Friday 7 November 2014

Greek Cabbage rolls


Ingredients:
1 large cabbage
300 gr. minced meat (anything you like, pork or beef
4 small pieces of pork or lamb meat on the bone
1can of dice tomatoes
2tbs of tomato paste
1 Tbs of sweet paprika 
1 onion grated
½ cup rice
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons corn flour
Juice of one lemon (it depends how big it is and how sour you like your food)
Two tablespoonfuls olive oil
Two knobs of butter or margarine
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Remove the outer wilted leaves of the cabbage. Then start separating the leaves carefully. For this quantity of meat you will need about 20 – 25 leaves, and you will make about the same number of cabbage rolls. It depends on the size of the leaves – if they are large you can cut them in half – and how much of the filling you use for each roll.

Cut off the hard stems of the leaves, wash them and place them on the bottom of your pot. Then place the pork or Lamb pieces over them! This will give a nice stock to the dish. And it will prevent the cabbage rolls from sticking to the pot. Place water in a pot and when it boils place the cabbage leaves about two or three at a time. Leave them in the boiling water for about 1 minute. You want them to be soft enough so that they won’t break when you roll up. Remove them from the water and put them on a plate. Do the same with all the leaves.

Place the minced meat, rice, grated onion, tin tomato, paprika salt and pepper and mix everything well.

Keep the pot with the cabbage stems and meat pieces on the bottom next to you, so that you can place the cabbage rolls in it. Take a cabbage leaf, If it is big you can cut it in half. Remove all tough parts. Lay it on your work surface, and if you want you can trim it so that you have a ‘square’ more or less. Place a teaspoon or a bit more of the filling on the leaf leaving about half an inch of the leaf on the top. Fold the top over the filling. Fold the sides inwards so that you cover the filling as much as possible. Then roll it, and place it in the pot with the open side downwards. Do the same with all the leaves until you use up the filling. Place the little rolls tightly the one next to the other, so that they don’t ‘dance around the pot!

Add the oil and the butter or margarine,the tomato paste and  some salt and pepper and enough water to just cover the rolls. When the water starts boiling, place a plate over them, to keep the rolls down. Reduce the heat to about 2 (out of 6) and let them simmer gently for 1/2 hour. At the end you should have about one to one and a half cups of liquid left.
If you like you do not have to add the egg and lemon sauce if you don't like the the lemons in it! you can enjoy it with out as well. 

For the egg and lemon sauce 

In the meantime dissolve the corn flour in the milk. Squeeze the lemon. Beat the two whole eggs and add the lemon juice, beating gently. Then pour the milk in the egg mixture, beating continuously. Now take spoonfuls of the hot liquid from the pot and add them to the egg mixture, while beating gently. When you have added almost all the liquid, pour everything back into the pot. Shake the pot so that the sauce goes everywhere and turn the heat up a little (to about 4) and let it boil gently for 1 – 2 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. Taste the sauce and if you wish you can add some more lemon juice or perhaps some salt and pepper.







Thursday 6 November 2014

Pork roast in a slow cooker

1 large piece of pork
2tbs of olive oil
2tbs of dried oregano or (Thribi a greek mountain herb)
Garlic salt
1 cup of hot water
1/4 cup of flour 
 1 small fresh lemon
Salt and black coarse pepper


Method

Unwrap and wash pork meat and dry very well with a paper towel in a large tray add the flour and all the spices and mix very well then rub all the spices with the flour and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or over night if posable. In a fry pan add the olive oil and let it heat then place pork meat first on the botom side and shear the meat well until it has browned then turn over and seal the top making sure that some of the cracking has firmed on the top. 

Place sheared pork in a slow cooker and add the small glass of hot water and the juice of the lemon making sure to put on the side of the meat and not on top. Taste the gravy and add more salt and pepper and spices to your liking! Try not to have to much liquid in the slow cooker have just enough to stop it from drying out! 
Cover and set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. If sauce has not thickened then add 1-2 tablespoon of instant gravy mix! Serve with mash potato and steam veggies of fried chips. Enjoy