Gołąbki - Polish cabbage rolls

Polish food is one of the most famous foods in the Western world. Along with Pierogi - Polish dumplings, Gołąbki - Polish cabbage rolls are a favourite not just with people of Polish origin but with anyone that has the honour of biting into these tasty traditional dishes. Once eaten, you will come back for more, guaranteed. These cabbage rolls are well worth boiling and separating the cabbage leaves (the tricky bit). I can vouch that once cooked these cabbage rolls are addictive. I used a mixture of minced beef and pork and the result was some really delicious, tasty and juicy cabbage rolls. If you find it you can also add some minced veal as well. The accompanying tomato sauce gives it the Eastern European taste, the tanginess of the tomato sauce, the sweetness of the caraway seeds, the herbiness of the marjoram and parsley...oh, heaven! Give them a go, you will not be disappointed. You will need...

For the Gołąbki - cabbage rolls

• 1 large cabbage head
• 750g minced beef & pork
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cooked rice, cold
• 250ml (1 cup) tomato passata + ½ cup tomato passata
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• A knob of butter, for frying

For the tomato sauce

• 300ml (1 ½ cups) beef stock
• 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
• 175ml (¾ cup) tomato passata
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 30g butter
• 30g plain flour

How to...

1. Start by boiling a very large pot of salty water. Now put the cabbage core end up and using a paring knife remove the hard core. Put the cabbage in the boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes. At this point some of the leaves will start to come off, that is what we want. After 10 minutes, carefully take the cabbage out of the boiling water, be very very careful as it will be very hot. Use 2 large spatulas or ladles when doing this process. Leave to cool slightly. When slightly cool, start peeling off the cabbage leaves with extreme care (remember they are the star ingredient of the dish). Separate them and put them flat on a platter and set aside to cool further.
2. Now it is time to prepare the filling. Start by frying the onions and garlic in the butter until brown (about 5 minutes on medium heat). Set aside to cool. In a large bowl add the minced meat, cooked rice, grated carrot, passata, eggs, cold fried onion/garlic mixture and salt & pepper. Put a pair of gloves on (optional) and mix by hand until all ingredients are incorporated, do not mix too much or else the meat will toughen. 
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
4. Now here comes the fun part, firstly if the spine of the leaf is too tough carefully trim it with a sharp knife). Now spread the cabbage leaves end bit away from you, put some filling (about a tablespoon or more...this depends on the size of the leaf), now roll the sides first and roll up all the way up to the stalk/spine part. Stack them up into a casserole next to each other (see picture).
   
   Keep going until all the filling is used up. If you have spare leaves or torn leaves save them so you can cover the rolls in the end. 
5. Now fill the casserole with water half way up to the rolls and add the half cup of passata. Spread the torn/spare leaves on top, cover and put into the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
6. Whilst they are cooking away, start the tomato sauce by melting 30g butter, add the flour and cook stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Add all the other sauce ingredients and stir until thickened, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, make sure you keep on stirring or it will stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and remove from the heat.
7. After 30 minutes take the cabbage rolls out of the oven and pour the tomato sauce on top, cover again and put in the oven for another 30 minutes.
   
8. Take out of the oven, let stand for about 10 minutes and serve hot with a couple of spoonfuls of tomato sauce on top. Gołąbki can also be enjoyed cold as appetizers...an absolute delight!!
   

Enjoy!!

R&A

Reduced Sugar Ovaltine & Dates Cake

Hello all hope you are all well!! So, after a sabbatical month of not blogging, here we are with a new recipe for you all. Apparently Ovaltine cake is a wartime classic here in Britain and here is our take on this cake recipe. I reduced the amount of sugar and increased the amount of dried fruit. I also used rice milk instead of dairy milk and the cake turned out surprisingly light. You can, of course, use cow's milk. It turned out so good and because it is not overly sweet I cheekily spread some proper butter on a slice of this tasty cake whilst it was still warm. Heaven!! The ingredients down here are for a small cake so feel free to double the amounts for a larger cake.  Give it a go...very easy to prepare. For a small cake you will need...

• 170g self-raising flour
• 40g caster sugar
• 70g chopped dried dates
• 3 tablespoons Ovaltine
• Pinch of salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup (240ml) rice milk (or cow's milk)

How to...

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, Ovaltine and sugar. Mix them well with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the chopped dates and rice milk and mix well until you get a runny batter.
4. Pour into a silicon mould or a lightly greased small loaf tin.
5. Bake into the preheated oven for 50 minutes.
6. Serve warm with or without butter.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Shiitake Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto

"Well, that was worth the lifetime wait" That is what I said as soon as I finished my last spoonful of this risotto. The reason behind that saying was the fact that I never had a proper risotto before and also I had never cooked one before yesterday. For some strange reason I never felt confident enough to cook a risotto, always thinking that I'm going to mess it up. But hey, as they say, I nailed it!! I was browsing as usual and found this recipe which I adapted to our own taste. The recipe says to use dry white wine but we used a good Spanish dry sherry, which has the same colour and dryness as white wine but a fruitier crisper taste, in my opinion, but if you do not have it feel free to use a dry white wine. This recipe is completely vegetarian as well. I actually found out that the secret to the perfect risotto is patience, in fact you have stir calmly for nearly 20 minutes but do not be put off by this, it is certainly worth the effort. So here it goes, for 4 people you will need...

