Pork (or lamb) and fennel tray bake – absolutely divine!

4 Sep

I love recipes that can be cooked in one pot or, like this one, in a roasting dish.  Cuts right down on washing up and the flavours seem to really enhance one another.  In this instance I used pork fillets, as suggested in the original recipe, but I think it would be great with lamb steaks as well, providing all fat is removed.  I was a bit worried about the fennel as I sometimes find it is a bit strong.  I didn’t need to though, I think the boiling made it more mellow and it was a perfect ingredient for this dish.

The rub for this is great, a hint of sweetness from the honey, some sour from the lemons and a bit of heat from the chilli.  I use chillies a lot in my cooking as my husband loves things with a bit of a kick.  Sometimes they are so subtle that the heat is barely noticeable, others they give real heat and depth to a dish.  I realised that I have not included any information on chillies in my previous blogs.  Very remiss of me but partially rectified today.  Here is a bit of chilli trivia to be going on with, courtesy of the foodreference and the Discovery Channel websites.

  • The seeds are NOT the hottest part of peppers. It is at the point where the seed is attached to the white membrane inside the pepper that the highest concentration of capsaicin (the compound giving peppers their pungent flavor) is found.
  • Capsaicin, the ‘hot’ constituent in chile peppers, is not water-soluble – it is soluble in fat and alcohol. So don’t drink water to cool your mouth after eating very hot chilies. Drink milk or beer, or eat some ice cream or guacamole if your mouth is on fire.
  • Hatch, New Mexico is known as the “Green Chile capital of the World”.
  • Scientists have found connections between capsaicin (the ingredient that makes chillies hot) and a component of tarantula venom.
  • Upon arrival in Mexico, some early Spanish priests, aware of the passion people had for chillies and unsure of its powers, assumed they were aphrodisiacs and in their sermons warned against consumption of food that was ‘as hot as hell’s brimstone’.
  • Eating chillies is addictive. When capsaicin comes in contact with the nerves in your mouth, pain signals are sent to the brain. Subsequently, the brain releases endorphins, natural painkillers, that create a feeling of well-being.
  • Indian tribes strung chillies together and tied them to their canoes to ward off evil spirits they believed might be lurking in the water

The original recipe is based on one from the Good Food website which I have adapted slightly.  Here is a link to the original recipe if you want to take a look.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/845664/roast-pork-with-fennel-and-preserved-lemon

Pork (or lamb) and fennel tray bake                            Serves 2 (easily doubled)

  • 4 medium red skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks (about 1.5 inches)
  • 1 fennel bulb, core removed and cut into 8 wedges
  • 2 red onions, peeled and cut into 6 wedges each
  • Olive oil
  • 1 pork fillet, any fat or sinews removed, halved lengthways then widthways to give 4 pieces. If making with lamb use two large lamb steaks, fat removed.
  • 6 slices of preserved lemon, rinsed and flesh removed
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 small red chilli, seeded (this will give medium heat so adjust to suit personal taste)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp honey
  • small handful of fresh coriander
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
  2. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes and fennel.  Bring back to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain well and dry on kitchen paper.
  3. Put the potatoes, fennel and onions in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.  Roast for 20 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, put the lemon rinds, garlic, chilli, paprika, honey and coriander in a small chopper with 1 little olive oil (about 1 tbsp).  Chop until the lemon is finely chopped.  Rub the mix into the meat, coating well.  Season.
  5. When the vegetables have cooked for the 20 minutes, lay the meat on top and return to the oven for another 20 – 25 minutes or until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender and slightly golden.  Serve immediately with a green vegetable if you have a mind to.

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Bacon and asparagus hash – a dream come true!

27 Aug

Dreams are strange things.  Martin Luther King dreamt about changing the world.  I dream about new recipes.  How sad is that!  This recipe was literally dreamt up.  When I told my husband about it he said how good it sounded so I decided to give it a go.  It was absolutely delicious and we will definitely be having it again.

