Mex Baked Pork & Roast Sweet Potato

For the roast sweet potato I used one of the small ones from the Co-op I wrote about recently. Very simple: moisten with olive oil and balsamic vinegar in equal proportion in an oven proof dish, seasoned with  a little S+P. Roast in a hot oven for 45 mins.

 

To serve, slice on diagonal.

 Marinate the chop for at least an hour in a little olive oil mixed with 1dstsp fajita spices (cayenne, paprika, garlic, cumin, oregano, onion salt), 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 dstsp lime cordial, S+P.

Slice a handful of mixed peppers (capsicums), a handful of red onions and a handful of mushrooms. Put in a casserole dish and drizzle with a little olive oil and scant S+P. Dry-fry the pork chop in a very hot wok to seal on both sides and then place on top of the vegetables. Drizzle with a little of the marinade and cover with lid. Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes, turning the chop halfway through.

Delicious!

Turkey via Florence, with Tarragon Potatoes

Christmas is coming/ R.I.P. Bernard Matthews (Part Deux)

I had this for dinner on Saturday night - I had some plain turkey escalopes in the freezer and I've always thought that they make an acceptable substitute for veal in many recipes. I had some spinach in and so I was thinking classic "Florentine" until I looked up a couple of proper recipes: I had bolognese the other night so I didn't fancy another "tomato sauce-topped-with-cheese" dish - essential ingredients of the real deal. 

So this was the result......

Dredge the turkey breast in flour, saute in a little veg oil and butter on each side to seal, add 2 sliced spring onions, 1 tsp of garlic puree and 1 tbsp finely chopped spinach. Gradually whisk in 150ml of milk and season with 1 scant tsp chicken bouillon powder and S+P to taste. Reduce until the sauce has your preferred consistency.

Cut 1 large potato (skin on) into chunks - larger than wedges, a little smaller than roasties - mix with a little olive oil, 1 tsp garlic puree and 1 dstsp dried tarragon leaves. Season with S+P and bake in a hot oven for about 30-40 minutes.

Right, that's it for turkey dishes until after the Silly Season is over.......

Christmas is coming......

Spicy-crumb Turkey Escalope
with warm yoghurt coleslaw and peppered wedges

In memory of the late Bernard Matthews, here's a reminder of how flexible turkey is...

I recently found a couple of packs of reduced-price breast cuts  in the supermarket - I batch-produced a load of spicy-crumbed escalopes, par-cooked and froze them. They take no more than 10 minutes in a hot oven, from frozen, to serve.

6 turkey breast escalopes;100g breadcrumbs, 100g flour,1tsp cajun spices (blend of chilli/cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, pepper),1tsp paprika, 1tsp mint,1tsp parsley, 1tsp cracked black pepper.

Dip the escalopes in beaten egg followed by the seasoned breadcumb mix. Deep-fry to seal them and bake in oven for approx 15 mins - a little less if you're going to freeze them.

This was the last of the batch - a bit on the small side so I treated myself to a fried egg too!

For the peppered wedges, use similar herbs & spices [to the meat]. Cut a couple of potatoes (skin on) into wedges; dredge with a little olive oil, a good shake of paprika, a pinch of cracked black pepper and one of salt. Roast in a hot oven.

The warm coleslaw was a bit of experiment - very tasty but I made a mistake by heating the yoghurt on full power in the microwave. To me, veg like carrots, cabbage and onions are excellent when nuked in a closed casserole dish - no added water - with the finished texture of steamed produce. I should have warmed the yoghurt dressing separately over water, I think though - it came out a bit scrambled-eggy!

Stir-fried Seafood Trio with Parsnip & Lentil Puree

I'd been at the reduced-price fish in the Co-op again.....
In a wok, in a little butter & oil, soften 2 handfuls of a mixture of peppers, red onions and courgettes; add a good handful of pollock in large dice,cook until the fish starts to colour. Add 1 tsp garlic puree.

Meanwhile prepare a sauce of 1 level tsp of soy, 1 level tsp of Hoi Sin,1  level tsp of balsamic vinegar, and 1 level tsp of sugar, all dissolved in 50ml of boiling water. To the wok add half a kipper fillet in large dice and a small handful of prawns (straight from frozen is fine) and stir for a minute. Move to the side of the pan and pour in the sauce to bubble. Mix in the fish and reduce to a syrupy consistency.

For the Parsnip & Lentil Puree:
Best made in advance and microwaved gently to serve.2 small parsnips cut into small dice with handful of red lentils; cover with lightly salted water in a saucepan with 1 tsp chives. Cook until parsnips are tender and lentils are cooked. Strain if necessary, retaining water. Mash and season with S+P, adding back cooking liquor if needed.

Rice would probably have been the obvious accompaniment to the oriental-style fish but wouldn't have sat that well with the vegetable puree so I went for spuds with lashings of real butter!

Baked Pork Kebabs & Mediterranean Salad

I'd been thinking about Chicken Tikka - mainated meat on skewers but cooked in a Tandoor oven rather than barbecued........

For the marinade:
Olive oil, 1 tsp garlic puree, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a splash of lemon juice, 1 scant tsp oregano and
1 scant tsp basil, half a tsp ground cinnamon;  S+P to taste.Add 225g diced pork and leave to stand for a couple of hours at least.
Thread onto skewers and roast for about 20 minutes - I've still got a thing about tapeworms etc (Jewish ancestry!) so I like my pork well-done,  though I have been known to eat raw bacon rinds! Go figure!



For the salad:
Dressed with same ingredients as the meat marinade but with extra lemon juice. Torn cos lettuce, shredded cabbage; handful of chickpeas; celery, green peppers, diced tomato, red onion and courgette - I've given up cucumber for the winter (they don't last) and find this a blandly-acceptable substitute!

 On a bed of Basmati rice with a home-made mint yoghurt relish.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Everyone's got their own way of making this - I don't think mine is particularly original but, as with Art, I know what I like.......and I like lots of sauce!

A handful of dried spaghetti per person, plunged into boiling, slightly-salted water. I then add a dash of olive oil and cook to al dente. Strain the spaghetti, reserving the cooking water, and rinse under cold water. Bring the cooking water back to the boil and when the sauce is ready put the spaghetti back in the cooking water for no more than a minute. Drain and serve.

For the sauce: 2 handfuls very finely chopped onions, softened; add 150-200g mince to the pan and when colouring slightly add 3 tsp garlic puree and continue to cook. Next, add 2 tsp oregano and 1 tsp basil; stir in1scant tsp flour to make a roux and cook though. Gradually add half a.5 tin of  tomatoes - break them up with a wooden spoon whether you're using chopped or whole - and as the sauce thickens whisk in 2 tsp of tomato puree and 50ml water. Season with 1 scant tsp veg bouillon powder, 1 scant tsp sugar and S+P to taste. Grated cheese and a good twist of black pepper to finish........

Stuffed Omelette

A heathy-ish lunch. A two-egg omelette bursting with onions, mixed peppers, courgettes and strips of ham: but instead of frying the fillings cook them for 2 minutes in a closed casserole dish in the microwave - almost the same effect as steaming!

I bound mine with a scoop each of a Boursin-style garlic & herb cheese and a full-fat soft cheese but I'm sure a low fat one would work just as well.

Multigrain bread and butter to complete!