Tag: Mint

Lamb Rissoles with Mint Jelly

Do you ever look at a recipe and think “That’s absolutely bonkers!  Why on earth would you do that?”  It happened to me with a recipe from the Daily News Cook Book for Jellied Lamb Rissoles.  The idea behind the original was to crumb and fry some spicy lamb meatballs, then dip said fried meatballs in mint jelly and allow the jelly to set around the meatball.  I think we can all agree that the recipe is very set in its time – ie when coating all sorts of things in aspic or jelly was the height of fashion.

Lamb Rissoles with Mint Jelly

HowEVER….the recipe asks you to go to the bother of crumbing and frying meatballs, which is one of my least favourite kitchen tasks. Admittedly,  it is worth all the pfaffing about if you get a lovely crispy crumb coating on your meatballs.  But then you have to dip that delightful crumb crust into a liquid jelly and let it sit in said liquid jelly until the jelly sets.  Now, I could be totally wrong but to my mind, that would make the crumb crust into a soggy mess.

No thank you Daily News.

Lamb Rissoles with Mint Jelly2

However once the idea of lamb rissoles with mint jelly takes hold, it is very hard to dislodge the idea.  Plus the idea of rissoles reminded me of one of my favourite scenes from The Castle:

If you have not seen this film, you really need to. It is such a delight.  Make these rissoles, grab a cold beer and watch The Castle immediately!

So, for anyone who wants to try out the original recipe here it is.  Please let me know how it does turn out.   I am very happy to be proved wrong if anyone is willing to take the risk of a soggy crust on my behalf!

Jellied Lamb Rissoles

 

The Revamped Lamb Rissole with Mint Jelly

A little note here. You can go a little wild with the chilli in these as the mint jelly will provide some cooling relief…see, I am willing to take a few risks after all!!  If you cannot get hold of lamb, beef or pork would work here although lamb and mint is a delightful classic combo!

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Lamb Rissoles with Mint Jelly

A SriLankan-inspired appetiser adapted from the classic “Daily News Cookery Book”.  The kick of heat in the rissoles will be offset by the calming cool of the mint jelly so feel free to increase the amount of chilli you would normally use.

  • Author: Taryn Nicole
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 25 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Rissoles:

500g minced lamb

I onion finely chopped

12  green chilli, finely chopped (depending on the heat of the chillies and your tolerance)

1 tsp mixed spice

2 slices white bread, crusts removed

1 beaten egg

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper

For the Crumb:

Breadcrumbs – around 1 cup

1 beaten egg

Oil for frying – traditionally this would have been fried in dripping but I prefer to use canola oil.

To Serve

Mint Jelly

Coriander leaves (optional)

Chilli slices (optional

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together and shape into 25 meatballs.

Place the beaten egg into a bowl and the breadcrumbs on a plate.

Dip the meatballs in the egg then roll in the crumbs.

Place in the fridge to set for around 30 minutes.

Heat the oil.  I used a wok but any deep sided pan or a deep fryer would work.  Fry the meatballs in batches until golden brown (around 5-7 minutes).

Check a meatball to ensure it is cooked through.  If not, you can pop them into the oven for around 5-10 minutes at 180C until they are.

Serve while still hot with a scattering of coriander and chill if liked and some mint jelly as a colling dip on the side.

Enjoy!

 

 

On a personal note, I have not posted for a while – I went on a little holiday, then had a sick dog, then I got sick so it’s been a busy few weeks! Hopefully I am back on track now though and looking forward to getting back into the groove of blogging.
OH, and I just realised today this blog turns 8 years old!

Well, I am off to celebrate, have a wonderful week!Signature2

Belle & Sebastian’s Plum & Feta Salad

ARGGGHHHH….

I can’t believe it is almost time to go back to work.  Where did the summer holidays go?  Actually, the whole of summer was M.I A.  I wore winter boots the other day.  We’re living in crazy times….

Belle & Sebastian Plum & Feta Salad
Belle & Sebastian Plum & Feta Salad

But maybe because the réntrée, as the French would say, is about to commence I have had a particular song stuck in my head for about the last four days now.  Luckily, this was one I could tolerate, unlike the last time which was Rooms Are On Fire by Stevie Nicks.  Can you imagine 6 days of “There is magic all around you, if I do say so myself…”?

