Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Caramelised Onions & Apples

Posted on 11 July 2013 by Linda Peek

When we were growing up my sister Dee used to say she couldn’t eat pork which tasted “hairy”. I think I know what she meant. If you’re going to serve pork with the skin it has to be crunchy. There’s nothing attractive about soft pork fat and skin.

Pork belly has become quite trendy in the last few years and there are lots of recipes on Google for different ways to cook it. Some are quite complicated, involving lots of ingredients. This is one of my favourite recipes for pork belly. It combines just two flavours with the pork – onion and apple – plus a few herbs.

1kg boneless pork belly with skin
salt, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 large onions
2 large green apples
¼ cup water
1 Tbs sugar

If the butcher hasn’t already done so, score pork skin all over in parallel cuts just under a centimeter apart, cutting through the skin only. Preheat oven to 160°C. Peel onions, cut into eighths and place in a roasting pan in the middle, like a nest. Rub pork all over with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Press herbs into the meat side. Place pork skin side up on the onions and bake for about 2 hrs. During this time do not baste. If after an hour or so you think the onions are starting to burn, take them out and put the pork back. You want them to be caramelised, but not overly so.

Meanwhile peel core and slice apples and place in a saucepan with water and sugar. Simmer for 10-15 mins until cooked. After 2 hrs, remove pork from oven and take it out of the pan. Tip off all the fat which can be kept and used for roasting potatoes. Turn oven up to 200°C. Mix onions with apples and place in the pan as before, like a nest, with pork on top. Bake for 30 mins or until skin is blistered and crunchy all over. Divide apples and onions between six plates. Cut pork into six neat squares or rectangles with a sharp heavy knife and place on top.

Serves 6

Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo

Posted on 8 July 2013 by Linda Peek

This year we successfully grew our own pumpkins for the first time, on our property Woodlands. We only harvested six and the one in the photo is the biggest. Next season we will try to plant them earlier and see if we can do better. The good thing about pumpkins is that they keep for several months without refrigeration, until you cut into them.

2 Tbs olive oil or butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 kg pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or use a cube and water)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup cream or sour cream
2 Tbs pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
1 chorizo, casing removed, finely diced (see variations below)
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Heat oil or butter in a large, heavy-based pan and cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until softened. Add pumpkin, carrots, stock, cumin and paprika and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Allow to cool a bit then blend soup in a blender until smooth. Soup can be stored in the fridge at this stage for up to 3 days, covered.

Fry chorizo in a frying pan without oil for 3-4 mins, stirring, until browned. Reheat soup with cream and season to taste. If it’s a bit too thick add some milk. Serve soup garnished with pumpkin seeds, chorizo and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with fresh bread or toast.

Variations: instead of chorizo use pepperoni or bacon. If you don’t have smoked paprika use ordinary.

Serves 4

Salmon with Bois Boudran Sauce

Posted on 4 July 2013 by Linda Peek

We eat salmon fillets about once a week. It’s quick and easy and we love it. Sometimes I spread the fish with a mixture of grated fresh ginger and Thai sweet chilli sauce and bake it in a very hot oven on lightly oiled aluminium foil for about 8 minutes. Other times I pan fry or bake the seasoned salmon and serve it with this sauce, adapted from a recipe by French chef Michel Roux. It’s really just a thick herby, tomatoey vinaigrette.

In 1967 Roux opened Le Gavroche in London with his brother Albert. The restaurant became the first in England to win three Michelin stars. In 1972 they opened The Waterside Inn, which went on to become the first restaurant outside France to hold three Michelin stars for over 25 years and is now run by Michel’s son Alain.

This sauce is great to have in the fridge because it goes with all sorts of things and keeps for at least a week. In fact I think it improves after a day or so. It goes well with roast chicken or steak and is absolutely delicious served in half an avocado. The original version uses tarragon which definitely gives the sauce a distinctive flavour. But fresh tarragon is not always available, so vary the recipe with different herbs and see what you like best.

1 cup mixed fresh herbs, loosely packed (see note)
3-4 French shallots, peeled (or substitute one small onion)
¾ cup vegetable oil e.g. canola
2 Tbs white wine vinegar or lemon juice
½ cup tomato ketchup
A few drops of Tabasco
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place chopped onion or shallots in a pan with water, bring to the boil, then drain thoroughly. Place herbs and onion in food processor and chop finely. Scrape into a jar with a lid, add remaining ingredients and shake well to combine. Serve at room temperature on grilled or pan-fried salmon, roast chicken or steak. Keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Makes about 1.5 cups

Note: the original recipe used chervil, chives and tarragon. In the photo I used dill, parsley and coriander. Use whatever you have available.

