Red Pork Casserole

This casserole was a lifesaver! My eyes were bigger than my brain when I went into the supermarket after Christmas- I bought lots of pork on special offer, and lots of peppers. We had also had a party, and ended up with three bottles of red wine. For some reason, a glass full had gone from each, and there was a limit to how much wine we could reasonably drink during the week!

I used:
Pork- I used 6 loin chops (chicken would also work- 6 thighs)
Peppers (4- red and yellow)
Pimenton (smoke paprika)
Garlic (4 cloves)
Wine (I used 3/4 bottle)
one stock cube (chicken)
Two medium onions
Couple of bay leaves

Would also be great : )
Tomatoes (tinned or fresh, chopped)
Chick Peas
Potatoes

To make:
Saute onions and peppers with a generous heaped teaspoon of pimenton. Add pork when they are transparent, and brown. de-glaze pan with the wine. Add stock to cover everything. Add garlic. At this stage, you could also add chick peas and/ or potato, and any tomatoes. Adding chick peas would mean that you could feed more people with less meat!

To serve:

I've been eating this from a bowl- could with some fresh bread, or re-heated in the microwave with a generous handful of baby spinach which can be stirred in. It would also be great with rice.

Huntsworth Pork Stirfry

There is nothing quite like a stirfry to use up ends in the fridge- the vegetables you bought on two-for-one or because they were cheaper by the kilo but you really only needed 500g.

I had a couple of friends coming over for dinner, and then invited a couple more, and a couple more. Which could have been 8, but ended up as four. Stirfry again is perfect here- you can add a bit of this and a bit of that, until you have the right quantity. One couple said they had a pork roasting joint that noone had time to roast, so I took it home, chopped it into mouth sized chunks and marinaded it. I HATE the idea of an animal dying to be binned. The marinade was also experimental, depending on what we had in the cupboard.

Juice of one Lime
Juice of one Lemon
glug of Olive Oil
glug of toasted sesame oil
heaped tablespoon of red curry paste
good pinch of ginger powder (fresh would have been better)
generous amount of brown sugar

The pork was marinaded for 3-4 hours in the fridge.

The cooking took 20 mins tops. Into a hot wok went the pork- there was plenty of oil in the marinade, some cashew nuts (if more people had come, we would have added more).We used up two heads of spring greens, which were just still fresh, cut into strips, one beautiful red pepper finely chopped, a not so young bunch of spring onions. There were courgettes waiting for some love. but we already had enough food. I chopped a couple of them into fine circles and stirred them into a pot of bolognese sauce I made for tonight. Extra nutrition- they will cook when I warm up the bolognese.

I had been a bit worried about the marinade- the sesame flavour have been overpowering when it was raw, but upon cooking the warm thai flavours came through and it was well balanced.

Worth doing again? Yes. Just what we needed on a Sunday night before a long week ahead!

Raw cashew nuts and peanuts are always worth having on hand to make a wok full of fried remnant vegetables into something quick delicious (and vegetarian).  This would have also been great with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Mumble Jumble Potatoes

For some strange reason do I always find pretty much everything I need for this recipe at home so I love to make it (and it is very tasty and popular with the husband). It is easy to just add more to serve more people and it is really delicious- the ingredients come together to make a really tasty meal!

For two persons:
3-4 large potatoes (~1lb)
spring onions
pickled dill cucumber (gherkins)
1 hard boiled egg, roughly chopped
cooked ham, cut into small pieces
sour cream or creme fraiche
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
horseradish sauce or freshly grated, salt, pepper (quantities according to taste)
optionals:
finely chopped apple
cooked beetroot, diced
salted anchovies, roughly chopped

This recipe is extremely flexible so just use what you have or replace one thing with something else e.g. ham for roast beef leftover; mayonnaise instead of boiled egg, cream cheese instead of sour cream. Just remember than you can always leave things out!

Bernie's Tiroler “Groestl” or “Roast”

I grew up in Austria, and this is my favourite “left over” recipe e.g. a little ham/bacon/veggies leftover and added to the potatoes that are always at home. It’s also quite simple to make and surprisingly tasty for the few simple ingredients used...

Tiroler “Groestl” or “Roast”

This is an original Austrian recipe which uses boiled beef, a regional speciality. I’ve adapted it so that it can be used with leftovers found in a British kitchen.

