Month: August 2015

Pulled Pork 3 Ways

| adamcockle

pphashblog

What could be better than pulled pork?  How about pulled pork served in three distinctive and delicious dishes? Pulled pork hash, pulled pork noodles and pulled pork bbq beans!

Ingredients:

For the pulled pork:

  • 2kg pork shoulder joint
  • 4tbsp olive oil
  • 1tsp course sea salt
  • 1tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 carrots chopped into long thick pieces

Method:

For the pulled pork:

Preheat your oven to 140c.

Leave the pork joint out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.  Drizzle the joint with oil and rub all over with salt and pepper.

Put the carrot pieces in the bottom of a large, deep baking tray and place the seasoned pork joint on top.  Cover tightly with tinfoil to keep in all the steam.  Place in the centre of the oven for 2 – 3 hours.  Remove the foil and whack your oven up to full for about 30 – 40mins until the fat has gone golden and a dark crust has formed on the pork.  Remove from the tray and leave aside to cool.  Once the meat has cooled, pull it apart with two forks (or get stuck in with your hands) into haphazard chunks.

PULLED PORK HASH

pphashblog2

Ingredients:

For the pulled pork hash:

  • 500g pulled pork
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 large potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1tbsp butter
  • 1tbsp flour
  • 500ml chicken stock

Method:

Place the cubed potato in a large pan of boiling salted water and boil for about 6 – 8 minutes until tender with a  just little bit of bite.  Drain and allow the excess water to steam away.

Heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan and add the pulled pork.  Fry the pork until it starts to go golden at the edges and then pop in the potatoes with a good pinch of salt and paper.  Stir in the potatoes until coated in oil and well distributed amongst the pork and then begin to press down with your wooden spoon or spatula.  You want to compress the potato pieces and get them crisp in the bottom without turning it to mash.  Stir occasionally and repeat pressing down until everything in the pan is crisp and golden.  Sprinkle in the Worcestershire sauce at this point and stir together one last time.

Heat some oil in a separate pan and break in your eggs.  Cook to your liking (I like mine crisp around the edges with a runny golden yolk).

For the gravy:

Melt the butter in a small pan until it starts to foam and  then add in the flour.  Stir together for a few minutes until you have formed a golden brown paste or roux.  Gradually add in the chicken stock, stirring constantly.  Let the gravy bubble away for a few minutes until it has become lovely and thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Plate up your hash and top with a fried egg.  Serve with gravy on the side.

PULLED PORK NOODLES

ppnoodlesblog

Ingredients:

For the pulled pork noodles:

  • 500g pulled pork
  • 1 bunch of spring onions (about 10)
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
  • Half a red chilli
  • 5tbsp light soy sauce
  • 5tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 5tbsp orange juice (freshly squeezed if you’re fancy, or from a carton is fine)
  • 5tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
  • 2tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 150g pre-cooked noodles (I used Udon)
  • 1tsp sesame seeds

Method:

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or wok.  Finely chop the chilli, garlic and ginger (I used a grater for the ginger) and add to the oil.  Stir around for a few seconds to let the flavours infuse, but do not let the garlic burn!  Add the pulled pork and spring onions and cook for a few minutes until the pork starts to develop a bit of colour.

Mix the soy sauces, maple syrup and vinegar in a small bowl and gradually add to the pan, stirring all the ingredients so that everything gets coated and syrup.  Pop in your noodles and stir through for a minute or two (if the pan seems a but dry at this point just add a splash of water)

Serve immediately and sprinkle with sesame seeds,  Chopsticks and slurping is essential!

