So after the vego phase: a super posh Sausage Roll!

So, it seems I scared a few of you, particularly with yesterday's Tofu & Brussell sprout post. Don't worry - I am still a big carnivore! And besides, the Tofu/Brussell sprout combo was awesome - make it, try it, and then mock (if you must).

So this is one of my all time favourite sausage roll recipes. They are relatively quick to make, and always go down an absolute treat. I've served them warm at home, or taken them cold on picnics. Either way they are fantastic!

This recipe is from the Australian Gourmet Traveller's website, which is unquestionably one of the free best foodie / recipe websites going, especially if you're looking for something a little bit special. Don't forget that the Ultimate Tomato Sauce is makes a fantastic accompaniment to these sossie rolls!

Here's a tip: Unbaked sausage rolls can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen at 200C for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Lamb & Harissa Sausage Rolls
1 kg minced lamb (I've used all sorts of mince combos: 50/50 pork lamb works very well too)

1 onion, finely grated (I'm lazy, so I just chop it very small)

80 gm (½ cup) pine nuts

75 gm (¼ cup) harissa

50 gm currants

2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 kg puff pastry

1 egg, lightly whisked

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 200'c. In a large bowl, combine the mince, onion, pine nuts, harissa, currants, parsley & cumin & season to taste.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 3mm-thick rectangle. You can either pipe the lamb mix using a icing bag (with no nozzle), or you can use your hands, like I do! Avoid the temptation to put too much - it has to roll shut!

Carefully roll over. 

Brush eggwash (the one egg, lightly whisked) along both edges of the pastry & press to seal. Brush entire sausage rolls with eggwash & scatter with sesame seeds. Trim along length of pastry and repeat with remaining mixture and pastry.

Place on a baking paper lined tray, and put into the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. You can either bake them in one long piece (as I did), or chop them up into smaller portions. The baking time will be the same. Serve with the Ultimate Tomato Sauce.

The Ultimate Tomato Sauce

Hola!

This Tomato Sauce is incredibly simple to make, and absolutely fantastic. The flavours in it are amazing!

The recipe is from what is hands down the best cooking/foodie magazine there is: 'Cuisine', which is actually a kiwi publication. It is absolutely fantastic. This was in their Christmas edition, and it was served on top of slow cooked Salmon (posting soon - soooo yummy). When I read through the ingredients however, it occurred to me that it would also work very well with the Lamb & Harissa Sausage Rolls. It Does! Lamb, Salmon: this works with anything!

Spiced Tomato Sauce

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 small red chilli, seeded & finely diced

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
Salt & Pepper to taste

1) In a medium pan heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, then add  the garlic & the chilli, gently frying until fragrant. Add the cumin & the coriander & cook for a further minute.

2) Add the canned tomatoes & tomato paste, mix together well, then cook for 20 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Season to taste. This sauce is great warm or cold, and could be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for around 5 days.

2) Add the tin of tomatoes, and stir for minute or so, then add the tomato paste. Make sure you incorporate it well.

3) Keep stirring occasionally until the sauce has begun to thicken a little.

4) Remove from the heat. This is good warm or cold, and can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to one week.

Meatless Monday!

Brussel Sprouts & Tofu

So, I appreciate that this combo might be many people's idea of hell. Though I've always been a sprout fan (well, post-primary school anyways)  I've long had a hatred of tofu. My flatmate cooks it all the time, and I've been sampling some along the way, and its actually not all bad. Provided whatever it is marinated in is good!

I have posted before about the fabulous Ottolenghi cookbook my gorgeous friend sent me from London. I was lucky enough to visit the actual Ottolenghi cafe in Notting Hill when I was there a few weeks ago, it is beyond fabulous. The head chef there has a column in the Guardian, one of my favourite newspapers. His stuff is wonderful, simple, but packed full of flavour. 

This dish far, far outdid my expectations -- it really was fantastic, so delicious, easy, healthy - just everything you could hope for in a meal. Bon Apetit!

PS - apologies for lack of pics, a girlfriend had stopped by & I was so busy chatting I didn't remember to take any photos until it was on the table. 

150g firm tofu
2 tbsp chilli sauce 

*I didn't have any (I don't think you're meant to use the sweet chilli stuff), so used 1 tsp of chilli in its place.
1½ tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
500g brussels sprouts
180ml sunflower oil

*I used peanut oil, as I had very little sunflower oil
Salt
100g spring onion, sliced
½ small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
120g shiitake mushrooms, halved
15g picked coriander leaves
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk together the chilli sauce (or powder - you could probably use a few dashed of tabasco too if you fancied), soy sauce, two tablespoons of the sesame oil, vinegar and syrup. Cut the tofu block into 0.5cm thick slices and then each slice into two squarish pieces. Gently lay in the marinade and set aside.

Trim the bases off the sprouts and cut each lengthways into three thick slices. Take a large, nonstick pan, and heat up four tablespoons of whichever oil you're using. Add half the sprouts and a little salt, and cook on high heat for two minutes. Don't stir much - you want them almost to burn in a few places and cook through but remain crunchy. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the rest of the sprouts.

Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan, heat up and sauté the onion, chilli and mushrooms for a minute or two. Transfer to the sprout bowl.

Leave the pan on high heat and, using a pair of tongs, lift half the tofu from the marinade and gently lay in the pan (be very careful: the oil may spit, and far), space apart, in one layer. Lower the heat to medium and cook for two minutes on each side until nicely caramelised. Transfer to the sprout bowl and repeat with the rest of the tofu.

Once all the tofu is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and return all the cooked ingredients to it. Add the tofu marinade and half the coriander. Toss together and allow to cool slightly in the pan. Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in the remaining sesame oil (extra, if you like) and serve warm, not hot, garnished with sesame seeds and the rest of the coriander.

I served this on top of some streamed brown rice. Delicious!

Its getting cold . . . . must be Curry Time!

In foodie terms, winter is my favourite time of year. You get to bake pies, make stews, roast roasts, and make curries. I know you can do it at any other time of year too . . . . it just feels better in winter!

One curry I have always had an aversion to is the seafood variety. The idea of curry & seafood was on the same page as pizza & seafood to me. But then one night recently, at an Indian restaurant with friends, someone ordered the Southern Indian Prawn curry. It was so good! So, so good! I am so glad I tried it!

So, after a little google-ing, I found this recipe by Jamie Oliver, and it is exactly what you would expect from him: simple, and delicious! Tip - ensure you have everything cut up in advance, as you need to add things quickly.

And no, this isn't outrageously hot: it has a nice warmth too it, and would only taste 'too hot' to someone who had refused to try chili ever before in their lives . . . . in which case, why are you friends with them?

Jamie Oliver's Keralan Fish Curry

• peanut oil

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 20 curry leaves
• Chopped coriander
• 6 shallots, finely sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 x 2.5cm piece of ginger, finely sliced
• 1 green chilli, finely sliced
• 1 tsp chilli powder (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 750g firm white fish cut into chunks
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

Firstly,  heat a lug of groundnut oil in a large pan and fry the mustard seeds with the curry leaves till the seeds start to pop. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli, and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, till softened. 

Mix together the chilli powder and turmeric with a splash of water, no more than a quarter of a cup's worth, and then stir into the pan. Fry for a minute, then add the fish, coconut milk and tomatoes. Season w/ S&P.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked and sauce reduced. Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander, with rice (I used brown b/c I prefer it - basmati is also perfect).