Blog

Category: Pork

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 2 Potatoes
• 1 Apples
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Lemon
• 2 Pork
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Chicken Stock
• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Butter

Instructions:

Serves 2

1.

Adjust racks to top and middle positions and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. Dice sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack for 12 minutes (we'll roast the zucchini then).

2.

Meanwhile, halve and core apple; thinly slice into half-moons. Peel and finely chop garlic. Quarter lemon. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons. Toss on a second baking sheet with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

3.

Pat pork dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until browned and cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate.

4.

Once sweet potatoes have roasted 12 minutes, transfer baking sheet with zucchini to middle rack and continue roasting until both veggies are browned and softened, 12-15 minutes more.

5.

Meanwhile, melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in pan used for pork over medium-high heat. Add apple and season with salt and pepper. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until apple is slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add 1/z cup water (3/4 cup for 4), stock concentrate, and 11/2 tsp sugar (3 tsp for 4). Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened and apple is very tender, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6.

Remove pan with apple from heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) and a squeeze of lemon juice. Divide pork, zucchini, and sweet potatoes between plates. Top pork with glazed apple sauce. Top zucchini with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Category: Dessert

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Miniature Marshmallows
• 3 cups Chocolate Chips
• ½ cup Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 ¼ cups Peanuts

Instructions:

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with wax paper or foil, and coat with non-stick spray.
Pour ½ cup of the miniature marshmallows into the bottom of the lined baking dish.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave the chocolate mixture in 20-second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate is melted.
Add the vanilla extract and stir well, until smooth.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped almonds or peanuts, and set aside.
Fold 1 ½ cups of the miniature marshmallows and the remaining chopped nuts into the chocolate mixture.
Transfer the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Immediately top with the reserved chopped nuts and the mallow bits or additional miniature marshmallows, if using.
Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until set.
Remove the fudge and wax paper from the pan. Carefully peel all of wax paper from the fudge.
Cut the fudge into bite-sized pieces and serve.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 chopped Onion
• 1 chopped Carrots
• 1 stalk chopped Celery
• 1 tablespoon minced Garlic
• 2 cups Cannellini Beans
• 1 Canned tomatoes
• 4 cups Water
• 1 fresh sprig Rosemary
• 1 fresh sprig Thyme
• 1 pound chopped Kale
• 4 thick slices Wholegrain Bread
• 1 thinly sliced Red Onions
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it’s hot, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Drain the beans; if they’re canned, rinse them as well. Add them to the pot along with tomatoes and their juices and stock, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the soup bubbles steadily; cover and cook, stirring once or twice to break up the tomatoes, until the flavors meld, 15 to 20 minutes.
Fish out and discard rosemary and thyme stems, if you like, and stir in kale. Taste and adjust seasoning. Lay bread slices on top of the stew so they cover the top and overlap as little as possible. Scatter red onion slices over the top, drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Put the pot in the oven and bake until the bread, onions and cheese are browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. (If your pot fits under the broiler, you can also brown the top there.) Divide the soup and bread among 4 bowls and serve.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Filipino

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Egg Plants
• 2 tbs Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 whole Garlic
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 4 oz Ground Pork
• 3 tbs Rice Vinegar
• 2 tbs Soy Sauce
• 2 Bay Leaf

Instructions:

1. Slice 1 lb. small Japanese or Italian eggplant (about 3) into quarters lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2"-wide pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Toss to evenly coat eggplant and let sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
2. Peel and thinly slice 8 garlic cloves. Add 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil and half of garlic to a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until light golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic chips to a plate; season lightly with salt.
3. Place 4 oz. ground pork in same pot and break up into small pieces with wooden spoon. Season with ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to another plate, leaving fat behind in the pot.
4. Place eggplant on a clean kitchen towel and blot away any moisture the salt has drawn out.
5. Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, cook eggplant in the same pot until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate with pork.
6. Pour 1½ cups of water into the pot and scrape up browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add remaining garlic, 3 Tbsp. coconut vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar. Bring to a simmer, then return pork and eggplant to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until eggplant is tender and silky and sauce is reduced by half, 20–25 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper and add a little more sugar if needed.
7. Top with garlic chips and serve with cooked white rice.

Category: Dessert

Area: Malaysian

Ingredients:

• 400g Rice
• 150ml Coconut Milk
• 100ml Water
• 1 tsp Salt
• 5 tbs Corn Flour
• 3 tbs Flour
• 3 Eggs
• 200ml Coconut Cream
• 140g Sugar

Instructions:

Soak glutinous rice with water for at least 1 ½ hours prior to using. Drain.
Prepare a 9-inch round or square cake pan and spray with cooking spray or line with plastic wrap.
Mix coconut milk, water, salt and the rice. Pour it into cake pan, topped with the pandan knots.
Steam for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, fluff up the rice and remove pandan knots. Then, using a greased spatula, flatten the steamed rice. Make sure there are no holes/air bubbles and gaps in the rice, especially the sides.
Steam for another 10 minutes.

