Kangaroo, Peach and Pomegranate Salad

This is a further kangaroo recipe that I originally published a number of years ago and made a point of saving from the cyber space void when the publisher ceased operating. It is perfect for a summer's night but enjoyable at any time of year, ideally perhaps with a nice glass of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon...

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 5 min

Ready in: 15 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 4 ounce (110g) kangaroo leg steak
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• Generous handful mixed green salad leaves of choice (watercress, baby spinach and rocket/arugula were used in this instance)
• 6 canned in own juice peach crescent slices
• Seeds and juice of half a pomegranate
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar

Kangaroo leg steak is added to hot griddle pan

Method

Put your ridged, cast iron griddle pan on to a very high heat and allow it a few minutes to get as hot as possible. Lightly oil the kangaroo steak (as opposed to oiling the pan). This can be done by hand or with a pastry brush. Season the steak with salt and pepper. How long the steak takes to cook will obviously depend upon the thickness more than anything else but as a guide, this approximately 1" (2.5cm) thick steak took 2 to 2.5 minutes each side.

Lift the cooked steak to a chopping boars and allow to rest while you prepare the salad.

Halved pomegranate

There is a very easy way to remove the juice and seeds from a pomegranate. Start by cutting it in half across the middle. Hold the half above a bowl or dish with the cut side down and tap the curved/skin side firmly over and over with a wooden spoon. This should cause the seeds to fall out into the bowl.

Pomegranate seed salad dressing

Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a large glass or stone bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar and the pomegranate seeds and juice. Stir very well to combine.

Preparing peach and pomegranate salad

Wash the salad leaves and shake dry. Roughly chop the peach crescents. Add the lot to the salad dressing and gently stir fold to combine.

Sliced kangaroo leg steak

Slice the kangaroo leg steak moderately finely across the grain. Like all types of lean wild game, it should be beautifully pink in the centre. Mix with the salad and plate for service.

Enjoying peach, pomegranate and kangaroo salad

Succulent Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

Oven baked chicken breast with roast potatoes and broccoli

Chicken breasts are hugely popular, fairly inexpensive and incredibly versatile in the number of ways in which they can be cooked, either whole or having been chopped up in advance. If they do have one failing, however, it is that if they are in any way undercooked, they can represent a health risk, and if they are in any way overcooked, they can be tough and unpalatable. This method of cooking chicken breasts as good as ensures perfect results every time and is a very easy recipe to follow. The accompaniments to the chicken breasts can of course be varied to suit your tastes and preferences but in this instance, the potatoes have to initially be cooked at least a few hours in advance, or cooked the night before and stored in the fridge overnight.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min (plus cooling time for potatoes)

Cook time: 1 hour 10 min

Ready in: 1 hour 40 min (plus cooling time for potatoes)

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients

• Baby potatoes as required for 2 people, whole, skin on
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated/shredded/very finely chopped
• 2 medium skinless chicken breast fillets
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets

 Method

Put the potatoes into a pot of cold, salted water, ensuring they are all comfortably covered. Put the pot on to a high heat until the water starts to boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are just softened. Drain, return to the pot and leave to cool. If desired, once they are partly cooled, they can be placed in a suitable container and refrigerated (still in their skins!) overnight.

Olive oil and flavourants are added to casserole dish

Put your oven on to preheat to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Add the olive oil, chopped coriander (cilantro) and garlic to a casserole dish just large enough to accommodate the chicken breasts side by side. Stir briefly with a wooden spoon to combine.

Chicken breasts are added to seasoned oil

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with a little salt and lay them side by side, presentation (smooth) sides up in the casserole dish. Put the lid on the dish and place it into the oven for precisely 20 minutes (reduce accordingly if using fan assisted). When the chicken has been in the oven for 10 minutes, pour the vegetable oil into a deep baking or roasting tray large enough to accommodate all the potatoes and place it in the oven to preheat.

While the chicken is cooking, carefully peel/rub the skin from all the cooled potatoes.

Oven baked chicken breasts

Take the casserole dish from the oven and - being careful of escaping steam - remove the lid. Use a metal skewer to pierce the thickest part of each chicken breast and ensure the juices run clear. Lift with a slotted spoon to a deep plate and cover with foil to rest while you cook potatoes and broccoli.

