Braaied "Mad Moroccan Lamb"

November 02, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Big Green Egg, Recipes, Lamb, Potjiekos, Roasts

Slow Braaied Shoulder of Lamb

Howzit, I hope that I find you all well after the storms this week here in the UK but more importantly in the USA where I know we have some followers and where this blog is hosted. Sorry if you could not access the blog for a short time but the guys who look after this blog did a magnificent job of keeping it up even after the flood in New York where they are based, carrying diesel up 17 floors to the generator that kept the servers going. Many thanks guys, our thoughts go out to all those families who lost loved ones and we hope that everybody recovers form the devastation that "Storm Sandy" caused.

I was going to make Peri-Peri Baby Chicken but I thought that I needed something a bit more substantial this week to keep me warm. So I'm trying a recipe from the boy wonder "Jamie Oliver" and believe me when I say its worth the time this will take to cook. There are three parts to this recipe so lets crack on...

Lamb Preparation:

Serves 6-8 - Prep: 20 mins - Cook Time: 3-4hrs

Method

Preheat the Braai to 220°C (425°F)
Score the lamb in a diamond pattern about 2.5cm/1 inch apart, quite deep so that the spices penetrate though out.
Either grind you spiced in a pestle and mortar or in a electric grind if you have one
Rub the spices all over the lamb top and bottom and make sure that you rub it in well in the groves.
Sprinkle the rosemary on and rub some into the cuts.
Place the lamb in a roasting pan and put in the braai to cook for 2hrs.

Ingredients

1 x 2kg/4.5lb Shoulder of Lamb
2 tsp cumin seed
2 tsp coriander seed
2 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp black peppercorns
2-3 dried red chillies
2 tsp salt
handful of fresh rosemary

Chickpeas Preparation:

Prep: 5 mins - Cook Time: 30 min

Method

Heat some olive oil and fry the onions, cinnamon and herbs with a pinch of salt and pepper for about 15 mins until they soften.
Add the chickpeas with about 425ml of water and the vinegar
Simmer on a medium heat until they all breakdown in to a nice thick consistency, take of the heat for use later.

Ingredients

Olive oil to fry off the following
4 x Large red pinions, peeled and sliced
1 x Cinnamon stick
Bunch of fresh thyme or marjoram leaves roughly chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to season
2 x tins or jars of chickpeas
200ml balsamic vinegar

Couscous Preparation:
Prep: 5 mins - Cook Time: 10 min

Method

Bring The stock to the boil, add the fruit and season, simmer for 5 mins.
Add a shot of olive oil and the couscous then remove from the heat so that it soaks up all the liquid.
When it has all been soaked up and there is no liquid left, poor on to a flat tray drizzle with olive oil and set aside for later.

Ingredients

1.1 Lt / 2 pints of Vegetable stock
250g raisins, dates, apricots, sour cherries or a mix of all of these.
Olive oil
700g couscous
2 x Lemons halved

After about 2hrs the lamb needs to be taken out of the Braai/oven. Turn the braai down to 200°C (400°F) so it's ready for when you put the dish back in. Take the lamb out of the roasting pan and put aside. Pour away the oil and return the pan to a low heat and add a little water, stirring up all those juices that had stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then get a large dish with high sides of about 10-12 cm that will take the lamb and rub olive oil around it. Sprinkle about 2.5 cm of couscous on the bottom and sides, then spoon on the chickpea mixture into the middle. Then take the lamb and place on top of the couscous and pour the meat juices all over the meat. Take the remainder of the couscous and enclose the lamb so that it looks like its in an envelope of couscous. Cut up the lemons and place around the sides. Now get a piece of wax paper and make it wet (not that easy to do but crunch it up under a tap) then rub some olive oil over the wax paper and place on top of the couscous. Cover this with some tinfoil and then its ready to go back in the braai for another 1-2 hrs on a lower heat.

You will know when the meat is done just poke a knife thought the couscous and if the meat falls off the bone easily then it ready to serve. take the whole dish to the table, part the couscous and break the meat off the bone and serve. All the juices run to the bottom of this dish and the couscous absorbs most of it, just serve with some chopped up coriander and red chillies to top it off. Another nice touch is to serve a dollop of yoghurt with this along with a fresh green salad and a sweet chutney.

