Lihan sisälämpötila ja kypsyysasteet

Medium | Kypsä:

Karitsan filee 52-55 °C | 62 °C

Vasikan filee 54-56 °C | 63 °C

Naudan filee 52-54 °C | 64 °C

Hirven filee 52-54 °C | 64 °C

Poron filee 54-56 °C | 63 °C

Porsaan filee 68-72 °C

Kanan filee 68-72 °C

Uunin tai grillin lämpötila kannattaa pitää matalana, jolloin saadaan mehukkaampi lopputulos. Noin 150°C on pienille fileille ja paisteille sopiva, isoille taas 120–130 °C. Liian kuuma uuni tai grilli saattaa kuivattaa lihan ja lopputulos ei ole mehukas.

Muista aina kypsennyksen jälkeen antaa lihan levähtää folion ja pyyhkeen sisässä 10-15 min. Mitä korkeampi paistolämpö ja mitä isompi paisti sitä pidempi lepoaika.

Karitsan paahtopaisti

Nopean pintarusketuksen jälkeen paistit laitettiin 200-asteiseen uuniin ja päästettiin pois vasta kun sisälämpötila oli noussut 55 asteeseen. Aikaa tähän kului reilu vartti. Loppulämpötila/paistoaika kannattaa säätää sen mukaan, millaisesta lihasta pidät. 55 C jättää lihan aavistuksen punertavaksi. Erittäin punakasta mediumista pitävän kannattaa pysäyttää paistotoimi jo 52 asteessa, kun taas kypsemmän ystävä voi ajella paistia vielä pari astetta ylemmäksi. Kovin pitkään ei kuitenkaan kannata paistella, koska tällainen vähärasvainen paistityyppinen liha on kuivuessaan sitkasta ja muutenkin mehukkaan vastakohta.

Warm chicken and French bean salad with sun-blushed tomatoes and feta cheese

Ingredients

For the chicken
4 Chicken breast
1 pinch black pepper
1 small bunch of fresh Rosemary, chopped
3 tbsp Olive oil

For the salad
400g French beans
100 g Greek Feta cheese
70g sun-blushed tomatoes, in olive oil
2 tbsp extra virgin Italian Olive oil
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Method
1. Butterfly the chicken breasts and season them to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter them with rosemary and drizzle with a little olive oil. Griddle for about two minutes on each side, until cooked.

2. Cook the French beans in salted boiling water for approximately five minutes and drain.

3. In the meantime, crumble the feta cheese in a large bowl and mix with the sun blushed tomatoes.

4. Add the beans, the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Serve immediately with the warmed chicken breasts

Mausteisia broileripullia kookosliemessä

400 g broilerijauhelihaa
3 rkl korppujauhoja
1 dl kookoskermaa
1 kananmuna
3 rkl kevätsipulisilppua
Tuoretta korianteria
Thai chilikastiketta/tuoretta chiliä
1-2 tl suolaa/kalakastiketta
Limenmehua
maustepippuria

Liemi:

2 rkl ruokaöljyä
1 punainen tuore chilipalko
1 sitruunaruoho
pala inkivääriä
4 dl kookosmaitoa
4 dl vettä
2-3 rkl kalakastiketta
(suolaa)

Lisäksi:

riisiä tai nuudeleita

1. Sekoita broilerijauhelihan joukkoon kaikki broilerpullataikinan ainekset.

2. Anna seoksen turvota n. 15 minuuttia.

3. Hienonna sillä välin chilipalko ja kuumenna öljy wokissa tai korkeareunaisessa paistinpannussa. Kuullota chili öljyssä pehmeäksi. Lisää raastettu tai hienonnettu inkivääri ja sitruunaruoho.

4. Kaada pannuun myös kookosmaito ja vesi. Kiehauta ja mausta kalakastikkeella ja tarvittaessa vielä suolalla.

5. Pyörittele broilerpullataikinasta pieniä pullia ja nosta ne kypsymään kuumaan liemeen. Hauduta pullat kypsiksi liemessä ja tarjoile riisin tai nuudeleiden kera.

Thai Green Curry with Chicke

(Serves 4-6)


450 g cooked chicken, sliced into shreds
600ml coconut milk (you will need to buy two tins)

For the green curry paste
8 green bird eye chillies (whole)
1 lemon grass stalk, sliced thinly and soaked for 30 minutes in 2 tablespoons lime juice
1 rounded teaspoon kaffir lime peel, pared and thinly shredded
7 thin slices Thai ginger (galangal)
1 heaped teaspoon coriander stalks, chopped
½ level teaspoon roasted ground cumin
½ level teaspoon roasted ground coriander
3 garlic cloves
5 Thai shallots peeled (or normal shallots if not available)
1 level teaspoon shrimp paste

For the finished sauce
3-4 level dessertspoons Thai fish sauce
1 level teaspoon palm sugar
3 level dessertspoons fresh green peppercorns (or preserved in brine)
7 kaffir lime leaves
½ mild red chilli, de-seeded and cut into hair-like shreds
25 g Thai basil leaves

You will also need a large flameproof casserole or a wok.


