Das Eierbrot and Spaghetti with Meatballs

World Cup, Day 10 & 11 - Germany & U.S.A.

Das Eierbrot and Spaghetti with Meatballs

Day 10 is the first time I've struggled to fulfill my challenge as we had a hectic day but I managed to cheat and prepare a German 'dish' - Das Eierbrot: an open faced sandwich topped with butter and egg. It's simple yet satisfying. With an easy dish like this, it's important to use the right ingredients. Get some good sour dough bread and cover with real butter, no spreadable or heart friendly stuff here please! Then slice a hard boiled egg and place it on top with a sprinkling of salt and pepper - beautiful!

Today, Day 11, I wanted to make something from the U.S.A. It was a tough choice: a nation the size of a continent has several dishes to choose from! I decided on spaghetti with meatballs in a tomato sauce. Most people think this is Italian but it's actually from the U.S.A. Although spaghetti and meatballs are staples of Italian cuisine, they are never served together. Spaghetti with tomato sauce is served as a pasta course, followed by the meatballs as a meat course. Italian chef Paolo Tullio on his Newstalk slot with Sean Moncrieff explained recently that when working in New York, the Italian's would bring a packed lunch of spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs. Although the Italians looked upon this as two separate courses, Americans understood it as one meal.

I always make a big batch of meatballs and freeze half of them before cooking. The meatballs should be about golf ball size. Half of the meatballs with the sauce will serve 4-5 people.

Makes 28-30 Meatballs

2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Onions (finely chopped)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
500g Beef Mince
500g Pork Mince
1 Egg (beaten)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For the Sauce:

6 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Chilli (finely chopped)
1 Carrot (Grated)
1 stick of Celery (finely chopped)
2 Tins of Chopped Tomatoes
1 tsp Sugar
1tsp Dried Oregano
2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Spaghetti to Serve

1. Make the meatballs by heating half the oil in a pan and adding the onion and garlic. Season well and cook for 6-7 minutes to soften. Set aside and allow to cool completely. 

2. Put the beef and pork mince into a mixing bowl and season well. Add the cooled onion mixture and egg and mix well. With wet hands, shape into golf balls. Use half the meatballs to serve 4-5 people and place the rest in the freezer. Let the meatballs you're using chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile make the sauce by heating the oil in a saucepan and adding the onion, garlic, chilli, carrot and celery. Season well and cook for 6-7 minutes before adding the tinned tomatoes, sugar and oregano. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

4. Heat the remaining oil in a clean pan over a high heat and fry the meatballs on all sides to brown. Add the meatballs to a baking dish and pour over the sauce to cover. Cook in a 180 degree oven for 10 minutes before sprinkling over the Parmesan. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Serve over spaghetti topped with more Parmesan if you like.

Arancini with Sea Bass and Pesto

Arancini with Sea Bass and Almond Pesto

I've always been intrigued by Arancini, little balls of leftover Risotto breaded and fried until golden. It took me until now to cook some and two things struck me...1. It was absolutely worth the wait and 2. Why have I not made these beauties before?! They do give off the impression that they'll be somewhat complicated or lots of hassle but they really aren't. To be honest, the ones I made are misshapen and slightly burnt in places but it doesnt seem to detract from their deliciousness at all!

I really wanted to make the Arancini and when I was trying to think of something to accompany them, I noticed that the fish monger's in Newbridge had a special on Sea Bass and I also wanted to start using up the mountain of homemade Pesto sitting in my fridge, all these elements came together beautifully!

This may sound like a lot of elements to prepare but none of it is very time consuming and everything cooks very quickly so you won't be spending hours over the stove. The Arancini are great served at room temperature so you can cook these first and then your Sea Bass. The Salad can be prepared before anything else and you can make your Pesto a week or two in advance if you wish! I didnt make a Salad Dressing as I didnt want to take from the Pesto and I also served two fillets of Sea Bass per person as they were quite small, if they are larger then one per person should suffice.

Homemade Almond Pesto

40g Basil Leaves

50g Almonds (Peeled and Toasted)

1 Clove Garlic

25g Pecorino Romano/Parmesan (Grated)

120ml Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Put the Basil, Toasted Almonds and Garlic into a Pestle and Mortar with some Sea Salt and bash into a fine Paste. Add the Cheese and slowly pour in the Oil, stirring all the time, Taste and add Sea Salt and Pepper if required.

