Tag Archives: meat

Duck & Pork Terrine

May 10, 2022 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

This duck and pork terrine is a favourite of mine that I have been making for years. It is easy to make and looks impressive. It is excellent for an entree or starter at a dinner party. And perfect for a picnic lunch, served with a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients

Bacon rashers (remove rind) to line the terrine pan*
2 bay leaves
2 thin slices of orange
2 Tablespoons of duck fat or butter
1 onion (200g), half finely diced and half roughly chopped
15g minced garlic
70g bacon, diced
500g pork mince
565g duck breast, skin removed, roughly chopped
165g of chicken tenderloins, diced (small)
3 Tablespoons of green peppercorns
4 Tablespoons of pine nuts (or pistachios)
3 teaspoons of dry sage leaves
1 teaspoon of dry thyme leaves
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg

*the amount will depend on the length of the rashers. If using long rashers, you will need about nine.

Method

Line a terrine or loaf pan with baking paper. Place the two bay leaves into the base of the pan and top with the slices of orange. Line the pan with bacon rashers, overhanging the pan. Set aside.

Heat half the butter or duck fat, and sauté the roughly chopped onion to soften, do not brown. Remove from the pan and allow it to cool.

Heat the remaining butter (duck fat) and sauté the bacon for a minute; add the finely diced onion and sauté for another minute. Add the garlic and sauté for a further minute. Remove from the pan, and put the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Blend the sautéed roughly chopped onion and pork mince in a food processor. Mix well until the pork is finely minced. Add the pork to the mixing bowl with the bacon, onion and garlic.

Add the duck to the food processor and chop for a few seconds (depending on your food processor). You will want the duck minced but not as finely as the pork (keep it a little chunkier). Put the duck into the mixing bowl with the pork.

Add the diced chicken to the mixing bowl. Add the peppercorns, pine nuts, sage, thyme, salt and the egg and mix well.

When the meat is well mixed, add it to the terrine pan, pressing n firmly. Fold the rashers of bacon over the top of the terrine. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and place it into a deep roasting tin. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the terrine and bake for 2 hrs or until a skewer comes out hot from the middle of the terrine. Top up the water while baking if needed.

Once removed from the oven, press the terrine as it cools. Use some cardboard (cut to fit the loaf tin). Place it on top of the terrine (still wrapped in foil), then top with something heavy. I used canned tomatoes. Cool the terrine to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight.

Serve with french bread and caramelised onion or cornichons.

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Australian, Campfire Cooking, Game

Camel ‘Aussie’ Burger

June 22, 2020 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

This is the good ole Aussie burger with a twist. Instead of the standard beef mince, that the Aussie burger is known for, I have used camel mince.

Why? Are camels even Australian?

Well, they are as Australian as cows. But no, camels are not native to Australia, but we do have our own particular camel… The Feral Camel.

There are reportedly over a million feral camels roaming Australia. First introduced to Australia in the 1840s, camels, imported from India and Afghanistan, were used as ‘beasts of burden’ during the exploration and settlement of Australia, especially in arid areas.

Camels were released into the wild after motorised transport replaced the use of camels in the early 20th century. The releases, as well as escaped or stolen camels, resulted in a fast-growing feral population.

Our Camp Kitchen

We cooked our camel burgers in the East MacDonnell Ranges at the Ross River Camping Ground in the Northern Territory.

Ingredients

For the patties

500g minced camel
1/2 small brown onion, very finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped or crushed
2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely cracked
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup of fine bread crumbs

For the burger

4 hamburger buns
4 eggs
4 rashers of bacon
4 – 8 slices of tinned beetroot
Sliced tomato
Sliced onion
Pickles
Lettuce
Cheese
Tomato sauce
Dijon mustard
Mayonnaise

Method

Mix all the “patty” ingredients well, using your hands, until very well blended. Shape into four patties.

Heat your hot-plate (or the lid of your camp oven) until hot and spray with oil. Cook the patties over a small fire or coals until cooked through and browned. Remove the patties and keep warm. Cook the bacon and fry the eggs.

