smoked trout

Here is a little bit of smoking, you don't have to catch your own but it is very satisfying to catch, brine, smoke and eat your very own.

First clean and descale your trout, put it in a container with either your own brining mixture or you can buy it all ready mixed.  I use a 7% brine solution, that is 70g of salt to ech litre of water, I don't count any adatives as these are a personal choice, just use the try it and see theory, I write it down and see what it turns out like.

Put this in a cool place for at least 5 hours (I do mine over night (12 hours) in the fridge).

Remove from the brine, wash under running water to remove the surface salt.

Pat dry and place on the grid in the smoker. I also have what is called in German a Rauchertonne, this is a long cylindrical galvanised tube and is for smoking eels and long sausages in the hanging position (also for kippers)
Next light your smoker ( I have a one that can do cold and hot smoking, the trout was done by the hot method)

The smoking, cooking process took only 20 mins and the trout was a light golden colour, moist and tasting of the wonderful beech, juniper flavour.

While it was smoking I sauted, some potaoes cooked the evening before, with onions, speck and herbs,

So that is how you can do your own caught fish, but there is nothing to stop you buying already gutted

Stuffed Peppers in the Slow Cooker

Yesterday as I was shopping at the local Turkish supermarket, I noticed that they had some very nice looking red peppers, capsicum, paprika or as they call them Biber. I had quick look around the corner to see if they had any lammhack (lamb mince)! They had, a meal for next weekend formed into my "liddle ol" brain ( I have friends coming from Berlin).

So picked 8 (you are allowed to pick and choose in real Turkish markets) and then went to my favorite butcheress, I bought a good 500g of mince, a large handfull of chops and bits and pieces of lamb and a bunch of fresh mint.

I was in quite a hurry as I had to go out, (Kegeln, World cup, Footy clubs sports weekend), the prep for this took less than 30 mins, so it is a quick meal for the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

8 red peppers (Capsicum)

500g lamb mince

About 4 sundried tomatoes in oil.

500gr of pieces of lamb (any than you can get a hold of)

A bunch of mint

2 boil in the bag rice sachets (300g of rice)

1 jar (680g) of roasted peppers (chopped)

1 tin of large butter beans

1 large red onion (thats all I had) chopped

100 gr of diced smoked speck(smoked bacon bits)

2 table spoon of oil.

400ml of vegetable stock (marigold)

2  large cloves of garlic (chopped)

2 tea spoons of tomato paste

A good tablespoon of dried vegetables ( Suppengrün)

Seasoning  (dried, rosemary, oregano, coriander, parsely, pepper, salt and mint all ground to a powder in a grinder)

A few chopped  fresh rosemary needles

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of  pepper

A good pinch of smoked paprika powder

Method.

Pop the peppers into water to clean the dust and dirt off, slice tops off and remove seeds and white pith.

while your doing this,

Boil 2L of water with  a little salt, add 2 sachets of rice (I used Müllers Jasmin). boil for less than the ten minutes on the packet you want the rice to still have bite.

and at the same time.

Put half of the chopped onion and half the garlic into a sauce pan with a table spoon of oil, sauté until translucent, add the mince and brown, add the tomato paste and the sundried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the roasted peppers, a desert spoon of of the mixed ground herbs, the smoked paprika,

While this is happening.

Sauté the rest of the onions in the remainder of the oil with the the smoked speck and garlic, add the pieces of lamb and bones, brown, add the chopped rosemary, transfer all to the slow cooker add a good pinch of the seasoning. add the chopped roasted peppers (mine had a couple of roasted garlic cloves in with it), the dried veg, add the tin of beans and a small handfull of chopped mint.
Add the rice to the mince mixture and stir well together add some fresh chopped mint, adjust seasoning to taste.

Fill the mixture into the Peppers.

 and place them into the slow cooker on top of the stuff at the bottom. They should be a tight fit. Now add the vegetable stock.