I love hash of any description.  I have published a corned beef hash and a mushroom hash previously on my blog.  I suppose this one is not significantly different in methodology but the combination of flavours is exquisite.  A few days earlier I had made a spaghetti dish with bacon and asparagus.  Maybe that is what triggered the dream.  Whatever it was, it was I will be eternally grateful.

According to Wikipedia, dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions and sensations  that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. There have been umpteen studies and theories about dreams but , it is fair to say, that the content and purpose of dreams is still not definitively understood. The scientific study of dreams is called oneirology.

Dreams mainly occur in the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleep—when brain activity is high and resembles that of being awake. REM sleep is revealed by continuous movements of the eyes during sleep. At times, dreams may occur during other  sleep stages. However, these dreams tend to be much less vivid or memorable. Dreams can last for a few seconds, or as long as twenty minutes. People are more likely to remember the dream if they are awakened during the REM phase.

Apart from humans, animals have dreams.  I remember when I was young, my dog, Lassie, used to sometimes twitch and make funny little noises in her sleep.  Mum used to say she was catching rabbits.

Anyway, enough of dreams.  Here is the recipe I dreamt about.

Bacon and asparagus hash                       Serves 2 (easily doubled)

  • 6 slices of streaky bacon or pancetta, rind removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 onion, sliced thinnly
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, sliced and seeds removed
  • 10 asparagus tips
  • 4-5 New Potatoes (Charlotte are good) peeled and sliced (about 1/4 inch)
  • 100g mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 5 minutes or until just tender.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. 
  2. Boil the asparagus in the water left in the pan for 3 minutes.  Remove and put in iced water immediately to stop the cooking process.
  3. Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan until brown. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add 1 tsp olive oil to the frying pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until softened.  Add the chilli and garlic towards the end.
  5. Add the mushrooms  and bacon to the onions and continue to cook for about 3 minutes until the mushrooms are softened.  Add the potato and carefully combine.  Cook for about 5 minutes, turning frequently.  If it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan add a little more oil.
  6. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil.  Add a pinch of salt and a little white wine vinegar.  Poach the eggs for 3 minutes. 
  7. Add the asparagus to the hash and carefully combine.
  8. Divide the hash between two plates and top with the poached egg.

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Strawberry and gooseberry jam

7 Aug

DSCI0343The flavours in this jam are absolutely delicious. It didn’t set as well as I would have liked, possibly because the gooseberries were very ripe and therefore quite sweet.  I used to be paranoid about my jam setting but have since learnt that it usually spreads ok even if it is a bit runny and it can also double up, warmed, as a sauce over vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

Pectin is used to help jam set for those fruits that have a naturally low pectin level.  Here are a few facts about pectin

  •  Pears, citrus fruits, plums and gooseberries are examples of fruit that contain high levels of pectin, whereas berries such as strawberries, raspberries etc have low levels.
  • Citrus fruits and apple pomace are the main raw materials for pectin production.
  • You can increase the pectin when making jam by adding some unripe fruit, lemon peel, commercially produced pectin or substituting preserve sugar for jam sugar. The latter has pectin already added.

I found the recipe for this jam on the BBC Food website. The addition of balsamic vinegar was a stroke of genius as it gives a fantastic depth of flavour to the finished jam.

Here is a link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/strawberryjamwithatw_13701

 

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Greek lamb chops with fresh green beans in tomato sauce. Amazing!

3 Aug

The star of this meal has to be the beans in tomato sauce.  I remember the first time I ate these beans.  It was in an ice cream parlour in Gouves, Crete.  You may be surprised at the venue but, apparently, in Greece, at the time, you were not taxed for selling ice creams but were for selling food.  Anyway, the owner and cook was a man named Yianni.  What a fantastic man he was. If I live to be a hundred I don’t think I will ever meet anyone as kind or gentle.

