Five hour lamb

I found this recipe in a little column in The Times and have made it many times.  It only takes a few minutes to prepare and is rich and delicious and perfect for a winter's evening.  I use a whole bottle of good red wine and about 1 litre of stock but the quantities will depend on the size of your pot.

Five hour lamb

Take a leg of lamb, put it in a pot with some chunks of veg - potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, fennel, turnip - whatever you like, add some herbs (rosemary and thyme are good), some pepper and some cloves of garlic.  Pour in enough red wine and stock to come about half way up the pot, put the lid on and cook at 160C for five hours.  The liquid will reduce naturally until it’s sticky and gorgeous and the meat falls off the bone.  Check it after four hours to make sure there is enough liquid.  If you haven’t put potatoes in with the veg serve with a big bowl of mashed potato - or serve it out of the pot just as it is.

Tapas

Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, originally Spanish cuisine but which now can  include other cuisines such as Italian or even Vietnamese.  The recipes here are all Spanish based, but you can add anything you like as long as the servings are small and easy to eat.  Tapas are almost always shared, and the best part of a meal where you serve tapas is that it is designed to encourage good conversation and sharing food.  Most of these recipes all rely heavily on paprika and lots of garlic and olive oil, and you should always include lots of marinated olives.  Serve with a good Spanish wine, a large jug of sangria or mojitos.  ¡Salud!

Almendras al Pimentòn (Smoked paprika almonds)

Ingredients

2 ½ cups raw almonds

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

½ teaspoon smoked sweet Spanish paprika (or hot paprika), to taste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.   Spread the almonds onto an ungreased baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almonds are golden brown and giving off a toasted aroma. Watch carefully after 7 minutes because they burn quickly.

While the nuts are toasting, combine the sea salt and the smoked paprika in a small spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind to combine into a fine powder. (I left mine a little bit coarse because I like having bigger flakes of salt!

Once the almonds are out of the oven, drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Add extra oil if not all the nuts are coated. Sprinkle with the salt and paprika mixture and stir again. Transfer to serving bowls and serve at room temperature.

Artichokes Al Ajillo (artichokes in garlic sauce)

Serves: 4

Ingredients

½ cup virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 whole bulb garlic, peeled and minced

10 cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 can or 1 package of artichoke hearts (about 2 cups)

Freshly cracked pepper

Sea salt

Instructions

Add olive oil and butter into a frying pan and turn heat to medium

Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. If garlic is turning brown too quickly turn the heat to low.

Add tomatoes and cook stirring for 2 minutes

Add wine and reduce for 2 minutes

Add artichoke hearts and cook for 5 minutes.

Add pepper and salt to taste

Transfer to a bowl and garnish with a rosemary sprig (optional)

Serve with crusty bread to mop up the garlic butter.

Serrano Ham Wrapped Plums 

If plums are in season, use them instead of the of the traditional melon - the slight tartness of fresh plums works well with the salty smokiness of Spanish Serrano ham.  You can use proscuitto if you can't find Serrano ham.

Ingredients

Serrano ham (thinly sliced)

Plums cut into quarters (red or yellow)

Tear up slices of the Serrano ham and wrap around the plum wedges then skewer before serving.

Gambas al Ajillo (Prawns with garlic)

Sweet prawns in a roasted garlic oil — and don’t let that oil go to waste. Sop up the leftovers at the bottom of the dish with good Spanish bread.

Ingredients :

1/3 cup olive oil

50g garlic, roughly chopped (about 5 cloves)

1 teaspoon pimentón (paprika)

450 g raw green prawns, peeled and deveined

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley to garnish

Put your oven rack in the middle position and heat to 200 degrees

Add the oil and garlic to a cast iron pan and heat over medium high heat. Fry the garlic until it just starts to turn brown around the edges. Add the paprika, and stir to combine.

Add the prawns in a single layer, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the prawns are pink and opaque all the way through (about 2-3 minutes).

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with the parsley. Toss the prawns to coat with the oil and serve with crusty bread.

Mojo Picon Pork Skewers

Who doesn’t love food on a stick? This Spanish pork dish is as simple as it is tasty, especially alongside a glass of red wine.

Ingredients :

500 g pork fillet 

1 teaspoon hot or sweet paprika (pimentón)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

drizzle of olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mojo picón:

1 slice white bread

4–5 tablespoons Spanish olive oil, plus extra for frying

2 garlic cloves

5 dried cayenne chillies

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon sweet paprika (pimentón)

2 teaspoons sherry or white wine vinegar

Salt

Trim the pork fillet of any excess fat and then cut into 2-cm cubes. Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and add the paprika, cumin, some black pepper, oregano, thyme and garlic. Mix well, drizzle over the olive oil and leave to marinate for at least an hour, but anything up to 2 days is fine.

Meanwhile, make the mojo picón. Start by frying the bread in a little olive oil, drain on kitchen paper and tear into pieces. Using a pestle and mortar, mash together the garlic, cayenne chillies, cumin seeds, paprika, fried bread, vinegar and salt until you have a smooth paste. You could also use a food processor for this bit. Start adding the olive oil in a thin drizzle while you are still mixing.

When you are ready to cook the pinchos, thread the meat on to skewers (if you are using wooden skewers it’s a good idea to soak them in water for 30 minutes to stop them burning). Pinchos morunos can be cooked over charcoal (the best way), under a hot grill or in a frying pan over a very high heat. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side – you want them to be cooked through but still juicy on the inside. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the mojo picón.

