Pulled Pork Buns

This was easy, cheap and required very little input! I just put all the ingredients in my slow cooker on low for 8 hours, then removed the pork to "pull" before returning it to the pot to absorb the juices. I served this the traditional American way, in bread rolls, with coleslaw, salad & corn cobs.

Ingredients

1 pork shoulder joint
4 large onions, thinly sliced
1 bottle of BBQ sauce of your choice (I used Honey BBQ marinade)

Lay the onions on the bottom of the slow cooker, add the shoulder joint on top. Pour over the sauce until all coated. Turn the slow cooker to LOW. After 8 hours, remove the pork & shred/pull apart with 2 forks, then return to the slow cooker for half an hour or so (you can turn the slow cooker off at this point). Make sure the pulled pork is mixed  through with the sauce & onions. Serve in bread rolls.

Bacon, bean & pasta soup

This is almost like a stew, its so filling! Very tasty though, and warming. With a chuck of seeded bread, this is an entire meal in itself. This is also taken from the Good Food website.

Ingredients

• 8 rashers rindless streaky bacon , chopped
• 2 leeks , halved and sliced
• 4 carrots , halved lengthways and sliced
• 400g tin mixed beans , drained and rinsed
• 1l chicken stock , fresh, cube or concentrate
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 50g small pasta shapes
• a handful of flat-leaf parsley , chopped
• grated parmesan , to serve 

1. Fry the bacon in a large non-stick pan (it will cook in its own fat) until golden, then add the leeks and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
2. Tip in the beans, chicken stock, tomato purée and pasta and simmer until the pasta is cooked.
3. Stir through the parsley and serve in bowls topped with grated Parmesan.

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

This is a really filling, tasty soup. Perfect with some fresh crusty bread! I found this recipe on the Good Food website.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp medium curry powder
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions , grated
• 1 eating apple , peeled, cored and grated
• 3 garlic cloves , crushed
• 20g pack coriander , stalks chopped
• thumb-size piece fresh root ginger , grated
• 800g sweet potatoes
• 1.2l vegetable stock
• 100g red lentils
• 300ml milk
• juice 1 lime   

1. Put the curry powder into a large saucepan, then toast over a medium heat for 2 mins. Add the olive oil, stirring as the spice sizzles in the pan. Tip in the onions, apple, garlic, coriander stalks and ginger, season, then gently cook for 5 mins, stirring every so often.
2. Meanwhile, peel, then grate the sweet potatoes. Tip into the pan with the stock, lentils, milk and seasoning, then simmer, covered, for 20 mins. Blend until smooth using a stick blender. Stir in the lime juice, check the seasoning and serve, topped with roughly-chopped coriander leaves.

Rich Tomato Soup

It's soup weather! In the last week, I have made quite a few soups and have frozen quite a few portions of it. Should see me through the next few weeks at least! This one is from the Good Food website. I didn't use pesto though, instead I added soem dried basil during cooking. Its delicious, but quite rich.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed 
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 5 soft sun-dried or SunBlush tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• 3 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
• 500ml turkey or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sugar , any type, or more to taste
• 142ml pot soured cream 

1. Heat the butter or oil in a large pan, then add the garlic and soften for a few mins over a low heat. Add the sun-dried or SunBlush tomatoes, canned tomatoes, basil, stock, sugar and seasoning, then bring to a simmer. Let the soup bubble for 10 mins until the tomatoes have broken down a little.
2. Whizz with a stick blender, adding half the pot of soured cream as you go. Taste and adjust the seasoning - add more sugar if you need to. Serve in bowls with a little more soured cream.

Chicken katsu curry

100g flour, seasoned with lots of salt and
pepper
1 free-range egg, beaten lightly
200g Japanese panko breadcrumbs
4 boneless chicken breasts
100ml groundnut or vegetable oil
steamed rice and salad to serve

For the curry sauce

1 tablespoon groundnut or vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon medium curry powder
600ml chicken stock
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 bay leaf
half a teaspoon garam masala

Anyone who is into Japanese food knows that katsu curry is wickedly wonderful. What makes it stand out from other curries is that the meat is breaded and fried before having a luxurious silky curry sauce slathered all over it.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a small pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then throw in the carrots and sweat slowly for 10 minutes with the lid on, giving the odd stir, until softened and starting to caramelise. Stir in the flour and curry powder and cook for a minute. Slowly pour in the stock until combined (do this gradually to avoid getting lumps). Add the honey, soy sauce and bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, so the sauce thickens but is still of pouring consistency. Add the garam masala, then pass the sauce through a sieve (unless you prefer a chunky sauce).