• 1.5 litres boiling water
• 2 vegetable stock pots (or cubes)
• 250g (1 ½ cups) Arborio rice
• 150g asparagus, ends discarded and chopped into 3 pieces
• 60g dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for about an hour
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 120ml (½ cup) Spanish dry Sherry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 60g (½ cup/½ stick) butter
• 50g grated Parmigiano Reggiano

How to...

1. In a pan add the boiling water and vegetable stock pots. Bring to the boil and throw in the asparagus and simmer for 4 minutes. Take out of the stock and put into ice cold water to stop the cooking process completely. Drain and set aside.
2. Now prepare the mushrooms. Start by discarding the steams and slicing the mushroom caps thinly. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and add the mushrooms, sauté for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Set aside. 
3. In a large heavy based frying pan or pan (I prefer a frying pan because it spreads the heat evenly during cooking) heat up half the butter and add the onion and cook covered on medium to low heat until soft and transparent. When onion is cooked, increase the heat to medium, add the rice and cook, stirring frequently for about a minute. 
4. Now add the sherry and simmer whilst stirring until it is absorbed, this will only take about a minute. Now add a cup of the vegetable stock whilst constantly stirring until all stock has been absorbed by the rice, this takes about 2 minutes.
5. From now on, keep adding the remaining stock ½ cup at a time, always adding the next one when the previous one has been completely absorbed by the rice. Keep doing this until you used all the stock or until rice is looking creamy. It is very important that you keep stirring the rice constantly to ensure an even absorption. This will take about 20 minutes. 
6. When done, take off the heat, stir in slowly the remaining butter and half the cheese. Now stir in carefully the cooked asparagus and Shiitake mushrooms. Serve immediately with extra grated Parmigiano.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Summery Millet Salad

I made this salad to take with me at work as my lunch and I must say it was wonderful and so tasty. You can also do this with quinoa or couscous if you like. It is super-easy and super-quick to rustle up, cooking the millet grain is the longest cooking time for this recipe (about 20 minutes). This recipe is vegetarian but for a vegan version just omit the eggs. I adore eggs so I did put 2 hard boiled eggs in my salad but feel free to do one instead or none as I said before none. Anyway, do give it a go and if you have not tried millet grain before do try it, it is so good and I love its fluffy texture. You can do this for a light lunch or even as a side for your dinner (maybe a good steak). You can also take it with you to a BBQ. The following amounts are for one portion so double or quadruple the ingredients for a larger serving. For one portion you will need...

• 60g millet grain, washed
• 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1tbsp sliced jalapenos
• 6 green olives
• 2 tsp capers, drained
• 3 sundried tomatoes, chopped (optional)
• ½ teaspoon dried mint
• A couple of fresh basil leaves
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Sweet paprika, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

How to..

1. Start by cooking the millet by just adding it in plenty of boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes and drain in a sieve. Whilst still in the sieve rinse the cooked millet grain under a running cold water tap to cool it down. 
2. When cool enough add all the other ingredients, including the salt, pepper, sweet paprika and olive oil to your taste and stir carefully to combine. 
3. This is now ready to serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

African Beef & Peanut Stew

Hello all...Hope you had a very good and bountiful Christmas. Sorry for not posting anything for a while but we have been very busy for a couple of months (still am). I was asked to share this recipe and I am so glad they did as this is one our favourite stews EVER!! I have inherited this recipe from my mum...she has been doing it since the 70's..oh the taste of peanuts and the hint of spice mmmmm!!!No wonder it has been a favourite in our family for ages. Mum always cooked it traditionally, that is, in a casserole. I always cooked it in a casserole as well until we got our slow cooker...it is very easy to prepare...you need (HAVE) to serve this with mashed potatoes!!! We are quite sure that once you have tasted this stew you will definitely ask for a second helping :) So, give it a go and do not worry if you do not have a slow cooker, we will tell you the cooking times for both. You will need...

