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Rosemary & Black Pepper Pork

February 4, 2023

ingredients

– large or 2 smaller leeks

100g brown basmati rice – you have been given 125g

1 bag rosemary

1 bag parsley

1 garlic clove

1 tin cannellini beans

2 pork spare rib steaks

  1. bag baby spinach

1 pot crème fraîche

1 tbsp Dijon mustard – add to

taste

1 lemon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

methodTrim the leek(s), cut in half lengthways and rinse well from the root down, to wash away any trapped soil. Finely slice – you can use both the white bottoms and green tops.

Boil a kettle. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan. Add the leek and cook over a low heat, stirring from time to time, while you continue, until softened. Keep an eye on it and if it looks like it is catching, add a splash of water.p

Half a mug if brown basmati rice. Transfer to a medium saucepan with a pinch of salt. Fill mug with water and empty into the saucepan. Bring to the boil, simmer for 18-20 minutes, until just tender with a little bite.

  1. Finely chop approx. 1 tbsp worth of rosemary leaves. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Peel and finely chop or crush the garlic.
  2. Drain the cannellini beans into a sieve and rinse well.
  3. Pat the pork steaks dry with kitchen towel and season liberally. Sprinkle over the rosemary and set aside.
  4. Add the garlic to the softened leek and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add 100ml of water and the cannellini beans. Simmer on the lowest heat, while you continue.
  5. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add the pork and cook over a medium heat for approx. 4 minutes each side, until golden and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Set aside to rest, covered with a dish to keep them warm.
  6. Whilst the pork is resting, add the spinach leaves to the leek and bean pan, just on top is fine. Pop on the lid, and let them wilt, this will take approx. 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp of crème fraîche and mustard, seasoning, lemon juice and nutmeg, all to taste.
  7. Serve the pork and any juices, with the cooked and drained rice and spinach and bean mix. Sprinkle over the parsley to finish.

… to be continued ….

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Mushroom Ragu with Parsnip & Carrot Mash

February 2, 2023

ingredients

  • onion, roughly sliced
  • celery stick, finely sliced
  • garlic cloves, sliced
  • smoked paprika
  • dried oregano
  • tomato purée
  • red pesto
  • veg stock
  • chestnut mushrooms, chopped
  • 100ml red wine
  • balsamic vinegar
  • tamari
  • fresh thyme leaves plus extra for topping – add to your taste
  • mash:
  • 2-3 parsnips, depending on size (400g), peeled & cut into cubes
  • 1 large or 2 small carrots – peeled & cut into cubes
  • nutritional yeast

method

Slice onion and celery stick. A splash of olive in a hot pan. Add onion and celery, medium heat and fry for 8-10 minutes until very soft.

Add the garlic, paprika and oregano and stir to combine, then add the tomato purée, pesto and veg stock and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Slice mushrooms. Add mushrooms and red wine, stir to combine and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the balsamic vinegar, tamari and fresh thyme leaves (to your taste) and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, to make the mash, slice carrots and parsnips, boil the parsnips and carrot(s) in a saucepan of boiling water for approx. 12-15 minutes or until tender.

Drain the parsnips and carrots, add olive oil, a knob of butter, nutritional yeast, season with salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher (or the back of a large spoon).

Serve the mushroom ragù on a bed of creamy mash with some extra thyme leaves to garnish.

thoughts

Very tasty dish.

A knob of butter added to the carrot and mushroom mash. With the butter, vegetarian dish; without a vegan dish

In the absence of a potato masher, use the back of a large spoon.

I thought too much mash. Not sufficient. Add another parsnip and carrot, or a potato.

Possibly reduce the mushrooms.

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Lentil coconut dal with garam masala stir-fried strips of beef

January 31, 2023

ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 piece of ginger
  • 2 chillies – add to taste
  • 100g red lentils
  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
  • 1 pice pot no. 8
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tin light coconut milk
  • beef escalope
  • coriander
  • baby spinach
  • garam masala – add to taste
  • lime (or lemon)

method

Slosh of olive oil in a hot pan. Thin strips of beef. Cook until brown. Add garam masala halfway. Remove beef strips and set aside, to be used later.

Halve, peel, slice the onion. Peel and finely grate or chop the garlic and ginger. Chop one chilli – deseed or leave the seeds in for more heat, depending on taste.

