Lahanadolmades – Greek Cabbage Rolls

Rice paper rolls are one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes, they looked great B.

I was given Tessa Kiros’ new Greek cookbook for Christmas, and began looking for a ‘wrap’ recipe to follow on with. I normally love Tessa’s recipes without any changes. One of the reasons it has taken me a while to respond to B’s last post, is that I wasn’t happy with my first attempt, and decided to make them again, and re-worked the filling. It may now be less traditional now, but hot damn, it is tasty. I found the savoy cabbage the best of the cabbages I tried, quite a hardy leaf to work with, and looks so pretty too.

I carefully cut leaves from the cabbage, and even kept the largest outer leaves, as I used them to line the base of the pot when it came to cooking. I gave them a good rinse. This amount of filling filled around 12 leaves, but I’d prepare a few extras just in case. I filled a large pot with water, added in a large pinch of salt and then boiled batches of around four leaves at a time. They took about 7 or so minutes before they softened. I then took them out and let them cool a little in a tea towel lined bowl. While they were cooking, I prepared the filling. I mixed together some mince beef, uncooked rice, grated onion, tomato passata, chopped parsley, minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder. I dotted some butter in to the base of a wide heavy based pan, and added a drizzle of olive oil. On to this I laid the largest leaves, as a protective base. To prepare the leaves I sliced across the thick rib of the leaf so that the leaves rolled easily.

I put a generous wooden spoonful of the mixture on to the centre of the thin part of the leaf, and then rolled it over, then tucked in the sides before rolling it again. I then laid them snugly in to the pot. Don’t do as I did and have the liner leaves coming up over the edge of the pan, best if they fit inside the pan too.

I dotted some more butter over the top and then put in some stock, filling to around 3/4 of the height of the cabbage parcels. I used liquid stock, but you could use the water from the cabbage leaves if you want to mix up a powdered stock. I then put the lid on, and brought to a simmer, for around 45 minutes. To check if they are cooked, I took out a roll and unrolled it to see if the rice was tender, then rolled it back up. As my pot was not very high sided, I found it easiest to remove the rolls to make the sauce. I whisked up some egg and lemon juice, and then added in a ladleful of the hot stock, and continued whisking. Then I poured this mix in to the pot over a very low heat. I stirred constantly in an attempt to keep the sauce lump free (cough, not entirely successfully). The odd lump is forgivable, I hear.

I then placed the rolls back in to the sauce and on to the table to serve.

Over to you B!
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LAHANODOLMADES – GREEK CABBAGE ROLLS

makes around a dozen

ingredients

1 Savoy cabbage, leaves carefully sliced from the stem

250g (1/2 pound) beef mince

1/2 cup medium-grain rice

1 large red onion, grated with a large holed grater

3/4 cup tomato passata. (Passata is a cooked and pureed Italian tomato sauce in a bottle, Hunt’s tomato sauce is runnier, but can be a substitute if you cook it down to around half its volume in advance)

4 generous tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley

around 1 litre (4 cups) warm chicken, or beef stock.

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

4 garlic cloves minced
zest of half a lemon
Juice of 4 lemons (3 are for the sauce)

20g (2/3oz) butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper and salt
4 eggs

The size of the cabbage will dictate a little as to how many rolls this makes.

Carefully remove the leaves from the cabbage head with a sharp knife, and wash well. Keep even the largest leaves, as you can use those for lining the pan. Small leaves you may use to patch holes in leaves should you find them. Cook the leaves in batches in a large a pot of salted boiling water for about 7 minutes or until soft. Set aside on to a dish lined with clean tea towels to cool a little. If you will be making stock using a powder, you can retain this water for it. To prepare the leaves for rolling, slice off the wide part of the rib at the base of the leaf.

In a bowl, prepare the filling. Mix together the mince meat, rice, onion, passata, parsley, paprika, chili, garlic, lemon zest, and the juice of one lemon. Season well with salt and pepper. Spoon a good sized wooden spoonful of the mixture in to the centre of the top of the leaf (the most flexible part) and roll up according to the images above, a full roll over the mix, then bring in the sides and roll it over again. It does not need to be super tight, as the rice will expand a little.

Dot half the butter, and all of the oil in the base of a large and wide pot with a lid. Place the reserved outer leaves on the base of the pan to protect the rolls as they cook. Place the cabbage rolls snuggly in to the pan in a circular pattern. If you need to go more than one layer up, that is fine.

Dot the rest of the butter over the rolls, and fill the pan with warmed stock, to around 3/4 of the height of the rolls. Should one litre not be enough, top up with a little more water. If it looks like the rolls will move around, invert a plate over the top, to hold them in place. Mine did not move at all. So I just put the lid on, brought it to a simmer, and cooked it for 45 minutes.

You can check if they are ready by unwrapping one roll, and making sure the rice is cooked.

