Orzo, Melon & Feta Salad with Spicy Chicken

Orzo is a pasta that looks a little like rice. Its perfect for salads and also works particularly well in minestrone and is yet another pasta that I have only tried recently for the first time! The Bloke and I were in a café on a hot day and they were serving an orzo salad with raisins and roasted vegetables and we absolutely loved it. So I bought some the other week and decided to give it a go the other day.

This recipe is all about the salad - it is served here with a spicy chicken of which you can use any marinade you like. I have used my own chipotle sauce as a marinade (recipe here) and simply baked it in the oven for 25 minutes. But to me - this is all about the orzo salad with pine nuts, raw courgette and creamy feta cheese. Simple and delicious, you can serve the salad as a side with any meat. Or just enjoy by itself.

Ingredients:

120g orzo
1 courgette, chopped
1/2 cantaloupe melon, peeled and chopped
25g basil, leaves torn
50g feta cheese
30g pine nuts
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. runny honey

Method:

Cook the orzo to packet instructions (takes about 10 minutes to boil) drain and refresh under a cold tap. Drain again and put into a large bowl. Add the courgette, melon, basil and pine nuts and crumble in the feta cheese.

Whisk together the oil, honey and lemon juice, season with salt & pepper and pour over the salad. Stir well to combine and serve as a dish by itself, or with a meat of choice. Simple and delicious.

Chocolate Ganache Hearts with Sour Cherries

Its mine and The Blokes anniversary today. We are having a meal out tonight, so in my efforts at romance, last night I made these chocolate ganache hearts. They can be a bit tricky, but if they don't look perfect - that's absolutely fine. They taste divine and are adorable! And the oozing filling is a lovely surprise.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

50g cocoa powder

6 tbsp. boiling water

175g self raising flour

300g caster sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

3 eggs

100g butter

4 tbsp. milk

 

Prepare a large baking tray (mine was 16x12 inches) by greasing and then lining with greaseproof paper. Set the oven to 180 C.

 

In a bowl, stir the boiling water into the cocoa powder to make a paste. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together. Pile the mixture into the prepared tray, smooth out flat with a spatula and bake for about 20-25 mins. until cooked through. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

 

For the milk chocolate ganache filling:

 

Break up 100g milk chocolate into a bowl. Heat 60ml double cream in a saucepan and just when it begins to boil, pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and leave to cool. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes until its quite solid. Then remove from the fridge and whisk with an electric whisk until smooth and creamy. Put into a piping bag (or a plastic bag with the corner cut off - I had to as have temporarily lost my piping bag!) Set to one side.

 

Using a heart shaped cutter, cut hearts out of the sponge and place onto a board. Pipe the ganache onto half of the hearts, leaving a hole in the middle. Fill the hole with a teaspoon of cherry preserve or jam (jelly to the US readers). Top with the un-piped sponge hearts. Use leftover milk chocolate ganache to fill in any gaps in the sides. Don't worry if it looks messy as it will be covered with the dark chocolate ganache.

 

For the dark chocolate ganache coating:

 

Break 200g dark chocolate into a bowl and heat up 200ml double cream. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted. Leave to cool for about 4-5 minutes. Place the filled hearts onto a wire rack placed over some greaseproof paper. Pour the dark ganache over the cakes, covering all sides. If you have let the ganache get too cold, to pour, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. Then to finish, shave some milk chocolate over the tops and pop in the fridge for an hour to set.

 

Now you can serve!

 

 

 

 

Crunchy Coconut Prawns with a Dip

I am always looking for different ways to cook prawns, particularly for 'finger food'. This one I made on Friday night. We were watching a movie and didn't want to have a sit down meal, so I made finger food (more recipes to come later!) so we could nibble as we watched the movie.

These were the prawns. Dipped in a coconut mix and lightly fried until crunchy with a soy & sweet chilli dip. We ate the lot - they were delicious!