Put the lid on , temperature low, time 4 hours. Go out and enjoy yourself. when you get home to the smell of fresh cooked food, lift the lid and you have:

I had a one just by itself with a bit of the "stew" from the base when I got in 7 hours later (my SC is a cuisinart and switches to keep warm once it reaches its cooking time).

I really did enjoy it.

Thanks

Dick

A life on the ocean waves.

Well hello my Tars!

Setting off into the morning sun

I was away doing a bit of fishing at the end of last week. 2 full days Thursday and Friday, it was on the Baltic on a converted minesweeper called "Simone".

Rods set and headinf for the fishing grounds

 The first day though good for some, wasn't so good for me. I caught 4 codling, but because they didn't meet the minimum size (38cm) I had to return 3, never mind, the one not sent back was a reasonable size.

Here are a couple of photos of the two trips, including a couple of eco friendly and a not so eco friendly means of sea travel that we met on the trips.

Friday was a different kettle of fish (pun intended) I caught 10 and just returned 3 so we had enough fish for our dinner party on Saturday.

The ever following gulls at filleting time

And a couple of young tars setting out on an old  baltic werry for an evenings messing about on the water.

Saturday evening we had friends around for a real British roast dinner

We had homemade asparagus and herb soup with a green rocket island topped with a poached quails egg.

A dozen quails eggs minus one

The minus one ready to be poached

         

The finished soup

Asparagus herb soup with a rocket island topped with a poached egg

Next was the fish and chips. Hestons thrice cooked chips, with goujons of line caught codling in a panko crust and Sole Bonne Femme with brown shrimp sauce.

Then was herb crusted roast beef, yorkies and all the trimmings,

A nice piece of well hung beef

Browning the beef

Pounding the herb crust with English mustard

The beef ready for the oven over a bed of root vegetables, stock and redwine

First into the oven at 220 degrees, reducing to 180 degrees after 20 mins until the inner temperature reached 70 degrees (to well done for my taste but we had guests)

Last but not least was a trio of summer puds.

Sorry no pics, this was Lindas section and she didn't take any.

Rhubarb and ginger crumble

Summer trifle

Home made strawberry ice cream

To quench the thirst (it was quite warm)

Plenty of wine., pic-poule, a nice crisp pink wine and a strong deep red  Burgundy

We watched last years Last Night of the Proms (the couple are going this year so we showed then a little taste of what to expect)

and so ended a very nice evening.

Sunday morning was out to Travemunde for a Birthday breakfast, it was a beautiful day until getting stuck in traffic on the way home. But all in all a very nice and enjoyable spring break.

Stuffed Peppers

Here is a wonderful light meal or if required can make a main if you add other veg (potatoes, cauliflower, beans) to it.

It can be made in the slow cooker from the cover with foil stage*

Makes 4 portions.

Ingredients

4 large peppers (red, green, yellow, some find the green ones a little indigestable and strong tasting)

500g of lean lamb mince

1 anchovy filet

2 spoonfuls of capers

1 cup of rice

2 diced shallots

2 tea spoons of tomato puree

1 chopped clove of garlic

2 desert spoons of olive oil

1 table spoon of chopped mint (or any other herb that you wish, but if using rosemary or thyme cut by half)

1 medium onion (I don't know what size it is but some where between a large shallot and a Spanish onion)

100g of speck or cured belly, diced small

1l of chicken stock (if you have lamb all the better)

S&P to taste.



Method
Soften the shallots in 1 spoon of olive oil.

Add the garlic, don't burn it.

Add the tomato puree

Add the anchovy filet and capers (chopped)

Stir all together and sauté

Add the mince and allow to colour, cover, and allow to cook until the juices rise.

In between boil your rice whatever way you wish; I use the absorbtion method, 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water or stock. Boil it until it is not quite done (still got a little white spot on the inside when crushed between thumb and finger).

Add the rice to the mince and mix

Add the mint (or other herbs of your choice) to the mixture and fill the peppers.

Fry the speck in the oil and add the onion fry until translucent add to roasting tin.