The first time we went to his ice cream parlour we asked if he did food.  Yes, he answered, what would you like?  We asked him if he did goat, one of our favourite foods in Greece.  Of course, he said, so we ordered goat with fried potatoes and a Greek salad.  He served us with a large beer for Terry and a glass of homemade red wine for me (in a half pint glass) and left us to savour the moment.  Two seconds later we saw him leave via the side entrance on his bike, returning after 10 minutes with all the ingredients he had bought from the butcher and the grocer.  You can’t get fresher than that!  The food was delicious.  My one complaint was that, after eating a table weighed down with food and drinking 2 large beers and 2 large wines, the bill only came to 4 Euros.  Of course we said it was not enough and forced a 10 Euro note into his hand.  He was mortified and insisted we had at least one more round of drinks on him.  I don’t think I can remember walking home that night.  We became close friends after that and, during our two-week holiday, he enjoyed making us traditional Greek meals that we enjoyed eating.  Apart from the food Yaya made for us and the food we have in Lardos, Rhodes, I don’t think I have ever tasted better!

We were in Gouves at the time of the Omagh bombing.  Friends that we met there lost a brother who could only be identified by the keys in his pocket.  Such a senseless waste of life.   Yianni was fantastic and arranged for their immediate return to Ireland while the holiday reps partied in a nearby bar and would not help.  His actions were typical of the Greek people, something to remember in the troubled times Greece is currently experiencing.

I hope you try this vegetable dish.  It will remind you of sunny days spent in Greece.  The sauce is divine, mopped up with crusty bread.  We even eat this cold as, like so many Greek dishes, the taste improves with age.  I served this with Greek lamb chops and the combination was amazing.  Absolutely delicious!

Greek Lamb Chops with fresh green beans in tomato sauce         Serve 4

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 2 clove garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 lb runner beans
  • 2 medium potatoes (I used Maris Piper)  peeled and cut into thick chip shapes
  • 4 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped roughly
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper

For the chops

  • 8 lamb chops
  • 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  1. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil in a large pan for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften but does not change colour.
  2. Top and tail the beans and cut off the edges then slice into long pieces.  Add to the onions and saute for 3 minutes.
  3. Add the potatoes and continue to saute for another 5 minutes.
  4. Add the tomatoes, season well and add just enough hot water to barely cover the vegetables.  Cover and simmer for about an hour or until the potatoes are tender.
  5. In the meantime, put the chops in an oven proof dish with the whole cloves of garlic.  Lay the rosemary sprigs on top then drizzle with olive oil.  Season and bake in a preheated oven (200C/190C fan/Gas 6) for 3/4 hour or until chops cooked to your liking.  Turn once during cooking to brown both sides.
  6. Add the parsley and cook for a final 10 minutes.  Serve

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Tuna pasta bake, delicious!

22 Jul

DSCI0184 Every now and again I try to invent a dish that my daughter in law will eat. She is a Pescatarian i.e. she will eat fish but no meat.  I know she loves pasta and I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands so I made this out of what I had in the fridge and cupboard at the time. She said it was really tasty so it seems it was a hit.

Pescetarianism (also spelled pescatarianism) is the practice of following a diet that includes fish or other seafood, but not the flesh of other animals.

One of the most commonly cited reasons is that of health, based on findings that red meat is detrimental to health in many cases due to non-lean red meats containing high amounts of saturated fats, choline and carnitine. Eating certain kinds of fish raises HDL levels, and some fish are a convenient source of omega-3 fatty acids, and have numerous health benefits in one food variety. A 1999 meta-analysis of five studies comparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian mortality rates in Western countries found that in comparison with regular meat-eaters, mortality from ischemic heart disease was 34% lower in pescetarians, 34% lower in ovo-lacto vegetarians, 26% lower in vegans and 20% lower in occasional meat-eaters.

Concerns have been raised about consuming some fish varieties containing toxins such as mercury and PCBs, though it is possible to select fish that contain little or no mercury and moderate the consumption of mercury-containing fish.

Similarly to vegetarianism, some pescetarians adopt the diet on the basis of ethics, either as a transition to vegetarianism, not treating fish on the same moral level as other animals, or as a compromise to obtain nutrients not found in plants as easily.

