homecooked love, everyday
I was very lucky to see a recipe of Jamie Oliver’s for baked eggs on Sunday morning. I happened to have all the ingredients for the Mexican version and decided to try it. I admire him incredibly for his quality, well-designed recipes. His simple presentation …
When preparing beans I usually soak and sprout twice the amount needed for my recipe. Leftover pulses are stored in the freezer for immediate use in another recipe. What does “sprouting” mean? First, I wash the pulses well. Then, I soak them in plenty of …
In the midst of this constant barrage of information on modern nutrition, the value of vegetables remains constant and undeniable. In the traditional Mediterranean diet, we very often see imaginative combinations of vegetables with (sometimes only a little) meat or fish, depending on the season and the local cuisine. I think it’s the lack of time that has taken us away from this tradition. The result is to limit our sides to the classic starches such as rice, potatoes and pasta. They last long and cook fast, but as we rely on them every day, we forget that so many other options are available.
I really believe that variety ensures nourishment. On the other hand, especially midweek, I really really don’t want to have any extra pots to deal with. So I try to incorporate as many vegetables as I can, into our main meal. Combined it with a raw salad, I can be pretty sure we’re covering our daily requirements. I use the variety of colors as a guide to ensure the variety of nutrients on our plate. So I will combine this green-dominated dish with a colourful salad with white and red cabbage, carrot and pepper.
Ingredients
Heat a heavy bottomed pan well. Dry the meat well and lightly season. Add the oil to the pan and saute the meat from on sides in batches. Keep the meat aside and add the onion and leek to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic with the coriander and immediately after that, add the meat. Stir well and add enough hot broth, so that it almost covers the meat. Lower the heat and let it simmer until the meat is done, about 1 hour. Check in between, in case you need to add a little hot broth or water.
Peel the main stem of the broccoli and cut it into slices. Stir the mustard into the lemon juice until it dissolves well. Once the meat is done, add the lemon with the mustard and the broccoli stem and stir well. Arrange the broccoli florets over the meat so that they cook in the steam of the sauce. Cover and let the broccoli steam for 10 minutes until cooked through. Adjust the seasoning and serve warm with the lemon zest.
This is one of our favorite recipes, made throughout late summer and early autumn. With the beautiful Indian summer we’ve been having this October, I was happy to make it with the last fresh corn from the Farmer’s market. Like a farewell to the bright …
The original recipe is called Keema Chole and is Indian, belonging to Punjabi cuisine. It exists in many traditional versions, but this is not one of them. I prefer a somewhat drier and faster version by Mark Bittman that I saw on NYT Cooking, made …
It’s funny how borlotti or cranberry beans also have two names in Greek: chandres (beads) or barbounia (red mullet, yes really). They are so beautiful that I almost feel sad when I see them lose their color cooked. Their slightly sweet and hearty tasty, quickly compensates us. We also like buying them fresh from the farmers’ market and podding them together with the kids.
In this traditional recipe they are combined with grassfed beef and slow baked in a clay pot. Lamb also suits them. When making casseroles, I prefer to saute the meat and vegetables first before braising, as it makes for a tastier and more presentable dish. Which is why I usually prefer the cast-iron pots that let you start cooking on the hob finishing off in the oven. The clay pot though is much more forgiving, as it seems to magically impart flavor to everything inside it, even when its just thrown in and allowed to gently cook with no supervision.
I love this dish for two reasons. Firstly, it’s really great for very busy days. Days when you have only have 10 ‘-15’ prep time and still want to have something delicious and comforting for dinner.
The second and equally important reason is that you can, in this particular recipe, prepare it with the children and let them feel the pride of preparing a whole meal from scratch. As you understand, you should allow for a little more prep time in this case. Kids can easily pod and wash the beans. They can chop the onions in a food processor. They, can also cut the carrots, too, if they’re not using a knife yet. You only need to peel and chop the sweet potatoes, as their so hard. I added them because their taste reminds me of chestnuts. Borlotti beans go very nicely with chestnuts for a vegetarian dish, but this is a recipe for another day.
Ingredients
Scatter the onions and carrots around the bottom of a clay pot and place the beef on top. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season. Add the rosemary and the wine or juice. Layer the beans on top with enough broth to just cover them. If you are using the sweet potatoes, place them on top with rest of the olive oil. They will cook in the steam of the sauce.
Cover and place the pot in a cold oven setting the temperature to 220C for about 30 minutes so the stew comes to the boil. Lower to 160C for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check with a fork that the meat is cooked through and very soft. The fork should go right through it. If the vegetables have released a lot of juice, let the casserole cook uncovered in the oven to reduce 10 minutes and allow to rest uncovered for another 10 minutes on the kitchen counter.
At home we prefer traditional or free range chickens. Their taste is incredible, the rearing conditions are humane and their nutritional value is higher. Even though the difference in cost might seem high, 2 large 3 kg hens with proper management, can provide at least …
This is a classic summer dish that I keep making well into October as the produce and the weather is still so summery. A little bit of sausage goes a long way in persuading my kids to happily down this trayful of veggie goodness. As …
This is such a classic Greek summer recipe. Bringing wonderful aromas and nourishment in the same dish, combining the fresh tastes of green beans, lemon and herbs. The best way to prepare green beans is in good company. Casual conversation and plenty of helping hands, really do make light work. Don’t be wary of accepting of help from eager children, as long as they know how to handle a small paring knife. An elastic bandage placed in advance on one’s thumb before trimming, can come in useful as well. Imparting knowledge becomes more successful, it seems to me through sharing tasks in relaxed company. I also think that sharing kitchen tasks allowed neighbors of older generations to get through infinite chores ans still keep up to date with the latest gossip.
If you feel like trimming fresh beans is just a task you simply do not have time for, prepared frozen beans will do fine, waiting patiently in the freezer until the time comes to liven up your plate.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot, while drying the meat with a paper towel. Add the olive oil to the pot and brown the meat well on all sides in two batches. Set aside, then add the onion and carrot to the pot and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, rubbing the bottom of pan with the wooden spoon to incorporate the caramelized juices from the sautéed meat. Add the garlic and the meat and stir well. Add the wine and allow to evaporate. Season and add enough stock to almost cover the meat. Cover the pot and allow to simmer at a low heat for approx. 45 ‘, checking occasionally to see if you need to add more stock.
When the meat has softened, add the lemon juice and place the green beans on top. Cover and simmer for about 25 ‘. Do not stir the beans into the sauce, as they essentially be cooked through by the steam, allowing them to keep the bite in them and not end up soggy.
Check the seasoning. Add the zest and herbs and shake the pan to distribute. Cook for 5 ‘ without a lid to allow any excess liquid from the green beans to evaporate. Once the sauce has reduced, serve warm.
Potato, rice, pasta… Potato, rice, pasta. And yet there are so many other combinations for meat. It is not a modern tendency not to rely on starches every day. It is the wisdom in all the traditional kitchens that maximizes nourishment at the family table …