The spices on the meat are truly amazing and it has quite a kick to it from the chillies, it was really worth the time it took to prepare this and the photos just don't do it justice. There's a lot of work to make this but whoever you serve this up to will really appreciate the effort.

Carrot Cake, something for the weekend!

October 26, 2012 by Larry Susman in Baking, Braai, Cakes, Big Green Egg, Recipes

Carrot Cake with coconut!

I've continued with the baking theme this week after watching the BBC's "Great British Bake Off" and now I have great respect for those guys. Especially the presentation, "man, that's hard to get these things to look good in photos!"

Last week I seemed to start a bit of a war about the recipe for Milk Tart! Please guys, I've never claimed that anything I'm cooking is the best, the most original, most authentic or anything of the kind. I'm just cooking different things that I like and hopefully some of you will want to try some of the recipes and delights that I braai each week. Please feel free to offer any suggestions, help or even send me your recipes to try. I would love to give them a go and let my followers try them too. Don't be shy, email me any thing you would like me to try to sales@biltong.co.uk or leave them in the comments section below. Next week we are launching our "App" that you will be able to take photos and post them directly to us at a touch of a button as well as follow this blog, get special offers, free goodies and many other things. I will post up links next week so that you can download it straight to your phones.

This week the recipe is one that my wife has been perfecting to "MY TASTE" I think its great, so let me know what you think if you try it.

Serves 8 - Prep: 150 mins - Cook Time: 35-40 mins

Ingredients - Cake mixture

250g carrots, peeled and grated
175g dark soft brown sugar
2 x large eggs
150ml olive oil (not virgin olive oil)
200g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 x tbsp ground mixed spice
1 x tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 x Zest of lemon
50g desiccated coconut

Method - Cake mixture

Pre-heat the Braai or oven to 190°C (375°F)

Lightly grease a baking tin/silicone and line with grease proof paper if not using a silicone mould.
Whisk the sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl with an electric whisk for 3-4 minutes until smooth.
Sift in the flour, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda, make sure to tip the remaining bits into the mixture as you are using wholemeal flour.
Stir together gently and then add the grated carrot, coconut and lemon peel. Fold in gently.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 mins.
Its should rise nicely, to make sure that it is cooked do the knife test. Poke a knife into the centre of the cake carefully and with draw, if the blade is clean then its cooked. If not place it back to cook for another 5 mins.

Method - Topping mixture

Just mix the icing sugar into the Mascarpone and add in the lemon juice, tasting as you go.
mix until smooth.
Once the cake has cooled, smooth over the top

Ingredients- Topping mixture

300g Mascarpone
2 x tbsp icing sugar or to taste
1 x juice of a lemon

If you are cooking this on the braai, make sure that you have something directly under the cake tin so that the heat is not directly below. Otherwise you will definitely end up burning the bottom of your cake and you don't want that. If you have any other recipes or suggestions please send them in, I would love to give them a go.

Sorg tot volgende week, wanneer ons terug na die braai vir 'n "hoender fest!" (Take care until next week, when we will be back to the braai for a "chicken fest!")

Milk(Melk) Tart

October 19, 2012 by Larry Susman in Baking, Braai, Food Websites, Big Green Egg, Recipes, Tarts

Milk Tart baked on a Braai!

Welcome once again to another blast from the past, this week I'm going to try to do some baking on the braai. This for most South African Guys is forbidden if not virgin territory, myself included. If somebody had suggested only 3 months ago that I should bake something on a BRAAI I would have looked at them as though they were a Doos (literally the Afrikaans translation for " box " Depending on context, the slang / derogatory version can mean " idiot" this is the polite version). What sort of man "bakes on a Braai" I can hear you all saying and laughing. Well, a desperate man who committed himself to cooking on a braai every week for a year, who's looking for something different to show you every week. OK a "DOOS" thats me lol.

