General Mains

Some mains you can spend some more time with and have a bit more fun cooking. This page contains:

Barbecued corn-wrapped fish
Chickpea Curry
Keema Curry (Mince Curry)
New World Lamb Racks
Pea and Pancetta Risotto
Preserved Lemon & Thyme Chicken
Ratatouille (eggplant and zucchini vegetable stew)
Sarah’s Lamb Tagine
Thai Ginger Mussels
The Tagine of Love

——-

Barbecued corn-wrapped fish
I used this recipe when I bought and tried Black Sweep. See my post for information on that fish. I liked the idea of wrapping the fish in corn husks. It meant the fish was protected and partly steamed, but also allowed the charred flavour of the barbecue to come through.

2 whole fish, such as sweep, snapper or perch, cleaned
2 large corn cobs (buy fully husked, but carefully remove husks for the fish)
2 bunches oregano
1 lemon, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon each of black pepper corns and sea salt flakes
Two long pieces of string, folded over and soaked in water.
2 nobs of butter

Wash fish and clean out any remaining guts. Score at three points on each side at the thickest part of the flesh. Fill cavity with half the lemon slices and 1/2 bunch oregano. Crush garlic with pepper in mortar and pestle. Add salt. Divide mixture in half, one part for each fish. Rub fish skin and cuts with mixture and put any that remains into the cavity of the fish. Place string on chopping board. Top with large corn husks and then place a spring of oregano into each husk. Place fish on top of husks. Cover the top of the fish with more oregano sprigs, then husks and bind up with string. Repeat with other fish. Wrap corn in foil with butter, more salt and pepper and any remaining oregano. Barbecue corn with fish for around 8 minutes per side. If using a hooded barbecue, try to keep the heat between 200 and 220oC. Serve with a selection of barbecued vegetables such as asparagus, sweet chillis, zucchini, etc.

——-

Chickpea Curry
We eat this curry all the time. It’s so easy (for a curry), tastes great and is dirt cheap!

1 can chickpeas
1 small onion, chopped
3cm piece ginger, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small, hot, red chilli, chopped
half a can of tomatoes
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped finely

First, grind the whole spices to a course powder in a mortar and pestle. Next make the paste: pound garlic, ginger and chilli in a mortar and pestle until a paste. Drain chickpeas, reserving liquid. Mash 1/2 cup of chickpeas with a fork. Heat oil in saucepan on medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Lower heat, add spices and stir for a minute or two. Add chickpeas, including mashed chickpeas and 1 cup of chickpea liquid along with the tomatoes. Add water to curry for desired thickness. Cook for 5 minutes. Add coriander leaves. Taste for salt (it is normally salty enough from the chickpea liquid). Serve with rice, yoghurt and mango chutney. Serves 2.

——-

Keema Curry (Mince Curry)
When I first heard of mince curry I thought it sounded awful. It’s actually quite nice. But my version uses shredded stewing beef rather than butcher mince. I think it tastes best served on crispy baked potatoes.

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
4cm piece grated ginger
1 small, hot chilli, finely chopped
500g stewing beef, cut into 3cm cubes
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons ground coriander seeds
1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped

Pound garlic, ginger and chilli to a paste in a mortar and pestle. Heat oil and cook onion until soft. Add garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for 5 minutes. Add coriander seeds, cumin and tumeric, roast for a couple of minutes. Add beef and seal. Add yoghurt and simmer for 3 hours, adding water if necessary. Mash beef with fork until shredded. Add garam masala and peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Top with fresh coriander. Serves 3-4.

——

New World Lamb Racks
The combination of Sweet Potato and Sage is an idea used by the Aztecs. This recipe is built on that combination but has some ‘colonising’ influences: lamb, lemon and garlic.

4 Lamb Racks (about 12-16 bones total)

Marinade:
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
1 bunch sage, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ chilli powder (optional)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sweet Potato Mash:
3-4 large sweet potatoes, peel and chopped into chunks
5 dried bay leaves
10 black peppercorns broken in mortar and pestle.
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage leaves
Sea salt flakes

Blend all marinade ingredients in a blender/food processor until a rough paste. Rub marinade into lamb with a spoon. Cover and marinate for 8 hours or overnight.Preheat oven to 200oC. Wrap lamb bones with foil to prevent charring. Place lamb racks on roasting rack and roast in oven for 30-40 mins, turning rack occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add Sweet Potato, bay leaves and peppercorns. Cook for 25 minutes or until well cooked. Mash with potato masher, adding a little extra virgin olive oil if necessary. Add sage leaves and salt to taste.

Remove lamb from oven. Cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Season with salt. Serve on Sweet Potato mash.

——-

Pea and Pancetta Risotto
I really think Risotto needs a dominant flavour, otherwise it can taste like starchy glue.

