Prawn Okonomiyaki

My second lot of pancakes. This a Japanese pancake normally made with just cabbage but I thought I'd add some prawns in. It is absolutely delicious drizzled with sriracha hot sauce and mayonnaise.

Prawn Okonomiyaki (adapted from The Guardian)
(Serves 1)

1 egg
50g plain flour
50g stock, cooled
1-2 tsp spring onions, chopped
½ tsp fresh ginger, grated
125g cabbage, thinly shredded
10 king prawns, cut into 3
oil

To garnish
mayonnaise
sriracha sauce

Mix together the egg and flour, then stir in the cooled stock, making sure that there are no lumps. Add the spring onions, ginger, cabbage and prawns.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Pour the mixture into the pan, and fry for five mins each side. Add the garnishes to taste, and serve immediately.

Red Cabbage Smoothie

So I didn't really like this. I got a red cabbage in my veg bag a couple of weeks ago and I am never really sure what to do with it, beyond pickling. This time I tried a smoothie. I'm not sure if my blender is not high powered enough, it's just a bog standard Kenwood, but this was rather gritty and unappetising.

I thought I'd post it anyway so that anyone with one of those whizzy new fangled things can give it a go and see if the texture is better!

Red Cabbage Smoothie (from My Fitness Pal)
(Serves 2)

325ml cups cold water
1/2 small head red cabbage, quartered and frozen
100g frozen blueberries
1 banana, frozen
165g low-fat vanilla yogurt

Break up the frozen cabbage with your hands and puree with water in a high power blender. Add frozen blueberries, banana and vanilla yogurt and puree again until smooth.

Cumin, Barley and Cabbage Soup

I got a savoy cabbage in my veg bag, I'm not a big fan of savoy cabbage so I wasn't really sure what to do with it. In the end I made some of it into soup. This was a lovely filling winter soup, filled with veg.

Cumin, Barley and Cabbage Soup (from Cooking On a Bootstrap)
(Serves 4)

200g pearl barley
2 small onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin
2 large carrots, grated
1.5l vegetable stock
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
juice 1 lemon
1/2 savoy cabbage, sliced

Put the onions into a saucepan with the oil, cumin, and a pinch of salt. Cook over a very low heat for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. When the onion and garlic are softened, grate one of your carrots and add to the onions and garlic, and stir.

Add the barley, pour over the stock, squeeze in the lemon juice, and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and reduce to a simmer for 40 mins, if the soup starts to dry out, add a cup of water and stir well. Add the cabbage and cook for 5 more mins. Serve.

Korean Pancake

I made these delicious pancakes for lunch last weekend. It was really simple to make, chop up lots of veg, and you could use pretty much any veg you want, make a batter, combine and fry. Very satisfying!

50g plain flour
25g cornflour
pinch chilli powder
1 egg
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp oil
1 spring onion, trimmed and shredded lengthways
150g mixed vegetables, cut, julienned or shredded into 2-3cm lengths
50g small cooked prawns

For the dipping sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha
pinch of sugar

Mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together and set aside.

In a bowl, mix the flour, chilli powder and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl or jug, beat together 100ml water, the egg and garlic. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the water mixture, beating all the time to make a smooth batter. Add the veg and prawns to the batter and stir to coat.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and pour in the batter and veg. Cook on a medium heat for 3-4 mins or until the bottom is fully set and turning golden, and the top is beginning to set. Flip over and cook the other side for 3-4 mins more until cooked through. Slice into wedges and serve with the dipping sauce.

Bigos

Lovely Polish stew full of meat and sauerkraut. 

Bigos (from Good Food Magazine October 2015)
(Serves 4-6)

50g butter
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp juniper berries, crushed
½ tsp caraway seeds
300g lean pork belly, cubed
1 tbsp brown sugar
500g sauerkraut
half white cabbage, shredded
200g fresh chopped tomatoes or 400g tin chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken or beef stock
10g dried mushroom
300g smoked Polish sausage, such as kabanos, chopped
1 apple, grated
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large casserole. Add the onion and sauté over a medium heat until the onion is softened and translucent. Sprinkle over the juniper berries and caraway seeds, then add the pork. Sprinkle over the brown sugar. Turn the heat up for a couple of mins, turning the meat so it browns well.

