30ml vegetable oil 1kg steak, cubed 60g butter, cubed 5 cloves of garlic, minced a handful of parsley, chopped
Place a cast iron pan over high heat, pour in the oil and wait for it to heat up. Season the steak cubes with salt and pepper and add it to the hot pan in a single layer. If it doesn’t fit, work in batches. Cook the steak for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned all over. Take it from the pan and keep on the side while you repeat the process with the rest of the cubes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter. Add the garlic to the pan and stir-fry for one minute. Spoon the meat back into the pan and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat the meat in the garlic butter. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve as a main alongside a salad/veg or on a platter with tiny wooden skewers as a canapé.
8 – 16 pork sausages 15ml + 45ml vegetable oil 1 large onion, sliced 3 leeks, washed and sliced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 45ml flour 500ml beef stock 1,2ml salt black pepper
Place a large saucepan/pan over medium-high heat and pour in the vegetable oil. Add the sausages and cook until browned. Turn them every now and then to get an even golden colour. Cook for 10 minutes or so. Remove the sausages from the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and leek and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Spread the onion and leek out in the pan and sprinkle the flour over. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes to cook out the flour. Add 60ml of the stock to the pan and stir. Add another 60ml, keep stirring and wait for it to become more saucy. Slowly drizzle in the rest of the stock while stirring – if you pour it all in at once the sauce will be lumpy. Simmer the gravy until it thickens. It won’t look as thick as you will want it to be but it will thicken more, later on. Add the salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Place the sausages back in the pan and heat through on a low heat for between 5 and 10 minutes. Serve the sausages on potato mash and slosh it with the gravy.
Scone layer: 60ml vegetable oil 15ml sugar 100ml milk 1 egg 1 x 400g tin of corn kernels 250ml flour 1,2ml salt 8ml baking powder 30ml thyme leaves, chopped
Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat and pour in some vegetable oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add the tomato paste, minced beef and aubergine and stir to break up the mince. Pour in the stock, add the thyme and salt and simmer for 30 minutes or until the mixture is dry. Spoon the beef mixture in to a 28cm x 21cm ceramic dish and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the vegetable oil, sugar, milk and egg to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the corn kernels, mix through and set aside. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Scrape the corn mixture into the bowl and add the thyme leaves. Mix through – you will have quite a stiff dough. Spoon the scone mixture on to the beef mixture and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown. Serve the pie with a garden salad on the side.
4 beets, cooked, peeled and cubed 30ml olive oil 30ml balsamic vinegar 1 small red onion, cut into thin slices a pinch of salt 30ml chopped chives a handful of walnut halves 50g feta cheese
Add the cubed beetroot, olive oil, balsamic, red onion and pinch of salt to a bowl and mix together. Spoon onto a serving platter and scatter over the chives and walnuts. Top the salad by crumbing the feta over.
4 large leeks, sliced into coins 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 litre chicken stock 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 250ml cooked chicken, finely shredded 2 bay leaves 125ml cream
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add some olive oil to it. Add the leeks and stir-fry until it is really soft. Take about 2 spoonfuls of the leak out of the saucepan and keep aside as garnish. Add the garlic and stir-fry for another minute. Pour in the chicken stock, add the potato, chicken and bay leave and simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and mash the potato against the side of the saucepan. I like my soup to have uneven bits of potato to add texture but you may blitz it at this stage if you prefer. Pour in the cream and season the soup with salt and black pepper. Cook for a minute or two before serving with a fresh loaf of bread.
Perde Pilavi is a traditional Turkish dish made of chicken and rice flavoured with nuts, fruit and spices and wrapped up in a delicious pastry, specked with flaked almonds.
Place the chicken in a large saucepan and pour in the stock. Cook on medium heat for an hour, until done. Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool slightly. Reserve the stock. Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt. Add the almonds and stir-fry until golden. Add the rice and cook for a minute or so, stirring all the while to coat in the butter. Now add the raisins, salt, a few grindings of black pepper, paprika and mint. Pour in 660ml of the reserved stock (add boiling water if you dont have enough), stir the mixture and cover with a lid. Turn the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside. Shred the chicken into strips and discard the bones and skin. Add the chicken to the rice mixture and stir through.
For the pastry: Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the eggs, yoghurt, butter and vegetable oil to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside. Add the salt, flour and baking powder to a bowl and whisk through. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Lightly knead the pastry to bring it together. Flour a work surface and roll the pastry to a 45cm diameter circle. It should be large enough to line the dish and have enough hanging over the sides to close around the filling. Spray a 18cm diameter x 8cm deep ceramic dish with cooking spray. Scatter the almonds on the bottom of the dish. Line the bottom and sides of the dish with the pastry, leaving the overhang. Spoon the cooled rice mixture into the pastry. Fold the overhang-pastry over the filling to enclose it completely – trim off any excess. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden. Take the dish from the oven and rest it for 15 minutes. Place a serving plate over the baking dish and invert it. Serve the pilavi with a crispy salad.
2 onions, roughly chopped 1 carrot, cut into small chunks 2 cloves of garlic, minced 4 Portobello mushrooms 120g shitake mushrooms 200g mixed mushrooms 6 sprigs of thyme 150ml red wine 200ml vegetable stock 2 bay leaves 15ml tomato purée 15ml cornflour
Place a saucepan on medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Now add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for another 7 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the stock, bay leaves and tomato purée. Turn the heat down and sift the cornflour over the mixture. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the mushroom bourguignon on mashed potato.
Add the two quartered guavas and 500ml yoghurt to a blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside. Add the vegetable oil to a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and wait for it to start crackling. Now add the curry leaves, coriander, chilli, turmeric, salt and sugar. Pour in the guava and yoghurt mixture and add the chicken pieces. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the three quartered and deseeded guavas and stir through. Simmer lightly for another 10 minutes. Serve the curry on fragrant rice.
500g chicken, ground 1 egg 10ml oregano, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced a good handful of parsley, chopped 60ml + 250ml breadcrumbs 2,5ml salt
Sauce: 45ml olive oil 45ml butter 2 cloves of garlic, minced 125ml white wine 60ml lemon juice (about 2 lemons) grated rind of 1 lemon 60ml capers
Add the ground chicken, egg, oregano, garlic, parsley and 60ml breadcrumbs to a bowl and mix together. Sprinkle over the salt, a few grindings of pepper and 15ml olive oil. Mix again. Add the 250ml breadcrumbs to a shallow dish. Now scoop up about 20ml ov the chicken mixture, shape it into a ball and coat it in breadcrumbs. Keep going until you have no chicken left. Set a large pan over medium heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Wait for the oil to heat up and then add the chicken balls. Space them so that they do not touch and crowd each other. Do more than one batch if necessary. Cook for about 3 minutes, turn them over and cook another 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. For the sauce: Add the 45ml olive oil and butter to the same pan, set over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour in the white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest and capers. Season with salt and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
500g cucumber (about half an English cucumber) 2 avocados 30ml lemon juice 2 salad onions, finely sliced chilli flakes
Peel the cucumber in alternating strips in its length. Take out the seeds with a teaspoon, cut into bite-sized pieces and put it in a colander set in your sink. Sprinkle 5ml salt over, toss together and leave to drain for about 20 minutes. Slice the avocado in half, remove the pip and scoop out the flesh. Cut in to 1,5cm cubes. Add the avocado to a mixing bowl, sprinkle over the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper. Stir to combine. Shake the cucumber pieces in the colander to get rid of any moisture. Add to the avocado. Add the sliced salad onions and mix again. Now stir the salad vigorously until the avocado breaks down a bit. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Scatter over some chilli flakes and serve.
My Whisk and I 