Patatas Bravas (Potatoes with spicy tomato sauce) 

The perfect snack — crispy potatoes and spicy tomato sauce make up this classic Spanish potato recipe.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

2 1/4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

 small pinch chilli flakes

1 can whole tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups 1/2-inch cubed potatoes

salt to taste

1/2 cup diced Spanish chorizo

To make the brava sauce, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and chilli flakes; sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and vinegar. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Blend the sauce in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Put to one side.

Coat the potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a baking tray.  Cook in a hot oven for 30 minutes or until crispy and golden.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until it begins to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a serving bowl, add the potatoes, and stir to combine.

Add 1/4 cup (or more, if you prefer) of reheated sauce and toss. (You will have some left over.) Season with sea salt.

Goat’s cheese tapas with paprika, garlic and roasted peppers

Using typical Spanish ingredients, this is quick and easy to prepare and has a deliciously smoky, yet salty taste. Roasted garlic and paprika are mixed with fresh, soft goat cheese, then spread over rustic bread and topped with roasted peppers or sun-dried tomatoes and capers.

Ingredients :

4-5 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp virgin olive oil

4-6 oz fresh goat cheese

1/2 tsp Spanish paprika

1/4 cup roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped

2-3 Tbsp capers, drained

1 rustic baguette

Remove goat cheese from the fridge and allow to warm to room temperature.

Heat oven to 180 degrees. Place the garlic cloves, unpeeled on a pan and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top. Place in oven hot oven and roast until garlic is soft – approximately 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Add the paprika to the goat cheese and mix. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the cheese. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and mix.

Cut baguette into slices about a 1/3-inch thick. Brush with olive oil and grill on the braai or in a griddle pan.    Spread cheese mixture on each slice. Place sun-dried tomatoes and a caper or two onto each slice of bread.

Sadza with roast butternut and cheese

I found this recipe on a vegetarian blog and adapted it from using polenta to sadza.  It’s lovely with a roast or braai and even people who profess not to like sadza will eat it!  If you want it to be firm enough to cut into slices it’s important to let it cool down completely in the fridge before baking it, so you need to start it fairly early in the day.

Sadza with roast butternut and cheese

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, peeled and sliced into 1 inch cubes

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried sage, crumbled

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6 cups water

2 cups sadza (or polenta)

1 chicken stock cube

a little butter

1/2 cup smoked Gouda (or similar cheese), grated

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Arrange the butternut on a large oiled baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a bowl and mash roughly.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and sage and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden.

Put 2 cups of sadza, 6 cups of boiling water, a chicken stock cube and 1/4 tsp salt in a microwave proof bowl and stir well until there are no lumps.  Microwave on high for 4 minutes, stir well and then microwave for another 4 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter along with the mashed butternut, onion, Gouda and half of the grated Parmesan. Pour the hot sadza into a buttered large cast-iron pot or ovenproof frying pan. Flatten the top of the sadza slightly without spreading it to the edges and put it in the fridge until firm, (about 3 hours).

Rub the surface of the sadza with a little softened butter and sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmesan. Bake in a 200°C oven for 1 hour, until the top and sides are lightly browned and crisp. Let stand for 20 minutes before cutting it into wedges.

Potato bake

Potato bakes are easy and lovely with a Sunday roast or a braai. The first is Mandy's version of potatoes dauphinoise or au gratin, the second is one that I found in an Italian recipe book (Italian Vegetables) that uses mascarpone and bay leaves.

Mandy's potato bake

Ingredients

(quantities will vary depending on the number of people you need to feed)

potatoes

garlic (chopped)

fresh rosemary (or thyme)

butter

salt and pepper

grated cheese

cream (one tub of cream is usually enough, you don't want it too wet)

a little olive oil

Peel and slice the potatoes (about 1/4 inch thick). Put a little olive oil in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, do layers of potato, chopped garlic, rosemary, dabs of butter, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Grate a little cheese over the top. Pour cream into the potato. Bake in oven at 200 C for about an hour or until golden on top.

Potatoes with mascarpone and bay leaves

(patate al latte, mascarpone e alloro)

Ingredients

4 fresh bay leaves (or more to taste)

400 g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

150 g mascarpone

200 ml milk

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.  Butter an ovenproof dish and put 2 bay leaves in the bottom.  Arrange the potatoes in the dish in layers.  Put the Mascarpone and milk in a small saucepan and season well with salt and pepper.  Add a couple of bay leaves and slowly bring to the boil, whisking to dissolve any lumps.  Pour the mixture over the potatoes and if you like a strong bay flavour tuck in bay leaves around the edge of the dish.

Bake for about 1 1/4 hours or until the potatoes are tender (the potatoes won't absorb all of the liquid)

Dad Burgers

Rocky’s answer to a big Mac - a lot healthier and a lot more delicious!

Dad Burgers

(serves 4)

Ingredients

600g lean steak mince

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried herbs (eg thyme, oregano etc)

2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp horseradish sauce

1 egg

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

to serve :

4 Turkish bread rolls

2 tomatoes, sliced

lettuce

4 slices cheddar

Mayonnaise

Sauces and pickles 

Mix everything together with your hands (there’s no pretty way of doing this!).  Pat into good fat burgers and put on a large plate or tray.  Cook on the braai for about 7 minutes on each side or until just cooked through (or until still just pink in the middle, if you prefer).

Toast the cut side of the Turkish rolls on the braai until golden.  Fill the rolls with salads, sauces, cheese  and pickles and enjoy!