Drain the sauerkraut and squeeze out the excess water. Add to the casserole with the white cabbage and tomatoes, then pour over the stock. Simmer for about 30 mins.

Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms in warm water. When they have softened, drain, adding their soaking liquor to the meat. Chop the mushrooms finely and add these to the casserole, along with the sausage and apple. Simmer for another 1 hr 30 mins and serve.

Udon Noodles with Miso, Smoked Mackerel and Cabbage

This was delicious, really different but fantastically flavourful. I didn't have any udon noodles so used wholewheat ones instead.

Udon Noodles with Miso, Smoked Mackerel and Cabbage (from The Guardian)
(Serves 2)

2 tsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
5 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra, to serve
4 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
2 smoked mackerel fillets, skin off
1 egg
150g udon noodles (or any other noodle)
5 tbsp miso paste, or to taste
¼ savoy cabbage, very finely shredded
4 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
Chilli oil or sauce, to serve

Gently heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the ginger and garlic. After a minute of sizzling, take off the heat and add the soy, mirin, honey and sesame oil. Return the pan to the heat for just a second, to make sure it’s hot – don’t let it bubble – then add the mackerel in large flakes, tossing it gently in the sauce and trying not to break it up too much, then set aside.

Boil the egg gently for six mins, then peel under cold running water – this helps to stop it cooking further. Add the egg to the warm mackerel pan, and spoon the sauce over it – the longer you leave it there, the better.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to the instructions, and drain. At the same time, in another pan, bring 750ml water to the boil and stir in the miso paste until it dissolves. Drop in the cabbage and spring onions, and cook just until they wilt, then stir in the drained noodles. Transfer to bowls, then spoon the mackerel and its sauce on top. Set half the egg on top of each bowl, and serve with a little soy and some chilli oil or sauce at the table.

Daring Cooks September 2015: Modaks

For the month of September, Rutvika the talented lady behind sizzleanddrizzle.com challenged us to make modaks: a delicate preparation of coconut and jiggery filled in a tender rice flour covering that is later steamed to produce a delicacy that is usually served in the Ganesha festival in India.

So I don't like coconut so I went for a savoury filling for my Modaks. I really enjoyed the flavour of these dumplings but I was a bit rubbish with my shaping, but I loved having a go! My second lot turned out better than the first. I ended up with loads more dough than mixture so I made double filling and used up all the dough and froze the leftovers.

Recipe 2: Steamed vegetable modaks

Servings: Makes 12 steamed vegetable modaks
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Cooling time: to be served hot

Ingredients


For the filling

• 2 tablespoon oil
• ½ teaspoon green chilli paste (or cayenne pepper)
• ½ cup or 50 grams cabbage , finely chopped (I used the purple cabbage which has a milder flavor)
• ½ cup or 50 gms onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup or 35 grams green stalks of spring onions
• ½ cup or 50 grams French beans, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the covering / shell

• 1 heaped cup of Basmati rice flour, sifted (310 grams)
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• ¾ cup water (180 m)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 35 grams unsalted butter

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a wok. Add the chilli paste in the oil and let it sizzle for a minute.

Add all the vegetables and stir fry it for a couple of minutes over low heat. Add the salt and sugar. Cover it with a lid and steam the vegetables till just softened, but still crisp.

Add the soy sauce, mix well.

Take it off the heat and let it cool down completely.

To make the covering, sift the rice flour and 1 tablespoon all purpose flour with the smallest sieve twice so that it is very smooth. The all purpose flour is used to make the rice flour more sticky.

In a thick bottomed vessel, take the water and add butter and salt to it. Let it come to a boil.

Once water starts to boil, add the flour mixture all at once. Take it off heat and mix it together with a spoon.

Then put it back on heat and sprinkle 2 tablespoon water. Cover and let it steam for 1 minute over low heat.

Take it off heat and let it stay in a corner covered for 10 minutes, It will get softened.

Once it has considerably cooled down, pulse it in a food processor for a minute, take it out and knead with hands to bring it together to form a smooth dough.

