CHICKEN "TABAKA" WITH WATERMELON AND BASIL SALSA

Traditionally, this dish has been tied up with Georgian cuisine, however, where we used to live (Odessa, Ukraine) this dish was on the menu of almost every eating establishment, large or small.

We most probably didn’t have all those aromatic spices that were growing on the slopes of the Georgian mountains, however we got the gist of it, i.e. the chicken needs to be pan-fried under heavy weight for the bird to be cooked through and also to achieve the maximum crispiness of the skin.

You might have heard about a recipe called “Chicken under the brick” which is an English interpretation of this quite unusual name, since “Tabaka” and tobacco has the same root.

However, the name is not that important since the final result is delicious juicy meat covered in crispy finger leaking skin.

Here is how I do it

You need:

1.5 kg free range corn fed chicken

Baking or sandwich paper

1 brick wrapped in foil

2 tbsp olive oil for frying

1 lime quartered to serve

1 tsp of fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed

1 tsp of smoked paprika

For the marinade:

3 tbsp olive oil

5 tbs soy sauce

3 tbsp fish sauce

5 garlic gloves peeled and crushed

3-5 kaffir lime leaves

Juice of half a lime

1 small red chili, lightly chopped, seeds removed

2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly fried and crushed

Method:

In order to get the maximum crispiness of the skin, you need first to spatchcock the chicken, in other words remove the backbone.  It might sound a bit scary but it’s quite easy thing to do. 

Place the bird breast on a chopping board breast side down. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, starting at the neck, run it all along the bone on both sides all the way down.  Discard the bone. Flip the chicken over and place the palm of your hand firmly over the breastbone until you hear a crack, which is exactly what you need. The chicken is now flat and ready for the next step.  Rinse the cavity under cold water and pat dry.

Prepare the marinade by combining all of the ingredients in a big enough bowl to accommodate the chicken and check for seasoning.  It is quite important that the marinade has strong taste as it needs to penetrate the meat but by all means adjust it to your liking.  Submerge the bird in the marinade and place in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, turn the bird over to get it marinated evenly.

Remove the chicken from the fridge about half an hour before cooking.  Take it out of the marinade, pat dry, rub with olive oil, paprika and fennel seeds.

Pre-heat the pan on medium-high heat and add olive oil.  Once hot, gently lower the chicken skin side down, into the pan, tear off a piece of baking paper to loosely cover the pan so as to avoid splattering, cover it with a big flat plate or lid and place a brick wrapped in foil on top of it.  Cook the chicken on high heat for about 10 minutes, then drop the temperature to medium- low and continue cooking for about 20 minutes.

Then remove the brick, plate and the paper and gently turn the chicken over.  Continue cooking on low heat for another 20 minutes, then insert a skewer into the thickest part of the leg and if the juices come out clean, remove the chicken from the pan, cover loosely with foil and rest in warm place for about 10 minutes.  I find that the microwave oven is a perfect place for the job.

Arrange the chicken on a serving platter and bring to the table for everyone to see.  Slice at the table and serve with some lime wedges and Watermelon and Basil Salsa on the side.

Enjoy!!!

WHAT I COOKED FOR BREAKFAST - HOTCAKES RUSSIAN STYLE+ROAST FIGS AND SOUR CREAM

Ever since Bill Granger introduced ricotta hotcakes at his Surry Hills, Bills Restaurant, back in the late 90’s, they remain the most favourite breakfast staple on almost every breakfast menu of almost every cafe across Sydney. 

Well, we Russians have been cooking hotcakes for decades, the difference is we use farm cheese instead of ricotta.  The reason being that back in Russia we haven't been spoilt for choices and the produce such as ricotta cheese was totally foreign to our ears let alone the shop shelves.

I love to serve them topped wit caramelised figs for a touch of decadence.

Nevertheless, ours are as delicious and remain as popular for Saturday breakfast amongst my family.

