Tag Archives: Dinner

Hamburger Buns

Makes 8 large buns.

Having worked as a cook and being a recipe developer and food obsessed in general people often ask me, “What’s your favourite food”? They expect some fancy answer like Canard a l’Orange or Boeuf Bourguignon. I can actually see their facial expressions go from inquisitive to complete disappointment when I tell them that it is just Hamburgers. I love them.

Not just any ol’ hamburger. But my own, with home-made hamburger buns, home made sauce, home made pickles, the whole shebang. I would never, ever buy pre-shaped hamburger patties, because I just don’t trust the seasoning, most of the time they have unhealthy ingredients and they’re so much fun to make at home. And you have the freedom to do whatever you want. Also pre shaped burgers tend to be too compact for my liking, and end up being rubbery, Yuck. But it all begins with a good bun so here we go.

Of course you can eat the buns with something else, for breakfast with egg and bacon, or for lunch with a tuna salad for example. They freeze very well.

Ingredients:

1 C. luke warm water about ° F

1/4 C.luke warm milk, soy or regular. (I use Soy)

1 tbsp. instant yeast

2 tbsp Honey

1 egg, at room temperature

2 1/2 tbsp. butter

3 C. Spelt flour

1 1/2 C. Whole grain Spelt flour

1 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt

1 egg beaten for glaze

1 or 2 tbsp. sesame seeds for sprinkling on top

Method:

Mix the first 4 ingredients in the bowl of your food processor, set with the hook attachment. Let the yeast proof for 5 minutes until frothy.

Add the egg and butter, and mix a few turns. Set the processor on low and slowly add the flours and the salt. Knead for 10 minutes.

Turn out the dough on a floured surface, and give it a few turns and shape into a ball.

Put into a bowl sprayed with oil and cover with oil sprayed cling film. Let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Until double in size.

Take the dough out of the bowl and put it back on your work surface sprinkled with a little flour. Knead a few times and shape into 8 buns. Put them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Brush the buns with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover the buns with cling film that has been sprayed with oil. Let rise for 30 min. No longer because they will keep on rising.

Preheat the oven to 400 °F.

Bake the buns for 15 minutes, turning them once half way. Let cool on a rack.

Epic Lasagna

Leave a reply

Serves 6.

Preparation: 1 hrs.

Cooking time 35-40 min.

This family favorite is a cross between moussaka and Lasagna.

The sauce is simmered for hours to fully develop the flavours, and includes bacon and red wine.

It’s even better if you make the ragú the day before. The Eggplant or Aubergine, is thinly sliced and grilled with some olive oil. This adds a nice smokey flavour and is then layered between the pasta and sauces. Much like Moussaka.

This recipe is for 6 people, but you can easily double the recipe, make two dishes and freeze one before the oven cooking step. You will need to cover it very well with foil and cling wrap, then it will keep for 3 months in the freezer. When you want to bake it, take it out the evening before and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove all the wrapping and bake as stated in the recipe.

You will need :

An 8″ x 11″ x 3″ Casserole dish

12 sheets of dried Spelt (or regular) Lasagna sheets

Ingredients for the Ragú;

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. smoked bacon, diced

1 medium onion, peeled and diced small

1 celery stalk, chopped fine

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated or crushed

2 bay leaves

1 lb. minced beef

1 15 oz. can tomatoes

1 15 oz. Passata

2 organic stock cubes, beef or chicken

1 tbsp. sugar

1 glass of red wine

2 tsp. dried Basil

2 tsp. dried Oregano

1/2 tsp. Sage

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1/4 tsp. All Spice

2 Bay Leaves

1/4 C. chopped Parsley

1 can of water.

For the Eggplant;

2 Eggplants, washed and sliced 1/4 ” thick

cooking oil spray

For the Bechamel;

3 tbsp. olive oil (or butter)

3 tbsp. flour

3 1/2 C. milk

a good grating of Nutmeg

1 organic stock cube, beef or chicken

1 C. grated cheese, a mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella

Method:

Ragú:

Put a large pot on high heat with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground beef and the bacon and cook for 7 minutes until brown. Add all the chopped vegetables. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the stock cubes ( I always crumble them up between my fingers), and the sugar. Give it a stir. Add the tomato paste and fry for one minute before adding the glass of red wine. Now add both cans of tomato plus one can of water. Add all the dried herbs and the Parsley. Cover half with a lid and simmer on low heat for about two hours. Check once in a while to see if you need to add more water. Alternatively you can transfer the sauce to a slow cooker. Set on high for about one hour until it bubbles then reduce to low and cook for four hours. When the sauce is done, check for seasoning, add a grinding of pepper and add some salt if necessary. Remove the bay leaves. You should end up with 4 cups of sauce. Add liquid if necessary.