Prepare the steamer. Fill a large vessel with water covering the bottom of the steamer. Place steamer on top and keep it ready. We place the modaks on a banana leaf for steaming, but you can use a plain tea towel instead.

Make 12 equal balls of the dough.

With a little water, flatten each ball into a thin disk with your hands or in a non-electric roti maker, about 4 inches in diameter. Then take it into the palm of your hand. Stuff it with some mixture leaving ½ inch on all sides. Start pinching the corners into petals with the use of your index finger and thumb and middle finger on each side. Make several such petals all around the edge of the disk

Then start getting all the petals together by pressing it closer with your fingers. Seal the top and keep it covered with a damp towel till a few are ready to be steamed.

Immerse each modak in water before placing it in the steamer filled with boiling water. Steam for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with some pickle or ketchup.

Pig's Trotters with Crunchy Coleslaw

So, pigs trotters, I picked these up at the farmers market in Walthamstow a couple of weeks ago. I'll try anything once, but this one, never again. Basically there was no meat on my trotters only skin and fat, so I don't think I'll be bothering with this again. Amazing crackling but not much else!

Pig's Trotters with Crunchy Coleslaw (from Good Food Channel)
(Serves 2)

4 pig's trotters
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 onions
1 red pepper, seeds removed and sliced
1 yellow pepper, seeds removed and sliced
dash lemon juice

For the coleslaw
1 small white cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 small courgette, grated
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp caster sugar
splash cider vinegar

To serve
baked sweet potatoes
hot sauce
cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 180C. Wash the trotters well and remove any excess hairs. This can be done by burning them off.

Rub the trotters in salt and lemon juice, then in the Cajun seasoning, rubbing them in well. Place the trotters on a baking tray or small roasting tin with the sliced peppers and onion. Roast for 1½ - 2 hours or until really tender.

For the coleslaw: while the trotters are cooking, combine all the coleslaw ingredients in a bowl, then season to taste with salt and pepper and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serve the trotters with the coleslaw, baked sweet potatoes, hot sauce and vinegar.

Okonomiyaki

Like the steamed buns I have been wanting to make Okonomiyaki for an age. I finally had some cabbage lying around in my fridge and I thought why not! I loved it, eggy but pancakey and then all the cabbage, it really was lovely and I urge you to top it with mayonnaise and brown sauce - delicious.

Okonomiyaki (from The Guardian)
(Serves 1)

1 egg
50g plain flour
50g stock, cooled
15g raw potato, grated
1-2 tsp spring onions, chopped
½ tsp fresh ginger, grated (or Japanese pickled ginger, diced)
125g cabbage, thinly shredded
Oil

To garnish
Kewpie mayonnaise (or regular)
Okonomiyaki sauce (or HP sauce)

Mix together the egg and flour, then stir in the cooled stock, making sure that there are no lumps.

Add the grated potato to the batter, then stir in the spring onions, ginger and cabbage.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Pour the mixture into the pan, and fry for five mins each side.

Add the garnishes to taste, and serve immediately.

Sausage with Warm Red Cabbage and Beetroot Slaw

The beetroot and red cabbage slaw was delicious and went really well with the sausages. Slightly sweet, slightly sour it was just perfect. I served it by itself, but it would be lovely with crusty bread as the original recipe suggested.

Sausage with Warm Red Cabbage and Beetroot Slaw (from Good Food Magazine May 2012)
(Serves 4)

8 pork sausages
100ml balsamic vinegar
100g soft dark brown sugar
1 tbsp cumin seed
140g mixed dried vine fruit, such as currants, raisins and sultanas
1 red cabbage, about 800g 12oz, shredded
4 beetroot, about 350g, grated

Heat oven to 200C. Put the sausages on a baking tray and cook for 30-35 mins or until cooked through and golden.

Meanwhile, put the vinegar, sugar, cumin and dried fruit into a large pan and gently heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then bubble for 3 mins or until slightly reduced. Tip in the cabbage and beetroot, stir well, then cook for 10 mins more.

Serve with mustard.

Asian Chicken Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing

This was a lovely crunchy salad with beautiful Asian flavours.

