Mozzarella Meatballs

The Italian Job…

There are so many bad versions of Italian Classics available ready made that it is easy to forget how delicious the genuine articles are & more especially that it is worth that little bit of extra effort to make your dish from scratch using fresh ingredients… J J

Ingredients & Costing…
Minced Beef x 450gm	3.99
Mozzarella Cheese x 50gm grated	0.20
Egg x 1 Free Range	0.24
Onion x 1 small finely diced	0.15
Fat Clove of Garlic x 1 crushed	0.05
Fresh Parsley x 25gm	0.99
Maldon Sea Salt	0.05
Freshly Ground Black Pepper	0.05
Olive Oil for Frying	0.15
Arrabbiata Sauce (see separate post)
9 Hearty Meatballs	€5.87

It Couldn’t be easier…
æ In a mixing bowl combine the minced beef, mozzarella cheese, egg, onion, garlic & fresh parsley. Season very well with freshly ground black pepper & sea salt
æ To check the seasoning fry a small portion of the mixture & adjust accordingly
æ Shape the mixture into golf ball size rounds, heat the olive oil in a heavy based frying pan & fry meatballs until golden brown on all sides, remove & set to one side
æ Pre heat the Arrabbiata Sauce in an oven proof casserole pot, set the browned meatballs on top of the tomato sauce, cover with a lid & place in a pre heated oven (gas mark 6) for 15 minutes. Delicious served on a bed of buttered organic spelt spaghetti

　
Meatball Sub…
If you only have time for a quickie try a meatball sub served on a soft white roll with fresh crisp leaves, sliced red onions, roasted peppers & a drizzle of fresh pesto … J J

Tabbouleh

Middle Eastern Magic…

Almost everywhere I have lived over the past 30 years as soon as I am settled my priority is to plant a small herb garden – sometimes this was merely a window box or on one occasion I had the luxury of planting a small herb garden within a Celtic knot of miniature box hedging. Either way my ultimate motivation was that over the forthcoming summer I could have the pleasure of picking fresh herbs in the quantity required to make this Middle Eastern bulgar wheat salad…J J

Ingredients & Costing…
Bulgar Wheat x 200gm	0.60
Tomato x 2	0.20
Onion x 1 small finely diced	0.15
Fat Clove of Garlic x 1 crushed	0.05
Fresh Parsley x 50gm	1.98
Fresh Mint x 25gm	0.99
Extra Virgin Olive Oil x 2 tblsp	0.10
Juice of Lemon x 1	0.25
Maldon Sea Salt	0.05
Freshly Ground Black Pepper	0.05
4 Hearty Portions	€4.42

It Couldn’t be easier…
æ Place the bulgar wheat in a bowl & cover with boiling water, seal with cling film & leave for 15 minutes until the grains have absorbed the water, drain any excess liquid
æ Scoop out the tomatoes & chop the flesh into small dice, add to the bulgar wheat together with the diced onion, crushed garlic, finely chopped fresh parsley & mint
æ Add the lemon juice & olive oil, seasoning well to taste with freshly ground black pepper & sea salt
æ Serve piled on a platter drizzled with olive oil, delicious served with falafel & flatbread
　
Character Building…
Fresh herbs add character & texture to any dish creating an explosion of flavour unrivalled by their dried counterparts. Throughout the ages herbs have been renowned for their medicinal qualities known to aid digestion of food in the diet especially fat & to eliminate toxins from the body. Mint in particular has anti inflammatory properties easing breathing & soothing inflamed stomachs… J J

Carrot Courgette & Parsley Flan

Memory Lane…

Don’t you love when you rediscover an old favourite? Although it has been more than two decades I clearly recall making this for a friend & his slightly eccentric sister who was visiting him from San Francisco while we were staying at his picturesque red brick schoolhouse hidden away at the end of an overgrown leafy laneway on the banks of the River Nanny… JJ