Fry the onion on a low-medium heat for two minutes in the pan vacated by the beef, stirring now and then.

Halve (or quarter if large) the cherry tomatoes.

Add the garlic, ginger, spice pot, curry powder, cinnamon stick and some chilli too, if you like heat. Stir continuously for one minute. Add a little splash of water, if the spices look like they’re catching.

Stir in the lentils and cherry tomatoes. Shake the coconut milk tin well before you open it. Add the tin of coconut milk. Season with a little pepper, bring to a low boil and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Keep an eye on the liquid , dals are subjective, you can have it as runny or as thick as you like, so you might need to add a little extra water as they cook, particularly towards the end. The dal can very quickly turn from runny to very thick.

Chop the coriander, stalks and all.

When the dal is about five minutes from being ready, remove the cinnamon stick, then stir in the spinach leaves.

Stir half the coriander into the lentil dal. Season the dal with salt, pepper and add lime (or lemon) juice to taste. Serve it topped with the beef, scattered with remaining coriander and some chopped remaining chilli too, if you like, to your taste.

thoughts

Very tasty dish.

I never do a good job cooking beef. This was perfect, tasty and tender.

Hot tip: The coconut milk will probably be solid. Pop in a warm oven. It will then pour easily. If need more liquid, wash out the tin with boiling water and add to the lentil dal.

I used lemon instead of lime. I already had a lemon cut in half, I wished the lime for a cocktail.

Hot tip: Roll the lime (or lemon) with applied pressure from palm of hand. This will rupture internally and enable more juice to be squeezed out.

Vegan tip: If omit the stir-fried beef, will have a very tasty vegan dish.

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Chicken and sheep’s cheese orzo

January 30, 2023

A Greek pasta-based dish.

Orzo, also known as risoni, a Greek pasta, tiny rice-like grains.

ingredients

  • sheep’s cheese
  • 1 red onion
  • 250g diced chicken leg
  • 30g black olives
  • 10g sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • spice pot no. 6
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • 1/2 tbsp bouillon powder
  • tomato purée
  • cherry tomatoes
  • head pf black kale
  • fresh parsley
  • 150g orzo pasta

method

Before you start, take cheese out of the fridge. The same applies to the diced chicken. Allow to reach room temprature.

Fan oven 180C.

.
Halve, peel and dice the onion.

Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper. A splash of oil in an ovenproof casserole, one with a lid (or use a frying pan now and transfer to a baking dish with foil or a baking tray to cover it later). Fry the chicken to brown it, turning it now and then (leave it be at first, so it gets a little colour), then transfer to a plate for later.

Add the onion to the same pan. Turn the heat down and gently fry, stirring now and then, adding a splash of water if needed, for 8 minutes

Slice the olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Roll the lemon applying pressure from the palm of the hand. This will rupture inside the lemon enabling more juice to be extracted when squeezed. .

Peel and finely slice the garlic. Use one or two cloves, according to taste

Add the chicken back to the pan, stirring in the garlic for 30 seconds.

Add the spice pot, half the pot of dried mint, the bouillon powder, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato purée, cherry tomatoes (whole) and 400ml of boiling water.

Bring to a simmer. Transfer to a baking dish at this point if needed. Cover the casserole pan (or baking dish).

Transfer to fan oven 180C for 10 minutes.

Strip the kale stalks away from the leaves, roll and slice. Chop the parsley, stalks and all.

Uncover the chicken, stir in the orzo and recover the pan. Cook for 25 minutes fan oven 180C. Check the pan halfway through – you shouldn’t need more liquid, but see how the pan looks at this stage, as a lot will depend on your own oven and exactly what sort of pan you’re using.

Add the kale leaves on top of the orzo (no need to stir it in at this stage) uncovered, fan oven 180C 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven, stir, add half the parsley, season with salt and pepper, add a good squeeze of lemon and more dried mint too if you like.

Plate.

Break up the cheese and sprinkle over the top. Squeeze the lemon. Sprinkle the chopped parsley as garnish.

thoughts

Very tasty.

More than enough for three people.

If serve two, leave the caserolle dish to cool, chill, save for enother day. Slightly more for one person, not enough for two. Reheat later, suggest fan oven 170C 35 minutes. May need to add a little wate and stir.