Put the stock in a roasting tin and place the peppers in it (the tin should just be large enough to take all four peppers and the stock should be 1/2" deep, this way the don't fall over).

*Cover with aluminium foil and place in a 200° oven for 1/2 to 3/4 hour.

If only doing a couple of peppers, I often use a Pyrex dish with a lid.

Keep an eye on the liquid and replace evaporation with hot stock.

When cooked carefully remove cover and set aside, pour the stock into a sauce pan and add any thing you wish, oxo or gravy browning, if you must, but a couple of nuts of beurre manié and a little red wine bubbled up makes a very nice sauce.

You can add whatever herbs you wish to the mince, or even a nice bit of chopped chilli, smoked paprika, chopped mushrooms, the variations are unending. You can also make a vegetarian version by replacing the mince with mushrooms and couscous instead of rice.

You can also slice length ways and hollow out courgettes and marrows, then filling and tying the two halves together with kitchen string.

I remember my Mam doing this with monster marrows that my Dad grew, it was always one of my favourite ones, because it would normally be followed with blackberry and apple pud either a steamed suet, a crumble or a summer steamed sponge fruit pud.



That shall be a recipe for later

Coelho à Portuguesa

This can be done with any part of the rabbit, but I prefer the hind legs as they give equal portions with no faff.



You require

For the marinade

1 Small Chilli (fresh if possible)

1 red pepper

1 Table spoon Mustard seeds

1 clove of garlic

2 Juniper berries

1 shallot

Splash of olive oil

Splash of white wine vinegar

Desert spoon of capers

2 cloves

Squeeze of lemon juice

Blend all together in either a blender or a pestle & mortar, I used both seeds, chillies and onions in the motar and red pepper in the blender.

This is not a Piri piri sauce so do not over do the chilli

Cut slashes to the bone in the meat.

Rub the marinade into the rabbit portions and place into a freezer bag or the like. Pour in all the remaining marinade. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours, massaging the joints every time you go past the fridge, or set the alarm clock every hour .

For the stewing broth,

1 onion

1 clove of garlic(crushed in paper skin)

100g streaky bacon

2 table spoons of olive oil

1ltr of home made game or chicken stock ( I made a rabbit stock from the head, front legs, rib cage, heart and lungs.

2 stalks of celery

3 Cardamom pods

Small piece of cinnamon bark

1 Bay leaf

4 juniper berries

1 Desert spoon sweet paprika powder.

1 small carton of Greek yoghurt.



Remove rabbit joints from bag scrape off most of the marinade back into the bag (other wise it will burn)

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and bacon, do not colour the onions (remove from pan add garlic and rabbit joints raise heat and brown very quickly.

Now add the stock to the bag with the marinade in and transfer all the ingredients except the yoghurt into a Cataplana or slow cooker (I used my slow cooker) cook for about 4-5 hours, on a low heat, about an hour before the end stir in the yoghurt (it is also very nice with sour cream)

Sliced Roebuck liver with apple/onion compote

I was having a think and as I have to pop around to see a mate of mine and he will more than likely have some fresh roe liver (May being the start of the roebuck season)

So here is my way of doing it.


Ingredients

600 g Roe buck liver cleaned of all skin, blood vessels and gristle
Nutmeg
Oil
2 shallots chopped
½ tspn of chopped fresh thyme
½ tspn of chopped fresh rosemary
80 g of butter
1 tbl spn Parsley
chopped fine
100 g Goose fat
200 g onions finely chopped
2 tbl spn sugar
1 tbl spn of honey
100 ml White wine
100 ml Apple juice
200 g diced apples
Salt
Pepper

Methology

Apple compote

Heat the goose fat and fry the onions until they are translucent but not taken on colour add a pinch of salt, the sugar and honey, turn the heat down low and add bit by bit a splash of wine and a splash of apple juice, the onions should turn into a pulp (about 1 hour), now add the apple pieces and cook this until they soften, add S&P to taste. Remove and set aside.

