May 2018 – Mary's Kitchen

May 24, 2018May 24, 2018

SPICY TURKEY MEATBALLS with a CHILLI and RED PEPPER SAUCE – BELLISSIMO!

SPICY TURKEY MEATBALLS with a CHILLI and RED PEPPER SAUCE

I love nothing more than a lovely plate of pasta adorned with spicy Italian meatballs smothered in a rich marinara sauce. I say Italian meatballs because by tradition that is normally equal portions of pork and beef. So this spurred me on to create a slightly healthier option using Turkey Mince. The result was phenomenal if I do say so myself. They were so moist and tasty, I much preferred them to the usual beef meatball. I think the most important thing is to spice them up. Try them – you won’t be disappointed.

TURKEY MEATBALL INGREDIENTS – 1 LB lean turkey mince (organic if possible), 1/2 chopped red chilli, 1 beaten egg, 1-1/2 slices of gluten free bread made into bread crumbs (use your hand held blender to do this), 2 heaped tbsp chopped onion, 1 tsp thyme, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tsp of mixed herbs, 1 tbsp Worcester Sauce, 2 ozs grated Parmesan, season with sea salt and black pepper. Mix all ingredients together then divide into 12/16 balls. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the meatballs 5-10 mins until brown all over. Remove and set aside resting on paper towel.

CHILLI AND RED PEPPER SAUCE INGREDIENTS – Add 1 more tbsp of olive oil to same pan – add 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped red peppers, 1/2 chopped red chilli and 1 clove chopped garlic. Cook 5 minutes until everything is soft. Add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (14 ounces/400g) and 10 ounces water (300ml). Cook for a further 10/15 mins. Let sauce cool slightly, put in a blender and blend until smooth. Return sauce to pan and add meatballs then simmer for a further 30 minutes. Serve over spiralised courgettes or your favourite pasta. Top with some grated parmesan.

BELLISSIMO! – Serves 4.

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Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Joan Calder

May 12, 2018March 11, 2024

MELANZANE PARMIGIANA

MELANZANE PARMIGIANA

No food cries out Italy more than a tasty dish of Melanzane Parmigiana. You may not be familiar with the name Melanzane, more commonly known in the UK as Aubergine. The “eggplant”, as it is also known, was originally native to Pakistan and India. In India it is known as Brinjal.

Melanzane from the Latin “mala insana” or “bad egg” but there is nothing bad about this world respected fruit. The Greeks use it in Moussaka, the Indian culture in vegetarian curries, and throughout the world this dish favours in many a vegetarian diet.

I would like to share my recipe with you so you to can enjoy this easy to prepare tasty dish.

MELANZANE PARMIGIANA – Serves 2

1 Aubergine (The first thing you must do is prepare your aubergine. Slice it thinly lengthwise. Brush lightly on both sides with olive oil.)

I like to prepare mine on my outdoor barbeque as it gives a lot of space to lay the aubergine. However, if you are not able to do this grill it in the oven until it colours and turn over. This will not take too long so keep your eye on them.

INGREDIENTS – 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 red onion (chopped), 3 garlic cloves (sliced), 4 oz chestnut mushrooms (or any other type), 3 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 tsp dried thyme, 8 sage leaves (chopped) or 2 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 can chopped tomatoes 400g/15oz, 1/4 cup red wine, 2 to 3 oz grated parmesan, 1 slice of gluten free multi seeded bread made into bread crumbs (use a hand blender for this task and also excellent for grating parmesan), 2 oz pine nuts, 1 mozzarella ball, handful of fresh basil.

METHOD – Put your olive oil into a heavy based frying pan. Add onions and mushrooms, allow to cook for 5 minutes. Add your herbs (dried or fresh). Add tomatoes and red wine. Allow this to cook for 20 minutes allowing the herbs to infuse. Get an ovenproof casserole dish. Now we are going to layer this like lasagne. Put a little sauce in the bottom of your dish, add a layer of aubergine, add more sauce, then aubergine until everything is incorporated. Mix your bread crumbs, parmesan and pine nuts and add a little olive oil and mix together. Slice your mozzarella ball thinly and place on top of dish. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture. Bake at 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5. Serve as a main course with a side salad or as a vegetable dish.

Bellissimo!

Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Joan Calder

May 5, 2018May 5, 2018

CINCO DE MAYO – LET’S CELEBRATE

CINCO DE MAYO – MAY 5 – LET’S CELEBRATE THIS MEXICAN HOLIDAY IN TRUE FASHION.

Some people think that May 5 represents Mexico’s Independence Day when, in fact, that is September 16. Cinco de Mayo (pronounced SINKO- DAY- MYOH) is the anniversary of an unlikely Mexican victory over the French forces of Napoleon III in the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The French forces had come to collect Mexican war debts and they fought the French and won. A true victory for Mexico.

But if you ask any non-Mexican American what Cinco de Mayo is all about and why they are celebrating whilst swilling down their 3rd margarita and indulging in a Mexican food feast, they would shrug their shoulders and glaze over.

So let’s put the record straight before we indulge in some wonderful Mexican delights. Most of America now celebrate this holiday in style and I want to pass a couple of recipes on to you to enjoy during the festivities.

