Moroccan Style Spicy Meatballs

 This deliciously spicy recipe for meatballs is just perfect for a chilly evening this week...

Meatballs are simple to make and oh so good, so make enough to freeze for use later on when you need a quick dinner after a busy day...  ❤

Meatballs 

500g lamb or beef mince

50ml each chopped fresh parsley and coriander

3ml ground cumin

1 small onion, finely chopped

2-3 fresh chillies, seeded and chopped

olive oil, for frying

Sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cans whole tomatoes, chopped 

OR 8 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped

5ml each ground cumin and cinnamon

30ml fresh lemon juice

10ml dried apricots, halved

10ml honey

1-2 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped

50ml chopped fresh parsley

couscous, to serve

Meatballs

Combine all the meatball ingredients and season to taste with salt, and roll into little balls.

Heat a heavy-based sauce pan and add a little olive oil.  Fry the meatballs in batches until browned.

Alternatively, line a roasting pan with foil and grease with a little butter.  Brown meatballs in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.

Sauce

Heat a little more oil and add the garlic, onion, green pepper and 3ml freshly ground black pepper

and saute until soft.  Add the remaining sauce ingredients except the parsley.  Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Return meatballs to the sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and season to taste.  Serve on a bed of couscous.

~ Blessings, dear friends...❤  ~

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~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Roses of Inspiration, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up and Modest Monday ~

Hearty Lamb & Butternut Curry

 This delicious butternut and lamb curry is the perfect meal for a chilly winter’s evening...

A fire to warm the house and the aroma of gently cooking curry makes for a pleasant and comforting atmosphere in the home…

~

The flavour of this curry is just excellent; mild and just a little spicy… 

The addition of fruit chutney makes it pleasingly sweet, with a tang which the dried apricots and lemon juice add...

The lamb is perfectly soft, and the butternut gives this dish a soft, buttery taste…

And fresh coriander leaves add a lovely finishing touch!

  

 Lamb and Butternut Curry

45ml olive oil
6 cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick
1kg lamb knuckles
2 onions, chopped
8ml crushed garlic
8ml grated ginger
10ml each ground cumin and coriander
paprika, to taste
2 cans whole tomatoes or 
8 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
300g butternut pieces
100ml dried apricots
10ml lemon juice
50ml hot chutney
50ml chopped fresh coriander
rice, to serve

Heat 30ml of the oilve oil in a saucepan.  Add the cardamom and cinnamon.  
Stir, then add some of the lamb.  Cook until browned on both sides.  
Remove from the pan and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining lamb pieces.
Heat the remainng oil and add the onions.  Saute until soft, then add the garlic, ginger and spices.  Cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes.  
Bring to the boil, then return the lamb to the saucepan.
Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until the lamb is almost tender.  
Add the butternut and dried apricots and continue to cook for 30 minutes or until tender.
Stir in the lemon juice and the chutney, and season to taste.  Garnish with coriander and serve accompanied with rice. 
 Bon Apetit!

Recipe Courtesy:  Ideas 365 recipes for every day of the year 

Dear friends, thank you so much for visiting me today...I truly appreciate the extra time you take to leave such sweet words that bless and encourage me!
And I warmly welcome my lovely new readers and hope that you will enter as a stranger and leave as a friend!

Have a blessed, beautiful week!   
   

"She is like merchant ships.  
She brings her food from far away.  
She wakes up while it is still dark and 
gives food to her family..."

~  Proverbs 31:14-15

   ~

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~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Roses of Inspiration, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up and Modest Monday ~

Vennison Casserole...

Winter is most definitely here...  Although it isn't my favourite season, I am enjoying some delightfully cosy days pottering about the kitchen...

Recently we were blessed with some lovely venison, but as this particular cut of meat can be a bit tough, I decided to cook it slowly in a wonderful gourmet casserole...

   
Venison Casserole
 
 45ml olive oil
1kg venison shank cut into pieces
1 leek, finely chopped
8 baby onions, peeled
8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 whole cloves
1 carrot, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2ml each grounf nutmeg and cumin
25ml red wine vinegar
300ml red wine
200ml tomato juice
1 sprig rosemary
4 bay leaves
30ml tomato paste
60ml chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
 
 Heat a layer of olive oil in a casserole dish or saucepan.  
Brown the meat in batches over a medium to high heat.  
Remove from the pan.  Add a little more oil to the saucepan. 
Saute the leek, baby onions, garlic, cloves and carrot for a minute.
Add the spices and stir until fragrant, then add the vinegar.
Stir for a minute before adding the wine, tomato juice
rosemary sprig, bay leaves, tomato paste and 250 ml hot water.  
Bring to the boil.  Transfer to an ovenproof dish.
Cover and bake in a preheated oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 2 1/2 hours until tender.  
Add the parsley and serve with rice, pasta, mashed potatoes or couscous.

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 I do hope you enjoy this delicious casserole as much as my family did!
I actually cooked up all the venison in this way and froze it for future use...:)

Blessings on your Wednesday, dear friends!
 

~

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~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Roses of Inspiration, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up and Modest Monday ~

Delectable Beef Burger with Homemade Piquant Sauce...

Not too long ago I had the pleasure of making these delicious beef burgers with a lovely homemade piquant sauce for our family...  

Hmmm...I just love the appetising smells of burgers cooking under the grill...the excitement of the younger girls awaiting the special dinner and the colourful array of sliced cucumber, fresh lettuce and juicy red tomatoes, to name but a few, arranged on a plate...

