Canapes: Dill Scones with smoked Salmon

I think the first question that comes up is, why to put dill in scones, does that actually work? Yes it does, it is a great combination of sweet and savory. I remember that I have written a blog about making scones, yes I know it is a long time ago, but this time it is actually just a variation of the other scones and it is worth while talking bout scones again. I love scones, I have them in all variations, with jam, with cheese, clotted cream or savory with salmon.

The only difference in the scone dough is that I use chopped dill in addition to the other ingredients and then that they are generously topped with cream cheese and then either smoked salmon or cured salmon.....yes cured salmon or gravid lax that had a lot of dill in the marinade. Salmon likes to be paired with something on the sweet side, it just marries perfectly with the delicate flavor of the salmon.

I have here again the recipe for the scones, just in case you have forgotten it or don't want to look for the blog with the recipe

Recipe

560 G Cake Flour

10 G Baking Powder

2 G Salt

80 G Sugar

1 Each Lemon Zest

1 Each Orange Zest

30 G Dill, chopped

250 Ml Buttermilk

130 G Butter

130 Ml Water

2 Each Eggs

Method

Sift all the dry ingredients

Mix flour and butter together

Mix everything quickly to a dough

Roll the dough out and cut out scones

Let the scones rest for at least 1 hour before baking

By the way, I have to tell you how the car launch went.....it was a lot different than expected. After the canape tasting the message came through that they don't have the budget for such elaborate canapes, so we actually sold just the normal ones. Pity as there were cars costing a fortune and we ended up serving Spring Rolls, Mini Burgers, Prawn Tempura and Chicken Lolly Pops. There was no Jaguar on show, but at least a beautiful black Land Rover Defender 110. What a stunning car it is, real rough going a car that looks absolutely indestructible.

The whole function started early, a couple of promotional movies and then the canapes, by just after 7 PM we were already finished and prepared to go home. The huge wow and pomp......maybe another time.

Canapes: Lamb Chops

I am playing again, OK, the playing is actually for the launch or Jaguar and Range Rover here in Ghana, so it is something that gets showcased with some of the most amazing cars there are...yes I love Jaguar and Range Rover, so I am more than happy to create some nice and special bites for it.

The recipe for the canape of today is actually very easy, but if you serve it in the right dish it just looks absolutely stunning. To get the meat perfectly pink I first season and sear the rack on all sides, then I put it in the oven at....64 C and yes it has to be exactly 64 C if it is more it will be well done, if it is less then it will stay too rare. It takes good 45 minutes, even more to get the center temperature up to 64, but then you can actually leave the lamb in the oven as long as you want, it will not overcook as the temperature is not high enough

Now for all my friends in the States, 64 Celsius is 147 Fahrenheit.

You will see that if you want to do this method, it is a lot easier in a convection oven, the traditional ovens are a lot more difficult to have the exact temperature, but the end result is the same, you want it nice and pink in the middle

Then I add the crust and just finish the rack in the salamander to give the crust the crispness and the brown color.

I like to serve the cut rack individual with a little creamy mash potatoes, some marinated peas and a little jus, garnish with some herbs and your deluxe canape is ready....or our 150 deluxe canapes will be ready

Recipe2 Ea Lamb Rack, Frenched
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
10 G Thyme
10 G Rosemary
20 G Parsley
100 G Bread Crumbs
100 G Butter

500 G Potatoes
20 Ml Cream
20 Ml Milk
20 G Butter
Salt
Pepper

Method
Season the lamb rack and fry in hot oil till nice and brown
Finish it off in the oven at 65C for about 45 minutes
The meat will be perfectly pink
Have the butter at room temperature
Chop the herbs finely
Mix bread crumbs, butter and herbs
Roll the crust between 2 plastic wraps to about 3 mm
Put in the fridge to get hard, then cut the size of the lamb rack
Take the lamb rack out the oven and place the crust on the rack
Quickly flash under the salamander till golden brown

Boil the potatoes till very soft
Pour the water off
Strain the potatoes
Add milk, cream and butter
Season to taste

Pipe a bit mash in a Chinese spoon
Cut the lamb rack in slices
Put the lamb on the mash
Add a bit truffled demi glace
Garninsh with some herbs

Ghana Food: Joloff

The next local recipe is coming today, one of the most cooked dishes in the country, Joloff. It is a rice dish that is eaten everywhere, in the street, in restaurants annd at home. There are many different ways of making it, but the look is always similar, a red, slightly sticky rice that is cooked similar to a Pilaf Rice.

I like to make my Joloff with chicken stock, but often there is other meat or even chicken pieces in the rice. For special occations one takes goat meat and cooks it slowly with the rice.

Rice is most probably the most eaten starch here in Ghana, even so there is barely a rice production, everything has to be imported, but somehow everybody eats rice. Usually one has at least two types of rice on the buffet, plain rice and Joloff, but sometimes one adds another type of rice, liek the fried rice or a saffron flavored rice. Then the plates get packed with rice, before anything else goes on the plate, that it how impotant rice is here.


