Spicy chilli pork with knarly jerk hot sauce and salad

Ingredients (for 2 people)
salad:
200g Pork loin
2 cobs of corn
1 head of lettuce
bunch of mint
bunch of coriander
baby tomatoes

sauce:
6 ripe tomatoes
3 bay leaves
3 shallots
1 knob ginger
1 habanero chilli
3 cloves garlic


Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Put all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend for 5mins.
Cook in a saucepan till thick and keep stirring while simmering it.

Blacken the corn on a griddle pan then place in the oven.
fry the pork till medium then place in the oven for 10 minutes.

Squirrely Acorn Night

 

Al, with his amazing Acorn creations.

 

He invited us to a squirrelly munchies night. On the Menu was acorn, quinoa and Kale patties, acorn mayonnaise and a salad with Al's vegies. Plus dessert...

The acorns after they have been treated (soaking and rinsing for a couple of weeks)

 

It wouldn't be Al's without a nice big massive pot full of chai.

 

Dessert!

 

This was one of the best cakes I have ever eaten. Acorn cake!

It was golden and caramel flavoured with a crunchy outer layer and a chewy moreish middle.

There were even some bigger bits of acorn that were nice to chew in the cake.

Jules, Luke and I loved it, thanks Al!

 

I had to take a photo of his organised kitchen...a joy to bake in :)

Luke and Jules

Chinese Dumplings

On Sunday Lex, Peter and I went to Fuqin's house to make Chinese dumplings. 

We had an excited time making them and thanks to Fuqin for chopping up all the amazing ingredients, and to Peter and his Mum who made the beautifully smooth dough! 

Ingredients:

Black mushroom finely chopped

Ginger finely chopped

Chinese cabbage finely chopped

green prawns, deveined and peeled, finely chopped

pork mince

Chive finely chopped

Tofu finely chopped

Scrambled egg (firm) finely chopped

Sesame Oil

Olive Oil

Soy Sauce

Sambal Olek

Sugar

Salt

Store bought wonton wrappers from Dickson Asian Grocery

Peter's Mum's famous home-made dumpling dough

A taste test was in order to check the seasoning.

Making them was really fun; sitting around the table wrapping each little precious parcel up.

Each one I wrapped I put a little laughter into, a little strength, and a little love.

Three things that life must have!

They require a firm squeeze to seal them.

Peter cooked our first batch with a little olive oil and a little water - shallow frying for about 10 minutes to make them crispy and hot. We dipped these in chilli and soy sauce.

Then Fuqin made a nice broth with our wontons in it.

I can't wait to make them again!

Thankyou lovely friends for the nice time and food we shared.

Next we plan to make Steamed Pork Buns and maybe some kind of duck.

Traditional Cornish Pasties

The Cornish pasty is known and loved throughout Britain and Ireland.

It originates from Cornwall, and it is generally believed that the pasty evolved for Cornish tin miners, who, unable to return to the surface at lunchtime had a hearty, easy to hold and eat, lunch dish. With their hands often dirty from a mornings work, the pasty could be held by the thick pastry crust without contaminating the contents.

The Pastry

•440g all purpose/plain flour

•4 pinches of salt

•220g butter, cubed

•8-12 tbsp cold water

The Filling

•1 large onion, finely chopped

•1 1/2 cups potato, cut into 5 mm dice

•1 1/2 cups swede, cut into 5 mm dice

•450g rump steak, cut into small cubes

•Salt and pepper

•2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation:

Makes 10 pasties

Pre-heat oven to 220 °C.

First make the shortcrust pastry.

•Place the flour, butter and salt into a food processor and pulse to create crumbs.

•Add the water to the mixture and pulse till it comes together in a big lump, add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry,

•Divide the pastry into 2 balls, wrap in clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes (otherwise it gets too hard).

• Take one ball and roll to approx 8mm thickness on a floured benchtop. Cut out circles with a plate or bowl to make pasties the size of half that vessel. (traditional pasties are made with a circle of pastry the size of a dinner plate).

•Place the onion, potato, swede and meat into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

•Divide the meat mixture between each pastry circle and place to one side of the circle. Brush the edges with a little beaten egg. Crack on some fresh black pepper and a small pinch of salt.

•Fold the circle in half over the filling so the two edges meet. Fold and crimp the two edges together to create a tight seal. Brush each pasty all over with the remaining beaten egg.

•Place the pasties on a greased baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

•Serve traditonally from the pocket after a hard mornings work or walk, or with friends after a bikeride as we did...with mushy peas and tomato sauce!
My friend Paul and I - Eliza told me Paul apparently loves mushy peas. Paul kudos!

French Spaghetti Bol

This is a recipe from a book called 'The sharper your knife the less you cry' by Kathleen Flinn. The book is about an american woman who goes to the French Cooking School attended by Julia Childs : Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Her friend in class is actually italian but makes a french version of her Bolognese. Its very meaty and creamy. I added peas because I was brought up on peas with my Spag Bol!

Serves 6 to 8

2 large onions. chopped (about 2.5 cups)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 kg lean ground beef
1 bottle of dry red wine minus one glass
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp italian herbs
1 cup thickened cream
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
500g spaghetti, cooked and drained
Parmesan, grated

Method

In a heavy bottomed saute pan, cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat until softened. Stir in the garlic, add the beef, and stir until the meat cooks through and is separated into crumbly pieces.

Add the wine after pouring yourself a glass.
Turn the heat up to high so the wine bubbles continuously. Reduce by about half. Skimm off any grey foam.

Add the tomato paste and stir. Cover and turn down the heat to very low. Cook for a minimum of two hours and up to four. Stir from time to time and scrape the bottom to ensure nothing burns.

Shortly before serving stir in the cream, and italian herbs. Taste then add salt and pepper.
NB: I tossed some green peas in at this point.
Let simmer uncovered for another ten minutes. Taste again. Adjust seasoning. Stir in parsley.

Serve tossed with pasta sprinkled with parmesan.