Well, here is the recipe.

Tuna Pasta Bake                                        Serves 4

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 good pinch hot chilli powder
  • 250g pasta shapes (I used Gellini)
  • 2 x 300g tins tuna in sunflower oil, drained
  • 2 tbsp basil leaves, torn
  • 1 oz butter
  • 1 oz plain flour
  • 1 pt milk
  • 100g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp English mustard (ready-made)
  • small handful grated parmesan
  1. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil then cook the pasta as per packet instructions.  Drain, reserving 200 ml of the pasta cooking liquid.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion and green pepper over a low to medium heat for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, season and add the chilli powder. Simmer for a few minutes.
  4. Add the drained pasta and tuna, breaking the latter into large chunks.  Stir carefully so as not to break down the tuna too much.  Add a little of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to loosen the sauce.
  5. Add the basil, mix gently then transfer all to an oven to table dish.
  6. To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Add the milk and whisk until the sauce is smooth.  Cook over a medium heat until the sauce thickens, stirring continuously.  Season lightly and add 3/4 of the cheddar cheese and the mustard.
  7. Pour the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle the remaining cheddar and Parmesan over the top.
  8. This can be frozen at this stage.  Thaw completely before reheating.
  9. When ready to eat, heat an oven to 180C/170C fan/gas 5.  Bake the pasta dish for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and golden on top and the pasta is heated through.

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Keema curry – so versatile and great for kids!

18 Jul

For those who do not know it, keema curry is made from minced beef.  This dish is great for kids as it is mild and really tasty.  It is versatile too.  I use it to make stuffing for my Whole Curried Poussin (recipe to follow at a later date) and it goes great with jacket potatoes for a healthy supper.  Make lots as it freezes really well without the peas, as these have been frozen once.  Just add the peas before reheating, fantastic.  Apparently, Keema curry is one of the least favourite choices in Indian cuisine.  I am as guilty as the next person for never trying it in an Indian restaurant but I will definitely make it more often at home in the future.  Always buy good quality mince meat otherwise you will have a greasy meal but, other than that, this recipe is virtually indestructible.  It is great for novice curry cooks as there is no risk of overcooking the meat or the meat being too chewy and, in the current climate, it makes a fantastic meal for pennies!  Any type of mince will do, even quorn or soy mince for vegetarians.

When mince pies where first made in the 16th Century, they contained shredded meat that was bulked out by dried fruit and spices.  The spices were brought over from the Holy Land and it was thought important to add three spices to the pies to represent the gifts taken to Jesus by the Three Wise Men.  There are a few superstitions about mince pies.  Being a Derbyshire lass I always like to know about these so I have listed a few below.

  • It was thought lucky to eat one mince-pie on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, ending on the 6th January. 
  • Bad luck would also be the curse if you stir the mincemeat the wrong way when making it.  Always stir it in a clockwise dierction.
  • Refusing a piece of mince pie at Christmas dinner means you will have bad luck for the coming day. Some sources, on the other hand, say you’ll have bad luck for a whole year. So eat up.
  • Mince pies should always be eaten in silence.
  • Never cut a mince pie with a knife as you will cut your luck.
  • Make a wish when you eat your first mince pie of Christmas.

Well here is the recipe.

Keema curry                                                  Serves 6

  • 2 lb lean minced meat (beef, pork, lamb, chicken or vegetarian options)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 inch piece of root ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 4 cloves, ground
  • 1 brown cardamom, ground
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 200ml canned tomato soup (I use Heinz)
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 green or red chilli, chopped finely
  • 2 tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint 
  • Handful of frozen peas
  • Wedges of hard-boiled egg to garnish (optional)
  1. Heat half the butter in a large, lidded saute pan and fry the mince for about 10 minutes until brown all over.
  2. In a separate pan or wok, heat the remaining butter and stir fry the onion, ginger and garlic over a medium heat until golden.  Add the turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder, cloves and cardamom.  Mix well, adding a little water if the mix seems too dry.
  3. Preheat the oven to 190C/180cC fan/gas 5.  Add the stir fry to the mince with the tomatoes and ketchup.  Mix well, cover and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
  4. Take the dish out of the oven and stir in the soup, red pepper, chilli and garam masala.  Return to the oven and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes. 
  5. Switch off the oven and remove the dish.  Stir in the peas, mint and coriander.  Return the dish to the oven for a few minutes to enable the peas to warm through.
  6. Freeze at the end of Step 5 in rigid containers if required and thaw completely before reheating.
  7. Serve with rice, garnished with wedges of boiled egg if desired.