Combine pandan juice, coconut milk, all purpose flour, cornflour, and sugar. Mix well.
Add eggs and whisk well then strain into a medium sized metal bowl or pot.
Place pandan mixture over simmering water (double boiler or bain-marie)
Stir continuously and cook till custard starts to thicken. (15 minutes)
Pour pandan custard into glutinous rice layer, give it a little tap (for air bubbles) and continue to steam for 30 minutes.
Remove kuih seri muka from the steamer and allow to cool completely before cutting into rectangles or diamond shapes.

Category: Pork

Area: Irish

Ingredients:

• 800g Floury Potatoes
• 50g Butter
• 3 chopped Garlic Clove
• 1 chopped Cabbage
• 8 Spring Onions
• 100ml Double Cream
• 2 tbs Mustard
• 180g Ham
• 4 Eggs

Instructions:

STEP 1
Peel and cut the potatoes into even, medium-sized chunks. Put in a large pan filled with cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 mins until a knife can be inserted into the potatoes easily.

STEP 2
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, cabbage, spring onions and some seasoning. Stir occasionally until the cabbage is wilted but still retains a little bite, then set aside.

STEP 3
Drain the potatoes, leave to steam-dry for a couple of mins, then mash with the cream, mustard and seasoning in the same saucepan. Stir in the cabbage and ham hock. Keep warm over a low heat.

STEP 4
Reheat the pan you used to cook the cabbage (no need to wash first), add a splash of oil, crack in the eggs and fry to your liking. To serve, divide the colcannon between bowls and top each with a fried egg.

Category: Dessert

Area: Malaysian

Ingredients:

• 200ml Milk
• 60ml Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1600g Flour
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 25g Unsalted Butter
• 45g Sugar
• 3 tbs Peanut Butter

Instructions:

Mix milk, oil and egg together. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture. Stir well until all ingredients are combined evenly.

Spread some batter onto the pan. Spread a thin layer of batter to the side of the pan. Cover the pan for 30-60 seconds until small air bubbles appear.

Add butter, cream corn, crushed peanuts and sugar onto the pancake. Fold the pancake into half once the bottom surface is browned.

Cut into wedges and best eaten when it is warm.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 8 cloves chopped Garlic
• 3 tbsp Caster Sugar
• 2 tblsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 400g Cans Chopped Tomatoes
• Bunch Basil Leaves
• 2 tubs Mascarpone
• 3 tbsp Milk
• 85g Parmesan
• 2 sliced Mozzarella
• 1kg Spinach
• 100g Parmesan
• 3 tubs Ricotta
• pinch Nutmeg
• 400g Cannellini Beans

Instructions:

First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes (see Tips for freezing, below). Set aside. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.

Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in batches). When cool enough to handle squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Parmesan and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. You can now freeze the cannelloni, uncooked, or you can cook it first and then freeze. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 175g Butter
• 175g Caster Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 250g Self-raising Flour
• 3 tbs Milk
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• To Glaze Mixed Peel

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease an 18cm/7in round cake tin, line the base with greaseproof paper and grease the paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture curdling.
Sift the flour and gently fold in, with enough milk to give a mixture that falls slowly from the spoon. Fold in the lemon zest.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and lightly level the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To serve, decorate the cake with the candied peel.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Mexican

Ingredients:

• 400g Chickpeas
• 1 tblsp Olive Oil
• pinch Paprika
• 2 small cut chunks Tomatoes
• 1 finely sliced Red Onions
• 2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Avocado
• Juice of 1 Lime
• Chopped Lime
• 100g Sour Cream
• 2 tsp Harissa Spice
• 4 Corn Tortillas
• to serve Coriander

Instructions:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with foil. Drain the chickpeas, pat dry and tip onto the prepared baking tray. Add the oil and paprika, toss to coat, then roast for 20-25 mins until browned and crisp, shaking halfway through cooking.

Meanwhile, put the tomatoes and onion in a small bowl with the vinegar and set aside to pickle. Put the avocado in another bowl and mash with a fork, leaving some larger chunks. Stir in the lime juice and season well. Mix the soured cream with the harissa and set aside until ready to serve.

Heat a griddle pan until nearly smoking. Add the tortillas , one at a time, charring each side until hot with griddle lines.

Put everything on the table and build the fajitas : spread a little of the harissa cream over the tortilla, top with roasted chickpeas, guacamole, pickled salsa and coriander, if you like. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing over.