Pork & Avocado Balsamic Salad

Introduction

Today I am in charge of the children. This normally means mess and toys everywhere, no housework and 'experimental' lunches. Today was no exception.

With one child deposited in school & the other worn out from helping me build a den under the table, we decided we were hungry and in need of more than Bourbon cremes & fig rolls.

Looking in the fridge and cupboard reminded me that I had to go shopping in the afternoon so lunch was either a simple cheese butty or something made using ingenuity, experience and luck.

I did notice an avocado looking lonely, then there was three pork shoulder steaks that I hadn't decided what to do with (slow cooked with lentils probably). I knew we had a few salad bits so something along the lines of bacon/avocado salad should be easy. Right?

Turns out it was.

Ingredients

1 x pork shoulder steak
1 avocado
1 stick celery
About 10 cherry toms
Half a large carrot
About 5 cm cucumber
Few slices of cheese
1 tsp cranberry jelly
Balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp sweet chilli dipping sauce
1 clove allspice
Salt
Pepper

Method

First prepare the pork. Cover in cling film and beat within an inch of its life or until it's thinner than about half cm.

Put a pan on a low heat and put in a generous splash of balsamic vinegar, the cranberry jelly, the sweet chilli sauce, the ground allspice & a pinch of pepper.

Mix well and let the jelly melt before adding the meat. Cover both sides with the liquid. Leave to cook slowly.

Prepare the salad. Slice the celery & cucumber into nice chunks. Quarter the toms, chop up the avocado & grate the carrot into a large bowl. Mix well.

Chop the cheese into matchsticks and put to one side.

When the pork is cooked, remove from the pan and put to one side. Deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of boiling water then reduce and thicken slightly.

Chop the meat into small pieces. Now mix the meat and sauce from the pan with the salad. Add the cheese and season with salt and enjoy with some nice bread.

Quick Chilli

Introduction

I used to be known for my chillies. Hot, full of veg, beans & flavour, I'd make them though the winter to keep warm. Or whenever someone in my student house came down with a cold, it became a competition to make the hottest, yet most flavoursome chilli as a cure.

Recently though, I've not made them. Perhaps having children tempers the heat in food and to me a chilli without heat just shouldn't be made.

A few things however lead to me making one today. Firstly was the success of my chilli plant. Well at least until the Rabbits discovered how to reach it.
Second was a delicious looking steak chilli recipe written by one of my fave food bloggers (She Cooks She Eats - well worth a read). After reading this I really began to crave a chilli.
Lastly, my wife developed a nasty cold on a night that the children were having tea with grandparents. This was the final straw, we were having chilli for tea!!

This version is the quick one. Totally in contrast with my usual style of slow cooking, and not a lentil in sight.

Ingredients


Onion
Celery
Garlic
Carrot
chopped roughly - this is a quick chilli - one day I'll post a posh chilli recipe


Chillies
the cornerstone of this recipe, should be hot enough to make you perspire but not overwhelm the flavour - for this I used a deseeded scotch bonnet and a couple of serenade chillies chopped roughly



3 tsp cumin
3 tsp paprika
500g minced lamb or beef
Pile of cherry tomatoes
not chopped, pierced



400g Passata
use more if you prefer it tomatoey
Couple of peppers
2 tins kidneys beans
Splash of red wine
Squeeze of marmite
Handful fresh coriander

Method


1. Fry off the onion, celery, carrot & garlic until the onion is clear
2. Stir in the chillies, cumin & paprika. Mix for a minute or two
3. Add the mince and stir well. Fry until the mince is well cooked
4. Add the tomatoes and stir for a couple of minutes
5. Add the passata and stir again.



5. Add the wine & marmite and keep stirring until the required thickness. Should be about 10 mins
6. In the meantime, put some rice on
7. Just before the rice is ready, mix in the kidney beans
7. Serve & garnish with coriander & cheese if you like


8. Later on, mix the leftover rice in to the cold leftover chilli & have a cheeky supper



Enjoy!

