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.

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.

Fish Wrapped in Parma Ham

Many people can be worried about cooking fish correctly and there’s always a risk of the skin or flesh sticking to the pan or burning.

This recipe avoids both of these problems, by creating a protective layer around the fish that not only means it cooks to perfection but also creates a great crunch through the crispy ham. You often see chicken cooked in this way, and I think it fish works just as well.

What you'll need:

2 fillets meaty white fish such as cod or haddock

2 pieces of parma ham or prosciutto

1 tablespoon olive oil

Lay a piece of ham out on a clean surface, then place one of the fish fillets along the top. Roll the fish so that the ham wraps around it entirely. Repeat this with the other piece of fish.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan at a high heat, then add the ham-wrapped fish fillets.

Cook for four minutes on each side, so that the ham is crispy and the fish is soft and cooked through.

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes and peas. If you’re in a hostel and can’t remember how to make mash, here’s a quick reminder.

Quick and Easy Mash

Firstly, boil some salted water in a saucepan and then add the peeled potatoes which have been chopped into bite sized pieces. For two people, you’ll need around 3-4 medium potatoes but you’ll need to judge this yourself depending on how hungry you are. Leave them to boil for around 15 minutes or until you can pierce through them easily with a sharp knife. Drain the water out, and mash the potatoes using either a fork or a potato masher. Add a splash of milk, a knob of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly until the mash is a creamy texture, then serve!

Quesadillas with Chorizo and Chicken

Traditional Mexican food is simple, cheap and tasty. That’s why this basic quesadilla with a choice of fillings is one of my favourite backpacking recipes – you’ll find the ingredients in most parts of the world, and you’ll certainly make friends when you offer to share your guacamole and salsa with other travellers!

The basic concept behind quesadillas is creating a filling that is combined with grated cheese and fried between tortillas. You can either use two tortillas for each quesadilla and layer the filling like you would a sandwich, or you can use one quesadilla and fold it in half similar to an omelette.

You can use a range of fillings to accompany the cheese such as refried beans, ham, potatoes, mushrooms and even scrambled eggs. Here I’ve included two different fillings – one with chicken and one with chorizo.

Quesadilla with Chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons black olives, pitted
Handful of cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Turn the frying pan down to a medium heat and place in a tortilla. Sprinkle half the cheese across one half of the tortilla and then add half the diced tomatoes and olives.

Layer half the chicken over the top of the cheese, tomatoes and olives.

Using a spatula, fold the tortilla so that you have a half moon shape. Flip the tortilla over and cook the other side until the cheese is melted.

Quesadilla with Chorizo
1 tablespoon olive oil
200g chorizo cooking sausage, chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Handful of cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chorizo, onion and garlic. Cook over a medium heat until the chorizo darkens in colour and becomes fragrant. Remove and set aside.

Follow the same process as above, by placing the tortilla in a clean frying pan and sprinkling the cheese across one half before adding the chorizo mix.

Fold the tortilla and flip so that both sides are cooked and the cheese is melted.

Quesadillas are usually served with some kind of accompanying sauce, such as soured cream or salsa. Below are a couple of recipes for sauces that can be enjoyed on their own with some tortilla chips, or served alongside the quesadillas.

Guacamole

To make your guacamole, scoop the flesh out of one avocado and mash with a fork. Add a finely chopped red onion, ½ large green chilli finely chopped and a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice. Mix well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally stir through some freshly torn leaves of coriander – this isn’t necessary, but adds a bit of extra flavour.

Pico de Gallo

This fresh, spicy salsa is a great accompaniment to any Mexican meal and certainly packs a punch. All you need to do it mix together two diced tomatoes, one finely chopped onion, one finely chopped jalapeno pepper and the juice of two limes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The cheaper side of Venice

When planning our week's visit to Venice, there were certain dishes that would be mandatories when eating out - Calves Liver Alla Veneziana for mum, Spaghetti Vongole for me, and Tirimisu for both of us.

We realised quite quickly that although you'll be charged €8 for a coffee on St Mark's Square or €15 for a Bellini at Harry's Bar, there's reasonably priced and wonderfully tasty food to be had throughout Venice.

Bellini

Before enjoying a few dinners out on the town, we decided that the best way to start our trip would be with a homemade (and significantly cheaper) version of the Bellini.

We started by purchasing a bottle of Prosecco from the local supermarket for a bargain price of €4 as well as a couple of white peaches.

When back in our kitchen, we peeled the peaches and mashed the flesh into a thick pulp. This pulp was then pushed through a sieve and into a jug before the Prosecco was poured over the lot. We drank this from our balcony overlooking an amazing view of the Grand Canal.


Tagliatelle Aglio E Olio

Our second homemade effort was Tagliatelle Aglio E Olio (Garlic and Oil) served with a classic Insalata Caprese. This may sound complicated, but there were only about 7 or 8 ingredients in both dishes combined and barely any cooking required!



We used fresh egg pasta which only took a few minutes to cook, which allowed us just enough time to make the "sauce". You could easily use dried pasta but will need to change the timings slightly to allow for a longer cooking time.

A good glug of olive oil was heated in a large frying pan while the pasta cooked, and 4 cloves of garlic along with a good teaspoon of chilli flakes. Once the oil is heated through and the garlic is fragrant, take the frying pan off the heat.

Drain the pasta when ready or "al dente" and put back into the saucepan. Pour the flavoured oil over the pasta so that it coats everything, and then at the last minute stir through some rocket if you have it.


Insalata Caprese


For the salad, we sliced up fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and then layered them on a plate along with the basil. A drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper and we were ready to go.

Such a quick and easy meal to make, and it probably cost about €15 to feed 4 of us.