Ingredients for 2 people:

Basics

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion
• 400 g potatoes (boiled & peeled and sliced ca ¼ inch thick) These can be from the day before, unpeeled would also be possible but I always peel them.
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped 
• salt & pepper 
• 2 fried eggs (optional)
• Veggie option
• 200g mushrooms

Meat option

• 200g of bacon, ham, cooked beef, roast pork etc (whatever leftovers there are)
• The original recipe quotes ca. 120 g cooked beef, 70 g bacon; I usually mix bacon/ham and mushrooms

How to make:

1. Boil the potatoes, peel and slice them.
2. Heat up the oil, add chopped onions and meat and/or mushrooms and let them brown slightly (ca 5 minutes).
3. Add the potatoes and roast everything through by stirring frequently so everything is heated up thoroughly (ca 5 minutes). The potatoes should be cold before adding to the pan to avoid stirring it into a “mash”.
4. Season with salt, pepper and parsley.
5. Serve immediately with a fresh salad, adding a fried egg on top (optional). Guten Appetit!

Serve with Almdudler!!!

More Cauli for Your Lolly!

I was inspired to look at cauliflower. Cauliflowers are cheap and nutritious. I also have a great deal of memories of cauliflower cheese that I would rather forget- it wasn't so much that I didn't like it, but just that I need another then years before I eat if again! ...

 

 

1) Make the most of your cauliflower!!

There is nothing wrong with that stalk! Once you have washed it and removed any nasty bits, you just have to chop it into small enough pieces so that it will cook in the same length of time as the florets : ) More cauli for your lolly!

2) Be creative

WHY OH WHY in the UK do we only eat boiled/ steamed cauli or cauliflower cheese? There are hundreds of ways to cook other vegetables!

Cauli can also be pureed as an alternative (and low carb version) of mash potato. Puree the boiled/ steamed cauli with a knob of butter and LOTS of black pepper. Even add some chives and paprika if you feel daring...

 

3) If you still want to make cauliflower cheese!

• Put LOTS of cheese in it
• Don't skimp on black pepper (or red pepper if you like that)
• Try adding garlic
• Add the greens- they are nutritious and delicious
• Toast it under the grill before you serve it 
• Add a bit of leftover chopped bacon 
• Why not add some spinach as a variation upon eggs florentine?

4) Another alternative: an idea from seaweed snack, a blog that I was reading: http://seaweedsnacks.blogspot.com/2009/11/olive-oil-and-cumin-roasted-cauliflower.html. Below I have adapted from the original text:

 

Yesterday I coated cauliflower with olive oil, cumin, nutritional yeast, and then roasted it in the oven. Nutritional yeast is a yellow powder that is used by many vegetarians because of its high protein and B vitamin content. These tend to be in short supply in children's diets. Some contain B-12, but only if it is specially added.

 

I topped mine with fresh coriander, but that is the adult version. And, this took less than 10 minutes to prepare!

Olive Oil and Cumin Roasted Cauliflower
oven 375F/ 195 C for 20 min.

1 head cauliflower broken into pieces
1-2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls cumin (or less if you are not a cumin fan)
pinch salt
1-2 tbls nutritional yeast

In a bowl, drizzle olive oil over cauliflower and mix well with you hands making sure each piece is coated. Add cumin, pinch salt and nutritional yeast. Mix with a spoon to coat. Be sure to really get all the yeast and spice on the bottom of the bowl coated on the cauliflower. Carefully spread on a cookie sheet and bake.

Top with a couple of pieces of fresh torn coriander.

 

Other ideas:

Serve this as a vegetable accompaniment

If you don't like Cumin, or don't have yeast, why not roast it with a drizzle of honey, or a drizzle of sesame oil?

Spinach and Peanut Curry (Mchicha)

This tasty dish is satisfying, unusual and tasty. Tanzanian food often uses coconut, and this is no exception. Use in place of a vegetable with roast meat, or develop it into a delicious meal of its own.

You need:
makes enough for 5 people
1kg/ 2 lbs spinach (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 ounces peanut butter (the more natural the better) or a cup of finely chopped peanuts
1 tomato
1 onion
2 teaspoons curry powder (or paste, your favourite blend!)
1 cup coconut milk (or use fresh or dessicated)
3 tablespoons butter, margarine or oil
Pinch of salt

To make it:

1. Wash fresh spinach and chop.
2. If you are feeling dedicated, peel the tomato, for practicality, just chop.
3. Peel the onion, and chop.
4. If using them, mix peanut butter with the coconut milk.
5. Put the fat into a big frying pan, on a medium heat.
6. Add onion, tomato, pinch of salt and curry of choice. Cook for 5 mins, stirring and making sure it doesn't burn. If you are using chopped peanuts, add them now.
7. Add the spinach and cook for another 15 or 20 mins, until the spinach is cooked (if you are using frozen spinach, you will need to thaw it first)
8. If you are using grated coconut, put it into the pan straight after the spinach. If using the peanut butter/ coconut milk mixture, add it just before the spinach is cooked, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir it to make sure it doesn't burn!

