Sweet & Spicy Pork with Vegetable Rice

There's quite a lot of chopping for this one but it can all be done in advance, even boiling the rice so all that needs to be done is stir frying the rice and oven baking the pork. A nice Saturday night meal, cheaper than a takeaway or an easy week night meal.

Ingredients

For the Rice:
1 Onion
2 Carrots
1 Small Green Pepper
1 Small Red Pepper
10 Chestnut Mushrooms
2 Eggs
100g Rice

For the Pork:
2 Pork Loin Chops
4 Tbsp Roast Garlic Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Chinese 5 Spice
1 Tsp Chilli Powder

1. Chop all the Veg into small pieces and boil the rice. Slice the pork into quarters, place in an oven proof dish and add all the ingredients for the pork. Mix until it's all combined. Put in a pre heated oven at 190' for 40 mins.  The cooked rice, chopped veg and pork marinade can both be done in advance and put in the fridge.

2. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and add the veg. At this point you can add garlic if you want a whiffy kick. Fry on a medium heat for 8-10 mins so all the veg is soft. Add the cooked rice and stir continuously. Crack 2 eggs in a cup and beat then add these to the rice pan and continue to stir until all the egg is cooked.

A boyfriend-sized portion!

This will serve two greedy people! You can add any veg you like to the rice; peas, sweetcorn or courgette.

Easy Peasy Chocolate Cake.

My boyfriend's birthday was last weekend and this called for chocolate cake! I made an easy peasy "all in one" method with white and dark chocolate ganache. Oooft. Aaaand marbled chocolate shards to decorate. It was simple to make, simple to put together and incredibly yummy! :)

Ingredients

Sponge:
4 Medium eggs
Softened butter
Self raising flour
Caster sugar
50g Coco powder
4 tbsp Warm milk

Ganache:
150g White chocolate
150g Dark chocolate
500ml Double cream 

Chocolate Shard Decoration:
150g White chocolate
150g Dark Chocolate


Method

1. Weigh out the 4 eggs in their shells. Note this weight as this will be the weight of the butter, sugar and flour. Now add all the ingredients for the sponge into a large mixing bowl adding the milk whilst using an electric hand mixer. 

2. Once all the ingredients have come together and you have a chocolaty batter add this to greased sandwich tins and bake in an oven at 180c for 30-35 mins. Check the sponge with a skewer after 30, if it comes out clean it is baked. 

3. For the ganache: Put 250ml of cream in each saucepan and put on a low heat to warm through. DO NOT LET IT BOIL! Whilst the cream is heating up chop up the white and dark chocolate separately.  Take the cream off the heat and add the white chocolate pieces to one pan and the dark chocolate pieces to the other and stir until the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool.

4. For the chocolate shard decoration: Lay out a 1m long piece of baking sheet. Separately melt the dark chocolate and the white chocolate. Then take 8 Tbsp of melted dark chocolate and splodge 8 separate splodges on to the baking sheet. Now take 8 Tsp of melted white chocolate and splodge these on top of the 8 dark chocolate splodges. Swirl together with a fork to create a marbled effect. Leave to completely harden.

5. Now the cake is cooked and cool place the white chocolate ganache on top of one of the sandwiches. Place the other Sponge on top and cover the entire cake with the dark chocolate ganache ensuring you cover the sides too. This will be the yummy glue to stick the chocolate shards on the side. 

6. Take a sharp knife and dip in a cup of hot water to warm. Now cut the chocolate shards to create a neat straight line on the bottom of the shards. Don't cut off the pretty feathers you've created but just find a bit that can be trimmed. Now carefully peel off and stick on to the side of the cake. Paper side to cake side and cut side on to bench.

Keep the cake covered and in the fridge as it's covered in yummy ganache!

Side view of the chocolate shard decoration.

Shiny chocolate ganache. 

Waste not want not!