Carefully add the potatoes to the tray of hot oil and turn them around with a spatula to ensure even coating. Turn oven up to 220C/450F/Gas Mark 8 and cook for 15/20 minutes until golden, giving tray a gentle shake half way through.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli fillets for 7 to 8 minutes before draining to serve. 

Lift the potatoes to a plate covered with kitchen paper to briefly drain before plating your meals.
  
 

Easy Indian Lamb Bhuna Recipe

Lamb bhuna with turmeric rice and garlic and coriander naan

Lamb bhuna was very much my favourite Indian dish as a child and I still very much have a soft spot for it today. I have tried various different ways of preparing it but this is definitely the easiest I have so far discovered and it still affords a very authentic and delicious eating experience.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 1 hour 45 min

Ready in: 2 hours

Yields: 2 servings

Principal lamb bhuna ingredients

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (225g) diced leg of lamb
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon medium curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 small white onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely sliced
• 8 ounce (225g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1 pint fresh chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 6 ounces (175g) basmati or long grain rice
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1.5 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander (cilantro) - 1 tablespoon for rice, 1/2 tablespoon for bhuna, plus extra to garnish
• 2 garlic and coriander (cilantro) naan breads to serve, heated and sliced

 

Spices are added to vegetable oil

Method

Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot. Add the curry powder, chilli powder and garam masala and put the pot on to a low to medium heat. Stir fry the spices gently for a minute or two, just to cook off the harshness - but be very careful not to overcook and burn them or they will turn very bitter and spoil the dish.

Onion, garlic and chilli are added to spiced oil

Add the onion, garlic and chilli to the spicy paste and stir fry gently for another 2 or 3 minutes, just to soften the onion strands.

Lamb is added to onion and spice mix

When the onions are softened, the lamb should be added to the pot. Turn the heat up slightly at this stage to seal the lamb quickly and evenly. Keep stirring all the time with the wooden spoon for the couple of minutes this should take. 

Canned tomatoes are added to sealed lamb combination

When the lamb is evenly sealed and browned, pour the canned tomatoes into the pot. Stir well. Add the chicken stock, stir again and turn the heat right up until the liquid starts to simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to achieve as gentle a simmer as possible for approximately an hour and a half, until the lamb is beautifully tender. 

When the bhuna is almost ready, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Stir in the teaspoon of ground turmeric. Wash the rice through a sieve under running cold water before adding to the boiling water. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes or per the pack instructions (do check, as rice types vary).

Coriander is added to drained turmeric rice

Drain the rice through a sieve and return to the empty pot. Allow to steam off for a couple of minutes before stirring in 1 tablespoon of coriander (cilantro), stirring the other 1/2 tablespoon into the bhuna.

Reheat the naan breads as per the pack instructions and slice for service. In this instance, I have plated the rice and bhuna in separate dishes but please as you prefer and serve.

Quick and Easy Kangaroo Chilli

Kangaroo chilli with rice

Kangaroo is perhaps not something many people would associate with chilli - or as an item to appear on the dinner table. As the world has opened up, however, due to improved transport and the sharing of foodstuffs and ideas, many more ingredients are available to us that we may never have had access to or considered before. This recipe came from a series of kangaroo recipes I prepared a few years back for an article - the online publisher of which has since ceased operating - and I hope it is something you will try. The kangaroo used in this recipe was bought in a High Street supermarket but the meat is widely available online if you have no local stockist.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ready in: 30 min

Yields: 1 serving

Kangaroo leg meat

Ingredients

• 8 ounce (220g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 8 ounce (220g) can red kidney beans in water
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 medium size and strength red chilli
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 ounce (110g) kangaroo leg steak
• 3 ounces (75g) basmati or long grain rice
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped coriander (cilantro), plus a little extra to garnish
• 2 teaspoons grated cheddar cheese
• 3 central slices form large green chilli to garnish

Method

Put the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan and the pan on to a medium to high heat. Shake the pan extremely regularly to toast the seeds without burning them. You will smell them cooking after a minute or so and this is when they are done. Grind until smooth with a pestle and mortar, or in an electric spice grinder if you prefer.

