Recipes with Roddy Damalis

Simple summer treats

If you are looking for an impressive dish to serve with drinks this season, RODDY DAMALIS has you covered

 

Smoked Salmon & Prawn Dako

Dako is a traditional Cretan dish using a base of barley rusk, grated ripe tomatoes, crumbled feta, olive oil and oregano which is absolutely delicious! (Especially if sitting at the water’s edge and sipping ouzo!)

I have played with this concept using our local rusk called Arkatena you might have seen them in Omodos in either their fresh or dried form. They are bagel shaped with a crust of sesame seed and flavoured with cinnamon and aniseed.

We use the dried option. If you cannot find Arkatena, use any wholewheat, barley or white rusk as your base. Fresh bread will not work, as we want to achieve a nice balance between crunchy and the creamy, smooth topping.

This is one of my go-to ‘Taraaa’ dishes that never fails to impress. A very impressive dish to serve with a glass or two of bubbles! Must be eaten by hand, so make sure that there are plenty of napkins around.

It can be assembled about an hour before serving, but not before! (The Arkatena becomes soggy if made too early) However, all the ingredients can be pre-prepared.

The avocado must be peeled and sliced when assembling.

 

4 Arkatena (wholewheat rusks)

200g smoked salmon (hand shredded)

250g prawns (simmered until pink, strained and cooled)

2 tablespoons black caviar

500g cream cheese

250g fresh cream

1 cup fresh dill (shaved)

1 small red onion (chopped)

½ cup capers

2 ripe avocados

½ cup cold water

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

Salt

Cracked black pepper

 

Crack open the Arkatena and place into a large flat tray or platter, crust side down.

Sprinkle with cold water to re-hydrate and drizzle with olive oil.

Beat cream and cream cheese together until smooth. Add dill to mixture, season with salt and pepper and spoon onto the rusks.

Add salmon, shrimps, avocado, onion, capers, and caviar (in this sequence).

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over; add salt and cracked black pepper.

 

 

Rare Beef Fillet with Red Onion Relish

Another very simple yet impressive summer treat. I use it as part of a brunch menu with salads and fresh breads or with cocktails. Beef fillet is costly but using it in this manner, it goes a long way, as you do not cook for very long and therefore lose volume, and of course none of the flavour is lost either.

1,5kg beef fillet (trimmed of sinew)

Marinade

2 cups dry white wine

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon coriander seed (cracked)

½ tablespoon cumin (ground)

1 teaspoon curry masala

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Relish

2 large red onions (as thinly sliced as possible in the food processor)

1½ cups red wine vinegar

2 fresh chilies (thinly sliced)

2 tablespoons Demerara sugar

½ cup sultanas

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

 

Combine all marinade ingredients and pour over the fillet. Cover and marinate overnight turning occasionally.

Combine all relish ingredients, place into an airtight container and macerate for 2-3 days (the longer it stays, the better).

Place the fillet on a baking sheet (without any liquid; make sure only the spices remain as a crust).

Pre-heat the grill to 240C, and place the rack as high up as possible. Sear the fillet on all sides, turning just once onto each side (our aim is to toast the spices onto the fillet and seal in all the juices. Takes about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. I like this to be very rare but if your preference is medium rare then cook for slightly longer).

Remove from the oven and allow to rest. Once cooled, cover the fillet in foil and refrigerate.

When the beef is well-chilled, cut into very thin slices and place in one layer on a big platter just before serving and top with the strained relish.