For a more traditional Pesto, replace the Almonds with Pine Nuts. This is a really tasty Pesto that works great on almost anything. It will keep for a few weeks in the fridge but make sure you keep a layer of Olive Oil on top to stop the air from getting to it. For an alternative Pesto recipe click here.

For the Salad

1/2 Ramiro Red Pepper (sliced)

1 Plum Tomato (sliced, then roughly chopped)

10 Radishes (5 quartered, 5 thinly sliced)

1 Baby Gem Lettuce (roughly pulled apart and torn)

 

For the Arancini

400g leftover Risotto of any kind (I had Chorizo and Veg)

40g Pecorino/Parmesan

4 Eggs (beaten)

100g Dried White Breadcrumbs*

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Vegetable Oil for Deep/Shallow Frying*

For the Sea Bass

Sea Bass Fillets (I served 2 per person)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper 

4tbsp Rapeseed Oil

1tbsp Pesto per person.

1. Prepare your Salad, mix well and leave in the fridge until needed. Put the Risotto into a large bowl and add the Cheese, 2 beaten Eggs, a little Sea Salt and Pepper. Mix well with wet hands and shape into balls slightly smaller than golf balls, you should get about 15-16. Put into the fridge to firm up for about half an hour.

2. Prepare your Sea Bass by seasoning the skin well with Sea Salt and Pepper and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, Put the other two beaten eggs on one plate and the breadcrumbs on another. Season the breadcrumbs and mix well. Roll the Arancini in the egg and then the breadcrumbs and Deep or Shallow Fry* for 5 or 6 mins until golden and crispy before draining on some Kitchen Paper. Leave to one side while you cook the Sea Bass.

3. In a clean pan, Heat the Oil until almost smoking and add the Sea Bass Fillets, skin side down. Season the top and cook until almost finished (until the top is going white) before flipping them and cooking for 30s-1 minute on the flesh side, remove from the pan and plate up!

4. Start by putting a 1/4 of the salad on each plate and topping each one with 1/2tbsp of Pesto, lay the Sea Bass Fillets on top and smear these with the other 1/2tbsp of Pesto. Serve with the Arancini.

*I Shallow Fried my Arancini and wouldn't do it again. They lost their shape very quickly and although I enjoyed their rustic look, I feel that deep frying would be the better option.

*If you haven't got dried white breadcrumbs, simply put a few slices of white bread into a food processor and pulse until fine. Spread on a baking tray and put into the oven at about 70-80 deg until dried, an hour or so should do it. Keep in an airtight container.

Gnocchi with Duck and Tomato Sauce

Gnocchi with Duck and Tomato Sauce

On Saturday, I decided it was time for a treat, on the lookout for something to make for dinner I happened upon a Duck and, having never cooked one before, took on the challenge! It turned out to be relatively simple to get a Duck tasting great, a tiny drop of olive oil and plenty of Salt and Pepper on top and half a Lemon inserted into its behind made for a delicious meal, even if I did have an extremely frustrating time carving the plonker! I also made a delicious Paté from its liver and reserved the fat for Sunday's Roasties, all in all a very productive evening!

Although we devoured the majority of the duck there was exactly 170g of leftover meat (after our 3 cats and dog had their bit of course) and today was the day to use it up! I had planned on doing something similar to the Duck Confit Pie I'd had in Paris (replacing the Lamb/Beef with Duck in a Shepards Pie) but I was feeling a little more adventurous so I settled on Gnocchi with Duck and Tomato Sauce!

Don't be put off by making Gnocchi, its relatively simple and the worst that should happen is that its heavy and a bit stodgy but it'll get better the more you make it. This master recipe for Gnocchi is way more than you'll need but freeze the leftovers on a baking tray and once frozen put into freezer bags (stops them sticking together). They can be cooked from frozen, it just takes 4-5 mins rather than 1-2!