Ingredients:

150g raw king prawns
50g dried breadcrumbs
3 tbsp. desiccated coconut
2 tbsp. flour
pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
1 egg
2 tbsp. oil
3 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp. dark soy sauce
juice of 1 lime

Method:

For the sauce, mix the sweet chilli sauce with the soy and lime. Combine well in a bowl, cover and leave to chill in the fridge while you make the prawns.

Mix the breadcrumbs, coconut & flour in a bowl (add the chilli flakes if liked). Beat the egg in a separate bowl. Dip each prawn firstly in the beaten egg, and then in the crumb mix. Put each one gently onto a plate until all are completed.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook each prawn on both sides for about 2 minutes; you will need to do in 2 or 3 batches (don't put too many in the pan together). Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven.

Serve the prawns with the dip and let people help themselves. Delicious!

Georgian Chicken Stew with Garlic Green Beans

This dish is a version of a stew called Kharcho and comes from Georgia. They have some amazing recipes over in that part of the world and I have been intending on making one for months. The sauce that the stew is cooked in is predominantly walnuts, with a tablespoon of dried marigold flowers. These are not as hard to get hold of as I thought (internet) and were surprisingly cheap (a few pounds for a huge bag).

Even before tasting the dish I knew it would taste good - the smell was beautiful. I served this with saffron rice and having picked some green beans from the garden, I sautéed them in freshly chopped garlic. Absolutely delicious!

 

Ingredients:     (Serves 4)

3-4 chicken breasts (skin removed & chopped)
1 tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 bay leaves
250ml water (1 cup)
250g walnuts (2 cups)
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp ground fenugreek
1/4 cup dried marigold flowers
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
salt & pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the chicken on a high heat until beginning to brown a little. Add the onion and fry for 2 minutes. Cover and leave to cook 2 minutes on a low/medium heat. Then add the bay leaves, tomato puree and water and cook on a medium heat, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.

In a food processor, blend the walnuts, garlic, spices, vinegar and marigold. Then add about 60ml water to make a paste. Process a little more. Add this paste to the chicken and stir well. Add the sugar with good helping of salt & pepper and cook for 20 minutes on a low heat, covered. Then you can eat.

I served this with some saffron rice and garlic beans. For the green beans, I simply chopped 3 cloves garlic and added them to a hot pan with 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. butter. Then I stir fried the beans for a few minutes. Then added a couple of tablespoons of water and cooked until the water evaporated. Plate up the rice and stew and top with the hot garlic beans. Delicious!

 

 

Baked Conchiglioni Stuffed With Green Pepper Pork Ragu & Ricotta

As many pasta shapes as I have eaten, including when I was touring around Italy, it seems that are still plenty that I haven't tried yet. Yes, they are all pasta, but take on different guises depending on how they are cooked, and indeed what with they are cooked. I have always said spaghetti is my favourite, but we have found a contender!

Whilst looking for some Farfalle pasta two days ago in the shops, I found it sitting beside this conchiglioni. Like the normal pasta shells I have eaten before, but huge. Stuffable in fact. I grabbed a pack with no idea what I was going to do with them but I was excited to see. And for dinner last night this is what I made. Pasta shells stuffed with a green pepper flavoured pork ragu, a little ricotta and baked with a smooth tomato sauce. Alongside a crisp salad, it was delicious. Like bites of heaven.

For the pork ragu:

250g pork mince
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried sage
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 green pepper, seeds removed and halved
2 cloves garlic
100ml white wine
salt & pepper

Heat the oil and add the pork on a medium heat to start cooking. Finely chop one half of the onion and one half of the pepper and add to the pork along with the sage. Put the other halves into a hand blender with the garlic and blitz until you have a paste. Add to the pork. Cook on fairly high for about 4 minutes until the onion and peppers are cooked and then add the wine. Stay on a high heat to reduce most of the wine. Season with salt and pepper and set to one side.

For the tomato sauce:

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a small saucepan. Add 3 chopped cloves garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add one 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, a handful of fresh chopped basil, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. of sugar. Cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend, using a stick blender until smooth. Set to one side.

