Eats/Reads

Meat:         3-4   pounds   boneless pork loin, or pork shoulder/pork butt Marinade: 1/2  cup   granulated white sugar ▢ 4  teaspoons   salt ▢ 1  teaspoon   five spice powder ▢ 1/2  teaspoon   white pepper ▢ 1 teaspoon   sesame oil ▢ 2  tablespoon   Shaoxing rice wine ▢ 4  tablespoon   soy sauce ▢ 2  tablespoon   hoisin sauce ▢ 4  teaspoons   molasses ▢ ▢ 3-6   cloves   finely minced  garlic For sauce:        2-4 tbsp honey        2 tbsp hot water Original recipe calls for red food colouring for that Chinese restaurant look. I never use that.  Mix all marinade ingredients in a big bowl or ziplock bag. Add meat, and cover  in plastic or seal tightly. Place in the fridge for several hours, even overnight.  For pork loin: Remove meat from marinade and let drain on a plate.  Preheat oven to 200C (f...

A nice change from plain grilled chicken. From here . I used some dried herbs (parsley, basil) because I didn't have fresh. 4 skinless chicken breasts 1 tbsp plain flour 2 eggs 2 tbsp double cream 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped 1 tsp grated parmesan 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper Lay the chicken breasts between sheets of greaseproof paper. Flatten with a rolling pin until they are about 1/2in thick. Season the flour. Dip the chicken escalopes into the flour to coat them, and then shake off the excess. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the cream. Stir in the parsley and the parmesan. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Dip the escalopes into the egg mixture and then into the frying pan. Cook on one side for about 4-5 minutes until the egg is set and golden brown, then turn over and turn the heat down. Cook for a further 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper...

(From Weber’s Real Grilling, 200) Marinade: 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 to 2 teaspoons hot chili garlic sauce 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 4 ounces each 1 plum tomato 4 large handfuls baby spinach leaves, about 12 ounces 1. To make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients. 2. Place the thighs in a large, plastic resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place the bag in a bowl, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally. 3. Remove the thighs from the bag, reserving the marinade. Pour the marinade into a very large skillet and set is aside. Grill the thighs over Direct High heat until the meat is firm and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice. (I used our wok on high heat.) 4. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil over high heat and allow to boi...

My family got really sick of grilled trout so this is what I did with it last night. Yum. Easier than I thought fish pie would be. Can use onions or shallots instead of leeks, and garlic is always welcome in that mixture. 600g trout skinless and boneless 400ml milk 1 bay leaf A few black peppercorns 3 leeks finely sliced 1 tbsp olive oil 5 large potatoes Milk and butter for mashed potatoes Flat leaf parsley 50g Butter 50g Flour 4 tbsp parmesan 1. Lightly poach 600g of skinless and boneless trout fillet in 400ml of milk (can add 1 bay leaf and some peppercorns, then strain before making sauce). 2. Meanwhile saute chopped leeks (or onion and/or garlic) in 1 tbsp of olive oil 3. Drain the trout and use the poaching milk to make a white sauce with 50g butter and 50g flour 4.Combine the flaked fish with the leeks, white sauce and 2 tbsp of chopped parsley and season 5. Place in an ovenproof dish and cover with potatoes, mashed with butter and milk. 6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and cook...

I used to make meatloaf often but not recently. I was surprised that I didn't have a recipe for it. Sort of winged it here but it ended up nice: tasty and moist. Really full of onions. Crispy outside. On the downside, it was cracked on the top and sort of fell apart when served hot - but not sure if that's really a problem. Might be the sacrifice to make for it to be so moist. Or maybe add some more bread crumbs/oats? I served it with some leftover tomato sauce, mash and creamed spinach and onion. Yum. 500g beef (organic, 20 per cent fat) 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced 1 egg, beaten 1/2 c plain yogurt 1/2 cup quick porridge oats (or bread crumbs) 1 tsp salt fresh ground black pepper 1 tsp basil 1/2 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp thyme 2 Tbsp chicken stock Mix all ingredients together with hands, until just combined. Put in baking dish and shape into loaf. Bake at 375F/170C fan for 1 hour.

