Baked Egg WIth Cheese Filled Meatballs And Spiced Tomato Relish

Remember the mozzarella filled meatballs that I served with my spiced tomato relish earlier on? The leftover was turned into a hearty late breakfast ala eggs en cocotte.

It takes no time to prepare and will save you from pushy mothers with prams, crying toddlers and people who speak loudly on their mobile phones at most popular cafes.

I will put in a Malaysian Monday post on Wednesday, meanwhile please send all your entries to Sharon  (Test With Skewer) at its.sharon@gmail.com

recipe from the tummies' kitchen

oven preheated at 220 C (conventional)

recipe per serve

you'll need;

3 heaped tbs of my spiced tomato relish

3 mozzarella filled meatballs

2 eggs

a drizzle of olive oil

a little chopped parsley

toasts to serve

Place tomato relish and meatballs in a ramekin, place ramekin in an oven tray.

Crack two eggs over and bake in the preheated oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg whites are just  set but the yolks should remain runny.

Drizzle with some olive oil and top with some chopped parsley.

Serve with some toast on the side.

Meatball And Spiced Tomato Relish Sub

If you are indeed having a grand final party today (or one for rugby union on Sunday) and are planning to make some cheese filled meatballs as suggested, I hope you are making a very large batch. They will be very popular and the chances are you might want to nibble on them once everyone has left the party. The other likely scenario is you waking up with a massive hangover and searching for food in a ..... mmmmm very messy kitchen!

In either case an easy and satisfying meal such as this delicious meatball sub is essential to give you the will to live through the day and the energy to clean up the mess left behind by your mates.

It can of course be enjoyed in a pristine environment without a hangover.... better still on a picnic rug in the nearest park if the weather permits!

P.S more recipes using the meatballs and spiced tomato relish are coming up so please stay tuned.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
recipe per serve
you'll need;
1 mini baguette*
3 mozzarella filled meatballs, reheated in the microwave
a small handful of salad leaves
2 heaped tbs of spiced tomato relish
grated parmesan cheese
*I usually get mine freshly baked from my local Vietnamese bakery.

Make a cut lengthwise leaving the baguette attached, place some mix leaves into the cavity, follow by meatballs, spiced tomato relish and grate some parmesan cheese over. The whole exercise will only take less than 5 minutes.

This is equally delicious eaten sober, half drunk or with a nasty hangover!

Spiced Tomato Relish From The Tummies' Kitchen

I picked up The god of small things by Arundhati Roy 14 years after I first read it. Like the first time, I was transported back to Kerela of the 60's after reading just the first few pages. It is a complicated and moving tale that can get quite heavy at times; one do need to have a break from the book, to regroup, to digest and to contemplate from time to time before continuing. During one of those breaks, I walked out of the dark and stuffy Ipe family's Paradise Pickles and Preserves factory and stepped right back into my bright, airy kitchen to start another batch of my very own spiced tomato relish.

There are always jars of condiments (preserves, chutneys, relishes) in our fridge as I am a firm believer that a good condiment can turn a dull meal into an good one and a good meal into an excellent one. However, good shop bought condiments can be quite pricey but fortunately I am pretty good at making them and more importantly I do really enjoy making them.

I think everyone should have a jar of this very delicious and extremely versatile relish in the pantry. We are using it with everything and in every possible way at the rate of one jar per week. I will show you different ways to enjoy this addictive relish in the coming days, meanwhile make a large batch today so you can share it with your love ones too.

If you also like to have a condiment of some sort with your meal, you might want to check out these versatile relish/sauce of mine;

1) beetroot relish

2) Anglesea sauce

3) homemade dried shrimp chili sauce

4) onion relish 

P.S more relishes and chutneys on the way so please stay tuned!