Remaining ingredients & assembling the dish

Approx. 20 jumbo pasta shells
60g ricotta cheese

Set the oven to 180 C. Boil the pasta in a large pan of water for about 8 minutes, until they are nearly, but not completely, cooked. Drain well on kitchen paper and let cool for a moment. Using a dish about 10 x 10 inches, pour half of the tomato sauce into the base of the dish. With a pasta shell in your palm, fill the shell with the pork mix. Top with a teaspoon of ricotta and place into the dish, on top of the sauce. Continue until the dish is full, or you have run out of shells  (its a good idea to place the pasta into the dish before cooking to get an idea of how many you will need - plus a couple of extras for breakages).

Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the stuffed pasta, season with a little salt and black pepper and cover with kitchen foil. Bake covered, for 30 minutes.

Serve with a crisp salad and enjoy!

 

Baked to creamy perfection!

Honey Chicken Bites

This is a dish for those out there who love chicken nuggets. Home made in about 15 minutes, they are juicy and crispy and coated in honey and a rich dressing of honey, mustard and soy sauce.

Its no great cooking feat either. you just make the batter around the chicken in the same bowl - mixed with your fingers,quickly pan fried and drizzled with a quick sauce. Eat them straight away, nice and hot. Its one of those perfect dishes for when you have friends around to watch a movie. They'll love them.. Honey Chicken Bites.

Ingredients:     (Makes about 12-16)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large cubes
2 eggs
flour to coat
1 tsp. paprika
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. runny honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. soy sauce
Method
Whisk together the honey, soy and mustard. Set to one side.
Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add the chicken cubes to the eggs.  In another bowl mix the flour with the paprika. Add enough of the flour to the chicken and egg mixture to make a thick batter which is just short of dripping.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and take a few pieces of chicken from the batter and fry both sides for about 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drain on kitchen paper and place into serving bowl. Drizzle the crispy chicken with the honey mustard mix and serve immediately. Now that was just too easy wasn't it?!

Baked Salmon Tikka with Spinach & Lentil Daal

I had a huge piece of salmon waiting to be cooked for dinner yesterday and was due to be out all day. So in the morning I needed to get that fish into a marinade. I decided on Indian Spiced so make an Indian Tikka style paste (which took 5 minutes). A spoonful of the paste went into some natural yoghurt and was popped in the fridge to chill as a creamy accompaniment. The rest was added to more yoghurt and was used as a marinade for the salmon which I cut into large slices, ready for later. I decided I wanted healthy, so the fish was to be baked - not fried.

I also wanted a good healthy side dish, so instead of my usual Tarka Daal (lentils), I added some spinach to it.. and it was the best tasting daal I have had yet!

For the Tikka paste:

In a small food processor, pop in the following - one red chilli (heat of your choice), 1 inch piece peeled ginger, the seeds from 5 cardamom pods, 2 tsp. ground cumin, 2 tsp. ground coriander, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. turmeric powder and 1 tsp. garum masala. Add 1 tbsp. water and process to a paste.

For the salmon:

Add 1 tsp. of the paste to 1/4 cup natural low fat yoghurt, cover and chill for later. The remaining paste, add to 1/4 cup yoghurt and marinade the salmon. (Alternatively you could use chicken - just as delicious). Marinade for up to an hour and bake at 180 C for 20-25 mins. Healthy, low fat and ALL the flavour.

For the Spinach & Lentil Daal:

180g toor daal
1 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
3 whole green chillies, left whole but pricked with a knife
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
2 large tomatoes (or 5-6 cherry tomatoes)
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tbsp. garum masala
1 tbsp. ground coriander
400g frozen spinach
salt & pepper
handful fresh coriander, chopped

Firstly, wash and the toor daar in a colander, then put into a pan and add water to cover by about an inch. Bring to the boil, cover and then leave on a medium heat as they cook. They will take about 1/2 hour to become tender, so top up the water as needed. You don't want them to be dry. Add the spinach and cook until spinach wilted and mix well. Remove from heat and set to one side.

Heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds until fragrant and add the onion, chillies and ginger and cook on a medium heat until tender and the onion beginning to brown. Blitz the tomatoes and garlic together in a hand blender and add to the onion mix. Stir well and then add the ground spices along with 100ml of water.

Season with salt and leave to simmer gently for 15 minutes. Then add the onion mix to the lentils,  putting them back on a low heat. Season with a 1/4 tsp. salt and ground black pepper. Stir in chopped coriander and serve.

Sauteed Brussells and Bacon with Farfalle

The humble brussel sprout is never given much credit. Its one of those loved and hated vegetables, of which I am firmly placed in the 'love' team. They are like little baby cabbages that were grown possibly as early as the 13th century in what is now Belgium. They also contain sulforaphane, a phytochemical under basic research for its potential anticancer properties - although has less sulforaphane than its brassica brother, broccoli.

Although in the UK, they are mostly boiled (probably why people don't like them much), the best ways to cook them is to either roast them or shred them and stir fry, which brings out a lovely flavour. They pair beautifully with bacon and parmesan so here we have a lovely pasta meal with those delicious flavours.

Ingredients:             (Serves 3-4)

130g streaky bacon
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
200g brussel sprouts, shredded
1 tbsp. olive oil
180g farfalle pasta
50g pine nuts
parmesan, to finish

Method:

Grill the bacon until crisp. The best way to do this is to dab at any fat with kitchen paper every few minutes while it is cooking. Remove and set to one side on some more kitchen paper.

Put the pasta on to boil in a large pan of boiling water.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes and then add the sprouts. Stir fry for about 4 minutes and then add 3 tablespoons of the water from the pasta. Cover and let steam for 2 minutes. (alternatively, you could add a few tablespoons of white wine).

Drain the pasta and add to the sprouts, along with the pine nuts. Stir well. Just before serving, crumble in the bacon and combine.

Serve with a generous shaving of parmesan (use a potato peeler to get nice shavings) and serve hot. Delicious!

Nutty, Chewy, Choc Chip Flapjacks

Flapjacks are an old childhood favourite of mine and I can recall the smell of the house while my mother baked them. Known as flapjacks in the UK, they would likely be called granola bars, or cereal bars in some other countries.

They can vary quite a bit in terms of healthiness, this recipe is for the sweet toothed among us! Every bite is a mix of textures and flavours; of chocolate, crunchy nuts and chewy oats with raisins. I used a 9 x 9" tray to bake these in, but in all honesty I should have used one about 12 x 12 as they came out rather large! Not that I'm complaining....

Ingredients:

300g butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
340g golden caster sugar
200ml condensed milk
400g porridge oats
200g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
150g raisins (or currants)
100g white chocolate chips

Method:

Grease and then line a 12 x 12 inch tray (or close to). Set the oven to 170 C.

In a heavy based saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and syrup on a low heat. When melted, take off the heat and stir in the condensed milk. Add the remaining ingredients and stir through well.

Tip mixture into the prepared tray and smooth out the top with a spatula. Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, until starting to go golden brown. Leave to cool to room temperature and then cut into squares.

Serve with tea or coffee.. or grab one as you are running out the door to work! Either way, enjoy!

An English Bread Soup

Bread Soup is a dish that consists of stale bread cooked in a broth, and there are many variations from many countries. I have had quite a few and love it, as the bread in the middle soaks down into almost a velvety texture of softness as it cooks and absorbs the soup base and the bread at the top soufflés right up with a crunchy cheese topping.

This dish is entirely made from leftovers. After having had tapas on Friday night, I had sliced too much baguette and it was in a bag with no where to go. I had a small amount of cabbage, 2 leftover frozen sausages (I defrosted them) and a piece of cheese. This surely would make a fantastic bread soup. And you know what? It did.

Ingredients:     (Serves2)

2 sausages
1/4 savoy cabbage, shredded
80-100g grated cheese
2 cloves garlic, 1 chopped, 1 left whole
1 small baguette, sliced into 1" rounds 

Method:

Set the oven to 180 C. Cook the cabbage in plenty of boiling water for about 8 minutes, or until cooked and then drain, reserving the cabbage water. Take the skin off the sausages and crumble the meat into a frying pan with the chopped garlic until browned. Set aside. Lightly toast the bread (not too brown) and rub the whole garlic clove over one side of all of the pieces of toasted bread.