To make the sauce, whisk up the eggs and the juice of three lemons. Add in a ladleful of the stock and continue to whisk. I found it easier to remove the cabbage rolls from the pot at this stage in to a tray, giving me good access to the remaining stock. I also discarded the large leaves that lined the base of the pot. Pour the egg and lemon mix in to the pot containing the stock. Continue to mix with a wooden spoon, over a very low heat. The sauce will thicken a little, but you want to avoid any lumps forming. If you need to add water to thin the consistency of sauce, go ahead, or you may want it even thicker, so mix a teaspoon of cornflour in to a ladleful of the sauce and then return it to the pot. The consistency is personal, as some people like it almost like soup.

Serve the cabbage rolls hot or warm, with a generous ladle of the sauce over the top.

Cauliflower, silverbeet and goat’s cheese pies

B’s savoury cake…. reminded me of savoury muffins… and then…..

The other day, my good friend Beth dropped over a huge bunch of silverbeet (chard) that she had grown, and a large piece of goats cheese, and then emailed me this recipe. Talk about spoiled rotten! I absolutely love the way she has written it out, so I am posting it just as she sent it.

I made it in a muffin pan, I thought this was a perfect thing to keep already portioned in the fridge, ready for a quick-to-make lunch, dinner or even breakfast. Full of veggies, eggs… and OK, a bit of cheese, and oh so very tasty.

This is the email…

”
Must….stop….eating….long….enough…to…type….this…
 
Crust
2 heaped cups of cooked brown rice (must be cold)
¼ cup finely grated grana padano 
1 big egg
 
Filling
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup roasted cauliflower (did mine under the gorilla with some evo and finished with truffle oil… arghh, drool)
1 large onion, caramelized
1 cup of fresh goat’s cheese, crumbled
1 cup of sautéed silverbeet
fresh thyme
salt and pepper (I am of the firm opinion that eggs need a GOOD amount of salt)

Okee dokee

1
Mix all of filling stuff together and have ready to go.

2
Mix crust stuff and press into a fluted flan – mine is 22cm dia and 4.5 cm deep with a loose base.

This step must be done thoroughly, otherwise leakage will occur!!!

Bake in a screamingly hot oven for 9 minutes, then take out of the oven and leave the oven door open.

Add filling mix immediately, return to oven, turn down to 170 degrees and bake for somewhere between 30 – 40 minutes.

3
Try not to eat all of it in one sitting.
 
Honestly, I adapted from a broccoli and spring onion version I found on the interwebs, using what I had in the fridge, so it clearly lends itself to bastardisation 
Ciao!
 
B xx
”

Isn’t she awesome?

A bit of translation may be needed:
In Beth and Alice speak, a gorilla is a griller, or a broiler for you Americans. And, being ornery, I roasted my cauliflower instead.
Evo, is extra virgin olive oil.

I steamed my silverbeet, as I love it steamed. You could do either.

I used a muffin tin, as I don’t have a fluted pan, but also… nice and easy to package them up in the fridge or even freezer in that size.
Grana Padano is similar to Parmesan.
170 degrees C is 340 degrees F

It is an unfussy meal, which is worthy of a much better photo than I have taken here. Even though it is full of veggies, it would actually go well with some leafy green, or tomato salad served beside it.

Wonder how long I can hold out before I make another batch. I am tipping not long. Thank you for the recipe Bethois. Over to you B!

Oeufs en Meurette

B’s poached eggs inspired me.

I love love love poached eggs, to the point where I even braved the scary sounding “Oeufs en meurette” which translates as “Eggs in red wine sauce” when I was in France many moons ago. Oh, they were incredible, unexpected, and something I would never have thought I would attempt to make.

But that’s what this blog challenge is for me, taking inspiration from B, and trying new things. I am living in Trinidad, so often ingredients are not available week to week, or even at all… but this recipe was almost all in my fridge and cupboards.

I was nervous about attempting B’s poaching method, as I usually poach eggs in a shallow pan, but I bought fresh eggs, crossed my fingers, and it was surprisingly easy. I used red wine vinegar in my poaching water, as a tip of the hat to the theme.

The lineup… bacon, shallots, button mushrooms, cocktail onions, butter, chicken stock, red wine, pepper, salt, bay leaf, thyme, sugar and flour.

Cut and then sauté the bacon in a pan.

Remove the bacon to a plate when nicely browned, and using the same pan cook the mushrooms in the remaining bacon fat .

Remove the mushrooms when cooked, and add the cocktail onions to the pan. I still had plenty of grease in the pan, but you could add a little butter if you need to.

Cook the onions until transparent, and ready to eat. Then set them aside along with the bacon and mushrooms.

To make the sauce, combine the red wine, stock, salt, pepper, thyme, bayleaf and sugar and roughly chopped shallots, in a saucepan.

