Baked potato skins mac and cheese

October 19, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

Utterly decadent, rich and satisfying for the whole family. All it needs is a green salad.
This comes from a fellow food blogger called “A Spicy Perspective”

Serves 8

24 oz baby potatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 lb elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 lbs shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
10 oz cream cheese, divided
12 oz bacon, fried and crumbled, divided
1 cup chopped green onions, divided
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil.
Salt and pepper liberally and shake the pan a little to coat them with oil. Roast for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Then set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted water, according to the package instructions.
Drain and set aside in a colander.

Using the same pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook the roux (butter-flour) for 1 minutes.
Then whisk in the milk and add the sour cream and 8 oz cream cheese. Bring to a simmer and whisk until the mixture is thick and smooth

Add 1lb shredded cheddar and whisk until smooth. Then add a dash or two of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the cooked macaroni, 2/3 crumbled bacon and 2/3 cup green onions into the cheese sauce. Stir to coat.

Pour the macaroni into a deep 9 by 13 inch baking dish and set aside.

For the potato skins recipe;
Preheat the oven to broil. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. carefully scoop out most of the flesh, leaving just a little potato attached to the skin. Reserve the crumbled potato flesh.

Brush the potato skins with oil. With the remaining 2 oz of cream cheese, place a scant 1/2 tsp dollop of cream cheese in each potato skin.

Sprinkle the crumbled potato over the mac and cheese then arrange the potato skins over the top.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 lb shredded cheese over the potato skins and add pepper to taste.

For creamy mac and cheese; place the dish in the oven under the broiler for 2 to3 minutes, watch carefully though. You want the cheese to melt and the tops to toast, but not burn

For a more traditional firm dish; turn the oven to 400 F and bake for 20 mins until the tops are golden.

Once out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining green onions and bacon over the top and serve warm.

Meat

Sweet chili roasted sausages and butternut squash

October 19, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

These all-in-one-pan roasts are divine and fast. Great for working people to throw together at the end of a hard day and you have a delicious meal. This dish is incredibly simple but just a little different because of the sweet chili sauce and cilantro.

Serves 4

8 good pork sausages (I use sweet Italian)
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 small/medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
2 small red onions, peeled and quartered
12 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small handful cilantro, leaves picked and chopped

Heat the oven to 400 F.

Put the sausages in a bowl with the sweet chili sauce and shake around until they are fully coated with the sauce. Tip them into a large roasting pan.

Toss the butternut squash and red onion in with the sausages.

Nestle the cherry tomatoes around the dish and then drizzle the lot with the olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the sausages are golden brown and the vegetables tender.

Scatter with the chopped cilantro and serve in the center of the table with crusty bread to mop up the juices

Do-ahead · Meat

Slow cooked, apple-mustard pulled pork

October 16, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

So tasty, so sloooowly cooked and falling off the bone…

Serves 6
Cooks for 8 hours plus overnight salting

7 oz sea salt
10 1/2 oz light muscovado sugar
4lb piece of shoulder of pork
3oz whole grain mustard
4 fl oz maple syrup
2 tbsp English mustard powder or English mustard like Colmans. (Available in US stores)

Mix the sea salt and 2/3 of the sugar in a large food bag, add the pork and coat it well. (If you don’t have a food bag, rub over the pork and coat it well)
Leave in the fridge overnight

The next day, remove the pork and wipe down the meat with kitchen paper.
Heat the oven to 275 F.
Mix the remaining sugar, the maple syrup, mustards and some ground pepper.
Rub half the mixture over the pork and sit it on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast for 6 hours.
Spoon the remaining maple mixture over the pork and roast for 1 hour more

Rest the meat for 30 mins on a plate loosely covered with foil.
To serve, tear the pork into big, fat chunks and, after skimming the surface, spoon over any juices from the tin

Meat

Roasted sausages with grapes and chestnuts

October 13, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

Now Fall is coming, I think of roasted and baked dishes, especially this one with the woodsy flavor of the roasted chestnuts and sticky sweetness of the grapes along with the divine sausages. Some simple mashed potato would suffice here.

Serves 4

8 good quality pork sausages
7 oz cooked vacuum packed chestnuts
10 oz Portobello mushrooms, cut into thick chunks
9 oz sweet seedless grapes
1 large onion, cut into half moon shaped wedges
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 whole garlic bulb, all the cloves separated but not peeled
10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 good sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
10 fl oz red wine
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F

Put everything except the red wine into a broad, shallow ovenproof dish.
Turn the ingredients over so that they get coated in the olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, crush about half of the grapes so they release their juices into the pan.
Put into the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
Put in the red wine, mix well and cook for another 25 minutes or so. You can turn the sausages halfway through the cooking so they get colored on both sides.
The sausages and vegetables will cook and brown beautifully and the wine will reduce, leaving you with a gorgeous dark and bubbling dish.

