Jules Banana & Walnut Cake

I hate seeing bananas go to waste and we had four - all going black (how does this happen so quickly?!). I actually don't like banana bread. I find it a bit 'chewy' if you get what I mean. I wanted a light cake. So I made one. Its very easy too.

Ingredients:

4 (overripe) bananas
8oz self raising flour
3oz caster sugar
2 eggs
4oz butter (room temperature)
approx. 100g walnuts (chop most and leave some whole for decoration)

Method:

Set the oven to 180 C.Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the eggs. Mix well. Mash 3 of the bananas in a separate bowl and tip into the butter mix. Combine. Now add the flour and walnuts. Stir well.

Pile into a greaseproof paper lined loaf tin. Slice the last banana and decorate the top of the cake with the banana slices and whole walnuts. Pop into the oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden, risen and cooked through.

Enjoy!

Featherblade Steak with Rocket, Feta & Fig Salad

A new butcher in town is SO exciting to me.. The Ginger Pig. They sell all the cuts and types that are so hard to find - yes, even in London. My first visit, I bought some rabbit for a Maltese stew and some featherblade beef steak. A lesser used cut, they are good for braising or pan frying and are full of flavour.

I used a dry rub of paprika and oregano and pan fried it to rare and served it on a salad of rocket, figs and red onion. All on top of a potato galette. Last minute touch was some chopped hazelnuts and a little feta cheese. Delicious. A hearty warm salad for summer evenings.

You can also make this dish with a fillet, sirloin or rump steak. Whatever is your favourite and cooked to your liking!

For the potato galette:

Peel and thinly slice 1-2 potatoes and put into a bowl. Add some chopped garlic and a tbsp. olive oil. Stir gently, ensuring all pieces covered. Make a circle on a piece of greaseproof paper and place onto a baking sheet. Place the potatoes on the template, going round in a circle and seasoning with salt & pepper. Brush with melted butter and bake in the oven for about 45 mins on 180 C, until browned and cooked through.

Fry the steak and let it rest. Make the salad of rocket, thinly sliced red onion, quartered figs and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Slice the steak.

Plate the potato galette, put a handful of salad on top and add the steak. Top with a crumble of feta cheese and a little chopped hazelnuts. Enjoy!

Tagliatelle with Clams & Smoked Bacon

Sometimes the simplest recipes are just the best. While the pasta is cooking, you make a quick sauce with the bacon, clams, white wine and garlic. A handful of parsley and you have one of the best meals to ever grace an Italian table.

We had this the other night and ate it in the garden, just as the sun was beginning to disappear. I fully recommend to have a sneaky glass from the wine bottle you opened making the sauce!

Ingredients:             (Serves 2)

500g clams (in shell)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 strips smoked streaky bacon, sliced thinly
25g fresh parsley
1 glass white wine
250g tagliatelle pasta

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the pasta. In a large frying or sauté pan, add a little olive oil and heat. Add the sliced bacon and fry until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Add the pasta to the boiling water.

In the same pan you used to cook the bacon, add a little more oil and the garlic and half of the parsley. Cook on high for a minute or two (be careful not to burn the garlic), and add the wine. Let bubble on high for a minute and then add the clams. Cover the pan for 5 minutes until the clams are all open. Then add the reserved bacon and remaining parsley and a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Let that continue to cook as you drain the pasta. Toss the two together and serve! You can add salt if you like; I tend to not think its needed with clams and bacon. Enjoy!

Note: For UK readers you can get the clams vacuum packed at Waitrose/Ocado.

Pulled Pork Baked Chimichangas

One of my favourite things about South American food is the colour.. I adore reds, yellows, greens on a plate - and as always a good kick of chilli! When I made the pulled pork in the slow cooker the other day, I had no idea where I was going with it. You can eat it in so many ways with different flavours.

I wanted to try them in a chimichanga -  which is basically a deep fried burrito. However, I made it healthy and baked them instead. So an enclosed burrito with meltingly soft pulled pork with a little cheese served with salads. Delicious, simple to make and healthy!

For the pulled pork

700g pork shoulder steaks
salt & pepper
1 tsp. paprika
150ml water

Put the pork in the slow cooker with the seasoning and water. Cook on low for 8 hours, strain and leave to cool before shredding.

