Anyone for hippo?

My boyfriend Rob and I (Penny) have just returned from a three month trip around Eastern and Southern Africa, during which time we ate some exceptional and some exceptionally dull meals. One of the most interesting took place early on in the trip, and incorporated a surprising key ingredient.

After weeks of eating chicken, rice and beans throughout Rwanda and Tanzania, we were looking forward to tasting different game meats as we headed further south. I don’t think we quite expected to see what was on offer when we reached South Luangwa National Park – hippo!

Our camping site offered us a sample of their hippo biltong (a dried meat similar to jerkey) but to properly appreciate the meat we knew we had to buy some fresh fillets. As you can see from the picture, they were huge but extremely lean and tender. We decided to make a hippo stew, a bit different to mum’s old favourite cooked back in Australia.

The result was absolutely incredible – the hippo didn’t need much more than an hour over the heat and came out like high grade fillet steak. I must admit, it took some getting used to cooking and eating animals that we spotted during earlier game drives in national parks but by the end of the holiday we were enjoying everything from springbok to kudu to ostrich.

Most probably won’t be able to get their hands on hippo anytime soon, so I’ve included a generic version of a stew below where you can use beef instead.

What you'll need:

500g stewing steak (chuck or blade)
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato puree
3-4 medium sized potatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
1 cup red wine

Cut the beef into bite sized pieces, and pat with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Place a tablespoon of oil into a large casserole dish and cook the meat until browned all over. Remove from the heat and place to the side.

Add the onions and garlic to the same dish, and sautee until softened. Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces, then add to the pan along with the carrots, tomato puree and the wine. Season well with salt and pepper, then add the herbs for extra flavour.

Pour in water until it covers the meat and vegetables, then cover the dish with a lid and cook for 1.5 hours until the meat and the vegetables are cooked through. You can cook this dish either in a moderate oven (around 180 degrees) or over a low heat on the hob.

German Apple Cake

This recipe has been a family favourite of ours for a very long time. We've always known it as 'German Apple Cake' but I can't guarantee it's origins came from Germany. It's lovely served warm straight from the oven with a dollop of cream but if you can resist eating it all then it stays fresh for a few days because it's so buttery and moist.

What you'll need:

125g butter
90g sugar
125g self raising flour
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
25g flaked almonds
3 cooking apples
3 tblsp sultanas
1 tblsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Icing sugar to serve

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the sugar and stir until it starts to dissolve. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix well before adding the sifted flour. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. Spread about 2/3 of the cake mixture over the bottom of the pan.

For the filling, peel the apples and slice very thinly (I use either a mandolin or a potato peeler). Place half the apple slices in a layer over the cake mixture and scatter the sultanas evenly on top of the apple slices. Mix the raw sugar and spices together and sprinkle over the sultanas. Cover with remaining apple slices and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Spread the remaining cake mixture on top in spoonfuls. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top of the cake and bake in a 180 degrees oven for 45 mins. Leave in the cake tin for 5-10 mins then remove and sift a light sprinkling of icing sugar over the top of the cake.

Tiramisu

Another of my favourite Italian desserts is Tiramisu (which translates as 'pick me up'). During a recent trip to Italy I discovered the classic recipe includes whipped eggs which makes it much creamier and lighter than the versions I'd made before. I hope you like this recipe as much as I do.


What you'll need:

2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup caster sugar
150g mascarpone cheese
150ml thickened cream
2 tblsp coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)
1 tblsp instant coffee powder
1 cup warm water
250g packet sponge finger biscuits
Grated dark chocolate to decorate

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Gently fold in the mascarpone and liqueur. Whip the cream to firm peaks and fold into the mascarpone mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and gently fold into the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Combine the coffee and warm water in a shallow dish, stirring until the coffee has dissolved. Dip half the biscuits (1 at a time) in the coffee, turning to coat, then place in a single layer over the base of an appropriately sized dish. Don't worry if you need to break some biscuits in half to make them fit snugly.

Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the biscuits to cover. Repeat the layers with remaining dipped biscuits and mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Sprinkle with grated chocolate before serving.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis

Panna Cotta is a really popular classical Italian dessert that can be made using a variety of different flavourings such as chocolate, coffee and caramel to name a few, but this vanilla version is my favourite. I like to serve it unmoulded with a raspberry coulis (sauce) or with grilled figs on the side. To make life even easier you can serve it in little ramekins with a pile of fresh fruit on top. You'll be surprised how simple this delicious, creamy dessert it is to make.

What you'll need:

2 cups cream
4 tblsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
2 tsp powdered gelatine
4 tsp hot water

250g frozen raspberries
1 tblsp caster sugar
2 tblsp boiling water

To make the Panna Cottas:
Bring the cream, sugar and vanilla slowly to the boil so the vanilla has time to infuse it's flavour. Pour the hot water into a cup and sprinkle the gelatine over the hot water stirring until the gelatine has completely dissolved. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and stir in the liquid gelatine. Pour mixture into 4 lightly oiled moulds (about 1/2 cup size) and allow to cool. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

To make the Raspberry Coulis:
Defrost the frozen raspberries and place in a blender/food processor. Pour the boiling water into a cup and add the sugar stirring until dissolved. Add the liquid to the blender and puree berries until smooth. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds.

