Leeks in white sauce

This one I'm just copying pasting because I'm still digesting the leg of lamb.
I found this recipe here (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/preformleeks-in-white-sauceb-preform-663639.html) and I've been using it for quite some time. It is the best one I've found. Enjoy!

500ml milk 
2 cloves 
1 onion, peeled and chopped 
1 bay leaf 
salt and pepper 
75g butter 
50g flour 
150ml single cream 
freshly grated nutmeg

8 large leeks, trimmed of almost all their green parts, sliced into 5cm lengths and thoroughly washed.

Heat together the milk, cloves, onion, bay and a little salt. Simmer for a few minutes, cover and allow the flavours to mingle for 10 minutes. In another pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Make a roux and gently cook the butter and flour together for a minute or so, but don't allow it to colour. Strain the milk into the roux and vigorously whisk together until smooth. On the lowest possible heat (preferably with a heat-diffuser pad), set the sauce to cook.

You might think that the sauce is very thick to begin with but, as it simmers, the texture will become silky and unctuous. Remember, cream is added later, too. Do not cover the sauce as it cooks, but stir from time to time with a wooden spoon and continue in this fashion for 20 minutes or so. Finally, add the cream, nutmeg and pepper, mix in thoroughly, check for salt and cook for a further 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

Switch the kettle on and put the leeks into a pan. When the water has boiled, pour it over the leeks and add a little salt. Bring back to the boil and cook them for between 5 and 10 minutes, depending upon how thick your leeks are; test with a small, sharp knife for tenderness. You don't want crunchy leeks; nor do you want sloppy ones. Drain, lay in a preheated, shallow, oven-proof dish and pour over the white sauce.

Roasted leg of lamb

This is a biggie! It's been such a long time since we had lamb. We moved back to Brazil and here people don`t really appreciate lamb... or goat.... or veal.
Anyway, I found lamb under "exotic meat" in our local supermarket and grabbed myself 2kg of a nice leg of lamb. Here's the way we roasted it today... It was marvelous.

You'll need

For the rosemary butter
3 big cloves of garlic
4-5 sprigs of rosemary
about 50g of butter
salt and black pepper

For the gravy
135mL of red wine
about 35g of butter
the same amount of flour
The meat juices from the roast

For the mint sauce
4 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

For the side dishes
check leeks in white sauce!
About 6 big potatoes
cooking oil
Carrots
Brussels sprouts

Start by removing the leg of lamb of the fridge about an hour before you roast it, to get to room temperature. Meanwhile prepare the rosemary butter by chopping or grating the garlic.Preheat the oven to 350C or gas mark 6. Mix it with the butter and add the finely chopped rosemary sprigs to the mix. Add salt and butter to taste. Mash it all with a fork to be very smooth. With a sharp knife or skewer make about 30 to 40 deep incisions on the meat, wide enough to fit your finger. Rub the butter mix all over and put it inside any crevasses and the incisions, to make sure the it penetrates deep.

Put it on a tray and cover loosely with tin foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let it roast for another 50 minutes for red meat of over an hour 15 minutes for thoroughly cooked lamb.

Remove the lamb and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile prepare the gravy:

Heat up a heavy based pan and add the meat juices. Be careful for it will sizzle. Add the wine, the small knob of butter and the flour to thicken it. Reduce and stir until happy with the consistency.

If you want Auntie Bessy style potatoes:

Peel and cut the potatoes into big chunks. Cook it for 10 minutes. Drain the water, return them to the pan and shake it to round the edges. When you are half way though your roast put a tray on the bottom with cooking oil until really hot (be really careful!). Add the potatoes and be careful, it will sizzle. Stir then to get the oil all around and put it back on the bottom of the oven. After about 20-30 minutes turn them around to get that crisp layer all over. Remove them when the meat is ready.

When I add the potatoes, I like to add carrots to the tray with the leg of lamb, to give them the meat flavour.

Coleslaw

According to Wikipedia, "The term "cole slaw" arose in the 18th century as a partial translation from the Dutch term "koolsla", a shortening of "koolsalade", which means "cabbage salad".[2]


An old wives-tale for the origins of coleslaw, came from London in the late eighteen hundreds, where stories were told of it being "Coles Law" to combine cabbage, carrot and mayonnaise. This was told in hope that children would eat coleslaw and obey the laws he had put in place. Cole, was a brutal man with a big chest and children were afraid of him"

I found this recipe here and there´s even a video explaining how to do it.

•300 g of white cabbage, thinly sliced

•2 carrots, peeled and grated
•2 spring onions or scallions, thinly sliced
•2 tbsp of mayonnaise
•2 tbsp of sour cream
•1 tsp of mustard
•2 tbsp of vinegar
•1 tsp of sugar
•salt and pepper
•1 large bowl
•1 small bowl
•1 metal spoon
•cling film

20 minutes

Step 2: Make the dressing
The secret to a fantastic coleslaw is in the dressing. To make the dressing put the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper into a small bowl and combine with the large spoon until the mix forms a rich, creamy dressing.

