green chilli

chilli is something which i’ve enjoyed trying different versions of – beef and pork chilli with tomatoes and beef chilli without tomatoes (i preferred the version without but that is probably due to lots of other refinements i made with that recipe), white chilli (a much-loved and regularly-cooked vegetarian bean chilli from simon rimmer) and now, green chilli.

this jamie oliver recipe caught my eye due to the way jamie describes the dish:

“this green chilli is so delicious, simple to make and a total pleasure to eat. in england, we’re sort of brainwashed into thinking of chilli as just being chilli con carne, but this is completely different and i absolutely love it. i think it’s cleaner, braver and fresher than your average chilli.”

his description about it being “cleaner, braver and fresher” was the appealing factor – this is what i love about the white chilli.

the resulting dish wasn’t as wonderful as i’d hoped – i think it needs more herbs and i’d try to cook the peppers for less time so they retain a bit more of their flavour and bite (perhaps add them just before the tomatoes go in). i didn’t have any pork mince in so i chopped my own and i don’t think this did the dish any favours either – next time i will use mince and see how it compares. the recipe does have the makings of something delicious but, if you try it, tweak things about a bit. i’ll update this post if i work out a definitive version!

Click to read more ...

pork belly rilettes

 

i’m on a cookery book ban at the moment as there are far too many recipes in the books that i already own, which have been marked up on my “to try” list but have got no further, for me to justify buying a new book. i’ve also stopped buying food magazines, finding them increasingly repetitive. however, this self-imposed ban is no great hardship thanks to the amazing recipe and food content available online.

the one purchase i still make is the observer newspaper when observer food monthly is the special supplement. this month’s article by nigel slater was incredibly timely, with its pork belly recipes as i had a freezer full of belly off-cuts. i decided to make nigel’s recipe for rilettes.

i was surprised how unfatty the resulting rilettes were – once the meat has been cooked it is a dirty but satisfying job discarding any fat and seeking out the little morsels of tender meat. obviously, if you like fat you can be less assiduous in separating the two.  there wasn’t much liquid left at the bottom of the roasting tray but i squashed the roasted garlic into this and pushed it through the sieve, with the liquid, rather than just discarding it along with the herbs – this added a subtle flavour of garlic.

the rilettes tasted good and i’ve enjoyed eating them on crusty bread all week but next time i will make changes. i’ll season the cooked meat before patting it into its serving bowl. i’d also like to add a bit of gentle spicing, probably by adding cloves and peppercorns to the poaching liquid. i’d be interested in any other ideas people have for adding an extra layer of flavour.

Click to read more ...

meatballs with pasta

 

i’ve never made meatballs italian-style before (use the search function to find my other meatball recipes) so thought i’d better give it a try given how often friends talk about having them. it definitely involves much more effort than, say, a bolognaise sauce and to be honest i don’t think it’s something i will bother with very often – i much prefer it when the meat and tomato flavours get mixed up and create something special.

having researched various recipes i decided to use a jamie oliver recipe as the basis for mine given his generous use of fresh rosemary to flavour the meatballs. he also adds mustard which was, i thought, interesting. i added lemon zest, chilli flakes and fennel seeds as well and the result was good. so good that the double-batch i’d made somehow got snaffled as a packed lunch option by david. maybe i will have to make another batch sometime soon after all!

Click to read more ...

pork kebabs with herb and honey marinade

last summer i made an ottolenghi recipe for a rack of lamb marinated with honey and coriander. the marinade was amazingly good - fresh, flavoursome and with many layers of flavours. at the time i promised myself i would try using it in different ways. finally i have managed to do so.

the marinade is exactly the same but this time i used it with chunks of pork tenderloin which were then threaded onto skewers and grilled for 3-4 minutes on each side. i used two tenderloins which resulted in 8 kebabs, one of which was ample per person when paired with some couscous (to which i added lemon juice/zest, finely chopped shallots and red chilli plus a handful of mint and coriander leaves), vegetables (slow-cooked courgettes or best broccoli) and a herby yoghurt dressing (finely chopped mint, parsley and coriander plus lemon zest and seasoning).

i am determined to try this marinade with seafood version next.

chinese spaghetti

 

i’ve been craving comfort food a lot recently. i think it’s the very changeable weather that we’re having combined with my optimistic approach which means i see sunshine, dress lightly and then shiver my way through the day.

pasta is often my default choice for days like this, not least given how quickly it can be pulled together. however, in the spirit of trying new things as much as possible, and because the write-up made it sound absolutely delicious, i recently made sunday nite dinner’s zha ziang mian. aka chinese spaghetti.

this was fantastically quick to make and absolutely delicious. the side salad of carrot and bean sprouts provided a great contrast to the rich meaty “ragu” and added a bit of vegetable content to the meal. i followed the recipe exactly so will leave you to get it yourself from chuck’s blog.

i'm sharing this dish with marye of baking delights who is hosting this week's presto pasta nights.