Category: Stews

Hungarian lamb and spinach stew ‘Banat style’

I have been trying out some traditional Hungarian recipes, using a book called Cuisine of Hungary by George Lang. It includes a history of Hungary, it’s regions and culinary styles. The recipes I have tried so far are very straight-forward with ingredients that are readily available locally. 

Banat is a germanic region in central Europe, including the south of Hungary, Romania and Bosnia. One of the features of this area is the use of cream cheeses, and more lamb than in other regions. This recipe benefits from using local lamb with lots of flavour.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 kilo of lamb for stew. I used lamb chops because that was what was available. 
  • seasoned flour
  • 100g lard
  • 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tsp hot paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
  • 600g spinach
  • 50g ricotta
  • 100ml sour cream
  • Optional: a pinch of tarragon

METHOD:

  • Coat the meat in the seasoned flour, and then fry it in hot lard until it is seared, and then remove to a plate. 
  • In the same fat, fry the sliced onion until it starts to colour
  • Scoop the onion into the bottom of a casserole dish, and mix in paprika and salt to taste
  • On top of the onion, add the meat and then the spinach, and then around 150ml water or lamb stock. Bring to a simmer and cook at a low heat for around an hour. Check every 10 minutes or so and add a little water if required. Only add small amounts of water each time. 
  • Once the meat is cooked, stir in the ricotta and sour cream, and any herbs. Simmer for a few minutes.
  • Serve with rice. I also added a side dish of carrot salad. 

 

 

Sausage and celery casserole

At the moment, our local shopping has been impacted by the cyberattack on the Co-op. It has greatly altered the availability of all sorts of things. I have been avoiding going to the shops and using up what I have. This time, from the freezer, I had a pound of sausages, some ham stock, and the only vegetable I had was half a head of celery. I also have a lot of garlic and lots of tins of this and that. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Olive oil
  • 1 pack of sausages (around 400 to 450g)
  • 1/2 head of celery
  • A good pinch of dried peperoncini or other chilli flakes
  • 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • Half a glass of white wine
  • Around 200ml ham stock (or chicken stock)
  • A tin of chickpeas in water – do not drain the chickpeas
  • Lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • Chopped parsley and potatoes to serve

METHOD:

  • Heat a little oil in the bottom of a large pan, and fry the sausages over a medium heat while you prepare the other ingredients. Turn them so they brown evenly. 
  • Slice the celery, leaves and stems, and chop the garlic.
  • Remove the browned sausages from the pan, and turn to a low to medium heat with a bit of extra oil.
  • Add the chilli flakes, and as soon as they start to sizzle, add the garlic and stir for a minute or two. 
  • Before the garlic starts to scorch, add the wine, stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan, and then add the celery, stock, chickpeas and the water in the chickpea can (this will thicken the gravy in the casserole). Add grated lemon zest, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer and then add the sausages. 
  • Cover and simmer for around 30 minutes. Once the celery is tender, it should be ready but if there is too much liquid for your liking, take off the lid and simmer to reduce this for around five minutes. 
  • Adjust seasoning and add a squeeze of lemon juice. 

I served this with new potatoes, the whole lot garnished with chopped parsley. 

Fesenjan: walnut and pomegranate stew – with goose breast – version 1 with beetroot

This is an adaptation from a classic Persian recipe. Traditionally, it is made with duck legs, and simmered slowly until the duck meat is tender. It can be made with goose legs as well, simmering for five hours or more. However, I had goose breast meat which goes strangely dry and stringy if overcooked, so it is best flash-fried in thin strips and then added to the stew at the end. 

Everyone says their version is the best, and there are variations. Next time I make this, I will be trying out using butternut squash. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp duck fat
  • 2 goose breasts, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 100ml pomegranate molasses
  • 100g walnuts, toasted, cooled and ground finely in a food processer
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 1 beetroot about the size of a tennis ball, peeled and diced
  • a pinch of saffron
  • a small cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • chopped parsley to garnish

METHOD:

  • In a large pan, melt the fat and saute the onions over a low medium heat until it softens. 
  • Add the stock, walnuts, pomegranate molases, and spices and bring to a simmer.
  • Add the diced beetroot and simmer very gently until the beetroot is cooked. 
  • In a hot pan, melt duck fat, and fry the strips of goose meat until they are browned and still tender and moist. 
  • Add the meat to the sauce, heat through and serve with rice, and garnished with chopped parsley. 

Venison goulash

This is inspired by the excellent shops online, selling Hungarian food. I tried out ‘best of Hungary’ which did me proud, but there are many others. I would love to visit Hungary, I am googling the methods on ‘the man in seat 61’.  I bought a tube of goulash seasoning to appease my longing. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp beef dripping or lard
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 200g celery, diced
  • 1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, ground for preference
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 bayleaves
  • 2 1/2 tbsp hot smoked paprika (or use mild smoked paprika if you prefer) 
  • 900g stewing venison, in small cubes
  • 1 can tinned tomatoes
  • 2 red peppers, skinned and sliced into rings (or use 2 tbsp red pepper puree)
  • 1 tbsp goulash paste
  • 1 litre beef stock
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 400g waxy potatoes, diced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • A bunch of parsley stems
  • a litre of hot water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100g csipetke – Hungarian pinched pasta – or use Italian soup pasta or orzo pasta. 

