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‘Dinner Menu’ Category

  1. Borsch(t)

    December 2, 2008 by Lisa

    I was looking for a recipe for a borsch similar to what I had at the very lovely Troikka in Helsinki some months ago. This, sadly, isn’t it. Nice, but not right. Part of the problem is that I couldn’t find fresh beetroot, only vacuum-packed, precooked. I also think that it would be nice if the vegetables were pureed prior to adding back the cubed beetroot.

    Stock:

    • 1 kilo stewing beef
    • 1 carrot, chopped
    • 1 stalk celery, chopped
    • 2 liters water

    Soup:

    • 2 carrots, julienned
    • 1 small head cabbage, sliced thinly
    • 8 small cooked beetroots, cubed
    • 1/3 red onion
    • 250gm tomato paste
    • juice of half a lemon
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • salt, pepper
    • fresh dill
    • soured cream

    For the stock, cover the beef in water, add a bit of salt and bring to the boil. Skim off the scum that forms and reduce to a simmer. Add the carrot and celery and cook for at least an hour and a half. I actually cooked it for nearly three. When it’s done, put the meat aside and strain the stock.

    Add the cabbage and cook for 15 minutes. Add the julienned carrots and onion and cook an additional 15 minutes. Add the cubed beetroot, tomato paste and lemon juice and cook another 15 minutes. Mix the flour with a little water and stir into the soup. Finally add the meat back to the soup and cook until thickened.

    Add salt and pepper to taste, serve with dill and soured cream.

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  2. Chili con Carne

    December 6, 2006 by Lisa


    Ooh, yum. My recent trip to the states gave me a taste for some American home cooking. I dragged a couple packets of corn bread mix home and made this easy chili with what I could find in the house.

    Ingredients:

    • 500gm beef mince
    • 1 large shallot or half an onion
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 can kidney beans
    • 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped roughly or 1 can chopped plum tomatoes
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 1 tablespoon flour
    • 3 tablespoons water
    • several good shakes Tabasco (I think I did about 10) or chili powder to taste
    • 1 half a tube of tomato paste
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Brown the beef and shallots in the olive oil. Add the kidney beans, pasta sauce and fresh tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Mix the flour, cumin, tabasco and water into a paste and add it to the beef and beans. Cook an hour at low heat, stirring frequently. Longer is even better, when poss. Add more tabasco and salt and pepper as you like!

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  3. Ragu alla Bolognese

    November 11, 2006 by Lisa

    This is my take on the classic ragu of Bologna. Pretty close to the original, with the exception of veal and giblets and other meaty things that make it even more incredibly rich than this recipe using cream.

    Ingredients:

    • 500grams minced beef
    • 2 carrots, chopped
    • 1 shallot, chopped
    • 45 grams pancetta, cubed
    • wineglass of red or white wine
    • 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk or cream
    • salt and ground pepper
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • half a tube of double concentrate tomato paste
    • olive oil

    Brown the pancetta in the olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add the carrots and shallots and cook until limp. Add minced beef and brown. mix together tomato paste, broth and wine and add to the browned beef. Add salt and pepper to taste (a couple of turns of the pepper grinder and a few shakes of salt). Cover and simmer for half an hour or so. Add the milk or cream a little at a time, stir and simmer uncovered a bit longer, maybe 15 minutes or so.

    Serve with penne, or preferably, fresh tagliatelle.

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  4. Balsamic Chicken

    November 6, 2006 by Lisa

    Sadly not terribly photogenic, so there’s no piccie, but was it quick, easy and delicious.

    Ingredients:

    • 4 skinless chicken breast fillets
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
    • 1/2 cup chicken broth
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1/4 cup flour
    • salt and pepper

    Pound chicken breasts to about 1/4-inch thickness. Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the chicken until nicely browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a platter and keep warm. Add vinegar, broth and garlic to the frying pan and cook over a medium-high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce is reduced. Stir in the butter to finish. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

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  5. Plum Chicken

    October 22, 2006 by Lisa

    Ingredients:

    • 3 large plums (8 oz or so), pitted
    • 1 tblsp butter
    • 1/2 small chopped onion
    • 1/4 cup (scant) brown sugar
    • 2 tblsp sweet chili sauce
    • 1 tblsp soy sauce
    • 1 tsp lemon juice
    • 3 skinless chicken breasts

    Puree the plums in a blender or food processor. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onions and cook until soft. Stir in the plums, sugar, chili sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce and cook uncovered until slightly thickened. Place the chicken breasts in an oven pan, lightly salt and pepper them and cover with 1/4 of the sauce.

    Cook in a hot oven for 15 minutes, turn the chicken over and add another 1/4 of the sauce. Cook another 15 minutes or until cooked through. 5 minutes before the end, add the rest of the sauce.

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  6. Pasta e Fagioli

    June 17, 2006 by Lisa

    (AKA Pasta Fazool)

    Not really a summer recipe, but a great one for when you have nothing fresh in the house. Wonderfully filling and lovely. Used dried beans if you like, but soak overnight first.

