Oven roasted raisin rib with vegetables

Oven roasted raisin rib with vegetables

I often think it unnecessary to use an expensive cut of meat if you’re going to slow cook it for hours to soften and then slice it. The meat should be falling apart when you eat it. This particular one is so easy, and it can be made ahead and frozen or refrigerated and heated as necessary.

It’s delicious, and needs no fancy extras to serve with it.

Ingredients

One 3kg to 4kg Raisin Rib (with a nice piece of fat on it)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 large onions, sliced thickly

4 large carrots, cut down the centre and then cut into thick pieces

1kg baby potatoes, unpeeled

250g large white mushrooms, whole

3 cups beef stock mixed with 3 to 4 Tbsp beef stock powder

To thicken the sauce: 1-2 Tbsp potato starch mixed with some cold water

Method

In a large heavy roasting pan or pot, rub the meat all over with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the pot until very hot, and brown the roast on all sides until well browned. Set aside.

In the same pot, add a little more olive oil, and sauté the onions and carrots until golden, but not too browned. Remove them from the pot. Add the beef stock, and stir in the tomato sauce.

Preheat oven to 160˚C.

Place the meat back into the pot with the onions and carrots, or transfer to a heavy roasting pan.

Place the whole potatoes and mushrooms on top of and around the meat.

Cover with baking paper and foil, and seal tightly.

Place on the second rack from the bottom and roast for about three hours, turning the meat if necessary until it’s very soft. If not, add another hour to the cooking time. The meat should be very soft and falling apart.

Remove the meat and vegetables from the roasting pan. Set aside.

Stir 1 to 2 Tbsp potato starch with a little cold water to make a runny sauce and stir into the sauce in the roasting pan. Place back on the stove, bring to a boil, and stir until sauce is reduced and thickened.

Taste for seasoning, adding more stock powder if necessary. Place the meat and vegetables back into the sauce, and cool before refrigerating.

Serves 12-15

Roasted vegetable salad with labneh/quinoa and citrus dressing

This is one of those salads that you’ll fall in love with and make over and over again. It’s certainly become one of my favourites.

Ingredients

250g butternut cubes

250g beetroot cubes

250g baby marrow chunks

1 red onion, sliced into thick quarters

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 200˚C.

Precook the butternut and beetroot cubes for about five minutes in the microwave.

Coat them in olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for at least 30 to 40 minutes or until blackened and softened.

Add the red onion and baby marrow chunks for the last 30 minutes to soften and cook them through.

Set vegetables aside.

These can be roasted the day before, and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Cook half a cup of quinoa in ½ tsp salt, 2tsp olive oil; and 1¼ cups of water.

Place the quinoa in a pot with the salt, olive oil, and water. Bring to a boil. Turn stove down to low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is cooked. Turn off stove, and leave to steam in the pot until cool.

To make your own labneh (if making dairy)

Hang 500ml of thick plain yoghurt in a cheesecloth overnight over the sink to drain out any excess water. I used the Genuine Foods full fat plain yoghurt, but would normally use a double thick yoghurt.

Note: the labneh can be made and kept in the fridge for at least four to five days.

Dressing

150ml olive oil – not a strong one. I mix sunflower and olive oil

¾ tsp salt

⅓ cup naartjie juice or orange juice. (I used the SOGA frozen naartjie juice)

1 Tbsp honey

4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp minced garlic

ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together, and keep in fridge until ready to use.

Rind of two lemons (keep separate)

Fresh pomegranates

Fresh herbs

Caramelised nuts

½ cup pecans, chopped

½ cup flaked almonds

2 tsp honey

2 tsp sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Toss the nuts with the honey and sugar. Place on some baking paper in the oven on a baking tray, and bake for at least 10 minutes until golden. Stir to mix. Remove from oven, and cool until crispy. Break into small pieces, and keep in a Ziploc bag until ready to use.

To serve

Spread the quinoa or labneh in a circle on the bottom of a salad bowl. Sprinkle with some lemon rind. Drizzle with a little dressing.

Then toss the vegetables with a little more dressing.

Spoon the vegetables into the centre of the dish on top of the quinoa or labneh.

Sprinkle with more lemon rind.

Drizzle with more dressing. Sprinkle with pomegranates and lemon rind and herbs to decorate.

Just before serving, drizzle with remaining dressing.

Serves eight.

Delicious Passover cheese blintze bake

This is the yummiest thing you’ll make for Passover. Try to fry the crepes as thinly as possible when you make them. Let them crisp around the edges, and only then turn them.

Ingredients

1 cup potato starch

1 tsp Passover baking powder (optional if available)

2 Tbsp castor sugar

pinch salt

3 jumbo eggs

1 cup milk

Method

Stir together the potato starch, baking powder, castor sugar, and salt.

Whisk in the eggs and the milk. Leave to stand for half an hour. If batter is too thick, thin with a little water.

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat. Dot the pan with a little butter, and ladle into the pan. Brown and set on one side before turning onto other side.

Makes 10 blintzes

Cheese filling

500g chunky cottage cheese, drained

6 Tbsp smooth cream cheese

2 egg yolks

½ cup castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Stir all ingredients together with a spoon in a bowl and set aside.

Topping

1 to 2 cups cream

Cinnamon/sugar for sprinkling (2 tsp cinnamon mixed with 2 Tbsp sugar)

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Spray an ovenproof dish.

Spoon a large spoonful of cheese filling into the centre of the crepe into a long strip.

Roll up gently.

Cut each crepe into three slices.

Pour a little cream into the baking dish.

Stand the filled crepes inside the dish with the fold on the inside. Pack them quite tightly.

Pour more cream over them to cover the crepes half full in the dish.

Sprinkle with a generous amount of cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and crispy.

NOTE: If making the crepes ahead of time, place them covered in the microwave to warm them. Then fill them, roll, and cut them. Place in the prepared dish. Only cover with remaining cream and cinnamon sugar just before baking.

They can be baked and reheated. Don’t bake too long if pre-baking.

Makes 10 (x 3)