Mapo Tofu - But Not As We Know It

Adapted from Not Quite Nigella's Iron Chef Chen's Recipe

Serves 4-5

2 large eggplants cut into 1cm dice

500g minced lamb

A small handful dried shitake mushrooms, reconstituted in boiling water for 10 minutes then sliced into small pieces

Vegetable oil

Spicy paste mixture:

2 tablespoon Chinese chilli bean sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese ground bean sauce

1 tablespoon fermented black beans, finely chopped

Stock mixture:

2 teaspoons chilli sesame oil

1 ½ cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

To finish:

3 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water

1 -2 tablespoon Szechuan pepper, toasted

Boiled white rice to serve

Fry the eggplant in a hot wok with some oil until it’s going brown and softening.  While it’s cooking combine the chilli bean sauce, ground bean sauce and chopped fermented black beans. In a jug combine the stock, sesame chilli oil, sherry and soy sauce and set aside.

When the eggplant is done remove from the wok and set aside.  Re-heat the wok on high and add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the lamb and brown, stirring to ensure there are no lumps.  You may have to pour off some oil/water once it’s done as lamb can be quite fatty. Then add the spicy bean paste above and cook for 1 minute.

Add the stock mixture as well as the eggplant and shitake mushrooms. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Turn down the heat and add the cornflour combined with the water and stir until thickened. Stir through the Szechuan pepper and serve with white rice.

Mutton Kolhapuri

Inspired by the recipe from

India Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant

1kg F&B Mutton, Lamb or Goat diced

Olive oil

8 cloves

2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 star anise

7-8 dried chillies

2 large onions, chopped

1 ½ cups shredded dried coconut

1 400g tin tomatoes with added tomato paste

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes

Bunch coriander, chopped

Salt

For the marinade

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp grated garlic

2 tsp grated ginger

I put the meat on to marinate and prepared the masala paste in the morning before I went to work – lucky me I know, but otherwise do it the night before.

Put the meat in a large bowl and mix through the marinade mix then leave in the fridge for a minimum of 3-4 hours.

Heat 2 tblsp oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat then add the spices and fry for about 2 minutes.  Add the onions and cook until they’re starting to go brown.  Stir through the coconut and tin of tomatoes, season with salt then cook for a couple of minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan.  As the weather is cool at the mo I covered the saucepan and left it until I came home, but if you’re uncomfortable with that, pop it in the fridge.

Once the mixture is cool, blitz in a blender (or lucky me, a Magimix that himself gifted me) until smooth(ish).  I actually pulled out 3 of the dried chillies and de-seeded them (as they can be quite hot) then threw the flesh back into the blitz mix.

Heat another couple of tablespoons of oil in the same pot that you’ve wiped out then brown the meat.  Add back in the masala paste and 500ml hot water then bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.

While the meat is cooking deep fry the potato cubes at about 170 Celsius until golden.

Cook the meat for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until tender.  Add more salt to taste.  Stir through the cooked potatoes and the fresh coriander.

Serve with lacha paratha (I buy the frozen jobbies from my local Indian store and cook them in my sandwich press for just over 2 minutes until just brown but still soft)

Toulouse Sausage Casserole

This is one of the family’s favourite easy meals. I think it’s best with F&B Toulouse sausages but it works well with any highly flavoured sausage.

500g Feather & Bone Toulouse sausages

1 tbs butter

1 tbs olive oil

1 leek, sliced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 large clove of garlic, sliced

1 blade of mace

2 rashers smokey bacon (or if you’re lucky Flying Pig Bacon) diced

1 tbs flour

¾ cup white wine

500ml chicken stock (preferably made from the carcase of the F&B chickie you devoured earlier)

1 400g can butter or cannellini beans, rinsed

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chopped parsley

In a heavy frying pan melt the butter and olive oil.  Add the chopped vegies and mace (this time, I also threw in some dried orange peel but didn’t really get much flavour from it).  If you’re in a hurry, do this over medium high.  If you’re in for the leisurely experience, cook on medium low, stirring as you drink a glass of white wine, until the vegies are soft but not coloured.

 Turn the pan up and add the bacon and Toulouse sausages and brown the sausages all over.  Once the sausages are brown, sprinkle over the flour and cook off for a minute.  Add the wine to the pan and pour another glass for yourself.  Turn the pan down to medium.  When the wine has thickened add the chicken stock and simmer while you finish your glass of wine.

Add the beans and salt and pepper to taste.  Once the beans are heated through, stir through the chopped parsley and serve with another glass of white and some crusty rolls.

Boeuf en Daube with Aligot

Beouf en Daube

1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped (mirepoix)

2 tsp quatre épices (a spice mix of pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger)

2 garlic cloves, bruised

2 bay leaves

¼ cup (60 ml) brandy

Dried orange peel from 1 orange (dried orange peel from local friendly Asian store)

1.5L (6 cups) dry red wine (cask will do, let’s not get precious here)

1kg organic, pasture raised braising beef, such as Chuck steak cut into 3cm cubes

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

60g butter

1 ½ tbs tomato paste

2 tbs plain flour

400ml beef stock

12 eschallots (the little brown onion thingies)

2 tsp sugar

250g Flying Pig Maple & Sea Salt Bacon, cut into strips

150g button or swiss mushrooms, quartered

Aligot to serve (recipe follows)

Begin the recipe the night before.

Place mirepoix, quatre épices, orange peel, garlic, bay leaves, brandy, wine and beef in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Strain beef mixture reserving marinade.  Separate the beef and mirepoix mixtures. Bring the marinade to the boil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes, skimming surface.  Add beef stock.

Heat half each of the oil and butter in a large ovenproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches then set aside. Add reserved mirepoix and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the flour.

Return the meat to the pan with marinade and stock. Bring to the boil, cover with a cartouche put the lid on the saucepan, and cook in the oven for 1 ½ - 2 hours.

Meanwhile, place eschallots, sugar and enough water to cover in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes until onions are tender. Set aside until needed.

Heat remaining butter and oil in a frypan over medium heat. Cook bacon, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until it starts to crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. DO NOT at this stage try the bacon or you will be forced to eat it all and there will be none left for the Daube.  Add mushrooms to the pan then cook for 2-3 minutes until softened – add a little water if the mushrooms start sticking. Set aside with bacon.

Skim any fat from the surface of the beef pan then strain, returning the liquid to the pan and setting beef and vegetables aside in a bowl. Return pan to medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes to reduce and thicken sauce.  At this stage you can add some cornflour mixed with water to thicken if required. Return beef and mirepoix to the sauce with eschallots, bacon and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat through.

Serve with Aligot, and steamed greens and a large glass of red wine.

Aligot (creamy, cheesy, garlicky mash)

80g butter

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

1 cup (250ml) milk

200g Gruyere or Raclette cheese, grated

White pepper and salt

Melt butter with garlic in a pan over very low heat. Set aside.

Cook potato in boiling water for 10-15 minutes until tender.

Drain potatoes, return to pan and cover with a tea towel for 5 minutes to absorb steam.

Pass potato through a potato ricer or mash with a masher until very smooth, then add garlic butter, warm milk, grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir with a fork or spoon until smooth.