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  1 medium egg

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  paprika

  40 g/11⁄2 oz (3 tablespoons) clarified butter, margarine or 3 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  Per serving:

  P: 31 g, F: 37 g, C: 7 g, kJ: 2019, kcal: 482

  1. Soak the bread roll in cold water. Peel the onion and chop finely. Heat the oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and fry for 2–3 minutes until transparent. Then remove the onions from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and leave to cool down a little.

  2. Squeeze the bread roll to remove as much water as possible and add to the mince together with the chopped onion and egg. Mix well so that all the ingredients are well blended and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Wet your hands and form the mixture into 8 rissoles.

  3. Heat the clarified butter, margarine or oil in a pan. Add the rissoles and fry on both sides over medium heat for about 10 minutes until brown, turning occasionally.

  Tip: You can add 1–2 tablespoons chopped parsley to the onions or stir 1 teaspoon mustard into the meat mixture. Rissoles are suitable for freezing.

  Accompaniment: Potato purée and carrots.

  MEAT

  50 | Rabbit in olive sauce

  With alcohol

  Preparation time: about 75 minutes

  1 rabbit, about 1.5 kg/31⁄4 lb, cut into 5 pieces

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  1–2 branches rosemary

  200 g/7 oz carrots

  100 g/31⁄2 oz celeriac

  2 onions

  150 g/5 oz tomatoes

  100 g/31⁄2 oz black olives or 50 g/2 oz stoned olives

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) white wine

  250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) chicken or vegetable stock

  75–150 g/21⁄2–5 oz crème fraîche

  Per serving:

  P: 64 g, F: 46 g, C: 6 g, kJ: 2984, kcal: 714

  1. Rinse the rabbit pieces under cold running water and pat dry. Separate the back from the stomach flaps and remove the skin from the back. Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper.

  2. Rinse the rosemary under cold running water, pat dry and remove the leaves from the stems. Peel the carrots and cut off the green leaves and tips. Peel the celeriac and remove the bad parts. Wash the carrots and celeriac, leave to drain and cut into pieces. Peel the onions and chop.

  3. Wash the tomatoes, drain, make cross-shaped cuts, dip briefly in boiling water and then dip in cold water. Peel the tomatoes, remove the stalks and chop coarsely. Stone the olives and cut into quarters.

  4. Heat the oil in a pan or casserole, add the rabbit pieces and brown on all sides, turning them over frequently. Remove the back from the pan. Add the prepared vegetables and rosemary and fry for 2–3 minutes.

  5. Add the white wine and stock. Bring to the boil, cover and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Return the back to the pan, cover again and braise for a further 25 minutes.

  6. Remove all the rabbit pieces from the pan, arrange on a dish, cover and keep in a warm place. Purée the sauce and stir in the olives and crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the meat.

  Tip: You can make the sauce even creamier by adding 20 g/3⁄4 oz olive paste (from a jar or tube) when you stir in the wine and stock.

  This dish is suitable for freezing.

  Accompaniment: Ciabatta and roasted vegetables.

  MEAT

  51 | Grilled lamb cutlets

  Easy

  Preparation time:about 20 minutes, without marinating time

  8 double lamb chops, each 100 g/31⁄2 oz

  2 small cloves garlic

  2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. olive oil

  pepper, salt

  Per serving:

  P: 37 g, F: 31 g, C: 0 g, kJ: 1783, kcal: 426

  1. Trim the fat off the cutlets if necessary and notch the fatty edge. Rinse the cutlets under cold running water and pat dry.

  2. Peel the cloves of garlic, press through a garlic press and mix with the oil and pepper. Coat the cutlets with this mixture and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for about 60 minutes. Preheat the grill shortly before the cutlets have finished marinating.

  3. Place the cutlets on the grid lined with aluminium foil. Slide it under the preheated oven grill and grill for 3 minutes each side. Season the cooked cutlets with salt.

  Accompaniment: Green beans and warm unleavened bread.

