caprese lamb stacks

in a large frying pan, brown 12 lamb chops for about 3 minutes per side. place on a roasting tray and season with lemon juice, salt & pepper.

on 6 of the lamb chops, place a slice of tomato (sprinkled with some salt), a few basil leaves and finally a slice of mozzarella.

cover with the other 6 lamb chops to make little ‘sandwiches’ and tie together with string or stick a skewer through it.

place in a 180°c oven for 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the lamb is just cooked.

the mozzarella oozes out everywhere, but don’t worry about that, it adds to the yumminess. scoop it all up and serve.

spicy lamb wraps

in a heavy-based pan, brown 500g of cubed, lean, boneless lamb and 1 finely sliced onion in olive oil. stir often to prevent catching.

season lightly, reduce the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of tikka masala paste until well coated.

add 1 tin (450g) of chopped tomatoes, stirring to loosen any browned bits. simmer, uncovered, stirring every now and again for about 40 minutes or until the lamb is tender and the sauce well reduced. check seasoning. turn off the heat and stir through 100g of baby spinach leaves.

spoon the hot lamb mixture onto warm naan breads.

serve with a cucumber yoghurt - ½ grated english cucumber, 1 teaspoon of mint sauce, 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, and a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves mixed with 1 cup of thick plain yoghurt, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

moroccan meatballs with poached eggs

meatballs:

combine 500g lamb mince, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon paprika, the zest of 1 lemon, 1 finely chopped onion, ½ cup of finely chopped mint, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

roll into small, bite-sized balls. heat a glug of olive oil in a pan and brown the meatballs. set aside.

sauce:

gently fry 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves of crushed garlic in a glug of olive oil until soft. add 1 tablespoon of mixed dried herbs, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 410g tin of chopped tomatoes and a pinch of sugar.

add the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.

create hollows between the meatballs and crack 4 eggs into the hollows. cover and simmer until the eggs have set to your liking.

serve immediately with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

tagliatelle with lamb bolognaise

trim the fat off 400g lamb steaks and chop fairly finely. heat olive oil in a deep pan, add 1 finely chopped onion and the lamb, and cook over a brisk eat until browned. stir in 1 crushed clove of garlic.

pour in ½ cup of beef stock and stir to loosen any bits sticking to the pan. add 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley and a 800g tin of chopped tomatoes. cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the lamb is tender. season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

cook 400g of tagliatelle, drain and mix with half the sauce. Pass the rest of the sauce and parmesan cheese around at the table…

butternut bredie

bredie is the sa word for stew. this is 100% pure winter food...


heat a dash of olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté 2 large sliced onions and 2 cloves of crushed garlic until soft. add 1kg stewing lamb and brown over high heat.

mix 3 tablespoons of marmite with 300ml boiling water and add to the saucepan. cover and simmer gently for 1½ hours.

add 300g baby potatoes, 2kg diced butternut, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons brown sugar. continue to simmer for a further hour or until meat is tender.

mix 2 tablespoons of flour with cold water and stir through the bredie. simmer for a further 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened to your liking, adding salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

serve with rice. yummy…

chunky chilli casserole

heat a dash of olive oil in a large casserole dish. dice 1kg of steak (i use sirloin or rump) and fry with 250g smoked bacon that has been cut into bite-size pieces. remove from pan.

fry 1 large sliced onion, 3 celery sticks, 3 crushed dried bird’s eye chilli’s, 2 chopped carrots and 1 chopped courgette for about 5 minutes. add 1 generous tablespoon of smoked paprika and fry for a further 2 minutes.

return the meat, add 700g passata (or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes) and 500ml beef stock.

bring to boil, cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened nicely. sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

…with mashed potatoes, crusty bread, whatever takes your fancy.

pan-fried leg of lamb with sage

in a large saucepan, fry 250g sliced portabellini mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter until nicely browned. remove from pan and set aside.

in a small pot, sauté a handful of freshly chopped sage in 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside.

in the same large saucepan you used for the mushrooms, fry 1kg cubed and deboned leg of lamb until well browned on the outside, but still pink inside. fry in batches.

return all the lamb to the saucepan, add ½ cup of sauvignon blanc and a ¾ cup of cream. simmer until the sauce thickens. add the sage butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

garnish with chopped fresh tomatoes and celery leaves and serve. excellent with fresh crusty bread.

lamb in red wine

now here’s one that just popped into my head this morning… haven’t made it for a while, but it’s just the thing for a cold winter’s night.