Last Sunday we had our first Roast in our new flat! A full blowout of roast chicken and all the trimmings went down a treat on a wet and windy afternoon. :) There was lots of leftovers to fill crusty bread and I made my very first chicken stock and I thought I'd share this simple recipe!

You'll need:

1 Roast chicken carcass
2 Large white onions
2 Carrots
1 Small apple
4-5 Cloves
1 Tsp Salt
5 Peppercorns

1. Ensure you've removed all the lovely meat from the roast chicken carcass and add to a very large pot.

2. Chop the carrots, apple and onions into large pieces and add these and the rest of the ingredients to the pot with the chicken carcass.

3. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients by around an inch. Leave on a low heat for 3-4 hours but make sure it doesn't boil.

It does require  long and slow cooking but in the end you're rewarded with stock to flavour, broths, soups, risotto and gravy!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups.

This recipe is inspired by an amazing meal we had in New York at Ruby Foo's- an oriental restaurant just off Times Square. It's a very low fat dish and there's so many alternatives to try.

Serves 2-3
Ingredients

200g Minced Chicken
1 tsp Hot chilli powder
2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Sunflower oil
1 Small white onion OR 3 Spring onions finely sliced
1 Iceberg lettuce OR 3-4 Little Gem lettuce
Sweet Chilli/Soy/Hoi Sin sauce as accompaniment 

1. Carefully pull apart the lettuce ensuring the leaves aren't shredded and they keep their shape in order to be filled with the mince.

2. Finely chop up the white onion/spring onion. If using a white onion cut into fine strips. Or chop spring onion very finely from the white to the green end. 

3. Heat up a large frying pan with 1 tsp sunflower oil then add the chicken mince when the oil is hot. Ensure all the mince is sealed and add the chilli powder, 5 spice and sugar. Stir fry the mixture until all the spices are mixed through. Add the soy sauce and ensure the mixture is cooked through and of a dry texture- just like beef tacos. 

To eat: take a lettuce leaf, add the mince, sauce and onion and enjoy! 

These Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups are family friendly and a really healthy alternative to fajitas. You add plain boiled rice to each cup, use beef mince and Mexican inspired spices and soured cream, pork mince with grated apple or add stir fried peppers.

Petite Puddings.

I'll say it quietly as to not scare anyone but Christmas is coming... We've got one month left before festive parties begin and it is actually acceptable to eat and eat and eat and eat. Oh and drink and drink and drink...

I have a cute little recipe inspired from a picture posted by Nigella (who else!?) on her Twitter account. They'll see you through unannounced guests, long nights of sticky tape catastrophes and THAT night the in-laws come to dine!

I don't have exact measurements or quantities but they're so easy to make! 

These Petite Puddings aren't suitable for children as they contain alcohol. 

Ingredients:

1 Pre made Christmas pudding - however large or small. 
1 Bar of white chocolate
1 Tub of glacier cherries
4-5 Cap fulls of brandy

Method:

1. Cook the pre-bought Christmas pudding following the guidelines on the packaging. Most will be microwavable for ease and speed.

2. Remove from plastic mold and add to a large bowl mashing and breaking it apart with a fork and leave to cool.

3. Break up the chocolate and melt in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Do this slowly as to not let the cocoa and fat split. Remove from the pan and leave to cool slightly.

4. Chop the glacier cherries into really tiny pieces. These will form the mini cherries for on top of the puddings.

5. Take the cooled pudding add the brandy and stir. Now take a small amount of the mixture in your hands and roll into a ball. You can make them as big or small as you like. I made them a little larger than Malteasers so they were perfect as a little nibble or canapé size. Roll into balls until all the mixture has been used. 

6. Gently dip the pudding balls in the melted white chocolate and place chocolate side up on a tray/plate/platter so the chocolate runs down creating that traditional Christmas pudding-look. 

7. Finally add one piece of chopped cherry to each pudding ball. This will be fiddly so it may be helpful to use a cocktail stick. And remember to bare in mind the size you chop the cherries in comparison to the pudding balls. 