  MEAT

  52 | Leg of lamb

  For guests (4-6 servings)

  Preparation time: about 2 hours

  2 onions

  150 g/5 oz tomatoes

  1 leg of lamb with bone, 1.5 kg/31⁄4 lb

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  1–2 cloves of garlic

  3 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. olive-oil

  1–2 teaspoon herbes de Provence

  about 375 ml/12 fl oz (11⁄2 cups) vegetable stock or half red wine and half vegetable stock

  Per serving:

  P: 49 g, F: 19 g, C: 2 g, kJ: 1552, kcal: 370

  1. Preheat the oven. Peel the onions and cut into quarters. Wash the tomatoes, dry, cut into quarters and remove the stalks. Rinse the meat under cold running water, pat dry and rub with salt and pepper. Peel the cloves of garlic and push through a garlic press.

  2. Heat the oil in a roasting tin. Add the leg of lamb and brown on all sides. Coat the meat with the garlic paste and sprinkle with herbes de Provence. Remove the lamb from the roasting tin.

  3. Put the quartered tomatoes and onions in the roasting tin and fry in the remaining cooking fat for 3–4 minutes. Return the lamb to the roasting tin and add one-third of the vegetable stock or red wine and stock mixture. Put the roasting tin back in the oven and cook uncovered.

  Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),

  Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 4 (not preheated),

  Cooking time: 75–90 minutes.

  4. Replace the evaporated liquid little by little with the remaining stock or red wine-stock mixture.

  5. Remove the meat from the roasting tin, cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the meat and arrange on a preheated dish. Strain the cooking juices with the vegetables through a sieve, adding more stock or wine if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and serve the meat hot.

  ADVICE

  Poultry

  Poultry is relatively high in protein and low in fat compared to other kinds of meat.

  Because poultry may be infected with salmonella there are a few rules which must be observed when preparing and cooking poultry:

  • Always store poultry in a refrigerator that is sufficiently cold, or in the freezer.

  • All objects that have been in contact with poultry must be washed thoroughly after use.

  • Throw away the water immediately after defrosting poultry.

  • Other food should never come into contact with uncooked poultry or with the water released when poultry is defrosted.

  • Always wash your hands very carefully after handling uncooked poultry.

  • Always cook poultry thoroughly. Poultry is cooked when the juices that run out are colourless and the legs separate easily from the body. A meat thermometer can be used to check the temperature at the centre of the chicken. When measuring the temperature in this way, be careful not to position the thermometer too close to a bone because this would falsify the result.

  Chicken

  Small chicken

  Fattened chicken 5—7 weeks old. The breastbone is still flexible and the weight is between 800 g–1.2 kg/13⁄4–21⁄2 lb. They can be bought fresh or deepfrozen. Chickens are also available which have been fed on a particular food, for instance, corn. The meat of these chickens is particularly tasty.

  Roasting chicken

  Fattened chicken about 8—9 weeks old, slaughtered before it reaches sexual maturity. The breastbone is still flexible a
nd the weight ranges between

  1.2 kg–1.5 kg/21⁄2–31⁄4 lb.

  Boiling fowl

  Laying hens that are slaughtered between 12 and 15 months old. The breastbone has become cartilaginous. Boiling fowls have not been fattened but will have been kept for laying eggs. The weight varies between 1 kg/ 21⁄4 lb and 2 kg/41⁄2 lb depending on the breed. Boiling fowls can be used for making chicken stock and casseroles.

  Guinea fowl

  A breed of domestic fowl with dark meat and a fine, delicate texture and aromatic flavour. It weighs 1.0–1.3 kg /21⁄4–23⁄4 lb when slaughtered. It can be cooked in a variety of ways.

  Duck

  Fattened duck

  Fattened bird 7–8 weeks old, slaughtered before the plumage has matured. The breastbone is still flexible and the cartilage has not yet become ossified. Weight 1.6–1.8 kg/31⁄2–4 lb.