For the chimichangas:

pulled pork (as above)
200g chopped tomatoes
3 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp garlic power
salt & pepper
150g grated mozzarella
pack (8) flour tortillas

Mix the tomatoes, onions & spices into the pulled pork. Stir well. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set the oven to 190 C. Warm up the tortillas in the microwave for about 5 seconds to make soft easier to fold.

Place a few spoons of the pork in the tortilla, add some cheese and roll and fold, keeping the edges tucked in to enclose. Roll and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Brush with a little olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and piping hot.

Serve with coleslaw, salads, guacamole, sweetcorn.. anything you like!

Jerk Pork Fillet with Mango Salsa & Fufu

Having had our kitchen completely demolished to build new - I have been a bit quiet lately. Well I have a temporary kitchen now set up in the study and am back with a bang! With this recipe - maybe more a burn..

Generally one to favour spicy food, I eyed the pork tenderloin fillet in the fridge the other night. It needed heat and lots of it. Fortunately, I always have a pot of ready made jerk paste (see recipe here) in the fridge (I really can't live without it) and used that. For this recipe you can use any type you like from a paste to a powder, but I will always recommend making it yourself. If you do use powder just add some oil to the marinade.

I also have used Fufu which is a staple in parts of Africa and South America. You can get varying types made with cassava flour, but the one I have made is from plantain flour. Its quick, delicious, similar to potato (bit starchier) and gluten free. Try it!

For the pork:

1 pork tenderloin (trimmed of fat)
3-4 tbsp. good jerk paste
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 white onion, sliced
drizzle oil
3/4 cup vegetable stock (cube is fine)

Put the pork, uncut, into a zip lock back with the marinade and massage in well. Put in the fridge for between 1-6 hours.

When ready to cook, set the oven to 200 C. Place the sliced peppers and onions down the centre of a roasting tray. Place the pork on the top and roast for 40 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven and add the stock (not over the meat - you want to keep that crust). Cover with foil and turn the oven down to about 180 C. Cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice to serve.

For the mango salsa:

Chop 1 large ripe mango into a bowl, Add 1/2 chopped red onion, 1/2 small red (bell) pepper, a handful chopped coriander & the juice of a lime. Mix and chill until needed

For the Fufu:

Put 1 cup fufu flour into a small saucepan with 1 cup hot water and mix well. Keep adding boiling water bit by but and keep mixing until it has the texture you like (I like it like smooth mashed potato). Season with salt & pepper and add anything you like. I added 1 tsp. garlic powder and 3 chopped spring onions.

Serve the fufu in the middle of the plate, add jerk pork slices and drizzle over the onion and pepper sauce from the roasting tray. Serve with the mango salsa and some avocado slaw. A wedge of lime and....enjoy!

Cauliflower & Comte Soup

Cauliflower and cheese. Two of the best partnerships that has ever been. I rarely eat cauliflower cheese, as much as I love it, because I always feel that its really unhealthy. It seems last Saturday, I decided that making it as a soup was healthier. I don't suppose it makes that much of a difference really.. unless you use mountains of cheese, of course.

This was simple and quick to cook. I shaved some pieces of raw cauliflower at the start, to save for a garnish - the texture along with some extra cubes of cheese is just lovely.

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower, chopped
1 white onion, peeled & chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 large potato, peeled & chopped
1 tbsp. butter
400ml vegetable stock (cube is fine)
400ml milk
1 tsp. English Mustard
120g Comte cheese, diced finely.

Method:

Put the butter into a large pan and melt over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently for about 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower and potato and stir through quickly. Then add the stock, milk and mustard. Bring to the boil and then turn to a simmer for about 30 minutes.

Take off the heat and use a potato masher if you like the soup chunky, or if you want it smoother - use a stick blender. Put back on the heat and add most of the cheese (reserving a little for garnish) along with some black pepper. Stir and take off the heat. Serve with the raw shavings of cauliflower, the remaining cheese cubes and some snipped chives (if liked). Delicious!


Note: I considered putting cream in at the end. You can of course but I am glad I didn't - it wasn't needed. But it would add more richness if you would prefer that.