Asian Chicken Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing (from Julies Album)
(Serves 4)

450g baby spinach leaves, washed, and dried

1 large carrot, shredded

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 red cabbage, sliced

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted

3 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced

For the dressing

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp chopped fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon powder ginger

1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey

3 tbsp toasted sesame oil

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Combine all salad dressing ingredients, except for sesame seeds, and using only 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Whisk until emulsified. Taste your dressing and add another 1 tbsp of soy sauce, if desired, to make it saltier. Add 2 tbsp sesame seeds to the dressing and mix them in.

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl, except for 1 tbsp of sesame seeds and chicken. Add the salad dressing to the salad and toss - do not add all salad dressing at once: you might not need all of it. Add just enough salad dressing to coat the salad ingredients.

Serve the salad in the individual serving bowls and top with the remaining 1 tbsp of sesame seeds and sliced chicken.

Braised Faggots and Cabbage

Today is my birthday so I actually wrote this post a couple of days ago as I am probably running around and making scones this morning, getting ready for afternoon tea this afternoon! I thought I'd celebrate with this awesome recipe for faggots.

I found this delicious sausage dish which used up the second half of my carton of apple juice leftover from the meatballs. However, I didn't have any sausages. I did however have faggots, which are not far off sausages. I bought them from a stall at Walthamstow Farmer's Market. I've never tried them before but this seemed like the perfect recipe to give them a go and it was! This was delicious, lovely comforting wholesome food. I still have four faggots left so I'll have to find other tasty things to do with them!

Braised Faggots and Cabbage (adapted from The English Kitchen)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp oil
8 faggots
300ml of apple juice
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and black pepper
1 small cabbage, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Add the faggots and  brown on both sides. Once they are browned, remove and set aside. Add the sliced cabbage. Cook and stir over a medium heat  until it begins to wilt. Return the faggots to the frying pan, tucking them in amongst the cabbage. Sprinkle with thyme, drizzle with honey and pour over the apple juice. Cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Cook for 45 mins.

 

Return the pan to the stove top and scoop out the cabbage. Cover and keep warm. Turn the heat  up to high and continue to cook the faggots, as the liquid bubbles away, turning them occasionally, until they are nicely glazed and the pan has some nice thick juices in it. Divide the faggots and cabbage amongst 4 plates and drizzle with the pan sauce.

Jamie's Mothership Sunday Roast Lamb

I made my first roast lamb! I thought as it was Easter I'd have a go at roast lamb and as Jamie Oliver is usually pretty good at roasts I thought I'd try one of his recipes. It was really good, lovely and succulent. I served it with the savoy cabbage and bacon recipe from the book and then had mashed celeriac and Mediterranean roast veg, which were reduced in Sainsburys. I had lots of leftovers and I will share the recipes with you over the next few days. I also had pudding which comes tomorrow!

Jamie's Mothership Sunday Roast Lamb (from Saving with Jamie - Jamie Oliver)
(Serves 6)

1 bulb of garlic
1 bunch of fresh rosemary
olive oil
1 2.5 kg shoulder of lamb, bone in
3 onions
4 rashers smoked bacon
1 large Savoy cabbage
1 tbsp plain flour

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

In a pestle and mortar, bash 4 peeled garlic cloves, half the rosemary leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper into a paste, then muddle in a good lug of oil. Stab the lamb ten times, then stick your finger in each hole and massage the marinade in and all over.

Peel and quarter the onions and place in a snug-fitting roasting tray, with the lamb on top. Add 50ml of water, cover tightly with tin foil and cook for 3 hours. Remove the foil, pour away all the fat and add another 200ml of water to the tray. Cook for 1 hour more, or until the meat falls away from the bone, adding another good splash of water, if it starts to dry out.

Meanwhile, chop the bacon and cook in a large frying pan on a medium heat until golden. Trim, roughly slice and throw in the cabbage with a splash of water, cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened, then season to perfection.

Remove the lamb from the oven, transfer to a plate and cover. Put the tray on a medium heat on the hob and stir in the flour, then pour in 600ml boiling water and any lamb resting juices. Stir well and simmer until you're happy with the consistency. Pour the gravy into a jug, or if you prefer it smooth, pour and push it through a sieve first. Serve.