For The Gnocchi:

1Kg Floury Potatoes
300g Plain Flour (extra to dust)
1 Egg (beaten)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For the Duck and Sauce (Serves 2)

2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)
1 Small Chilli (Seeds in or out, finely chopped)
170g Cooked Duck (in small chunks)
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1tsp Sugar
1tsp Dried Oregano
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Freshly Grated Parmesan to serve


1. Keep the skins on the Potatoes and wash them well. Put them in a saucepan with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender throughout but not falling apart, 20mins or so depending on size. Drain and peel as soon as possible, mash while still warm. Allow to cool for at least 30-45 minutes.

2. Season the Potatoes well and add the Egg, mix well and add in the Flour. Mix through and form into a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out chunks of it into long sausages. Cut with a sharp knife at 2cm intervals. If you're feeling patient you can roll each one off a fork to create ridges but its not essential.

3. Cook the Onion in the Oil over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft, season with Salt and Pepper. Add the Chilli and cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding the Duck. Season well and cook for 5 mins. Add the tin of Chopped Tomatoes, the Sugar (to balance the acidity) and Oregano. Simmer uncovered for 15 mins.



4. Meanwhile bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and 2 mins before the sauce is done add in enough Gnocchi for 2 (how hungry are you?!) When they float they're cooked! Remove with a slotted spoon and add straight to the pan with the Duck and Tomatoes. Mix well and Serve with plenty of Parmesan over the top.

Variations

This could be made with almost any leftover meat so dont go rushing out to get a Duck for it! Add whatever you like to the sauce, I usually prefer to make my sauce from Passata but I wanted this a little more chunky! Plenty of Basil in the sauce usually works well.

Finally my apologies for the terrible pictures!! I left my trusty camera in my Parents house yesterday and so had to rely on the phone! Not too bad considering!

Frittata

Leftovers Frittata

One of the best things about cooking a big Sunday Roast has got to be the leftovers! For some reason, everything seems to taste better the next day, even more so when you add a few extra ingredients and turn it into a whole new dish. Yesterday I cooked Braised Beef, Roast Chicken and all the trimmings for my family and it seems that no matter how many there are to be fed, there's always plenty of leftovers. Sometimes these make their way into Curries, Stews or even Salads but this time I decided to go for a Frittata fit for a King!

This can be eaten hot but is also delicious served cold with some salad.

Serves 6-8

5tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Red Pepper (cut into strips)
1 Large Yellow Pepper (cut into strips)
1 Clove of Elephant Garlic (or 2 normal cloves) (finely chopped)
Leftovers! (I used Beef, Chicken, Roast Potatoes and Mash) (roughly chopped)
12 Eggs (beaten)
10g Freshly Grated Parmesan
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper


1. Fry the Peppers and Garlic in the Oil over a medium heat for 10 mins. If the Peppers get slightly charred on the edges all the better. Add the leftovers, season well and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes.

2. Add the beaten Eggs and stir well to ensure they've made their way to the bottom of the pan, season again and allow to cook until a crust has formed at the bottom and it has set most of the way to the top.

3. Put the Frittata under a pre-heated hot grill and allow to set on top. Sprinkle over the Parmesan and a little Pepper and place back under the grill until the cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve with some Salad or Crusty Bread.

Variations

This Frittata can be made with almost any leftovers so whatever you have should work! Try adding some grated Cheddar into the Egg mix to give extra richness and fresh Herbs will add a real depth of flavour.

Lasagne

Lasagne

One of the most recognisable dishes in the world, the Lasagne Bolognese is one of Italy's most famous and popular exports. It is comfort food at its finest, a deep flavoured Ragu layered with some beautiful Pasta and a deliciously rich Bechemel Sauce, baked until bubbly.....fantastico! This is not a traditional Italian Lasagne Bolognese but is instead, my take on the classic. I've added Porcini Mushrooms to give a more earthy flavour while the Cherry Tomatoes on top help to cut through the rich Ragu beautifully.

For The Meat Sauce/Ragu:

5tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
250g Pork Belly (diced)
400g Minced Beef
400g Minced Pork
1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
1 Large Carrot (finely chopped)
1 Celery Stick (finely chopped)
2 Large Cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
150ml White Wine
25g Dried Porcini (soaked in hot water for 30 mins, keep the juice, dice)
80ml left over Porcini soaking juice
10 Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
500g Tomato Passata
2 Bay Leaves
1tsp Dried Oregano
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For The Pasta:

200g Italian "00" Flour (or Extra Strong Bread Flour)
2 Eggs

For The Bechemel:

50g Butter
2.5tbsp Flour
550ml Milk
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

50g Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
12 Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

1. Add the Oil to a saucepan over medium heat and add the diced Pork Belly. Fry for 5-6 minutes and add the Onion, Carrot, Celery and Garlic. Sweat for 5-10 minutes until soft.Turn the heat up, add the Beef and Pork mince, season well and brown for 7 minutes.