take a 1.5kg de-boned leg of lamb and cut into largish chunks. brown briefly in olive oil a deep pot. do this in batches. to this add 400g of peeled carrots, also cut into large chunks, and 400g of whole baby onions. season with black peppercorns and a few dried bay leaves. pour dry red wine over everything to completely cover it. bring to boil, then cover and simmer over a low heat until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. it'll take about 2 hours. if the sauce is not thick enough to your liking, thicken it with flour.

the original version is with a dry red wine, but for various reasons, i don’t cook with alcohol anymore, and the web says you can substitute red wine with the following: non-alcoholic wine, beef or chicken stock, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar, tomato juice, liquid from canned mushrooms, plain water. i have found that diluted red wine vinegar is the best substitute. i add a teaspoon or so of brown sugar to it, just to break the acidity a bit.

and that’s it. serve with creamy mashed potatoes. delicious it is!

steak and onion pie

home-made pie the cheat’s way…

using a large pot, fry 2 large chopped onions in butter until golden brown. remove and set aside. cube 900g of rump steak and in the same pot, brown the steak cubes in batches. return the onions to the pot and stir through roughly 2 cups of diced vegetables, i use a mixture of carrots, butternut and sweet potatoes. reduce heat, cover and allow to cook gently for 20 minutes. stir through 400ml of ready-made gravy. check seasoning and add if needed. set aside and allow to cool.

using ready-made puff pastry, line a pie dish, fill with the meat mixture, close the pie with a layer of puff pastry and paint with egg or milk. bake at 180º for 30 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. delicious…

kashmiri lamb curry

…another one that’s easy to make, but takes time.


place 2 dried chillies, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ¼ cup black peppercorns and 3 cardamom pods in a frying pan and dry fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. put into a grinder and grind until fine.

place 1kg de-boned leg of lamb, cubed, into a mixing bowl, add the spices and a glug of olive oil and mix to combine. cover and leave to marinade for about 4 hours.

combine a pinch of saffron with 1 cup of warm water and set aside.

put a dash of olive oil in a large saucepan. add 2 thinly sliced onions, 1 finely chopped clove of garlic and ½ teaspoon finely grated ginger and gently fry until soft and golden. add 1 teaspoon ground garam masala and cook for about 5 minutes. increase the heat to high, add the lamb and cook until nicely browned.

add the saffron, with the water, 100g ground almonds, 160ml fresh cream and salt to taste. stir to combine, cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 1½ hours.

remove from heat and stir through 1 cup of thick plain yoghurt.

serve wrapped in rotis or with warm naan bread.

lamb and apricot tagine

a lovely, tangy moroccan lamb dish. the preparation is easy, yet the dish takes time with the soaking of the apricots and then the cooking in the oven. not a dish to make when in a hurry...


pre-heat the oven to 160º celsius.

soak 250g dried apricots in ½ cup of boiling water and ¾ cup of fresh orange juice, covered, for 1 hour.

heat a dash of olive oil in an ovenproof casserole dish and fry 900g cubed pieces of lamb steak in batches until brown. remove and set aside.

in the same dish, gently sauté 1 large onion, 2 red peppers, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and 2 teaspoons ground coriander in olive oil until soft and fragrant.

add 1 cup of dry red wine (i substituted the red wine with red grape juice mixed with a dash of red wine vinegar to take the sweetness away and it worked like a charm), bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.

return the browned lamb to the casserole dish, add the soaked apricots (quartered) together with the juice, 1 litre vegetable stock and 2 tablespoons of honey. bring to boil.

cover and place in the oven until the lamb is tender, ± 2½ hours. stir through ¾ of a cup of plain yoghurt just before serving.

serve with couscous or mashed potatoes.

vietnamese beef fillet

from my list last sunday, was to try this vietnamese dish, which i made on friday night, and a big success it was.



make a marinade of 6 cloves of garlic, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 8 teaspoons of fish sauce, 8 teaspoons of sesame oil, 8 teaspoons of sugar, 4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper and 4 red chillies (to taste) seeded and finely chopped.

add 900g thinly sliced beef fillet and combine well with the marinade. leave for 4 hours.

heat a non-stick frying pan ‘til hot and stir-fry the fillet in batches, round about 1 minute per batch. the oil from the marinade is sufficient for frying.

place the fillet on a serving place and sprinkle with sesame seeds. serve with special fried rice.

oxtail

a proper dinner (and favourite too) for the delinquent husband tonight… this dish takes just about all day to gently cook so that the meat is tender, but it’s worth it.


