Yiouvetsi Kritharaki Kypriako – Cypriot Orzo Yiouvetsi (Γιουβέτσι Κριθαράκι Κυπριακό)

Ingredients:

1 lb. (450 gr.) ground veal
1 quart (1 litre) beef stock
1 ½ cups (375 ml.) of orzo pasta
1 cup (250 ml.) fresh strained tomato juice/sauce [or 2 tbsp. (30 ml.) tomato paste diluted in 1 cup of water]
1 onion, grated or finely chopped
2 garlic gloves, finely chopped or pressed
1 cinnamon stick (a couple inches in length will suffice)
4 spice cloves
3 tablespoons (45 ml.) Greek extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml.) butter
Salt and pepper to taste

1.    Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan, then, over a medium heat, add the ground veal and breaking it up with a wooden spoon sauté the meat for 5-8 minutes stirring constantly until it is thoroughly browned.
2.    Once the ground veal has been completely browned, add the onion, garlic, tomato sauce, cinnamon stick, cloves, salt and pepper to the saucepan with the meat. Stirring the contents well, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes over a medium-low heat.
3.    In a separate pan/pot bring the beef stock to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low, so as to keep it hot until we need it.
4.    When the meat has cooked, remove the cinnamon stick from the pan. Add the uncooked orzo pasta to the hot beef stock for a couple stirs, then add the stock to the pan with the meat sauce and stir to mix thoroughly.
5.    Butter the sides and bottom of the casserole, then add the yiouvetsi mixture to the dish and bake uncovered at a moderate heat 350° F. (180° C.) for 50-60 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed by the pasta. Stir the yiouvetsi well with a wooden spoon only once at about the 25 minute mark (making sure to get into the corners of the dish) then let it cook undisturbed for the remainder of its allotted time. Look for the surface of the yiouvetsi to form almost a crust-like top layer, especially near the edges of the dish. Remove from the oven when done and let the casserole sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Variations on the yiouvetsi theme in Greek cuisine can include cuts of lamb or chicken, or it can be made without any meat whatsoever. Cheese (usually a dried Greek whey cheese known as myzithra) can also be grated and sprinkled overtop when serving; though I typically do not use cheese on the meat-based variations, it remains an option. Usually, the meatless version of this dish is referred to simply as manestra [pronounced "mah-NE-strah"]. NOTE: Other pasta noodles may also be used to make yiouvetsi, but the krytharaki (orzo) noodle is the most commonly used for this purpose in this Greek recipe.

Swedish Meatballs!

Ingredients

 400g lean pork mince
 1 egg, beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
85g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp finely chopped dill, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp each olive oil and butter
 2 tbsp plain flour
 400ml hot beef stock (from a cube is fine)

 Method: In a bowl, mix the mince with the egg, onion, breadcrumbs, dill and seasoning. Form into small meatballs about the size of walnuts – you should get about 20. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and brown the meatballs. You may have to do this in 2 batches. Remove from pan, melt the butter, then sprinkle over the flour and stir well. Cook for 2 mins, then slowly whisk in the stock. Keep whisking until it is a thick gravy, then return the meatballs to the pan and heat through. Sprinkle with dill and serve with cranberry jelly, greens and mash.

 Note: I transfered the Meatballs to a large saucepan whilst frying the next lot. I then covered them all with the gravy and cooked them for awhile as they weren't cooked all the way through after frying them. I also used turkey mince rather than pork and doubled the recipe! The double recipe fed four adults for dinner, James and Jesse for lunch and I still had a portion large enough for me or Jes to put in the freezer. It was delicious!

Lemon Curd

This may be a bit late but this lemon curd would make great Christmas presents and the presence of apples would help the lemons go further!

1 lb (16 oz) cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 lb (16 oz) caster sugar
grated rind and juice of 3 lemons
4 oz (1/2 C) butter
4 eggs, beaten and strained

Instructions

1. Cook apples without water over a very low heat until soft.  Then beat the cooked apple to a pulp.

2. Add the sugar, lemon rind and juice, butter and the eggs.

3. Stir continuously over a very low heat until the mixture thickens, about 20 to 30 minutes.  Do not let it boil.

4. Have read some warm, clean jars.

5. When thick, pour into jars, cover, seal and label.  Store in refrigerator.

Ragu Bolognese

A great recipe: ragù bolognese

Ragù Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is a typical Britalian dish created bearing in mind the ethnic Italian origin but adapted to suit British taste. This dish doesn't exist in Italy - the original dish originates in Emilia Romagna and it's called tagliatelle alla Bolognese. The main difference is that flat ribboned pastas are used instead of spaghetti and the ragù sauce doesn't contain herbs at all.