Step 3: Add the dressing to the vegetables
Put the cabbage into the bigger bowl, then the carrots and finally the spring onions or scallions. Mix all the vegetables up and then pour the dressing on top. Mix together again until all the vegetables are smothered in dressing.

Step 4: Cover and chill
Next, cover your coleslaw with cling film or saran wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour to chill slightly. This will allow the vegetables to marinate in the dressing, which will make it taste even better.

Pic from http://farm1.static.flickr.com/101/285977983_17431c3381.jpg

Honey roast pork

Fit for a king!
I found this recipe here, but I adjusted it a little bit.

Time of preparation: 2 hours
serves 6-8

1kg pork belly (or any other cut that roasts and crackles|)

I used ginger chopped like match sticks (as much as you like)
cloves (a bunch, about a handful)
1 tbsp cracked coriander seeds
340g runny honey
1 stock cube
4 medium brown onions
1 bunch of sage
4 bay leaves
Olive oil
Rock Salt
200ml cold water

Preparation

Stab the pork with a sharp long knife and place cloves and the match stick like ginger in the meat. Rub a little olive oil into the pork and season with salt. Place the pork on to a wire tray and then place into the roasting dish. Roast in the oven for approximately 2hrs on the bottom shelf at 160C.

Meanwhile, make the honey glaze by adding the rest of the water, honey, coriander seeds, and 1 stock cube to a saucepan and simmer until reduced by a third. The mixture will thicken and become syrupy

Cut the root off of the onions and cut in half (take the outer skins off if preferred). Add a little sunflower oil to a frying pan, heat then place the onions in the pan flat side down. Add the bay leaves, sage and leave for a few minutes until they start to brown and caramelize. Then place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes until onions are golden brown.

To serve, using a pastry brush glaze the pork with the honey reduction. Then slice lengthwise into (about 1in wide) and arrange onto a large plate. Place the roasted onions around the meat and garnish with the roasted sage leaves.

In the recipe, the chef makes his own gravy, but since I prefer to use rock salt the juices that run from the meat are too salty and I prefer to use regular gravy that I buy at the supermarket.

It was absolutely delicious for a New Year's dish!

Lancashire hotpot

I found this recipe here and it's sooo good! Just cooked it last night.


ingredients
serves 4

1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, peeled and sliced into rings
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Beef dripping or lard for frying
1 kg. middle neck lamb chops
2 lamb's kidneys, cleaned and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
600 ml (1 pint) hot beef stock

method

1. Put half the potato rings in a layer on the bottom of a deep ovenproof casserole. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Melt a knob of dripping or lard in a frying pan. Add the chops and kidneys and brown quickly on all sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
3. Lay the chops and kidneys on top of the potatoes, add the onion and sprinkle with the thyme. Pour in the hot stock. Put the remaining potatoes in a layer on top.
4. Season again, cover with a lid and place in a moderate oven (180‚°C/350‚°F or Gas Mark 4). Cook for 2 hours, then remove the lid and return to the oven to brown the top layer of potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, straight from the casserole, with a seasonal green vegetable or buttered carrots.

Sheperds pie

Time of preparation: 35 min
4 portions

I found this recipe here


2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
500g minced lamb
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, finely grated
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
thyme (I used the dry one)
rosemary, ditto
250ml red wine
300ml chicken stock (I used one cube of chicken stock diluted in boiling water)
1kg of potatoes (for the mash)
50g butter
2 egg yolks
Parmesan, for grating

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas 4

Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Pass them through a potato ricer then beat in the egg yolks, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Check for seasoning

Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown

Here's the thing: After I put the stock, mine wouldn't get thick, so I cheat using 1 tbspoon of flour to thicken the meat sauce. Also, I tried this recipe with bovine mince (Cottage pie) and I think it actually tastes better.

Leeks in white sauce

Time of preparation: 35 min
3-4 leeks chopped (more or less finger width)
2 tbspoons of butter
6 tbspoons of flour
300mL milk
3 cloves
1/4 of onion, finely chopped
nutmeg
salt and pepper

For the white sauce:
Heat up the milk with a bit of salt, pepper, the cloves and the onion. Before it boils, turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let the milk absorb the spices for some 5 min.
In another pan, melt the butter on a low heat, not allowing it to change colour. Add the flour and mix it up vigorously. Little by little add the milk: a bit of milk, mix vigorously until absorbed, always on low heat. Procede like this until you use all the milk. Add a bit of nutmeg and let it cook for some 5 min, mixing it up occasionaly. If you think it needs more salt, add now. Don't forget to remove the cloves.

In another pan, add boiling water and a bit of salt, and cook the leeks for 5 min. Drain and add to the white sauce.

Serve it with rice and meat.