PULLED PORK BBQ BEANS

ppbbqbeansblog

Ingredients:

For the pulled pork bbq beans:

  • 500g pulled pork
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves smoked garlic
  • 2 tins Heinz baked beans
  • 2tbsp maple syrup
  • 2tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1tbsp tomato puree
  • 1tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1tsp (heaped) hot chilli powder
  • Sour cream to serve

For the corn cakes

  • 2 large eggs
  • 60g plain flour
  • 60g semolina flour
  • 1/2tsp baking powder
  • 1tsp salt
  • 150g sweetcorn
  • 1 – 2tbsp milk
  • 1tbsp oil (and extra for cooking)

Method:

For the corn cakes:

Heat some oil in a large frying pan.  Mix all the ingredients together leaving the milk until last.  Add the milk a little at a time until you have a thick ‘dropping’ consistency.  Add heaped tablespoon-fulls of the batter to the pan and flatten gently with the back of the spoon.  Cook for a minute or two until small bubbles start to form on the top surface and the bottom has turned golden yellow.  Flip over and cook till golden on the other side.  You can leave the corn cakes on a plate in a low oven until ready to serve.

For the bbq beans:

Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a large frying pan.  Roughly chop the onion and add to the pan, stirring frequently until it becomes translucent.  Finely chop the garlic and add to the onions, cooking for another minute or two.  Pop in the paprika and chilli powder along with a little slurp of water and stir for a few minutes until the onions are all coated in the spice.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pan (apart from the sour cream) and cook on a medium heat for about 8 minutes until bubbly and thick.  Taste for seasoning (its not too late to add some more chilli powder at this point, a bit of heat really suits this dish).

Serve piled high in deep bowls with a stack of warm corn cakes on the side and a cooling dollop of sour cream on top.

Lemon loaf cake

| adamcockle

 drizzleblog

One of the problems when you’re a prolific baker is when your work colleagues find out, and demand to be provided with baked treats on a weekly basis.  This lemon loaf cake is simple and delicious and ideal for transporting and portioning.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 3 medium eggs (separated)
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
  • 1/2 cup of yogurt
  • 1/2 cup of melted butter (left to cool to room temperature)
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • zest of 1 lemon

For the icing:

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 100 – 150g icing sugar

Method:

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line a 900g loaf tin.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment until firm and dry.  In a separate bowl mix together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon, yogurt and butter.  Add the flour to the egg yolk mixture along with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and stir to combine.  Finally fold in the egg whites with a metal spoon until the mixture is uniform in colour.  Transfer the mix into the cake tin and bake for approx. 40mins until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the tin and leave on a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:

Put the lemon juice in a bowl and gradually whisk in the icing sugar until you have achieved a thick but pourable texture.  Drizzle generously and haphazardly over the cooled cake.  Leave until the icing has set and then cut into thick slices.  Feed to your grateful workmates for immediate brownie points (lemon cake points?).

drizzleblog2

Warm bulgur wheat salad with yogurt dressing

| adamcockle

bugurblog

Despite what the British weather would lead you to believe, it is – in fact – summertime.  There is no better summer teatime treat than this fresh, herby, zesty salad recipe.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

  • 200g bulgur wheat
  • 100g green beans (trimmed)
  • 100g asparagus (woody ends chopped off)
  • 1 large courgette
  • A generous handful or two of fresh herbs (I used chives and parsley)
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Pinch of dried chilli flakes
  • 1tbsp butter
  • Salt and pepper to season

For the dressing:

  • 5tbsp full-fat yogurt (I used greek style)
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1tsp English mustard
  • 1tsp maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to season

Method:

For the dressing:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Cover and pop in the fridge to get nice and cold.

For the salad:

Preheat your oven to 180C

Put the bulgur wheat in a large bowl and cover with boiling water (so that there is about an inch of water above the level of the wheat).  Add a pinch of salt and stir together.  Cover and leave aside for about 15mins.  After this time the grains should have plumped up but still have a nutty bite.  Drain off any excess water and leave aside in a sieve or colander for the remaining liquid to evaporate.

Meanwhile, place the butter in a large frying pan set to a medium high heat.  Once the butter starts to sizzle, pop in the lemon zest and chilli flakes and stir together for a moment or two.  Add the drained bulgur wheat to the pan and stir together for a few minutes until the butter has been absorbed and the grains start to crackle and pop.  Transfer the bulgur wheat to a clean bowl.  Finely chop the herbs and mix in with the warm bulgur wheat.