Genuine ragù Bolognese is a combination of at least two types of meat, like lean minced beef and pork, plus oil and butter, a little wine, an onion, plump ripe tomatoes and tomato paste.


25g (1oz) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
250g (9oz) minced beef
250g (9oz) minced pork
6 tablespoons white wine
1kg (2lb) polpa di pomodoro (tomato pulp)
1 teaspoon concentrated tomato purée
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method

Heat the oil and butter in a pan and fry the chopped onion. Then add the meat and fry until golden brown. Stir in the wine, tomato pulp and tomato purée. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for about 2 hours stirring from time to time.

Serve with freshly cooked tagliatelle and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan, if desired, but purists like this dish without.

Chilli Meatballs

From Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals

Ingredients:

Bulgur wheat:

• 300g bulgur wheat
• 1 preserved lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick

Meatballs:

• 400g lean beef mince
• 1 heaped tsp garam masala
• olive oil 
• 3 jarred red peppers
• 4 spring onions
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 700g passata
• bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans
• pinch of cumin seeds
• 4 tsp fat free natural yoghurt
• 1 lime

Grilled chillies

• 4 fresh chillies

Method

1. Put 1 cup of bulgur wheat, 2 cups of boiling water, preserved lemon and the cinnamon stick into the medium pan and cover, stirring occasionally;
2. Next scrunch the mince with salt, pepper and garam masala;
3. Shape the balls and place balls into a frying pan with oil. Toss regularly;
4. If you don't have a food processor, just finely slice the spring onions. 
5. Get another frying pan and mix together the passata, paprika powder, spring onions and half of the coriander. Add some more pepper and salt for the taste of the sauce 
6. Next grill the fresh chillies. When it has those stripes, you can remove chillies from grill. 
7. Rinse and dry the kidney beans. Add the beans to your meatballs. Next add the cumin seeds to the meat balls. 
8. Slowly add the meatballs with the beans to your  pan with sauce (Jamie advices to transfer the balls to the sauce with tongs, so you can add the beans later) 
9. Remove the cinnamon stick from your 'bulgur' pan. Mash the lemon into the bulgur wheat and serve with the meatball sauce, dollops of yoghurt, charred chilies and wedges of lime, scattered with the remaining spring onions and coriander leaves. 

Ragù alla Napoletana

Ingredients

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
500g/1lb 2oz topside of beef, chopped into medium-sized pieces
500g/1lb 2oz pork ribs
200g/7oz Italian pork sausages
2 tbsp tomato purée, diluted in 100ml/3½fl oz red wine
3 x 400g/14oz tins chopped tomatoes
handful fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
parmesan
pasta or bread, to serve

Preparation method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.

2. Add the beef, ribs and sausages to the pan and continue to fry until the meat is browned all over (you may need to do this in batches).

3. Increase the heat, stir in the diluted tomato concentrate and continue to cook until the volume of the liquid is reduced by one-third.

4. Add the tomatoes, basil, and parmesan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir well.  

5. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook very gently for about two hours, or until the sauce is thick and silky. Stir from time to time, checking that there is enough moisture; if necessary add a little more wine or water.

6. Remove from the heat and serve with pasta as suggested above, or on its own with lots of good bread to mop up the rich tomato sauce.  Finish cooking the pasta in 3 or 4 large spoonfuls of the sauce.

Fresh Glazed Strawberry Pie

Fresh Glazed Strawberry Pie

As mentioned in the previous post, we made strawberry pie for Canada Day. Here is the recipe:

1 baked pastry shell
1 quart (or more) fresh strawberries (4-8oz cups)
3 T(ablespoons) cornstarch (cornflour in UK)
1 c(up) sugar (white)
1 T butter
1/2 c water
1 T lemon juice
whipped cream

1. Arrange the best looking berries in the cooked pie shell.

2. Crush the remaining berries.

3. Combine the cornstarch (cornflour) and sugar. Stir in crushed berries and water.

4. Cook gently till thick and clear.

5. Remove from heat, add butter and lemon juice. Cool.

6. Pour onto pie. Top with whipped cream.