Mega Veg Steam Fry

I used this recipe as a bit of a fridge clearing exercise and used up all those little bits of veg lying around at the bottom of my fridge. I have to say it was delicious, especially as the whole dish totalled 0PP! Youy can stick with the veg in the recipe or follow me and use whatever you have.

 

Mega Veg Steam Fry (from Cooking the WeightWatchers Way)
(Serves 2)
(0 WW ProPoints per serving)

Cooking spray

1 carrot

1 red or yellow pepper

4 spring onions

200g baby corn

100g sugar snap or mangetout

1/2 small cabbage

zest 1 small orange

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

Heat a large frying pan and spray with cooking spray. Add all the veg apart from the cabbage and, stir fry for 3-4 mins

Add the cabbage and a splash of water to the wok and stir fry for 2-3 mins more.

Add the orange zest, soy sauce and Chinese five spice, stir everything together and serve.

Daring Cooks December 2013: Fish, Rice and Fennel Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

December's Daring Cooks’ Challenge had us on a roll! Olga from http://www.effortnesslessly.blogspot.com/ challenged us to make stuffed cabbage rolls using her Ukrainian heritage to inspire us. Filled with meat, fish or vegetables, flexibility and creativity were the name of the game to get us rolling!

This looks horribly complicated and although it's time consuming it's not all that complicated and I really enjoyed making them. I was so tired that I almost didn't, but the taste totally makes up for the effort involved. I made loads and froze the leftovers and I am so looking forward to eating them again. I went for fish as I had most of the ingredients already and I love fennel.

Fish, Rice and Fennel Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients
1 savoy cabbage (or regular green cabbage)
7-8 fillet of tilapia (or fish fillet of your choice)
2 cups (500 ml) (14 oz) (400 gm) dry rice
1 yellow onion, medium size
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (1 oz) (30 gm) butter
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (4 gm) black pepper
3 tablespoons (45 ml) (1½ oz) (40 gm) ghee (or butter, or olive oil)
3 tablespoons (45 ml) (1 oz) (25 gm) flour
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
1 cup (250 ml) (1 oz) (25 gm) chopped cilantro (coriander) or parsley
1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine or stock
3 tablespoons (45 ml) of your favorite fish seasoning such as Old Bay (or just salt and pepper)
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream (>35% fat)
4 cups (1 litre) vegetable stock (or chicken or fish stock)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
3 bay leaves

Directions:

Pre-cook rice:
- In a large pot, bring about 4 quarts (4 litres) of water to a boil.
- Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.
- Drain rice using a colander, set aside.

Pre-cook cabbage and prepare cabbage leaves:
-  Using a large chef’s knife, remove core of the cabbage. Please be careful doing this, there is no need to cut out too much (see pictures below).
- To determine how much water exactly you will need to cook the whole cabbage: in a large pot, place your cabbage and pour enough cold water to cover the whole cabbage entirely. Remove cabbage from the water now place the pot with the water in it on the stove top.
- Bring water to a boil. Stick grill fork firmly into the cored center part of the cabbage and carefully place your cabbage into the boiling water, cored-side up. Be cautious, do not make a splash of hot water.
- Let cabbage cook for about 5 minutes. During the entire process of cooking the cabbage and separating leaves keep heat on its lowest setting so as to have the water barely boiling or near the boiling point.
- I like to separate the leaves without taking the cabbage out of the simmering water. It works better for me it eliminates splashes of hot water which can happen when moving the whole cabbage back and forth between pot and plate. So, I keep my cabbage in the pot at all times and use a long-handled grilling fork, sticking it into the core of the cabbage and using a regular fork or tongs to separate and remove the leaves, one by one, then transferring them onto a large plate. To separate the leaves right in the pot, pick a leaf at its thickest end and lift cabbage with your grill fork just a little bit, so as to release the bottom part of the leaf. While the whole process seems intimidating, it’s actually easy and even fun to do. Just be careful and keep the water barely simmering (or just below boiling point).
- Another way of separating leaves is taking the whole cabbage out of water (use a grill fork here too, sticking it firmly into the center, core part, of the cabbage). Then separate the leaves off the cabbage. When you reach the inner tough layer of leaves, return the cabbage back to the simmering water. After 5 minutes or so take it out and continue to separate leaves. And so on. It’s not my favorite way to get cabbage leaves because it involves moving the cabbage back and forth since this can create splashes of hot water. So be extra cautious if you choose this method.
- When you reach the layers where leaves are too small and too bumpy, stop the process of separating leaves and save the remaining cabbage to use elsewhere (soups, stews or salads).
- When leaves are cool enough to handle, cut off the tough ribs on each leaf. Now, the leaves are ready for filling.