    • 2 cans pulses (any sort: kidney, cannellini, flageolets or haricot)
    • 125g cubed panchetta or chopped bacon
    • 2 tblsp olive oil
    • 1 shallot or a 1/4 – 1/2 an onion, chopped
    • 1 carton or a can of chopped tomatoes
    • stock cube (any sort)
    • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
    • large handful of chopped herbs – oregano, rosemary, marjoran and thyme are nice
    • 200gms small pasta, like Conchigliette (tiny shell pasta)
    • Salt and pepper

    In a large saucepan, fry the pancetta and shallot or onion in the olive oil until the onion is soft. Drain about half the water from the beans and add to the pan with the chopped tomatoes and the stock cube and boiling water. Add the chopped herbs and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or more or until the beans are tender. Longer is better as some beans can remain hard. Watch it carefully as the water can easily cook away and you run the risk of burning the soup. Add additional water if required. 15 minutes before the end, add the pasta (and a little more water if necessary).

    When the pasta is cooked, serve with crusty bread or polenta as desired. I like to make a double batch of soft polenta to serve the first time, then let it harden and slice and grill it for the next day’s serving. The second day is always the best.

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  7. Enchiladas de Pollo en Inglaterra

    June 13, 2006 by Lisa

    A rather time-consuming, fattening and messy proposition, but nice, nevertheless. “En Inglaterra” refers to ingredients you can get here easily. The corn tortillas from the grocery here are not really acceptable to me. Too… icky. Buy proper white corn tortillas at Mexgrocer online. Delicious.

    Mexican food is not always spicy and this recipe is very mild with a creamy sauce.

    Anyway, for the chicken, place 4 chicken thighs in a covered oven dish and add a couple of tablespoons olive oil, a good couple tablespoons of powdered cumin, some dried oregano and a splash or two of tabasco. Plop in a 200C oven for a while – between 40 mintes and an hour – until cooked through and falling off the bone. Shred the chicken and set aside. Keep the oily chickeny grease as you’ll need it later.

     

    Enchilada Sauce:

    • 2 Ramiro (large long red) Peppers
    • 1 tblsp Oregano
    • 1 tblsp Ground Cumin
    • 1 cup Chicken stock
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 chopped shallot (or 1/4 of an onion. I like shallots as I don’t use a lot of onion and they keep well).
    • scant 1/4 cup of the reserved chicken grease
    • 1/4 cup cream or milk
    • 1/2 tube of tomato paste

    Roast the peppers in the oven until fragrant and slightly blistered. Remove from oven and let cool. Scrape the seeds from the peppers and put in a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend well. Pour into a largish saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes.

    For the Enchiladas

    • The chicken
    • The Sauce
    • 250gm cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
    • Soured Cream, avocado, sliced olives and cilantro (coriander) for garnish
    • 6-8 corn tortillas

    Place the rest of the chicken grease in a small frying pan and heat. You could use a cooking oil, but I like the flavour of the chicken grease. Fry a tortilla in the oil until just softened, then dip in the enchilada sauce, then transfer to a rectangular oven dish. Add a couple of tablespoons of chicken and a handful of cheese to the middle of the tortilla and roll it up gently. Repeat for the remainder of the tortillas until the pan is filled. Cover with the remaining sauce, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and some olives. Bake in a 200C oven for 30-40 minutes until heated through.

    Serve with the condiments, mexican rice and refried beans).

    Ole!

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  8. Lamb, red wine and rosemary casserole with herby potato stacks and braised red cabbage

    February 17, 2006 by Lisa

    Brilliant. No changes required to this recipe: lamb, red wine and rosemary casserole with herby potato stacks and braised red cabbage.

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  9. Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Mint Sauce

    January 30, 2006 by Lisa

    • 6 lambchops
    • 2 tablespoons oil
    • 2-3 tablespoons chopped rosemary
    • 3 tablespoons mint jelly
    • clove garlic
    • tablespoon flour
    • 1 1/2 cups lamb broth (from a cube or stock)

    Grind garlic and rosemary in a pestle with the oil. Spread it on the top of the chops and cook them in a little olive oil for about 7 minutes a side. Remove from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the flour and cook a couple of minutes. Add the broth and the mint jelly and cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Pour over chops.

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  10. Pomegranate and Balsamic Glazed Chicken

    January 10, 2006 by Lisa

    Adapted from a recipe at pomwonderful.com.

    • 3/4 cup pomegranate and cranberry juice. I used half of each because I didn’t have a full cup of pomegranate juice
    • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    • 5 small carrots cut into bitesized chunks
    • 1 chopped shallot (I cater for those who are not fond of onions)
    • olive oil
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (less if the balsamic is very rich)
    • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
    • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • fresh pomegranate seeds as garnish

    Brown the chicken with the carrots and shallot in oil until the carrots are tender. Stir frequently. Add the chicken broth to the pan and cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Transfer chicken and carrots to another dish and cover and keep warm.
    Pour out all but 1/3 cup of chicken cooking liquid in the skillet. Stir in pomegranate juice, balsamic, cornstarch, brown sugar and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Serve the sauce over chicken and carrots and garnish with reserved pomegranate seeds.

    Note: to extract pomegranate seeds, score the fruit and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the seeds. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

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