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
makes ~500 ml
you'll need;
100 ml of olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 slices of ginger or 2 tsp of ginger powder
3 to 4 bird chilies, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
a small piece of cassia or cinnamon bark
4 cloves
450 ml diced or crushed tomatoes

1 sprig of rosemary

1 stalk of basil

2 heaped tbs of brown sugar

4 heaped tbs of vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, chilies, bay leaves and dried spices with olive oil over medium heat until onion is soften. Don't be alarm by the amount of oil used, the attractive red tint oil will serve as a protector for the precious relish.

Add canned tomatoes, herbs, sugar and vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.

Simmer uncovered on very low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the sauce is thickish. Check for seasonings, it should be savoury, sour, sweet and extremely aromatic.

Remove solids and allow to cool completely before bottle in sterilized jars.  It can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.

It goes perfectly with some delicious stuffed meatballs, recipe coming up.

Slow Roasted Duck With Sides

It has taken me almost 6 months to really get to "know" my oven and now we are very happy to try out new things together, slow roasting a whole duck for example. Time and patience are all you need once you have gathered all the very basic ingredients needed. I wanted the duck to be almost au natural and hence the very simple seasonings - sea salt, pepper and some herbs I picked from my garden. Although the duck needs to be cooked for 3 hours but once it is in the oven, there are very little else to do. I took the opportunity to make the delicious beetroot relish that I posted yesterday while waiting for the duck to cook. By all means make a sauce if your heart desires and play around with the sides, something I will certainly do the next time around.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 2 to 3 as a one dish meal
oven preheated at 240 C (conventional)
you'll need;
1 whole duck, excess fat removed (this can be rendered down for other uses)
2 sprigs of rosemary
6 sprigs of thyme
1 head of garlic, lightly bashed
sea salt and black pepper to taste
4 to 6 potatoes, cut into large chunks
blanched green beans to serve
beetroot relish to serve

Season the duck inside and out then stuff the cavity of the duck with garlic and herbs of your choice and place it into the hot oven preheated at 240 C for 45 minutes. Turn down the oven to 200 C and continue to cook for 2 hours. Quite a bit of fat will be rendered out so drain it off from time to time during the cooking process.

Add potatoes into the roasting pan during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Remove duck from the roasting pan and rest at a warm place for at least 30 minutes while continue to cook the potatoes until golden and crispy.

This is the amount of fat collected, keep it for other uses. 

The skin is extremely crispy and the meat so tender it comes of the bones effortlessly. 

Serve duck with, potatoes, blanched green beans and some beetroot relish.

Beetroot Relish From The Tummies' Kitchen

I have always been a keen relish and chutney maker although the lack of time lately has prevented me from filling up all the empty jars I have stored in my pantry. However I did manage to make a small batch of this delicious beetroot relish to go with my next 2 posts. To find out what those two dishes are please remember to come back over the weekend. 

makes 2 cups
you'll need;
500 g of beetroot, peeled and grated
500 g of granny smith apples, peeled, cored and grated
a handful of sultanas (optional)
1 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 star anise
3 cloves
1/2 tbs of ginger powder
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
a pinch of salt
good quality olive oil

Peel and grate beetroot and apples. It is advisable to wear cloves to avoid stained hands.

Saute onion and garlic with a little olive oil until soften then add in the spices and continue to cook on low heat for a minute.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on very low heat for 1 hour, stirring from time to time. It is ready when you have a thick and sticky mixture.

Bottle into sterilized jars and the relish will keep for up to 3 months.

Onion Relish

This is a great relish to have in your fridge at all time, it takes no time to make but it is so versatile it will go well with roasts, sandwiches or wraps. I served this with our burger and chips the previous night.

Makes half a cup

you'll need;

2 large red onions, finely sliced

30 g of butter

1 tbs of brown sugar

1 tbs of balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Fry sliced onions with butter til soften.

Add sugar and continue to fry for 4-5 til caramelised. Remove excess fat.

Add balsamic vinegar and cook til the mixture is thick and syrupy.

Seen here served with burger and chips.