Beef and Rice Meatballs in Tomato Rosemary Broth

I had a bit of frustration with this recipe, but the finished result offset the frustration enough that I'm still posting it. As a first word of warning, the meatballs did not want to stay together. They lost there shape while browning and it was more than a bit frustrating. As a second word of caution, I made quite a few substitutions to this recipe due to what I was trying to use up before moving. It turned out fantastically and I think it would be equally wonderful following the recipe to the letter. I note my substitutions below. Finally, don't forget to add the thickened yogurt to the final dish. It's excellent.

One year ago: Parsnip-Apple Soup with Bacon Candy
Two years ago: Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

Beef and Rice Meatballs in Tomato Rosemary Broth (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 lb/454g ground beef
1 cup cooked rice, at room temperature
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped mint
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 large egg
Broth:
6 cups beef or lamb stock (I used a mixture of duck and turkey)
2 cups dry white wine (I used a mixture of wine and sherry)
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4" dice
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary needles (I increased this)
Assembly:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup thickened yogurt (yogurt strained through cheesecloth or a fine sieve)
1 tbsp chopped mint

1. Place all meatball ingredients in medium-size bowl and mix thoroughly. Roll tablespoon-size amounts into walnut-size balls.
2. Place all broth ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until tomatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, lightly oil a skillet and heat over medium-high. Brown meatballs, in batches if necessary. Set aside.
4. Bring stock mixture to a boil, drop in browned meatballs, partially cover and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 5 - 6 minutes.
5. Ladle broth and meatballs into bowls and garnish with yogurt and mint.

Venison with Sour Cherry Sauce

There are few things better than being gifted an interesting cut of meat. I hadn't made venison before, so I wanted to do something that showcased the flavour of the meat while still complimenting it nicely. This recipe won out for its ease. The original calls for grilling the venison, but due to a lack of grill, I opted to roast instead. The meat was still nicely moist. Due to a last minute change in plans, I ended up marinating this for 48 hours. It was still wonderful.

Two years ago: Shaved Asparagus Pizza

Venison with Sour Cherry Sauce (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
3 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves, crumbled
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1.2kg bone-in loin of venison (I had boneless)
1 cup sour cherries in syrup, drained

1. In large nonreactive dish, stir together wine, vinegar, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add venison and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight, turning 3 or 4 times.
2. Preheat oven to 450F. Saute venison in heavy skillet lightly greased with olive oil until browned.
3. Transfer meat to roasting pan, place in oven, and reduce temperature to 375F. Roast for 30 - 35 minutes or until 140F internal temperature.
4. Meanwhile, strain marinade into medium saucepan. Add cherries, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook briskly until reduced and thickened into a sauce, 30 - 45 minutes.

Classic Shrimp and Tomatoes Baked with Feta Cheese

This is a dish that depends on the quality of ingredients to take it from good to outstanding. The original recipes cooks up incredibly quickly, but if you want to give it more depth of flavour, let the sauce simmer longer and let the dish rest so the flavours meld.

One year ago: Welsh Rarebit

Classic Shrimp and Tomatoes Baked with Feta Cheese (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp Metaxa or other brandy
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
900g medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
225g feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. While oven is heating, heat oil in large ovensafe casserole over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and cook until slightly wilted, 1 minute.
3. Stir in tomatoes and cook until they soften, 5 minutes.
4. Stir in wine, Metaxa, tomato paste, 1 tbsp dill, and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are collapsing, at least 10 minutes.
5. Add shrimp and cook, stirring until they begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes.
6. Crumble cheese over top and place in oven. Bake until cheese melts, 3 minutes.
7. Sprinkle remaining 1 tbsp dill over top and serve.

Beet Tzatziki

This tzatziki is shockingly magenta to the point of looking artificial; however, the taste is excellent. It pairs wonderfully with the lamb souvlaki.

One year ago: Butter Chicken

Beet Tzatziki (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
1/2 tsp salt
1 large garlic clove
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 large beet, cooked, peeled, and very finely chopped or shredded
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1. Spread salt on a chopping board and finely chop garlic on top of salt.
2. Place yogurt in medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Add beet, garlic, salt, and dill and mix well.
4. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Ground Lamb Kebabs (Souvlaki)

It's a bad sign when you're more than two weeks behind on recipe posting. Luckily, I at least managed to mark the ones I was falling behind on, otherwise I fear some delicious meals would be lost in the abyss. This is an excellent Greek dish. If you can't find sorrel, you can substitute spinach and add 1 tbsp lemon juice. I broiled this as it's not quite grilling season here yet. To make this a weeknight meal, make the lamb sausages the night before.