Ingredients & Costing…
Filling
Spanish Onion x 1 diced	0.33
Carrot x 125gm diced	0.15
Courgette x 125gm diced	0.33
Butter x 25gm	0.12
Cream x 125ml	0.58
Milk x 125ml	0.12
Eggs x 4 beaten (free range)	0.96
Fresh Parsley x 2 tblsp chopped	0.50
Nutmeg x pinch	0.05
Maldon Sea Salt	0.05
Freshly Ground Black Pepper	0.05
Pastry
Wholemeal Flour x 150gm	0.08
Plain Flour x 200gm	0.10
Butter x 175gm	0.88
Cold Water	0.00
6 Hearty Servings	€4.30

It Couldn’t be easier…

æ      Heat the butter in a heavy based saucepan and sauté the onions & carrots for approximately 10 minutes until the onions are translucent, add the courgette & cook for a further 5-10 minutes, allow to cool slightly

æ      To make pastry sift the flour into a bowl tipping in any bran left in the sieve, add the cubed butter, using your fingertips work together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, make a well in the centre & add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water. Mix to a soft dough adding more water if required, roll out the pastry & line a 9” greased flan case

æ      To “Blind Bake”  the pastry place a circle of greaseproof paper on top of the pastry (ensuring it comes up the sides of the flan case) & fill with dried or ceramic beans, place on the centre shelf of a preheated oven (gas mark 5) for 15 minutes, remove beans & greaseproof paper & bake for a further 5-10 minutes, (save the beans as they can be reused)

æ      Pile the vegetable mixture into the hot flan case

æ      Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream & pinch of nutmeg in a bowl, add the parsley & season well with salt & freshly ground black pepper. Pour mixture into pastry case

æ      Place in the top half of a pre heated oven (gas mark 5) for 30 minutes until golden brown & set. Allow to cool slightly before serving

Tip Off…

Swapping recipe tips with one of our kayaking instructors on a recent weekend away she commented that having made the “Roast Red Pepper, Carmelised Onion & Goats Cheese Quiche” with wholemeal flour she was pleased with the results which has prompted me to use the wholemeal version for this flan… JJ

Nut Roast

Nuts & Bolts of Vegetarian Cuisine…

Sharing a house with a vegetarian shortly after leaving college gave me plenty of opportunity to experiment with vegetarian cuisine. A general misconception at the time was that vegetarians only ate salad or steamed vegetables, it did not take me long to discover that using the right ingredients & a little imagination you can recreate the essence of almost any meat or fish dish. For a number of years a variation of this nut roast complete with a layer of fresh herb stuffing served with homemade cranberry sauce took pride of place on our Christmas table….  JJ

Ingredients & Costing…
Spanish Onion x 1 finely diced	0.33
Fat Clove of Garlic x 2 crushed	0.10
Butter x 25gm	0.12
Pine Kernels x 50gm toasted	0.88
Hazelnuts x 75gm toasted	0.67
Walnuts x 50gm ground	0.44
Cashew Nuts x 50gm ground	0.88
Wholemeal Breadcrumbs x 100gm	0.20
Mixed Herbs x 2 tblsp	0.10
Nutmeg x pinch	0.05
Egg x 1 (free range) beaten	0.24
Vegetable Stock x 250ml	0.18
Freshly Ground Black Pepper	0.05
Maldon Sea Salt	0.05
4 Hearty Portions	€4.29

It Couldn’t be easier…

æ      Melt the butter in a medium heavy based saucepan, sauté the onion & garlic for 5 minutes, remove pan from the heat & allow to cool

æ      Toast the pine kernels & hazelnuts (this enhances their flavour), allow to cool & grind the toasted nuts in a blender

æ      In a mixing bowl combine the pine kernels, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, breadcrumbs, dried herbs & nutmeg, stir well to ensure ingredients are thoroughly mixed

æ      Add the onion & garlic, stock, beaten egg & season generously with freshly ground black pepper & sea salt

æ      Pile the mixture into a greased, lined loaf tin & press down well. Place on the centre shelf of a preheated oven (gas mark 4) & cook for 30 minutes – a knife inserted in the centre of the loaf should come out clean

