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Aubergine And Anchovy Tapenade

To like this recipe, you are going to have to like aubergines and anchovies, although the flavour combines really nicely in such a way that you don’t really taste much of either – it’s more a third, new flavour. I think so anyway, and I really love it.

This goes well with the obvious things like crackers, but it’s also a good filling for baked potatoes or sandwiches. I had initially wanted to make a bagna cauda soup, but didn’t have enough aubergine, so converted mid-recipe to a tapenade instead.

Aubergine-Anchovy
Also, aubergine, egg plant, whatever you call it, is ridiculously hard to photograph in any half decent way!

 

Aubergine And Anchovy Tapenade
 
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Remember the anchovies are pretty salty, so be careful when adding more salt!
Author:
Recipe type: Tapenade, Dip, Filling
Serves: 350g
Ingredients
  • 300g aubergines
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 20g olive oil
  • 6–10 anchovy fillets
  • 30g single cream
  • Salt and black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 190C
  2. Halve the aubergine/egg plant and drizzle olive oil over the top. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes till it's soft.
  3. Cool slightly then scoop out the aubergine, discarding the skin.
In the Thermomix®
  1. Add garlic, sugar, olive oil and anchovy fillets into the bowl. Add the aubergine.
  2. Mix speed 4 for 10 seconds. It shouldn't be puréed, just mixed together. It's better if you can keep some of the texture.
  3. Add the cream, salt and pepper and mix for 5 seconds on speed 3, making sure it's all mixed together.
  4. Scoop into a serving dish and serve with crackers or vegetable croutons.
In a blender
  1. Add garlic, sugar, olive oil and anchovy fillets into the bowl.
  2. Depending on your blender start slowly till you have a roughly chopped texture. Add the aubergine and cream, salt and pepper and blend till it's all combined.
  3. Scoop into a serving dish and serve with crackers or vegetable croutons.

Hope you enjoy this delicious, naturally salty dip!

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Sri Lankan Devilled Pork Recipe

I’m not a fan of spicy food, and put a stack of take away fliers down in front of me and I’ll never go for the Indian or similarly spiced option. That said, whenever I’ve made anything vaguely curry-ish in nature, I’ve really enjoyed it. Strange, isn’t it.

This recipe is fantastic. Honestly, the richness of flavours is out of this world. Specially since it’s not a spice combination I’m accustomed to. And I don’t even like strong tomato flavours. But this, I enjoy! Sri Lankan Mild Devilled Pork“Devilled” is the generally given adjective for when something is highly spiced – which I’ve come to realise doesn’t have to mean hot. Traditionally this recipe would have some chilies added to it. If you like chilies, go wild. I don’t like hot food, and I’m feeding a five and a three year old too, so we don’t add chilies.

I find food like this so hard to photograph. I look at this picture and see a symphony of flavour, but without having eaten it, it probably looks a bit weird. Sorry about that. It’s fantastically flavorsome though. Take my word for it!

 

Sri Lankan Mild Devilled Pork Serve this with Baharat Spiced Meatballs with yoghurt and garlic butter to cut the spices a little. It makes a nice shared meal.

 

Sri Lankan Devilled Pork
 
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A forgiving recipe that lets you adjust the seasoning and flavours to your preference. Sri Lankan curry is a blend of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cassia bark, fenugreek seeds, cloves, cardamon, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, kashmiri chilli & turmeric - buy one ready made or mix your own before starting this recipe.
Author:
Recipe type: Meat
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Marinade
  • 1 tbs cider vinegar
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 500g pork
  • 1 large onion
  • 320g (can) tomatoes
  • 4 - 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 tsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder
  • Lemon rind
Instructions
Thermomix® Instructions
  1. Cut Pork into 1' chunks
  2. Place marinade ingredients in the Thermomix® bowl, and mix, speed 5/10 seconds. Add chopped meat and mix speed 1/15 seconds
  3. Set aside to marinate for at least 45 minutes
  4. (Don't worry about cleaning the bowl)
  5. In the Thermomix®, drop the onion over running blades (speed 4).
  6. Heat a pan to medium heat. and add the marinated pork with the marinade. Cook until the juices have reduced to a thick gravy. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Also add salt & Sri Lankan Curry Powder to taste.
  7. Stir to prevent burning, till all the liquid is gone.
  8. In the meantime, fill the Thermomix® with water, and cook rice per the usual method. You can add your choice of Asian vegetables to the Varoma at this point too.
  9. Sprinkle with grated lemon rind
  10. Serve the rice with soy sauce and Sri Lankan Devilled Pork.
Regular Instructions
  1. Cut Pork into 1' chunks
  2. Place marinade ingredients in a bowl, and mix together.. Add chopped meat and stir till it's all covered.
  3. Set aside to marinate for at least 45 minutes
  4. Slice the onion finely.
  5. Heat a pan to medium heat, and add the marinated pork with the marinade. Cook until the juices have reduced to a thick gravy. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Also add salt & Sri Lankan Curry Powder to taste.
  6. Stir to prevent burning, till all the liquid is gone.
  7. In the meantime cook rice per your usual method.
  8. Sprinkle with grated lemon rind
  9. Serve the rice with soy sauce and Sri Lankan Devilled Pork.