500g frozen peas
3 dried bay leaves
10 broken black peppercorns
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
The rind of 2 lemons, pith removed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 litre vegetable stock (home made stock is what you really need, but if you don’t have any, use the packet stuff. I find it very strong though, and not the best tasting, so dilute it with about 3 parts water)
1 bunch mint leaves, roughly chopped.
12 slices of Pancetta cut into 3 strips

Cook Pancetta in a pan until crispy. Put aside. Cook peas for a couple of minutes in boiling water with bay leaves and peppercorns. Put into a blender and blend into a course puree. Put aside. Cook onion in a pan with some oil, until soft. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Increase heat, add wine and allow to reduce by half. Add rice, lemon rind and salt and stir. Add 1/4 of the peas and stock to cover rice. Stir continually. When water is almost absorbed add another 1/4 of the peas and more stock to cover. Repeat process until almost cooked. Stir through mint leaves. Top with Pancetta and serve.

——-

Preserved Lemon & Thyme Chicken
Lemon & Thyme Chicken is an English classic. Stephanie Alexander has a good recipe for it in ‘The Cook’s Companion’. But I took the classic and modified it a bit to incorporate preserved lemons, which I love, and I think really need to be embraced outside North African cooking.

1 small-medium whole chicken
8 preserved lemons, flesh and pith removed
1 bunch thyme
2 gloves garlic, sliced
salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 200C. Slice an opening in the skin of the chicken on the thighs and breasts and back of the chicken. Insert preserved lemon peels, with sliced garlic and whole sprigs of thyme. Continue until all ingredients are used. Rub chicken with salt and oil. Bake oven, beginning breast side up, turning every 20 minutes until cooked.

Serve with roasted root vegetables.

——-

Ratatouille (eggplant and zucchini vegetable stew)
This is not a traditional Ratatouille. And to be honest I haven’t eaten it in a couple of years. When I first made this meal I got so excited about it I made it about twice a week and it always made leftovers. Penelope got really sick of it (but I still like it). You can add other vegetables to this like carrots, capsicum etc. This recipe is from memory, so you may need to adjust it.

2 medium eggplants, halved lengthwise then sliced
8 medium zucchini, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small, hot red chilli, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 large sprigs rosemary
Juice of 1 lemon
Parsley to garnish

Heal oil in pan, add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, chilli and rosemary and cook for a couple of minutes. Add vegetables and stir for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes and paste and cook for around 40 minutes until vegetables are almost collapsed. Serve with couscous and yoghurt and top will parsley.

——-

Sarah’s Lamb Tagine
We had dinner at a good friend’s place and she cooked us this. I’ve modified it a bit but the same ideas are there. Thanks Sarah!

800g Lamb leg or shoulder, cut into large cubes
1tbsp plain flour
2 chorizo, cut into thick slices
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot diced
3 garlic cloves
1 small, hot, red chilli
4 preserved lemons, flesh and pith removed
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cinnamon quill
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 dry red wine
1 400g can tomatoes
1 cup stock
3/4 cup dates, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch English Spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 chopped flat-leafed parsley.

Preheat oven to 170oC. Toss meat in flour. Heat oil in casserole dish, cook lamb until browned. Remove and set aside. Add more oil if necessary and cook chorizo in pan until browned. Lower heat to medium and cook onion, celery and carrots until soft. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add spices and stir for a minute or so. Add wine and reduce by half. Add tomatoes, stock and lemons. Add dates, cover and transfer to oven and cook for an hour and 45 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in spinach and cook for another 20 minutes. Check for salt (preserved lemons will add salt, so it may not be necessary). Serve with couscous and top with parsley.

——-

Thai Ginger Mussels
This is based on a David Thompson (‘Thai Food’) recipe. To me it tastes like an ‘old’ Thai dish. No chilli, but strong with ginger and white pepper.

1 kg Australian black mussels (live)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp palm sugar
1/4 teaspoon tamarind concentrate, dissolved in a few tablespoons hot water
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 finely grated ginger
2 spring onions, diced
1/2 cup chopped corianger leaves

Paste
1/2 bunch coriander roots and stalks
2 garlic cloves
1/4 red onion, chopped
2cm piece ginger, chopped
1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste
8 white peppercorns

Make the paste by pounding ingredients in a mortar and pestle until smooth. Heat oil and fry paste for 5 minutes until fragrant. Add sugar and simmer for a minute or so. Add tamarind water and fish sauce. Add stock and ginger. Bring to the boil. Add mussels, cover and cook for a few minutes. As soon as mussels open, remove. Serve with all the cooking liquid and topped with coriander leaves and spring onions.

—-

The Tagine of Love (click here)