Sauteing onion and spices

Pour 2 tablespoons only of the oil into a saucepan and bring it up to a medium heat. The half peeled onion should be finely sliced, the garlic clove should be peeled and either finely sliced or diced and seeding the chilli before it is finely chopped is optional. Add the lot to the hot oil, along with the ground cumin seeds, and saute until the onion is just softened, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.

Canned tomatoes are added to spiced onion mix

Pour the tomatoes into the pan and stir well and season with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat until the combination starts to simmer. Adjust the heat to achieve a gentle but steady simmer.

Red kidney beans are added to spicy tomatoes

Tip the canned kidney beans into a colander in your sink and rinse well under running cold water before adding tot eh spicy tomato mix. Stir well and continue to simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the beans are added to the chilli, wash the rice through a sieve under running cold water and add to a pot of boiling, salted water to simmer for 10 minutes (or as directed on the pack).

Chopping kangaroo leg meat

When the rice is on to cook, chop the kangaroo meat with a cleaver or large chef's knife to around the texture of coarsely minced/ground beef.

Kangaroo meat is browned in hot oil

Pour the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil into a frying pan and bring it up to  medium to high heat. Quickly brown the chopped kangaroo meat in the hot oil before removing from the pan with a slotted spoon and stirring it into the simmering sauce. Be sure to drain off as much of the oil as possible before it is added to the sauce.

Stir the teaspoon of coriander into the chilli a couple of minutes before the cooking time is up.

Kangaroo chilli is spooned on to bed of rice

Drain the rice through a sieve and allow it to steam off and dry out for a couple of minutes before arranging in the base of a deep plate in the form of a bed for the chilli. Carefully taste the chilli and adjust the seasoning if required before spooning on to the rice and garnishing with the remaining chopped coriander.

Grated cheese is arranged on chilli

Carefully spoon the cheese onto the centre of the chilli and finish with the 3 chilli slices.

Mushroom Stuffed Calamari in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed calamari with tomato sauce

I've never really been in the habit of publishing starter/appetizer recipes on this blog but I am very much making an exception for this tantalizing and incredibly tasty little creation. I devised and first published this recipe around 15 years ago and managed to salvage it from the site on which it first appeared before that site went out of business. This dish could also be made in larger portions to serve as a main course, perhaps with additional accompaniments such as broccoli.

Ingredients

• 2 cleaned and prepared calamari squid mantles, wings and tentacles*
• 14 ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 closed cup mushrooms
• Butter for frying
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

 *Please note that you can find simple but detailed cleaning and preparation instructions for the calamari in my Dab a la Meunier with Calamari Rings post on my fish and seafood blog.

Method

Put 2 (unmedicated!) wooden toothpicks or cocktail sticks into a small bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to let them soften.

Pour the tomatoes into a small saucepan, season with salt and pepper and put the pan onto a medium heat until the tomatoes start to simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain as gentle as simmer as possible for 10 to 15 minutes, until a lush sauce is effectively formed. Be sure to stir frequently with a wooden spoon.

Calamari wings and tentacles are fried in butter

Melt a little butter in a frying pan and stir fry the calamari wings and tentacles for a couple of minutes. Remove to a holding palate and leave for a few minutes until cool.

Sauteing mushrooms and garlic in butter

Finely dice the mushrooms and peeled garlic clove. Melt a little more butter in your pan and stir fry the mushrooms and garlic for a couple of minutes before finely chopping the calamari wings and tentacles and adding to the pan. Stir well, turn off the heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Stuffed calamari

Very carefully, use the cooled stuffing mix to almost but not quite fill the calamari mantles (bodies). This can either be done with a teaspoon or by hand but be very gentle and do not overfill the cavities. You don't want them to burst during cooking. Use a toothpick/cocktail stick to seal each package as shown in the image above before sitting them gently in the simmering tomato sauce and covering the pan to simmer for 5 minutes.

Lift the calamari from the sauce with a slotted spoon to a small plate or saucer and carefully twist and gently pull the sticks to remove. plate the sauce in a deep serving plate before sitting the calamari on top and garnishing with the chopped parsley to serve.