Indian Curd Chicken Parcels

This recipe came about because I had randomly bought some curd cheese. I knew about it being used in Indian recipes so I phoned a friend for an authentic idea. He suggested putting the chicken and curd in foil parcels with some spices - the curd makes the gravy. Here is what I did - it was oh so good.

 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, skinless
180g curd cheese
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2  tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. chilli powder
1/2 tsp. garum masala
little salt & pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
few slices thinly sliced red onion
few slices thinly sliced pepper (green or red)

Method:

Firstly, slash the chicken breasts with a knife, so that the marinade works its way into the chicken. Put all the spices into a bowl and mix with the curd cheese and lemon juice. Mix well and add the chicken breasts, ensuring the chicken is well coated. Pop in the fridge for at least an hour.

Set the oven to 200 C. Get a large square of kitchen foil and place some slices of onion and pepper in the middle. Put the chicken on top with some of the marinade and season with a little salt & pepper. Pull up the sides of the foil to make a parcel and do the same with the other chicken breast.

Cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breast. Serve the parcel on a plate and eat out of the foil. Have with rice, chapati and some garlicky tarka daal. Delicious!

Greek Lamb & Feta Spiral

Weather still horribly unsettled in London. The weekend was lovely and warm - now its muggy and raining. So with my mind hoping for more sun - I give you a recipe that is Greek in style - its not really a Greek dish.. But it has all the flavours with juicy lamb, aubergine and feta and is lovely with lemon potatoes and a tzatziki sauce.

You could make this with lamb mince, but the texture of the chopped lamb is a lovely change.

Ingredients:

2 lamb rump steaks, chopped finely
1 aubergine, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped finely
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt & pepper (to taste)
8 sheets filo pastry
60g feta cheese
oil for brushing

Method:

Fry the lamb, onion and aubergine together in the oil in a large pan on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the meat cooked through. Add the garlic and oregano and season to taste. Cook for a further 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Leave to cool a little.
 
Set the oven to 180 C. Take one rectangular sheet of filo and brush lightly with some oil, top with another piece, brush with oil and add the third sheet on top. Take half of the lamb mix and put it along the long side the pastry, ready to make a long sausage shape. Crumble half the feta cheese over the lamb.

Now roll the pastry over and keep rolling until you get to the end to make a sausage. Working quickly, take an end of the sausage and roll it into itself to make a spiral shape. Seal the end with a little oil and brush with some more oil. Put onto a baking sheet and repeat with the other half of the ingredients. Cook the spirals for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with tzatziki and roasted lemon potatoes.

For the potatoes:

2 medium potatoes,  peeled & cut into chunks
juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock (cube is fine)

Put the potato chunks into a dish in one layer. Add the garlic, lemon juice and oil. Stir though well. The garlic will fall into the liquid - but that's good because it stops it burning.

Cook at 170 C for 30 minutes and then add the stock. Cook for another 20 minutes and serve hot! Enjoy! The sun will be back soon..

Chicken Faggots

I rarely hear that people actually eat faggots these day; years ago they were so popular. It could be the fact that the branded ones in England are called 'Brains Faggots' and possibly people thought they actually contain brains (they don't). Or because offal is considered not a good part of the animal. Either way I just put liver in mine.

I normally make these with pork belly, pork shoulder and pigs liver (recipe here), but the other day I decided to try and lower the fat content and make them with chicken. They were delicious!

Ingredients:

350g chicken sausages
1 chicken breast
120g chicken livers
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. thyme
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
salt & pepper
8 rashers streaky bacon

Method:

Set the oven to 170 C. Remove the casings of the sausages and put the meat into a bowl. Put the onion, chicken breast and liver into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the bowl with the sausage meat. Add the seasoning, breadcrumbs and mix well. Put in the fridge to firm up. (If the mixture too loose, add some more breadcrumbs).

Take a bacon rasher onto a chopping board and use the back of a knife to stretch it to lengthen it, then cut in half. Do the same with the rest of the bacon.

Roll about a golf ball size of the meat in your hands and wrap a piece of bacon around it. Put into a baking sheet. Continue until all mixture used up and cook for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with chicken gravy and vegetables. Delicious!

