Roast pork tenderloin with stir-fry cabbage and spiced figs

July 11, 2020 Belinda

Recipe by Nigel Slater

This is so lovely with the spiced cabbage and red onion stir-fry.

roast pork with figs Nigel Slater

Serves 3

1lb pork tenderloin, silver-skin removed
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds ( love to roast my cumin before using)
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
8 green cardamom pods
3/4 lb cabbage leaves
6-8 fresh figs
6 tbsp white vermouth

Make sure the tenderloin is dry to the touch, patting it with kitchen paper if not, then season generously with salt and black pepper.
Warm the olive oil in a roasting tin over a moderate to high heat then add the pork and brown lightly, turning it from time to time so all sides color to an even toasty brown. About 6 or 7 minutes.
Remove the roasting tin from the heat, lift out the pork and leave to rest under a large upturned bowl or a piece of foil.

Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Place the roasting tin over a moderate heat, add the onion to the fat and oil already in the tin, then leave to cook over a moderate heat, with an occasional stir, for 15-20 minutes, until soft and sweet.

Put the cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar. Crack the cardamom pods, extract the tiny brown seeds from within and add them to the spices. Pound to a coarse powder with a pestle. (A spice mill will do it even more quickly.)
Stir the ground spices into the onion and continue cooking.

Wash and dry the cabbage leaves, then stack one on top of another and roll them up. Now shred them into ribbons about 1/8 ” thick. Stir the cabbage into the onion, tossing well with 2 spoons or a pair of tongs, to mix everything thoroughly.

Slice the pork into 1″ (3cm) thick pieces.
Cut the figs into quarters, depending on their size.
As soon as the cabbage has wilted – about 2 minutes – remove the mix to a warm serving dish and cover.
Pour the white vermouth into the pan and let it bubble furiously for 30 seconds, then return the slices of pork and their resting juices, along with the figs, to the pan and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.
Spoon the meat, figs and juices over the cabbage and onions and serve.

Meat

Beef and eggplant fatteh

July 11, 2020 Belinda

Recipe by Nigella Lawson
“This is a subtly textured, richly flavored arrangement of toasted pieces of flatbread topped with meaty aubergine and beef, a garlicky tahini-yogurt sauce, red pepper flakes, pomegranate seeds, toasted pine nuts and fresh shredded mint. I think of this rather as a refined, Middle-Eastern form of nachos.”

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Serves: 4-6

FOR THE BASE:
4 pita breads (split open and cut into nacho-sized triangles)
FOR THE TOPPING:
2 cups full-fat greek yoghurt
5 tbsp tahini (at room temperature)
1 – 2 lemons (to give 3 x 15ml tablespoons of juice)
2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 – 2 teaspoons kosher salt (to taste)

FOR THE AUBERGINE-BEEF LAYER:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion (peeled and finely chopped)
1 medium-large eggplant (cut into small cubes)
2 tsp ground cumin (I roast mine)
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Aleppo pepper or paprika (plus more for sprinkling)
1 – 2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
1lb ground beef

TO SPRINKLE OVER:
¾ cup pomegranate seeds
⅓ cup toasted pinenuts
1 tbsp mint (finely shredded leaves)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Spread the pitta triangles out onto a large baking sheet and toast for 10–15 minutes, or until they are crisp. You don’t need them to color, but if they do just a little here and there, that’s not a bad thing. Set the pitta triangles aside for the moment.

Beat the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt together in a heatproof bowl that will later sit over a saucepan. Taste to see if you want any more salt. Put to one side while you cook the eggplant-beef layer.

Warm the oil in a wide, though not deep, heavy-based saucepan or casserole and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to low and carry on cooking it, still stirring occasionally, until soft and a pale caramel color. This will take another 4 minutes or so.

Turn the heat up to medium, tumble in the eggplant cubes and stir well to mix with the onion. Stay by the hob as you will need to stir frequently, and cook them for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down if they look as if they’re catching.

Stir in the cumin, coriander and a teaspoon each of Aleppo pepper and kosher salt and, now over a high heat, add the ground beef and use a fork to break it up a little and turn in the pan until it’s lost its red color.
Turn the heat back down to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through. Taste to see if you want to add more salt, then take off the heat while you return to the tahini-yogurt sauce.

Pour some just-boiled water into a fresh pan, enough to come about 1¼ inches up the sides, and put over a low heat. Sit the bowl with the tahini-yogurt mixture on top, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Beat well until the yogurt is slightly above room temperature and has the consistency of lightly whipped cream.

