Greek lamb souvalakia, plus why you should marinate meat

Nourishing casseroles and bone broths might be more than just winter staples for traditional wholefoodies like me, but variety in cooking styles is important for a host of reasons. One of my favourite foods is lamb souvalakia cooked on the BBQ, which harks back to my early childhood. So if you're at a loss as to what to do with diced lamb (or even beef) and want a quick easy meal that is sure to please everyone's palate (especially kids!), try this (and I apologise in advance for not having specific quantities- it's so basic you can't really go wrong- just trust your gut instinct!):

Ingredients:

• Wooden or metal skewers

• Lamb, diced

• Red capsicum

• Green capsicum (optional)

• Yellow capsicum (optional)

• Onions

• Zucchini, cut into 1 cm slices

• Cherry tomatoes

Marinade mixture:

• Red wine

• Coriander seeds

• Cumin

• Unrefined salt

• Pepper

Directions:

Place meat in a large glass container/baking dish. Add marinade ingredients to well coat the meat (the meat does not need to be submersed in the wine- just enough to coat it on all sides). Marinate meat for several hours or overnight.

Cut onions and capsicum into approx 3 cm squares. Thread the meat and vegetables onto the skewers alternating meat and vegetables in whatever combination you prefer. Quantities of vegetables will vary depending on quantity of meat and how many vegetables opposed to meat are placed on the skewers. I prefer the skewers to consist of approx 2/3 meat and 1/3 vegetables, or half meat and half vegetables.

BBQ on one side then turn over to cook the other side. Meat is done when it is still slightly pink in the center.

Serve with tzatziki (Greek yogurt cucumber dip).

Variations:

Souvalakia are typically made with lamb but you could substitute beef or chicken. Add any other vegetables you desire eg mushrooms.

Why marinating meat is important when BBQing or using high heat

When meat is cooked using high heat (eg BBQ or open flame) or dry cooking methods such as frying, grilling or smoking, certain compounds are produced including advanced glycation end products (AGEs), heterocyclic amines (HAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These have been shown to cause inflammation (which is the root cause of all modern disease including cancer and cardiovascular disease). This applies to all meat, not just red meat. So while I love eating BBQ'd meat, I only eat it occasionally and recommend lower-heat cooking methods (eg casseroles, braises, stews, long slow roasts, or even raw meat) as more of the staple method of meat consumption. Research shows, however, that you can significantly reduce the formation of these  inflammation-causing compounds by using an acidic marinade (eg wine, apple cider vinegar, tomato puree). Studies show that marinating beef for 1 hour reduced AGE formation by over half and marinades can cut HA formation in meat by up to 90%. So marinating meat does more than just make meat taste great! For more information refer to this recent article by Chris Kresser.

Mildly spiced beef cheek and sweet potato casserole

This week I bought beef cheeks for the first time. They are cheap ($21.99/kg) and I bought the Tova Platinum grass fed brand from David Jones Food Hall. I slow cooked them in a casserole for 24 hours and they were so incredibly melt-in-your-mouth tender. I share my simple recipe below. For those of you who have done my casserole cooking classes you will know that my casseroles follow an easy-to-remember 4 part formula:

1. Pastured meat - in this case 1 packet of Tova beef cheeks.

2. Liquid - 1 cup home made beef or chicken broth and 1:4 cup balsamic vinegar or red wine. If you don't have bone broth just use filtered water- it won't be as rich, nutritious and flavoursome but it will still be fine.

3. Herbs and spices - I used 1 tablespoon OVVIO Indian Herb & Spice blend bought form OVVIO -The Organic Lifestyle Store in Paddington 5 ways (or make your own using Cumin, Tumeric, Cardamon, Fennel, Fenugreek, Chilli, Cinnamon, Garlic granules), plus liberal amounts of sea salt and cracked pepper. Instead of the Indian herbs you could use garam masala which is similar. Or use Mediterranean inspired spices like oregano, basil, bay leaf and some tomato puree. If you don't have any spices don't let that stop you- just season with good ol' sea salt and pepper.

4. Vegetables- a couple of diced garlic cloves, 1 diced onion, 1 large sliced sweet potato or other root vegetables to your liking.

Add everything into an oven proof casserole dish or slow cooker. This will take you between 2-4 minutes (I guarantee it- I've timed myself many times!!). Cook on low heat (e.g. 80 degrees) for 8-24 hours. Ladle the juices over the meat in shallow soup bowls. Serve with some steamed buttered greens or a garden salad. Easy, delicious and nutritious! Great for these cold wintery evenings.

Cypriot Haloumi, Pomegranate and Lamb salad

With my Cyrpriot heritage I grew up on Haloumi cheese, lamb, pomegranates, parsley and lemons from dad's garden. So I put together this salad starring these ingredients that remind me of my childhood...and this is what we ate for  Mothers Day lunch today. Growing up in Queensland in the 70s, no body ate (or even heard of) Haloumi cheese other than the handful of Cypriots that lived there (the Greeks were chowing into their feta thank you very much).  Along with olives, Haloumi was a staple that appeared on our table every night (and I considered it outright boring, daggy, and I wished my lunch box could instead feature  'normal' cheese like Kraft cheese sticks eaten by my peers).  Wind the clock forward 30 odd years and today Haloumi cheese is found in organic stores and on the menus of trendy establishments. So there you have it.

Ingredients:

- 3 small packets of Haloumi cheese (bought at Suveran, Oxford St

- 2 pomegrantes

- pieces of cold lamb cut into strips (left over from lamb roast)

- fresh green beans, cut in half, steamed then buttered

- snow peans, left whole or cut in half if very long

- 2 avocados, sliced

- a handful of rocket or lettuce, chopped

- 1 bunch roughly chopped parsley (and/or mint)

- 2 lemons

- extra virgin cold pressed olive oil (I like Nolans Road)

- balsamic vinegar

- sea salt

- pepper

- butter

IMG_0456_2

Cut haloumi cheese into portions (about 2 inch strips) and fry in frying pan with a little butter until golden brown on both sides (you will need to give them a prod with the spatula every few minutes to prevent them from sticking). Steam green beans, then butter. On a platter assemble all of the ingredients. Drizzle with olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar and the juice of one of the lemons. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the remaining lemon in wedges and place around platter.

Serves 6 as an entree or 4 as a main.

This recipe was loosely inspired by one I saw in this months Feast Magazine (thanks Sylvia and Mont for the subscription!!). As always I modify recipes to suit    my nutritional philosophy which typically involves removing grains, legumes, refined sugar, vegetable oils (and anything that looks too fiddly, complicated or time consuming!), and replacing with nutrient-dense whole foods. The addition of avocado and plenty of butter on the steamed fresh beans adds some essential fats into the meal (and ensure that the lamb has plenty of fat on it and is not lean). This salad only took me about 15 minutes to throw together. I purposefully made a large amount so that Grant and the kids could take the leftovers to work/school for lunch tomorrow (one meal typically gets incorporated into another meal in our household.....capitalise on your time and effort in the kitchen as much as possible - milk it baby!).