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Red pepper and potato tortilla – a great lunch!

10 Jul

I think the first time I had a tortilla was in Majorca.  They brought little squares of tortilla to go with our drinks at lunchtime.  I must say I had never thought of eating what is basically a fat omelette, cold, but it was delicious.  I love this recipe because it is so quick and easy, using bottled peppers and either left over new potatoes or even good quality tinned new potatoes.  It makes a great lunch to have with salad and any leftovers can be eaten cold if you get peckish.  Not that we ever have leftovers, it is too good to leave any!  Tortillas are similar to their Italian counterpart, frittatas.  Both are much thicker than an omelette as we know it in the UK , possibly due to the beating of the eggs which contribute to a much thicker, lighter batter.  It is thought that tortillas date back to the mid 1800’s when poor people would have their own hens and grow their own vegetables.  They provided a cheap but nutritious meal for the family.  Today good quality eggs are no longer cheap but, in comparison to the cost of meat, they are still a great option.

There have been numerous health issues related to eggs.  Some say that eating too many eggs will raise cholesterol levels and cause an early death from heart disease.  Others researchers have said this is a load of rubbish and you can eat as many as you like.  I remember Edwina Curry once warned us off eating eggs due to the risk of Salmonella but, many years later we are still eating them and I haven’t heard of a dramatic rise in deaths attributed to this.  All in all I suppose if you eat them in moderation you should not come to any harm.  Knowing how to understand egg labelling may help to reduce the risk.  Here is a brief summary.

Under European legislation eggs must be stamped with their best before date and this should not be more than 21 days after laying.  It is sometimes difficult to see what the stamp on the eggs say but it is usually clearly marked on the egg box.  I always buy them with as near to 21 days left as possible.  If you are unsure, a fresh egg will lie flat in a bowl of water and, as they get older, they will start to turn more upright.  Apart from the date stamp on the egg there is also a code which will give you information about the farming methods for where the egg was laid.  Look at the first letter of the egg stamp for this. 

  • 0 indicates the egg is organic
  • 1 means it is free-range
  • 2 is that it is a barn egg
  • 3 is that the hens are caged

Well, here is the recipe.

Red pepper and potato tortilla                                    Serves 4

  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 250g/8 oz cooked new potatoes, sliced (you can use leftover potatoes or even tinned if you are short of time)
  • 2 red peppers from a jar, drained and cut into strips
  • a handful of chopped parsley
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil
  1. Preheat an oven to 220C/200c fan/gas 7.
  2. Add the peppers and the parsley to the eggs and season and mix well.  Set aside.
  3. Heat a little oil in a non-stick ovenproof deep omelette pan or frying pan.  Gently fry the onion until it is soft but not coloured.  Add the potatoes, mix well, gently squashing down a little.  Cook for 4 minutes, turning occasionally, or until the potatoes are starting to turn golden and are slightly crisp around the edges.  Tip the potato mix into the eggs and stir well.
  4. Add a little more oil to the pan then tip in the egg mixture.  Move it around the pan a little so all the ingredients are evenly distributed.  Cook on the hob for 3-4 minutes then transfer to the oven and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes.
  5. Turn out onto a plate and slice.

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Spaghetti with a rabbit and mushroom sauce – what a great dish!