Squid, Chorizo & Baby Potato Salad with Lemon Oil

I am SO excited that I found a new fishmonger locally to me! I am so delighted as I rarely get the time to go to Billingsgate Fish Market for good supplies of fresh squid! I bought two large ones. You can easily make this dish with frozen squid rings though - which you can buy pretty much anywhere.

This is a simple salad which packs a huge punch of flavour and will leave your taste buds so happy! And it doesn't take long to cook. And its easy peasey.

Ingredients:

2 squid, cleaned and sliced
100g cooking chorizo, sliced
400g baby potatoes, halved
1 red pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chilli, sliced (optional)
90g rocket, baby leaf or pea shoot salad leaves

For the Lemon oil:

1 lemon
60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

Method;

To make the lemon oil, pare the rind off the lemon in large bits, making sure to avoid the white pith underneath the skin. Put into a saucepan with the oil and heat until hot but not boiling. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Chill.

Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cover with a tea towel.

Put the chorizo into a pan and cook for about 6-8 mins, stirring. The oil should release from the chorizo, but if you need a little more, add 1 tsp. oil. Then add the pepper and onions and stir fry for five minutes, adding the garlic (and chilli, if using) for the last minute. Then add the squid and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add a little black pepper and taste to see if it needs salt.

To serve, place the salad leaves on a plate. Add the potatoes to the pan with the chorizo mix and stir through, off the heat. Add the chorizo & squid mix on top of the salad. Drizzle with the lemon oil and serve. Delicious!

Cajun Style Sausage Stew

Sorry I have been so quiet recently.. After a spell of illness, I then decided to go on a diet, as I feel I have been sampling too many of my own recipes! I am actually still on this diet until Friday night, so I will give you a dish I made last week for The Bloke. 

Its definitely April showers here in London, and along with the rain, is cold. Salads are not really the time or the place. But a stew IS. So here I have made a Cajun Style Sausage Stew. I made loads so he could re-heat it on days where I was being all good. All he had to do was cook some orzo. Or rice would be good too! Or mashed buttery potatoes.

Ingredients:

6 large sausages
12 bacon wrapped chipolatas
1 tbsp. oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 chilli, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. chilli flakes
3 tbsp. flour
500ml chicken stock (cube is fine)
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
400g tin chopped tomatoes
salt & pepper
spring onion, chopped, to serve


Method:

Set the oven to 200 C and put the large sausages in a large tray. Cook for 12 minutes. Then add the chipolata sausages and continue to cook both for a further 30 mins. Remove from oven and set to one side (on kitchen paper to drain any excess fat).

In a large pan, add the oil, onions and peppers. Cook for about 12-15mins until softened. Then add the chilli and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the paprika, thyme and chilli flakes and stir through. Now add the flour and cook for 1 minute while making sure the flour is coating everything.

Add the stock, about 100ml to start and mix well. Then add the remaining stock with the chopped tomatoes and season with salt & pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the sausages, half cover with a lid on simmer, and leave for about 20 minutes. The sauce will be thick and delicious, ready to be served with pasta (I used orzo), rice or mashed potatoes. Filling, comforting and very tasty! Garnish with a little chopped spring onion, if liked.

 

Note: This amount makes enough for about 6 servings

Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

Soup Saturday was back with a vengeance at the weekend. I actually had a few sausages leftover (uncooked) so I started with them. Thinking vaguely Italian.. I added a few other ingredients. Kale is becoming so popular now that I think I might have a go at growing some this year. Partially as I love it, but it also contains a plethora of vitamins and dietary minerals. So you can feel good about yourself!

Its still quite cold in April, so a good, chunky soup is a must. This one is lovely. Cannellini beans are best for this. I used black eye beans as they were all I had in the cupboard! They worked well but cannellini would be better.

Ingredients:

3 pork sausages, skin removed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large potato, peeled and chopped 1cm pieces
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. oregano
1.2 litres  chicken stock (cube is fine) 
400g tin white beans
100g kale, shredded

Method

In a large pan, add the oil and the onions and cook on a medium heat. As they are cooking, crumble in the sausage meat and cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Add the carrots, potatoes and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or so. Add the flour, with some salt, pepper and the oregano. Stir and let cook for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour.