Tips:

• Eat it with rice as a main course
• Why not add some toasted peanuts as a garnish?
• Add some leftover meat along with the onion.
• Why not wrap leftovers in a tortilla for a tasty lunch the next day?

photo with thanks to certified su

Beautiful Broccoli Pasta

This ideal recession-busting, energy saving healthy recipe can be adapted to whatever is in your fridge. This is from poor Southern Italy, where peasant farmers and poor Neopolitans have learned to make tasty food from the cheapest ingredients. Just make sure that you have pasta shapes and broccoli!

You need:
Pasta shapes (300g)
1 head broccoli
Olive oil
Garlic

Additional/ optional
Grated cheese (parmesan, Southern Italian pecorino, or even humble cheddar)
Chopped bacon, leftover chicken, pancetta, chorizo, other cured pork
Crushed chili flakes
Small onion

To make it
How often does it seem that we have wasted energy by cooking vegetables and pasta or rice separately? This recipe cooks them together.

1. You need two pans- one full of water for the pasta and broccoli, and the other for finishing it off.
2. Put enough water into a pan for the pasta and broccoli. Remember that if you are using healthier wholemeal or spelt pasta (which also contains much less gluten) it will take longer to cook.
3. Decide what ingredients you will use. If you are using the cured pork, leftover meat or onion it will need to be cooked. Cut up any meat into small pieces, heat a large pan (all of the pasta and broccoli has to fit in!), add some olive oil, and fry to your satisfaction.
4. Cut the broccoli head into small florets- mouth sized pieces. The broccoli will take about 5 minutes to cook (it needs to be quite soft for this dish) so throw it into the hot water five minutes before your pasta should be cooked.
5. Add chopped garlic (and chili if you are using) and some more oil to the frying pan just before you drain the broccoli and pasta.
6. Put the drained broccoli and pasta into the frying pan, stirring so that they get coated in the hot garlic oil, and any meat/ onions get well mixed. Add some salt and lots of fresh black pepper
7. Serve steaming hot, with the cheese of your choice on top

Tips
For people who can't eat dairy, to ring the changes or to add more protein:

1. Why not add 500ml of tomato passata to the frying pan once the onions have cooked a little?
2. If you don't want to use cheese, or don't have any, why not beat an egg and add when everything is in the frying pan. Stir well- as with carbonara you want the egg to be a little runny, so don't leave it in for too long!
3. Why not add crispy breadcrumbs/ croutons on top? A great way to use up some older bread, and extra delicious when cooked with garlic, onions and olive oil- add some crunch and flavour without meat.
4. You could also use preserved cheese, or the olive oil from the cheese preserving, or flavoured olive oil to serve.

Githeri (Kenyan Maize and Beans)

Githeri originated amongst the Kikuyu tribe in Kenya, but is now eaten widely. Simple, nutritious and cheap, some families would eat this as a main meal everyday, cooking a large pot at the beginning of the week to reduce energy costs, as dried beans can take a lot of cooking . The beans and maize provide protein in a country where poorer people often cannot afford to eat meat.

Maize and beans would have been brought to the Kenyan coast 500-600 years ago by the Portuguese colonists, who would have brought them from their Latin American colonies, so they have been staples for a long time.

The traditional version would only use maize and beans, and is not very appetising, but I have had other, mouth-watering versions and that is what I want to share.

To make:
Family sized dinner, with a little over for lunch the next day

• 3 cups of frozen corn
• 3 cups of cooked beans (or rinsed tinned kidney beans)
• 5 chopped carrots
• Water to cover (could also include chicken stock, for maximum flavour)
• Small bayleaf
• One onion/ 2 shallots, finely diced
• Tomato puree
• Clove of garlic
• Salt and black pepper (Kenyans would use a red pepper, such as paprika or cayenne as table pepper)

How to make it:
If you are cooking the beans (such as lima beans, black eyed beans, kidney beans or a mixture) from dried, you will need to soak them overnight in plenty of water. To cook, drain and rinse the beans and cook in more water, or to maximise the flavour, cook with garlic, bayleaf and herbs (bouquet garni), stock or a stockcube. Remember that stock cubes contain lots of salt, so you would not need to add as much salt in the water. The beans will absorb the delicious flavours. In Kenya maize and beans would be stored dried if it was not in season, so the maize would also need to be soaked also, and everything could be cooked together. To save energy and money, use a pressure cooker.

1. Put the corn and beans to a large pot, over a medium heat, with enough water/stock to just cover. Add herbs, salt and pepper.
2. When the pot comes to the boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 mins (or a bit less) until everything is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

Recession Beating Tips:
This dish is a great way of using up leftovers. Why not add a little left over stew, , finely chopped left over meat, or the last bit of Bolognese sauce?
Kenyans might also add some cubes of potato, chopped small enough to cook though, or chopped tomato for flavour.
Play around with proportions and don't worry if you don't have everything!

photo thanks to jenwaller