  Young ducks

  About 6 months old, these are slaughtered after the first plumage has matured. The breastbone will still be soft. Weight 1.5–2.0 kg/31⁄4–41⁄2 lb.

  Ducks

  Birds over 1 year old, slaughtered after sexual maturity. The breastbone has now become ossified. Weight 1.8–2.5 kg/4–51⁄2 lb.

  Barbary duck

  Raised in the wild with very little fat and strong flight muscles, in other words, with a high percentage of breast meat. Roasting ducks weigh about 1.6 kg/31⁄2 lb while drakes usually weigh about 3 kg/61⁄2 lb. They are usually sold already cut up, for instance as duck breasts.

  Goose

  Table goose

  Young goose, 11—12 weeks old, slaughtered before its plumage reaches maturity. The breastbone is still soft. Weight 2–3 kg/41⁄2–61⁄2 lb.

  Young goose

  About 6—7 months old, slaughtered after its plumage reaches maturity for the first time. The breastbone and cartilage are still soft. Weight 3–4 kg/61⁄2–9 lb.

  Goose

  Over 1 year old, slaughtered after it has reached sexual maturity. The breastbone has become ossified. Weight 4–7 kg/9–151⁄2 lb.

  Tip

  Ducks and geese are birds with a high proportion of fat and are only suitable for roasting.

  Turkey

  Turkey cock

  Turkeys are usually sold as young animals, no more than 1 year old. The breastbone is still soft while the meat is low in fat and rich in protein. After a relatively long period of fattening, they weigh between 5–11 kg/11–24 lb. Turkey is also sold in pieces, such as turkey legs and turkey escalopes.

  Young turkey (baby turkey)

  The young turkey is slaughtered at the age of 9—13 weeks after a short period of fattening. Weight between 3–6 kg/ 61⁄2–13 lb (baby turkey about 1.6 kg/31⁄2 lb).

  Quail

  Quails are small wildfowl that are now mainly farmed. Often stuffed and roasted, they are served as a starter or entrée. A quail weighs about 150 g/ 5 oz.

  Poultry pieces

  All of the more common kinds of poultry are also sold as pieces, fresh, chilled or deepfrozen. You can buy pieces separately, such as a halfbreast, breast fillet (escalope, only from chicken and turkey), leg (including the thigh and lower leg), thigh, lower leg and wing. The breast and leg have the most meat but they are also the most expensive. The breast meat of chicken and turkey can also be served as thin strips or slices or used as a basis for oriental dishes.

  Preparation

  Fresh poultry should be put in the refrigerator as soon as possible after purchase. When buying frozen poultry to be stored in the freezer at home, make sure that it thaws as little as possible on the way home. Putting the poultry in a cool bag while transporting it is recommended. When you get home the poultry should be put in the freezer immediately.

  Freezing

  When deep-freezing fresh poultry yourself, there are a few rules to be observed:

  • The poultry must be packed with great care and the freezer bag must not be damaged so that freezer burn does not occur.

  • Freeze the poultry in such a way that it freezes to the centre as quickly as possible. This is because if the freezing process is too slow, large ice crystal will develop which will damage the cellular structure of the meat; the meat will then lose much of its juice during thawing and become tough as a result.

  Defrosting

  Deep-frozen poultry should be defrosted slowly (preferably in a refrigerator but otherwise at room temperature) so as not to damage the cell structure which would toughen the meat.

  • Completely remove the packaging and throw it away.

  • Place the poultry in a metal sieve inside a container, or in a large bowl on top of an inverted soup plate so that the liquid produced while the poultry is defrosting can flow away (the poultry must not be in contact with that liquid).

  • During the defrosting process the container should be covered with a lid, plate, aluminium foil or clingfilm.

  • Throw away the water resulting from the defrosting and make sure that no other food comes into contact with that liquid (because of the risk of salmonella).

  • Finally, wash your hands, the work surfaces and the dishes used.

  Jointing

  This refers to the cutting up of poultry into pieces, which is done so that the various pieces which require different cooking times can be cooked properly. A leg, for instance, needs to cook longer than breast meat.