2. Add the Wine and cook off. Add the diced Porcini, 80ml of the soaking juice, Passata, Cherry Tomatoes, Bay Leaves and Oregano. Season well, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid (leaving a small gap for steam to escape) and simmer for 1 and a half hours, stirring occasionally. If the sauce is too watery you can take off the lid and reduce for 10-15 minutes.

3. Next make the pasta. Tip the flour onto a clean table, make a well in the centre and crack the eggs in. Beat with a fork and then gradually work in the flour from the sides. Bring together with your hands and knead for a few mins until it become springy. Cover with Cling Film and put in the fridge for 30 mins.

4. Next , the Bechemel. Melt the butter in a saucepan and when its melted add the flour. Stir for 2-3 mins being careful not to let it burn. Slowly add the milk and whisk continuesly while heating until is thickens (approx 7-10 minutes) Season well, remove from the heat and set aside.



5. Remove the Pasta from the fridge, unwrap and flatten. If rolling by hand you're aiming for the thickness of two playing cards (Really Thin!) A pasta machine works best and its good to have a few helpers for the lower settings! Roll to the thinnest setting working down from the highest (Roll through the highest setting 5 times first, folding in half between each roll, to improve the texture) Dust with flour when necessary. Cook in well seasoned boiling water for 1 minute and drain well. Lay out on a table to avoid them sticking together.

6. Remove the Bay Leaves from the Meat Sauce and take it off the heat. Lightly oil the bottom of your baking dish and begin with a light layer of Meat Sauce, followed by Bechemel, a little Parmesan and a light seasoning of Salt and Pepper. Top with a layer of the Pasta and repeat the process until the dish is almost full. Finish with a good layer of Bechemel and a good sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese. Season again and finish with halved Cherry Tomatoes around the edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees C. Serve with some good Garlic Bread.

Variations

This is another great base recipe that can easily be adjusted to taste. Add extra vegetables to the Ragu for a more nutritious hit or add some Basil to get that quintissentially Italian flavour. One layer of Prosciutto in the middle of a Lasagne can also work great and dotting little balls of Mozzarella in the layers before baking makes for a lovely surprise! Dried Pasta can also be used instead of fresh if time is short.

Pizza

Pizza

Probably Italy's most famous export, the Pizza has always been synonymous with the Peninsula. In the rest of the world it is a particular favourite of Children and Teenagers but it is a somewhat distorted dish that they love so much. When I first went to Italy, the first thing I had was a Pizza and it bares little resemblance to what we get in the freezers of our supermarkets and even what alot of the Pizza delivery companies make (we wont mention any names!)

The main problem with making proper Italian Style Pizza is very few of us have a wood fired oven. This really makes a massive difference as the Pizza cooks in two minutes or less rather than the 15-20 minutes recommended on the back of the box! I've been trying out different techniques of Pizza making for the past year to try to get as close to the real thing as possible and this is what I've settled on. Don't be afraid to change the topping to whatever you prefer!

A Pizza Stone is a very handy piece of equipment if you plan on making a lot of Pizzas. Preheat it at the highest temperature for an hour or so and it'll really help your Pizza along. You can also use a Pizza Tray (most have holes in the bottom to help it crisp) but these dont work aswell and you may need to adjust cooking times.