To assemble: in an ovenproof saucepan layer the ingredients. First put in half of the sausage meat, half of the drained cabbage, then half of the bread pieces, topped with a handful of the grated cheese. Then repeat with a second layer, ending with the cheese. Pour the cabbage water over the top (just enough to cover the bread) and finally add a little more cheese over the top.

Put the pan into the oven for 30 minutes; the top will be souffled up and golden. Serve into two serving bowls and enjoy!

Simple leftover ingredients
 

Filling and delicious!

Chorizo in Garlic & Red Wine

Here is another easy Spanish tapas for you from Friday nights tapas feast. Chorizo in red wine is simple, but very moreish. I have been making this for many years and I refuse to do a table full of Spanish Tapas without them.

I am lucky enough to have a Spanish friend and neighbour who regularly goes over to Barcelona to see her family, who then brings me back some proper Spanish Chorizo. Its so good!

Ingredients:

200g chorizo, sliced thickly
1 shallot, chopped finely
1 tsp. olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp smoked paprika
150ml red wine
fresh parsley, to serve

Method.

Heat the oil in a small pan and fry the shallot and garlic for 1 minute. Then add the chorizo. The chorizo will produce more oil so you shouldn't need much.

Cook on a high heat until brown and then add the smoked paprika and the red wine (be careful, it will splutter). Continue to cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated and the chorizo is dark in colour and has absorbed the flavours of the wine and garlic.

Tip into a dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and some cocktail sticks for your guests to help themselves. They will be glad to - its delicious! Happy cooking!

Tapas! Spanish Tortilla

Another one of the dishes from tapas night was a Spanish tortilla. It was actually only recently that I found out that the 'tortilla' is any omelette in Spain. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I always thought it was specifically the famous potato one! So in theory this is a 'potato tortilla' but I think we all know what I mean.

This is a great recipe for a dish that could be a served as a lovely lunch with salad, or as part of a tapas collection of food, or could be wrapped up and taken on a picnic (which we often do!). Simple, but delicious. Apologies to any Spaniards reading this who have their own recipe of maybe more eggs, or chopped potato etc. There are many ways to make this - but this is one that I do.

For this I use a small frying pan which is 19cm (7.5 inches). Of you only have a large pan I would double up on the ingredients, but if you can get a small pan it makes a perfect sized tortilla.

Ingredients:

4 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. oil
5 eggs
salt & pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in the pan and add the onion and potatoes. Cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes, moving them around the pan until the potatoes are soft but not brown. Try to keep the potato slices in one piece - some will break but try to keep to a minimum by being gentle.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and season with a little salt & pepper. Add the cooked potatoes and onions to the eggs and stir gently. Clean the pan and add another tbsp. oil in to heat. Put the egg and potato mix back into the pan. Cook for about 6-7 minutes until the bottom is set and browned. Then you put a plate over the top of the pan and invert, so that the tortilla is on the plate, browned side up. Slide the tortilla back into the pan to cook the other side, adding a little bit more oil if needed. Push the sides under neatly. Cook the other side for a further 6 minutes and put onto a board to cool. Serve warm or room temperature in thick wedges with salad on the side.

Spanish Tapas - Pork Tenderloin with Brie & Garlic Prawns

Here are a couple of my favourite tapas dishes that I made last night. We sat with these and a glass of rioja, excitedly chatting about our upcoming holiday to The Balearics. Its a few weeks away but last night I felt like we were already there!

I made five dishes in all - here are two of them. Pork tenderloin with sweet caramelised onions and soft brie and garlic prawns. The great thing about these dishes is the simplicity of them - you don't need to go overboard with tapas - keep it simple.

Ingredients:           (Makes about 10)

100g pork tenderloin
80g brie cheese
1 onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small baguette

Method:

Slice the onion thinly and put into a small pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes to caramelise.