Now for the grand assembly: arrange the crisp pitta triangles on a large round plate (I use one of about 12 inches diameter). Top with the eggplant-beef mixture, followed by the yogurt-tahini sauce. Sprinkle with the Aleppo pepper (or paprika, if you’re using that) to give a light dusting. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and toasted pine nuts and, finally, strew with the finely shredded mint leaves. Eat with your fingers, nacho-style.

MADE AHEAD/STORE:
The pitta can be toasted 1-2 hours ahead. Store in an airtight container. The aubergine-meat layer can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool and refrigerate, within two hours of cooking, in an airtight container. Return to the pan and add a splash of water, then reheat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot.

FREEZE:
Meat layer can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.

Baking · Chocolate · Do-ahead

Chocolate raspberry “pudding” cake

July 8, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Nigella Lawson’s decadent but easy recipe

“I call this a pudding cake because its texture is simply a mixture between pudding and cake, though lighter by far than that could ever imply. Think, rather, of a mousse without fluffiness: this is dense but delicate with it. And it’s heavenly at blood heat, when the gooey chocolate sits warmly around the sour-sweet juicy raspberries embedded in the cake, like glinting, mud-covered garnets. This should be eaten an hour or so after it comes out of the oven. It gets more solid when cold, and loses some of that spectacular texture.
If you have any left, wrap it in foil and heat it up in the oven, or warm it up a slice at a time in the microwave before eating it.

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Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Serves: 8

1½ cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp good unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter (plus more to grease cake tin – I use the butter wrapper)
1 tbsp Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
½ cup superfine sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
9 oz good bittersweet chocolate – 70% cocoa solids (broken into squares)
¾ cup black coffee and 185ml / ¾ cup water or 2 tsp instant coffee made up with 370ml / 1½ cups water
2 large eggs at room temperature (beaten slightly)
9 oz raspberries (plus lots more to serve)
approx. ½ teaspoon confectioners’ sugar (to serve)

You will need: a 22–23cm / 9-inch spring form cake tin.

Arrange the oven shelves so that one is in the middle for the cake, and another just below it. Slide a baking sheet onto the lower rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F.
Butter a 22–23cm / 9-inch spring form cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Mix the flour and unsweetened cocoa together in a bowl, and set aside.

Put the butter, liqueur, sugars, chocolate, coffee and water in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir over low heat until everything melts and is thickly, glossily smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, and let stand for a couple of minutes.

Stir the flour and cocoa mixture into the pan, and beat well – just with a spatula or wooden spoon – until all is smooth and glossy again, then gradually beat in the eggs. The mixture will be runny: don’t panic, and don’t add more flour; the chocolate itself sets as it cooks and then cools.
Pour into the prepared tin until you have covered the base with about 2cm of the mixture (which will be about half of it) and then cover with the raspberries and pour the rest of the mixture on top. You may have to push some of the raspberries back under the cake batter by hand.

Put into the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes. Don’t try and test by poking in a skewer as you don’t want it to come out clean: the gunge is what the cake is about. But when it’s cooked, the top will be firm, and slightly cracked. Don’t worry about that: a little confectioners’ sugar will deflect attention. When it’s ready, take the cake out of the oven and put on a rack. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the sides of the tin; the cake must stay on its base.

When you’re just about to eat – and this should be around an hour after the cake’s come out of the oven – dust with a little confectioners’ sugar pushed through a tea strainer. Serve with lots more fresh raspberries, and Greek yoghurt, whipped double cream or crème fraîche as wished.

Gluten Free · Vegetable sides

“Dilled” baby potatoes

June 25, 2020June 25, 2020 Belinda1 Comment

This is the time of year we love a pot of these along with some grilled meat or fish.
They are absolutely divine and very more-ish. Do try them

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24 tiny new potatoes
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Scrub and dry the potatoes. Melt the butter in a heavy oven-proof casserole with a tight-fitting cover over low heat Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Coat with the butter.
Cover and cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes. Shake the casserole occasionally. The potatoes are done when they can be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Toss with the dill and serve at once.

* What I have also done is added 1 heaped tsp dried dill weed with the butter then added the fresh dill in at the end. Depends how much you like the taste of dill of course!

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Uncategorized

Bacon and corn salsa dip

June 23, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is a lovely dip for a family BBQ.