To feed 4-6 people you need:

500 gr of fresh farm cheese

2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil 

1 egg

3 tbs white sugar
1 tbs brown sugar

5 tbs plain white flour

A pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

A handful of sultanas (optional)

A tub of sour cream for serving

4-8 figs for serving

Method:
Place the farm cheese, flour, sugar and an egg in a bowl and mix together.  If the mixture feels a bit runny, add some more flour.  if you like your hotcakes really sweet, then add more sugar although sultanas will bring their sweetness as well.  The dough should not stick to your hands but try not to make it too firm.  

Sprinkle some flour over a chopping board, then take a spoonful of mixture and roll into a ball, then place it on the board and press lightly with the palm of your hand to flattened it out, about 2cm thick.  Continue with the rest of the mixture, you should end up having around 8-10 cakes.

Heat the frying pan over moderate heat.  Once it is hot, place one spoon of butter and add some olive oil to prevent butter from burning and when the butter is melted, fry the cakes in batches for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Cut the figs in half and sprinkle with brown sugar. Add remaining butter into the pan and fry the figs cut side down until the sugar is caramelised.  Remove from the pan and serve alongside the hotcakes.

We like to eat them with a dollop of sour cream to offset the sweetness but they are equally delicious just on their own.

Enjoy!!!

BEEF STROGANOFF

Leafing through my blog the other day, I realised that something very essential was missing from my posts - amongst all the cosmopolitan dishes cooked in my kitchen, there was not one single recipe reflecting my original roots.  I have been so mesmerised by the multitude and variety of multicultural dishes that I totally forgot how tasty and flavoursome Russian dishes could be. 

And so I have decided to cook very traditional, world known and highly popular amongst Russian expats dish.  You guessed it, I am talking about Beef Stroganoff.

The truth of the matter is that one of my daughters does not really like this dish, neither is my other one , who was born here in Australia, hence it does not appear too often on my dinner table.  However, my South African husband, whose mother escaped Russia when she was very young, loves it and is always looking forward to eat it.

According to Google, the origin and history of Beef Stroganoff dates backs to the 19th century. "Although not a new recipe, at that time but it is a refined version of an even older Russian recipe, it had probably been in the family of Count Pavel Stroganoff for some years and had become well known through his love of entertaining."

Until today Beef Stroganoff remains one of the most popular dishes in Russian cuisine and is immediately associated with that part of the world.

So let’s cook it.

To feed 6-8 people you need:

1 kg of beef fillet

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium size brown onion

3 cloves of garlic

200gr button mushrooms

150gr sour cream

2 tsp American mustard

200ml beef stock

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Note 1:  Buying sliced for a stir-fry beef from the butcher saves a lot of time and is perfect for this dish.

Note 2:It is better to cook this dish in a pot rather than in a pan since it is cooked in plenty of sauce. 

Method:

Pre-heat your cooking pot on medium heat and pour in the oil.  Peal and slice the onion into small cubes and once the oil is hot, sauté it until it becomes golden brown. It will add a warm colour to the final dish.  While the onion is cooking, slice the meat into thin 1 cm strips approx 5 cm long, combine with the onion and continue cooking. 

While this is happening, slice the mushrooms and garlic and add them to the pot.  Let the meat release a bit of moisture and allow all the ingredients to brown together for about 10-20 minutes.

Then, add sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper, pour in the stock and reduce the heat to low.  The meat and mushrooms should be almost submerged in the sauce.

It should not take long to cook since the beef is sliced quite finely, approximately another 10 minutes.  Taste the meat and the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking.  If the meat is still slightly chewy, let it cook for another 10 minutes until tender and it is ready to serve.

Traditionally, Beef Stroganoff is served with mashed potatoes or with buckwheat "kasha" that is cooked buckwheat.

Scoop some mash or "kasha" on a plate, place a generous portion of meat on top and liberally pour the sauce over.

Enjoy!!!