Dine in style without thinking about your waistline says RODDY DAMALIS
Growing up in South Africa in the 80s and 90s, going out to a restaurant meant, more often than not, going to a steak house. Here, you had a few options, steak, steak, or steak … you would order your particular cut (from 350 grams to 750 grams) rare, medium or charred, sides: a mountain of chips, a baked potato smothered in butter (the slimmer’s choice), rice, and a pile of battered onion rings. The next big decision was the sauce, creamy mushroom, creamy garlic, creamy pepper, and of course the infamous monkey gland sauce! This was a sweet, tomato, onion, green pepper goo that heaven alone knows where it got its name, it remains a mystery to this very day!
Enter the Cordon Bleu to add some pizazz…
The cordon bleu was an 80s and 90s classic! If you had it on your menu you knew you were running a classy joint, and if a customer ordered it and knew how to pronounce it… you just KNEW that you were in the presence of someone terribly sophisticated!! So, when scrummaging through my old menus from my first restaurant, a steak house of course, called Zorba the Greek (I didn’t name it!) I came across this recipe and I realised that I have not made one in over 20 years… so, here it is, my CY inspired retro cordon bleu.
To accompany this classic, I suggest my creamy potato bake. Please, please don’t think diet or calories when making these potatoes, think delicious, think decadent, and just enjoy!!
Cyprus-style Cordon Bleu
Preparation time: 1 ½ hours
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
4 x 150g slices veal steaks
400g halloumi cheese [coarsely grated]
4 slices lounza – use a good smoked ham if no lounza is available [sliced into thin strips]
24 fresh mint leaves
2 eggs [whisked with a fork]
Breadcrumbs for coating
Flour for coating
Salt
Fine black pepper
Smoked paprika
For sauce
½ cup lemon juice
1 cup water with ½ teaspoon cornflour dissolved in it
80g butter
Salt
Coarsely cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon dried mint
¼ teaspoon sugar
Place the veal one piece at a time on a chopping board and cover with a piece of plastic film, flatten as thinly as possible with a meat mallet
When the veal is ready, season with salt, pepper and paprika
Place the halloumi along the length of the veal, top with the lounza and mint leaves
Fold in the 2 sides and roll closed making sure that it is sealed all over
Roll the veal in the flour, then the egg, then the crumbs. Repeat the egg and crumbs
Deep fry until golden and then place into a pre-heated oven (240C) for a further 6-10 minutes until cooked
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes
Place all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat when thickened
Slice veal into rounds, plate and spoon the sauce over
Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint
Rosemary and Cream Potatoes
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 6-8
2kg potatoes peeled and cubed
150g butter
500ml fresh cream
4 fresh rosemary sprigs (lightly bruised by pressing them with the back of a wooden spoon. This will release the essential oils and the aromas)
Salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Parboil the potatoes in salted water and strain
Place the potatoes in an oven proof baking dish with the rosemary UNDER the potatoes, this will prevent it from burning
Add the butter and cream
Season with salt and pepper (careful with the salt as the potatoes have been boiled in salted water)
Cover and bake for approximately 30 minutes (or until very soft) at 200C. Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden.
Roddy Damalis is the author of two books, MY CY is a photographic journey through Cyprus, and MY LITTLE PLATES a guide to 100 adored recipes inspired by our beautiful island served over two decades at the beloved Ta Piatakia restaurant in Limassol. Roddy is a restaurateur, celebrity chef, food guru and consultant. He now operates My View, an exclusive private dining venue in his home. For more information and to purchase the books visit www.roddydamalis.com