Pork Shiso Parcels

Shiso or Perilla is a fragrant leafy herb commonly grown in East Asia and is used particularly in Japanese and Korean cooking. The leaves are large and make a wonderful material to use as a wrapping for delicate meats or vegetables. These are stuffed with a pork and rice mixture seasoned with Asian flavours of ginger, garlic, sesame and soy but you could use tofu as a vegetarian version.

Shiso Leaves

Filling

• minced pork
• cooked rice
• egg
• crushed garlic
• grated ginger
• green onion or chinese chives
• a dash each of: sesame oil, soy sauce and fish sauce (optional).

Mix 2 parts pork to 1 part rice with a hint of garlic, ginger and green onion, add the wet ingredients and mix really well. Add a little beaten egg to bind. Take large shiso leaves one at a time, lay on a board with the pointed end away from you . Lay a small spoonful of mixture about 1/3 of the way in the thick part of the leaf. Fold in the sides then once over from the front then flip over onto the pointed end. Cook by frying in an oiled skillet or brush with oil and grill. They can also be cooked over a fire or barbecue.

Serve with a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce and rice vinegar, add a hint of chilli if you want some heat.

Garden Note   Perilla frutescens var crispa  A Tender Self-Seeding leafy herb also known as Shiso or beefsteak plant.  Perilla is a member of the Lamiaceae family, which includes many strong aromatic herbs including; mint, basil, rosemary, lavender, Melissa, marjoram and sage. This tender bushy herb is grown for its aromatic leaves, flower buds and seeds. Used extensively in East Asia as a vegetable and as a herb, most famously the red variety is used to colour pickled ginger. It makes a great addition to a kitchen or herb garden and when the leaves are large enough great as a wrapping for grilled or deep-fried foods.

Spicy Chicken Wings (Thai)

Delicious wings marinated in coriander seed and leaf along with chilli, lemon, garlic and black pepper. Cook over coals or under a grill and cook until crisp. Serve as a main dish with rice or salad or one or two pieces as a starter.

Marinade for about 600g of chicken.

• 4-6 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp pepper flakes
• 1 tp coriander seeds, crushed
• lemon zest & juice of half lemon
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• coriander leaf, minced
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

Preparation

Prick the chicken pieces with a knife or sharp fork to help get the flavours into the wings and lay in a dish. Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour over the chicken and rub into each piece. Leave in a cool place to marinate over night or for at least 4 hours.

Cooking

1. Barbecue When the barbecue coals or grill are good and hot, put the pieces over the hot coals.  Turn and brush with any remaining marinade until the chicken is cooked and the skin is crisp, about 10-15 mins depending on the size of the chicken pieces and heat of the coals.
2. Grill Cook under a hot grill for 15-20mins, checking and turning, until the chicken is cooked and the skin is crisp.
3. Oven Roast Put pieces on a rack over a baking tray and brush with marinade. Bake in a preheated oven 220c/Gas 6 for 15-20mins until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.

Cooks Tip

Mix up the chicken and marinade in a plastic bag as it will make it easier to rub the marinade in and to carry it out to the barbecue.

Grilled Mustard Chicken

Chicken pieces are first marinaded in a spicy, pungent mixture of garlic, mustard, chilli and turmeric then cooked in the oven, grill or barbecue. This dish works equally well with Indian food or served with a simple salad or rice and a vegetable on the side.
Serves 6 Marinade overnight cook 45min

• 1 chicken or 6 chicken pieces
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 3-6 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp hot chill, roughly ground (or to taste)
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp mustard oil

Joint the chicken into 6 pieces, score the pieces with a knife right down to the bone so that the spices will go right through the chicken. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and put the chicken in with the spices. Rub the chicken pieces well to make sure the spices get into all the creases cover and put in the fridge to marinade for at least 24 hours.
29/7/2008

Grilled Chicken Wings (Thai)

I love oriental style grilled chicken particularly the wings when grilled over coals and cooked until crisp. These ones are marinated in lime, chilli and Thai basil. Thai basil has a deep peppery aniseed flavour it is delicious and really worth growing.  Serve as a main dish with rice or salad or one or two pieces as a starter.

Marinade for about 600g of chicken.

• Handful of Thai basil shredded
• rind and juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Preparation

Prick the chicken pieces with a knife or sharp fork and lay in a dish. Pour the marinade over and rub into each piece. Leave in a cool place to marinate over night or for at least 4 hours.

Cooking

1. Barbecue When the barbecue is good and hot, put the pieces over the hot coals and brush with the marinade as they are turned until the chicken is cooked 15-20 mins depending on the size of the chicken pieces and heat of the coals.
2. Grill  Cook under a hot grill for 15-30mins, checking constantly and turning so as not to burn them, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
3. Oven Roast Put pieces on a rack over a baking tray and brush with marinade. Bake in a preheated oven 220c/Gas 6 for 20-30mins until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.

Prawns a la plancha

Large shell-on raw prawns cooked on a grill is a classic Spanish dish and I love them. Occasionally, if we find good prawns, this is our treat. Best if marinaded over night they are absolutely delicious.

