Today's dinner : An emergency Sicilian!

Son & heir's plans changed suddenly and instead of being out this evening, he and a friend were going to be in for dinner after all.  This meant that what we had planned to have - a night off from cooking, complete with prawn cocktail baguettes - was abandoned and I had to get thinking about what to make instead!

It had to be something easy, with not much preparation, as following on from a busy and slightly stressful day yesterday (yes, going out for lunch is stressful, these days), I knew I'd be feeling it today.

Good old pasta.  You can't go wrong with it, it's so easy to make - whatever you put with it!  I decided upon the Sicilian Pork Ragu with Chocolate that we all love.  All you need to prepare is an onion and some basil, so it was perfect.  You can find the recipe for this quick and stress-free lovely at http://jennyeatwellsrhubarbginger.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/sicilian-pork-ragu-with-chocolate-co.html

The ragu was a little wetter than usual, largely because the pan decided to act like Mount Vesuvius and send little super hot globules of sauce flying in all directions.  I'm really not sure why this one decided to do that and others haven't, but it made simmering the sauce virtually impossible.  I really must buy a splatter guard.  I don't really want to go and see the state my cooker is in!

Dessert was a shop-bought lemon tart with additional raspberries - and hubby went a bit mad with the squirty cream and sprinkles.  He reckons everything is made better by the addition of sprinkles.  He may even be right!

Austrian Beef Goulash

Not so long ago, I had a crack at making Hungarian Beef Goulash.  It wasn't so terribly successful in that the broth/sauce was far too thin for hubby's tastes and the paprika didn't feature well enough in the general flavour.

I resolved to have another go at another time, as once I'd fixed the thin broth issue, the paprika issue should be easier to define.  However, in the meantime, I discovered this "Austrian Beef Goulash" recipe.

Now this intrigued me, as I wondered what made it "Austrian", as opposed to "Hungarian".

Having made the dish, I think the largest differences are the degree of tomato that is employed, plus the lack of caraway seeds.  In truth, though, it really is very similar.

Oddly enough, even though the recipe uses two tablespoonfuls of paprika, hubby still declared the paprika flavour to be lacking.  I might have to use three tablespoonfuls in future, although I am a tad nervous of overdoing it for everyone else!

I used beef shin in mine, as I am trying  - where possible - to use cheaper cuts of meat.  Doing that is good for my purse and good for the global waste issue.  I extended the cooking time of the original recipe to some three and a half hours (at a low heat) to ensure that the fat was all rendered down and the meat super-tender.  Shin of beef really does lend itself to this type of cooking, as the flavours were superlative.

It is worthwhile, when cutting up the beef, to make the cubes a little bit larger than one normally would for this kind of meal.  The sauce becomes quite thick and we've discovered that it is difficult to find smaller cubes when it comes to plating up.  You don't want to plate up two ladlefuls of sauce, whilst leaving all the beef in the pan!

One other advantage to using shin of beef, is that Jonty and Basil (the dogs) get the offcuts.  From the moment my feet touched the kitchen floor, Jonty (the Saluki) was in attendance.  He's a very attentive companion, as he watches everything being got out of the larder, pan cupboard and fridge.  He begins to lick his lips as the onions go into the pan, as he knows the next job will be to cut up the meat.  I think, however, he just doesn't understand why I insist on calling Basil (Jack Russell) to come and share the haul.  He'd be really much happier if I'd leave Basil sleeping and let him (Jonty) have the lot!

AUSTRIAN GOULASH (feeds 3-4)

Ingredients :

3 tbsp sunflower oil (sunflower is best, as it can attain a greater heat than olive)

2 large onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, grated
4-5 chesnut mushrooms, quartered
600g shin of beef, cut into large cubes
2 tbsp paprika (more, if you desire)
2 tbsp plain flour
salt & pepper
3 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp mixed herbs
125ml red wine
400g can tomatoes or 500ml passata
350ml beef stock
2 large red peppers, cut into rings
142ml carton soured cream
chives, chopped, to garnish


Method :

1.  Heat a tablespoonful of the oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium to low heat, and cook the onions until soft - approx 5 minutes or so.


2.  Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking and stirring for another five minutes or so, then set aside.


3.  Add the remainder of the oil and, on a high heat, add the beef and sear until browned.


4.  Return the onion mixture to the pan and add the flour, seasoning, paprika, tomato puree, vinegar and herbs.  Stir well, then add the wine and bubble for a minute or so.


5.  Add the tomatoes, stock and bring to the boil.  Stir all the time, to avoid lumps forming in the sauce.  Once boiling, check the seasoning.


6.  Cover and place in the oven for two hours.


7.  Remove from the oven to add the peppers and stir through.  Put back in the oven for another hour.


8.  Serve with white rice, sour cream and chopped chives sprinkled over.


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Sicilian Pork Ragu with Chocolate : c/o "A Glug of Oil"

Just how lovely does that look?

