Moroccan Style Pork Fillet

I frequently make this fish tagine, which was pretty much lifted from a Rick Stein recipe. In my opinion it can be made with both chicken and lamb too as the flavours are very robust and can handle meaty goodness as well as fishy goodness. Tonight however I lack many of the ingredients for the Chermoula, including a key one, coriander. So……I make a moroccan style pork concoction that smells absolutely amazing and has a real kick to it.  I said if it tasted good I’d blog it so here we go.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion chopped
• 2 sticks celery chopped
• 2 small carrots chopped
• 500g pork fillet sliced
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• good slug of strong flavoured olive oil
• tbsp ground cinnamon
• tbsp hot smoked paprika
• good pinch of saffron
• juice of 1 lemon
• good pinch sea salt
• 1 chicken Oxo cube
• Water

Optionals

• Black olives sliced
• Courgette chopped
• Chick Peas, tinned, drained

Method

1. Marinate the pork in the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cinnamon, parika, saffron, and salt, for around 40mins.
2. Heat the other oil in a frying pan and add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for approx 10 mins.
3. Add to the pan the marinated pork and brown lightly.
4. When browned add the chicken oxo cube and cover the meat completely with water.
5. Simmer till meat is tender.
6. If you are adding any of the optionals put them in about 15 mins before serving to ensure heated right through.

 

Now the hot smoked parika really does provide some heat so you can use sweet smoke paprika if you don’t like a bit of spice in your life. Marinating the meat ensures that it’s both tender and full of flavour so it’s well worth taking the extra time to do this step. Serve with couscous that is flavoured with olive oil, fresh tomato, lemon juice, a touch of salt, and lots of parsley and mint for freshness.

 

 

My food mojo done gone upped and left the room

…how to get it back?

Ideas on the back or a recipe card please.

Tomato chilli & mint soup

This was inspired by a pot of soup I bought for my lunch from Delifonseca. It was totally delicious. I tried to recreate it at home and while I didn’t get it 100% the same I did make a really good approximation. I think it could be enhanced with a dollop of cream or creme fraiche if you want to but it’s not vital.

• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 2 sticks celery really finely chopped
• 2 punnets of tomatoes (around 14 large toms)
• 1/2 pint chicken stock
• tablespoon tomato puree
• 1/2 a chilli chopped (more if you like it really hot)
• seasoning
• small bunch of fresh mint

1. Boil some water and immerse the tomatoes to remove the skins.
2. Sweat down the celery, onion and garlic till transparent.
3. Chop the skinned tomatoes and add to the pan cook down for about 10 mins and , add the chicken stock and cook gently for about 20 mins.
4. Check the seasoning and add salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Add the chilli & puree and cook for another 5 mins.
6. Add the freshly chopped mint and whizz with a blender till smooth.

Footnote: I uploaded this recipe to my food.com account and it gives a dietary value breakdwon and calorie wise apparently it’s  134.9cals per portion for the version I posted there, which is slightly different as the site is yankified.

http://www.food.com/recipe/tomato-chilli-and-mint-soup-445745

Pork Cheek Ragu

Ingredients

• tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 rashers of good  bacon
• 8 pork cheeks
• 1 fennel
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 150ml milk
• 200ml white wine
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 Oxo cubes
• 1 pint water
• dried oregano
• dried marjoram
• salt and black pepper

 

Method

1. Heat up olive oil in a frying pan, fry off the bacon till quite well done, remove from pan and put to one side.
2. To the same pan add the pork cheeks and cook on a high heat till they are browned, remove from pan and put to one side.
3. In a different pan add little more olive oil then add the chopped onion, chopped fennel and chopped carrot and cook down
4. Meanwhile  deglaze the mean pan with the wine and allow to reduce by half.  Turn the heat off.
5. Back to the carrot/onion/fennel mix, pour in the milk and reduce down by 2/3rds.  Add into that the bacon and the pork cheeks, the herbs, seasoning, and then the wine reduction.
6. Stir well then add the Oxo cubes and the tomatoes and the water and simmer for at least 2hrs adding more water when needed. The meat should be easily pulled apart with a fork when cooked.

Makes about 4-5 portions.

Great with homemade pasta

Pasta = 600g “OO” Grade flour and 6 eggs or 12 yolks.  Knead and stretch till it feels silky.  Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 20mins.  Roll out using rolling pin or pasta making machine.

 

Cook in boiling salted water for 2 mins maximum.

 

 

 

 

Spanish Chicken

I’ve tried and tried to recreate a less salty version of La Tasca’s Polla al Aijillo many times but this recipe is the closest that I have come. The original recipe was posted by canarygirl on Recipezaar but I have adapted it to my own tastes and to make it more like the La Tasca version so, credit for the basis of the recipe must go to whoever canarygirl is.

Ingredients

• 4 free range organic chicken breasts sliced about half a cm thick
• 4 cloves of garlic crushed
• teaspoon of fresh oregano (but dried will do if you can’t get fresh)
• teaspoon of fresh lemon thyme (ordinary thyme will do)
• sea salt flakes
• olive oil
• large glass of white wine
• 1 lemon

Directions

1. In a grinder or mortar and pestle grind together the garlic, the sea salt, and the herbs and the olive oil, leave for a few hours.
2. Heat a little more olive oil in a frying pan, fry the chicken pieces gently for about 8 mins, add the wine and cook down till the wine is reduced by half then add about half a pint of water and cook slowly till the water has also reduced by about half. You can always add more water and cook for longer to make the chicken super tender.
3. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over it just before serving TO TASTE!!!