Vietnamese Curry

Introduction

I picked up some cheap pork shoulder steaks. Marbled with fat so ripe for cooking slowly or currying up. Right up my street in other words.

I had a look in my spice cupboard and a little look through my curry books. I'd picked up a little packet of Thai mix so the recipe that jumped out was a Vietnamese curry from my old fave Madhur Jaffrey.

This is a slightly modified version based on what I had in but it was the technique that interested me also.

I tend to either make a paste as a base to cook the meat & veg in, or make a powder which is added to meat before cooking. This recipe uses both a paste & a powder as a rub.

Either if these would make a fine curry but combine them and you will get a delicious flavoursome meal. Or three.


Ingredients

Rub

1 tsp Tumeric
1 tsp Fenugreek
3 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Salt
Mix together & put about 1/3 aside


Paste
4-6 Cloves Garlic
1 Lemongrass
1 1/2 inch of Galangal
If galangal not available use ginger
1 small white onion
or a few shallots
Chillies if allowed
1-2 tbsp water


Base & Veg
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 Kaffir line leaves, crushed



2 small red onions
1 medium carrot
1 stick celery


Good handful cherry toms
Celeriac
1 courgette
Half cup mung beans
Half tin coconut milk


Method

1. Chop the meat into cubes and put in a sandwich bag


2. Pour in about 2/3 of the rub & massage well so the meat is completely covered. Leave to marinade for at least a hour, overnight if possible.


3. Make the paste by blending the garlic, galangal, lemongrass, onion & chilli with a tablespoon or two of water.

4. Chop the red onion, celery & carrot into smallish pieces

5. Fry in a little nut oil until the onion & celery are soft & clear

6. Add the bay, kafir & cinnamon. Mix for about a minute

7. Add the paste & mix well until it begins to darken. About 3 mins


8. Stir in the meat & again mix well. Cook for 5 or so mins, add a tbsp water if the pan looks dry

9. Chop the tomatoes in half and cut the celeriac & courgette into small cubes

10. Stir into the mix & cook for about 5-7 mins. Until the toms start to break down





11. Cover with boiling water & add the mung beans

12. Add the coconut milk, put the lid on & simmer for as long as possible. The lentils will only take about 20 mins to cook but you want them to break down and really thicken the sauce. I'd give it at least an hour, 2 or 3 if you can.

13. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice & garnish with coriander leaves & chopped chillies. Serve with chapatis or a nice naan.






Enjoy!

Paella-ish

Introduction

I've got a massive paella pan which I like to use for risotto or rice dishes occasionally. It's big a shallow so with a low heat, a nice creamy risotto can be made.

We got a nice piece of fish, so coupled with some pork steaks & a bit of shellfish, I thought I'd try a paella-style dish.

Ingredients


Onion
2 stalks celery
Fennel
4 cloves garlic
all roughly chopped


2 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
I had no saffron & didn't want to use turmeric simply to get a yellow colour
I piece of white fish
I used haddock


3 pork steaks
About 100g Chorizo
both diced
Tin cockles
Tin mussels
Tin octopus pieces
I used tinned shellfish for cheapness, and the fact that the fresh cockles were from New Zealand!!


2 different coloured peppers
Courgette
Carrot
1 packet baby corn
all diced
100g Samphire
I've never used samphire but all the shops had some in


Cherry toms
quarter half of them, just prick the rest


Rice
I know a proper paella should be made with arborio rice of a similar short rice, but we only had long grain in. So why not? I use 3 espresso cups


1 pint stock


Method


Fry off the onion, garlic, celery & garlic in olive oil until clear.


Next add the herbs. Mix well.
Now add the pork, chorizo & fish.
Stir regularly for about 5 mins before adding the courgette.

Stir the rice in & mix well before adding the hot stock a bit at a time. If the stock is all absorbed, add hot water from the kettle.

When the rice is just under done, add the peppers, carrots, samphire, toms & shellfish. Mix well while the rice finished.