The curry paste can be made well ahead of time and there's absolutely no work involved if you have a food processor or a liquidiser because all you do is simply pop all the curry paste ingredients in and whiz it to a paste (stopping once or twice to push the mixture back down from the sides on to the blades). In Thailand, of course, all these would be pounded by hand with a pestle and mortar, but food processors do cut out all the hard work.

What you need to end up with is a coarse paste but don't worry if it doesn't look very green – that's because I have cut the chilli content; in Thailand they use about 35! If you want yours to be green, then this is the answer! Your next task is to prepare all the rest of the ingredients.

To make the curry, first place the tins of coconut milk on a work surface, upside down. Then open them and inside you will see the whole thing has separated into thick cream and thin watery milk. Divide these by pouring the milk into one bowl and the cream into another. Next place a wok, without any oil in it, over a very high heat and then as soon as it becomes really hot, add three-quarters of the coconut cream. What you do now is literally fry it, stirring all the time so it doesn't catch. What will happen is it will start to separate, the oil will begin to seep out and it will reduce. Ignore the curdled look – this is normal. You may also like to note that when the cream begins to separate you can actually hear it give off a crackling noise. Next add the curry paste and three-quarters of the coconut milk, which should be added a little at a time, keeping the heat high and letting it reduce down slightly. Stay with it and keep stirring to prevent it sticking. Then add the Thai fish sauce and palm sugar, stir these in and then add the chicken pieces and the peppercorns. Stir again and simmer everything for about 4-5 minutes until the chicken is heated through. Then just before serving, place the lime leaves one on top of the other, roll them up tightly and slice them into very fine shreds. Then add them along with the red chilli and torn basil leaves. Serve with Thai fragrant rice.

Angel-hair Pasta with Thai Spiced Prawns

Angel-hair pasta (capellini) is, as the name suggests, the very finest shreds of pasta, now available in larger supermarkets. Large prawns also come in packs, peeled with the tails intact: the very large varieties come in eight per pack, the smaller ones in 12 per pack. Either way you need one pack per person as a main course. The recipe is spicy, pungent and just the thing to make use of some previously prepared Thai Red Curry Paste.

175 g angel-hair pasta
2 packs prawns (see above) /chicken
4 slightly rounded tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste
2 tablespoons light olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped
grated zest and juice 1 lime
7 fl oz (200 ml) dry white wine
salt

To garnish:

3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
a few paper-thin slices of fresh lime, cut in half

A couple of hours before you intend to serve the pasta, place the Thai Red Curry Paste in a bowl, add the prawns and toss them around so that they get a good coating of sauce. Now cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours for the prawns to soak up the flavours.

When you're ready to start cooking, first heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and gently cook the garlic for 1 or 2 minutes or until it's pale gold, then add the chopped tomatoes, lime zest and juice and wine and keeping the heat high, let the sauce bubble and reduce for about 8 minutes. After that add the prawns and paste to the sauce and when it's bubbling again, turn the heat down and let it cook gently for another 3 minutes or until it has reduced and thickened. Then put a lid on the pan and keep the sauce warm while you deal with the pasta.

For this you need to make sure that you have two serving plates warming, then bring a large saucepan of salted water up to a fast boil. Push the pasta down into the boiling water and immediately time it for 3 minutes only. As soon as the 3 minutes are up, spoon the pasta (using a spoon and fork, or a proper pasta server) directly on to the plates. Don't worry about the wetness as this will soon evaporate: if you drain this pasta in the normal way, because it's so fine it sticks together and becomes unmanageable. Now quickly spoon the sauce and prawns over the pasta, sprinkle on the coriander, add the lime slices and serve presto pronto!

