Lamb & Rosemary Rissoles with Quince & Red Wine Gravy It may be the middle of Summer over here but that doesn t mean on the cooler days you can t have the ultimate comfort food. These flavour packed rissoles just like Nanna used to make were topped with a sweet, herb and onion packed gravy, heavily laced with red wine to bring that sweetness down a notch or two. The whole family will love these bundles of pure delight! Prep time: 20 Minutes $ Low Budget Cooking time: 25 Minutes Serves 4 (makes about 10 rissoles enough for leftovers)
1kg of lamb mince 6 slices of streaky bacon or pancetta, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced 2 large sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped, stalks discarded 1 brown onion, finely diced or grated 1 tbs of dijon mustard 1 tbs of tomato paste 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs 1 egg Sea salt and cracked pepper Sweet potato mash to serve Rosemary and thyme leaves for garnish For the Gravy: Pan juices from the rissoles 2 tbs of olive oil 1 red onion, halved and sliced 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped 4 thyme sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
1 tbs of flour 1 cup of red wine 11/2 cups of beef stock 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar 1 tbs of quince paste, chopped into little pieces Place the lamb mince, bacon, garlic, onion, rosemary, mustard, tomato paste, breadcrumbs and egg in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine the mixture and then form patties about the size of a tennis ball. Place them on a piece of baking paper and gently press on them to flatten out out slightly. Heat a large frypan and add a little oil. Fry the rissoles on both sides for about 6 minutes or until golden and almost cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside while you make the gravy. Use the same pan and add a little more olive oil if needed. Lightly fry the onion until soft before adding the garlic and herbs and frying for a further minute or so. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and stir, cooking the flour for about 1 minute on a medium heat. Pour in the red wine and beef stock and whisk until all the lumps have disappeared. Bring the mixture to a simmer before adding the balsamic and quince paste and stirring until the quince paste has dissolved. Season with salt and pepper and return the rissoles to the pan. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the gravy has reduced and thickened and the rissoles are cooked through.
To serve divide sweet potato mash (or any other mash of your choice) between 4 serving plates. Top the mash with a couple of rissoles and spoon over the gravy. Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary leaves and serve. Hot Smoked Salmon, Quinoa & Poached Egg Breakfast Bowls I must admit I am totally loving the whole Superfoods movement even though I think it is a bit of a rort. My love of these foods does not stem from how fantastically good they are for you but more from the combination of flavours. Nutty quinoa and peppery watercress are the Superfood stars in
this little ensemble with the punchy flavour of hot smoked salmon, the earthy goodness of dill and a protein packed poached egg. It may be a rort but gee whizz, you can t help but feel amazing starting the day with a meal like this! Prep time: 20 Minutes Cooking time: 20 Minutes $$ Medium Budget Serves 4 Extra virgin olive oil for frying and drizzling 1 cup of quinoa 11/2 cups of water 250gm portion of Hot Smoked Salmon, skin removed and flaked apart 1/2 a bunch of watercress, roughly chopped 1/2 a red onion, very finely sliced 6 zucchini flowers, sliced (1 small zucchini is fine) 1/4 cup of pepitas, toasted 2 tbs of finely chopped dill 4 eggs 1 tbs of vinegar Juice of 1 lemon Sea salt and cracked pepper
Lemon wedges to serve Place the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan, sprinkle with a little sea salt and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and allow the quinoa to absorb the water for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and allow to cool slightly. Heat a small frypan and add a little oil. Lightly fry the sliced zucchini and flowers until golden and tender. Place the watercress, red onion, zucchini flowers, toasted pepitas, two thirds of the dill and the salmon in a large mixing bowl. Once the quinoa has cooled a little add it, the lemon juice and a good drizzle of olive oil to the bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and gently toss with two large spoons using a folding motion and then divide the mixture between four serving bowls. Heat a large saucepan of boiling water and add the vinegar. Crack the eggs into 4 small ramekins or cups (this makes it easier to place the eggs in the water). Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat and stir the water with a spoon so you have a nice gentle whirlpool going. Pop the eggs in one at a time and simmer for approximately 4 minutes or until the eggs float to the surface. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place them on top of the quinoa mixture. Drizzle with a tiny bit more olive oil and sprinkle over the remaining dill. Serve with extra lemon wedges and a
nice smattering of cracked pepper. Moroccan Chicken, Carrot & Cous Cous Salad with Orange & Tahini Dressing This recipe was inspired by Donna Hay but tweaked a little in the Em s Food way as I was missing some of the ingredients and I also like to put my own spin on the food that I cook. My Husband was mighty impressed with this combo and it was a nice healthy change after weeks of Christmas cheer. Full of flavour and texture, it was awesome!
