Beef & Eggplant Tagine with Pistachio Crumble You may have realised by now that I am a huge fan of Middle Eastern inspired food. I say inspired as the recipes are probably not authentic however, I do believe they have the quintessential flavours of the region. The pistachio, preserved lemon and coriander crumble that I added to the dish made for a sensational garnish and elevated the flavour to new heights, putting an Em s Food spin on an already tasty creation. If you are a fan of a cracking Tagine, then I think you will love this one! Prep time: 30 Minutes Cooking time: 2.5-3 Hours $$ Medium Budget
Serves 4 Oil for frying 800gm of chuck steak, cut into 3cm cubes 1 eggplant, cut into 3cm cubes 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2cm piece of ginger, grated 1 large brown onion, halved and sliced 1 tsp of allspice 1 tsp of chilli flakes 2 tsp of ground cumin 2 tsp of ground coriander A pinch of saffron threads 1 cup of beef stock 400gm tin of diced tomatoes 1 tsp of honey 1/2 cup of pitted green olives 1/2 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped Sea salt and cracked pepper 4 tbs of greek yoghurt Cous cous to serve
For the Crumble: 3 wedges of preserved lemon, flesh removed and discarded 1/4 cup of toasted pistachios, roughly chopped 1/2 cup of coriander leaves Pre heat the oven to 180 C. Place the allspice, chilli flakes, ground coriander and cumin in a small bowl with a good pinch of salt and mix to combine. Place the eggplant chunks in a lined baking tray and drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle over 1 heaped teaspoon of the spice mix and toss well to coat the eggplant. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside. Heat a heavy based pan and add a little oil. Cook the beef, in batches until golden, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, add a little more oil if necessary and lightly fry the onion until just starting to soften. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute before adding the remaining spices and saffron threads to the pan. Mix well and then pour in the stock, tomatoes and honey, season with salt and pepper and add the beef back to the pan, stirring to combine. Bring to the boil then lower the heat to a simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. To keep the moisture in, I like to lay a sheet of baking paper on top of the mixture before placing the lid on. After 1.5 hours, remove the lid and check that the beef is tender. If so, add the eggplant and olives to the Tagine and
gently fold them through. If the beef is still a little tough, it may need another 30 minutes with the lid on. If the beef is tender allow the sauce to simmer with the lid off, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes. Stir the coriander through just before serving. Finely dice the preserved lemon and finely chop the coriander. Mix them together with the chopped pistachios in a small bowl. To serve, divide cous cous between 4 serving bowls and top with the Beef Tagine. Dollop on the yoghurt and sprinkle over the crumble. Serve with steamed greens. Leftover preserved lemons? You may want to make this http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/king-prawn-and-preserved-lemon -bruschetta/ Roasted Vegetable, Lentil & Green Kale Curry
Inspired by a Donna Hay recipe this Roasted Vegetable and Lentil curry was a masterstroke! For those that are not a fan of kale, no fear..it is hidden in the curry paste and if you are worried about the no-meat factor, seriously not an issue. I live with meat lovers and even they were impressed by the meatiness of this baby. This was one hell of a tasty curry healthy, hearty and down right gorgeous There is enough curry paste in this recipe for 2 meals. I freeze my leftover paste in Zip Lock bags for later use. Prep time: 30 Minutes $$ Medium Budget Cooking time: 1 Hour Serves 4
For the Curry Paste: 2 tsp of cumin seeds 3 tsp of coriander seeds 4 long green chillies (seeds removed for less heat) 3 cloves of garlic 6 cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped roughly 8 kaffir lime leaves 2 stalks of lemongrass, white part only and thinly sliced 1 bunch of coriander, roots, stems and leaves very thoroughly washed as a lot of grit can be caught in the stems 3 tbs of peanut oil (veg oil will do) 1 tsp of shrimp paste, crumbled 11/2 tbs of brown sugar 4 green onions, roughly chopped 2 cups of chopped kale For the Curry: Oil for frying 1 brown onion, peeled, halved and sliced top to bottom 200gm of Jap pumpkin, cut into 2cm pieces 1 eggplant, cut into 2cm pieces