Finish with freshly squeezed lemon juice and garnish with lemon pieces.



Enjoy!

Simple Bread

Introduction

Originally this blog was only intended for my own personal use. I have a nice array of cookery/recipe books in addition to lots of cutouts from magazines & scrawled notes.
I wanted a single place to put good recipes that I've made so I could access them easily or show the odd friend/family member who was interested. If you look at the early posts, they are basic ingredients with basic method.
For this bread recipe, I'm going back to those origins. There are a million bread recipes available, & I'm not claiming that this is the best or the simplest, however I've been practicing & tweaking this over the past 2/3 weeks & it works for me. I now want to record how to make bread so I can come back to it with ease.
If it works for you too, then that makes me even more happy.

Ingredients


3 tsp Dried Active Yeast
This is simply the yeast I use. I know there are many other alternatives. I reckon this would work with a 7g packet of ready to use yeast too
1 tsp sugar
This is to activate the yeast
About 150 ml warm water
250g Strong White Flour
Plus 2 tbsp for kneading
20g Butter
1/2 tsp salt
Olive oil for kneading

Method

Yeast

To activate this yeast put it in a measuring jug with the sugar.




I then put warm water in up to the 150ml line & whisk. This should then be left for about 5-10 mins until there is a layer of foam on top.





The Mix

Put the flour, salt & butter in a mixer. (In the picture below, that is never 20g - my scales had broke!)




Whisk the frothy water and then start the mixer. Pour the water in slowly, letting the flour combine. I find that I need to add a bit more water so I use the jug, swirling round to ensure I get as much of the yeasty froth in as possible.
The mix should be sticky but not wet.





Kneading

I have a big, wood chopping board that I think came from Ikea. For kneading, I flip it over and oil well, spreading the oil with the hand I'll be kneading with.
Take the dough out of the mixer with your oiled hand and place on the board.
Put your palm in the middle of the dough and push away.




Fold it back, and make a rough ball again.
Turn 45° and repeat until the dough starts to stick to the board.




Make sure that all of the oil on the board has been absorbed.
Now give the board a dusting with the additional flour.




Repeat again until the dough starts to stick.

Prove & prove again

Oil a tin and put the dough inside, slightly shaping to the tin.




Cover with cling film that has also been oiled and leave to rise.
The time that this will take depends on how warm it is.




When risen, ensure that the board & your hand are oiled, take out the dough and slap it on the board. It should sink or flatten.




Give it another kneading with oil until it starts to stick and once again place in the oiled tin. Leave it to rise a second time.





Bake

Preheat the oven to 220°C and put the loaf in the middle.
Bake for about 20 mins to half an hour depending on your oven. I find that the smell suddenly changes to an almost burnt bread smell. This means there is about 2 minutes to go.
The final check is a nice colour and a hollow sound when the base is tapped.
Turn out and leave to rest on a wire rack




Slice and enjoy

Mung Bean Salad

Introduction

After having some large couscous in a salad, I wanted to do something similar with the mung beans. I've also been asked by one or two people if I have any vegetarian or vegan recipes.
Now although I topped this salad with lamb steaks, the salad itself is vegetarian & probably vegan (if anyone sees an ingredient that isn't vegan, let me know & I'll edit).
I made this in three stages, first the lentils are cooked, second a few veg/spices are cooked together & thirdly some raw veg are chopped & prepared. The final meal simply involves mixing all these together.
This recipe makes a large bowl, enough for a delicious family meal, and then a few lunches.