LET’S MAKE SPICY SALSA

Enlighten your tastebuds with this lively spicy salsa. Easy to prepare and enlivens any dish. A must for any Mexican celebration.

Ingredients – 3 large tomatoes chopped, 6 cherry tomatoes chopped, if you can find some tri-coloured cherry tomatoes, use 6 of the yellow and purple ones as well. 1 red onion finely chopped, 3 spring onions, 1 red chilli chopped, 1 green chilli chopped, juice of 2 limes, 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, sea salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients and leave for flavours to infuse before serving. Great with Tortilla Chips, BBQ food or fish. Goes well with most anything so keep a supply in the fridge.

TIP – My friend Jamey Button likes to add 3/4 cup of chopped mango – delicious – a must try.

BURRITO ZUCCHINI BOATS

Fun and easy to make with the kids. A good way to get veg into them unsuspectingly.

Ingredients – 2 large zucchinis, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium red onion

chopped, 2 cloves of garlic sliced, 1/2 pound grass fed ground beef or ground turkey (vegetarian option – use 1 cup brown rice or 1 cup quinoa), 1/2 tsp chilli powder, ground cumin & paprika – sea salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes chopped, 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 cup corn (frozen or unsweetened tinned), 1 red chilli chopped, 4 ozs Feta or Goat’s Cheese, 2 tbsp fresh Cilantro chopped.

Method – add olive oil to your large frying pan, Add onions – cook 5 mins then add garlic. Add ground beef and spices. Cook until meat has browned. Add corn, black beans, tomatoes & chilli. Cut zucchini in half, hollow centre out. Fill with meat mixture. Crumble cheese on top. Bake 350F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh Cilantro when they are ready to serve.

TIP – If making with the kids and they don’t like chilli, leave it out. Also they would probably prefer their burrito boats topped with Monterey Jack and Cheddar. You can also use red or green peppers, aubergines (eggplant) as your vessel.

HAVE A WONDERFUL CINCO DE MAYO celebration.

If you are enjoying my blogs and following me on my Facebook Page – Mary’s Kitchen , please subscribe after reading this blog by entering your email address in the subscription area at the end or side of this blog. You will then receive notification when I have posted again. You can also follow my instructional videos on You Tube – Mary PremierCru (again, please subscribe if you enjoy them).

Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Joan Calder

May 4, 2018

FRENCH ONION SOUP AU GRATIN (as it should be)

FRENCH ONION SOUP AU GRATIN (as it should be)

How many times have you ordered French Onion Soup and what you got resembled a bowl of brown dish water with a sorry excuse of a cheese crouton floating on top?

This is without doubt one of my all time favourite soups. If it’s on the menu, I order it. Sometimes with excellent results, other times exceedingly disappointing.

I will share two of my horror stories regarding this irresistible savoury soup. One was in a well known pub and much to my excitement, French Onion Soup was on the menu. Of course, I ordered this only to be served packet Lipton onion soup with no cheesy crouton. Ghastly. The other was more recently in a known French Restaurant in Edinburgh where I was served a bowl of what tasted like they had used dish water to top up the pot. The floating cheesy crouton floating looked lifeless and not freshly done. Not what one would expect from a French Restaurant.

So let’s dispel of these kitchen disasters and learn to make our own. The important thing about French Onion Soup is the caramelisation of the onions. You need to be patient at this point and if you are the result will be award winning.

FRENCH ONION SOUP AU GRATIN – Serves 4

Ingredients – 2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp olive oil, 6 medium onions or 3 large onions (halved and thinly sliced) , 6 cups (48 ozs) of good beef stock (you can use ready made beef stock or 5 Knorr Cubes/ 5 Oxo Cubes), 1/4 cup of medium dry sherry or port (I prefer sherry), 3 garlic cloves chopped, 1-1/2 tbsp cornflour, 8oz dry white wine, bouquet garni (you can buy this in the supermarkets in the spice aisle – it comes in a tea bag form or if you are lucky enough to have fresh herbs – tie 2 bay leaves, a sprig of rosemary, along with a few sprigs of thyme and parsley together). 1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh parsley or chervil. Sea salt & pepper to taste.

To top things off – sliced french baguette (sliced 1″ thick toasted), 1/2 lb grated emmental cheese and 1/2 grated gruyere cheese.

Method – melt the butter with the olive oil in a large heavy based pan. Separate the onions and add to pot and put lid on for about 10/15 minutes until onions are soft. At this point you could add 1 tsp of sugar but I prefer to add 1/4 of medium dry sherry and cook for a further 20 mins. Stir frequently, until onions are caramelised (they should be very golden). Be careful not to burn. Add the garlic and stir into onions – cook a few minutes more. Add the cornflour and stir well into onions and garlic. Gradually add the white wine and beef stock and continue to stir. Add the bouquet garni and chopped chervil or parsley. Add sea salt and pepper as desired. Bring to a boil then lower heat and cook for a further 20 minutes allowing the herbs to infuse the beef stock.

Put 1 tbsp of each cheese into the bowls. Add the hot soup on top of the cheese in the bowl. Place one slice of the toasted baguette on top of soup and top bowls with remaining cheeses. Place under the oven grill until cheese has gone brown and bubbly.

Serve with fresh french baguette and a lovely mixed salad. VOILA! Enjoy French Onion Soup at its best!

Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Joan Calder