Satay Beef in Lettuce Cups

Posted on 1 July 2013 by Linda Peek

This quick mid-week dinner will be popular with all the family. If you have young kids who don’t like things too spicy just leave out the chilli. If you don’t put too much filling on the lettuce you can roll them into parcels to eat with your fingers. Otherwise eat with a knife and fork. Serve the filling in wraps or pitta breads instead of lettuce leaves to make them more filling for growing kids. I like mine drizzled with Thai sweet Chilli sauce, as you can see in the photo.

1 Tbs oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
500g lean beef mince
½ cup satay sauce (see note below)
1/3 cup beef stock
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs sherry
1 Tbs grated ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh coriander and extra to garnish
1 butter lettuce, washed and dried, leaves left whole
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled and chopped
¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and beef and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes or until onion is soft and meat has browned all over. Add satay sauce, stock, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, sugar and chilli and continue to cook for a minute or two until the liquid has almost gone. Add coriander. Season to taste – you probably won’t need any salt. Serve beef in lettuce cups garnished with cucumber, peanuts and extra coriander.

Serves 4

Note: I used Ayam brand Satay sauce but if you don’t have any substitute crunchy peanut butter – not quite the same, but it will do.

Dacquoise

Posted on 27 June 2013 by Linda Peek

This layered nutty meringue cake served with fruit originated in the town of Dax, in south west France. Dacquoise is sometimes filled with butter cream – made from icing sugar and butter – but I think unsweetened whipped cream makes a better contrast to the sweetness of the meringue.

150g blanched almonds or skinned hazelnuts
6 egg whites
300g caster sugar
pinch cream of tartar or salt
To finish:
600ml thick cream
2 Tbs icing sugar
150g dark chocolate, grated
About 2 cups fresh raspberries
To Serve:
Raspberry Coulis (optional)

Preheat oven to 150°C. Process almonds or hazelnuts in food processor until finely chopped. It’s best to do your own rather than buying ready-ground nuts. Line 3 baking sheets with foil or baking paper and draw a 20cm circle on each, no need to grease. Whip egg whites with electric beaters until soft peaks then add the cream of tartar or salt and a tablespoon of the sugar and continue to whisk for a minute. Gradually add remaining sugar until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Fold in the nuts, divide the mixture between the circles drawn on the baking sheets and spread into 3 even rounds. Bake for an hour, then remove from the oven and leave to cool. Can be made the day before.

Peel foil off meringues. Place one meringue on serving plate, flat side down. Whip cream until thick and use about a third to spread over meringue, sprinkle with grated chocolate and a few raspberries. Top with second meringue and cover with another third of the cream, some grated chocolate and a few raspberries. Place third meringue on top, flat side down. Sieve icing sugar over the top. Pipe remaining cream in rosettes around the edge, sprinkle with remaining grated chocolate and decorate with raspberries. Slice and serve with Raspberry Coulis, or just as it is.

Variations: make an apricot sauce instead: soak 100g dried apricots in water overnight, drain then place in a small pan, add a cup of water, juice of half a lemon and sugar to taste. Simmer 5-10 minutes or until tender, puree in food processor, then chill.

Note: meringue can be filled with cream up to 3 hours before serving.

Serves 10-12

Joan’s Apple Crumble

Posted on 24 June 2013 by Linda Peek

We all know that children need good role models. But do we ever stop growing up? I think adults also need older friends to look up to and think “That’s how I want to be when I’m that age”. Such friends are a rare commodity and to be treasured.

When I married and moved to Canberra I left my friends and family in Europe. Fortunately a lovely lady called Joan Tyrrel, thirty years my senior, took me under her wing. She became my surrogate mother, friend and confidante.

As our family grew Joan and her husband John became an extra set of grandparents for our kids and godparents to our daughter. John had taught Matthew English at Canberra Grammar School where he was also the Chaplin for many years. The Tyrrels had three married children of their own and grandchildren. But they had enough love to go around and we were the fortunate beneficiaries.

When I rang and asked if it was okay to call in for coffee or lunch Joan never said sorry I’m busy, or it’s not convenient. She led a very full life – one of the secrets to longevity – but she always had time for me. Our shared love of cooking meant we often talked about food and swapped recipes, home grown vegetables, jars of home-made jam and chutney. People of all ages enjoyed Joan’s company because she was interested in what they were doing. With such a positive and vibrant personality, she never seemed old. I remember once asking John how he was. “I’m very well thank you” he replied, “Joan says I’m not allowed to say anything else”. We all laughed, but it was so like her.

Having grown up during the War Joan hated waste. When she switched on her dishwasher there wasn’t room for another spoon or fork. And she always cut the Finish tablets in half, swearing that half did just as good a job as a whole one.