Cut the baguette into slices, on the diagonal, and lightly toast. Cut the cheese into small slices. Leave the cheese to come to room temperature.

Slice the pork tenderloin into 3mm slices and put cut side up on a sheet of cling film. Cover with another sheet and hit once with the bottom of a saucepan to flatten out.

Lightly season the pork with salt & pepper and fry both sides in 1 tbsp. olive oil, it will only take about 1 minute each side as they are so thin.

To assemble. Put a spoon of caramelised onions on a piece of the toasted bread. Top with a piece of cheese and then a piece of the hot pork. Serve immediately.



Garlic Prawns:         (serves two)

150g king prawns
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
couple of sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a pan, add the oil and butter. When sizzling add the garlic and parsley for about 1 minute. Then add the prawns, tossing in the garlic butter mix, until pink and juicy. Serve hot!

Moroccan Beef Couscous Warm Salad

Now this dinner came about because of two ingredients. One was the ribs eye steaks I bought a few days ago. As I said at the time they were not only on the bone, but they were enormous. To get them both a more normal size (and to fit them in the pan!) I decided to cut a large strip off each one and put them in the fridge for another dinner. The other was a perfect, round green courgette I cut from the greenhouse today. I couldn't chop it and ruin the shape so I cut it into wedges for this dish. You can use any courgette though of course.

Packed with flavour, this beef salad is served warm with couscous, apricots, almonds, creamy feta, coriander yoghurt and a generous helping of my red pepper pesto. Great for a dinner and impressive enough for a dinner party. I'd serve this in the garden to guests with a glass of crisp, dry white wine.

Ingredients:    (serves 2)

2 steaks (of your choice)
2 tsp. olive oil + 2 tbsp. for couscous
2 tsp. zatar seasoning (optional)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup couscous
2 cups vegetable stock (cube is fine)
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
25g coriander, chopped
1 courgette
6 dried apricots, quartered
50g feta cheese
handful sliced almonds
2 tbsp. natural yoghurt, with chopped coriander stirred in
2 tbsp. red pepper walnut pesto (recipe at bottom of page)

Method:

Season the steaks with a little salt & pepper, rub with the oil and zatar, if using, and garlic powder. Wrap in cling film and leave to marinade for 30 mins.

Put the couscous into a bowl and add the hot stock. Cover with cling film for 3-4 minutes and then add the tomatoes, onion & coriander, stir through with a tablespoon of olive oil. Re-cover and set aside.

Cut the courgette into wedges and sprinkle with salt & pepper and a drizzle of oil. Pop in a 200 C oven for ten minutes. Remove and set to one side.

Fry the steaks for about 7 minutes, turning half way through until cooked to your liking, remove and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes.

To assemble: Get a large plate and spread out the couscous. Slice the steak on the diagonal and lay over the top of the couscous. Scatter around the courgette pieces and apricots. Crumble over the feta and top with sliced almonds. To finish, add a spoonful or two of coriander yoghurt and a couple of red pepper pesto. Serve warm.

For the red pepper pesto:

Chop two or three roasted peppers finely (I used ones from a jar) and put into a bowl. Add 20g breadcrumbs, 30g chopped walnuts, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Either serve chunky or put into a hand blender if you prefer it smooth. A lovely alternative pesto that works so well with Moroccan flavours.

Three Pork Wellington with a Creamy Dijon Sauce

This was yet another one of those open the fridge decisions. It reminds me a little bit of the old TV show 'Ready Steady Cook' which I used to love years ago (new series back on but its not as good) where contestants are given half a dozen ingredients and they have to come up with a snap decision for a recipe. That is often how I cook. Well, the fridge gave me a pork tenderloin and some ready made pastry. With a nose in the freezer for additional help I thought pork wellington!

A twist on the Beef Wellington which is a fillet of beef wrapped in a mushroom duxelle and covered in pastry. The Bloke, as mentioned before, hates mushrooms (which is usually used in a beef wellington), so I grabbed an Irish white pudding and some speck (a type of prosciutto) out of the freezer to defrost.

