EATING

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

| adamcockle

brocsoupblog

I honestly can’t remember when I stopped eating vegetables because they were ‘healthy’ and started eating them because they’re fricking delicious (well, most of them anyway.  Sprouts can do one frankly).  This soup is packed with broccoli, and I’m sure that it has loads of health benefits yadda yadda, but mostly its just totally yum.  Try it.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • Two ‘heads’ of broccoli (about 500g)
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 stock cubes (vegetable or chicken)
  • 100g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
  • 4 Tbsp double cream (optional)
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large, deep saucepan until the butter starts to foam.  Dice the onion (don’t worry about being too neat, its going to get blended anyway) and add to the pan.  Cook the onion until translucent – 2 to 3 minutes.

Chop up the broccoli and dispose of the hard central stem.  Add to the pan and stir through with the butter and onion for a couple of minutes.  Add enough water to the pan so that it comes up to about half the level of the broccoli.  Turn the heat down low and cover the pan with a lid or foil.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the broccoli is streamed and tender.

Blend the contents of the pan (use a stick blender or transfer to a standing one) until smooth.  Return to the pan on a low heat.  Crumble in the stock cubes and add enough water until you’ve achieved your optimum soup consistency (I like mine thiiiiiiick).  Stir in the cheese and cook for a few minutes until it has melted in.  Add the cream and stir.  Do a quick taste test and season to your liking.  Serve immediately with shed-loads of crusty bread – see if you can eat an entire bowl without needing a spoon.

 

Chicken and Chorizo with Fried Gnocchi

| adamcockle

 

chorizoblog1

Oh Chorizo, how I love thee, let me count the ways!

An absolute stock cupboard essential, chorizo adds oodles of flavour (thats a technical term, feel free to look it up) to pretty much anything.  Chopped and fried to release the delicious oils and spices, this spicy Spanish sausage can be added to soups, stews and pasta sauces.  Its favourite bedfellows are – in my opinion – chicken, tomatoes and white beans.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • 2 chicken breasts (diced)
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 100g dry cured chorizo (cut into small chunks)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 tins of butter beans
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1tbsp tomato puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of ground fennel, ground cumin, chilli flakes, thyme
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 500g gnocchi
  • Sour cream to serve

Method:

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan and (before turning on the heat) add the chorizo.  Heat on medium-high until the chorizo turns crisp at the edges and releases all of its delicious oil.  Remove the chorizo to a bowl (using a spatula or slotted spoon to keep all of the oils in the pan) and add the diced chicken breast to the same pan, frying until browned on all sides.  Remove the chicken to the same bowl with the chorizo.

Finely dice the onion, and garlic and cut the pepper into chunks before adding to the pan.  Once the onion has turned translucent add the paprika and other spices along with a little splash of water (or wine if you’ve got some lying around) and the tomato puree.  Stir for a minute or two and then add the tinned tomatoes, the beans and the chicken and chorizo from earlier.    Bring to a bubble (you may need to add a splash of water if things aren’t looking particularly ‘saucy’.  This will depend on how much water comes out of the tomatoes) and turn the heat down low.

In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter on a medium high heat.  Once the butter starts to bubble, add the gnocchi to the pan.  Cook until crispy on all sides, tossing the pan only occasionally.  Transfer the gnocchi to a tray or bowl lined with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.  Bin the kitchen paper and season the gnocchi with fine salt.

Season the chicken, chorizo and beans mixture to taste with salt and pepper and serve alongside the crispy gnocchi.  Enjoy with a glass of Rioja.

chorizoblog2

 

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.