Then add a little of the stock. Incorporate and then add the rest of the stock. Turn up the heat to boil and then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the beans and kale and cook for a further 3 minutes. Taste to check for seasoning and add black pepper and salt as you like it.

Serve (if liked) with cheesy croutons on top. Delicious!

Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Pork Wellington

Well, its a bit like Pork Wellington, but instead of having the stuffing around the meat - its inside the meat. A very simple but impressive dish and so tasty! Just a few vegetables and some gravy and you have a delicious Sunday dinner!

Ingredients:          (Serves 4)

1 pork fillet (about 550g)
3 pork sausages (casing removed)
100g fresh spinach
handful pine nuts
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pack of ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg
10g butter
little oil


Method:

Put the spinach into a pan and put on a low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally until wilted. Drain in a sieve and press out the water. Then chop and put into a bowl. Let cool. Add the sausage meat, pine nuts and pepper and mix well with a fork.

Set the oven to 170 C. Pat the pork fillet dry with kitchen paper and using a sharp knife, butterfly the fillet. To do this, you need to cut the fillet lengthways - but not all the way through. Open it like a book and do the same again to the thick pieces. So the pork is opened up. (If you feel like its not big enough, you can put between 2 pieces of cling film and gently hit with a rolling pin to flatten and spread out a little more).

Put the stuffing in the centre of the pork (lengthwise) and roll up. Tie with string to secure. Heat 10g butter and 1 tbsp. oil in a flameproof roasting tin and pop on the hob. Add the pork and fry each side to brown and then put in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, cut off the string and leave to cool.

Open the pastry and lay the pork in the centre. Wrap the pastry around it and seal with a little beaten egg. Make leaf shapes from excess pastry and lay over the top. Brush with egg and cook at 200 C for 30 minutes.

Serve with gravy and veg of your choice. A delicious weekend treat!

Kazandibi (Turkish Milk Pudding)

I loved this recipe, as I am a huge fan of custard. And you can make this delicious custard type dessert either set (like this recipe) or hot and creamy as a standard sweet custard. And it contains NO eggs!! The main ingredients are cornflour, sugar, milk and vanilla. So simple too. It comes out a white, milky colour instead of the usual yellow custard which is a nice change.

I had this dessert at a Turkish restaurant called Otto in Wanstead in London and it was delicious, so I had to try it myself. Topped ( as they did) with cinnamon and served with ice cream, its so tasty.

I have added mastic, but this can be made just the same without, if you don't fancy it or can't find it in the shops. Mastic is a resin from the Greek mastic tree and adds a subtle pine flavour, which I particularly like. But you can just use vanilla extract if you choose.

Ingredients:

7 cups milk
3/4 cup cornflour
1/4 cup '00' pasta (fine) flour - you can also use rice flour
1 cup caster sugar + 3 tbsp. for caramel
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. vanilla.
pinch of mastic, crushed (optional)
cinnamon powder

Method:

Put one cup of the milk in with the cornflour and flour. Whisk well to remove any lumps. Set to one side.

Put the remaining 6 cups of milk into a saucepan and boil. When it gets to boiling add the sugar, vanilla and mastic if using. Turn the heat down to medium and cook through, stirring until its thickened. Pop on a lid and leave to cool for 15 mins or so.

Then get a flameproof 9 inch pan and add the butter, sugar and a splash of cold water. Turn up the heat and let the sugar caramelise. It should take about 5-7 minutes. When the caramel is medium brown, carefully add a ladleful and a half of the custard ( it will splutter a bit). Let this cook without stirring on a medium heat for a few minutes to become a crust. Turn off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then ladle the remaining custard on top. Again, leave to cool completely and then put in the fridge for about 5-6 hours, or until completely set.

To serve, Cut a slice with a knife and using a palette knife, invert the slice crust side up onto a plate. Cover generously with cinnamon powder and serve with ice cream. Delicious!.

Salmon Salad with Garlic & Horseradish Sauce

One of the easiest and healthiest dinners you could make after work. Fresh salmon simply pan fried or baked in the oven with 1 teaspoon of oil. With peppery rocket, baby potatoes, asparagus tips and broccoli.

And to make the whole dish sing - you have a garlic puree sweetened and softened by poaching in milk, added to creamed horseradish to make a flavour sensation. I could eat this every day, I love it so much.

