Chili Beef on Endive Leaves

Zest is one of my all time favorite cookbooks. It’s full of delicious-looking food and the book is broken down into segments according to flavors such as Savour (rosemary, basil, sage. parsley, mind and thyme), Tang (lemon grass and lime), Seasoned (salt and pepper), Piquant (chili and ginger), Zesty (oranges and lemons), Aromatic (cumin and coriander), Fragrant (cinnamon and saffron) and Ambrosial (sugar and spice). Not only are the recipes easy to follow, there’s a section on nearly every page called, Fresh and Fast, and it is here you get tidbits of information about the recipes on that page showing how to use the ingredients in a different way.   A cookbook to refer to on many occasions!

Serves 4 to 6 as a canapé
recipe from Marie Claire Zest
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6 tablespoons peanut oil
6cm (2 1/2 in) piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
500g (1 lb) lean beef mince
3 large red chilies, seeded and freshly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
10 basil leaves, finely sliced
4 whole witlof (chicory, Belgian endive) washed and leaves separated

Put the peanut oil in a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ginger to oil and, once it begins to turn crisp and golden, remove and allow to drain on paper towel. Drain most of the oil, leaving just a little to coat the pan, and reduce heat to medium. Add the mince, chili, garlic and sesame oil to the hot pan and stir-fry until the meat is cooked and beginning to turn brown. Add the vinegar, soy sauce and oyster sauce and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes before adding the basil leaves. Spoon the warm beef mixture into the endive leaves and top with the fried ginger.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: The fried ginger really lifts this already amazing canapé. An easy dish to make and is sure to delight friends and family.

By The Glass Wine Tasting Note: Here is a case where red meat and red wine certainly don’t mix. The inherent spice of this dish will be the foil of all but the lightest and fruitiest reds. Believe it or not, an off-dry Riesling with sufficient character to handle the intensity of this dish could work her. This doesn’t mean any $12 dollar cheapie mind you. Look to the great Rieslings from the middle Rhine for their combination of bright flavours, subtle sweetness and invigorating acidity. Better choice is to go to North America’s west coast – not for a fine wine but a fine West Coast Pale Ale – big hoppy style with enough floral hoppy intensity to partner the strong flavours of the dish.