20110131 Meatloaf with Creamy Leek

(SOURCE: Koken & Genieten - Gevuld gehakt met romige prei)

I thought meatloaf would definitely please my meat-loving husband, because it is a dish with lots of meat and juicy gravy. But nope! For whatever reasons, he has just never been a big fan of meatloaf. So this is my another attempt to find a meatloaf recipe that can win my husband over. I made the meatloaf yesterday so the flavor got really rich and yummy today! I really liked this, but can't say the same for my husband, sigh.

INGREDIENTS
700g leek, cut into rings
1 tbsp butter
185g cream cheese
salt and pepper
6 tbsp breadcrumbs
100ml milk
1 onion, finely chopped
350g ground pork
350g ground beef
1 egg
75g crispy fried onions
125ml chicken stock

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 150 degree C. Heat butter in a pan, and fry the leek for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese and season with salt and pepper, then simmer for about 3 minutes.
2. Mix the breadcrumbs with milk and set aside. Knead the meat and onions with eggs, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper.
3. Knead the meat flat on a piece of plastic wrap (about 30cm X 30cm). Lay 1/3 of the leek mixture in the middle, then roll the meat with the help of the wrap. Sprinkle the deep fried onions over the top of the meatloaf. Bake the meatloaf on a greased baking tray in the oven for about 30 minutes. Then cover the meatloaf with foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.
4. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it rest. Meanwhile, warm the leek mix in the pan and add 125ml chicken stock. Season well. Serve the sliced meatloaf with the leek sauce.

20110130 Fish a la Veracruzana

(SOURCE: Koken & Genieten - Vis a la veracruzana)

My husband really liked the last Pesto Fish Dish because of the rich flavored toppings. So I found this recipe in a hope that the yummy onion-tomato topping will make him forget this is a fish dish. This was quite a risky choice as he likes neither fish nor olive. He cleaned his plate without complaining, so I consider this a success!

INGREDIENTS
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
50g green olives, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
800g can tomatoes
2 tbsp capers
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
600g catfish (about 150g per fillet), dabbed dry
a dash of chilli powder

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 175 degree C. Heat the oil in a pan, and brown the onions and garlic. Stir in the tomatoes with the juice to the pan, and break the tomatoes into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the peppers, olives, capers, bay leaves, and dried oregano. Season with chilli and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Lay the fish fillets in a greased oven dish, and pour the sauce all over them. Cover the dish with the foil, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

20110129 Chicken Quesadilla's

(SOURCE: Koken & Genieten - Quesadilla's met kip)

I didn't cook much last week as I came home after 8pm almost every evening. So I wanted to cook something special for this weekend, and saw some recipes for Mexican dishes in the latest Koken & Genieten magazine. Perfect! What is a Mexican evening without a bottle of Desperados?

INGREDIENTS
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 courgette, finely cubed
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chilli powder
350g chicken, cut into small cubes
150g grated cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
4 tortilla's
1 tbsp butter, melted

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 175 degree C. Heat oil in a pan, and brown the chicken for about 4 minutes. Add the vegetables, onion, and garlic, and fry for another 3 minutes. Season with oregano, and salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix in half the cheese.
2. Cover a baking tray with baking paper. Fill each tortilla with the chicken/vegetable mix, and lay the tortilla's on the baking paper. Brush each tortilla with the melted butter, then top them with the remaining cheese.
3. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, then under a hot grill for about 5 minutes to brown the top.

20110128 Hutspot

The temperature has dropped to below 0 degree C again. So more stamppot this week! My husband does not like hutspot (mashed potatoes, carrots, and onions), so I served this with something he definitely likes - i.e. some homemade meatballs and loads of boterjus (excessive fat from cooking the meat with lots of butter)!

INGREDIENTS
800g starchy potatoes, peeled and cubed
200g carrots, cut into thin strips
200g onions, thinly sliced
beef stock
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp creme fraiche
salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Put the potatoes, carrots, and onions into a big pot. Top it with beef stock. Bring to the boil, and cook for 20 minutes. Drain well.
2. Add the butter and creme fraiche to the boiled vegetables. Mash everything together, and season with salt and pepper.

20110124 Zuurkool Stamppot

(SOURCE: My mother in law)

Preparing for a busy week ahead, I have made this zuurkool stamppot for my dinner on Monday and Tuesday. Some people add apples and/or raisins to zuurkool stamppot, and I added pineapples instead. This recipe is from my mother in law, who gave me strict instructions that this stamppot must be made a day ahead for "flavor melding"!

INGREDIENTS
300g sauerkraut
800g starchy potatoes, peeled and cubed
200g smoked bacon bits
1 onion, finely chopped
Knorr Aromat
75g butter + a knob for frying
225g can diced pineapple, drained
75ml cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Add the potatoes in a medium pot and the sauerkraut in a small pot. Top both with water, then bring it to the boil and cook for about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter in a frying pan. Brown the bacon and onion for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the potatoes and sauerkraut well. Add the sauerkraut, butter, and cream to the potatoes in the medium pot. Mash them together. Fold in the pineapple, bacon and onion (plus all the excessive fat!). Season wiht Knorr Aromat, and salt and pepper.