Ingredients for the sauce:

1 whole bulb garlic
about 100-150ml milk
2 heaped tsp. creamed horseradish

Separate the cloves of garlic and peel. Pop into a sauce pan and use enough milk to just cover the garlic. Cook on a simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and tender. Blitz with a stick blender and add the horseradish. Cover and chill until needed.


For the salad:

baby potatoes
broccoli florets
asparagus tips
2 x salmon fillets

Halve some baby potatoes and boil for 15 minutes. Steam some broccoli and add the asparagus for the last 5 minutes. Drain all together, cover with a tea towel and leave to one side.

Bake or pan fry the salmon with just a tsp. of oil and some salt & pepper until cooked to your liking.

To plate up, put the rocket on a plate. Top with the warm vegetables and flake over the salmon. Now drop spoonfuls of the garlic and horseradish sauce over the top. Serve at room temperature. Delicious.

Basil Chicken with Caprese Salad

Oh for the simple, fresh, beautiful tastes of Italy - it seems so many years since I visited. When I did go, many years ago, I travelled from Ancona to Rome, on to Florence, Verona and Venice. I ate this Insalata Caprese so many times. Its also called Tricolore Salad and I have noticed avocado being added - I'm not sure how authentic the avocado is - but it does go well.

Here I have kept it simple, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with black pepper. And served with a chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and basil - to make it a more substantial evening meal.

Ingredients for the chicken:         (serves 2)

2 chicken breasts, skin removed
2 tbsp. cream cheese
6 leaves fresh basil

Chop the basil and add to the cream cheese, seasoning with a little black pepper. Make a pocket in the chicken breast and add the cheese mix. Seal with a cocktail stick and pop into a small baking dish. Cook at 200 C for 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the salad:

2 salad tomatoes, sliced
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
basil leaves
olive oil

Method:

Place the tomatoes, cheese and basil neatly on the plate next to the chicken. Drizzle over a little olive oil onto the salad and season with salt and pepper. That's it. Serve with chips or bread, if liked.

Japanese Crispy Pork Noodle Soup

From the picture, you probably wouldn't see this as a soup. But under all those delicious toppings is a light miso broth, rice noodles, then topped with various crisp fresh vegetables and pork that is crispy on the outside with a soft centre. This Asian soup is part Japanese inspired, and part Vietnamese. A bit like a Pho and topped with Japanese marinated eggs - which taste just soft and work so well in this dish.

I know its a bit of a long process, as I have slow cooked the pork shoulder for 7 hours, before then shredding and crisping up - but its all worth it and tastes so authentic. If you like this sort of dish - give it a go - its so tasty.

Ingredients (for the pork):

575kg pork shoulder steaks
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake (Chinese wine)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder
2 tbsp. brown sugar

Put all the above ingredients into a slow cooker and stir well. Cook on low for about 7 hours, or until the meat is falling apart. Take the meat out of the cooking liquor and shred (not too finely). To crisp up, add to a hot dry non stick pan and stir fry until crispy. Cover and keep warm.

For the soup:

Make up about 4 cups of miso soup using miso paste. Cook some rice noodles to pack instructions. Ladle some soup into a bowl and add some cooked noodles. Top with shredded carrot, shredded courgette, sliced spring onions (scallions) and fresh coriander.

To make it extra special I added marinated eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago) and a sesame garlic paste (recipes below).

For the eggs:

Soft boil 2 eggs by adding to boiling water and cooking for 5 minutes exactly. Peel (gently) and put into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water,  1/2 cup sake and 2 tbsp. caster sugar. Stir gently and leave to marinade for about 4 hours (can be up to 24). When making the miso, warm the eggs up briefly in the soup and then you can halve the eggs and serve on top of the soup.

For the sesame garlic paste:

Finely chop 7 cloves garlic. Add about 6 of them to a small pan with 1/4 cup olive oil and cook on a very low heat until brown (don't burn). Put into a pot with 1/4 cup sesame oil and use a hand blender to blitz. Put back in the saucepan and add the last clove of garlic along with 1 chopped Thai red chilli. Cook on a low heat for about 1 minute and then take off the heat to cool. Pound 2 tbsp. sesame seeds in a pestle and mortar until a paste. Stir into the garlic oil mixture. Spoon a good tbsp. onto the soup for a burst of flavour!