Tuna Shish Kebabs with Sweet Potato Fritters

Tuna shish kebabs with sweet potato fritters

Well, it's been a while! Life has taken a number of unexpected twists and turns for me over the past few years (some good/some bad) and I have had to focus my attentions on matters other than this long established project. I'm pleased to say that now I have managed to organise my life to an extent that I can revisit this blog on a regular basis and hopefully once again share with you tasty, healthy and moderately straightforward recipe ideas that you may wish to try for dinner tonight or any night. So let's take up where we left off a while back with this ultra tasty and healthy idea for tuna loin shish kebabs.

A shish kebab by definition is quite simply cubed bits of meat, threaded on to a skewer and cooked by grilling. While the meat from this originally Mediterranean dish would most often be lamb, goat, or perhaps even beef, there is nothing to stop us using moderately firm fleshed fish such as tuna.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ready in: 20 min

Yields: 1 large or 2 medium servings

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons plain (all purpose) flour
• 4 ounce (110g) tuna loin fillet, chopped into 8 equal sized chunks
• 1/2 courgette (zucchini), seeded and chopped to 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped to 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces
• Vegetable oil for deep frying and oiling kebabs
• 2 tablespoons soured cream
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
• 1 teaspoon chopped chives

  

Preparing sweet potato fritters batter

Method

Put 2 wooden skewers into a basin of cold water to soak for 10 minutes. This will prevent them burning during grilling.

When you are grating the sweet potato, do so into the centre of a clean tea towel or similar. Gather up the edges of the tea towel and squeeze hard over your sink to remove as much of the liquid from the sweet potato as possible. This is essential - do not ignore this step or your fritters will not come together properly.

Put the sweet potato into a large bowl. Add the beaten egg, coriander and flour. Season with salt and pepper and stir very well until a thick batter is formed.

Fill a deep frying pan with oil to a depth of about 2 inches (5cm) and bring it up to a medium to high heat. You could use a deep fryer if desired. The oil is hot enough when a little water splashed into it it spits noisily.

Put your kitchen grill (broiler) on to preheat to its highest setting.

Starting to fry sweet potato fritters

Use one or two dessert spoons to quenelle the sweet potato batter before carefully depositing in the hot oil. This much batter should make around 5 or 6 fritters. Adjust the heat under the pan if necessary to maintain a steady fry and turn the fritters carefully ever minute or so.

Tuna shish kebabs ready for grilling

As soon as the fritters are on to cook, thread the tuna chunks, courgette and bell pepper alternately on to the soaked wooden skewers. Lay them on some lightly oiled foil on a grilling tray and use a pastry brush to oil the tops of the kebabs. Grill for 3 minutes each side until done. Be very careful not to overcook the tuna!

Pour the soured cream into a small bowl. Add the grated garlic and most of the chives, reserving some of the chives to garnish. Stir well and transfer to a small ramekin for serving.

Draining sweet potato fritters

Lift the sweet potato fritters from the hot oil to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain while you remove the kebabs to your serving plate.

Tuna shish kebabs with sweet potato fritters and dip

A fork is best used to slide the tuna and vegetables from the skewers. Plate the potato fritters and dip, garnishing the dip with the last of the chives at the last minute.

Scottish Tattie (Potato) Scone BLT's

Scottish tattie scone BLT's

When you consider just how popular the BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich actually is around the world, it becomes almost incredible to think that it is nearly always prepared and served up almost exactly the same way. A couple of leaves of (often limp) lettuce, topped with bacon and a couple of slices of tomato, all contained in a burger bun or similar bread roll. This is a great shame, as like so many other simple food concepts, it is very easy to vary it in an almost infinite number of ways to make it all the more exciting and tasty, while still remaining absolutely true to the core concept. This simple but delectable creation adds a Scottish tattie (potato) scone to the basic ingredients list, as well as introducing a spicy little twist to the preparation of the lettuce component. If you can't get (or make!) tattie scones, Irish potato farls are very similar.