20110123 Quick Meatball Casserole

(SOURCE: 101 GoodFood One-pot Dishes)

I feel quite tired this week, so I am all for any dishes that does not require a ridiculous amount of time preparing and cleaning. This recipe is really easy to make but it tasted a little bland. I should have replaced the 300 ml of water with some vegetable/chicken stock to give this dish more flavor.

INGREDIENTS
450g minced beef
small bunch of parsley, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g carrots, quartered, then cut into chunks
450g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tbsp paprika
500g jar passata

METHOD
1. Mix the beef with half the chopped parsley, and satl and pepper to taste, then shape into 10 balls. Heat the oil in a large non stick pan and brown the meatballs for 5 minutes.
2. Add the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and 300ml water to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the paprika, passata and half the remaining parsley. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Season to taste and sprinkle with the remaining parsley to serve.

20110121 Chilli con Carne

(SOURCE: GoodFood 101 One-Pot Dishes)

Learning from experience, chilli is one of those food you should always make a day ahead. I made this on Thursday to let it sit in the Dutch oven overnight so the flavor can get richer. This is so easy and yummy. Shame that I forgot to get some Corona beer!

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1cm dice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried marjoram
450g minced beef
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp sugar
400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinced

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion until softened. Add the pepper, garlic, spices, and marjoram. Fry and stir for 5 minutes. Tip in the meat and increase the heat to high. Fry until all the meat is brown.
2. Crumble in the stock cube and pour in 300ml water, then tip in the tomatoes and add the tomato puree and sugar. Stir well and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring in a splash or two of hot water if the meat becomes dry.
3. Stir in the beans and heat through, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning, then cover the pan. Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

20110119 Sausages with Potatoes and Rosemary

(Source: Simply Bill by Bill Granger)

I love fresh herbs as they always add life to my dishes, but sometimes I just don't know what to do with the leftover herbs as they don't store for long. I tried freezing them - though their flavor was intact, they became limp and looked so unattractive! So I usually try to find recipes to use up the entire packet of fresh herbs within a week. Today I have a few rosemary stalks left from the Roasted Ratatouille Chicken so I looked through my recipes for dishes that need rosemary stalks. Voila! This is actually the dish I made with my friend when she first introduced me to the world of cookery more than 2 years ago. As I was too nervous in the kitchen back then, we didn't take any pictures. So here is one!

INGREDIENTS
6 Italian-style sausages, sliced thickly
450g potato wedges, skin on
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 rosemary stalks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 loaf ciabatta, crust removed
50ml extra virgin olive oil

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 200 degree C. In a large roasting tin, add the sausages, potatoes, papria, rosemary, sea salt, and pepper. Teat the ciabatta into bite-size pieces and add to the tin. Drizzle with oil and toss gently.
2. Roast - stirring occasionally - for 30 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the sausages and bread are golden brown.

20110117 Boerenkool Stamppot, v2.0

My husband felt that the last Borenkool Stamppot had a little too much kale and was missing something. So this time I was determined to make a stamppot similar to my mother-in-law's without asking her for the recipe. I doubled the potatoes and bacon bits, but that's not it! How about seasoning the stamppot with some Knorr Aromat - bingo, that is the secret ingredient!

INGREDIENTS
300g curly kale (boerenkool), finely chopped
800g starchy potatoes, peeled and cubed
salt and pepper
100ml cream
75g butter + a knob for frying
1 smoked sausage (Unox rookworst)
200g smoked bacon bits
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Knorr Aromat

METHOD
1. In a large pan, add the potatoes and kale and top it with water. Bring it to the boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the Unox rookworst to the pan, and simmer for another 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter in a frying pan, and brown the onion and bacon on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, and fish the rookworst out. Drain water out of the pan, add the cream and butter to the kale and potato, and then mash them together. Then fold in the fried onion and bacon - don't forget to add all the bacon fat to the mash! Season with Knorr Aromat, and salt and pepper.

20110116 Roasted Ratatouille Chicken

(SOURCE: GoodFood 101 One-pot dishes)

This is a perfect, stress-free Sunday dish. I just put my feet up and enjoyed a nice cup of tea, while the dish was roasting away in the oven. And I loved how the rosemary's refreshing aroma filled my living room and made me feel so relaxed.

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 courgette, cut into chunks
1 small aubergine, cut into chunks
4 tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp olive oil
5 chicken drumsticks
a few rosemary sprigs
salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 180 degree C. Lay all the vegetables and the tomatoes in a shallow roasting tin. Pour over the olive oil, and salt and pepper. Mix them well with your hands. Make sure the vegetables have lots of room. Nestle the chicken drumsticks on top of the vegetables and tuck in some rosemary sprigs. Drizzle a little oil over the chicken, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Roast for about 35 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the chicken is golden. Drizzle with a little oil before serving.