So this week I have tried a recipe from Garth Stroebel book "modern South African Cuisine" which is a great book with fantastic pictures of the food he is making. Garth Stroebel, executive chef for the African Collection of Orient-Express Hotels, is at the cutting edge of South African gastronomy, and a leader in the field of culinary innovation. Winner of numerous awards, he was recently presented with the prestigious Pinnacle Chef Award, for a lifetime achievement in the fields of training and culinary expertise. The Mount Nelson's signature restaurant, The Cape Colony, is a testament to his culinary skills, having been nominated as one of the world's top ten restaurants by Travel Trade (USA).

This has been a very enlightening journey so far and I'm learning fantastic new things along the way and this week is no exception. I have added one important spice to his recipe which I personally think "Milk Tart" should not be without "Cardamom", as I try to remember the taste from my childhood. Having never baked anything before and not being a Chef I had no idea how this was going to turn out, never mind baking this on a braai. So carry on reading to see the results, I took the time to make the pastry myself but you can just used shop bought if you haven't got the time.

Serves 8-10 - Prep: 2hrs for pasty & 20 mins for filling - Cook Time: 20 mins

Method

Sift the flour onto a clean smooth work surface and make a well in the centre
Add the butter which you have cubed up and rub it in with your fingers. Make into a texture that resembles crumbs
Add the egg and mix until the pastry is formed
Rest the pastry for a couple of hours in the fridge covered with cling film

Ingredients for Sweet Pastry

125g plain (cake) flour
50g unsalted butter
50g icing sugar
pinch of salt
1 x eggs

This is enough to make a 22cm tart, with a generous filling of gorgeous milk custard.

Filling Method

Pre heat the Braai or over to 200°C (395°F)
Bring 200ml of the milk, cardamoms and the cinnamon stick to the boil
In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and half of the sugar together, stir in the balance of the milk and stir into a smooth paste
Take the milk off the heat and add to this paste stirring well all the time
Return to the heat and cook until thick, stirring continually

Ingredients for filling

220ml Milk
1 Stick Cinnamon
2 x Cardamom pods
20ml plain (cake) flour
20ml cornflour
Pinch of salt
60g sugar
2 x eggs separated

Take off the heat once again and add the egg yolks, stirring and mix well
Whisk the egg whites until frothy and beat in the rest of the sugar, then fold into the custard mixture
Roll the pastry out to about 22cm, make sure that it is not more than 2mm thick if you can (mine was to thick, I will know better next time), roll onto the rolling pin and transfer to the baking dish
Pour in the custard mixture and bake for 20 mins at 200°C (395°F), dont be tempted to peek at it otherwise the centre will drop. Remove from the braai and place onto a rack to cool.
Serve with some fresh fruit, I used Cape Gooseberries, fantastic

The "Egg" baked this tart to perfection, unfortunately I did not roll the pastry thin enough as you can see in the picture. However that said the pastry had a great taste and was crisp and not soggy in the centre. The recipe for this Milk Tart gives the filling a soufflé type texture which I was not expecting, making this tart very light and not to sickly. The flavour of the whole tart was really good even if I say so myself, thanks to Jan who helped me during this bake as I doubted what I was doing throughout. This texture might not be the traditional smooth filling but it works and will take it to a different level. Give it a go and let me know what your opinion is, please post your comments below in the comment section.

Potjiekos (pot food)

October 12, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Beef, Big Green Egg, Potjiekos, Video

Potjiekos Chilli Con Carne

Gee, doesn't time fly when your having fun? This week the weather just got worse and winter is now nearly here in the UK, gales and rain nonstop for the last week. So with all this gloomy weather I thought that a warm stew would be just what we all need and what could be better than a Potjiekos (literally meaning pot food) but with a twist. Chilli Con Carne, lends itself really well to this sort of cooking and we've got a great cheat spice pack which we sell and will make this one of the easiest and tasty meals you can prepare for all the family. Its one of the one shot recipe packs from Nice n Spicy and they make a very good chilli con carne, its not to hot so if you like a big burn then you will need to add a couple of chillies to the recipe to spice it up.