One year ago: Pinto Bean Stew with Butternut Squash

Ground Lamb Kebabs with Sorrel and Pine Nuts - Sousakakia Souvlaki (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
2 packed cups chopped sorrel leaves
450g lean ground lamb
1/2 cup pine nuts, finely ground
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
8 pita breads
olive oil
2 cups beet tzatziki or other tzatziki
fresh mint

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in sorrel and cook 1 minute. Drain in colander and set aside to cool and drip dry.
2. Place lamb, pine nuts, onion, garlic, egg, coriander, and salt in medium bowl. Add sorrel and mix well.
3. Divide lamb mixture into 8 portions and shape into sausages 4 - 5" long and 1.5" in diameter. Cover and set aside in refrigerator (up to overnight; longer allows the flavour to meld.)
4. Heat a grill to medium-high and cook, turning once, until cooked but still moist 10 - 12 minutes.
5. Coat pitas with oil and grill, turning once, until lightly toasted, 1 - 1.5 minutes.
6. Serve with pitas, tzatziki, and mint.

Bulgur and vegetable pilaf with herbs and white wine

This is a great side dish for using up extra CSA veggies. The white wine adds a nice touch. I used Italian sweet pepper and a bell pepper in it, scaling the recipe in half.

One year ago: Roasted Vegetables with Hazelnut Gremolata
Two years ago: Lemon Sabayon

Bulgur and vegetable pilaf with herbs and white wine (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 - 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables, chopped
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp oregano leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp chopped dill or 2 tbsp basil

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion, garlic, bulgur, and veggies. Saute 10 minutes.
2. Stir in stocks, tomatoes, wine, oregano, and s&p. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 - 25 min.
4. Remove from heat and stir in dill. Cover and set aside 5 min.
5. Fluff and serve.

Homemade pork and veal sausage with orange, coriander, and red pepper

I fractured my wrist this week which slows down my typing ... a lot. I debated long and hard about what to do with this blog before deciding what to do. In the end, I need this record, so I'll still update, but descriptions and capitalization may suffer.

This recipe is the perfect dish for a busy week. Mix it up in less than 10 minutes the night before and then just fry it the night you're ready to eat. The patties can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. Mine rested for 2 days and I found the orange at bit overwhelming. I might also increase the red pepper a bit. These little patties had a lot of flavour though.

One year ago: Raspberry-Lemon Souffle
Two years ago: Guacamole Burger

Homemade pork and veal sausage with orange, coriander, and red pepper (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
450g ground pork
225g ground veal
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp (or less) orange zest
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp (or more) red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup retsina wine
olive oil for cooking

1. Combine all ingredients except oil.
2. Pat 1/3 cup portions into individual patties. Refrigerate, wrapped, for at least several hours.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook patties until cooked through, about 20 min.

Sesame-Crusted Roast Chicken in Tahini and Caper Sauce

I feel a bit odd admitting that this was my first time roasting a whole chicken. This recipe comes together easily, but not exactly quickly. The only difficulty I had was that the pan I was using shattered 25 minutes into the cooking time. I ended up without enough chicken juices to make the sauce properly and had to add a bit of water. Be careful not to overcook the sauce or it will go gritty.

One year ago: Cornbread
Two years ago: Scrambled Eggs with Broccoli Pesto

Sesame-Crusted Roast Chicken in Tahini and Caper Sauce (from The Olive and the Caper)

Ingredients
1 chicken, rinsed and patted dry
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp capers, drained

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Stir sesame seeds, lemon juice, oil, and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Place chicken in a baking dish just large enough to hold it snugly. Rub the sesame mixture over the chicken, inside and out. Cover and place in oven.
4. Roast chicken until juices are no longer pink and breast is turning golden, 55 minutes.
5. Remove cover, pour juices into small saucepan, and set pan aside until fat rises to top.
6. Return chicken to oven and roast uncovered until browned and crusty, 10 - 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter.
7. Spoon fat off top of juices. Add tahini and capers and whisk until smooth. Bring to boil, whisk again, and pour sauce over chicken. Serve.