That seems like a lot of ingredients, but the recipe is easy. 

METHOD:

  • Heat the lard in a very large saucepan or casserole dish. Add the onions and celery and cook over a low-medium heat for around 8 minutes, stirring so they don’t burn.
  • Add the caraway seeds, black pepper and bayleaves and cook for a further two minutes.  
  • Turn off the heat, and add the paprika, and stir in well. Add a little stock or hot water to help it mix. It is a lot of paprika. 
  • Add the venison and garlic, stir it all together and cook over a medium heat until the meat starts to brown. 
  • Add the tomaotes, peppers, goulash paste and the stock. The meat should be covered well buy the stock. 
  • Cover and simmer for an hour and a half. 
  • Add the carrots, parsnips and potatoes, along with the parsley, and add enough hot water to cover the ingredients by a couple of centimeters. Season with salt, bring to the boil, and then simmer, uncovered, for around 15 minutes.
  • Add the csipetke pasta and boil uncovered for another 15 minutes. Check the seasoning before serving.  

This is excellent with red wine, and cabbage as a side-dish. 

Stewed broad beans with tomatoes and bacon

I am testing broad bean recipes, many of them involve bacon, or herbs, or both. This is a robust stew from Umbria, for when you have a lot of broad beans. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1kg shelled broad beans
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 200g smoked pancetta, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • Dried pepperoncini flakes (or any chilli flakes)
  • 2 cans of chopped tomatoes
  • Fresh parsley

METHOD:

  • Heat some oil in a large casserole dish or heavy saucepan, and slowly fry the pancetta, carrots, onions and celery for around 10 minutes, when the pancetta should be starting to brown. 
  • Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for another couple of minutes, before adding the beans and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. 
  • Simmer for around 20 to 30 minutes, when the beans should be tender. Take off the heat, and garnish with a swirl of good olive oil and some chopped parsley. 

I had this with bread and pecorino cheese. There are variations as well, you can add some chopped chard, or cooked peas, or artichoke hearts, or use fewer tomatoes. You can substitute basil or mint for the parsley. You could stick a poached duck egg on the top. 

Sausage, black pudding and parsnips

This is a recipe from Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries. This is a splendid book of cooking day by day through the year. The dishes are generally quick, easy, delicious, and easy to adapt. The book is also well-indexed so finding a recipe for an ingredient is simple. 

For this recipe, the first time I tried it, I was a bit frustrated. My roasting tray did not heat evenly on the gas hob, and turned out to be too small for all the ingredients. I singed the onions, and ended up with too much stock at the end. I have adapted the recipe to suit my kitchen. In the original recipe, everything is fried off in a roasting tray and then stock added, before putting in the oven. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Four thick sausages, cut into thirds
  • A small black pudding, around 250g to 300g, in thick slices
  • 2 medium or one very large onion
  • Vegetable oil
  • Parsnips, around 4 (400g-500g) – peeled and cut into large chunks
  • A pinch of dried thyme
  • 250ml chicken stock

METHOD:

  • Set the oven to 190C
  • Peel the onions and cut into slim wedges, around 8 pieces for a medium onionc. 
  • Heat some oil in a large casserole dish over a medium flame, and add the onions, and let them soften. 
  • After about five minutes, add the parsnips and cook them until they start to colour. 
  • In a separate pan, fry off the sausages and then add them to the casserole dish. Do the same with the sliced black pudding. Make sure the sausage and the black pudding are a good colour on the outside before adding to the casserole dish. 
  • Stir in the chicken stock and thyme, and bring to a simmer. 
  • Put the dish into the oven without a lid for thirty to forty minutes. The parsnips should be really tender, and the stock should have cooked down to a sticky glaze. 

We served this with sprouts, because I love them. However, with the parsnips and all the flavour, you don’t need anything else. To help it stretch to feed more, serve with mashed potato. 

 

Meatballs and beans in a lemon sauce.

This is a delicious recipe from Ottolenghi’s ‘Jerusalem’ which is one of my favourite recipe books. It has a sense of Persia about it, and for a while I was trying to find it in another book. I used up a couple of reduced lamb steaks and some beef mince, as well as some broad beans from the freezer to make this. It is easiest to make if you have a mincer; mine is electric and very efficient. 