To serve, dip the moulds into a bowl of hot water for a few seconds then turn out onto plates. Pour the coulis around the base of the panna cottas.

Thai Green Curry with Chicken

Thai food is all about combining the right levels of hot, sour, salty and sweet. The curries are no different, and often need a fair bit of playing around with before you get the balance right.

I've tried a number of Thai Green Curry recipes over the years, and while there is always a set combination of ingredients, it's very much a matter of personal taste. It's also about the ingredients you have to hand at the time - for example, the strength of the chillies may alter how many you include so testing and tasting along the way is key.

Here's my take on a yummy green curry paste:

5cm/2inch piece of galangal
2 cloves of garlic
2 lemongrass stalks
2 shallots
A large handful of fresh coriander
4 medium chillies
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
Zest and juice of one lime

First remove the outer leaves of the lemongrass, and bruise it along the stem with the blunt end of your knife. Roughly chop all of the ingredients, and place in a food processer. Blend until it makes a fine paste.

To make the curry

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok, and add the curry paste. Cook over a high heat for 1-2 minutes until it becomes fragrant.

Add 6 chicken thighs which have been sliced into thin strips. Stir fry for a few minutes until the paste coats the chicken and it starts to brown.

Add a 400ml tin of coconut, 1 tablespoon of Thai fish sauce and a few kaffir lime leaves which have been thinly sliced. Turn the heat down and simmer for around 10 minutes.

Stir through a handful of green beans and chestnut mushrooms then continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Finally, tear in a handful of fresh coriander and Thai basil leaves then serve with jasmine rice.

Our First Press Article - Sheffield Star

Today is the official publication date of our book, and we're pleased to include our first piece of press coverage courtesy of Martin Dawes at our local newspaper The Sheffield Star. Big thanks to Martin!

When guinea pig doesn't fill

Published Date: 28 July 2010
By Martin Dawes

WHEN you're out travelling the world there are a lot of funny things you get the chance to eat and probably wisely decline, as Penny Paterson has found.

She avoided dog in Vietnam as well as three-quarter turn eggs, which means there's an almost formed chick inside. "I was in the same restaurant as someone eating them and they certainly have a crunch," she laughs.

But she did have roast guinea pig in Peru. "It's a bit of a cliche but it tastes like chicken. It came with a celery hat and a cherry tomato in its mouth and there was hardly any meat on it."

At 31 Penny, from Brisbane, who has spent the last two years in Sheffield, is a seasoned traveller. When she first set off round the world - so far she's taken in Europe, South America, Australia and Asia - she didn't have a cookery book in her rucksack but she did have a lot of recipes in her head, thanks to her mum Caroline.

Now the two have got together to produce The Backpackers Kitchen, a handy stick it in your rucksack collection of 100 recipes aimed at gap year students who may not have been as lucky as Penny to have a mum like hers.

"A lot of money is spent on food. Most of us don't eat out every night at home so why do it when you're abroad. These recipes are an alternative to baked beans or noodles or a trip to McDonald's," says Penny.

They'll probably be cooking it in a hostel kitchen where facilities can range from the primitive to restaurant standard so ingredients and equipment needed is kept to a minimum.

"My favourite is the Parmesan chicken drumsticks where you only need three ingredients," says Penny, who being from Oz, has happily wolfed down crocodile and kangaroo.

She has spent the last two years living in Sheffield while her boyfriend Rob did a masters degree in journalism at Sheffield University. They met in Rio and started eating and travelling together.

"In Brazil they have these 'pay by the kilo' buffet restaurants with skewers of meat they take between the tables. One looked a bit strange and it turned out to be chicken hearts so we didn't have that!"

Rob was obviously impressed by Penny's cooking, Rio was the place where the idea for the cookery book was first suggested.

While in Sheffield Penny worked in marketing for the Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust and lived above some restaurants in Hunter's Bar so she was never far from food.

"Ecclesall Road is great for restaurants and we loved Dim Sum on London Road.

"But now Rob has finished his studies her wanderlust has resurfaced so they're about to set off for Rwanda in central Africa and spend over two months travelling down to South Africa where the national dish is bobotie - mince, mashed potatoes, apricots, raisins and almonds.

And there's always the chance to renew her acquaintance with crocodile.

The Backpackers Kitchen is published on Friday by Robert Hale at £9.99.

Parmesan Drumsticks with Potato Salad

I love this recipe, and am just as likely to make it while travelling as I am on a Friday night after a busy day at work. There are barely any ingredients required, but the final result tastes amazing and is a somewhat healthier alternative to fried chicken.

It’s also a great snack to take along to a picnic in the summer, so keeping with that theme we’ve included a recipe for potato salad to serve as a side dish.

Parmesan Drumsticks

2 handfuls parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
1 egg white
4-6 chicken drumsticks depending on their size

Mix together the cheese, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.

In a separate dish, beat the egg white until fluffy. Dip the chicken in the egg white and coat well, then roll in the cheese mixture.

Place the chicken on a baking tray and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Potato Salad

4 medium potatoes
2 eggs
2 spring onions, chopped
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes and eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 8 minutes.

Remove the eggs and refresh in cold water. Peel the eggs and chop into small pieces.

Continue cooking the potatoes until they are tender. Drain the potatoes and cut into bite size pieces.

Make the dressing by mixing together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and water in a small bowl.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl while the potatoes are still warm and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate before serving.