Recipes

  • Blinis with ocean trout

    Blinis with ocean trout

    This is a spoil everyone, luxury indulgence treat. Blini are small, savoury pancakes of Russian origin, reminiscent of the humble pikelet but made instead with a rich yeast batter.


    Traditionally the batter is made from a mix of unbleached bread flour and buckwheat flour. For some reason the first recipe I tried featured rye flour instead and that is what I’ve always used with great success. In some versions the yeasty batter is further lightened with whipped egg whites just before cooking but ever being happy with the original I’ve not seen the need to add complications to what is a really easy, no-fail recipe. That’s its great strength; the batter is very forgiving as are the pancakes once they have been cooked.
    This recipe will make about 50 blini, something that will take about half an hour with two fry pans on the go. But if you wanted to whip up a few today and then some more tomorrow the batter will sit happily in the fridge overnight. Next day you may notice that the blini batter has lost a bubble or two but it soon perks up once it hits the hot pan. If you want to cook them all in one batch the day before a big event simply pop them in single layers on a large tray, baking paper between the layers, and wrap well in cling film.
    The next day they’ll just need a refresh in a low oven for five minutes and a short cool before proceeding with the topping. They are indeed best if served very slightly warm with the cold horseradish cream and salmon a nice contrast. Blinis are excellent with sparkling wine or Champagne, try Lake Barrington Alexandra

    The Recipe

    Blini with smoked ocean trout, horseradish cream and salmon roe
    600ml milk
    half tsp sugar
    1 tsp salt
    50g butter
    half cup crème fraiche (or sour cream)
    2 large eggs
    2 and a half cups unbleached flour
    three-quarters cup rye flour
    1 tsp instant dried yeast (Fermipan or equivalent)

    Scald the milk and add salt, butter, sugar and sour cream. Cool and beat in the eggs. Place the flours and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the milk and egg mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or hand whisk until smooth. Add a little more milk if batter is too stiff. It should be of a dolloping consistency but not too runny. Let rise for an hour or two in a warm place, until bubbles form. Scoop out dessertspoonfuls and cook like pikelets over moderate heat in a butter-greased non-stick pan, turning once when bubbles appear on the surface. Cool on a cake rack.

    To serve:
    200ml King Island creme fraiche or rich sour cream
    3 tsp prepared horseradish (available in jars)
    good pinch sugar and salt
    squeeze of lemon or lime
    slices of smoked ocean trout or salmon
    salmon roe (optional)
    chives, cut into short lengths
    Whip the creme fraiche and the horseradish together with the sugar, salt and lemon until quite stiff. Refrigerate or use immediately. Spread freely over two-thirds of the blini. Place a drape of salmon on top then garnish with a dollop of salmon roe and/or lengths of chive.

  • Lamb curry with yoghurt & tomatoes

    Lamb Curry with yoghurt & tomatoes

    ‘What do you fancy?’ Such is my query of friends and others that I encounter during the days immediately preceding the deadline for my weekly food column.

    Curry got the most mentions and I’m happy about that, because it was just what I fancied. And lamb was the object of desire. Now, many people cop out when stewing lamb and go for the leg. I know why. It’s because leg meat is always available. Not true of the best cut for a lamb stew – the shoulder or the neck.

    For these now ‘old-fashioned’ cuts you need to find a butcher who actually has bits to butcher, not just pre packs of already trimmed up muscles. That way when you ask for a boned out shoulder your butcher will look surprised and pleased because he has the very thing out back and not surprised (because no one has asked for shoulder meat since our grandmothers were at the stoves), and down in the mouth because he has nothing to sell you. Where do all the good lamb stewing cuts go now we’re so fixated on the glamour parts?

    This is a basic lamb curry made easy with the use of a quality curry spice mix. Herbie’s Spices is the brand of choice and the curry mix with whole seeds and spices is my favourite. If you wanted to save more time, ask the butcher to trim up the shoulder and cut the meat into large cubes. It is however, very therapeutic doing this task yourself and you can remove as much fat as you like – much easier to slice off in big pieces than re trim already cubed meat.

    ‘A stew boiled is a stew spoiled’ is not just cooking cliché. Cook the curry over the lowest heat possible, with barely a bubble or two visible. For shoulder meat the cooking time may take from three to four hours. Just keep checking on that advancing state of melting tenderness.

    The Recipe

    Lamb curry with yoghurt & tomatoes
    1.5 kg lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into large cubes
    2 onions, cut into half rings
    2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
    2cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped fine
    1 large red chilli, seeds removed and chopped fine
    2 tbsp ghee
    2 tbsp Herbies Curry Spice Mix
    2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
    2 tsp salt
    1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
    ½ tsp garam masala (a mix of sweet, fragrant spices)
    150g plain yoghurt
    1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped, extra
    Heat the ghee in a large pot. Saute the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli till soft and golden.
    Add the curry powder and sauté for a minute. Add the meat and mix very well. Saute for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and mint, stir, cover and cook over very low heat for three hours or until the meat is tender. Five minutes before the end, stir in the garam masala, yoghurt and extra mint.

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