Spicy Beef and Green Olive Empanadas

  

I’ve wanted to try empanadas for a while – found in South America, Latin America, and even parts of Asia they consist of bread / dough / pastry folded around a variety of fillings – including meat, cheese, vegetables or fruit. 
Simply translated, one could call them crescent shaped pies…but the purists may be up in arms. I used puff pastry to wrap around my filling, but you could make your own dough and be a little more authentic – although the puff pastry worked beautifully.

   

I chose a filling of cubes of rump steak and Mediterranean Delicacies Pimento Stuffed Green Olives – as they’re a little spicy, and have no stones they are perfect for this dish. Sprinkled with a delicate spice mix of cumin, chilli and cinnamon and served with a simple dipping sauce they make a great lunch-box filler and are the perfect entertainer’s dish.

    

Makes 6
  
Ingredients:
1 roll puff pastry, thawed
300g rump steak, cut into small cubes (or mince, if you prefer)
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cumin
salt to taste
3 tbsp Mediterranean Delicacies Pimento Stuffed Green Olives, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
sprinkling of pecorino, if desired 
For the dipping sauce:
100ml mayonnaise
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp crushed garlic

Method:
Heat the oven to 180 degrees C. While it’s heating, place a frying pan on a medium high heat, add the olive oil and steak / mince. Fry until coloured, then add the spices and green olives. Remove from the heat. 
Roll out your puff pastry, and cut out circles 10cm in diameter. Place the meat mixture on one half of each circle, being careful not to pile it too high. Fold the other half of the pastry over each little meat circle, pressing closed with the tines of a fork. Brush the top of each half moon with the beaten egg, and top with a sprinkling of pecorino, if using. 
Place on a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes, until the pastry is risen and golden. While they are baking, stir together the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl. 
Place the empanadas on a platter and serve with the dipping sauce.

Simple Salmon Pate

Many people wonder why autumn is my favourite season – so much so, that we decided to get married in the middle of it. But with the glorious days we’re currently having in Cape Town, I hope it’s easier to understand. The slight chill of the mornings, evenings that allow you to wear a scarf – but glorious days filled with gentle sunshine, russet leaves and pale blue skies. My idea of heaven.

This is a simple, stir together dish – that will impress guests, and have you out of the kitchen in 10 minutes. You can use almost any type of salmon – I used cold smoked, but hot smoked would also be delicious, as would a simple seared fillet. Served with slices of baguette and an extra wedge of lemon, it’s a delightfully social dish to enjoy around a table, or even on the couch for a Saturday afternoon movie.

    

Serves 2

Ingredients:
125g cream cheese (your choice of flavour)
50g salmon
small handful of rocket, finely sliced
juice and zest of ½ lemon
1 tbsp Mediterranean Delicacies Caper Berries
freshly ground black pepper
baguette to serve 
 
Method:
Place the cream cheese in a bowl, and soften slightly with a wooden spoon. Add the lemon juice, zest and black pepper. Finely slice the caper berries and add to the cream cheese. Tear the salmon into small strips, and stir into the cream cheese mixture along with the rocket. Place into ramekins, and serve with a sliced baguette and knives for guests to help themselves.

Recipe by the Gorgeous Gourmet -http://www.thegorgeousgourmet.co.za/2013/04/recipe-simple-salmon-pate.html#more

The Ultimate Mediterranean Steak Roll

    

With a busy few days this past week, I was keen for something that I could eat fairly on-the-go – without the hassle of too many pots and pans, knives and forks – but still substantial enough to count as a decent lunch. I decided to adapt the classic Steak Roll into something a little more special…and definitely worthy of the title of “meal” –instead of a snack.

You’ll notice that two of the aspects – the steak and the aubergine – are marinated after they are cooked. It may sound a little strange, but it results in a juicy, tender steak – and delicious, flavourful aubergines. These aubergines were really a revelation for me - normally when cooking them you're careful that they don't absorb too much oil - but here, they are sweet, tender and juicy - absolutely perfect.  You’ll notice I don’t really advise much in terms of quantities – feel free to add as much of each “layer” to the roll as you enjoy.

The Ultimate Mediterranean Steak Roll

Serves 1

Ingredients:

12cm portion of baguette, sliced horizontally 
smear of butter
Mediterranean Delicacies Olive Tapenade
Mediterranean Delicacies Tzatziki
baby tomatoes
rocket
For the steak:
200g rump or fillet steak
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ crushed garlic clove
dash of olive oil
thyme leaves, removed from the stalk
salt and pepper to taste 
 For the aubergine:
baby aubergines, sliced thinly horizontally
1 tbsp olive oil
½ crushed garlic clove

   

Method: 
Heat a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Coat your steak in a little olive oil, season and  fry until done to your liking. Remove from the pan and allow to rest on a board. In a small rectangular dish, add the balsamic vinegar, garlic, olive oil and thyme, stir until mixed. Slice the steak into thin (ish) slices, and add to the vinegar mixture, stirring until each slice is well coated. Allow to rest.