Enjoy!

Tuna with Roasted Radish & Bean Salad

I normally make this salad with tomatoes, but I had some radishes and was curious as to how they would taste roasted. Turns out they are lovely. Juicy, brightly coloured with a milder flavour than when eaten raw, they make a lovely salad accompaniment.

The tuna was simply marinated in garlic, ginger and lime juice before being pan fried for a couple of minutes each side. Simple, healthy and delicious.

Ingredients:              (Serves 2)

2 x tuna steaks
juice of 1/2 lime
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
small piece ginger, chopped finely

small bag radishes, halved
400g cannellini beans, drained
1 tsp. fennel seeds
75g rocket
juice of 1/2 lime
splash of olive oil

Method:

Set the oven to 200 C. Trim and half the radishes and put into a small roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and set to one side.

Marinate the tuna steaks in the lime juice, garlic and ginger for 1/2 hour and then take out of the marinade. Griddle or pan fry the tuna for about 2 minutes each side. It should be pink in the middle.

Put the drained beans in a bowl with the roasted warm radishes, fennel seeds and season with salt & pepper. Add the juice from the other half a lime and a splash of olive oil. Toss well and serve the salad in the middle of the plate with the rocket and then the tuna on top. Fresh and healthy!

Thai Prawn and Cabbage Stir Fry

The thing I have been trying recently is to avoid using too many ingredients. This is similar to a dish I eat on my lunch break from a Thai Express café, Pad See Ew, which proves that you don't need much to make an amazing flavour. I adore this dish which takes minutes to make and tastes just perfect.

Stir fried dinners tend to get lost if you throw in a bit of everything - this is literally just prawns and cabbage, with very little else. Its all you need.

Ingredients:

200g large peeled shrimp or prawns
2 tbsp. oil
1/4 savoy cabbage
1 clove garlic, sliced
160g egg noodles
1 egg
1 tbsp. soy sauce
few chopped peanuts, to serve

Cook the noodles to the packet directions and drain. Set to one side.

Add the oil to a wok and heat until hot. Add the cabbage and garlic and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the cabbage browning a little. Add the prawns and stir fry until pink and cooked through (you can use ready cooked, just heat through). Add the egg and mix through quickly so it breaks up into pieces.

Add the noodles to the mix with the soy sauce. Stir well. Serve topped with chopped peanuts. Eat.!

 

Mexican Style Chilli Chicken Lasagne

I was curious to see if I could use flour tortillas instead of a pasta layer in this lasagne dish, as I always seem to have so many of them in the cupboard!. It seems you can. And the great thing is - you can have more layers than pasta as its thinner. And it soufflés up beautifully.

Here is a simple lasagne with flavours of Mexico. You can use any chipotle paste you like, but I make this Chipotle in Adobe (recipe here) and blend it with a stick blender. Its a perfect chilli sauce to keep in the fridge and lasts for ages! I made this Mexican style lasagne last night and served it with jalapeno poppers, sweet potato wedges and a crisp salad. Delicious!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, diced
2 tbsp. oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
400g tin black beans
400g tin chopped tomatoes
chipotle paste (add as much as you want)
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried cumin
fresh coriander, to garnish
salt & pepper
pack of flour tortillas
grated cheese (I used cheddar and parmesan - not very Mexican I know!)

For the sauce

300g mascarpone cheese
splash of milk


Method:

Add the oil to a large saucepan and heat. Add the onions and pepper to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and diced chicken. Cook on a high heat, stirring until the chicken is cooked and beginning to brown. Turn the heat to medium and add the rest of the ingredients apart from the tortillas and garnish. Partially cover and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes to thicken.

Find a round casserole dish and use scissors to cut the tortillas to fit inside (if needed). Make up the sauce by heating the mascarpone cheese and adding enough milk to loosen the cheese to make a pouring consistency.

Layer the chicken chilli with the sauce, tortillas and cheese ending with the sauce topped with cheese.

Bake in a 200 C oven for 35 minutes until browned, bubbling and souffled.