Pinchos Morunos – Tapas

Ingredients

• 1 piece of pork tenderloin weighing about 400g
• 2 tbsp hot smoked paprika
• 1 and half tsp ground cumin
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Directions

1. Cut the tenderloin into small cubes and marinate in paprika, lemon juice, ground cumin, cayenne, and olive oil for at least 6 hours.
2. Preheat a baking tray in the oven to 180 deg C.
3. Spread the cubes on the tray evenly and cook for about 13 mins in the oven.

You can stick them on a skewer and grill or bbq these if you like but leaving them in marinade makes them lovely and tender whichever way you cook them.

Fruity Chicken Curry

This is my leftover chicken dish. My 11yr old is not too fond of curries but will eat this one with gusto.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp groundnut oil
• leftover cooked chicken shredded
• 1/2 an onion minced
• 1/2 an onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp curry powder (I like this one)
• 1 tsp red chilli
• 1/2 pint chicken stock
• handful of sultanas

Directions

1. Grind up the spices in a blender or mortar and pestle.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the spices, garlic, chilli and minced onion and fry for about 3 mins.
3. Add the cooked chicken and stir fry for a minute or two till coated with the spice mixture.
4. Add the chicken stock and cook till sauce is starting to thicken.
5. Add the sultanas and heat through till they are plump.

Serve with rice.

I tend to throw in some left over veggies too, like courgette, peppers etc. Oh and an apple thrown in, cut into chunks is nice too.

Cantonese Salt and Pepper Ribs

• Pork Ribs (2 sheets is enough for 4 as a starter or accompaniment)
• 3 tbsps good sea salt, like Maldon or Cerebas
• 2 heaped tsp szechuan peppercorns
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper chopped to about 1.5cm x 2 cm
• 1 green pepper chopped as above
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
• 1 chilli (optional)
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• ground nut oil for frying the ribs

Directions

1. Cut the sheets of ribs into individual ribs and deep fry until cooked in the groundnut oil. It’s best to do them in batches and keep the cooked ones warm until they’re all done.
2. Put the salt and peppercorns in a dry non-stick pan and gently heat through. Then grind them roughly in a mortar and pestle. You won’t need all this mixture for this recipe but if you store it in a jar in a cool dry place you will have plenty for next time.
3. In a large wok heat the sesame oil and add the onions and peppers and fry for a couple of minutes, add the ribs (again do this in batches if they won’t all fit into the wok), and two table spoons of the salt mixture, keep tossing them so they don;t stick and then add the garlic. Adding the garlic last means that it doesn’t catch and burn and keeps the flavour better. If you like it more salty then add more of the salt/pepper mixture.

Haddocky Fishy Yummyness

Ingredients

• Haddock skinned,
• thinly sliced pancetta chopped,
• garlic crushed,
• creme fraiche,
• butter.

Directions

1. Little butter, fry off pancetta and take out the pan and reserve for later. Put in the haddock on a low heat for about 5 mins, add garlic and add pancetta and creme fraiche cook till all heated through and add some chopped chives.
2. Serve with cheesy mash (Spuds cooked in half water, half milk,drain then put a quarter of the cooking liquid back into the pan, mash with a potato ricer, add a mound of Red Leicester, chives and some mushed up garlic. Few green veg to finish it all off.

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

Ingredients

6 ounces smoked haddock

1 small onion (chopped)

2 garlic cloves(crushed)

1 cup long grain rice

2 ounces button mushrooms(sliced)

2 ounces butter

3 tablespoons fresh parsley(chopped)

2 tablespoons fresh chives(chopped)

5 fluid ounces sour cream

2 tablespoons mild curry powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon turmeric

1/2 lemon, juice of

2 eggs, beaten with

1 dash milk

water

Directions

1. In a non stick pan place the smoked haddock and cover with water, bring to the boil then simmer till cooked (approx 5 mins).
2. Once cooked remove from the water and strain the cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl and put to the side.
3. Take 1/1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and pour into a saucepan with the long grain rice. Cover and bring to the boil, then turn heat off, leaving lid on allowing the rice to absorb the water and fluff up.
4. In the meantime fry the onions and garlic in the butter, when soft add the spices to the frying pan and fry off for a few minutes.
5. Add the mushrooms and keep stirring. Add more butter if necessary.
6. Once the rice has absorbed all the liquid tip the onion mixture into the saucepan and stir well.
7. Scramble the eggs and then add them to the rice mixture.
8. Pour in the sour cream and mix well. Check seasoning and if needed add some black pepper.
9. Flake the smoked haddock into the mixture, stir in the lemon juice and put into the oven for about 15 to 20 mins on 180 degrees. If the mix looks a little too dry you can add a few extra tablespoons of the fish cooking liquid.
10. When thoroughly heated through stir in the chives and parsley and serve.