Monthly Archives: November 2011

Toad in the Hole

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This is a quick, easy and delicious recipe that works well for pork, mutton or lamb sausages.

Ingredients:
1 ¼ C. sifted all-purpose flour.
1 tsp. salt.
1 ½ C. milk.
2 eggs.
1 ½ lb. sausage links.

Method:
Into bowl sift flour and salt; gradually beat in milk, then add eggs, while beating until smooth.  Start heating oven to 425 degrees.
In hot skillet fry sausages until brown on all sides, then remove from drippings and cut in half crosswise.
Into 12”x8”x2” baking dish pour 2 tbsp. sizzling-hot sausage drippings.  Arrange sausage pieces over bottom of dish, then, over them, pour batter.  Bake 25 minutes or until puffy and golden.  Serve at once.  Makes about 6 servings.

(From “The Good Housekeeping International Cookbook”.)

Kogie’s Chops Chutney

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This is another great recipe sent in from Kogie.

Ingredients:
6-8 Loin lamb chops
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, sliced
8-10 fresh tomatoes ground and blended in liquidizer (one can use half fresh and half canned tomatoes)
1tsp salt
1.5 – 2 tsp masala (curry powder)
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp jeera powder
½ tsp tumeric powder
fresh cilantro

Method:
1. Rinse chops. Pat dry and add all the dry spices.
2. Mix well. In a large skillet, add oil, fry the marinated chops for about 10 min a side – chops must be browned.
3. Add sliced onions, cook for a few minutes, and stir a couple of times.
4. When onion starts to brown, add tomatoes. Stir until it comes to a thick chutney – usually for about 15 – 20 min.
5. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
6. Serve with hot rice or fresh bread or rolls.

Kogie’s Mutton or Lamb Curry

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This great recipe was sent in by Kogie.
Ingredients:

1 kg of cut up pieces of Lamb – remove excess fat – rinse meat.
Half thinly sliced medium onion.
3 tablespoons of oil
4 -5 medium sized tomatoes – liquidized or grated
½ tsp ground ginger and garlic
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp ground coriander powder
½ tsp ground jeera powder
1 bay leaf
1 piece cinnamon
2 green cardamom
2 cloves
1 tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric powder
fresh cilantro – 10 stems finely chopped for garnish
2 cups hot water
4 large potatoes – each one cup up into 4 pieces

Method:

1. Heat oil hot in large pot.
2. Add onion and braise for 2 min until slightly turning brown – add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom
and cloves.
3. Remove from stove – add the rest of the spices. Do not burn.
4. Return pot to stove and add meat – allow meat to absorb spices.
5. After 5 minutes, add tomatoes.
6. Cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add water and cook for further 15min. Add potatoes.
8. Cook until potatoes are soft- approx. 20 – 30 min – make sure there is enough gravy. Add ½ cup water if necessary.
9. Lastly garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve Curry hot with rice, salad and atchar.

Vertical Roasted Chicken

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Many people have been asking me for a beer can chicken recipe. I have roasted chickens in a vertical roasting pan, but have just used water or fruit juice, so I can’t personally vouch for this but it does sound yummy! This recipe is based on one from allrecipes.com and is for a 4 pound whole chicken. That’s more the size of commercial roasters, not ours which get bigger in their extra few weeks of life, strolling around the meadow. I would think the timing could be adjusted by using the roasting chart in the Roast Chicken recipe. A good test for doneness is to poke a sharp knife into the thigh – the chicken is done when the juices run clear. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should be 180 degrees F. when taken in the meatiest part of the thigh.

Ingredients:

One 4 pound whole chicken.

1 tbsp. salt, or to taste.

1 tsp. pepper, or to taste.

1 lime, halved.

½ (12 fluid ounce) can beer.

1 C. water.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove neck and giblets and season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice from the lime over the whole chicken, then place the halves into the cavity of the chicken. Set the half full beer can in the centre of a roasting pan or baking dish, and place the chicken over it in an upright position with the beer can inserted into the cavity. Pour water into the bottom of the pan. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and place roasting pan and all into the oven. Roast the chicken for about 1 ½ hours in the preheated oven, (see roasting chart on previous page for roasting time for bigger birds) removing foil during the last 20 minutes. Baste occasionally with the drippings. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Buchanan Boys’ (and Girl!) Favourite Stuffing Recipe

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We have made this recipe times 8 for huge family dinners using multiple chickens and lots of leftover stuffing and it still works just fine.