I found this recipe on the excellent "A Glug of Oil" blog some two or three months ago.  It immediately intrigued me in its use of dark chocolate, not least because of the conjunction with pork mince, but the use of tagliatelle instead of the more usual accompaniments of rice or vegetables.  (More usual, that is, when accompanying mince - rather than accompanying a Sicilian dish).

I held onto it for two reasons.  Firstly, because I needed a little time in which to "get my head around" the idea of using chocolate in this context, and secondly because we never seemed to have the right ingredients around at the same time.

I found myself, this week, with not only some red wine in the fridge but a small block of dark chocolate too.  Bingo!  I could break out the recipe at last.

I loved the result.  The juxtaposition of the cinnamon and the dark chocolate beside the rich tomato and pork mince is not one I have experienced before, but boy oh boy is it good.  I felt that the dish needed some herb input and opted for parsley (as that was the only remotely suitable herb I had to hand), but in retrospect I think that basil would have sat more easily beside the chocolate - which isn't a strong flavour, but is evident nonetheless.

This one will definitely re-appear on the menu list, as it resulted in clear plates all round.

SICILIAN PORK RAGU WITH CHOCOLATE (serves 3-4)

Ingredients :

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g pork mince

175ml red wine

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp ground cinnamon

500g Passata

15g dark chocolate

1 tsp sugar

salt & pepper to taste

knob of butter

3-4 basil leaves, shredded

Method :

1.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion.  Cook over a medium heat until soft but not coloured.

2.  Now add the minced pork, stirring and breaking it up as you go.  You may need to increase the heat to prevent the pork from braising.  Allow the meat to brown slightly, but not burn.

3.  Stir in the tomato puree, then the wine and turn up the heat to simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Add the passata, cinnamon and sugar, then taste and season.

5. Simmer for around 10 minutes, then stir the chocolate in a little at a time.

6. Taste and adjust the seasoning and sugar if required.

7. Reduce the heat and slow simmer until the sauce is nice and thick.

8. Stir in the butter and basil leaves and serve immediately with Tagliatelle pasta.

Printable Version

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Sausage Goulash

Hubby managed to pick up a pack of 12 speciality chipolatas for the price of an ordinary pack of sausages, the other day.  Although there were 12 in the pack, I felt they were a bit on the teensy side to be treated as just plain old sausages to be had with mash or suchlike, so began looking for a casserole-type dish to use them in.

I turned up a recipe for Sausage Goulash, which looked like it would have good results.  Indeed, it would have done, had it not have been for the accidental heavy hand with the crushed chillies and the quantity of paprika, which to hubby's taste was rather too strong.

Still, I enjoyed both the paprika and the chillies!  However, because I know that I'm currently going through a chilli-phase, I've re-written the recipe for another go at it, this time adjusting the quantities a tad.  Oh, and I'll try not to have a nerve jump in my hand right at the moment I'm shaking out a half a teaspoon of crushed chillies, next time.  LOL 

Incidentally, it would be easy for it to stretch to feed more people simply by including more vegetables in the mix.  Potato, sweet potato, parsnip, swede, peas, sweetcorn, green beans - all these would go very nicely.

SAUSAGE GOULASH (serves 3)

Ingredients

1 pack of sausages
2 onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, grated or chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 bay leaves (optional, depending on how herby the sausages are)
1 heaped tsp Paprika
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
half a tsp dried chilli flakes
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
4-5 mushrooms, quartered
1 small can kidney beans
1 small can chick peas or cannelini beans
600ml chicken stock
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Plain yoghurt to garnish

Method

1.  Brown the sausages in a deep saucepan, then set aside.

2.  Fry sliced onions and garlic gently until golden, but not caramelised.

3.  Add paprika and stock.

4.  Add carrots, chick peas and beans, bay leaves, tomato puree & tomato ketchup and mushrooms.

5.  Return the sausages to the pan and simmer until the carrots are tender.

6.  Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer for 15 minutes more.

7.  To serve, decant into warmed bowls and add a generous blob of natural yoghurt on top.  If you really want to show off, add a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Serve with crusty bread.

My Spicy Minced Beef recipe

Spicy minced beef on the left, Kosheri on the right

Continuing the post regarding the Kosheri, here is the recipe for the Spicy Minced Beef that went so well with it.

SPICY MINCED BEEF (feeds 3)

Ingredients :

400g minced beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
half a tsp ground coriander
half a tsp ground turmeric
half a tsp chilli flakes
1 beef oxo cube (or any beef stock cube)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
black pepper
boiling water

Method :

1.     Fry off the mince until browned, then remove all the fat (and give it to the dog, if you've got one!).  Add the onion, garlic and ginger and continue to fry until the underside of the mince layer has caramelised then turn and fry again.  Do this for some 3-4 turns, until a good quantity of caramelised meat is evident.

2.     Add the cumin, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, chilli flakes, oxo cube (crumbled), tomato puree, tomato ketchup & pepper, stir to combine, then add sufficient water to cover the meat and stir well to combine.

3.   Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25-30 mins to reduce and let the flavours mingle.

Serve - goes well with Kosheri, recipe can be found here.