To create the perfect Aussie burger halve the hamburger bun and spread the bottom half with mustard and tomato sauce and spread mayonnaise on the top half.

Then start to stack you burger ingredients on the bottom half of the hamburger bun. First the meat patty, then the cheese, bacon, onion, tomato, beetroot, pickles and lettuce. Slap the top half of the bun on top and bon appétit or as the Aussie’s say “dig in!”

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beef, Campfire Cooking

Beef Cheeks in Red Wine

May 23, 2020 The Captain & the Cook 4 Comments

These delicious beef cheeks are the first recipe of our camp cooking series. Dwayne and I have hit the road with a camper trailer, travelling from Darwin to Adelaide, camping and cooking on the way.

How did this come about?

As you may know, we have lived on our boat for the last six years. Earlier this year we sailed from Phuket on SY Nomad, a yacht that we agreed to deliver to Sydney for friends of ours.

However, two months later, COVID-19 messed up our plans, and now our current home is a camper trailer until we can get back to our boat SV Thorfinn (after delivering SY Nomad). It is great to be camping again, and we love cooking on the campfire.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting camp cooking recipes including lamb shanks, quiche in the camp oven (dutch oven) and chicken pot pie. I hope you enjoy this series. To see more about the places we visit, have a look at www.trippinturpins.com

Our Camp Kitchen

We cooked these delicious braised beef cheeks in the Florence Falls Camp Ground at Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory.

4 beef cheeks (also ok for 2 cheeks)
1 Tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked pepper
2 Tbs canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1-2 celery, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups red wine
1 cup beef stock
4 bay leaves,
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Method

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Dust the beef cheeks with flour mix. Heat oil and brown the cheeks on both sides.

Remove the cheeks and add, onions, garlic, carrot and celery to the pan. Sauté over medium until onion becomes transparent. Add the two cups wine and cook to reduce wine a little.

Put beef cheeks into the camp oven, add red wine veggie mix, beef stock, bay leaves, thyme.

Cook slowly with the heat at top and bottom of the camp oven for three to four hours. The cheeks are cooked when you stick a pair of tongs into one, and the meat falls apart.

I served my beef cheeks with mashed parsnip and blanched capsicum and beans.

Cooking in a camp oven on an open fire takes a lot of practice. Start off adding a few coals or heat beads beneath your camp oven and twice as much on top. Have a look in 15 minutes to see if it is cooking the way you want it to and add more heat, or remove heat, as needed. With practice, you will soon learn how to control the temperature. Remember that several factors will vary your heat, e.g. ambient air temperature, the type of wood/fuel you are using.

Cooking in your oven – 160C/320F for 3 1/2 – 4 hours .

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Fingerfood, From the galley, Pork, Thailand

Larb Moo Tod

January 26, 2019 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

Larb Moo Tod are Thai-style fried pork balls. Made with similar flavours like the popular larb moo which is a Thai (or initially a Laos) salad made with pork mince and herbs, they are delicious. We first tried these pork balls at “The Deck” which is the restaurant/bar at Phuket Yacht Haven Marina. We both love these tasty morsels, so I set to work decoding the Larb Moo Tod ingredients. Below is the recipe I created, and Dwayne and I both think it tastes as good as the original.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp raw glutinous or sticky rice
4 lemongrass stems (soft white part only)
1 clove of garlic
1 small red onion, finely diced
8 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced and diced
1 red chilli, finely diced
2 spring onions, finely sliced
500g pork
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp Lime
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
Oil for deep-frying

Method

Firstly you need to roast and grind the rice (Khao Khua). Heat a wok to medium heat and add the rice. Cook while frequently stirring until the grains are toasted and golden; this will take about 5 minutes and might smoke a little. Let the rice cool down for a few minutes before grinding it, with a mortar and pestle, into a coarse powder (or you can use a spice grinder).

Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor) mince up lemongrass and garlic and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.

Add to mixing bowl all remaining ingredients (apart from the oil) and mix well to combine.