I was sick of baked chicken and we didn't have the ingredients for steamed foil chicken, so I came up with this, based on what we had around the house. Very tasty! 2 Tbsp oil About 2-3 Tbsp flour 4 chicken thighs 1 leek, diced About 4 oz dried shitake mushrooms, sliced (could use fresh) 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine 2/3 cup stock 1/3 cup mushroom juice (could use stock) 1/2 cup milk About 1 cup peas Salt and pepper Eat oil in skillet with fitted top. Dip chicken in flour, and then brown in oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add leek and mushrooms to skillet and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle veg with about 1 Tbsp of flour and mix in. Add sherry or wine and scrape up any carmelised bits from the bottom of the pan. Add stock and mushroom juice. Bring to simmer. Return chicken to pan. Cover and let chicken cook for about 15-20 mins, flipping the chicken over once and stirring occasionally. When chicken is done, remove from pa...

I'm really proud of this recipe. I created it for my husband's birthday in 2003. I was trying to recreate the goulashes we'd eaten in Prague in the early 1990's. I read through loads of recipes. There are so many types of goulash: Hungarian, Austrian, Czach, German. Some are like beef stew with chunks of carrots and potatoes, some simple and meaty. I knew I wanted a meaty one, with lots of gravy-like sauce. This is it! I've made it so many times, so many different ways. I've used lamb or venison instead of beef. I've used white wine or port instead of red wine (for port, use only half a cup and then the rest water). I've left out the lemon. This goulash is best served with knedliky (steamed bread dumplings) but also good with noodles, rice, potatoes, even bread. 3 Tbsp oil 2 lbs beef, cubed 2 large onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp paprika 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp marjoram 1 bay leaf 1 cup dry red wine 1 Tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar ...

We've switched to a Delia recipe for crispier crackling and moister meat. Here are the basics... pork loin joint onion sea salt pepper Pre-heat the oven to 240C/475F. Score the skin of the pork. Peel and cut onion in half. Now place the pork in a tin, skin-side up, and wedge onion underneath it. Take about 1 tbsp of crushed salt crystals and sprinkle it evenly over the skin, pressing it in as much as you can. Place the pork on a high shelf in the oven and roast it for 25 minutes. Turn the heat down to 190C/375F, and calculate the total cooking time allowing 35 minutes to the pound. The way to tell if the meat is cooked is to insert a skewer in the thickest part and the juices that run out should be absolutely clear without any trace of pinkness. When the pork is cooked remove it from the oven and give it at least 30 minutes resting time before carving. Now you can make a gravy with the charred onion and fat left in the pan.

I got some sardines at the farmer's market because they were cheap and looked nice and fresh. SWC said he'd never had sardines he liked so I took it as a challenge to make these really tasty. Result: I thought they were amazing: moist, flavourful and crispy. SWC agreed on the taste but had a hard time with the bones, which I barely noticed. The original recipe called for cumin in the flour but I was hoping the toddler might eat these too so I left that out. She didn't go for them in the end - might try spicing up the flour next time. Handful of fresh parsley, chopped fine 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped fine 6 sardines, prepared Half a lemon About 1/2 cup plain flour Vegetable oil Salt Freshly ground black pepper Chop the parsley and garlic and mix together in a bowl. Then spread the mixture all over the sardines - inside and out. Lay the fish out on a plate, squeeze some lemon juice over them, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about two hours. Place the flour, salt and p...

We often make Marcella Hazen's carbonara recipe, but tonight we had an odd collection of leftovers. Nevertheless, a carbonara-esque meal materialised, and it was delicious. 500 g linguine (normally spaghetti, but we had none) 1 courgette 2 sausages (grilled yesterday) 1 head of fresh garlic A little sun-dried tomato 1 egg Parmesan Olive oil 1 tbsp sherry (or dry white wine) Chop up the entire head of fresh garlic. Fresh garlic is milder and sweeter than the regular stuff. Saute it in the olive oil for a minute, then add thin sliced courgette, sausage and sun-dried tomato. We use a mandolin to get 0.5 mm thick courgette slices. Saute until the courgette is slightly browned, then add the sherry and deglaze. Mix the egg (raw) with enough grated parmesan cheese to make a thick paste. Grate black pepper into the paste. Add the cooked pasta and toss until it's evenly coated. Add the sauce and toss again.