Hears a little history of Potjiekos, this is very traditional way of cooking in SA and when the first Dutch settlers arrived in the Cape, they brought with them their ways of cooking food in heavy cast iron pots, which hung from the kitchen hearth above the fire. However long before their arrival the indigenous people of Africa who were migrating into South Africa as well, learned the use of the cast iron cooking pot from Arab traders and later from the Portuguese colonists. These cast iron pots were able to retain heat well and only a few coals were needed to keep the food simmering for hours. They were used to cook tender roasts and stews, allowing steam to circulate inside instead of escaping through the lid. The ingredients were relatively simple, a fatty piece of meat, a few potatoes and some vegetables were all that was needed to cook a delightful meal. You don't have to stick with traditional recipes which is why Im going to try doing a Chilli so lets see how it comes out.

Serves 4 - Prep: 20 mins - Cook Time: 100 mins

Ingredients

1 x pack of Nice n Spicy Chilli Con Carne (click on the link to buy from our web site) you can add a couple of extra chillies if you like it hot
500g Beef Stewing Steak cubed to bite size or you can use beef mince or cubes of pork if you prefer
100g of bacon roughly chopped or Pancetta
2 x large finely chopped Garlic cloves
1 x red or green Pepper chopped
1 x chopped red onion
1 x chopped white onion
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Tin of Kidney Beans
Steamed rice to eat with the chilli when ready

Method:

Put a large saucepan or potjie (dutch Oven) over a medium heat on the braai or over some coals and fry off the bacon or Pancetta until it starts to get crispy
Add the first sachet of spice to the meat and mix around, one the bacon is crispy add the meat and brown off sealing in the juices
Remove from the potjie but leave the fat in the potjie and set aside to add back in once you have sautéed the onions
Add the chopped garlic to the potjie and stir so they don't burn
Next, add the second sachet of spice to the onions and peppers, stir and then poor into the potjie pot, sauté these for a few moments until they soften
Add the meat and bacon back into the potjie and sauté for a few more moments
Now pour in the chopped tomatoes and then the kidney beans, stir
Next dissolve the last packet of spices in a cup of hot water, this is a blend of seasoning and a thinking agent (corn flower) add to the mixture and stir.
Bring to the boil and the leave to simmer for 90 mins at 150°C (300°F) if on a braai or in the oven or on low heat if on a cooker plate. Or over some coals, you can place a few on the lid to keep the temperature even if you want.

If you've got a heavy potjie and the heat is not to high your potjie pot should protect the food inside but its worth occasionally lifting the lid and giving it a stir, you don't want the bottom to catch and burn. All thats left to do is make some steamed rice (Tactic rice if you're from SA click on the link and you can purchase it from our web site) and serve the Chilli Con Carne on a bed of steaming rice.

This recipe once again turned out pretty well, the only thing I would have liked is it a bit hotter, so the addition of some extra chillies would have been a good idea. These one shot spice packs are really good and the taste is pretty authentic as far as I'm concerned. I will however start to be more adventurous in the coming weeks once my confidence is high and I know just how this braai is going to react. It's amazing what and how well it cooks, its making me look good at the moment as I have not a big disaster as yet (hope i'm not tempting fate). Thanks for taking time to follow this blog and please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section.

Watch the video below and see just how easy this is to cook.

Peking Duck, on a Braai!!!

October 05, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Duck, Braai, Big Green Egg, Recipes, Roasts

Peking Duck Pancake Rolls (Buck Ging Ngap)

Well, the weather has certainly not got any better and thoughts turn to what to braai this week? Something different, "somebody said" but without any further help of what to cook! So I looked through my collection of recipe books (Charmaine Solomon is the inspiration for this) for something that you would not think to cook on the braai and this is how I arrived at Peking Duck.

You may ask why, I haven't to foggiest idea why but I know now that it was a great choice if not foolish. The Chinese have been cooking this for centuries and make it look easy, let me tell you it's not. This will take longer than all the other recipes I've cooked so far put together but if you follow these easy steps it will be worth it.

One Duck, will yield three separate dishes, the crackling crispy skin is eaten with mandarin pancakes (this is the most important course and what is meant by "Peking Duck") the flesh is served separately and the bones are then used to make a soup. I am only going to do the first two as I ran out of time to make the soup but have make the stock ready for another day. This is a variation on the traditional way to make this dish but it saves a lot of time and really works well.