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Cottage pie goes slightly wrong

January 28, 2023

Shepherd’s pie, a great British classic — Gordon Ramsey

Sometimes we learn more when something goes wrong, at least if we step back and wonder why.

I have tried many variants of this dish, carrots and onions first, add the minced beef; minced beef beef first, add the carrots and onions. I have settled on Gordon Ramsey method for shepherd’s pie. [see video below]

  • cottage pie – beef
  • shepherd’s pie – lamb

Basic ingredients: minced beef, vegetables, mashed potatoes.

A little olive oil in a hot pan. Add minced beef. Cook until brown. Add colour, add flavour.

Sliced onion, three small carrots, garlic clove, in pan. Season with salt and pepper. Chopped leaves from thyme and rosemary. Add a pinch of herbes de Provence.

Cook for a further two minutes.

A little splash of red wine. Oops, as soon as I poured in the wine, what was left in the bottle, I realised too much.

Add stock. Simmer.

Add peas (I forgot).

Empty contents of pan into an oven proof casserole dish.

Top with mashed potato. Fluff up the potato with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.

Two year old barrel aged Lincolnshire Poacher cheese added on top.

Fan oven 200C for 35 minutes. Remove lid last ten minutes to brown the potatoes.

Serve on a plate.

Accompanied by El Martillo red wine from Mendoza, Argentina.

What is left, allow to cool, pop in the fridge. Re-heat in a few days time, fan oven 175C for 35 minutes, remove lid last ten minutes.

A big big mistake. There was more wine in the bottom of the bottle than I realised. Too much liquid.

When I took the cottage pie out of the oven, I could see the result of my mistake. The mash floating on top of what was bubbling away below.

When I spooned it out onto a plate, more like a casserole or a stew than a cottage pie. It did not look good.

The taste. The taste was amazing.

It is ok to cheat. The mash from M&S. Usually I slice a couple of carrots, add peas at the end. From M&S a pot of sliced carrots and peas (only because it was reduced), the butter added to the pan. I did though have a problem fishing out the carrots. The peas add at the end when simmering (only I forgot).

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Spicy leak potato parsnips pear soup

January 23, 2023

ingredients

  • leek
  • celery stick
  • medium potato
  • parsnips
  • 1 large or 2 smaller pears
  • garlic clove
  • ginger
  • bunch of rosemary
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • walnuts

method

Trim and slice the leek. Roughly dice the celery.

Splash of oil in a large pan and cook the leek and celery gently for 10 mins, until starting to soften.

Meanwhile, peel the potato, parsnips and pear and chop them into rough 2cm pieces. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and half the ginger. Strip the leaves from 2 large rosemary stalks and finely chop them; you want about 1 tbsp of chopped leaves in total.

Add the potato, parsnips and pear to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger and rosemary, along with the cumin and garam masala. Cook gently for 2 mins, making sure the spices don’t catch and burn.

Add water, bring to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper.

Pour contents into a sauceapn. Wash pan out with boiling water, add to the saucepan. Add more water if needed. Leave to simmer for a couple of hours.

Season if need be with salt and pepper.

Ladle out into bowls. Add a slosh of olive oil. Season if needed with salt and pepper. Garnish with broken walnut pieces.

thoughts

Wonderful Middle Eastern aroma as the soup was simmering.

As I prepared, I was drinking an Americano. Erm, thought I, a slosh of Campari and Cocchi sweet vermouth.

Soup was spicy and sweet. A strange combination. Was it sweet due to the parsnips, or sweet due to the Cocchi sweet vermouth?

What is left, I will chill, then later, add a red onion, celery, water (possibly stock), simmer for a couple of hours. Anything then left, can be used as stock.

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Mushroom ravioli

January 19, 2023

Fresh pasta from Nonna Juana Deli.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water with a splash of olive oil to the boil.

Lightly toast broken walnuts in a hot dry pan for a couple of minutes. Set to one side.

Remove pan from the heat. Add a slosh of olive oil.

Chop parsley and sage.

Add mushroom ravioli to the boiling water. Cook for two to three minutes. Ensure do not stick together.

Add a knob of butter to the pan of olive oil. Place on very low heat. As the butter melts, add the chopped sage and parsley.