We never go out to eat as we much prefer spending time in the kitchen creating gourmet dinners for much, much less...  

And of course homemade meals are not only healthier, but in my opinion, much tastier too!

As this was such a delicious recipe and fairly simple too, I thought I would share it with you for next time you are thinking of making homemade burgers! 

 

Beef Burgers

1kg lean beef mince

1 tbsp grated onion

1tsp Worcesertshire sauce

1tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1tsp dried thyme

1tsp dried origanum

1 clove garlic, crushed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Mix together the mince, Worcestershire sauce, onion, parsley, thyme, origanum, garlic, salt and pepper.  Form into eight patties.  Brush with olive oil and place under a preheated grill.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until well browned outside and slighty rare inside.

Place in a pan and cover with piquant sauce and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

 "Hunger is the best sauce in the world."  

~ Cervantes

Piquant Sauce

1/2 cup beer

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp vingegar

2tbsp sugar

2tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients, mixing well together. 

"When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste."  

~ Laiko Bahrs

I dearly love a burger bursting with the fresh flavour of salad ingredients...thus, I added homegrown preserved bell peppers, sliced cucumber, crisp lettuce and a sprinkling of fresh basil to mine...  Oh, and a slice of cheese was also added - just a little treat!

You can either use a fresh bun or lightly toast it under the grill...

Add a handful of oven roasted chips to each plate, drizzle over a little olive oil and serve straight away!

Bon Appetit!

 

~ Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.  Proverbs 17:1 ~

  Sharing with...

~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Roses of Inspiration, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up and Modest Monday ~

How to Make ~ Preserved Fresh Basil...

MY precious mother and I dearly love our little kitchen garden and pottering about in it...  

We enjoy talking about the various herbs, vegetables and flowers we have growing, and a few of the lovely things we would like to try with them such as soaps, and herbal teas...  

Often we will sit outside in the early morning with a cup of coffee in hand, discussing the seeds we would like to sow or what needs to be done in order to tidy the garden up a little...

Being busy with Heartmade, music, schoolwork and other commitments doesn't allow me too much time for garden work these days, but I do enjoy those hours spent in the pleasant autumn sun, tilling the brown earth and listening to the glorious sounds of birds, bees and the occasional peal of laughter from my younger sisters who too delight in being outside and playing in the moist soil...

Recently my mom and I needed to find a simple method of preserving our bountiful harvest of fresh basil...  

This is one of our favourite herbs and we use it as often as possible in our cooking!

Thus, we researched a lovely recipe for preserving our blessing of basil and now I would like to share it with you as I am indeed so pleased with the outcome! 

~ 

"Basil has a strong and unique flavour. It is best to add it right at the end of a dish to make the most of its flavour.  It is most commonly used in Italian dishes, paired with tomato.  However its robust flavour makes it the ideal herb to accompany a wide range of dishes."

Jane Griffiths, Jane's Delicious Herbs.

~

How to Make ~ Preserved Fresh Basil...

Begin by collecting your basil in a lovely little basket...don't forget to wear an apron as it will truly transport you to the sweet days of 'Little House' and you will feel like dear Laura or Ma collecting their precious harvest and preserving it for use in the coming Winter...

Harvest leaves once the plants are at least 20cm high.  When the flower buds form, pinch them off at least two nodes down to encourage leafier growth...

Now you need to wash your lovely leaves in water to remove any dirt, bugs, etc.  Even organic basil needs to be rinsed...

Dry the basil leaves gently with paper towel or a clean tea towel.  Don't crush the leaves, just pat them gently to remove all the water... 

...Now we are ready to begin...

Blend basil with olive oil until it forms a thick paste...

You might need to blend it in stages...

Hmmm...just smell the gorgeous aroma of crushed basil waft through the air...

 

Freeze this paste in ice trays until solid, then transfer to freezer bags.  You can add whole cubes to soups or sauces or defrost to use in salad dressings...

Recipe adapted from Jane's Delicious Garden by Jane Griffiths.

~

How do you preserve your herb harvest?

What is your favourite culinary herb?

Happy Monday dear friends!  I hope your week is a wonderfully blessed one!

  Sharing with...

~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Roses of Inspiration, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up, Titus 2 Tuesday and Modest Monday ~

A lovely thank you to my sweet sister, Nancy, for graciously taking these photographs for me! 

Chicken with Tarragon and Sweet Pepper

 Hmmm…I love how delightfully simple and tasty this dish is!  The chicken has a subtle hint of ginger and is delicious served on pasta with a side salad of fresh lettuce and yellow pear tomatoes…

The recipe…

500g spaghetti noodles

45ml seasoned flour

5ml ground ginger

15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced

45ml olive oil

2 small red peppers, sliced

Small handful fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

250ml homemade chicken stock

Mix the flour and ginger in a bowl and add the sliced chicken fillets.  Toss to coat well.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add chicken when hot and stir fry for five to six minutes or until cooked through. 

Pour in the chicken stock and lemon juice and stir till the sauce thickens very slightly. 

In a separate pan, fry the red peppers for a few minutes until just tender; add the chopped tarragon. 

Transfer peppers to the chicken mixture and allow to cook for a further minute.

Cook and drain pasta and stir into chicken mixture.  Add a little cream for a rich sauce!

Serve straight away with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

…I love using home-grown herbs in my cooking!  What are a few of your favourite culinary herbs?

Buon Appetito!

Praying your weekend is a beautiful one!  Giveaway winner to be posted tomorrow:).

~ Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.  Psalm 78:23-24 ~