We thought we had absolutely nothing to eat in the house - and then we realised we had the ingredients for tuna casserole. Not exactly the most sophisticated dish but this is a tasty version - with, notably, no canned cream of mushroom soup (which about 99.9 per cent of the recipes we found online called for). The toddler was a bit suspicious of it but in the end ate several pieces of fusilli and a couple handfuls of the meat and sauce, once we separated them for her. If you don't have kids, add some dry white wine or sherry in the sauce and double or triple the garlic. Next time we'll try putting bread crumbs on top, under the grated cheese. 1 pound fusilli 2 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced 300 g tinned tuna 1 cup frozen peas 6 tbsp butter 6 tbsp flour 3 cups milk 1/4 pound grated cheddar cheese Cheddar Parmesan Melt the butter, then stir in the flour. Slowly add the 6 cups milk on low to medium heat, stirring constantly. Y...

I was totally winging it with this one and it came out very tasty! I wanted to stew some meat because it makes for great family meals - very easy to eat for the family member who still doesn't have all her teeth. The rest was just a mix of what I remember from making other stews and Marcella Hazan tomato sauces (ie, LOTS of olive oil!). We ate it with pasta but it could also have been served over rice, with potatoes - or even with potatoes cooked in it. 2T veg oil 800g pork 1/2 cup olive oil 2 onions, chopped 2 medium carrots, sliced thin 1/2 courgette, sliced thin About 1/4-1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced thin 1/2 head garlic, chopped 2 splashes dry sherry 1 tsp oregano 1 enormous bay leaf 3 400ml/14 ox tins tomato 250ml/1 cup chicken stock 1 Tbsp flour (Would have added dried basil if I'd had it. Instead, chopped up some fresh basil and cilantro and used that as a garnish before serving) Heat veg oil in Dutch oven until very hot. Add cubed meat and brown on all sides. Set aside. Add...

Paprika chicken is a longtime favourite in our home. It's a tasty, quick, warm meal when you don't have a ton of ingredients on hand. This recipe is based on a dish I saw on Food TV ages ago. Just today I made the mistake of putting in chili powder instead of paprika - and it was yummy - so now thanks to this happy mistake it's also our chili chicken recipe. 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1-6 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how garlicy you want it) 2 Tbsp paprika or chili powder 1 28oz/800ml tin of chopped tomato 4 chicken breasts, thighs or legs, skin on and bone in 1/2 cup broth or water 1 1/2 tsp flour 2-3 Tbsp yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche Handful of fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper In large frying pan with lid, saute onion in oil at medium heat until tender. Add garlic and saute a minute or two. Add paprika/chili powder and stir for one minute. Add tomato and broth/water and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, meat side down, and return to simm...

Wild Boar Korma Curry Notes: This was good but next time, more fresh garlic and ginger. The paste isn't that zesty. And add chilis or chili sauce at the table (didn't add chilis because sharing with toddler). 2 Tbsp oil 1 onion, chopped 6 mushrooms, sliced 3 Tbsp korma paste 1/2 c yogurt 1/2 c milk 1/4 c water 400 g wild boar 4 dried apricots, chopped 1 cup peas About half a ripe mango, chopped. Saute onion and mushroom in oil until soft. Add korma paste and cook for 1 minute. Add milk, yogurt and water. Add boar and apricots. Bring to simmer, cover and cook about 1 to 1.5 hours, until boar is soft. Mix in peas and mango. Cook about 5 minutes until peas are done. Serve with rice or noodles. -- 15/2/10: Finally got this right! Yummy Fish Korma Curry. 1 onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 inch fresh ginger, minced 3 Tbsp korma paste 3 mushroom, sliced 1 tin coconut milk 1/4 c plain yogurt One large fillet pollock, cut into large chunks (10-12 ounces) 1/2 cup fresh mango, d...

