Turkey Meatballs In Tomato Sauce

I have been making meatballs for as long as my children have been eating solid food. I first made them out of turkey mince, rather than my usual preferred beef mince, when I suddenly and uncharacteristically fell victim to the ethos of the age and it came upon me to pander to the low-fat brigade. Obviously, my sub-conscious knew better and directed me thuswards for a reason. It turns out that turkey makes for a light and succulent meatball, which my children love. All in all, this is quite a favourite in casa Lawson these days, and I can be found making a batch – half for tea and half to be frozen for future outings – regularly and pleasurably.
Ingredients

For the sauce
1 onion, peeled
1 stick celery
2 tbsp garlic oil
1 tsp dried thyme
2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped plum tomatoes, plus approximately 2 full cans of water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt flakes or ½ tsp pouring salt
black pepper, to taste

For the meatballs
500g/1lb 2oz turkey mince
1 free-range egg
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
3 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tbsp finely chopped onion and celery (see above)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp dried thyme

Preparation method
For the sauce, put the onion and celery into a food processor and blitz to a mush. (Or you can chop as finely as humanly possible by hand.) Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture for the meatballs.

Warm the garlic oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or casserole, add the onion and celery mixture, along with the thyme, and cook at a moderate to low heat, stirring every now and again, for about 10 minutes.

Add the cans of plum tomatoes, filling up each empty can with water to add to the pan. Season with the sugar, salt and pepper, stir well and let the mixture come to a bubble, then turn the heat down and simmer the sauce gently while you get on with the meatballs.

For the meatballs, put all the ingredients for the meatballs, including the reserved chopped onion and celery, and salt according to preference, into a large bowl and gently mix together with your hands. Don’t overmix, as that will make the meatballs dense-textured and heavy.

When all the meatball ingredients are not too officiously amalgamated, start rolling them into balls. The easiest way is to pinch out an amount about the size of a generously heaped teaspoon and roll it into a ball between the palms of your hands. Put each meatball onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment or greaseproof paper. You should get about 50 little meatballs.

Drop the meatballs gently into the simmering sauce; I try to let these fall in concentric circles working round the pan from the outside edge inwards, in the vaguest of fashions.

Let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with rice, pasta, couscous or however you so please.
Article Source

Read more...

Asian-braised Shin of Beef With Hot and Sour Shredded Salad

The point of a stew, it should go without saying, is its flavour rather than its form. So, while the crunchy salad strips of carrot, spring onion and pepper do bring colour and beauty to this otherwise brown study, at the same time their texture and Asian-flavoured bite provide the perfect partner for the rich, aromatic spiciness of the soft-braised stew.

Ingredients
For the beef
2 onions, peeled, quartered
5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, peeled, sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp vegetable oil
250ml/9fl oz Chinese cooking wine (or dry sherry)
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 litres/3½ pints beef stock, preferably organic
2 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
3.5kg/7½lb beef shin, on the bone, cut by the butcher into thick slices (or 1kg/2¼lb beef shin off the bone, cut into large cubes)
For the salad
3 carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
4 spring onions, cut into matchsticks
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, cut into matchsticks
1 long green chilli, seeds removed, cut into matchsticks
20g/¾oz bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
For the salad dressing
1 lime, juice only
4 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tsp caster sugar

Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
For the beef, blend the onions, ginger, garlic and coriander in a food processor until well combined and finely chopped.
Heat the oil in a large casserole or ovenproof frying pan and fry the mixture over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until soft and beginning to catch in the pan; this should take about 10 minutes.
Pour in the Chinese wine (or sherry) and let it bubble up. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, stock, oyster sauce and rice wine vinegar and bring to a boil, then drop in the cinnamon sticks and star anise.
Add the pieces of beef shin and let everything come up to a bubble again, then clamp on a lid and put into the oven for 2 hours (or longer if using regular stewing steak).
Take the casserole carefully out of the oven and, using a slotted spatula, remove the beef to an ovenproof dish. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven while you vigorously boil the sauce in the casserole (or pan) on the hob, without a lid, until it has reduced by about half.
For the salad, combine all the julienned vegetables and the chopped coriander in a bowl.
For the salad dressing, mix the lime juice, fish sauce and caster sugar in another bowl and dress the vegetables with this.
To serve, arrange the beef on a serving platter and pour the reduced sauce over the meat. If you are using cubes of stewing steak, rather than slices of shin, you’d probably do better to use a deeper dish. Dress the top of the beef with the hot and sour shredded salad.
Article Source.

Read more...

Homemade instant pancake mix with blueberry syrup

Nigella’s American-style pancakes, topped with blueberries and maple syrup, are perfect for brunch and made in minutes.