Marinade for 12 large prawns

• zest of one lemon
• 6 fat cloves garlic
• 2 tsp coarse sea-salt
• drizzle of home-made chilli oil
• 1 dried red chilli

Bash up the garlic, salt and chilli in a pestle & mortar mix in the lemon zest and rub all over the prawns. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight to marinade. Next day heat a barbecue grill or plancha. Throw on the prawns and cook until they are starting to char at the edges turn and cook until chared but so that the prawns are only just cooked through. On our plancha it takes about 3 minutes on the first side then 2 minutes for the second side.

Spicy Pork Skewers (Pinchos Morunos)

These tasty grilled morsels, Pinchos Morunos or Moorish sticks can be served as a tapas, as they are in Spain, or skewered with vegetables to take centre stage. The meat is first marinaded in a mix of pounded spices and herbs that owe their influence to the Moors of North Africa, who settled in Andalusia. I like the meat heavily spiced so I have a heavy handed approach to the marinade, just use less spice on the meat if you want a more restrained version or try one of the many variations I’ve given here. Pinchos Morunos is a popular tapas and there are probably as many recipes for the marinade as there are tapas bars. This is my favourite version along with a few others I like.

Image: Spiced pork threaded on skewers with vegetables ready to cook.

Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a tapas

• 500g Pork fillet
• 1-2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1-2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-2 dried cayenne chilli, seeds removed
• 3 all spice berries
• 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper corns
• 2 tbsp olive oil

—-optional

• Onions and peppers, tomatoes
• 2 tbsp green herbs coriander or parsley leaves, finely chopped

Cut the meat into fairly small flat pieces and put into a bowl with the paprika, green herbs, if using, and oil. Grind the remaining dry spices and bay leaves and add those to the bowl. Stir well to make sure all the pieces are well coated then cover and leave to marinade overnight. Thread the morsels onto bamboo or metal skewers, making sure the meat is well spaced, so that it will cook quickly and evenly, between onions and peppers. For the best flavour these skewers should be cook over hot coals, a woodfire or on a barbecue. They can also be cooked on a plancha or under a hot grill.

VARIATIONS
The basic marinade ingredients for Pinchos Morunos are Spanish paprika, garlic, pepper to which can be added any combination of the following; onion, bay leaves, cayenne, cumin, turmeric, coriander (seed or leaf), fennel, parsley fresh, saffron, all spice berries, oregano, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice.

The variations below are for a marinade for about 500g of pork.

Andalucian
source Spanish Fiestas
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Traditional Spanish
source Cuisine From Spain
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil

Simple Spanish
Source I’ve seen several references to simply marinading the meat in paprika you could go simpler still.
Paprika
Cayenne
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Moro
Source This is the recipe given in Moro The Cookbook, this was my original starting point when I first made Pinchos Morunos.
1/2 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
2 cloves garlic
pinch saffron (dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water)
1/2 small bunch fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1 bay leaf, chopped
1 dessert spoon red wine vinegar
1 dessertspoon olive oil

Garlic, Lemon & Thyme
Source I made this one up because I like the combination of lemon & thyme and I think it works with pork or chicken
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp dried rubbed thyme
grated lemon peel
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil

Hot Pepper
Source This is our household staple, we use it on roast potatoes, chicken almost anything really
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp hot Spanish paprika
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

2/6/2008

Grilled Chicken (Marinated)

I love grilled chicken, it always tastes best marinaded then grilled over coals or fire but you can also cook it under a grill in a cooker or in the oven. You can use any part of the chicken; breast, legs, drum sticks, thighs or my favourite, the wings cooked until crisp. Marinades can be anything you like the taste of and here are some of our favourite combinations see also Thai Grilled Chicken Wings for some Thai style marinade recipes. Serve as a main dish with rice or salad or one or two pieces as a starter.

Preparation

Prick the chicken pieces with a knife or sharp fork and lay in a dish. Pour the marinade over and rub into each piece. Leave in a cool place to marinate over night or for at least 4 hours.

Cooking

Barbecu When the barbecue coals are good and hot, put the pieces over the hot coals and brush with the marinade each time they are turned until the chicken is cooked 15-25 mins depending on the size of the chicken pieces and heat of the coals.

Grilled Put the pieces on a rack over a baking tray and brush with marinade. Cook under a hot grill for 15-30mins, checking constantly and turning so as not to burn them, until the chicken is cooked through and tinged how you like it.

Oven Roast Put pieces on a rack over a baking tray and brush with marinade. Bake in a preheated oven 220c/Gas 6 for 20-30mins until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.

Marinades

These marinades are good for about 600g of chicken.

Moorish (pictured)
The marinade for these chicken legs takes its cue from the Moorish influenced cooking of southern Spain.
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
2 fat cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried thyme or mint
1 tbsp olive oil

Rachel’s Mums Marinade
Juice of 1 big lemon or 2 small ones
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp fresh Thyme, minced or 2 tsp dried Thyme
2 tsp Spanish Paprika
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp each sea salt and cracked pepper
1/2 tsp Cayenne chilli ground or flaked

Paprika and Coriander
These simple strong flavours are great on chicken wings.
2 tsp sweet spanish paprika
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper corns
2 fat cloves garlic
1 tsp lemon zest
slug of olive oil

Basil Garlic and chilli
This is a marinade my sister, Jill, uses and after tasting it this became a staple in our home too. It is fantastic.
Handful fresh basil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch sea salt & cracked black pepper

Lemon and Lime
Tart and salty with a little heat from the pepper.
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
pinch cracked black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2/4/2007