Joan died in February 2011 aged 88, after a short battle with cancer and John followed about a year later of old age and because he was completely lost without Joan. They were very much a team and I miss them both, but mostly I miss my special friend and mentor. Her last words to me were “We had such fun together, didn’t we?”

Joan’s recipe for a quick and delicious apple crumble is different because she always left the skin on the apples and melted the butter for the topping.

5 apples
1-2 Tbs sugar, to taste (Joan always used raw sugar)
Topping:
125g butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup plain flour

Preheat oven to 180°C. Core and slice apples and arrange in a buttered pie dish or in 6 individual ramekins. Sprinkle with sugar.

Melt butter, add sugar and cinnamon. Lastly add flour and crumble between fingers. Sprinkle over the apples, then bake at for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.

Once cooked the individual apple crumbles will keep in the fridge for 5-6 days, covered. Just zap in the microwave for a minute, top with some ice cream and serve for an instant mid-week dessert.

Serves 6

Beef Massaman Curry in a Slow Cooker

Posted on 20 June 2013 by Linda Peek

Of all the posts on Café Cat, the most popular to date is the Beef Korma cooked in a Slow Cooker. When people search on Google for a beef curry cooked this way, my recipe comes up first.

A slow cooker is the perfect way to cook a curry or a stew. As the meat cooks slowly the liquid doesn’t evaporate the way it does in the oven, so it’s best to add about a quarter or half the amount you would normally use. You can always add more later if necessary.

I’ve adapted this Thai Massaman Beef Curry by Bill Granger for the Slow Cooker. It’s nice and spicy, without being overly hot. If you’re going to serve it with rice, we didn’t think the potatoes were really necessary, so leave them out if you prefer.

1 tsp crushed dried chilli
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp cumin seeds
Seeds removed from 5 cardamom pods
1 red onion, cut in half
6 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemongrass (white part only)
2 Tbs coriander roots
1 Tbs Tamarind paste
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1.2kg stewing beef (blade, shin, chuck) cut into 3-4cm pieces
400ml can coconut milk
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs fish sauce
¼ cup water
400g small potatoes, scrubbed and halved (optional)
To serve:
1 Tbs lime or lemon juice
Fresh coriander sprigs
2 Tbs roasted peanuts, chopped
Steamed rice

In a mortar and pestle pound the chilli, ginger, cumin, cardamom and 1 tsp salt until finely ground. In a food processor whiz the red onion, garlic, lemongrass, coriander root, tamarind paste and 1 Tbs of the oil, until finely chopped, then mix in the chilli-spice mix.

Heat remaining 1 Tbs oil in a large frying pan and brown the meat in 2 or 3 batches, for about 2 minutes each side, then place in slow cooker. Add the curry paste to the frying pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add to slow cooker with the coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, potatoes (if using) and water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beef is tender. Stir every couple of hours, adding a little more water if necessary.

To serve: Add lime or lemon juice, check seasoning and serve garnished with the coriander and peanuts, with steamed rice on the side.

Note: If preferred curry can be cooked in a heavy casserole with a lid in the oven where it will take about 3 hours at 160°C. In this case increase the water to ¾ cup and add the potatoes, uncooked, about halfway through cooking time. For low-carb version omit the potatoes.

Serves 4-6

Moroccan Lamb

Posted on 17 June 2013 by Linda Peek

I started making this Moroccan lamb when we were living in Paris. I served it when my Dad came over from the UK with the rest of my family to celebrate his 80th birthday in 2000. The recipe has evolved over the years and become a family favourite. Our eldest son James makes it so regularly it has become his signature dish.

1 leg or shoulder of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
1/3 cup lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp sambal ulek (harissa or chilli paste)
1-2 large cloves garlic crushed
1 Tbs fish sauce
Moroccan vegetables:
Oven roasted vegetables
1 can chick peas, drained
1-2 tsp cumin, to taste
Mint Yoghurt:
1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
½ cup chopped fresh mint
1 clove garlic, crushed
pinch salt
1/2 tsp honey

Place lamb in a roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients and spread over both sides of lamb. Cover and leave to marinate for several hours or overnight in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Remove lamb from fridge and allow to come to room temperature, then add 2 cups water. Bake lamb, covered tightly with aluminium foil, for 3 hours, turning and basting every hour or so. Increase temperature to 180°C, remove foil and cook for another 30-40 mins. If all the liquid has evaporated, add it bit more water. Meat should be very tender and almost falling off the bone. Slice and serve on a bed of Moroccan vegetables, garnished with a dollop of Mint Yoghurt.