Now prepare the chicken. Lay the seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Coat the chicken in the flour, then dip into the egg and fi nally into the breadcrumbs.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the breaded chicken breasts for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Slice the chicken diagonally and serve with the sauce drizzled over, steamed rice and salad.

From 'Gizzi's Magic Kitchen' by Gizzi Erskine (Virgin Books, £20).

Homemade BBQ chicken pizza

Pizza dough (makes enough for two 10" pizzas)

230g strong white flour
1 x 7g packet active dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
120 ml water.

Mix the flour, yeast and sugar. Add the salt & mix again.

Add the olive oil & then slowly add the water until the dough comes together.

Knead thoroughly on a floured surface for 3-4 minutes. Shape into a ball.

Retrun the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth & leave in a warm area for 1 hour (it shoudl double in size).

Knock the air out of teh dough. Divide in half and knead for a further minute. Shape into a ball again.

The dough is now ready to use or freeze.

Chicken Satay

This is a bit of a cheat meal, as I used a packet spice mix from my local Asain supermarket! It's this one here. The chicken is marintaed in the spices & coconut milk. There is a second sachet of spices to make the peanut dipping sauce to go with it - this was quite spicy! Delicious though.

Tanddori Chicken Kebabs

These tasted way better than any takeaway! I dont think my home made pitta bread turned out right, too doughy really, but still tasted far better than the cardboardy shop-bought versions. The chicken was marinated overnight, but the marinade was very easy to make. I picked up the tandoori spice mix in my local Asian supermarket.

To make 2 kebabs -

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tsp tandoori masala spices
19 tsp natural yogurt

Mix the spices with the yogurt until completely blended. Add the chicken pieces, coat well & marinade overnight (or as long as possible).

Line a grill pan with foil, add 100ml water, then place the wire rack on top. Place the chicken on the wire rack, and put into a prehetaed oven (220c). Cook for about 20 minutes, turning once. Serve in a pitta, with salad and sauce (sauce recipe below).

Garlic kebab sauce

3 tblsp mayo
1 tblsp natural yogurt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of dried parsley
1 tblsp water

Mix the ingredients (except the water) until thouroughly combined. Add the water a bit at a time until you get the desired consistancy. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

BBQ Pork skewers

These were so tasty! They need to be prepped in advance, as they are best being marinated over night (though you could possibly get away with marinating for just an hour). I cooked them on my George Forman grill, but they wold be fantastic on a bbq. I served mine with egg fried rice.

1kg of diced pork (I bought loin steaks & diced them into the size I wanted)

Marinade

2 tbsp peanut butter

235ml coca-cola

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 tbsps. lemon juice

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 crushed garlic clove

Glaze

60ml tomato ketchup
3 tbsps. honey
1 tbsps. light soy sauce
1 tbsp. cooking oil

Mix the marinade ingredients together, add the pork & thoroughly coat. Leave to marinate overnight if possible. Thread onto skewers. Grill for 2 minutes each side. Brush on the glaze and grill for few minutes on each side to set the glaze.


Taken from this amazing  blog.

Egg-pot breakfast

I had a lot of eggs to use up, so made the kids an egg-pot for breakfast. They smelled so good - I wish id made one for myself!

To make 3 ramekins -

Half an onion, diced small
6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 slices of ham, chopped
3 eggs
some grated cheese

Lightly saute the onion & tomato in a frying pan, then divide between the 3 ramkins. Add the ham. Sprinkle a handful of grated cheese on the top of each one. Crack an egg on the top of each one, then burst the yolk a little. Put in a preheated oven (200c) for 15 minutes, then serve with toast soliders.