Dice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and place on a large baking tray.  Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Pop in the oven for about 10 – 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and then stir together with the bulgur wheat.

Serve warm with a drizzle of cold yogurt dressing.  I had my salad with some simple panfried chicken breast on the side.

bugurblog3

Butternut squash soup and saffron knots

| adamcockle

buttsoupblog

Being a lazy shopper (and just generally lazy) I like to keep my visits to the supermarket to a minimum.  As such its always a good idea to buy versatile ingredients that can be used in different ways to create unique dishes.  This recipe has a lot of the components from my Squash and chickpea curry but presented in a delicious and different way.

Ingredients:

For the soup:

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves garlic (peeled and squished flat with the side of a knife)
  • 1tsp (heaped) curry powder (blend of your choice)
  • 1/2 can coconut milk
  • 2tbsp fish sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the coriander oil:

  • Handful of fresh coriander (leaves, stalks and all)
  • Olive oil
  • Pinch of salt

For the saffron knots (makes about 6 rolls):

  •  Pinch of saffron
  • 7g fast action yeast
  • 225mls hot water
  • 100g semolina flour
  • 275g bread flour
  • 1tbsp olive oil
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 egg yolk

Method:

For the saffron knots;

Place the saffron in the hot water and put aside to steep until the water has come down to room temperature (or luke warm) and has become golden yellow. Strain through a sieve and discard the saffron strands. Add the remaining ingredients (apart from the egg yolk) and mix together in a large bowl until it all comes together in a sticky mass.

Tip your dough onto a clean floured surface (or into an electric mixer) and kneed until smooth and elastic (about 8  – 10 minutes).  Transfer the dough to an oiled, covered container and leave until risen to twice its original volume.

Once the dough has risen ‘knock it back’ by flattening it down with your hands or by folding it in on itself.  Divide your dough into roughly 100g portions and roll each piece into a thin sausage shape (about 8′ long) and simply tie into a knot shape.  Place your knots onto a floured baking tray.  Cover with clingfilm and leave aside for 30mins to plump up and meanwhile set your oven to preheat on full.

After 30mins brush your knots with a little egg yolk (lightly beaten with a splash of water) and pop in the oven.  After 5 mins reduce the oven temp to 180C and cook for a further 10mins.  Remove the knots from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the coriander oil:

Place the coriander and salt in a blender and blend at high speed while drizzling in the olive oil.  Keep adding the oil until you have a smooth, pour-able consistency.

For the soup:

Preheat your oven to 180C

Peel and chop the butternut squash into small cubes and dice the onion into large chunks.  Place together on a large baking tray along the the garlic.  Drizzle with oil, season generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the curry powder.  Mix everything together so that all the ingredients are coated in the spices.

Pop in the oven for about 20mins (removing from the oven occasionally to stir everything around) until the squash has softened and started to catch on the edges.  The onion will have become quite dark and crisped at the ends by this point, but do not worry, this adds to the flavor.

Transfer your cooked squash, onion and garlic to the blender (ideally the same one you made the coriander oil in and left unwashed) and blitz on high along with the coconut milk and fish sauce.  Blitz until smooth and add in water a little at a time until you achieve your preferred consistency (some people like a very thick soup, others a bit more runny) and season to taste.

Portion up into clean white bowls and drizzle with a little coriander oil.  Serve piping hot with a couple of warm saffron knots on the side for dipping.

knotblog

Mocha squares

| adamcockle

mochablog2

So yeah, I’m a little bit obsessed with coffee cake.  If I’m ever in two minds about what flavour of cake to make, coffee always tends to win by default.  This delicious tray bake is given a mocha twist by the addition of cocoa powder to the batter and made extra moist with ricotta cheese.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 3 medium eggs (separated)
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
  • 2tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1tsp instant coffee (dissolved in a splash of water)
  • 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup of melted butter (left to cool to room temperature)
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:

  • 100g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 1tsp instant coffee
  • Good quality high-cocoa dark chocolate

Method:

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment until firm and dry.  In a separate bowl mix together the egg yolks, sugar, coffee, ricotta and butter.  Add the flour and cocoa powder to the egg yolk mixture along with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and then finally fold in the egg whites with a metal spoon until the mixture is uniform in colour.  Transfer the mix into the cake tin and bake for approx. 30mins until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the tin and leave on a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:

Beat the butter in an electric mixer with the blade attachment until smooth.  Add the icing sugar in two batches and beat on high until pale and smooth.  Add the coffee and beat again.  You may need to add a splash of milk to your icing to gain the ideal consistency.