Serves 6 - Prep: 8 hrs marinating - Cook Time: 120 mins

Ingredients:

1 x 2.5kg rousing duck
2 tsp of salt
1/3 cup of vodka (a couple of shots for yourself will help with the time it takes to get this meal ready)
3 x tbs honey
3 cups of water
6 slices of fresh ginger

For Serving

2 dozen Mandarin pancakes (I cheated and bought them from my local Chinese restaurant along with the Hoi sin sauce) who's got that much time that you can make these as well? If you have then let me know and you can pop along and give me a hand, lol
Spring onions sliced into slivers
Hoi sin sauce
1 cucumber cut into long slivers
Fresh steamed rice
Fresh stye fried Bok Choi
Pack of prawn crackers to serve the skin on

Method

Wash the duck, drain well and dry thoroughly, inside and out
Rub the salt all over the duck inside and out
Spoon the vodka over and rub all over the duck place the sliced ginger inside the duck
Leave for 4 hrs to marinade turning the bird from time to time so all the skin is in contact with the vodka at some point
Dissolve the honey in the water, rub this mixture into the skin of the duck not missing any place (they use a red dye but I prefer not to)
You now need to tie the duck, so that you are able to hang it in a breezy place, for at least 4 hrs to dry (the Chinese chefs inflated the skin of the bird before hanging it for 24hrs but that was just beyond my abilities and time limits at the moment) I left it in our large fridge, worked a treat
Preheat the braai to about 190°C (375°F)
Place the duck on a rack over a roasting pan that has hot water in it, the duck must be well above the water
Cook for 30 minutes and the turn the heat down to 150°C (300°F) for a further hour
Then bring the temperature back up to its original temp and roast until the skin is crispy and brown all over

All that needs to be done now is to eat this fantastic bird, start by separating the skin from the meat. It should be really easy if you have crisped the skin correctly, start by cutting along the breast as I have in the photo below. Place the skin sliced onto a bead of prawn crackers, this will soak up the excess fat and will be fantastic when you eat them later.

The first course should be the soup that you made with the bones but as I said I have not done this this time.

Second course is the Peking Pancakes, I served this with the skin a little meat and the spring onion and cucumber, along with a little Hoi sin sauce. Wow, I could not believe how good this actually was and it was cooked on a braai.

Third Course was the flesh of the duck served with steamed rice and fresh Bok choi man this was just as good the pancakes.

This braai is just unbelievable, even a novice as myself is cooking what I consider to be a great meal. I'm sure that without this braai I would just be burning these dishes but who knows perhaps I'm getting better after nearly 8 weeks of cooking. Why not give this a go, if you do, please let me know what you think, we all would be interested to hear your stories.

Slow Braaied Shoulder of Lamb

Lamb Preparation:

Serves 6-8 - Prep: 20 mins - Cook Time: 3-4hrs

Method

Ingredients

Chickpeas Preparation:

Prep: 5 mins - Cook Time: 30 min

Method

Ingredients

Couscous Preparation: Prep: 5 mins - Cook Time: 10 min

Method

Ingredients

Carrot Cake with coconut!

Serves 8 - Prep: 150 mins - Cook Time: 35-40 mins

Ingredients - Cake mixture

Method - Cake mixture​

Method - Topping mixture

Ingredients- Topping mixture

Milk Tart baked on a Braai!

Serves 8-10 - Prep: 2hrs for pasty & 20 mins for filling - Cook Time: 20 mins

Method

Ingredients for Sweet Pastry

Filling Method

Ingredients for filling

Potjiekos Chilli Con Carne

Serves 4 - Prep: 20 mins - Cook Time: 100 mins

Ingredients

Method:

Watch the video below and see just how easy this is to cook.

Peking Duck Pancake Rolls (Buck Ging Ngap)

Serves 6 - Prep: 8 hrs marinating - Cook Time: 120 mins

Ingredients:

For Serving

Method

Couscous Preparation:
Prep: 5 mins - Cook Time: 10 min

Method - Cake mixture