2 Jul

I bet there are those who will be thinking they could never eat rabbit.  Well, you don’t know what you are missing!  I was brought up in the country and shooting rabbits was part of every day life.  I know they are little fluffy things with adorable eyes but they are considered a major pest for farmers, destroying their crops and even munching on trees.  They only live for about one year in the wild but during that time they can cause utter devastation.   Mum often used to cook rabbit stew.  It tasted great but got a bit boring after time and it was difficult to eat what with the small bones and occasional shot!

Rabbits were brought into Britain about 2000 years ago by the Romans who kept them in walled enclosures with deep foundations so they could not escape.  When the Romans left it is likely that all the rabbits died.  They were reintroduced to Britain by the Normans and it is believed that this was the time that some escaped and Britain had their first wild rabbit.

Wild rabbit certainly tastes so much better than the farmed variety but it is really difficult to find.  I was lucky enough to buy one from our local Farmers Market.  The stall was owned by Pick’s Organic who are based in Barkby Thorpe, Leicestershire.  Not only do they sell at Farmers Markets but they also have a great Farm Shop with its own Butchers Shop, as well as doing door to door delivery etc.  Here is a link to their website if you are interested in finding out more:

http://www.picksorganic.co.uk/

The rabbit was delicious.  Meaty joints full of flavour, perfect for this dish.  Oh, and by the way, the dish takes the meat off the bone so there are no nasty surprises, not even shot!

Here is the recipe, I hope you give it a try.

Spaghetti with a rabbit and mushroom sauce                                   Serves 2-3

  • 1 rabbit (wild if you can get it) jointed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 75ml dry white wine
  • 1tbsp tomato puree
  • 250 ml chicken stock (use a good quality stock cube if you don’t have homemade)
  • 125g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • 15g butter
  • 200 – 300g dried spaghetti
  1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat.  Add the garlic and the rabbit joints and cook until browned all over.
  2. Add half the wine and let it come to the boil to burn off the alcohol.Stir in the tomato puree and half the stock.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  3. Turn the heat down to low and turn the rabbit joints over.  Cover and continue cooking for a further 25 minutes when the rabbit should be tender.  Remove the pan from the heat and take out the rabbit, leaving the cooking sauce in the pan.  Allow the rabbit to cool then carefully strip the meat from the bones, making sure no small pieces of bone are mixed with the meat.
  4. Cook the spaghetti as per packet instructions.
  5. In a separate pan add the butter and fry the mushrooms and pepper for about 4 minutes over a medium heat.  Add the remaining wine and cook for a couple more minutes or until the pepper is tender.
  6. Return the rabbit meat to the pan with the remaining stock and tomato puree.  Stir in the vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes so the flavours combine.
  7. Drain the spaghetti and serve it topped with the meat sauce.

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One-pan roast duck – just add seasonal vegetables for a great meal.

24 Jun

I first ate duck fairly late in life, probably when I was in my late 30’s.  I can’t even remember people talking about actually eating duck when I was young and my only thoughts on the subject were that they lived in the River Gardens in Derby and loved to eat stale bread.  Thinking back, my first experience of eating duck had to be as a starter in a Chinese meal when on holiday.  It must have been on holiday as that was the only time I ate in a Chinese restaurant.  There were a couple of takeaways in the small town where I lived but nowhere to actually sit and eat a meal.  My first taste was a revelation!  Eaten with Hoisin sauce, celery and onions, wrapped in a small pancake.  Heaven!  The first time I cooked duck was one Christmas.  Mum and Dad were coming for their Christmas dinner and, as with every other year, they usually stayed for a few days.  I had cooked a traditional turkey dinner for Christmas Day (although I think I had drank too much wine with the neighbours and forgot to make the gravy!).  I knew Dad loved duck so I had bought two small ducks from the butcher to eat on Boxing Day.  My intention was to make the Chinese pancake recipe, a bit adventurous as, in those days, I was a novice to cooking anything other than meat and two veg meals.  I remember the recipe saying the duck skin had to be completely dry so that it crisped up during cooking.  We had limited kitchen facilities at the time so I put the ducks, unwrapped, in the greenhouse, secured the door and left them for 24 hours.  Just to reassure my friends who live in warmer climates, this was not risky as the temperature in the greenhouse was about 2 degrees C and not an insect in sight.  I made my own pancakes and even my own Hoisin sauce and the finished meal was fantastic.  I found the recipe in a Chinese cooking book that I gave away at some point.  Isn’t it typical that since then I have never found a recipe that comes up to the same standard.  I wonder where that book is now.