1/2 small cauliflower, cut into florets 200gm of green beans, ends removed and sliced diagonally into batons 400gm tin of brown lentils 2 french eschalots, finely sliced (you can use store bought fried shallots if you wish) 1/4 cup of sliced almonds, lightly toasted in a dry pan 1 cup of coriander leaves 400gm tin of coconut cream 2 tbs of fish sauce 1 tbs of brown sugar Juice of 1/2 a lime Steamed rice and lime wedges to serve Place the kale in a small bowl and cover with boiling water for 2 minutes or until bright green in colour. Drain and run under cold water before squeezing in your hands to get rid of any excess water. Place the kale and the rest of the curry paste ingredients in a food processor. Blitz until you have a nice pasty consistency. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Place the cauliflower, eggplant and pumpkin pieces in a large, lined baking tray and drizzle with a little oil. Take 1 tbs of curry paste and using your
hands, toss the vegetables in the curry paste until evenly coated. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden. To fry the eschalots, pour enough oil (I used rice bran) into a small pan to cover the base. When it is nice and hot, add the sliced eschalots and fry, stirring every now and then, until golden. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Heat a large frypan or wok and add a little oil. Fry the onion until soft and then add 2 large tablespoons of the curry paste. Fry for 1-2 minutes until aromatic and then pour in the coconut cream and lentils and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and add the fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Stir and a have a taste, you want the perfect balance of hot, sour, sweet and salty, so adjust any seasoning to your liking. Place the roasted vegetables in the curry and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the green beans and two thirds of the coriander leaves. Cook the beans for a few minutes, careful not to overcook as you want the beans to be a nice bright green colour and still slightly crunchy. Serve the curry over steamed Jasmine rice. Top with the fried eschallots, toasted almonds and a smattering of coriander leaves. serve with lime wedges. Chicken & Roasted Eggplant
Thai Yellow Curry Just when I think I have run out of Curry inspiration, a little lightbulb goes off in my food obsessed brain and I come up with a corker. Not blowing smoke at all, as there are hundreds of variations of Thai Yellow Chicken Curry that I am sure, are equally as good as this one. There is a little surprise in this one though, that I am yet to witness elsewhere. Baby eggplant, rubbed in the curry paste and baked until golden. The reason for this? Through the roof flavour but also, the eggplant holds together so beautifully once it has been baked. I also made my own crispy shallots (super easy) as I read the back of the packaged ones and they are cooked in palm oil. I happen to like Orang-utans so try and avoid palm oil where possible as it is the logging of their forests and the millions of palm oil plantations taking over that are the biggest threat to their survival. A little bit of the Greenie coming out in me, but hey! Every little bit helps.
Prep time: 20 Minutes Cooking time: 30 Minutes $$ Medium Budget Serves 4 700gm of chicken thigh fillets, cut into largish chunks 4 baby eggplant, halved lengthways 4 tbs of Em s Thai Yellow Curry Paste (See link below or use a store bought variety nowhere near as good 1 brown onion, peeled, halved and sliced top to bottom 200gm of snow peas, tops removed and sliced diagonally 400gm tin of coconut cream 2 tbs of fish sauce 1 tbs of brown sugar Juice of 1/2 a lime 1 red chilli, finely sliced diagonally (optional) 1 cup of roughly chopped coriander leaves 3 kaffir lime leaves, rolled and sliced very thinly 3 eschalots, peeled and thinly sliced Peanut oil for frying (any low smoke point oil will do) Steamed rice, coriander sprigs and lime wedges to serve
Preheat the oven to 200 C Place the eggplant on a lined baking tray and rub one tablespoon of the curry paste into it so that they are all coated evenly. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until golden. Heat a large pan or wok and add a little oil. Once hot, fry the onion until just starting to soften and then add the remaining curry paste. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic and then add the chicken. Toss to coat and when the chicken starts to turn opaque, pour in the coconut cream. Stir to combine and once simmering, pop a lid on and allow the chicken to cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and add the fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar and stir to combine. Simmer with the lid off for a further 10 minutes. While the curry is cooking, place enough oil in a small saucepan or pan to cover the bottom by about 1.5cm. You want the oil nice and hot so that the eschalots crisp up quickly. You can test the oil by placing a piece of eschalot in and if starts bubbling rapidly right away, the oil is ready. Fry the eschalots in two batches until nice and golden, remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Remove the eggplant from the oven and add it to the curry with the snow peas. Allow to simmer for a few minutes until the snow peas are a gorgeous, bright green colour before stirring through the chopped coriander.
