Argentine Meatloaf

This is another one of my granny’s recipes, which I’ve fiddled around with to suit my own tastes and needs. I must say however, that it’s also the first time I’ve ever baked and eaten “meatloaf”. There’s a first time for everything, I guess.
It’s not the most glamorous looking preparation, but it is easy and tasty. My granny uses beef only, but I’ve added some pork, just because I think pork is nicer to eat than beef. I like to serve this cold the day after baking, sort of like a rustic terrine. It’s easier to cut into slices when cold too.
I choose to serve my grandmothers time honoured meatloaf, with my partners very modern rocket and mango salad. I like the idea of bringing those two dishes together. A meal inspired by the two great loves of my life- my Grandmother Marta, and my partner, Mike.

Components
500g minced beef
500g minced pork
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 green apple, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 free range eggs, mixed together
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Process
Heat the oven to 180c.
Combine all the ingredients together well.
Place into a lightly greased 21 cm loaf tin and pat the mixture down well.
Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until just cooked through.
Carefully pour away all of the fat from the tin.
Cut into slices and serve hot or cold.
Enough for 4–6 people

Pork with Apple Sauce

I love reinventing old dishes. Pork and apple sauce is one such dish. This version is far superior in flavour than the traditional version and a lot quicker to make too. Its one of those dishes you can put together swiftly and easily- perfect for when one isn’t particularly in the mood to be performing fancy tasks in the kitchen.
My favourite cut of pork is neck, otherwise known as scotch fillet. It is full of flavour and extremely juicy and tender. Buy it in one big piece and cut into steaks yourself.
I never cook pork until well done. I think it is absolutely revolting and very old fashioned cooked that way. I like mine seared on the outside and cooked medium, so the meat is tender within.

Components
250ml bottled apple juice (not freshly juiced)
1 clove garlic, whole but crushed
¼ cup brown sugar or maple syrup
Fresh thyme or rosemary
Pinch of chili powder
500g pork neck, cut into steaks
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Process
Combine the apple juice, garlic, sugar (or maple syrup), herbs and chili. Add the pork steaks and allow to marinate for about an hour or so, at room temperature.
Remove the pork from its bath and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade. Smother the steaks generously with olive oil and season them salt and pepper.
Heat your char grill until it is scorching hot. Cook the pork steaks on the grill until cooked to your liking. Allow the cooked steaks to rest a few minutes before serving.
In the meantime reduce the reserved marinade, until thickened and somewhat syrupy.
Pour over the pork steaks and serve with duck fat sautéed potatoes.
Steamed broccolini tossed with hazelnut oil makes a good accompaniment too. Serves two.

Cassoulet My Way

I’m having a hard time getting back to reality after the Vue De Monde experience. For the first time in a long time I can honestly say I felt calm and contented after our lunch. We did nothing but eat fine food and drink exceptional wine all afternoon whilst served by super attentive waiters. What really transported me to tranquility wasn’t the idle behavior that consumed the day, but rather, the sense of luxury that VDM conveys. Every detail has an opulent solution at this restaurant- sometimes extravagant, sometimes cheeky but always comfortable. The only problem I find with being exposed to excellence is that nothing else apart from excellence will satisfy.
As much as I would love to eat like that everyday (and trust me, I would if I could), there is no way you or I are able to produce food of the same standard as served by VDM. Unless of course, you were to employ a team of Michelin starred chefs. I don’t know I can afford that so I guess I’ll have to leave “haute cuisine” in restaurants were it belongs and get back to my “cuisine menagere”.
And so what does one cook after having eaten in arguably the best restaurant in Australia? It’s a hard one to decide because I want to still feel confident and competent in the kitchen. I decided it was probably best to not attempt any dish of superior lavishness, and instead go in the completely opposite direction. I’m sticking to rustic, for a while. Or at least until my very over-the- top expectations have worn off.

Ingredients
500g haricot blancs beans, soaked in water for 24 hours
2- 3 tbsp duck fat
250g pork belly, cut into chunks
3 pork and garlic sausages (use a French or Italian style. Keep away from English and “gourmet” sausages. They are wrong in this dish, as lovely as they can be)
2 duck “Maryland”, cut into thigh and leg pieces
½ large red onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped (use the white part only)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250ml rose wine
Fresh bouquet garni made from bay, thyme and parsley
1 star anise
1 litre stock
1-2 tbsp tomato concentrate (optional)
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Melt 1- 2 tbsp of duck fat in a large saucepan over a medium high heat.
Brown the pork belly, duck pieces and sausages in batches. Set them aside on a plate.
Lower the heat and add more fat if you think it needs it.
Now you can gently sauté the onions, carrot, celery, leek and garlic for about 15 minutes. Do not allow them to colour- the flavours in this dish are gentle.
Add the wine. Turn the heat to high and allow it to bubble for a minute.
Add the bouquet, star anise, stock, drained beans, pork belly and duck to the pot. Add the tomato concentrate, if you are using that too. The only thing that should not be in the pot at this stage, are the sausages.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour. In the meantime cut the sausages into chunks and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Taste and season the beans with a touch of salt and some pepper.
Remove the bouquet.
Ladle the entire contents of the pot into one large baking dish, adding the sausages.
Bake for 1 to 1½ hours or until a brown crust has formed on the beans.
The final result should be tender beans with sufficient liquid to form a tasty, rich sauce and meltingly tender meat.
Sprinkle over with chopped fresh parsley if you like. Serves 4 – 6 people.
This is definitely a dish for the wintertime. It is rich and comforting and perfect for Sunday lunch or dinner. I don’t bother serving anything but bread and wine with this dish- I don’t think it needs it.

