
1- 2 litres water
Sourdough bread for crouton garnish

Wash the Kale and strip off all leaf from the stalk. Chop the kale to a consistency to your liking.
Empty the contents from the cans of beans and then rinse them thoroughly.
Add a few tablespoons of olive oil into a large stock pot and saute the onions,celery, potato, adding the garlic after a few minutes. Then add the Kale and fresh tomato. After a few more minutes the Kale will start to collapse then add the remaining ingredients. Add enough water to fully cover the ingredients. Bring to the boil and simmer in a covered pot for 30 - 45 minutes.
Toast the sourdough bread and rub the slices with fresh garlic and then dice into croutons.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and season to your liking.
Bon Appetit!

Braised baby goat pithiviers (Posh Pies)

If you are a meat lover you should consider eating more goat meat. Did you know goat has more protein than beef, it’s lean and lower in fat than chicken and contains lower calories than beef chicken and pork. And that’s why it has become of my favourite meats. On my last visit to Princi Butchers in North Perth I was able to buy some marinated baby goat on the bone and could not resist getting some to prepare this recipe which I adapted from Chef Ashley Martin’s recipe for goat pithiviers as seen in SBS TV.

Ingredients – 16 portions

1 kg marinated baby goat meat on the bone
2 diced onions
2 celery sticks diced
1 carrot diced
2 garlic cloves crushed
Sprig of thyme

Bay leaf

800 gms crushed tomato

200 ml dry white wine (Galafrey Sauvignon Blanc)
2 cups chicken stock or water (as needed)
 olive oil salt and pepper
6 sheets Pampas puff pastry
1 egg separated. (White for sealing pastry. Yolk for glazing pastry.)

Nigella seeds - optional

Preparing the ragu

Heat some olive oil in a heavy based casserole. Sear several portions of goat meat at a time without over crowding the pan. Cook each until brown then set aside in another container.

Add another dash of olive oil to the heavy based casserole and then add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cook this till it begins to soften. Then add the dry white wine and cook for 5 minutes allowing the wine to reduce by half.

Return the goat meat to the vegetables and add the crushed tomato ensuring everything is evenly mixed and covered. If necessary add enough stock or water to cover the mixture. Season it to taste. Cover the liquid with baking paper and place a lid on the casserole.

Cook slowly for about 2 hours making sure the mixture is covered in liquid at all times.

Allow to cool and remove all the meat portions from the casserole. Remove the meat from the bone and dice into 1-2 cm pieces and return it to the casserole. There should be sufficient liquid to cover the meat by 1-2 cm. If there is too much liquid it can be skimmed and used later as a reduction to serve as a sauce for the pithiviers.

Cool the casserole and place it in the fridge overnight. The next day the casserole (pie filing) will be set in its own jelly ready for filling the pithiviers.

Making the pithiviers

Using an 11 cm round pastry cutter, cut out 36 rounds in the puff pastry. Spoon 50g of the cool goat and vegetable mix in the center of the pastry circles (use a 9cm ring to center and support the mixture).  For the pastry tops you can make a few 1 cm cuts in the centre of each top to allow for steam to escape. Brush the edge of the circle of each top with the egg white and place this side on top of the goat mix and press around the edges on the pastry with a fork.

Brush the pithiviers with the egg yolk and bake in a hot over for approx 30 minutes. I sprinkled nigella seeds on the tops.

Serve with the sauce made from any leftover liquid or tomato ketchup.

Banana and Walnut Bread

Bananas are in season at the moment and as we had a few over ripe ones in the fruit bowl so I decided to make a healthy version of banana bread. Bananas one of natures best nutritional power-packs, they are a good source of fibre, high in potassium, low in salt which helps keep the blood pressure down. They also contain vitamin B and C and they are  fairly low on the GI index so no high sugar spikes. By adding wholewmeal flour and walnuts to the mix you have the extra benefit of more fibre and omega 3 fatty acid in the recipe which is good for the digestion and a healthy heart. This recipe will provide 10 to 12 slices of banana bread which if not consumed in one sitting  can be frozen to be enjoyed later in the lunch box or afternoon snacks.





Recipe
2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
100 gms chopped walnuts
2 eggs beated
1 cup low fat or skim milk
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp bi-carb soda
pinch sea salt

Pre heat a fan forced oven to 180 C.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Mash the bananas in a separate bowl and combine with the beaten eggs and milk.

Fold in the wet ingredients with the dry ensuring they are evenly mixed. Add the mixture into a prepared loaf tin lined with baking paper. Bake for 45 minutes or until until a skewer is inserted into the middle comes out clean. When baked remove the loaf from the tin and allow it to cool on a rack for several minutes before slicing. Enjoy your healthy bread in moderation with a cuppa with a friend.

Thai Chicken Sausage Rolls

This is another twist on an earlier Blogg posted 27th October 2009 "Healthy Sausage Rolls." I served these some time ago at a family gathering and judging by the way they were devoured by the crew I'm sure they enjoyed them. So I'm happy to share the recipe with anyone who may be interested. 

• 500 grams chicken mince (Try to get Mt Barker Free Range or mince some of their chicken breasts)
• 2 eggs (1 for mixture and 1 for pastry)
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 medium red onion finely diced
• 1 red chilli finely diced
• 1 medium carrot grated
• 1/2 cup coriander chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 4 sheets Pampas reduced fat puff pastry
• Cumin seeds for sprinkling on top of sausage rolls

Preheat a fan forced oven to 200C.

Thaw the puff pastry and cut each sheet diagonally in half.

Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a large bowl add the chicken mince, one egg, onion, chilli, carrot, garlic, coriander and using your clean hands thoroughly mix the ingredients. Add the bread crumbs to bind the mixture.

Using your hands roll a portion of the sausage mixture to a cigar shape about the size of a bbq sausage and place it on the edge of the ½ sheet of pastry. Brush the opposite edge of the pastry with egg wash and roll the pastry into the sausage roll shape.

Cut the sausage roll into portions. I divide a single roll into 6 portions. (1 full sheet yields 12 portions)

Brush all the tops of the sausage rolls with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with cumin seeds.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a sweet or hot chilli sauce dip.