Mediterranean Patties

Before I move on the recipe, I do have to declare the mushroom picking season hereby opened! I found these little beauties on my way to the shop. They are chanterelles and one of my favourite mushrooms (but not number one though). So far this summer, the fresh chanterelles sold in Finland have been from Estonia but soon we can go pick our own. Half the fun is finding and picking them, it's like treasure hunting!


And now onwards with the recipe.

Years back, to my great astonishment I had lovely-tasting mediterranean meatballs at one of the canteens of Oulu University. I say "to my astonishment" as taste of food in that kind of canteens tends to be rather mediocre and even bland. In a way it's undestandable as they have to produce food for masses of students and do it cheap. Though I have to say for Julinia that their deli-line served a bit more special meals for very, very nice price/quality ratio.Yummy! Anyways. that time I was truly surprised by the taste of those mediterranean meatballs. I liked them so much, to the point I wanted to replicate the taste. I have done a few attempts, and here's the most successful so far.

Notes: Don't add salt, capers and olives contain enough already. Use meat that contains at least 10% fat, the skinnier ones tend to dry too much. This recipe makes for 2, use 400gr meat if you have hungry dinner company,  and add a tad more of the other ingredients.

• 300 gr beef mince, or mix of pork and beef mince (20/80) 
• Onion (medium)
• 2 tsp small capers
• 2 tbsp black kalamata olives
• Black pepper
• 0,5 tsp fresh thyme (or to taste)
• Oil or butter for frying

1. Dice onion quite finely and chop capers and olives into tiny bits. I use a heavy knife to chop but it's ok to put them into a blender for a few twists, too.






2. Put onions and capers into a bowl with the meat, thyme and grind some black pepper over. Mix thoroughly.

3. Pat the meat into small patties (3-4 cm). I roll them in a meatball with my hands and then press slightly to flatten.








4. Fry the patties on a well warmed-up pan over good (but not too hot) heat.




 



4. Fry on other side, then when you see red meat juices start to prickle on the surface of the patty, turn them over and fry the other side until you see the juice prickle again (here I let the juice come through well for the sake of the picture, less is enough usually). Remove from heat.






5. Serve with garlic yoghurt (scroll down for recipe) and oven roasted vegetables or a nice salad.

Midsummer Special: Oven Sesame and Barbeque!

I honestly didnt mean to make this post. The meal just turned out so well I could not resisist. It is weird how dishes you plan carefully, research and reflect, take several experimentation rounds to reach the desired quality. Then you do something rather impromptu, and it comes out fantastic!

Midsummer if any is the time of year when you should be roasting your stuff over a grill. I dont happen to own a grill, then my oven must do. Ok, I fried the chick on the pan but you could easily barbeque the whole set. This plate consists of veggie skewers, sesame coated chicken breast fillets and blue cheese champion mushrooms. This recipe makes for 2 hungryish eaters or 3 light eaters.

Vegetable skewers

I used metal skewers but if you have wooden ones, dont forget to put them to soak a few hours before. In this recipe everything is rather inaccurate, depending on taste and what you have handy. 1 long skewer or 2 smaller ones should be enough to feed one person.

You can also use mini champion mushrooms

• 8-10 mini plum or cherry tomatos
• Half of a large yellow bell pepper
• Stems of 4 large champion mushrooms
• 4-6 very small onions
• rape-seed or sunflower oil
• salt, pepper, paprika powder, chili etc. to taste

1. Peel onions, cut bell pepper in large square pieces, rinse tomatos and brush mushrooms (separate the stem), cut the browned part of stem off.
2. Put all ingredients in a bowl and add salt, pepper and spices. Add oil. Dont be too sparing with oil as the veggies are on their way to the grill and require some coating protection from the heat; on the other hand it's not necessary to soak them in oil.
3. Mix with a spoon so that everyting gets nicely coated with oil and spices.
4. Put the vegetables to 2-4 skewers and set aside.

Blue Cheese Champion Mushrooms

This is a summer classic! Bacon pieces are optional. You can use prosciutto instead, and my definate favourite is prosciutto added afterwards, as a topping. Some add onion into the cheese or under it, too.

• 4 large champion mushrooms
• 4-6 generous tbsp blue cheese
• 4 pieces of bacon (optional)

1. Brush the mushrooms clean with a baking or mushroom brush or kitchen tissue.  Do not rinse, it is a criminal act to rinse fresh mushrooms!
2. Gently push the stem to side, it should loosen with a mild snap. Take the stem off.
3. Fill the cavity with blue cheese and wrap a strip of bacon over. Set aside.

Garlic Yoghurt

 

Another classic and traditional companion to meats and grilled food. Simple to make and taste develops overnight, so if you can make it beforehand, the better. 

• Garlic gloves
• Turkish or Bulgarian, plain non-flavored yoghurt

1. Put yoghurt in a bowl, press garlic over.
2. Mix, set aside to set. Probably even better the next day ;)

Chicken Breast Fillets with Sesame Coating 

 

The original plan was to make chicken skewers. Then I recalled I had egg whites sitting in the fridge from zabaglione experimentations. (3 of them was more than abundant for coating 3 breast fillets) Since the oven was getting crowded anyways I decided to put them chicks on the pan. Sesame seeds, why not?! Sesame coating gives a nice, crispy coating with nice feel.

• 2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
• 1-2 egg whites
• 2 dl (approx.) sesame seeds
• Butter, for frying

1. Take the fillets to room temperature 30-60 mins before cooking. If it's very warm, shorten the time or prepare immediately.
2. Pound them fillets gently with your knuckles to flatten them a bit.
3. Whisk salt and pepper into egg whites.

4. Put sesame seeds in another bowl.









4. Dip the fillets in egg white (one by one), then in sesame seeds. Let the egg white drip from the fillet before putting into sesame seeds.

Putting it All Togeher

1. Put the oven grill to 250C and heat up your frying pan (with an option to use lid, preferably).
2. Melt butter in the pan and when its bubbled and hot, add the chicken pieces.
3. Fry them from one side for 5 mins, then put the mushrooms and skewers into oven, as close as the roof with grill as possible.
4. Turn the chicks over and fry 5 more mins. Check the oven, and lower the grill pan if the vegetables start to go too brown.
5. Put the lid on, turn heat off and let the chicken fillets steam for a few mins. Take the grilled veggies from the oven.
6. Serve with garlic yoghurt!