Ingredients

Lentils

4 Espresso Cups Mung Beans
any lentils could be used




1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Ground Cumin
2 bay leaves
1" Fresh Ginger
Don't peel the ginger, simply cut in half lengthways
2 cloves garlic
1 chilli (optional)

Cooked Veg

Onion
I used 2 small onions, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
finely chopped
1" fresh ginger
peeled and chopped into thin matchsticks
1/4 of a nice squash
peeled and diced into small cubes
1 stalk celery
diced
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

Raw Veg

1 large carrot
grated
Handful of various tomatoes
chopped
Half a tin of sweetcorn
Handful of coriander leaves


Method

Wash the mung beans with a few changes of water.
Put in a pan and cover with fresh water. Put the turmeric, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, ginger pieces and garlic in the water and bring to the boil.
When boiling, turn the heat right down and cover. Simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If it goes dry, add more boiling water.
When done, the lentils should be soft but still hold their shape.
Throw the ginger, garlic & bay away and put the lentils to one side to cool.
Next, in a pan, fry off the onions, chopped garlic & ginger in some olive oil.
When opaque, add in the squash, celery & seeds. Cook for about 15 mins until the squash is soft. If this mix dries, add a tablespoon of water.
Now, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Finish with freshly squeezed lemon juice or white balsamic vinegar & a good sprinkle of sea salt.
I served this this topped with simply roasted lamb steak, however this would also be delicious in a pitta or flatbread with some crème fraîche and a touch of pickle.

Mung Bean with Lamb

Introduction

Well, it's been a little while since I posted a recipe, however when my lovely wife returned from a bargain hunt shop with 1.5kg of mung beans, I knew a daal was imminent.
I've had mung beans before but I've always just thrown them in to a curry as an afterthought. This time, I wanted to make them the star of the show.
With a little bit of reading through my cooking library, my previous recipes & some additional internet searching with consideration to what I had in cupboard, fridge & freezer, I've come up with this recipe.
As always, this is made child friendly and with leftovers very much in mind. I'm growing some spicy chillies in the garden so simply garnished my bowl with them, however if allowed, I'd have put them in with the onions at the start.

Ingredients

Base

Onion
I used 2 small ones, chopped
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
both diced
4 cloves garlic
roughly chopped
Courgette
a small farm just on the edge of our estate grows small amounts of veg. Some of the courgettes were huge




Spices

2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 cloves




1 tbsp ground ginger
my Madur Jaffrey book says that ground & fresh ginger should be treated as completely different spices. I wanted to add fresh ginger to the base but didn't have any in. I'd be interested to see how different this would be using fresh ginger instead
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp turmeric
I would have thought this a lot of turmeric, but all the daal recipes I looked at use this much
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli
4-5 peppercorns
broken with pestle & mortar
2 tsp salt
3 bay leaves




Main

1 kg lamb shoulder
Mung beans
I used just under 4 espresso cups for this
1 pint stock
you will also need about another pint of water
Tin chopped tomatoes

Salad

Lettuce
Cucumber
Tomato
Half Red/Yellow pepper
all diced
Celery leaves
Fresh Coriander
roughly chopped
Cumin seeds
Kalonji
just a sprinkle of each

To finish

Fresh coriander
Lemon juice
Half red/yellow pepper


Method

Heat some nut oil in a large pan. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds & cloves. Stir fry for about a minute or until the seeds start to pop. Add the base ingredients and fry until soft and the onion is translucent. This should take about 6-8 mins. If it is burning, turn the heat down & keep stirring.




Next, mix in the rest of the spices and half the salt. When it is well mixed and looks dry, add about 1 pint of hot stock. Mix well & bring to boil.
Now put the lamb shoulder in whole and add the toms & more water until the lamb is almost covered. Bring to boil.








Reduce the heat & simmer for about 3 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone and the oil should rise to the top.
Drain the meat over the pan to keep all the juices, until cool enough to handle.




Now shred the meat and put in a bowl or korai. You will need to add some of the liquid to ensure the meat doesn't get to dry.








Now add the mung beans to the pan and simmer until thick for about two hours, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick.




When thick, put in bowl or korai to serve. Garnish with finely sliced peppers, coriander leaves, the remaining salt & freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Serve with a simple salad: mix lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cucumber and diced pepper with more coriander leaves, celery leaves, cumin seeds & kalonji. Make a dressing using the mashed centre of cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice & a pinch of ground coriander.
Enjoy x