With wet hands, shape the mixture into small balls (don’t be fussy any shape will do!). Heat enough oil in a wok to deep-fry the balls in batches.

Fry the lab moo balls for approximately 5 – 7 minutes, until crispy, browned and cooked through.

Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on paper towels to drain.

Serve with or Nam Jim or sweet chilli sauce.

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chicken

Poached Chicken Breast with Ham, Herbs & Dijon Dressing

November 8, 2018 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

This scrumptious low fat poached chicken looks and tastes so good, you can easily use this recipe for a special occasion! Experiment with different ways of plating it up and match it with tasty vegetables.

Ingredients

4 x 170g single chicken breast fillets.
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
¼ cup finely chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon olive oil
200g thinly sliced leg ham
4 spring onions, thinly sliced.

Zesty Dijon Dressing
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Method

Pound chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap (Glad, Saran, Cling wrap etc) until they are 1 cm thick. Combine herbs, garlic, rind and oil in a small bowl (or process in a food processor for a few seconds). Spread a quarter of the herb mixture on each chicken fillet and top with ham. Starting from one long side, roll chicken pieces tightly, enclose in plastic wrap and twist ends to seal. Wrap each layer in one more layer of plastic wrap to secure them.

Bring a saucepan, or large fry pan, of water to the boil. Add the prepared rolls, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove rolls and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Discard poaching liquid.

Meanwhile make the dressing by combining ingredients in a jar, securing top and shaking well.

Remove plastic wrap and slice rolls to about 1cm thick. Divide slices among serving plates. Sprinkle with spring onion, drizzle with dressing and serve with steamed veg.

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chicken, Cooking with Local Ingredients, Laos, Salad

Laos Larb Kai (Chicken Salad)

August 18, 2017 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

I have made the point of naming this Laos’ Larb Kai because it came to my attention while we were travelling in Laos, that the delicious meat salad called larb, did, in fact, originate in Laos, not Thailand as many believe.

I have always enjoyed larb at the Thai restaurants in Adelaide, and in Thailand itself. I wasn’t surprised to see it on the menu in Laos, but I assumed, incorrectly, that the idea had derived from Thailand, not the other way around. In fact, it is regarded as the national dish of Laos – unofficially.

This spicy meat salad is served at room temperature with sticky rice or salad vegetables.

Ingredients

3 Tbs of uncooked sticky rice (Optional)
300g of chicken mince
3-4 Asian shallots, finely sliced
2-3 stalks of spring onion, finely sliced (optional)
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
a handful each of mint and coriander chopped
1 Tbs chilli flakes
The juice of one lime
1 Tbs fish sauce
1/2 Tbs brown sugar

How I make my larb…

The first step is to toast the rice. I say optional for the rice because I have made it many times without the rice when I just wanted to make a quick meal. The toasted rice just adds texture.

To toast the rice, I just heated a wok on low heat without oil and added the rice. I continued to stir the rice until it browned and started to smell like popcorn about 10-15mins.

After I let the rice cool a little, I ground it in a mortar with a pestle to a powder and set it aside.

For the salad dressing, I mixed the juice of one lime with the fish sauce and brown sugar and set aside.

For the larb I added a little oil to my wok and fried up the chicken mince, breaking up any big lumps as I went. I removed the chicken from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. This is when I prepared my vegetables (cucumber and beans) with which I was going to serve with the larb.

Once I was ready to serve I added the shallot, spring onion, and chilli flakes to the chicken in the wok and stirred it well (without heat). I then tossed in the mint, coriander, chopped red chilli and mixed well. I added the dressing next giving the salad a mix, before finally adding three tablespoons of the rice powder.

TIP: add the rice powder gradually as is will depend on the texture you want – I added one tablespoon gave the salad a good toss and did a taste test, before repeat that same process twice more.

Serve with rice or lettuce cups, or as I did with sliced cucumber and green beans.

Gourmet from the galley!

Tag Archives: meat

Duck & Pork Terrine