Making Stuffing:

- In a skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook fennel until soft, about 5-10 minutes. At the end of cooking, add 2 tablespoons of butter, stir.
- Prepare fish fillets. Cut fillets into 1.5”x 4” (4cm x 10cm) pieces. If using tilapia, cut fillet lengthways into two pieces. Then cut each piece into two pieces – one large and another one half as small. When assembling, you will be using two small pieces in some rolls; and some rolls will have a single (bigger) piece of fish. Season fish pieces with a seasoning of your choice or just salt and pepper.

Rolling Cabbage Leaves:

- Place about one tablespoon of rice/fennel mix on a cabbage leave, closer to the tough edge. Place fish piece on a top of rice and roll leaves, tucking sides inside (refer to my pictures please).
- Place rolls, seam side down, into an oven proof dish (if cooking them in an oven) or into a large pot (if cooking them on a stove top). Sometimes I place a couple of torn leaves on the bottom of the pot to prevent rolls sticking, especially if I cook my cabbage rolls on the stove top.
- Continue to roll cabbage leaves until you have run out of leaves or stuffing.
- Tightly pack the rolls into a pot. Usually when I finish stuffing the leaves, I’ve got two layers of cabbage rolls, some bigger than others. I like to have them in different sizes, I consider it a bonus feature – after all, sometimes you want to have one and a half rolls, right? If you wish to have all your rolls the same size – just cut larger leaves in half before stuffing them.

Making sauce and finishing cooking cabbage rolls in an oven or on a stove top:

 

- Finely chop onion.
- In a large pan or skillet, using ghee (or butter, or olive oil), cook onion until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add flour, turn heat down and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
- Season sauce with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, some black pepper and bay leaves.
- Add wine (or stock). Cook stirring for 1 minute. At this point it’s better to switch from your spatula to a whisk.
- Add heavy cream, stir. Then, in batches, stir in all the vegetable stock. Do not let sauce boil, but keep it near the boiling point.

- Pour sauce on top of the cabbage rolls. Add water, if needed, to cover rolls almost completely. If cooking in an oven, tightly cover baking dish with foil and cook in a pre-heated moderately hot, 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5, oven for 1½ hours. If you cook the rolls on the stove top, cover pot with a lid and simmer for 1½ hours on its lowest heat setting.

- Serve with a dollop of sour cream mixed with an equal amount of heavy cream.

Red Cabbage

My Mum has made this red cabbage recipe for as long as I can remember, we used to have it with roasts and especially at Christmas as it goes really well with goose. It also went really well with the Sausage and Apple Cobbler I posted yesterday. I'm really happy that I keep posting recipes from my childhood as these are things I want to remember how to make and be able to recreate as well as making all the new and different stuff that I do.

Red Cabbage
(Serves 4 with leftovers)

1 small red cabbage, sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the cabbage for 10-12 mins until tender. Drain but reserve the cooking water.

Put the cabbage back into the pan and add the flour, stir then add the sugar and white wine vinegar and mix to combine. Pour over half the reserved cooking water and then put the cabbage back on the heat and stir until slightly thickened. Serve.

Gammon Steaks with Colcannon and Redcurrant Sauce

I have a jar or redcurrant jelly winking at me in the fridge that I bought for something ages and ages ago. So I've been hunting around for recipes to use it up and came up with this gammon recipe. The sweetness of the sauce really cuts through the salty gammon and I love colcannon so this was perfect for me!