Moroccan vegetables: Click on the link to find the recipe for oven roasted vegetables. Mix in the chick peas and cumin about 10-15 minutes before the vegetables are ready. As the lamb and veggies need different oven temperatures you may prefer to make the roast vegetables earlier in the day, mix in the chick peas and cumin and leave the baking tray aside. Then to serve, if they have got cold, put the tray into the oven for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking time of the lamb, then they will both be ready at the same time.

Mint Yoghurt: mix yoghurt with remaining ingredients and refrigerate until serving time.

Serves 6-8

Quick Banana and Oat Bread

Posted on 13 June 2013 by Linda Peek

Matthew’s not mad about bananas or coconut, so I usually avoid using them in cakes. Sometimes I sneak them in and hope he won’t notice.

This recipe only uses one banana, so the flavour isn’t overpowering. It’s delicious served fresh on the day it’s made. Or you can keep it in the fridge, well-wrapped, for up to a week and serve it toasted.

As it doesn’t contain any fat this banana bread is quite healthy, eaten on its own. But of course it’s even nicer with things on top! Serve it toasted for breakfast, topped with butter and jam; with a sliced banana, ricotta cheese and a drizzle of honey or with home made strawberry jam and ricotta as shown in the photo. I like to freeze the individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap so they can then be toasted from frozen and are ready in a jiffy.

1 ripe banana
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (see note below)
2½ cups self-raising flour, sifted
½ cup oats
½ cup desiccated coconut
¼ to ½ cup honey, to taste
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup sunflower kernels (shelled sunflower seeds)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a large loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper. Place banana in food processor and process till smooth. Add remaining ingredients except sunflower kernels and process just enough to mix. Add sunflower kernels, tip into prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle with a few more oats, press them in, then bake for an hour, or until well-risen, golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Can take up to an hour and a quarter, depending on your oven. Cool and serve fresh or toasted. Can be frozen.

Makes one loaf

Note: if you don’t have buttermilk substitute half milk and half plain yoghurt. If you don’t have any sunflower kernels, double the oats or the coconut.

Ginger Crème Brulée with Quince Compote

Posted on 10 June 2013 by Linda Peek

There’s a new restaurant in Braddon called Eighty Six which everyone is raving about. I haven’t been yet but my son James has already been twice (it’s only been open about a month!) and says the food is delicious. He especially enjoyed the Ginger Crème Brulée with Quince Chutney, so as quinces are in season I decided to have a go at making it, based on his detailed description! It was delicious.

I’m looking forward to going to Eighty Six to try the original and see how it compares. Using raw sugar on top is a tip from Heston Blumenthal — he says it caramelises more quickly than refined white sugar. But if you don’t have any just use white sugar.

When coring the quinces, core generously to make sure you remove all the fibrous bits in that area. Serve any leftover compote with labneh.

Quince Compote:
6 quinces, peeled cored and cut into 1 cm cubes
⅓ cup honey
½ cup orange juice
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
5 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
Crème Brulée:
600ml thick cream
6 egg yolks
3 Tbs caster sugar
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbs grated or finely chopped fresh ginger
To serve:
Raw sugar

Compote: Preheat oven to 150°C. Place the star anise, cinnamon and cloves in a small piece of muslin or a handkerchief and tie into a bundle. Place in a heavy iron casserole dish with remaining ingredients. Stir then cover and bake for one and a half to two hours, or until quince is tender, reddish in colour and juices are thickened. Stir regularly and add a dash more juice if it’s getting too dry. When compote is ready it should be like a thick compote, jam or chutney but the pieces of fruit will still be whole. Discard the spices in the bag. Cool then store in the fridge where it will keep for up to a week. It can also be frozen to use when quince are no longer in season.

Crème Brulée: Preheat oven to 140°C. Place 8 small ramekins in a roasting pan or dish and boil the kettle. Place a heaped teaspoon of compote in the bottom of each ramekin and spread it out. Heat cream, vanilla (pod and seeds scraped off or essence) and ginger until boiling point. Meanwhile beat egg yolks and sugar until light and airy. Mix a little of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, then pour it all back into the cream and stir quickly to combine. Turn off heat and leave to macerate for 5 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a jug, then fill ramekins almost to the top. You may have enough to fill 9 depending on the size of your dishes.

Add boiling water to come about a third of the way up the sides of the ramekins then bake for 20 mins, or until set but still be a bit wobbly. Ovens vary. Remove from oven, remove ramekins immediately from water bath and cool. Refrigerate, covered for several hours or overnight.

To serve: Spread 2 teaspoons of raw sugar over each custard. Using a cook’s blow torch, caramelize the sugar until it melts and turns golden brown. Some restaurants in France serve them straight after torching the tops, so you have the contrast of warm and crunchy with cold. If you like your brulées very cold put them back in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving. After 45 minutes the crunchy top will start to go soggy so don’t leave them too long.

Serves 8