For the Dough

(Makes 4 Pizzas)
500g Italian '00' Flour or Extra Strong Bread Flour
320ml Warm Water
2 x 7g Sachets of Dried Yeast
1tbsp Golden Caster Sugar
1tbsp Fine Sea Salt
5tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil


For the Tomato Sauce

(For 4 Pizzas)
500g Tomato Passata
1tsp Dried Oregano
1 Clove of Garlic (minced)
3tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper


For the Topping

(to taste)
Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Parma Ham/Prosciutto (torn)
Skinless Sausage (cooked and crushed)
Peppers/Chilli (finely chopped)
Basil Leaves (torn)
Mozarella Cheese (thinly sliced)
Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat Oven to its highest Temperature with the Pizza Stone inside

1. First make the dough. Add the Yeast and Sugar to the warm water and stir well. Leave to rest for a few minutes until foamed on top. Meanwhile sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and add the Oil followed by the Yeast mix. Bring together and once a dough has formed tip out onto a well floured board. Kneed for 10-15mins until smooth and elastic. Put into a fresh mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

2. Meanwhile make the Tomato Sauce. Put the Passata into a pan and bring to the boil, add the Oregano, season and allow to reduce by half. Add the Garlic and Oil and stir well until combined (1-2 minutes) Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Tip the Pizza dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for 1-2 minutes. Split into 4 equal parts. Wrap the pieces your not using in cling film and chill immediately (or freeze to keep fresh). Roll out the dough for as many Pizzas as your making (to the approx size of your stone), take the stone out of the oven, sprinkle some Polenta or Semolina on top (or a little flour if you dont have any) and place the Pizza on top. Top with 3 heaped tablespoons of the Tomato Sauce and put into the oven for 3-4 mins until browned and looking almost cooked. Do this for as many Pizzas as your making before laying all the par cooked Pizzas out on a table.

Turn the oven down to 160 deg C. (you may need to open the door for 10-20 seconds to allow the temperature to drop, get the extractor on first though and watch out for kids/pets!!)

4. Top the Pizza(s) with the toppings of your choice, finishing with the Mozarella Cheese (I used Parmesan, Prosciutto, Homemade Fennel Sausage and Mozarella). Sprinkle with a little freshly ground Pepper and (optionally) drizzle with a little Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Put back into the oven (the stone isnt necessary at this point so you can cook as many as your oven will take together) for 3-5 minutes until the cheese has melted into a wonderful gooiness! 

5. Remove from the oven, cut and enjoy!

Variations:

Top with anything you like! The method is the main point of this post so top with whatever takes your fancy!

Shepard's Pie

Extra Nutritious Shepard's Pie

So as the rain continues to pelt down and the howling wind continues to bellow, its time for another great winter recipe to warm the entire family for the long winters evening. The simple Shepard's Pie has always been one of my favourite dinners, its warming and filling and is the perfect all in one dish. For this version I have added extra vegetables to make it extra nutritious and I've also gone with a Sweet Potato topping to increase the goodness while also adding a great flavour.


Serves 6


*4tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
*1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
*1/2 Courgette (peeled and finely chopped)
*1 Red Pepper (finely chopped)
*2 Celery Sticks (finely chopped)
*1 Large Carrot (peeled and grated)
*500g Lamb Mince
*100ml White Wine
*1 Can of Chopped Tomatoes
*300ml of Strong Lamb Stock
*1tsp Dried Oregano 
*2 Bay Leaves
*2tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
*800g Sweet Potatoes (peeled and chopped)
*150ml Cream
*25g Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
*Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper


1. Saute the Onion, Corgette, Red Pepper, Celery and Carrot in the Oil over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until soft. Season well with Salt and Pepper as soon as added to the Oil.

2. Add the Lamb Mince, season and brown all over. Add the Wine and cook for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the Can of Tomatoes, Stock, Oregano and Bay Leaves and bring to the boil. Put on the lid and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.

3. Remove the Bay Leaves, turn up the heat and reduce, stirring constantly until it becomes thick.

4. Meanwhile, cook the Sweet Potatoes in well seasoned boiling water until tender all the way through. Drain and season well. Add the cream and mash well until smooth.

5. Put the mince mixture into a baking dish and top with the Sweet Potato mash. Even it out with a fork and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Top with a good grinding of Pepper and bake in a pre-heated 180 degree (C) oven for 30 minutes. 

Variations:

This is another great base recipe to which you can add almost anything. Extra veg are the obvious choice but also some streaky bacon added before the mince will really add a great depth. Although Shepard's Pie is traditionally Lamb, the meat could be swapped out for almost any minced meat and a mixture of two or three would work brilliantly. Obviously standard mashed Potatoes could be used on top if anyone dislikes Sweet Potatoes and Cheddar could replace Parmesan if preferred.