October 2004 Archives

To serve 3-4, you need:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 medium-sized onions, chopped
• 4-6 potatoes, washed and cut in thick slices
• 1 teaspoon brown black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 Hokkaido pumpkin, cut in bite-sized cubes (not peeled)
• ½ litre water
• 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato purée
• salt
• pepper

Heat the oil in a large wok or pot, then fry the onions until transparent. Add mustard seeds and caraway seeds and fry until the onion is golden.

Reduce heat to very low. Add paprika and pumpkin cubes, stir well. Immediately add water, tomato purée, salt and pepper, stirring continuously. Turn up heat and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Server with white bread.

This Greek dish requires very little preparation and is a remarkable example of simplicity. Be sure to use good olive oil for this, it is the major condiment in this dish. Cooking time approx. 50 minutes, serves 3-4.

• 6-8 potatoes
• ½ cup (125ml) olive oil
• 4 chicken legs
• salt
• juice of 1 large lemon
• pepper
• 2 teaspoons origano

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until they are almost, but not quite done. Then peel them and cut them into thick slices.

Salt the chicken legs. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken legs until they are brown on both sides. Then put the chicken and the oil into an oven pan (the pan should be big enough so that it can accommodate the chicken and the potatoes). Pour the lemon juice over the chicken as well. If the bottom of the pan is not completely covered with oil or juice, add some more olive oil.

Sprinkle pepper and origano over the chicken. Put in the oven for 25 minutes. From time to time, open the oven and pour the sauce over the chicken pieces with a spoon.

After 25 minutes, add the boiled potatoes to the chicken, put back into the oven and cook for another 20 minutes. Again, pour the sauce over the chicken from time to time.

Remove pan from the oven and serve.

This Greek dish serves 4.

• 800g small onions or shallots, peeled, but left whole
• 50ml olive oil
• 1kg beef, cut in 1" cubes
• 125ml red wine
• 375ml water
• 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled, but left whole
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cloves
• 1 piece cinnamon bark
• pepper
• salt

Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the whole onions for about 5 minutes until brown, then remove with a slotted spoon and put aside.

Add the beef cubes and fry for about 10 minutes until brown on all sides.

Add the wine, water, tomato paste, garlic, vinegar, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to boil. Then reduce heat, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the onions and let simmer with the lid on for another 20-30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon bark, then serve with bread.