heat some olive oil in a deep, heavy-based pot. brown 1kg oxtail pieces, a few at a time, and set aside as you go along. add a little extra oil if needed, and gently fry 2 sliced onions until soft. return the browned oxtail to the pot. pour in 2 x 410g tins of chopped tomatoes, and enough beef stock to cover the meat. bring to boil, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer gently until the meat falls off the bone. i just leave my pot gently bubble like this for the better part of the day. when you can see tht the meat is getting tender, add 300g julienne style carrots, replace lid and continue gently simmering until they too are soft. to thicken this stew, i use a black pepper sauce powder, pre-mixed with a little cold water so that it's not lumpy. thicken to your preference. check and add seasoning if you feel it needs a little extra. serve with rice, brown rice goes especially well.

tomato bredie

bredie is the sa word for...... stew i think. maybe even casserole.

this dish is an absolutely must on a cold day!

in olive oil, brown 900g of lamb chop in batches and set aside. slice 2 large onions into rings and place into a deep pot. drain the juice of 2 x 410g tins of whole tomatoes, reserving the whole tomatoes and pouring the juice into the pot with the sliced onions. add 10 whole peppercorns and a splash of olive oil. ‘fry’ until the onions are soft. add the browned chops and the reserved whole tomatoes. bring to boil, cover tightly and allow to simmer for about 1½ hours until the meat is tender. if your lid is tight fitting, you should not need to add any liquid. add vegetable stock or water if, however, it cooks dry. peel and dice 2 medium potatoes and 2 medium sweet potatoes. add to the stew, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. check seasoning and add salt and freshly ground black pepper if required. if you’d like to thicken the sauce, stir through 2 tablespoons of flour pre-mixed with cold water. serve with rice.

deboned leg of lamb

a wholesome meal tonight. why? don't know, just feel like it. we’re having roast lamb with warm potato salad, carrot salad and cauliflower.

buy a deboned leg of lamb, large enough to suit your family. unroll it and spread with crushed garlic, cranberry sauce, salt and freshly ground black pepper. roll back together, tie with string to keep the shape and douse with olive oil and course salt. roast on a roasting tray in a pre-heated oven of 180° celsius for 20 minutes per 500g plus 20 minutes. once it’s reached the right colour and crispiness, cover with foil to prevent it from over browning.

grilled lamb chops

i’m grilling some lamb chops and serving it with pasta-filled ciabatta bread.

i like use lamb rib chops, which i season with salt, pepper and paprika and place on the rack on an oven tray.

place the tray on the lowest oven rack and grill for about 7 minutes a side, before turning and continue grilling until the chops are done to your liking and the fatty parts are nicely crispy. all in all it takes about 25 minutes.

steak tortillas

after two nights of toasted sandwiches and take aways, i guess the family needs a proper dinner tonight. so steak tortillas it is…


sprinkle rump steak with meat tenderizing powder and leave to marinade in worstershire sauce for about 1 hour. fry in a griddle pan over a high heat until done to your liking. leave to stand for about 5 minutes and then cut into strips. pour the juice from the steak and the left-over marinade in the griddle pan to de-glaze and pour over the steak strips. keep warm.

make (or buy) tzatsiki as follows: greek yoghurt (‘cause of the low water content) and stir through finely grated cucumber, crushed garlic, fresh crushed mint leaves, salt and pepper to taste. leave to stand for about 20 minutes for the flavours to develop.

when you are ready to eat, heat the tortillas, fill with steak strips, top with tsatsiki and roll up.

this with a green salad. but then again, we have everything with a green salad…


i use about 250g steak per person, but adjust according to your family’s meat needs…

lamb neck

it’s cold, it’s wet and time for some comfort food...

in a large pot, fry 2 sliced onions in olive oil until soft. add about 1kg of lamb neck pieces and brown. add a 410g tin of chopped tomatoes and enough beef stock to cover the meat. once it boils, reduce the heat, cover and leave it to simmer until the meat is tender, 2-3 hours. thicken with cornflour to desired thickness just before serving.

we are having this with mashed potatoes, my way. i boil an equal amount of potatoes and sweet potatoes until soft. drain and mash with butter, salt and ground black pepper to taste. finally, stir through a tablespoon of creamed horseradish.

enough for: 4

mexican steak strips with salsa in pita breads

slice about 600g steak into finger strips and fry, a few at a time, until browned, but still pink on the inside. set aside.

dressing: ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon ground chili, a clove of garlic and salt to taste. mix well and pour over the browned steak strips.

salsa: make a fresh salsa of finely chopped tomatoes, onion, cucumber, a dash of balsamic vinegar, ground chili and salt to taste.

i normally make the steak and dressing in advance and keep it in a low oven to stay warm so that the flavours can develop. cover the dish with foil if you do this, so that it doesn't dry out.

now when everyone is hungry, all you need to do is heat the pita bread, about 2 per person. let everyone fill up their own pita's with the steak and salsa. yummmmm

enough for: 4