Ever wanted to bang your head into a wall just to MAKE IT STOP?  That’s what that week was like.

This time is the fabulous Step Into My Office Baby by Belle and Sebastian. Who I love with an almost unrivalled deep and deadly…They’re clever and funny and named after a French book from the 1960’s. They have great album covers and witty whimsical lyrics…

Belle and Sebastian

Smart, funny, savvy, slightly nostalgic for a past that probably actually existed…If I was a band I’m almost sure I would be  Belle and Sebastian.

Even though this says I am Coldplay!

And, as if all of that musical talent wasn’t enough, they’re also creators of a super refreshing salad!

I found this recipe in “Lost in The SuperMarket: An Indie Rock Cookbook “by Kay Bozick Owens and Lynn Owens and have been waiting for plums to come into season ever since.  And those happy days have finally arrived. The shops are full of them.

As a complete digression…they are also full of hot cross buns.  WTF is wrong with people?  It’s JANUARY!!!.  Ok, don’t even get me started…here’s the book….

 

And here is more of the Belle & Sebastian Plum & Feta Salad!  Tangy from the plums, salty from the feta, sweet from the honey, fresh from the mint….and just look at the fabulous colours…

Belle & Sebastian Plum Salad2
Belle & Sebastian Plum Salad2

I had mine with a very simple grilled salmon steak and it was a match made in heaven!!! The tanginess and saltiness of the salad cut through the richness of the salmon perfectly.

Belle & Sebastian Plum Salad3
Belle & Sebastian Plum Salad3

But I think the Belle and Sebastian Plum and Feta Salad would also go really well with chicken or pork and it would be super wicked amazing with duck….

I’ll give you another B&S anecdote just for free…for YEARS, I thought their gorgeous song Piazza, New York Catcher was called PIzza, New York Catcher….food obsessed or what?

So here are my tips to make the réntrée more bearable:

1. Make this salad….it will cheer you up

2. Listen to some Belle & Sebastian… here’s some I prepared earlier…

  1. The Blues Are Still Blue
  2. Dress Up In You
  3. Piazza, New York Catcher
  4. Step Into My Office, Baby

3. Don’t look up “The Boy With The Arab Strap” at work thinking you will just get the Belle and Seb album cover.  You won’t.  And some of the images you will get will be definitely NSFW. Not to mention unsavoury.

So what song is stuck in your head?

And what band are you?

Have a great week!

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2

Friday Night – Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzarella and Mint (Spice Peddlers)

Hands up who loves a pizza on a Friday night?

Just as I suspected. Everyone

(If you didn’t put your hands up, you’re dead to me)

Chef Boy-ar-dee Pizza
Chef Boy-ar-dee Pizza

And what’s better than a pepperoni pizza?  Nothing!Except maybe this:

Vintage Pizza Party 3
Vintage Pizza Party 3

And what’s better than this recipe for Pepperoni, Mozzarella and Mint  Pizza?  Absolutely nothing! Although The Gaylords come a very close second.

I adapted this recipe from My Table: Food for Entertaining by Pete Evans, mainly just to make it a bit quicker.  I’m far too lazy to make pizza dough on a Friday night so my base of choice is pita bread and I use a bought tomato paste mixed with some garlic and herbs for the base. If you want to be entirely DIY, Pete’s recipe is here.

Pepperoni Pizza with Bocconcini, Olives and Mint
Pepperoni Pizza with Bocconcini, Olives and Mint

My quick version is here:

"Pepper"oni, Mozzarella & Mint Pizza

This is so good – the combination of the pepper mix and the mint just lift this out of normal pizza realm into a taste sensation that wil get your tastebuds dancing just like the hipster groovers in the photo below.

Vintage Pizza Party Chef Boy-Ar-Dee
Vintage Pizza Party Chef Boy-Ar-Dee

And if that plain old thing got them going,  I guess my version would have had them doing a bit of this…

Or maybe some of this:

 

Just not this…

Yep, this is Friday night perfection on a plate!

Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzarella and Mint
Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzarella and Mint

Yay, it’s Christmas!  I’ll celebrate with a very special cocktail next time round.

Have a great week!

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2