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4 slices thick bacon, diced
3 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp whole milk, or more to taste
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to get rid of the excess fat. Drain the excess fat in the pan, reserving 1 tbsp of it.
Add the corn, onion, jalapeno and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5-6 minutes.
Stir in the cream cheese and milk until well combined, 2-3 minutes.If the mixture is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it down.

Stir in the scallions and sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately sprinkled with the bacon.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

My ultimate Eggplant Parmigiana

June 23, 2020July 6, 2023 Belinda5 Comments

I’ve tried several recipes now and I find the stage where you dip the slices of eggplant in egg and breadcrumbs totally unnecessary.
I have compiled the best recipe I can think of, which is a combination of several recipes plus my own additions.
It is simple and very tasty, has way fewer steps and tastes just as good as the longer haul traditional ones.
Don’t eat it directly from the oven as it’s too hot to appreciate the flavors, and if you let it sit out for 45 mins – 1 1/2 hours, it’s easier to slice and isn’t so gooey. It makes all the difference and is also really good served at room temperature.

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Serves 4-6 (Or can easily be multiplied)

4 good-sized eggplants
Olive oil for dipping in or wiping the slices of eggplant
Salt
3 cups of good quality tomato/basil pasta sauce. I use RAO’S Marinara sauce
A really large bunch fresh basil
2-3 cups pre-sliced fresh mozzarella cheese (Trader Joes does a good one) or shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Don’t cut corners and buy pre-grated, again, Trader Joes sell this)

* I always have far too much of each ingredient and make several of these so I can freeze them (uncooked). Be very generous in your amounts and you will taste the difference!
** Another thing I do to get ultimate flavor is to put a couple of large jars of RAO’S marinara sauce in a saucepan, add chopped basil and lots of crushed garlic, then let it simmer gently, reducing and strengthening the flavors. You can do this while you’re cooking the eggplant.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Cut the tops and a small amount from the bases of each eggplant and with a peeler remove some of skin, like a zebra (just random strips)

Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices straight across, (not lengthways as it’s too difficult) and dip into or wipe each slice with olive oil, then season well with salt and pepper.

At this point, there are a couple of ways you can go as far as cooking the eggplant.
1/ I use a panini press to grill both sides of the eggplant at once.(See the pic below)
It’s quick, not messy and leaves lovely grill marks on the eggplant. I highly recommend you get one for this job alone as it can be a pain in the ass to fry the eggplant.
Cook 4-5 slices at a time or whatever can fit on your panini press and remove when they are nice and brown and tender when you pierce them with a fork. Lay on paper towels to mop up excess oil and set aside. Repeat this process until all the slices have been cooked.

2/ Alternatively you can set the oven to 400F and put all the slices on a large greased cookie sheet and roast for up to 30 minutes, checking on them after about 25 and flipping them. They should be nice and lightly browned and tender.

Your choice

To assemble, spread a very thin layer of tomato-pasta sauce on the bottom of a lightly greased ovenproof dish. Add a layer of the fried eggplant, then add another thin layer of tomato sauce, some torn basil leaves, some grated or torn mozzarella and grated Parmigiano evenly spread across the dish. I am pretty generous in my amounts of basil and cheese, so go for it.
Repeat the layers until you run out of eggplant.
Finish with a layer of sauce, mozzarella and finally a thicker layer of Parmigiano to create a crust.

Put in the oven at 350F and cook for about 30—45mins until the top is crusty and the dish is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and leave out for 45 mins to 1 1/2 hours
Serve!

PS This dish freezes beautifully too, but freeze it BEFORE it is cooked. Very important

Dairy-free · lentils · Salad · Vegan

Moroccan farro salad

June 23, 2020February 18, 2024 Belinda

This healthy vegan farro salad, infused with Moroccan spices can be made ahead and keeps for 4 days, perfect for healthy midweek lunches!

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Serves 6-8

1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 cups cooked farro, (I cook it in chicken or vegetable broth to give it more flavor)
2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, chopped or slivered, toasted
1 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley (or use part mint, or a blend of all three, chopped
Zest and juice of one orange

Moroccan Dressing:
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1.5 tsp cumin (I roast/toast mine first, as it releases more oils)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
pinch or two chili flakes (optional, but good)

Cook the farro according to package directions (see notes, feel free to do ahead)
When cool, place the farro, celery, apricots, almonds, onions, herbs and orange zest in a large bowl. Juice the orange and add to the salad.
Mix the dressing ingredients into the bowl. Toss with salad ingredients.
Taste, adjust salt and add chili flakes if you like. I usually add a little more salt after this sits a while.

This is will keep 4 days in the fridge.