Divide the curry in bowls with steamed rice, giving each person two halves of the eggplant. Garnish with crispy shallots, coriander sprigs, a sprinkle of kaffir lime leaf and lime wedges if you so desire. Thai Yellow Curry Paste Greek Lamb & Haloumi Burgers with Herb Yoghurt
Greek food is a particular favourite of mine and luckily so is a good burger! These juicy patties were spiked with finely chopped kalamata olives and a hint of cinnamon that took them to a seriously high level on the Em s Food flavour scale. Paired with salty, molten haloumi and a fresh, herb packed yoghurt, they were the absolute gear. Perfect for a crowd, gentle on the purse strings and to top it off, deliciously healthy. Prep time: 40 Minutes $$ Medium budget Cooking time: 20 Minutes Serves 8 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil 1kg of lamb mince 225gm of Haloumi, thinly sliced (16 slices) 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced 16 pitted kalamata olives, very finely chopped 1/2 tsp of cinnamon 1 tbs of tomato paste 2 tsp of dried oregano 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves removed and finely chopped, stalks discarded 1 egg Sea salt and cracked pepper
1-2 large eggplant, sliced top to bottom approximately 1/2 cm thick (ends removed) 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced 1 red onion, thinly sliced 1 bag of baby rocket 8 Turkish rolls, halved lengthways (I used long ones but round are fine) For the Herb Yoghurt: 1 cup of Greek Yoghurt 2 tbs of finely chopped dill 1 tbs of finely chopped mint A squeeze of lemon juice 1 clove of garlic, finely minced Sea salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 180. Line a large baking tray with baking paper (you may need two) and place the eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Brush each slice with a little olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden, remove and set aside for later. This can be done ahead as the eggplant can be at room temperature for these
burgers. Place the mince, garlic, olives, dried and fresh oregano, tomato paste, cinnamon and egg in a large mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper and use your hands to combine. Using wet hands, shape the mince into 8 burger patties. I did them in an oblong shape rather than round as I was using the long rolls. Place the Greek yoghurt, herbs, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Set aside. Heat a Barbecue plate or frypan, add a touch of oil and fry the burger patties. Use a spatula to flatten them as much as possible and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Set aside to rest and then fry the haloumi until golden on both sides, using the spatula to lift the haloumi on top of the patties. Toast or grill the burger buns until lightly charred and smokey. To assemble the burger, place the rocket, eggplant, tomatoes and red onion on the bottom half of the bun. Top with a burger patty and haloumi and then use a spoon to spread a generous dollop of the yoghurt across the top half of the bun. You may need to cut these babies in half and a roll of kitchen paper will come in very handy!
If you have leftover Dill, Mint or Oregano you may be interested in these recipes: http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/asparagus-dill-frittata-with-s moked-salmon/ http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/chicken-preserved-lemon-greenolive-meatballs-with-fetta-mint-pistachio-crumble/ http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/lemon-oregano-chicken-with-roa sted-cauliflower-quinoa-salad/