Gammon Steaks with Colcannon and Redcurrant Sauce (from Delicious Magazine)
(Serves 4)

500g floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
50g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 small green cabbage, shredded
50ml milk
4 smoked gammon steaks, cut into thick strips
200ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
      
Cut the potatoes into even-size chunks and put into a large saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil, and cook for 15 mins, until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat, drain well and return to the pan. Mash until smooth, cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 20g of the butter in a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 mins. Add the cabbage and a splash of water, cover and cook for 6-8 mins, until softened. Drain, add to the potatoes with another 20g butter and the milk, season and mix together. Set aside, covered, while you cook the gammon.

Heat the remaining butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the gammon and cook for about 2 mins each side, until cooked through and golden. Remove from the pan.

Make the redcurrant sauce. Add the stock to the frying pan, stirring to scrape up any gammon juices. Stir in the redcurrant jelly until melted, then bubble vigorously for 3-4 mins to concentrate the flavour – it will be a thin sauce. Add the juices from the set aside gammon, then season.

Divide the colcannon among 4 plates. Top with gammon and drizzle with the sauce to serve.

Pickled Red Cabbage

I had half a red cabbage sat in the fridge that I didn't really know what to do with. I phoned my Mum and she suggested pickled cabbage, so that's what I made! It's lovely and crunchy with just the right amount of pickleness and it's lovely in a pitta with some grilled lamb!

Pickled Red Cabbage (from Good Food Magazine December 2011)
(Makes 1kg)

500g red cabbage, finely shredded

140g coarse sea salt

500ml cider vinegar

200ml red wine

400g granulated sugar

2 tsp black peppercorns

6 bay leaves

2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

 

Place the shredded cabbage in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 2-3 hours, then drain and wash away the salt. Pay dry with a clean tea towel.

Put the vinegar, wine, sugar, peppercorns and bay leaves into a big, wide saucepan and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half. Set aside for 10 mins to infuse.

 

Strain through a sieve into a jug or bowl, and discard the peppercorns and bay leaves. Put the cabbage and mustard seeds into a big bowl, and then pour the strained liquid over. Transfer the cabbage and pickling liquid into sterilised jars and seal.

 

Jossy's Burmese Spicy Cabbage

This wasn't hugely spicy so I'm not sure where it gets it's name from, but it was fairly tasty and really easy to make.

Jossy's Burmese Spicy Cabbage (from Leon Book 2)
(Serves 4)

400g green cabbage
2.5cm piece ginger, sliced thinly
3 clove garlic, sliced thinly
1 level tsp turmeric
juice 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil
large handful coriander, chopped

Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible.

Pour 100ml of hot water into a measuring jug, add the turmeric and stir until smooth then add the lemon juice and fish sauce.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the sliced cabbage and stir for 1-2 mins until it just begins to soften.

Add the ginger and garlic and continue stirring for 2-3 mins.

Pour in the turmeric liquid. Stir over the heat for another min or two, throw in the coriander leaves just before serving.

Serve over rice or with grilled chicken.

Ham Hock and Cabbage Hash

I've been making more hash! This one used up some cabbage that had been rolling around in the fridge for a while and some ham hock leftover from an earlier recipe. It was really good and the baked beans to go with it are a must. I also had brown sauce with it as a change from ketchup.

Ham Hock and Cabbage Hash (adapted from Good Food Magazine September 2011)
(Serves 5)

1kg potatoes, unpeeled and cut into cubes

25g butter

½ white cabbage, shredded

1 onion, thinly sliced

100ml vegetable stock

175g ham hock, shredded

 

Cook the potatoes in a large pan of water until tender, drain, then allow to steam dry for about 3 mins.

 

Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a large frying pan, then throw in the cabbage and onion and fry for 2 mins. Add the stock and cook for 5 mins more until the veg is starting to soften. Stir in the ham and potatoes and push down in the pan to flatten slightly. Cook for 8 mins until the base is golden and crisp.

 

Heat the grill. Dot the remaining butter on top of the hash, then flash under the grill until golden and crisp. Serve with baked beans and brown sauce or ketchup.