  For example, a chicken:

  • Place the prepared chicken on its back and cut off the legs and wings with a sharp knife.

  • Cut the breast meat along the breastbone as far down as the bone, cutting the breastbone with poultry shears.

  • Cut the back along the backbone (use poultry shears), cut out the backbone and halve the breast.

  • Cut the legs at the joint using a knife or poultry shears.

  Dressing

  When poultry is to be cooked whole, all the protruding parts, such as the legs and the wings, must be tied close to the body with kitchen string to prevent them from drying out.

  Method:

  • Place the prepared poultry on its back, bend the tips of the wings towards the back and slide under the body. If the tips of the wings have been cut off, tie the wings together under the body with string.

  • Tie the legs together with string, cross-wise or all around.

  Stuffing

  Large birds such as turkeys and geese are particularly suited for stuffing. The stuffing is then served as an accompaniment to the meat, which is also more aromatic as a result.

  Method:

  • Place the prepared fowl on its back.

  • Put the stuffing in the abdominal cavity.

  • Sew up the opening with string or secure with wooden cocktail sticks and tie crossways with string.

  Carving

  Carving is the process of cutting up the cooked fowl into individual servings.

  Method:

  • Cut off the legs. With a sharp carving knife, make a cut into the meat as far as the joint, twist the joint slightly and cut through the tendons.

  • Cut off the wings with a sharp knife, then cut at the joints.

  • Loosen the breast meat on both sides of the bone using a knife and slice into portions.

  • Arrange the meat on a previously warmed dish.

  POULTRY

  53 | Chicken fricassée

  Classic

  Preparation time: about 13⁄4 hours, excluding cooling time

  1.5 litres/23⁄4 pints (7 cups) water

  1 bunch soup vegetables

  1 onion

  1 bay leaf

  1 clove

  1 oven-ready chickens

  1–1.2 kg/21⁄4–21⁄2 lb 11⁄2 teaspoons salt

  For the sauce:

  25 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter

  30 g/1 oz (1⁄4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

  500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) chicken stock

  1 can asparagus pieces, drained weight 175 g/6 oz

  1 tin mushrooms, drained weight 150 g/5 oz

&n
bsp; 3 tablespoons white wine

  about 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  1 teaspoon sugar

  2 egg yolks from medium eggs

  3 tablespoons whipping cream

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  Worcestershire sauce

  Per serving:

  P: 41 g, F: 24 g, C: 8 g, kJ: 1788, kcal: 427

  1. Bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, prepare the soup vegetables. Peel the celeriac and remove any bad parts. Peel the carrots and cut off the green leaves and the tips. Wash the carrots and celeriac and leave to drain. Remove the outer leaves of the leeks, cut off the root ends and dark leaves. Cut in half lengthways, wash thoroughly and leave to drain. Coarsely chop all the vegetables. Peel the onion and stud it with a bay leaf and a clove.

  2. Wash the chicken inside and outside under cold running water, put into the boiling water, bring back to the boil and skim.

  3. Now put the prepared vegetables into the saucepan with the chicken, cover and cook for about 60 minutes over low heat.

  4. Take the chicken out of the stock and allow to cool a little. Strain the stock through a sieve, remove the fat if necessary and reserve 500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) of the stock to make the sauce. Loosen the meat from the bones, remove the skin and cut the meat into large pieces.

  5. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a pan. Stir in the flour and cook until the mixture turns pale yellow, stirring all the time. Add the reserved stock and beat vigorously with a whisk to obtain a smooth mixture without lumps. Bring the sauce to the boil and cook gently for about 5 minutes without a lid, stirring occasionally.

  6. Drain the asparagus pieces and mushrooms in a colander and add to the sauce together with the chicken. Bring back to the boil briefly. Add the white wine, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and sugar.

  7. Whisk the egg yolk into the cream and fold carefully into the fricassee to thicken, but do not let the sauce boil any more. Season the fricassee with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.