To finish:

Spread a thick layer of icing on the cooled cake and grate a generous dusting of dark chocolate over the top.

Cut into generous squares and serve with steaming cups of good quality coffee.

mochablog

 

Squash and chickpea curry

| adamcockle

bncurryblog2

I am very much the carnivore (and find that I’m becoming increasingly more carnivorous as I get older), but sometimes you can’t beat a delicious vegetarian meal.  This is one of my favorite go-to vegetarian recipes.  The squash and chickpeas lend this dish a bit of heft and leaves you so satisfied that you won’t even notice that you’ve gone veggie for dinner!

Ingredients:

  • 1 small butternut squash (or half a large one) peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 1 courgette (chopped into chunks around the same size as your squash cubes)
  • 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (peeled and squished flat with the side of a knife)
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger (peeled and roughly sliced)
  • 2tbsp curry powder (blend of your choice – I used my own tikka mix)
  • 1tbsp white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
  • 1tbsp maple syrup
  • 2tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 1 tin chickpeas
  • 1 bag of pre-washed baby spinach
  • Handful of fresh coriander (finely chopped)

To serve:

  • Basmati rice (enough to serve two)

Method:

Scatter the squash cubes on large baking tray, drizzle with oil and season generously.  Place in a medium-high oven for about 10mins until the cubes start to colour at the edges and then stir in the courgette.  Cook for another 10mins until the vegetables are softened and have gained a bit of colour.  Put aside until later and get your rice cooking according to the packet instructions.

Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion starts to turn golden at the edges.  Sprinkle in the curry powder along with a splash of water to prevent the spices from burning.  Stir for a minute or two until everything is coated and golden and then transfer the contents of the pan to a blender.  Blend on high speed and add in just enough coconut milk to form a thick paste.

Return the paste to the pan along with the vinegar, fish sauce and maple syrup.  Once the paste is bubbling, add in your squash and courgette pieces along with the (drained) tin of chickpeas.  Add more coconut milk to the pan (you may not need all of it depending on how ‘saucy’ you want your curry – or you may need to add additional water if the curry seems too dry).  When your sauce is bubbling away happily, stir in the spinach and coriander and cook for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted.  Now is the time to taste your sauce and add salt and/or pepper to your liking.  

Serve immediately with boiled white rice and perhaps a naan bread (or two).

bncurryblog3

BMT Spaghetti (Bacon, mackerel, tomato)

| adamcockle

bmtblog2

I don’t know about you, but my shopping can be a little . . . chaotic.  Most of the time I go to the supermarket with no idea what I’m going to buy, or what meals I’m going to make in the week.  I tend to grab items at random, and hope that it all comes together into something delicious when I get to the kitchen.  This recipe is the product of one such shopping trip.

Ingredients:

  • 200g spaghetti (I used wholewheat)
  • Packet of cherry tomatoes (about 300g)
  • 4 rashers bacon (I used smoked streaky)
  • Pinch of chilli flakes
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1tbsp butter (or my citrus and herb compound butter)
  • 4 pre-cooked mackerel fillets
  • Parmesan cheese to finish

Method:

Set your pasta cooking by following the instructions on the packet.

Chop the bacon into fine strips (I use scissors for this) and fry in a large frying pan, adding a little bit of oil if you need to.  Once the bacon starts to turn golden around the edges, halve the tomatoes and add them to the pan.  Fry on a medium-high heat until the tomatoes have released their juices and the pan looks dry.

Add the chilli, butter and lemon juice and continue to cook until the lemon juice has sizzled away.  Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets and flake them into the pan.  Stir everything gently together, trying not to break up the pieces of mackerel. Drain your pasta and add to the pan, stirring together with the sauce for a minute until everything is well coated.