In the same frying pan, add a little olive oil, and your aubergine slices over a medium high heat. Fry on each side until slightly charred and mostly tender. 
 Remove from the heat and place in a bowl, with the remaining olive oil and garlic – stir until well combined. 
 To assemble – butter each side of your baguette, spreading olive tapenade on one side, and tzatziki on the other. Top with the rocket, halved cherry tomatoes, aubergine and finally the steak slices. Close the sandwich and enjoy.

Recipe by the Gorgeous Gourmet - http://www.thegorgeousgourmet.co.za/2013/04/recipe-ultimate-mediterranean-steak-roll.html

Chicken and Olive Oven Bake

I hosted my first official ‘guests’ for lunch at our new flat this past weekend – as we are still busy unpacking, putting up curtains and sorting out light fittings, I needed something low-maintenance, but still a little special for the parents. 
   

This baked chicken ticks all the boxes – unbelievably moist (as it’s cooked in stock) with a special appearance by roasted lemon andMediterranean Delicacies’ Green Olives, ended off with a dash of cream – it’s a special dish which your guests will think you spent hours preparing : when, in truth, you arranged it in a dish, placed it in the oven – and brought it to the table. It’s so easy, in fact, you’ll see that most of the ingredients are measured in handfuls. If that isn’t a sign of a throw-together-dish, I’m not quite sure what is. 

   

Ideally I wanted to serve this with preserved lemons – but didn’t plan far enough in advance to make these sweet, tart beauties – so I roasted them instead. Something I definitely think I’ll do again in future. Another trick I learned was roasting the chicken pieces half in stock – the meat stays deliciously moist, while the skin crisps as normal. Also, you’re left with an instant sauce when it’s finished roasting. Genius.

Ingredients:
1 large chicken, jointed (or 8 chicken pieces, if you prefer)
400ml chicken stock
1 lemon, cut into wedges
small handful of fresh thyme leaves, removed from the stalk
lemon salt (or normal salt) to taste
small handful cherry tomatoes
small handful Mediterranean Delicacies Green Olives (from the 700g tub)
100ml cream to serve

Method:
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, in an even layer in an ovenproof dish (I’m obsessed with my Le Creuset Buffet Casserole). Place the lemon wedges around the chicken pieces, along with the cherry tomatoes and green olives. Pour the chicken stock in between the chicken pieces – avoiding getting the skin wet. Add stock until it just covers most of the chicken meat – you may need to add more stock, or not use all 400ml, depending on the size of your chicken pieces and oven dish. Top with the thyme and lemon salt, and place in the oven.
Roast for approximately 25 -35 minutes – until the chicken is cooked and the skin is crisped. Pour the cream in between the chicken pieces, shake the pan gently, and serve.

Original Post by The Gorgeous Gourmet - http://www.thegorgeousgourmet.co.za/2013/04/recipe-chicken-and-olive-oven-bake.html

Pissaladiere Inspired Bread

  

There are some things I’m willing to spend time on. Homemade short crust pastry, slow cooked lamb shanks, or making koeksusters or salted caramel from scratch. However, making bread is not one of those things. A combination of my fear of yeast and the kneading-resting-kneading-resting pattern, still has it safely in my no-go zone. Perhaps contributing to this, is the fact that I’ve discovered my local grocery store sells bread dough by the kilo – fresh, yeasty goodness ready to be made into whatever loaf you choose.

Keeping with my bread-laziness, but still wanting a quick, tasty lunch time snack, I transformed my kilogram of bread dough into a pissaladière inspired loaf. Traditionally a pizza like dish made in southern France, it is topped with caramelised onions, olives and anchovies – my version has a little added thyme for good measure. 

I used plump juicy Calamata Olives from Mediterranean Delicacies – now available in a generous 700g tub, it’s the perfect size to cook with…leaving just enough to snack on every time you pass the fridge. This make an impressive dome of a loaf – made to be cut into door-stop size wedges, and enjoyed with lashings of salted butter.

Ingredients:
1kg bread dough
2 onions, sliced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter
300g Mediterranean Delicacies Calamata Olives, stones removed (from the 700g tub)
leaves from 5 stalks of fresh thyme
2 tbsp anchovies
 
Method:
Melt the butter in a medium sized frying pan, add the sliced onions and cook over a medium high heat, until softened. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until evaporated. Add 100ml water to the onions, along with the thyme leaves. Allow to simmer until all the water has evaporated – about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, and cook the onions (while stirring) until the darken in colour and become sticky. Remove from the heat. 

Heat your oven to 180 degrees C. Place the bread dough in your oven dish of choice – I used my 26cm Le Creuset Buffet Casserole – and stretch it until it is in an even layer. Spoon over the caramelised onions, sprinkle over the olives and lay over the anchovies.  Bake for 30 – 45 minutes (depending on the dish used) – it is ready when a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Enjoy at room temperature – this keeps very well and can last at least 2 days if covered.

This post was done by The Gorgeous Gourmet. Original post - http://www.thegorgeousgourmet.co.za/2013/04/recipe-pissaladiere-inspired-bread.html