Slice the liver into fine strips, S&P and a dust with the nutmeg. heat the oil (spitting hot) quickly seal the outside and turn the heat down add the shallots, rosemary and thyme, fry for short time in the still hot oil. Tip into a sieve, drain. In the mean time heat the butter until it foams, add the contents of the sieve to the pan, quickly sauté add the chopped parsley; serve on a bed of the apple compote.

A mash or Spätzle go with it very nicely as does red cabbage.

I make the compote ahead and store in jam jars ready to use in a lot of game recipes and sauces.

Roebuck liver with marinated damsons and Jerusalem artichokes and artichoke chips.

500 g damsons.
1.5 L of red wine vinegar
250 g of brown sugar
½ stick cinnamon
15 g piece of root ginger peeled and finely sliced
1 bay leaf
5-6 black pepper corns

About 400 g prepared roe deer liver
Salt
Milk
Rape oil
A small handful of thyme
5 juniper berries
Flour
Butter for frying
Pepper out of the mill
250 ml of a good home made game stock.
A bit of salted butter for the sauce.
For the Jerusalem artichoke puree
400 g Jerusalem artichokes
Salt
40 g butter
3 tsp of crème fraiche

For the chips

2 Jerusalem artichoke tubers, peeled and finely sliced on a mandolin placed in a bowl of cold water
Fat to deep fry
Salt.

For the marinated damsons

Boil the vinegar, brown sugar and all the spices together remove scum, turn off the heat, add damsons and leave over night

Next day boil it up again, until the skins of the damsons start to split. Remove from liquid set aside and boil the liquid until it turns into syrup.
Divide the damsons into kilner jars Strain the warm syrup through a sieve on top of them.
You now have a supply of marinated damsons to use now and for later.

Liver

Place the liver in a shallow dish cover completely with lightly salted milk. Leave for about 5 hours.
Remove, dry and cut into 1 cm thick slices
Heat oil in a frying pan
Add the thyme and juniper berries
Dust the liver with the flour (put the flour in a plastic bag add the liver and shake)
Heat the rape oil, quickly brown the liver on both sides pour off the oil add the butter and sauté a little ( the liver should still be nice and pink or red if you are like me)
S&P, remove and set it aside on a plate
Add a jar of your marinated damsons to deglaze the pan.
Add the game stock bubble up and add the butter in pieces to give it a nice shine.

Jerusalem artichoke puree

Place the tubers on a baking tray covered with salt
And place in a 200 degree oven for 50 mins to 1 hour.
Peel the still warm tubers and crush with a fork add the butter and mix well add the crème fraiche and mix to a puree.

Remove the chips from the water pat dry and deep fry until golden brown, add salt to taste.

To serve place the puree in the middle, top with a couple of slices of liver place the sauce around and top with some chips.

You can also do this with Celeriac puree

Or Champ

Or a potato and turnip (Swede for the southerners) mash

An Indian Evening amongst friends

This was an evening (well an afternoon and evening) soirée, I had been in the kitchen most of the previous day and all morning, but this is a place I love to spend my time.

The table before the meal

The Soup had been made the week before and placed in the freezer, this you will find under the recipes, thanks once again Mamta.

The bread is a one that I have made before and as with most bread, is my variation on a theme. It is spiced saffron bread, the recipe you will find on my baking Fred page.

The mains consisted of:

Clockwise, buttered chicken, Bombay potatoes, tandoori lamb, beef vindaloo, more lamb and centre the Imperial Biryani

Buttered chicken*, this is a one that I tried out on Linda last week only this week I used de-boned chicken thighs (they where on special offer at my local Turkish butchers €4.99 kg). You will find it  under Indian

Beef Vindaloo*

Here is the link to Mamtas web site and my recipe that I posted last year

http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=13424

And a few photos just to give you a clue!

The 2kg piece of rump.

Dicing ready for action

                                                                                                            Chopped onions, garlic and ginger

Softening them