This was the result of banging together what we happened to have in the fridge, rather than buying ingredients on purpose. The result was quite tasty. Notes: It was a little light on sauce, and the sauce might have been better with some lime juice. Also next time, dress the lettuce lightly too. 400g grilled salmon, flaked 2 small carrots, grated 4 scallions, chopped Fresh basil and mint, chopped About 1/4 mango, in small cubes 1 head of lettuce sauce: 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 chili, minced Thai jasmine rice Mix the salad ingredients together. Mix the sauce ingredients together. Then mix the sauce with the salad. Make a bed of lettuce on a plate, put the hot rice on top, then put the salad on top of the rice.

We finally broke down and made Mexican food at home. Our nice Aunt Sarah had sent us some enchilada sauce (tasty - thanks!) so all we had to do was make tortillas and the filling. Result: Very tasty! Need to work on making tortillas softer. It could also have been spicier (maybe add more chili to beef?). If we get this recipe down, we're really never returning to the States! The tortillas: If you live in the sort of glorious locale where good tortillas (i.e. no additives and very tasty) are available at the store, by all means skip this step and just buy a pack. 250g plain white flour 150ml water 5g (about 1 tsp) salt Knead ingredients together until smooth. Let sit for about 30 mins. Divide into eight. Roll each portion into a ball. Roll until 2-3mm thick. Place frying pan on medium height. Cook for about 1 minute on each side. Wrap in tea towel to steam. [Note: Mine were a little tough. Not sure if they were too thick, or needed to be kneaded more/less. Will investigate purchase ...

A friend sent us this recipe, and it was fantastic. 400g beef sirloin, lightly grilled and thinly sliced 200g cucumber, peeled and shredded 50g onion, sliced thin Fresh herbs, chopped Whole lettuce 2 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp sugar 1 hot chili, minced 1 clove garlic, minced We can't grill in our flat, so we pan fried the steak the way Best Recipe recommended: heat an iron skillet for 10 minutes, add a little oil, salt and pepper the steak, and cook it for 5 minutes on the first side, 3 minutes on the second. This was supposed to give us rare steak, but I would call the result medium or medium-well. Still tasty, but next time I'll cook it less. We used coriander (cilantro), mint and basil for the herbs, because we happened to have all three. Any nice collection of fresh herbs will likely do nicely. Mix the sauce ingredients vigourously. Mix everything else besides the lettuce. Add the sauce. Serve over the lettuce. Simple and delicious.

This is basically a Jamie Oliver recipe, from his first cookbook, "The Naked Chef" - long before he was so terribly overexposed. I didn't have the coriander seeds he called for and I used a lot more garlic. Also I used fresh chili not dried. It was tasty! Next time: See if I can create a crispier crust by heating up the pan more. 1 clove garlic 1/4 fresh red chili 3-4 large fresh basil leaves small handful fresh cilantro juice of 1/4 lemon salt and pepper 8 oz tuna steak Chop up the first four ingredients until they're very fine (or mash them in a mortar and pestle). Add the lemon, mix, then season to taste. Heat up an iron skillet or grill pan until it's very, very hot. Put in just a bit of oil and spread it thin. Heat more. Spread the herbs and spices on both sides of the tuna steak. Throw the fish into the hot pan. Cook one minute on each side. Remove from pan, slice into thin pieces. We served it over leek/tomato fried rice, and with a side of creamed spinach.

Tender, delicious and remarkably easy to make. 4 chicken thighs 1 1/2 tbsp sake 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 small onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1" fresh ginger, minced 1 chili, seeded and minced Combine everything but the chicken in a bowl and mix. Place each thigh on a piece of aluminum foil with 1/4 of the sauce, wrapping it tightly. Steam in a bamboo steamer for 45 minutes. We had this with leek fried rice. It was delicious. Next time, I'll make more sauce per piece of chicken, and, as usual, it could be spicier. Even SMCC said it could be spicier.

The chicken katsu was so good, we decided to try pork katsu. 4 thin pork shoulder steaks, about 500g total Everything else the same as the chicken katsu I trimmed the fat from the pork steaks and whacked them thin with the flat of a big knife. The pork was perfect at 4 minutes a side. We doubled the hot chilis in the tonkatsu sauce, and SMCC thought it was spicy enough, but I could have had it much spicier. We did red cabbage as a side dish. We sliced a whole cabbage thin, steamed it until it was soft, tossed it in a little toasted sesame oil and served it with a little light soy sauce. Quite nice.