Nigel Slater's Thai green curry

(Serves 4)

For the curry paste
4 lemongrass stalks, tougher outer leaves discarded
6 medium-hot green chillies, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
5cm piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and chopped
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
4 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chopped lime zest
1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
½ tsp ground black peppercorns

For the curry
750g/1lb 10oz free-range chicken breasts or thighs, bones removed
3 tbsp groundnut oil
200g/7oz chestnut mushrooms, quartered
400ml/14fl oz tin coconut milk
400ml/14 fl oz homemade or ready-made chicken stock
8 lime leaves
1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 tbsp bottled green peppercorns, drained
leaves from a large bunch (about 20g/0.7oz) basil, shredded
15g/½oz fresh coriander (leaves and stalks,) roughly chopped

Method
1. For the curry paste, slice the lemongrass finely. Put it in a food processor with all the remaining curry paste ingredients and whiz to a thick paste, pushing the mixture down from time to time with a spatula. Transfer to a glass or china dish, cover tightly (otherwise it will taint everything in the fridge) and refrigerate.
2. For the curry, cut the chicken into finger-thick strips.
3. Warm the oil in a casserole and, when hot and sizzling, add the chicken strips and let them colour slightly on all sides. You will need to do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
4. Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the casserole with a slotted spoon. Add the quartered mushrooms to the casserole and fry until golden-brown, adding more oil if needed.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and stock, then add the lime leaves, four heaped tablespoons of the curry paste, the fish sauce, peppercorns and half of the chopped herbs. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
6. Return the chicken to the casserole with a further tablespoon of the paste and simmer for five to six minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the last of the herbs and serve.

Chicken breast wrapped in Parma Ham and lentil salsa

For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 g mozzarella, thickly sliced
2 slices Parma ham
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 clove garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. To make the stuffed chicken breasts, cut the chicken breast in half (but not right through) and fold outwards
3. Season with salt and pepper, add the thyme and mozzarella slices and lay across the flat chicken, three slices per breast should be enough.
4. Fold the chicken breast back together and wrap the parma ham around it.
5. In a medium-sized frying pan, heat the oil, sear the chicken breast until golden.
6. Add the garlic and place into the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.

For the salsa:
75 g Puy lentils
2 large tomatoes
½ small red onion
1 red chilli, halved and deseeded
juice 1 lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Flat-leaf parsley chopped roughly

To garnish:
lime slices

While the lentils are cooking, skin the tomatoes by pouring boiling water on to them. After 1 minute remove them and slip the skins off, then halve and squeeze out the seeds. Chop the flesh into small pieces. After that chop the onion, chilli and parsley very small and keep all this aside, covered with clingfilm, until needed.

When the lentils are cooked empty the lentils into a bowl and, while they are still warm, toss them in the lime juice and olive oil. Add the seasoning and taste to make sure you add enough. Now add the rest of the prepared salsa ingredients. Mix well, cover and leave in a cool place.

Chicken Breast with Quinoa and Avocado

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, skinless
80g Butter, softened
1 tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
1 small bunch Mint, leaves picked from stalks and sliced
12 rashers streaky bacon

For the quinoa and avocado salad

120g fair-trade Quinoa
200ml water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little for drizzling
3 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 lime, zest and juice
1 mild red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
75g Dried apricots, roughly chopped
50g dried cranberries
100g sun-blushed tomatoes
2 ripe avocados
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C/gas 5.

2. Lay the chicken breasts smooth-side down and lift the fillets to one side. Mix the soft butter with the ginger and one third of the mint and season well. Spread a quarter of the butter down the length of each breast in the groove left by the fillets. Fold the fillets back over the butter and season the breasts with black pepper.

3. Wrap each breast in three rashers of streaky bacon with the overlap meeting on the underside of the breast. Put the bacon-wrapped breasts onto a small baking tray with the overlapping side down and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

4. While the chicken roasts, cook the quinoa. Bring the water to the boil with the olive oil, honey, grated ginger, chopped garlic and salt. Add the quinoa and gently simmer for about 10 minutes until the germ separates. Cover and leave to absorb the remaining liquid.

5. Add the chopped chilli, the zest and juice of the lemon and lime, dried apricots, cranberries, tomatoes and remaining sliced mint. Stir well and season.

6. Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the avocadoes in half, twist gently to separate the halves then remove the stones and skins. Cut the flesh into large chunks and toss with the quinoa.

7. Spoon the salad onto four plates, cut each chicken breast into 5 slices and arrange over the salad, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Stuffed goats' cheese chicken with pan-roasted balsamic tomatoes

For the chicken
½ chicken breast, skinned
55g/2oz Somerset goats' cheese
small handful fresh basil, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

For the pan-roasted balsamic tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 vine tomatoes, halved
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh chives, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Place the chicken breast onto a board, cover with a piece of cling film and then bash with a meat mallet until it is flattened slightly.
3. Mix the goats' cheese with the chopped basil and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon the mixture into the middle of the flattened chicken. Roll up and secure with a cocktail stick.
4. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan, add the stuffed chicken breast and brown on all sides. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 5-8 or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. For the pan-roasted tomatoes, place the cut side of the tomatoes down into a non-stick frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and fry for 2-3 minutes.
6. Turn the tomatoes over, add the balsamic vinegar and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. To serve, place the roasted tomatoes onto a serving plate, top with the stuffed chicken and garnish with chives.