• 800g diced stewing beef
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 25g butter + 1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
• 2 level tablespoons tomato puree 
• 1 large bay leaf
• Pinch ground ginger
• Pinch ground cloves (NOT TOO MUCH as it will ruin the dish)
• 1/8 teaspoon  cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (any other vinegar will do)
• 400ml beef stock (or 2 cubes in boiling water)
• 2 or 3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

Method

1. In a large pot heat the butter and olive oil together until sizzling. Add the beef and vegetables (onions, carrots and garlic) and fry for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the tomato puree, ginger, cloves, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper, bay leaf, vinegar and stock and give it a good stir to blend all the ingredients.
3. That's it!! Now transfer to your casserole or slow cooker. So, if you are cooking it in a traditional oven, this has to be preheated to 180°C and then cook the stew for 2 or 2 and a half hours. If using a slow cooker just transfer everything in the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
4. When done, take out of the oven or remove slow cooker lid and stir in the peanut butter, at this point it is up to you how much peanut butter you add...we always add 3 tablespoons as we love it taste and crunchy texture that it gives the stew. Make sure you stir it in well.
5. DONE!! Now serve with mashed potatoes and maybe some peas!!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Tunisian Ojja

When we went to Tunisia I soon realised that Tunisians love their eggs...they use them in a myriad number of dishes. One of them was Ojja. I used to have this dish everyday for breakfast. It's delicious...some crusty bread and you will not even need a fork to eat it :) The peppers, spices and harissa really give this dish its unique North African flavours. Harissa is basically a Tunisian chilli paste which is very hot, so if you want to do a mild version of it, you can omit it but it takes away the Tunisian touch off it though haha. Harissa is stocked in supermarkets and it is well worth keeping a stock of it if you like your chilli, it can be found in tubes or cans [see picture]. To quicken the cooking time, grill the peppers, peel the burnt skin off and chop them into slices. You can also prepare the tomato sauce in advance and freeze it till needed. I will explain below how to prepare everything but if you are in a hurry or feel lazy you can use pre-grilled peppers in jars or ready made tomato sauce. So, you will need...

• 4 medium sized eggs
• 300ml tomato passata or chopped tomatoes
• 2 bell pepper, split in half and deseeded
• 1 teaspoon harissa, or to taste
• A pinch of ground coriander
• A pinch of ground cumin
• 2 small garlic cloves, sliced
• Olive oil
• Crusty bread, to serve

How to...

1. Start by adding the chopped garlic and olive oil in a pan. Heat them on a lower heat until the garlic starts turning golden. Now add the tomato passata or chopped tomatoes very carefully, so as the oil does not spit and burn your hands. Stir well and let it simmer for about 10 minutes (if using passata) or 20 minutes (if using chopped tomatoes). When done, set aside.
2. Whilst the sauce is simmering, switch on the grill on high heat and put the halved peppers underneath it  skin side up. Leave them until they are charred and completely burned. Now carefully turn upside down and grill the other side for a couple of minutes. Turn off the grill and carefully take them out, let them cool slightly and peel all the burnt skin off. Now chop them in slices and then in half. Set aside.
3. In a separate shallow frying pan, add some olive oil and the peppers. Switch the heat on medium and cook for about 2 minutes. Now add the tomato and garlic sauce, stir in the harissa and spices and cook for a few minutes. 
4. Now make 4 'holes' in the sauce and carefully crack 4 eggs in them, make sure you leave the yolk intact. Lower the heat, cover the frying pan and cook until the eggs are cooked through, just as you like them. Make sure you leave the yolk runny though.
5. Serve hot with crusty bread and make sure you mop up all the delicious spicy sauce.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Penne Parnassus

This pasta dish is another of our own creations. It got its name from the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. We were watching this great movie whilst chomping on a wonderful plate of this dish. It is a very tasty sauce and quite filling as well. The honey gives this sauce its sweetness whilst the bacon balances the palate by providing the necessary saltiness. Also, as cooked chicken, I roasted 4 small drumsticks, took the meat off the bone and diced the chicken meat. It gave the dish  an added delicious roast chicken flavour, but you can easily used chicken breast. These ingredients are for 3-4 people, again depending on how big your portions are. Feel free to adapt adequately. Hope you will try it and enjoy it!

• 300g penne
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 200g diced cooked chicken breast
• 100g bacon, cut into small pieces
• 100ml single cream
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• 200ml chicken or vegetable stock (I used a Knorr stock pot)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Grated Parmesan or Kefalotiri cheese, to serve

How to...

1. Start by roasting the chicken drumsticks. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put them in an oven dish with a griddle in it and season with ground black pepper. Roast the chicken pieces for 30 minutes, leave to cool and dice the meat. If using chicken breast, grill the split the chicken breast until golden on both sides and then chop into small dice. Set aside.
2. Fry the onion in the oil until transparent and soft. Add the bacon and cook until brown and crispy.
3. Add the chicken to the bacon and stir well.
4. Add the pepper, sage and 2 tbsp of honey. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the stock and reduce the stock on a high heat.
6. In the meantime cook the pasta.
7. When the stock is reduced, add the cream. Stir well and heat slowly on low heat, make sure you do not boil the cream.
8. Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta and sprinkle with the grated parmesan or Kefalotiri cheese.

Enjoy!!
R&A