æ      Serve with  steamed vegetables, roast potatoes & red wine jus

Seed of Doubt…

Although it is generally agreed that eating nuts is healthy for you there appears to be a lot of conflicting information regarding exactly “how” healthy. Also, surprisingly most “nuts” are actually seeds surrounded by a very hard stony or woody wall… JJ

Anchoiade

En Provence…

Relaxing with friends over a glass of red wine in the warm evening sunshine outside a rustic French Auberge has to be one of the most idyllic ways to spend a summer evening, these delicious “Anchoïade”  infused with the flavours of Provence will help recapture the moment even in the wintry Irish sunshine….  JJ

Ingredients & Costing…
Anchovy Fillets x 45g tin	0.89
Onion x 1 small finely diced	0.15
Fat Clove of Garlic x 1 crushed	0.05
Tomatoes x 2 skinned & chopped	0.33
Tomato Puree x 3 tsp	0.25
Black Olives x 8 chopped	0.10
Dried Herb de Provence x 1 tsp	0.10
Fresh Parsley x 1 tblsp chopped	0.33
Wine Vinegar – a few drops	0.05
Freshly Ground Black Pepper	0.05
Croutons - Giant
Vienna Roll x 6 slices diagonally cut	0.50
Fat Clove of Garlic x 1 crushed	0.05
Olive Oil x 2 tblsp	0.05
3 - 6 Portions	€2.90

It Couldn’t be easier…

æ      Using a pestle & mortar pound the anchovies & their oil to a pulp

æ      Add the diced onion, crushed garlic, chopped tomato flesh, tomato puree, chopped olives, herbs & a few drops of wine vinegar to the anchovies – stir well ensuring all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper (you will not need salt as the anchovies are quite salty). Allow to stand giving the flavours time to infuse

æ      Helpful Tip – to skin the tomatoes place them in a bowl of boiling water for approximately 30 seconds, remove them & make an incision with a sharp knife in the skin, it should instantly peel back making it easy to remove

æ      Meanwhile make the “giant” croutons as follows – cut Vienna roll on the diagonal into 1” slices, drizzle the olive oil onto a heavy based baking tray & sprinkle with crushed garlic. Press both sides of the bread onto the tray coating with olive oil & garlic. Place the tray on centre shelf of a preheated oven (gas mark 4) & bake for 20-25 minutes – keep a close eye on them towards the end as the can become overdone very quickly

æ      To serve pile the anchovy mixture onto the croutons, drizzle with olive oil & toast under a preheated grill for a couple of minutes to heat through, garnish with fresh basil

Size Matters Not…

This mixture is equally delicious served on smaller croutons as canapes… JJ

Chocolate Biscuit Cake - Individual

Health Warning…

Don’t you love when you discover a new twist on a favourite recipe? I misread part of this recipe given to me by my sister & added a tablespoon of honey in place of the teaspoon called for resulting in a mixture that did not quite set but retained a fudge like texture - I would not have believed there could be anything more scrumptious than the original & for any of you who thought the “kladkakka” should come with a health warning this is definitely one to be avoided….  JJ

Ingredients & Costing…
Dairy Milk Chocolate x 250g	1.89
Butter x 100g (unsalted)	0.54
Double Cream x 5 tblsp	0.40
Honey x 1 tblsp	0.05
Digestive Biscuits x 250g (broken)	0.25
Maltesers x 2 pkts	1.78
White Chocolate x 50g	0.32
6 Individual Portions	€5.23

It Couldn’t be easier…

æ      Melt the milk chocolate & butter in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water

æ      Stir in the honey & gradually add the double cream

æ      Combine the biscuits & Maltesers in a mixing bowl, stir in the melted chocolate ensuring the biscuits are well coated

æ      Double line individual tartlet cases with cling film & divide the mixture evenly pressing down well

æ      Place in a refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 2 hours

æ      Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water, remove the chocolate biscuit cakes from their individual tartlet cases & drizzle with the melted chocolate, allow to cool

æ      Store in the refrigerator until required, remove & allow to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving

æ      Serve with whipped cream & fresh strawberries or raspberries

It’s a Rocky Road…

Experiment with the basic recipe - try adding mini marshmallows & roasted hazelnuts in place of some of the biscuits… JJ