So we had pork fillet, pork white pudding and pork ham. Three porks.. well.. why not? I have to say I was unsure, but went ahead. And it was delicious. Three Pork Wellington with Creamy Dijon Sauce.

Ingredients:      (Serves up to 4 slices)

1 pork tenderloin (about 420g)
2 tbsp. oil
salt & pepper
200g white pudding
200g frozen spinach
1/2 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
80g prosciutto (or speck)
1 pack ready rolled puff or shortcrust pastry
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 egg, beaten

Method:

Set the oven to 200 C. Take the pork tenderloin and cut off 1/3, cutting off the thinner end (the tenderloin gets thinner at one end and you want the same size). Pop the thinner cut off into a bag and put in the fridge or freezer for another use (maybe a stir fry, or chopped into a meatloaf with pork mince?). Season the large piece left and heat the oil in a frying pan. Sear all sides of the pork and pop in the oven for fifteen minutes to start the cooking process. Remove from oven and leave to cool, then cover and pop in the fridge while you make the rest.

Put the frozen spinach into a small pan with boiling water and cook for a few minutes until soft. Drain and put into a clean tea towel, twist and squeeze to remove the water from it and put onto a chopping board. Chop finely and put into a mixing bowl with the white pudding. Fry the chopped onion and garlic until soft and add to the mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash the white pudding, onion and spinach together. Set to one side.

Set the oven again to 200 C. To assemble: Lay out the ready rolled puff pastry on a floured board. Spread the mustard over the pastry leaving a frame and then lay the prosciutto over the pastry. Take the white pudding mix and spread it oven the top of the prosciutto and then put the (now cooled) pork on the top (see pic below):

Carefully roll up and trim the sides. Seal well using a wet finger to ensure all pastry sealed and there are no gaps. Put onto a greased baking tray with the sealed side on the bottom. Use any cut off pastry to make a decoration on the top and brush with the beaten egg.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. The pastry will be golden and the meat cooked though. If you have a meat thermometer, use it to double check the pork has an internal temperature of about 155 F.

To serve, cut the ends off and discard. Cut the Wellington in half and serve for two large portions. Or into four, for a smaller serving slice. Serve with vegetables and a gravy of your choice. I made a Dijon cream sauce (recipe below):


For the Dijon sauce:

Slice 3 shallots and chop 1 clove garlic. Fry in a little oil until cooked and add 1 cup white wine. Cook on a high heat until reduced by half. Add 1 cup vegetable stock and again cook on a high heat until reduced again by half. Add about 140ml double cream and turn the heat to medium. Season with a little salt and pepper and add 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Stir through and cook on low for a couple of minutes and its ready.


Note: You want to err on the side of overcooked with pork, undercooked pork can cause food poisoning. The times and temperatures above will be ample (I cooked a little longer than usual), but when you cut into the pork you will be able to tell. It may still be a tiny bit pink but no blood should be coming out of it. If unsure, pop back in the oven for 5 mins after cutting - it won't do the wellington any harm.

Note 2: White pudding can be bought in the UK - Waitrose sell a few types - but if you can't get hold of it you can try with black pudding, which is readily available in UK stores. It really is worth trying to find the white pudding if you can though. Irish readers - you are lucky!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

As ever, at the weekend I had leftovers from a roasted chicken, so I shredded the breast meat for this, leaving some nice big chunks in it. You can, of course, make this from chicken breasts that have been roasted in the oven. But this is SO handy for leftover chicken!

I wanted to do a chicken noodle soup as its one of my favourite soups and I wanted to use vermicelli noodles. So Thai is was. I tend to cook quite a lot of Thai food these days.. it seems to be the taste of the moment. So anyway, here it is. It only took 25 minutes to make too.

