Pork fillet & bacon roll

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Hi mates!

It’s been a long while, as I’ve been busy with my other projects, which I will be delighted to share with you quite soon. My wood workshop has been made fully operational and I am trying my luck as a hobbyist woodworker.

However, my barbie was not given any days off! So here is a quick and very easy to make pork fillet roll, grilled, needless to mention. And with some extra bacon reinforcement it really is a treat!

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Mpiftekia (Greek burgers) and souvlaki – simple pleasures

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Hi there!

When I posted this photo on my Facebook page I wrote “burgers and kabobs”. However, since I got quite a few complaints from my Greek speaking friends (and working in a company with a big branch in Cyprus, I have a bunch of those 🙂 ), I decided to give this post a Greek spirit. So, today we are grilling mpiftekia – Greek burgers, and souvlaki – chicken thigh fillet skewers. And yeah, you’ll get extra points if you’re able to actually pronounce those names 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Grilled “mititei” – back to the roots…

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Hi mates!

Those of you who follow my posts probably remember my origins, roots, if you like, are from Eastern Europe. Generally speaking, Russian, I would say, but being more specific, I was born in Bessarabia, a relatively small piece of land in between Moldova, Ukraine and the Black Sea. Throughout its whole history Bessarabia was a very desired trophy – it’s been conquered by Turks, Romanians, Russians and a handful of others who ruled the land for shorter periods of time… Such a mixture of cultures created a very interesting culinary fusion as well, and Bessarabia’ cooking is heavily influenced by that of the conquerors – Turkey and Romania mainly, but also Russia and Ukraine. So, today I want to show you my take on a traditional Romanian “mititei” – grilled ground meat rolls, as I remember them from my childhood.

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Grilled chicken breasts – the simple way

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So, the chicken breasts… One of the cheapest cuts you can get, and one might think, quite simple to cook. But here’s the catch – this cut is one of the leanest ones as well, so, to keep it succulent and tender, you will find all kinds of marinating, brining and wrapping techniques suggested in the recipes. No, I am not saying these methods won’t work… On a contrary, they will, and you’ll most probably love the results, but… what if I told you there’s a way to grill an ultimately juicy and tender chicken breast completely fuss-free and ridiculously simple? Do I have your attention now? Good! Let’s go!

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Hot smoked rainbow trout

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Smoking has always been one of my all times favorite ways to serve fish. I’ve smoked salmon, hot and cold, also tried smoking grouper and mackerel… So today I am smoking rainbow trout on cherry wood, the classic way. So… here we go!

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Sunday Fair Smoked Turkey Legs

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G’day, folks!

Sooo…. I finally got my smoker! Before moving to Sydney I had a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker, which I unfortunately had to leave behind. For the last 6 months I’ve been doing market research trying to find a better smoker, but eventually I am back with my trusty “R2D2”, as my two little “Star Wars” fans named it.

Today I am going to talk about one of those recipes demonstrating how the basic techniques make an amazing outcome. Turkey legs are among the cheapest cuts of meat you can get, but, cooked right, will become a real treat!

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Homemaid hotdog buns, or… I can bake!

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All right, I have a confession to make… I never ever baked anything with yeast. Always considered the yeast dough as too complex, requiring too much effort and, well, just not worth wasting time on. The other excuse was I was too lazy to knead and I had no stand mixer. But here I am, presenting my homemaid crazy soft and tasty hotdog buns, which, when shaped, can easily be made hamburger buns or simply soft bread rolls.

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Beef & lamb cheeseburger – step by step way to perfection

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Unless you are a vegetarian, vegan or anything like that, you probably do like a good burger… I mean, what’s there not to like?! A nice beef patty, topped with some good cheese, veggies and a toasted bun, dressed with barbecue sauce and aioli… So here’s my take on the all times classics – beef & lamb cheeseburgers, recipe I’ve been making for the past two years, mainly because my boys simply won’t give up on it every weekend 🙂

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Pork loin roast – classic barbecuing

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Pork loin is one of my favorite cuts. It is equally great for steaks, kabobs or, butterflied, as a wrap for stuffing it with anything you can think of. But today I am sharing a whole pork loin roast, a classic indirect grilling made simple.

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Smoked bone-in leg of lamb, South African style…

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To me, leg of lamb is a perfect entertainment dish… One leg usually is enough for 8 to 10 very hungry men, and it’s bloody impressive, you gotta admit that! 🙂 So today I give you my South African style marinade for lamb, in which the garlic and the ginger give the meat another dimension of taste and aroma.

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