Bechamel:

You need to use a pan with a very thick bottom so the sauce doesn’t stick or burn easily. Heat the olive oil and add the flour all at once. Stir in the milk, very little at a time so you do not get any lumps. Stir constantly. Adding milk bit by bit.

You should end up with a silky smooth sauce like this.

Add Nutmeg and the stock cube (crumbled up) and let simmer for about ten minutes to cook the flour. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Eggplant:

Wash the Eggplants and cut off the crown. Cut in 1/4″slices. Heat a large Griddle pan and spray the pan. Put in enough slices to cover the pan with just one layer of Eggplant. When ready to turn spray the top and turn over the slices. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate when done. Repeat with all the slices.

Preheat oven to 400° F.

To assemble:

Oil the Casserole dish generously. Start with a thin layer of sauce, then layer the rest like this;

lasagna sheets
sauce
Eggplant
Bechamel
Grated cheese

The last layer should just be Lasagna sheets, bechamel and cheese.

Put in to the preheated oven and bake until brown and bubbling, for about 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for at least ten minutes before cutting.

Buon Appetito.

My Grandmothers Meat Balls

Leave a reply

There is something very comforting about meat balls. I always have a batch in the freezer for When I don’t know what to make for dinner. This recipe is how my grandmother used to make them. They have to simmer for quit a while, but then you end up with really juicy meat balls. The great thing about meat balls is that they are so versatile. You can put them in sandwiches, serve them over pasta with tomato sauce, have them as a snack. Or even slices them and top them with melted cheese, put them in a bun and pretend it’s a hamburger. This is a pretty classic recipe, but I also like making variations like Italian meatballs with parmesan cheese, or Indonesian with cumin, coriander and sate sauce. The possibilities are endless. I hope you enjoy these.

I recommend you use half pork half beef for the meat balls to get a juicier result. Only beef could end up a bit dry. If you do want to use only beef I suggest you add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the ground beef.

Serves 4.

Ingredients;

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, peeled and diced very small

1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated or chopped very fine

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. black pepper, or a few twists of the mill

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. cardamom

1/8 tsp. allspice

a pinch of cayenne

1 egg, beaten

1/4 C. dried breadcrumbs*

1/2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tbsp honey

a few splashed of Worcestershire sauce

1 C. beef stock (from a cube if you like)

Method;

Start of by gently cooking the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low heat until just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and let cool. In a bowl mix all the remaining ingredients and shape into about 8 meat balls.

Heat a frying pan with the remaining oil and brown the meat balls all over, now lower the heat and sprinkle the meat balls with the flour, add the tomato paste, 1 tbsp honey, the Worcestershire sauce and a cup of beef stock. Stir everything and set the heat to very low. Partially cover with a lid and let simmer for an hour.

Spelt Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and bacon,

4 Replies

At first I was reluctant to share this recipe with you because it was so simple and made in about 15 minutes tops. But after devouring a plate of it (a bit too much perhaps), I felt it would be very selfish to keep this from you. It’s utter comfort food made in minutes.

Ingredients:

1 lbs. Spelt pasta, one pack

1/2 C. organic bacon, diced

2 cloves of garlic, grated (or thru your garlic crusher)

a punnet of cherry tomatoet, washed and cut in half

a handfull of green olives sliced

2 tbsp. fresh oregano, or otherwise about 1 tsp dried

2 tbsp. capers, drained

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 C. toasted pine nuts

Start by putting the pasta in salted boiling water and cook for 7 to 9 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the bacon in a hot pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil. When almost done add the cherry tomatoes, garlic and olives. Then add the oregano. From the pan where you are boiling your pasta, scoop a ladle into the pan with your bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile the pasta should be cooked, drain but do not rinse, add it to the pan with your bacon and olives and so forth. Add the capers. Toss together and serve immediatly. Drizzle over the rest of the olive oil and scatter with the remaining fresh oregano and the toasted pine nuts.

Serve with extra grated Parmesan cheese if you like.