1 Kg (2.2 lb) Rice
200 Ml (7 oz) Oil
100 G (3 oz) Tomato Puree
150 G (5 oz) fresh tomatoes
4 L (4 qrt) Chicken Stock
100 G (3 oz) Pepper (Jalapenos)
100 G (3 oz) Onions
30 G (1 oz) Ginger
1 glove Garlic
Curry powder
White pepper

Blend tomatoes, ginger, garlic, onions and pepper
Heat oil and prepare gravy
Add stock and allow to cook for 5 mins
Add rice and stir till water reduces
Cover and cook for 20 mins

Grouper Fillet on Tomato and Chili Salsa

Now it is time to do something fishy, yes, a nice grouper, on potatoes and then a spicy tomato and chili salsa with it.

Grouper is a fantastic fish, the meat is nice and firm, very white and so tasty, one of the best fishes here in Ghana, at least in my humble opinion. Often the fish is very big which can make the meat a bit chewy, so make sure you get the meat from a middle sized fish. No, don't go small, I am totally against using baby fishes and very young fishes. Give nature time to replenish itself, let the fish have some fun and multiply. If we do not take care of our seas and fishes, then there won't be much left for your children

By the way, the menu is going well and the feedback is great, I am happy about it. It has to compete against the dinner buffet which is most probably one of the biggest buffets in Accra in any hotel, but it does well and everybody who eats a la carte is happy

Recipe
2.2 Kg Red snapper fillet
1.2 Kg Potatoes
100 G Butter
50 G Parsley fresh
25 G Dill, fresh

200 G Tomatoes
20 G Chili red, fresh
40 G Coriander
75 Ml Olive oil

50 G Parsley fresh
15 G Salt
50 Ml Lemon juice
25 G Dill, fresh
25 Ml Cider Vinegar

Method
Boil the whole potatoes with the skin till soft in salt water
When the potatoes are cooked, peel them and mash with a fork in a pan, add fresh parsley and dill to it
Season to taste
Fry the fish skin down in a hot pan with a little olive oil
Season with salt and pepper
Turn the fish around and add butter and thyme
Finish the fish in a hot oven at 160C for 4 to 5 minutes
Cut the tomatoes in concasse
Mix in a bowl with vinegar, oil and coriander
Season to taste

Pork Chops and Belly

Let me tell you a bit about the next dish on our menu, the pork chop and belly, it is something that is just so tasty, you will not be able to resist and will have to try it out at home.

The Belly is slow cooked, I usually take hours for it, then cooled down, cut in cubes and fried with red kidney beans and tomatoes, so like a stew. Then the pork chop gets fried in the pan, a blob of butter and some herbs at the end and then I finish it off in the oven.

As you can imagine, the pork comes from the organic pork farm in Swedru, the one I visited long time ago. Yes we do buy our pork from them and it has been a great success, the pork is tasty, one of the best I had in Ghana. If you have not read the blog about the pork, I would suggest you check it out, it was really a great experience going there.

With the pork we serve Fondant potatoes. These are potatoes which are nicely cut in thick discs and then cooked in chicken stock, then at the end they getting glazed with the reduced stock, so they are really full of flavor.

2 Kg Pork Chops
600 G Pork Belly
200 G Red kidney beans
100 G Tomatoes
40 G Whole grain mustard
200 G Butter
800 Ml Chicken stock
200 G Granny Smith
15 G Salt
5 G Pepper
25 G Parsley
1.2 G Potatoes
50 G Sugar
10 G Cinnamon

Braise the pork belly for 2 to 3 hours at 180 C in the oven
After braising the pork remove the skin of the belly
Cool down completely, then cut in cubes
In a hot pan saute the belly cubes
Add kidney beans and tomato concasse to it
After cooking it for a couple of minutes season and add freshly chopped herbs
Pan fry the pork chop in a hot pan
Add butter and fresh herbs to it and finish the cooking in the oven
Peel the potatoes, cut in cubes and cook till soft
Strain off the water and puree the potatoes
Add Butter and whole grain mustard to it, season to taste
Slice the apples thinly, season with salt, sugar and cinnamon
Pan fry till golden brown
Place on cling film and roll like a cigar

Braised Lamb Shoulder

We are cooking again. It has been a little while since the last post, that is due to the business at the hotel, but finally I have a bit time to write again.

We are just about to change the a la carte menu, it has been overdue for a major overhaul as we have started serving a dinner menu now, so the a la carte needs to get smaller otherwise we can't cope with cooking for an extra buffet and a full a la carte. So the new a la carte menu will be smaller but with a couple of selected and really nice dishes on it.