Gluten Free · Meat

Pork tenderloin with gorgonzola thyme sauce

October 13, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

I love pork tenderloins as they are so easy to cook and carve, they are very low fat and take all sorts of bold flavors. This is a gorgeous sauce and again simple but decadent.

Serves 4

3 pork tenderloins (about 3 lbs in total)
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil for the frying pan
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1/4 lb Gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
3/4 tsp minced fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper after removing the silverskin.

Merely wipe a heavy cast iron frying an with vegetable oil and heat over high heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides. remove from the pan to a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 mins until cooked through but still a bit pink.

In a small saucepan, reduce the wine over a moderate heat to 1 tbsp. Add the cream and reduce by half.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the gorgonzola, fresh thyme and butter into the sauce, whisking constantly until incorporated. Season to taste and add the chives.

To serve:

Slice the tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices and place on heated plates. Surround with the sauce and serve immediately

Asian flavors · Meat

Pork fillet, asparagus and baby corn stir-fry

October 5, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

Pork fillet is so lean, even leaner than chicken breast and is such a versatile piece of meat. A pork fillet usually comes in one piece weighing about 1lb 3oz, so it’s the perfect thing to have in the freezer.
This is lovely just served with some steamed rice.

Serves 4

1 clove garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 pork fillet (1lb 3oz or thereabouts) thinly sliced
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
6 fresh shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
6oz whole baby corn, drained
4- 6 spears of asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths on the diagonal
2 tbsp oyster sauce

Place the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, pepper and rice wine in bowl and mix together well.
Add all the pork and stir until it is well coated in the marinade.
Heat a wok over high heat, add half the oils and swirl to coat the sides of the wok.
Add half the pork mixture and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until the pork changes color.
Remove the pork from the wok.
Repeat with the remaining oils and pork mixture.
Add the mushrooms, corn and asparagus to the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Return the pork and any juices to the wok and stir in the oyster sauce.
Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes or until it has evenly heated through.
Divide among four bowls poured over hot rice.

Gluten Free · Grains · Meat · Poultry

Easy chicken and pork paella

October 4, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is much less difficult than a normal paella and very pungent. Paellas are not stirred right to the bottom of the pan during cooking in the hope that a thin crust of crispy rice will form.
This is considered one of the best parts of the paella and for this reason it is a good idea to use a non stick frying pan.

Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red pepper (capsicum), seeded and cut into 1/2” strips
1 1/4 lbs chicken thigh fillets, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 lb Spanish chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2 “ slices
1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 3/4” lengths
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1/4 tsp saffron threads dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
2 cups short grain rice
3 cups hot chicken stock
6 lemon wedges

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or paella pan over medium heat.
Add the red pepper and cook for 6 minutes or until softened. Remove from the pan.
Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until brown on all sides. Remove.
Add the sausage to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until golden on all sides. Remove
Add the mushrooms, garlic and lemon zest and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato and red pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the tomato is soft.
Add the beans, rosemary, parsley, saffron mixture, rice, chicken and the sausage.
Stir briefly and add the hot stock. Do not stir.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Serve with lemon wedges.

Fish · Meat

Gloria’s Fish Wellington

September 20, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is such a lovely recipe and much lighter and less expensive than beef Wellington.
Gloria used to cook for my mother and father after my mother became ill and I remember her making this, but I’ve never seen the recipe in any book.
It’s well worth trying and you can also make a nice cream fish sauce to go with it, but it’s not necessary.

4 rashers bacon, finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1lb white fish fillets, chopped
1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cream
2 eggs, separated
1 tbsp dried dill weed
1 packet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Combine the bacon and onion in a small frying pan and cook for about 3 minutes or until soft.
Put the fish, breadcrumbs, cream, egg whites and dill in a food processor and process until combined.
Empty into a bowl and stir in the bacon mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Tip into a 8″ by 5″ greased loaf tin and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes.
Cool to room temperature.
Roll the pastry to about 10″ by 14″ rectangle and brush the edges with the beaten egg yolks.
Place the fish loaf in the center of the pastry rectangle, roll up, seal and trim any excess pastry around the edges.
Place onto a greased baking tray and brush all over with beaten egg yolk.
Bake until golden, about 30 mins or so, depending on your oven. Check occasionally.

Meat

Baked Italian sausages with potatoes and rosemary

September 20, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

Easy, satisfying and warming. You can also add some bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh to this recipe.

Serves 4

6 Italian sausages
1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thick
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 large rosemary stalks
6 unpeeled cloves garlic
sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 thick slices Ciabatta bread
3 fl oz olive oil
1 handful Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Slice the sausages into 1 inch pieces and place in the roasting pan.
Add the potato slices, paprika, rosemary, garlic cloves, sea salt and pepper
Tear the ciabatta into bite sized pieces and add to the roasting tray
Drizzle the oil over everything, season well and gently toss to combine
Place in the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the sausages and bread are golden brown.
Top with the chopped Italian parsley and serve with a green salad