Ingredients:

1 litre chicken stock (cube is fine)
400ml coconut milk
1 inch piece ginger, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 red birds eye chilli, chopped finely
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tbsp. palm sugar (brown sugar will do)
juice of two small limes
1 tbsp. fish sauce
25g coriander
cooked chicken shredded from about 2 breasts
140g beansprouts
100g mange tout, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
100g vermicelli noodles

Method:

Put the chicken stock and coconut milk into a large pan with the ginger, garlic, chilli, turmeric, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. Bring to the boil. Cut the stems off the fresh coriander and chop the stems, reserving the leaves for later. Add the coriander stems to the pot. Turn to a simmer and leave to cook for 10 minutes for the flavours to fuse.

Add the chicken and vegetables to the pan and leave to cook on a medium heat for another 10 minutes. Then add the noodles until cooked.

Serve in a wide bowl with the coriander leaves in the centre, like a salad. They will wilt into the soup as you eat it. Top with some fresh chopped red chilli if liked. Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Nigerian Lamb Curry Stew

I have been looking at Nigerian recipes recently and have been finding it hard to locate Nigerian curries. There are some, but I thought there would be more. It seems that lamb stew is the more popular. 

Here I have cooked a typical local dish of a lamb stew - the thyme and the seasoning cubes are always used in their dishes. I have added curry powder and coconut milk to make a creamy curry, with the spice from the scotch bonnets. The dish is slow cooked so that the lamb is fall apart tender and the flavours combine beautifully.

300g lamb leg steaks, trimmed of fat and cubed
1 vegetable seasoning cube
salt & pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 scotch bonnet chillies (1 chopped, 1 left whole and pierced)
1 cup coconut milk (200ml)
1 cup water
200g tinned chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp. curry powder

Put the lamb into a bowl and sprinkle over the seasoning cube, salt & pepper. Put the onion, garlic, ginger, thyme and the chopped scotch bonnet chilli in a hand blender and blend to a paste. Add the paste to the lamb and stir well. Leave in the fridge to marinade for at least an hour.

In a sauce pan, add the coconut milk, water, tomatoes and curry powder and bring to the boil. Add the lamb and its marinade along with the whole scotch bonnet. Stir well, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook gently for about 2 hours. For the last 15 minutes, take the lid off the pan and turn up the heat to reduce the sauce until its thickened.

Serve with rice and fried plantain. A delicious warming curry - that is surprisingly not that hot! It is, however, delicious!

Yankee Beans & Biscuits

Again, for Independence Day - these are a couple of sides I added to the meal. For anyone who has tasted the standard baked beans, this is sort of similar in a way... but takes the flavours to another dimension. Only the Americans can make beans taste this good - trust me!

Now the biscuits may not be something that would be eaten with this meal particularly. But even since I was a little girl watching a fantastic US TV show called Little House On The Prairie, I remember 'biscuits' being made. Now these weren't biscuits like you get in the UK, which are like cookies, but more like savoury light, fluffy scones. So apologies for going a little 'off piste' but I really wanted to try them. Made with buttermilk, they were as light as a feather. First - the Yankee Beans:

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
120g streaky bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
400g tin cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 tbsp. tomato puree
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. English mustard powder
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
hot sauce to taste (optional)

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and bacon for 5 mins. Then add the garlic to cook for another couple of minutes on a medium heat. Add the thyme, paprika, beans, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder and bay leaves. Stir well. Now add 1 cup of water, stir and bring to the boil. Pop a lid on the pan and turn the heat to low.

Cook on a gentle heat for 30 minutes. Then add the vinegar. Add 1 tbsp. of your favourite hot sauce (if you like it hot) and serve sprinkled with parsley. The flavours are amazing and this tastes great with steak, or chicken.. or just simply on toast!

For the American biscuits:

250g plain flour            
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2tsp. salt
90g cold butter, cubed
1 cup (250ml) buttermilk

Set the oven to 220 C. Put the dry ingredients in a food processor with the butter and pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the buttermilk and blend to make a very soft dough. Tip onto a floured board. You can add a little more flour if you like but it is meant to be very soft.

Press out to about 1 cm high with your fingers - don't roll with a rolling pin. Cut rounds with a cutter and place onto a floured baking sheet. Cook for 10-12 minutes until golden and soft. Cool on a wire rack.