Nowadays we eat duck fairly regularly.  As there are just two of us I usually buy a couple of duck breasts rather than a whole bird.  This recipe, however, uses duck legs.  I was pleasantly surprised how much meat there was on the legs I bought.  I doubt I will start replacing the breasts with legs for most of my recipes but, for this one, they were perfect.  This recipe is based on one of Janet Allen’s, a Dublin born cook who has written some fantastic cookbooks.

One-pan roast duck                      Serves 2 (easily doubled)

  • 2 duck legs, skin left on
  • 2 onions, cut into wedges
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 3 small turnips, peeled and cut into small cubes (about the size of a thumb nail)
  • 4 medium potatoes (floury eg King Edwards or Maris Piper) cut into small cubes as above
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt & black pepper 
  1. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan that has a lid.  Fry the duck breasts, skin side down, over a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the skin is browned and going crispy.  Surround the duck with the onion and rosemary while it is browning.
  2. Add the potatoes and turnip, season and mix to coat all the vegetables in the fat.  Cover and transfer the dish to a preheated oven 180C/160Cfan/gas 5 for 75 minutes.
  3. Remove the lid and continue cooking in the oven for a further 15 minutes or until the duck skin is crispy and the vegetables are tender.  Serve with seasonal green vegetables.

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Chicken curry – my Son’s favourite

8 Jun

I love to experiment with curry recipes but if I ask my son what he wants me to cook for him I would bet that 99% of the time he would choose this chicken curry recipe.  I can’t remember how long I have been making it, must be 35 years at least.  I have shared it with my best friends and I dread to think how many times between us we have made it over the years.  I suppose that is credit to the fantastic recipe and the fact that it appears to be failsafe.  If you want a curry for a dinner party and know it will turn out well then this is the dish for you.  I have even made it the day before, chilled quickly and left refrigerated until the next day, so I can get ahead for a stress free dinner with friends.  If anything the flavours improve with keeping!

The recipe comes from a book called ‘Complete Indian Cookbook’ by Michael Pandya.  It was the first cookery book Terry ever bought me (a hidden agenda there I think).  The writing on the page for this recipe is almost obliterated by splashed of curry and spices, a great testament to a well used and love recipe!

There is a belief amongst Indian food lovers that the spicy and exotic food makes you sexy and virile, so be warned.  Of course you will have a long way to go before you can beat the claims of Lord Krishna of India.  He supposedly had 16,000 wives and countless casual and serious girlfriends!  I dread to think how much it cost him when they all went shopping for clothes.  Based on this, however, I might increase our curry nights to twice a week in future!

Chicken Curry                 Serves 4 – 6 (depending on the size of the chicken)

  • 100g/4oz ghee (or unsalted butter if you can’t get ghee)
  • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1/2 oz root ginger, chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into 8 – 10 pieces
  • 4 tbsp full fat Greek yogurt
  • 300ml/1/2pt hot water
  • salt to taste
  • Chopped fresh coriander or parsley to garnish

Spices

  • 4 cloves
  • 1 x 2 inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 4 black peppercorns
  • 1 brown cardamom
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp hot chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  1. Grind the first five spices to a powder.  Melt the ghee in a large pan and fry the onion with these spices until golden brown.  Takes about 10 minutes over a low heat.
  2. Add the tomato puree, ginger, lemon juice, turmeric, chilli and garam masala and mix well.  Add the chicken pieces and stir until they are well coated in the spice mix.  Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes.
  3. Whip the yogurt then slowly add the hot water, stirring between each addition to prevent it from curdling.  Add the salt , mix then stir into the chicken and spices.  Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
  4. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve.

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