Prep time: 25 Minutes Cooking time: 15 Minutes $ Low Budget Serves 4 3 chicken breast fillets, halved down the middle 2 tbs of olive oil 2 wedges of preserved lemon, flesh removed and discarded and the rind finely diced 1 tsp of coriander seeds, crushed 2 tbs of Ras el Hanout (see link below for Em s own recipe) http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/ras-el-hanout/ For the Salad: 1 cup of cous cous 1 cup of boiling water 2 carrots peeled and very finely julienned (to save time you can use a fine grater attachment on a food processor, a peeler or a mandolin) 1/2 a bunch of watercress (substitute rocket leaves or baby spinach if you like) 1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped 1/2 cup of currants
1/4 cup of flaked almonds, lightly toasted for garnish Sea salt and Pepper For the Dressing: 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 orange 2 tbs of white wine vinegar 1 tbs of tahini paste Sea salt and Pepper Preheat the oven to 220 C Place the breast fillets on a lined baking tray. Place the oil, coriander seeds, preserved lemon rind and Ras el Hanout in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture over the breast fillets and then massage into the fillets with your hands so that they are covered all over with marinade. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 15 Minutes or until cooked through. Place the cous cous in a large sized bowl and pour over the boiling water. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 5 minutes before removing the wrap and fluffing the cous cous with a fork allowing it to cool a little. Once cooled slightly pop in the currants, carrots, watercress and coriander. Don t toss it until just
before serving as you don t want the greens to wilt too much from the heat. In a small bowl whisk the oil, tahini, orange juice and vinegar until the tahini is well combined and lump free. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon half of the dressing over the salad and toss well (I use fingers) to combine. Place four neat piles of the salad in the centre of four serving plates. Slice the chicken on the diagonal into slices about 1.5cm in size. Scatter the chicken on top of the salad and again, toss gently so that you bring some of the salad to the top (this is purely for aesthetics and not entirely necessary..it just looks better!). Scatter the toasted almonds over the top along with any remaining juices from the chicken (particularly the little bits of preserved lemon) and serve * Baked Camembert with Chorizo & Tomatoes
I made this festive platter for our street Christmas party this year and was rather pleased with the result. It really stood out in looks but was also a winner on the flavour front. Who doesn t love camembert laced with dry white wine and herbs, baked until just melting? Popped on a piece of fresh bread or a cracker with a slice of spicy, charred chorizo and a pop of fresh cherry tomato, it was a festive treat to be sure! Prep time: 10 Minutes Cooking time: 15 Minutes $$ Medium Serves a Party! (to make for a smaller gathering just halve the recipe)
2 x wheels of good quality camembert 4 tbs of dry white wine 8 thyme sprigs 2 chorizo sausages, halved and sliced diagonally 1 punnet of red grape or cherry tomatoes 1 punnet of yellow grape or cherry tomatoes 2 cups of baby spinach leaves Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling Sea salt and pepper Preheat the even to 180 C Tear off two pieces of baking paper (approximately 30cm x 30cm) and two slightly larger squares of tin foil. Place the baking paper on top of the foil pieces and put the camembert wheels in the centre. Stab the cheese all over the top with a fork and pour 2 tbs of wine on each, gradually so the wine sinks in somewhat. Scatter over the thyme sprigs and bring the edges of the foil together and roll up so that each camembert is tightly sealed in a loose parcel. Place them in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until soft in the centre when pressed lightly with your fingers. Heat a large frypan until nice and hot and cook the chorizo on both sides until golden and lightly charred.
Place the baby spinach leaves on the bottom of a large platter. Remove the camembert from the oven and gently remove from the baking paper (thyme sprigs included) with an egg slide and place them in the centre of the platter. Drizzle any left over juice on top of the camembert and scatter the tomatoes and chorizo around the outside. Drizzle extra virgin over the cheese, tomatoes and chorizo and season with salt and pepper. Serve with slices of crusty baguette or crackers of your choice.