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Baharat Spiced Meatballs With Yoghurt And Garlic Butter Sauce

I was given a selection of mixed pices recently, and I’ll be honest and confess that I’d never heard of most of them. The first one I wanted to try and cook with was Baharat. If you Google Baharat you’ll find a number of versions based on area, but this one was from a company called Spice Kitchen and according to their website it’s a blend of  cloves, black pepper, cumin seeds, nutmeg, paprika, cardamon & cinnamon.

Garlic Butter3

I spent a whole afternoon perusing Pinterest and the rest of the web trying to learn the best use of this spice, and when I finally sat down to meatballs in a yoghurt and garlic butter sauce at dinner time, I was thrilled with the result. I didn’t find this a spicy dish at all, and the dressing was perfect with plain, fluffy white rice. We also had another dish at the table which was a lot more spicy, and this sauce provided beautiful relief for the tongue.

As someone who didn’t grow up with a lot of spices, and who can’t really handle much more heat that black pepper – or a light wasabi – and who’d never choose to eat at an Indian restaurant, for example, I’d never have considered experimenting with these spice until a few years ago, and sitting eating this meal, I savoured every mouthful Baharat Meatballs2

I think my favourite thing about this dish is that it’s not just one flavour all the way through. Each mouthful is different, with hints of mint, crunchy pine nuts yoghurt and the Baharat meatballs coming through in different bites. Hmm… sitting here writing this, I’m salivating – I’m going to have to buy some more lamb mince!Baharat Spiced Meatballs With Yoghurt and Garlic Butter

Baharat Meatballs With Yoghurt & Garlic Butter Sauce
 
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This is a delicious recipe that can be used as a single main, or one of many sharing dishes. The yoghurty dish also offsets other spicy dishes on the table, while this isn't spicy of itself.
Author:
Recipe type: Varoma, Main, Sharing
Cuisine: Arabian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the meatballs
  • 400g ground lamb
  • salt and pepper for seasoning
  • 1 small onion, halved
  • 15g Baharat Spice (adjust seasoning to taste)
For the dressing
  • 100g (100ml) plain yoghurt (try this recipe)
  • 25g butter
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
For the topping
  • 1 tsp Mint (fresh or dried)
  • 50g pine nuts
  • Oil for frying
  • Rice to Serve
Instructions
In the Thermomix®
  1. Switch the Thermomix® on Speed 4 and drop the onion halves on athe blades for a few seconds.
  2. Open the lid and add the minced lamb, salt and pepper and Baharat Spices. Mix Speed 4/10 seconds.
  3. Oil the Varoma
  4. Form small egg-yolk sized meatballs and place them in the Varoma. (You can also do these the 'normal' way on the stove if you prefer them being browned)
  5. Fill the bowl to the 1 litre mark and put the Varoma in place. Cook on Varoma temp, speed 4 for 20 - 25 minutes.
  6. (If you're having rice with this dish, add it after about 10 minutes. Add the rice in the internal steamer for the remaining 15 minutes.)
  7. Meanwhile, on the stove, heat the pine nuts till they start releasing their aroma. Toast them lightly but watch that they don't burn - mine in the pictures are a little burned!
  8. Next melt the butter and add the garlic, and finally warm the yoghurt. DO NOT let it boil or split, just warm it.
  9. Move the meatballs into a serving dish.
  10. Pour the yoghurt over them, then drizzle the garlic butter, top with pine nuts and mint.
  11. Serve with rice.
Traditional Cooking
  1. Chop the onions finely, and add the spices, salt and pepper and mince with the onions in a bowl. Mix well till all combined.
  2. Form small egg-yolk sized meatballs and place them in a hot pan. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning ocassionally to get it browned on all sides and cooked through.
  3. In the meantime, cook your rice according to manufacturer instructions.
  4. On a baking tray, or on another plate on the stove, toast the pine nuts but watch that they don't burn.
  5. Next melt the butter and add the garlic, and finally warm the yoghurt. DO NOT let it boil or split, just warm it.
  6. Move the meatballs into a serving dish.
  7. Pour the yoghurt over them, then drizzle the garlic butter, top with pine nuts and mint.
  8. Serve with rice.

The inspiration for this recipe came from this original