And boil briskly until the liquid is halved.

While your sauce cooks down, poach your eggs using B’s Method and keep warm in ramekins in a warm oven.

Make a roux in a clean pan by melting the butter over a low heat and stirring in the flour. Cook for a few minutes over low heat.

When the wine is reduced add the liquid slowly to the roux, and stir out any lumps that may (or in my case *will*) form.

Strain the rest of the remaining wine mix in to the pan with the roux and mix well. You will have less roux, I overdid it and removed half.

Add a wee knob of butter to the sauce to gloss it up a little, mixing it off the heat.

In a plate with a little depth or a bowl, spoon in some of the sauce, sprinkle in some of the bacon, mushroom and onion, add two poached eggs. Add more sauce, bacon, mushroom and onion, and then garnish with parsley or chives.

Oh mama…

Serve with some lightly toasted bread, warmed chunks of baguette would be dreamy.

My trusty taste tester didn’t wait to sit down.

The verdict… oui, oui, OUI!

Tag B, you’re it!

Alice

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OEUFS EN MUERETTE (EGGS IN RED WINE SAUCE)
Serves two

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups red wine, burgundy or pinot noir if possible.
100g (3oz) shallots
100g (3oz) bacon
140g (4oz) button mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
100g (3oz) cocktail onions
1 tsp salt
a healthy grind of pepper
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
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Serve with crusty bread and a sprinkle of parsley or chives.
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Chop the bacon and sauté, when cooked scoop the bacon out onto a plate keeping any fat in the pan. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pan and cook gently in the existing fat. When cooked, set aside. Saute the peeled cocktail onions once again in the same pan, adding a touch of butter if more fat is needed. When cooked to transparent, set aside.

Start the red wine sauce by putting the red wine, stock, roughly chopped shallots, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper and sugar in to a saucepan and boiling briskly. Continue boiling until the liquid halves in volume.

Meanwhile, poach the eggs in water with red wine vinegar following the technique described here, and keep warm in individual ramekins in a low heat oven.

When the red wine reduction is ready, make a roux by melting a tablespoon of butter in a fresh pan, and mixing in the flour well. Cook gently before adding in a few spoonfuls of the reduction to slowly thin the floury mix. Then strain the rest of the reduction straight in to the pan with the roux and mix well, removing any lumps that may form. Finish the sauce with the remaining butter, stirring well, removed from the heat.

Place some sauce in the base of a bowl, and layer up the eggs, mushrooms, bacon and onions. Garnish with some fresh herbs.

Carnitas Hash

Mmmmmmm, Carnitas! has been my mantra since I first made them a month ago. These tender but crispy bits of pork shoulder are packed with flavor and add an extra punch to any meal.

Since Alice and I have been talking about this blog, we’ve come up with and promptly discarded quite a few different concepts, but this one seems to be a winner…after each of us has been tagged, we must post about a dish that we made using an ingredient or concept from the previous post. Carnitas are fun to work with and so I’m off on my quest to use up some leftover carnitas in a new and different way.

I love nothing more than to pull things out of my fridge and give them new life as a brand new dish. So today I give you Carnitas Hash.

I chopped up a baked potato

…then crisped them in a little butter:

I chopped up half an onion and sauteed it along with a little garlic, fresh rosemary and sliced mushroom.

In a separate pan, I browned up the carnitas before adding them to the mix.

After heating everything together, it was time to top this delicious mixture with – a poached egg:

This is a new skill I’m working on. I love soft boiled eggs, I eat eggs boiled, fried and scrambled, but have always been too intimidated to attempt a poached egg.
I found a tutorial on one of my favorite blogs, smittenkitchen.com and set out to give it a shot:

Alice recommended I use farm fresh eggs and what do you know? That very night, I received 2 dozen fresh eggs from my friend’s farm. Talk about timing! (Plus this gave me a few practice eggs, just in case the first attempt didn’t work out just right)

Bring water to a simmer – not a boil.

Add a splash of vinegar to the water.

Crack egg into a small bowl.

Swirl the water to create a mini whirlpool,

Then slide the egg into the water,

tuck the stray whites back, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until it has reached the desired doneness. Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Then perch the egg atop the delicious hash and eat!

Carnitas Hash

2 Tablespoons of butter
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 med onion, chopped
2 med potatoes, baked and chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup of carnitas
1 egg
In a medium frying pan over medium heat, melt butter, then add garlic and rosemary. Sautee for 1 minute, then add the onion and sautee until it starts to soften. Then add potatoes and mushrooms and allow to brown, stirring as needed.

In a separate pan over medium heat, heat up carnitas and allow to brown and crisp, then combine with potato mixture.

Top with poached egg, if desired (see step by step instructions above)

And now, TAG Alice…you’re it!

~B