INGREDIENTS: 

For the meatballs:

  • 300g beef mince
  • 200g lamb mince (or mince some lamb)
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 120g breadcrumbs (I put three large slices of stale wholemeal bread in a blender)
  • 2tbsp each of chopped mint, coriander and parsley
  • 1 tsp dried dill (or 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped if it is available)
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp baharat spice mix (I got mine from Seasoned Pioneers) 
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp capers, chopped
  • 1 large egg, beaten

For the Sauce:

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 300 to 400g broad beans, fresh or frozen
  • 1 tsp dried thyme, or the leaves from 4 fresh sprigs
  • 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • a bunch of spring onions, in 2cm segments, or a chopped shallot
  • juice of half a lemon (around 2 tbsp, or to taste)
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • In a large bowl, mix the meatball ingredients together. If you have a mincer, feed the mixture through the mincer after mixing, to ensure the ingredients are chopped and mixed together. 
  • Divide the mixture into 24 meatballs, about the size of a pingpong ball. Put them on an oiled baking tray, and leave them in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. 
  • Heat the oven up to high, and then put the chilled meatballs in for 5 minutes, until they are browned. 
  • Meanwhile, if you are feeling keen, poach the broad beans and remove the skins. Personally I like the skins and generally leave them on. The original recipe suggests half and half. 
  • In a large casserole pan, heat the olive oil. When it is hot, fry the spring onion, thyme and garlic over a medium heat for 3 minutes or so. 
  • Add the unpeeled broad beans, 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, 80ml stock, 1/4 tsp salt and lots of black pepper. Poach the beans in the stock for 10 minutes.
  • Add the meatballs with the remaining stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes over a low heat. At this juncture, you could turn the heat off and do something else, and come back to reheat. 
  • Just before serving, check to see if there is enough sauce. Stir in mixed chopped fresh herbs (mint, coriander, parsley, dill) and the peeled beans.

I served this with plain rice, my daugher got a wee take-away from me, and served hers with orzo pasta and pinenuts. Both delicious. 

Sausage casserole with smoked paprika

We are in that zone where the deliveries to our island shops are unpredictable, with bad weather and uncertainty with ferry maintenance. The consequence can be that the local shops have to sell volumes of short-dated groceries, and I managed to buy a lot of sausages, which are now in a number of local freezers. There was also a good supply of spinach leaves. Another top tip – if you are freezing overstocked spinach, steam it first and freeze it in 100g or 200g containers. 

This recipe came from a local collection of recipes, there are a few other sausage recipes in there. I do have a weakness for sausage casserole, so delicious with potatoes and green vegetables. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 large stick of celery, chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
  • 1 pack of six sausages, around 400g
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (2x400g)
  • 1 can of cannellini beans, drained
  • 1 large or two small bags of spinach, around 250g

METHOD:

  • In a large casserole dish, heat the olive oil and then fry the onion for five minutes, medium heat. 
  • Next, add the celery, garlic and peppers, stir together and cook for another five minutes
  • Add the spices, and turn the heat up for a minute or two, then add the sausages. Cook until they are beginning to brown, and then add the tomatoes and beans, and bring to a simmer. 
  • Cover and cook for 40 minutes. Once the casserole is cooked, add the spinach and bring back to a simmer. 

Serve with mashed potatoes or brown rice, as well as side dishes of vegetables. 

Rabbit with white wine and celery

Another rabbit recipe. I keep finding more, and I’m still working through them; who knew there were so many? This one was especially tasty, and I would make it again, no bother. It might be good with green olives as well. I served it with polenta, but mashed potatoes would be good as well. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 1 wild rabbit, jointed
  • 30g butter, or a mixture of butter and lard
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes, or 250g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 300ml dry white wine
  • salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • In a large casserole dish or lidded saucepan, brown the rabbit pieces in the butter and lard. Remove from the pan and put to one side
  • In the butter and lard, brown the onion for five minutes, and then add the celery and garlic for another couple of minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, and simmer for five minutes
  • Return the rabbit to the pan, and pour over the white wine. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer
  • Reduce the heat and cook slowly for around 2 hours, or until the rabbit is nice and tender. If the sauce is looking a bit dry, add some more wine. 

Serve with polenta or mashed potatoes. 

Rabbit with saffron, almonds and pine nuts

We used some wild rabbit to make this, which takes quite a bit of cooking until it is tender.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large rabbit, jointed into five or six pieces
  • 600ml stock (vegetable or chicken stock)
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 6 cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground mace or a blade of mace
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 50g pine nuts
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • a pinch of saffron
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

METHOD:

  • Rinse the rabbit pieces, and drop them into boiling water. Bring the water to the boil, then drain and rinse the rabbit in cold water.
  • Put the blanched rabbit into a saucepan with half of the stock, and simmer over a low heat. Check from time to time, and top up with a little water if there is a risk of the dish boiling dry. I simmered our rabbit for an hour. 
  • Mix the rest of the stock with the ground almonds and bring to a simmer. I used a stick blender to ensure that the almonds and the stock were well blended and finely mixed. 
  • Mix the rabbit and the almond mixture, and add the mace, cloves and cinnamon, as well as the pine nuts and sugar. Bring back to a simmer, and cook until the rabbit is tender. 
  • Meanwhile, put the saffron in a small glass or jug and add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water, and let this stand for twenty minutes. 
  • When the rabbit is cooked, add the saffron water and the red wine vinegar, bring back to the boil briefly, before serving. 

We had this with celeriac and potato mash, and some root vegetables.