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ready in: 15 min
Yields: 2 BLT's

Ingredients

4 British back bacon rashers (or 6 to 8 strips American bacon)
Vegetable oil for frying
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
2 teaspoons tomato ketchup
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon hot chilli powder
Salt and black pepper
4 medium green lettuce leaves
1/4 small white onion
2 tattie scones
2 soft bread rolls
1 medium tomato
2 or 3 large basil leaves

Frying bacon rashers

Directions

Pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in to a large, non-stick frying pan and put the bacon on to fry for a couple of minutes or so each side over a medium heat until cooked as you like it.

Preparing spicy sauce for lettuce and onion

When the bacon is in the pan, combine the yoghurt, ketchup, chilli powder, mint and some salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Make sure it is well mixed together.

Lettuce and onion are added to spicy sauce

Wash the lettuce leaves, shake dry, roll and shred. Moderately finely dice the peeled onion quarter. Add the lettuce and onion to the spicy sauce and gently stir fold it through to ensure even coating.

Put your kitchen grill (broiler) on to preheat to its highest setting.

Frying tattie scones

When the bacon is ready, lift it to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain and fry the tattie scones for a minute each side in the same pan in the bacon fat.

Cut the rolls open and toast lightly on the cut sides under the grill/broiler.

Wash the tomato, dry and finely slice.

Spicy lettuce and onion is spooned on to roll bases

Lay the roll halves on a plate, cut sides up. Put a generous spoonful of the spicy lettuce and onion mix on the bottom half of each roll (you probably won't need the whole lot but it will keep in the fridge for a few hours).

Tattie scones are laid on spicy lettuce and onion

Take the tattie scones from the frying pan, lay them briefly on some kitchen paper to remove the excess grease and lay one on top of each lettuce bed.

Bacon rashers are laid on top of tattie scones

Place 2 bacon rashers carefully on top of each tattie scone.

Scottish tattie scone BLT's are closed over and ready to serve

Lay 2 or 3 slices of tomato on top of the bacon on each roll. Roll and shred the basil leaves before scattering over the tomato. Close the rolls over to serve.

This is but one of the endless ways in which it is possible to "spice up" the simple combination that is the BLT. Why not use your imagination to experiment a bit and see what variations on the theme you can come up with?

Easy Roast Chicken and Potatoes

Roast chicken, roast potatoes and broccoli

Recently, I shared on this blog details of an Indian rogan josh spatchcock chicken served with turmeric and red onion rice recipe. It was mentioned to me by someone that they loved the idea of preparing a chicken in this way but without the spicy influences. For this reason, today I'm sharing a simple, straightforward recipe for roasted spatchcock chicken served with potatoes roasted in the chicken juices.

Potatoes are parboiled prior to being roasted

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 2 hours 20 min

Ready in: 2 hours 30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• Baby new potatoes as required
• Salt
• 1 medium chicken
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil
  
• 1 medium head of broccoli 

 

Chicken is spatchcocked by removing the backbone

Directions

Wash the potatoes and cut them in half but leave them unpeeled. Put them in to a pot of cold, salted water and simmer for about 15 minutes until just partly cooked. Drain and set aside to steam off, dry out and cool down. Cover until required.

Put your oven on to preheat to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Sit the chicken broad end down on a chopping board and carefully cut down either side of the backbone with a cleaver or very sharp and robust knife. Remove the bone and discard. Weigh the bird to establish cooking time of 20 minutes per pound and 20 minutes over.

Chicken fully prepared for oven roasting

Lightly oil a deep roasting tray. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on the flesh side and lay on the tray flesh side down. Season the top of the bird liberally with salt only and place the tray in to the oven for the allotted cooking period. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.

Spatchcock roast chicken must be left to rest

Take the chicken from the oven (but don't turn the oven off) and pierce the thickest part of each thigh with a skewer to ensure the juices run clear. If not, cook for 10 more minutes before testing again. Carefully lift to a large plate, cover with foil and leave to rest.

Pour another 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil in to the hot tray and add the cooled potatoes. Turn them around carefully in the oil and roast for 20 minutes, stirring carefully again half way through.

Chop the broccoli in to even sized florets and add to a pot of simmering, salted water for 5 minutes.

Roast potatoes are drained on kitchen paper

Take the potatoes from the oven and lift to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain. Cut the legs from the chicken and slice off the breast fillets. Drain the broccoli and serve a leg portion and breast portion of the chicken along with half the potatoes and half the broccoli per person.