This dish is actually from my Chef de Cuisine, Donavin. He is in charge for the main restaurant and had the task to spear head the change of the menu. We tasted the dishes, we wrote the recipes and then of course needed a cost, but then finally they will all go on the menu

So here is the recipe

Recipe
2.2 Kg Lamb shoulder
200 G French beans
100 G Black olives
100 Ml Sunflower oil
300 G Potatoes
100 G Sun dried tomatoes
15 G salt
5 G pepper
200 G carrots
100 G leeks
100 G celeriac
300 G Onions
1.5 L Chicken stock
50 G Parsley
30 G Anchovies
50 G Garlic
50 G Capers
40 Ml Lemon juice
20 G Thyme

Method
Dress the lamb shoulder and tie tightly together
Roast in hot oil on all side, season well with salt and pepper
Take the shoulder out the pan, then roast all vegetables, add tomato paste and deglaze with red wine Put the meat in a braisiere (deep pan)
Add the roasted vegetables and chicken stock
Cover the pot and braise the shoulder in the oven for about 3 hours at 150 C or till soft

In a blender mix anchovy, olives, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil together
Blend sun dried tomatoes with a little olive oil
Cut potatoes in fondant shape
Cook them in a butter and thyme flavored stock till soft
Cut the lamb shoulder in 200 g pieces and vacuum pack with the reduced braising liquid
Heat up in hot water when required
Serve with fresh French Beans, Fondant potato Tomato puree and Tapenade

This recipe serves 10 friends, have a good bottle of wine with it, something from the Rhone Valley in France or a nice Australian Shiraz

Ghana Food: Tilapia light soup

It is somehow embarrassing that I am over one year here in Ghana and I have not yet given one local recipe, not even a hint. This has simply to change and I want to start today with a lovely recipe for Tilapia.

Tilapia is widely eaten here in Ghana, there are Tilapia farms, but most of it is caught wild, and one an taste the difference, it is just nicer, fresher, firmer.

 

The fish is then often marinated and grilled, but as well used in stews or soups. It is dried as well and then used as a condiment in certain stews which gives it this typical local flavor

Just something general about the food here in Ghana, it is spicy, very spicy for most of us, but it is tasty at the same time. The flavors are very different from what I have tasted so far, even in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Here smoked fish is often used in cooking, or dried or both together, so there is often a fishy and smokey flavor to it. Now the funny part is that when we have guests from Nigeria, they think that he food here is not spicy enough, so for the Nigerian guests we need to add extra flavor.....that is when I do not taste the food anymore as I simply can't handle that much spice.

 

We are selling a lot of Tilapia here, about 130 kg per week (290 lb) so we have to buy large. Rose our Tilapia supplier brings them fresh from lake Volta, they are absolutely amazing and really fresh. She takes a taxi for the 2 hour ride (her sons taxi) and brings the fish in big cooler boxes with ice. Usually we close receiving at 3 PM for our suppliers, but because she gets the fish fresh and brings it all the way here, she is welcome at any time and yes sometimes it is around 10 PM, a very long day for her, as she got the fish that morning fresh from the fishermen. Usually I am the one receiving the fish from the elderly lady, of course always a bit complaining about the size of the fish....Ahhhh, too small Rose, I want them big!!!!.......Noooooo, Chef, this is biiiig, very biiiiiig and smell, so fresh, still alive!!!!!!  There are no complaints about her fish, it is big and fresh, but we like to tease a bit. There is no way that I would buy Tilapia from anyone else.

Now usually the fish is eaten here with either Banku or Kenkey, even so rice is eaten widely, every food has its partner

Recipe
2 kg (4 lb) Tilapia
150 g (5 oz) Fresh tomatoes
130 g (4 oz) Tomato puree
60 g (2 oz) Pepper
80 g (3 oz) Onions
1 cloveGarlic
Salt
60 g (2 oz) Ginger

Method
Wash,and clean tilapia.
Cut the fish in thick slices
Sesaon and keep for 5 mins
Combine water with all ingredients except fish
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes
Add the fish Simmer till Tilapia is cooked
Season to taste Pepper (chili) is also called Kpakpashitor and is very hot

Minestrone

I think a minestrone is the perfect winter soup, it is actually a full meal, with a slice or two of organic farmers bread, it is like being in heaven.

There are many ways of doing a minestrone, when I do it for myself there is always a little bacon in it and I use a very light chicken stock to fill up the soup, but of course one can leave all meats away to make it a truly vegetarian soup, even good for a delicious vegan meal.

The making of the soup is really very easy, just cut all the vegetables together, saute in a little olive oil, add tomato paste, then puree and then some water, season, simmer, add spaghetti and potatoes towards the end of the cooking process as otherwise they would be overcooked and too soft, then at the end serve the soup with Parmesan and pesto....everybody will love it

Recipe
50 G Olive Oil
10 G Bacon Cubes
100 G Onion
150 G Leeks
100 G Carrots
100 G Celery
200 G Cabbage
200 G Potatoes
40 G Tomato Paste
100 G Tomato Concassé
50 G Rice
50 G Spaghetti
50 G Borlotti Beans

PESTATA
100 G Butter
10 G Garlic
1 Bunch Basil
50 G Parmesan

Method
Cut all the vegetables in small dices
Heat up olive oil and roast the bacon cubes in it
Add all the vegetables
Shallow-fry for a couple of minutes
Add tomato paste
Add about 3 l water (chicken stock) and boil for
15 min Add rice, cooked beans and broken spaghetti
Cook for another 15-20 min

Season and add pestata just before serving