The Astigmatic Gourmand

This is going to be an interesting experience!
I am The Gourmand's partner and have (finally) been entrusted with writing on his blog, Eat Me!
The Gourmand has had his eyes checked & the prognosis is that he has astigmatism and needs glasses. Being who he is, he is now looking around for the ideal pair of glasses that will suit his style. And that could take some time. Until then, I guess you will have to put up with my unique and quirky writing style. I'm not one to play secretary and sit on The Gourmand's lap while he dictates a story, so I'll be doing my own thing and writing food related posts.

So what has The Gourmand been preparing since his last post?

Italian Sausages Braised with Bay Leaf, Red Wine and Yellow Peppers. This dish was served with soft White Polenta.

Pork Escalopes Marinated with Basil, Fennel Seeds, Garlic, Rosemary and Sage. These were seared and served with a Cream & White Wine sauce.

Quail Braised with Cardamom, Orange, Plums and Sherry.

Pears with Aromatic Spices and Honey.

Gemfish Baked in a Parcel with Lemon Zest, Porcini, Thyme and White Wine.

Organic Lamb Provencale with Potato and Pumpkin puree.

Chargrilled Pork with Herbs and Lemon

Have you ever cooked pork steaks on the grill and ended up with pieces of pork that tasted of cardboard? I most definitely have and I was determined to find a solution to this frustrating problem. I presented the dilemma to my butcher, and she had a solution. I had been cooking with the wrong cut of pork. Her recommendation was to use pork neck. She promised me it was the juiciest and tastiest cut. And she was absolutely right. Pork neck certainly surpasses all other cuts of pork for succulence and flavour and is perfect for grilling. I like to marinate my pork with fresh rosemary and lemon zest and serve it with a very simple sauce made with fresh herbs from my garden and a peppery extra virgin olive oil. Clean, fresh and simple flavours.

Ingredients
500g pork neck, cut into 4 steaks
1-2 sprigs rosemary
The zest of 1 lemon, julienned
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (peppery)
Sea salt
Lemon wedges, to serve

For the herb sauce
Spring onion (or scallion), very finely chopped
Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Fresh sage, finely chopped
Fresh thyme, finely chopped
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Lightly bash the pork steaks with a rolling pin.
Rub them with the lemon zest, rosemary needles, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Do not add salt at this stage.
Allow them to marinate overnight, covered in the fridge.
Preheat a grill pan to very hot.
Remove the lemon zest and rosemary needles from the pork steaks.
Season with salt and grill them until cooked to your liking. I like my pork pink in the center- well done pork is vile.
Allow the steaks to rest, while you prepare the sauce.
Combine all the herbs for the sauce, with the spring onion, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.
Drizzle over the pork steaks, and serve with lemon wedges.
These steaks are fabulous with a salad of radicchio and borlotti beans tossed with a mustard and red wine vinegar vinaigrette. Serves 2.

Speedy Ragu

My favorite dish to cook and eat is Ragu alla Bolognese. I adore this rich meat sauce but there are times when I simply don’t have the time to make it. So, rather than deny myself the ultimate comfort meal, I have devised a shortcut recipe, which delivers all of the flavors that one expects from a classic ragu.
In this version, the sauce will be ready in 40 minutes rather than two hours. The secret is to use dried porcini mushrooms. This magic ingredient provides a savory depth of flavor, which mimics that of a long and slow stew. The mushrooms are chopped finely, so as the creamy sauce simmers away, they melt, imparting a deep earthy fragrance.
Porcini are notorious for harboring dirt. It is of great importance to inspect and rinse each piece of mushroom separately under a running tap. I once ordered “tagliatelle con porcini” in a restaurant, and much to my disappointment I was presented with a plate of dirty pasta. Literally! There is also the chance of finding insect larvae. I have encountered these vile tiny pests only once, and unfortunately the only solution here is to discard them
Porcini range in price, per kilo, from around AU$170 for trimmings, to AU$500 for meaty slices. For this recipe the cheaper trimmings are fine.

Ingredients
30g dried porcini
500ml stock (fake is fine)
15g butter
1-2 tbsp olive oil
100g pancetta, finely chopped
20g red onion, finely chopped
20g carrot, finely chopped
20g celery, finely chopped
200g minced veal
200g minced pork
5 chicken livers, cleaned and finely chopped
125ml white wine
Freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
125ml tomato passata
125 ml cream (35% milk fat)
1 fresh bay leaf
5ml balsamic vinegar
Freshly grated parmagiano or grana

Method
Soak the porcini with enough boiling water to just cover. Allow the mushroom slices to soften for about 15 minutes and then drain. Strain the soaking liquid through a layer of paper napkin. Reserve the strained liquid. Inspect the mushroom pieces for insect infestation and rinse each piece thoroughly under a running tap to remove dirt. Chop the porcini finely.
Over a low heat, sauté the pancetta, onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn up the heat and add the veal, pork and livers. Cook the meat for a few minutes, until it loses the raw pink color. Do not brown.
Add the wine, nutmeg, tomato, cream, bay leaf and porcini liquid. Simmer for 30 minutes..
Turn of the heat and add salt, pepper and the balsamic vinegar. Finish with a sprinkling of cheese, melting it into the sauce.
Toss with tagliatelle or a short pasta such as orrechiette. Makes enough for about 400g of pasta asciutta.