Serve with a generous grating of parmesan cheese.

bmtblog

Mince and gravy with herby, cheesy dumplings

| adamcockle

minceblog3

Here the mince and gravy (though delicious) play second fiddle to the moist, cheesy, herby dumplings.  This recipe also features the first appearance of my patented (not really) ‘oomph’ that I love to add to all sorts of soups, sauces and stews.

Ingredients:

For the mince and gravy:

  • 750g beef and pork mince (or just beef if you prefer)
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 300g baby button mushrooms
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2tbsp plain flour
  • 500ml beef stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the oomph:

  • 4tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1tbsp maple syrup
  • 1tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 or 2 bay leaves
  • 6 to 8 peppercorns

For the dumplings:

  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 50g of butter (cold from the fridge)
  • 25g grated cheese (I used a mature English cheddar)
  • 1tbsp chopped parsley
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 – 2tbsp milk

Method:

For the oomph:

Put all the ingredients in a small pan and cook on a medium high heat until the liquid has reduced to about two tablespoons. Drain through a sieve to remove the peppercorns and bay and leave aside until later.

For the mince and gravy:

Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan.  Finely chop the onion and celery and add to the pan along with a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir regularly until the onion is just starting to turn a bit golden.  Peel and chop the carrots into generous chunks and add to the pan along with the mushrooms.  Stir together until everything looks glossy and the mushrooms are staring to colour.  Transfer the onions, mushrooms and vegetables into a large saucepan.

Put a drop more oil in the recently vacated frying pan and add the mince along with another good pinch of salt and pepper.  Brown the mince on a high heat until the pan starts to look dry and then sprinkle in the flour.  Stir thoroughly for a minute or two until the flour is incorporated and then transfer the mince to the saucepan to join the onions and vegetables.  Add the stock to the saucepan.  Ideally you want the mince and vegetables to be just covered so add a little bit of water at this point if you have to.  Add the oomph.  Cover and simmer on a medium-low heat for a couple of hours until the mince is melting and tender (you can also pop your mince and gravy into a low oven if you prefer).

For the dumplings:

Start making your dumplings once your mince and gravy is ready.  Put the flour in a bowl and add in the cold butter cut into small chunks (or grated).  Rub the butter and flour together for a few minutes until the mixture resembles course bread crumbs.  Stir in the salt, cheese and parsley.  Add the milk a little at a time and stir until the mixture comes together in a firm but sticky lump.  Form your dumpling mixture into little balls (I made about 10 golfball sized dumplings) and plop them in with the mince and gravy.  Do not crowd the dumplings as they will plump up as they cook.  Put the lid on the saucepan and continue to cook on medium-low heat for 12 minutes.

Serve generously in big bowls and ideally with a nice bottle of beer or glass of hearty red wine.

minceblog2 minceblog

Crumble pancakes

| adamcockle

pancakeblog2

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:

  • 3 eggs
  • approx. 180g self-raising flour (see below)
  • 3tbsp caster sugar
  • 1/2tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1tbsp melted butter or oil
  • 3 – 4tbsp milk
  • 25g crumble mix (see recipe)
  • Butter for frying

Method:

Start by weighing your eggs (in their shells) and measure out the same weight of self-raising flour.  Break the eggs into a large jug and then add the flour , sugar, salt, baking powder and melted butter.  Add the milk a splash at a time and stir the mixture together until you have a thick but pourable consistency.

Melt a knob of butter in a large frying pan and, once it starts to froth up, pour or spoon in your pancake mix (as much as you like, depending on what size you like your pancakes – I made about 10 small ones with these quantities).  Immediately sprinkle some of your crumble mix on top of each pancake and tap down gently with a spatula.  Once bubbles start to form on the surface of the pancake, flip over and cook until golden on the other side.  Transfer your pancakes to a plate in a low oven until the rest are ready.

Serve with a knob of salted butter and an indulgent drizzle of maple syrup.

pancakeblog3