Tag: familymeals

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Clam and Porcini Spaghetti

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Clam and Porcini Spaghetti
Clam and Porcini Spaghetti

300g dried spaghetti
1kg clams, washed
60ml white wine
45ml olive oil
45ml butter
250g porcini mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
10ml dried oregano
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
a large handful of parsley, chopped

Bring 5 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan with 30ml (8 teaspoons) salt.
Add the spaghetti to the pot of boiling water and cook for 9 minutes.
Heat another large saucepan over a high heat.
Add the clams and the wine, cover with a lid and cook over a high heat until the clams have opened. This should not take longer than 8-10 minutes. Discard any clams that stay closed.
Drain the clams and set aside.
Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and butter to it.
Add the sliced porcini and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the onion, garlic and oregano and cook for another 3 minutes or so.
Now add the tomatoes as well as the clams and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Drain the cooked spaghetti and add it to the sauce.
Sprinkle the parsley over and stir through.
Serve immediately.

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Greek Cheese Pie/Tiropita

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Greek Cheese Pie/Tiropita
Greek Cheese Pie/Tiropita

7 sheets Phyllo pastry
butter, melted
250g feta cheese
250g ricotta
15ml milk
15ml olive oil
30ml chopped dill
2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and spray a 24cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray.
Place one sheet of phyllo pastry in the cake tin and gently press it into the bottom and sides of the tin.
Brush the pastry with the melted butter.
Repeat the routine with the remaining 6 sheets of pastry, brushing each with butter and rotating the phyllo sheets slightly so that the corners are staggered. Leave the overhang.
Crumble the feta into a mixing bowl and add the ricotta. Mix through.
Add the milk, olive oil and dill and season with ground black pepper.
Add the eggs to a small bowl, whisk together and pour over the cheese mixture.
Stir the mixture really well until thoroughly mixed through.
Spoon the cheese mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread it out evenly.
Turn the pastry overhang in over the filling so that you have an uncovered area of about 5 cm in the centre. Cut the sheets with scissors if they are too long!! The pastry will be doubled over in places in an irregular way but that is how it is supposed to be – we are in Greece after all!!
Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Cool the pie for about 10 minutes before slicing it.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Chicken Milanese Greek Salad

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chicken Milanese Greek Salad
Chicken Milanese Greek Salad

Chicken Milanese:
4 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
125ml flour
2 eggs
250ml Panko breadcrumbs
5ml dried oregano
5ml salt

Salad:
tomato, cut into wedges
red onion, sliced
kalamata olives
feta cheese
45ml olive oil
15ml lemon juice

Set a cast iron pan on to medium-high heat.
Place the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in three different shallow bowl and beat the eggs together. Add the salt and oregano to the bowl with the flour and mix through.
Dredge the chicken first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs.
Fry the breasts for 4 minutes before turning and frying for another 4 minutes on the other side. Drain on kitchen paper.
Slice the cooked chicken and place on a serving dish.
Mix together the tomato, onion, olives and feta and drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice. Season the salad with salt and pepper.
Arrange the salad on the serving dish with the chicken and serve with extra lemon wedges.

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Greek Chicken Souvlaki Skewers

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Greek Chicken Souvlaki Skewers
Greek Chicken Souvlaki Skewers

Souvlaki captures all the tastes of Greece and so these chicken skewers will not only transport you back to the azure sea and clear skies, but delight your tastebuds!

10 chicken breasts, skin removed
60ml olive oil
the juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
30ml dried oregano
salt and pepper
10-24 wooden skewers

Cut each chicken breast into 3 equal sized pieces.
Add the chicken and all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and rub everything together with you hands so that the chicken gets coated with it.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (you may leave it overnight).

Cut the wooden skewers to fit inside your griddle pan.
Now thread 4-5 pieces of chicken onto a skewer. Lay it flat on a work surface and push another skewer through all the pieces of chicken so that you have to parallel skewers.
Place a griddle pan on high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes, turning 2/3 times during cooking. You may add a few splashes of olive oil if you think the pan needs it.
Serve warm or at room temperature with plenty of lemon on the side.

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Pulled Leg of Lamb

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Pulled Leg of Lamb
Pulled Leg of Lamb

This is an effortless way of cooking up delicious, succulent lamb and may be prepared a day ahead and re-heated prior to serving.

one leg of lamb, bone in
a whole head of garlic
salt
1 x 340ml French Salad Dressing, store bought

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Place two large pieces of aluminium foil, one on top of the other on a work surface.
Place the lamb on the foil and lift the foil and lamb into a roasting dish.
Salt the lamb and slice the head of garlic in half horizontally. Place the garlic on the lamb.
Pour half the salad dressing over the lamb, flip it around and pour the rest of the bottle over the meat.
Cover the lamb with the foil and place it in the oven. Cook for 5 hours.
Take the roasting tin from the oven and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes.
Remove the foil, leaving the lamb, garlic, fat and any cooking liquids in the roasting tin.
Squeeze the garlic out and mash it with a fork. Now pull the meat apart with two forks and remove the bone.
Mix/massage the pulled meat, fat and cooking juices.
Serve the meat warm or at room temperature.

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Stroganoff Steaks

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Stroganoff Steaks
Stroganoff Steaks

6 sirloin steaks
45ml butter
400g mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5ml smoked paprika
300ml beef stock
250ml sour cream
a handful of parsley, chopped

Cook the steaks to your liking and set aside. Keep it covered and warm, to rest.
Put a heavy-base pan on high heat and add the butter. If you cooked the steak in a pan, use the same one.
Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and slightly charred on the edges. Remove from the pan.
Turn the heat down to medium and cook the onion until translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
Transfer the mushroom back to the pan and sprinkle over the paprika.
Pour the beef stock into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping loose any charred pieces stuck to the pan. Allow the stock to bubble away until reduced by half.
Take the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream and parsley.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Place the cooked steaks in the sauce, cover the pan with a lid and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.


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Pan-Fried Tarragon Chicken

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Pan-Fried Tarragon Chicken
Pan-Fried Tarragon Chicken

This is one of those easy mid-week meals that takes no time at all to prepare and leaves one surprised at the amount of punchy flavour and goodness on a plate! The sauce is enough for 6 – 8 chicken breasts but equally for 4.

6 – 8 chicken breasts, skin removed
5ml garlic powder
15ml dried tarragon
60ml + 30ml butter
15ml lemon juice
250ml sour cream

Dry the chicken breasts and place them on a chopping board.
Drizzle with the smallest amount of vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Mix the garlic powder and tarragon and sprinkle evenly over the breasts. Rub the mixture over the chicken with your fingers.
Put a heavy-base pan (skillet) onto medium-high heat and allow it to warm up.
Add 2 chicken breasts to the hot pan and cook for about 6 minutes without moving them around.
Flip the breasts and add 15ml of the butter to the pan. Cook the chicken for another 6 minutes.
Remove the cooked breasts from the pan, set aside and keep covered while you cook the rest.
Turn the heat down to low and add the 30ml butter, lemon juice and sour cream to the pan and simmer for one minute.
Place the cooked chicken back into the pan, cover with a lid and cook for another 6 minutes to warm it through.
Serve with a crisp green salad.