Ingredients
For the dry pancake mix
600g/1lb 5oz plain flour
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
40g/2½oz caster sugar
To make the pancakes (amounts per 150g/5¼oz dry mixture)
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
250ml/9fl oz milk
1 tbsp melted butter
For the blueberry syrup
125ml/4½fl oz maple syrup
200g/7oz blueberries

Preparation method
For the dry pancake mix, place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Transfer to an airtight container, seal and store until needed.
To make the pancakes, add the appropriate quantity of egg, milk and melted butter per 150g/5¼oz of the dry mixture (a filled American cup measure will give you the requisite amount per batch, so you may like to use one and dispense with any weighing). Mix well to form a smooth batter.
Heat a flat griddle or non-stick frying pan without adding oil.
Spoon drops of 1½-2 tablespoons of the batter onto the hot griddle and when bubbles appear on the surface of the little pancakes, flip them over and cook until golden-brown on both sides. It should take about a minute per side.
Meanwhile, for the blueberry syrup, place the maple syrup and blueberries into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the blueberries have broken down slightly.
To serve, pour the blueberry syrup into a jug and take to the breakfast table with the pancakes. If you have any of the syrup left over, you will notice that it sets into a kind of glossy jam. This will keep for a few days decanted into a jar and put in the fridge, and is glorious dolloped into yoghurt or spread on bread.
Article source.

Read more...

Butternut Squash with Pecans and Blue Cheese

This serves as a vegetarian alternative to the Christmas turkey; it gussies up a plate of cold leftover turkey; and it adds the right balance of mellow warmth and tang to any plain wintry dish.

Ingredients
2kg/4lb 8oz butternut squash
3 tbsp olive oil
6 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
100g/3½oz pecans
125g/4oz Roquefort, or other blue cheese, crumbled
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
Halve the squash, leaving the skin on, and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into 2.5cm/1in cubes - you don't need to be precise, just keep the pieces uniformly small.
Place into a roasting tin and drizzle with the oil. Strip about four sprigs of thyme of their leaves (or use dried thyme) and sprinkle over the butternut squash.
Transfer to the oven and roast for about 30-45 minutes, or until tender.
Once out of the oven, remove the squash to a bowl. Scatter over the pecans and crumble over the cheese, stirring everything together gently. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, tear the remaining sprigs of thyme into small pieces and sprinkle over the top of the butternut squash mixture.
Article source

Read more...

Noodle Soup for Needy People

To be prescriptive about a noodle soup seems to be against the ethos of what you're actually cooking. When I need a noodle soup, believe me, I am in no mood to start weighing and measuring. I throw down a blueprint here, to follow if it feels helpful.

Ingredients
175g/6oz dried udon noodles
750ml/1 pint 7fl oz chicken, vegetable or dashi stock
1 tsp soft dark brown sugar
1 star anise
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
75g/2¾oz beansprouts
75g/2¾oz sugarsnap peas
75g/2¾oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 baby pak choi, finely sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Preparation method
Cook the noodles according to packet instructions, then drain and divide between two serving bowls.
Meanwhile, bring the stock, sugar, star anise, ginger and soy sauce to the boil in a saucepan.
Add the vegetables and simmer for two minutes, or until just tender.
To serve, pour the vegetable mixture over the noodles in each bowl and sprinkle with coriander.
Article source

Read more...

Sesame Noodle Salad

Although these are easy to make, you do need quite a few ingredients. This holds true whether you're making a small or big batch, so you may as well go all out and make a vat of them to keep in the fridge.

Ingredients
For the dressing
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp garlic oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
100g/3½oz smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp lime juice
For the salad
125g/4oz mangetout
150g/5¼oz beansprouts, rinsed
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into small strips
2 spring onions, finely sliced
550g/1lb 3½oz ready-cooked egg noodles
To serve
20g/¾oz sesame seeds
4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Preparation method
For the dressing, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jug.
For the salad, place all the salad ingredients into a bowl.
Pour over the dressing and mix thoroughly to coat everything well.
To serve, sprinkle over the sesame seeds and coriander.
Article source

Read more...

Quick Chicken Caesar

I think of this as a quick-time variant on Caesar salad, mainly because I otherwise make mine with croûtons of roasted, cubed, garlicky potatoes – and very well that goes down, too.
People can be awfully tiresome about anchovies, so I haven’t listed them below. However, in the interests of transparency I should tell you that I do add them to my own quick Caesar when ransacking the kitchen to assemble this.

Ingredients
1 free-range egg
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic oil
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
juice ½ lemon
½ tsp sea salt flakes or ¼ tsp pouring salt (use none if you add anchovies)
1 Romaine or Cos lettuce
150g/5¼oz cold leftover chicken, shredded
freshly ground pepper, to taste
generous handful (aabout 50g/2oz) plain tortilla chips

Preparation method
Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk well while you add the oils, parmesan and lemon juice. If you’re not going to add an anchovy or two, whisk in the salt.
Break the crisp lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put into a salad bowl. Drop in the shredded cold chicken and mix to combine. Season with black pepper, to taste.
Toast the tortilla chips for a couple of minutes in an oil-less pan over a medium heat.
Give the dressing another whisk, pour it over the salad and toss to mix. Add the tortilla chips (and some anchovies, if you like) and toss again before wolfing down.
Article source

Read more...