Thin slices using a potato slicer of Comte cheese.

Add a little water from the pasta pot to the melting butter.

Transfer ravioli from the pasta pot to the melted butter. Ok if transfer pasta water as forms an emulsion. Toss in the pan for about a minute.

Plate the ravioli. Pour over the melted butter.

Sprinkle the toasted walnuts and Comte cheese over the plated ravioli.

Serve.

Delicious.

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Cottage pie reheated

January 17, 2023

Cottage pie from a couple of days ago reheated. Fan oven 170C 35 minutes remove casserole lid last ten minutes.

Excellent.b

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Chestnuts chestnut mushrooms and red wine casserole

January 16, 2023

Chestnuts, chestnut mushrooms & red wine casserole, served with basmati rice and Calabrese broccoli florets.

ingredients

  • 1 red onion
  • chestnut mushrooms
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • thyme
  • cooked chestnuts
  • Calabrese broccoli florets
  • brown basmati rice
  • tomato purée
  • stock
  • cornflour
  • red wine
  • flat leaf parsley

method

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Halve, peel and chop the onion into thin wedges through the root. Halve or quarter the mushrooms, depending on size. Toss them both in a casserole dish (one with a lid). Season salt and pepper. A pinch of herbes de Provence.

Roast for 20 minutes uncovered, fan oven 170C. Toss them halfway through, to ensure they cook evenly.

Peel and finely chop the garlic. Pick 1 good tbsp of thyme leaves. Break apart any chestnuts that have stuck together.

Cut broccoli into small florets.

Boil a kettle of water. In a small saucepan, stock, garlic cloves, tomato purée, Worcester sauce, cornflour and red wine. Season with salt and pepper.

After 20 minutes, empty the pan into the casserole dish. Roast for a further five minutes.

Gently stir everything together. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Check and stir towards the end; add a splash more water if needed.

Half a mug of basmati rice, add a mug of water. Simmer for 18-20 minutes, until tender with a little bite.

Put a second saucepan of water on to boil for the broccoli later.

Boil the broccoli near the end of the casserole’s cooking time, for approx. 5 minutes, until tender.

Chop the parsley and stir most of it into the stew. Check the seasoning.

Serve scattered with remaining parsley and a few freshly picked thyme leaves too, if you like, with the cooked and drained rice and broccoli.

Accompanied by red wine.

thoughts

Very rich and tasty.

Oh vegetarians and vegans will not be happy, stock from pork chops yesterday, which in turn was from honey and lemon baby back pork ribs.

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Cottage pie

January 14, 2023

Shepherd’s pie, a great British classic — Gordon Ramsey

A few days ago, stifado. What to do with the left over tomato sauce? Sauce for ravioli or use in a cottage pie?

I had been thinking of cottage pie, cottage pie it was to be.

A slight modification, as I already had most of what I needed in the left over tomato sauce.

Pour a little boiling water into the left over tomato sauce, pop in fan oven 100C. Use later. Easier to spoon out.

I have tried many variants of this dish, carrots and onions first, add the minced beef; minced beef beef first, add the carrots and onions. I have settled on Gordon Ramsey method for shepherd’s pie.

  • cottage pie – beef
  • shepherd’s pie – lamb

Basic ingredients: minced beef, vegetables, mashed potatoes.

A little olive oil in a hot pan. Add minced beef, season with salt and pepper. Cook until brown. Add colour, add flavour.

Sliced onion, three small carrots, garlic clove, in pan. Season with salt and pepper.

A little splash of red wine.

Leaves from thyme and rosemary.

Add a pinch of herbes de Provence.

Add leftover sauce from stifado (instead of stock). Simmer.

Add peas (I forgot).

Empty contents of pan into an oven proof dish.

Top with mashed potato. Fluff up the potato with a fork. Season with salt and pepper (I forgot).

Gorwydd Caerphilly cheese added on top.

Fan oven 200C for 35 minutes. Remove lid last ten minutes to brown the potatoes.

Serve on a plate.

Accompanied by Meridiano red wine from Puglia southern Italy.

What is left, allow to cool, pop in the fridge. Re-heat in a few days time, fan oven 175C for 35 minutes, remove lid last ten minutes.

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