Ingredients:
½ C. chopped onion.
½ C. chopped celery.
¼ C. butter or margarine.
3 C. bread squares or coarse crumbs.
1 tsp. salt.
1 ½ + tsp. poultry seasoning.
few grains of pepper.
¼ C. + water.

Method:
Make crumbs, mix with seasonings.  Brown onion and celery in margarine.  Pour this over crumbs and mix.  Add water and mix well.
Sometimes I add some chopped up apple to this and that tastes great too.

Roast Chicken

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We normally roast our chickens pretty simply, basted with butter and sometimes lemon juice as well.  Here is a roasting chart for stuffed whole chickens, at 325 degrees: (For unstuffed chicken, roast about ½ hour less)

4 – 6 1/2 lb. chicken — 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours.
6 ½ – 8 lb. chicken   —  3 ½ to 4 ½ hours.

Lynda’s Not So Secret Metchosin Day Mint Jelly

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Anybody who has enjoyed our barbecued lamb served at Metchosin Day (held at Metchosin municipal grounds on the 2nd Sunday in September) will likely have been served this wonderful jelly from Lynda Dowling of Happy Valley Herb Farm. (www.happyvalleylavender.com).

Ingredients:
3 ¼ C. water.
2 C. mint leaves.
1 box of “Certo” pectin powder.
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar.
4 C. white sugar.

Method:
Bring the water to a boil in a pot with a lid.
Add mint leaves as soon as it boils and immediately add the lid.
Remove from heat.  Steep 20 minutes.
Strain and measure 3 cups of the infusion.
Place in a deep jelly making pot.
Whisk in the pectin crystals and white wine vinegar, bring to a boil, then whisk in sugar.
Keep pot boiling until it is at a rolling boil that can’t be stirred down. (about a minute)
Keep at that strong boil for only 2 minutes then remove from heat.
Let stand 5 minutes and then skim off any foam.
Quickly bottle and seal in sterilized jars.
Cool overnight, then place in fridge for the final set.
Store jelly jars in a dark, cool cupboard.
Makes approx 5 x ½ cup jars.

Rowanberry Jelly (“Saws Criafol”)

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(This is a Welsh recipe for a tart jelly that is good with lamb, mutton or pork.)
Ingredients:
3 lb. Rowan berries.
sugar.
2 large, chopped apples.
water.

Method:
Put the berries and chopped apples (no need to peel or core them) into a large saucepan, cover with water and boil for 40 minutes. Drain through muslin and let it drip overnight.  Then boil up the liquid allowing 1 lb. sugar (2 cups) for every pint of juice. Boil fairly fast for about 1 hour.  Bottle and seal as for jam.  Makes about 5 lb. jelly.
(From “A Taste of Wales in Food and Pictures” by Theodora Fitzgibbon.)

Pork Hock and Beans

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Ingredients:

1 uncured pork hock
dry white beans (1 cup for for every two servings)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 chopped onion
pepper/salt

Method:

Soak beans in water overnight. Drain, rinse with fresh water. Add beans, hock, diced tomatoes, onion and salt/pepper to slow cooker. Add water until everything is covered in 2 inches of water. Cook on slow for 6 hrs, high for 4 hours.

Crock Pot Lamb Shanks

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– 1 onion, sliced and separated into rings.
– 4 lamb shanks.
– 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.
– 1 tsp. salt.
– 1 tsp. pepper.
– 1 tsp. olive oil.
– 10 whole, peeled garlic cloves.
– 1/2 pound of mushrooms – if large, cut in halves or quarters.
– 1 C. red wine.
– 1/2 C. strong beef broth.
– 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes. (approx. 1 3/4 cups)
– 1 tsp. each of dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, (if fresh, use twice as much) plus 1 tsp. ground allspice.
– 1 small bay leaf.

Spread sliced and separated onion rings on bottom of crockpot. Rub lamb with Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a heavy skillet and brown the lamb. Put the lamb and the browned bits in the crockpot on top of the onions. Put the garlic and mushrooms on top of the shanks. In a bowl, combine red wine, beef broth, tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, allspice and bay leaf. Pour this over the vegetable and lamb shanks.

Cook on low for 8 hours or until tender. This can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated, so fat can be scraped off before reheating and serving if a leaner meal is desired.

This makes enough to feed four.