8. Unveil your impressive balls to family and friends but always keep an emergency supply somewhere! 

The Show Stopping Jewel Box Cake.

If you are a Great British Bake Off super fan like I am then you've probably got the BBC book, "How to turn Everyday Bakes into Show Stoppers". The book is full of amazing recipes featured in the first 3 series, step by step technique guides and beautiful images accessorised with little vintage tea sets and old English wooden work tops. If you love baking and you've become the family birthday cake baker then I highly recommend this book! 

The Great British Bake off- How to turn Everyday Bakes into Showstoppers. 

There are 3 elements to the cake: the sponge, the chocolate bow and the raspberry decoration.

List of Ingredients for Jewel Box Cake. 

1. Line and grease a 20.5cm square deep cake tin.

2. Pre heat oven to 180c/350f/gas 4 then melt the chocolate for the sponge in a heat proof glass bowl over a pan of heated water on a hob. Heat gently to prevent the chocolate solids splitting from the fat.

3. Add butter to a large bowl and beat with electric whisk until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and beat until its really fluffy. Now added beaten egg a little at a time and add 1 tbsp of the flour to prevent the mixture splitting. Sift in the remaining flour and pinch of salt and fold together. Add the cooled melted white chocolate and fold into the mixture ensure its all thoroughly combined.

4. Spoon mixture into greased and lined tin and spread evenly allowing a small hollow in the centre for an even rise. Bake for 1 hour until golden brown and firm. Leave to cool for 15-20 and remove from tin and allow it cool completely on a cooling rack. 

5. Set the cake on a serving board/plate/platter and begin to make the bow. 

6. Melt the chocolate the same way as you did for the sponge, remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the liquid glucose. Leave the mixture to thicken at room temperature Once the mixture is almost set, mould into a ball- it should be almost like Starburst sweet that's gone soft and pliable. 

7. Whilst the chocolate mixture is cooling, melt the raspberry jam over a gentle heat in a pan and brush over the top and the sides of the cake.

8. Shape into a sausage and place between to baking sheets and roll out into a long. Cut out 2 strips around 30cm x 2.5cm using a ruler and sharp knife. Attach to the cake and leave to chill in the fridge for the chocolate ribbon cross to set.  

9. The the bow you need to cut 1 strip at 10cm x 2.5cm, 2 strips at 11cm x 2.5cm and 2 strips at 14cm x 2.5cm. Cut 2 small triangles at the end of the 11cm strips. Set these strips over the rolling pin to make them curved. 

10. Bend the 14cm strips into  2 loops and press the ends together ensuring the middle is over lapping - think figure of 8 on it's side. Take the 10cm strip and wrap around the middle join of the figure of 8 you've just created. 

11. To decorate the cake with raspberries start with the top of the cake sticking each raspberry hole-side down on to the sponge avoiding covering the cross you've already placed on the sponge. Continue until the whole cake is covered- you may need a little extra jam for the sides to stick the raspberries on securely.

12. Finally position the bow on top of the crossed ribbons on the cake fixing with melted chocolate or jam if necessary. Slot the bow ends (11cm strips) under the bow loops and arrange over the cake. 

The finished cake! 

I made The Jewel Box cake for my Dad's birthday and it went down a real treat! I've made it since then and turned the sponge into a sandwich and added whipped cream. 

A little taster...

I'm a not professional, I often make mistakes but isn't that what being a true feeder and foodie is all about? Trial and error, force feeding 3 dozen cup cakes and sausage rolls on to family members, covering crevasses in cakes with butter cream and still deciding to "follow the recipe" even though you only have the first 3 ingredients on the list are all characteristics of a "foodie". 

All of the recipes and methods are things I've tried either from online recipes scrapbooks, improvised techniques insipred by a menu recipes or a dusty 1980's copy of Delia at Home. Being a foodie doesn't mean you dine at the best restaurants in the world, if you're passionate about good food from soup to ham sandwiches, then what you produce will taste all the better. If your obsession with food stems from posting pictures of your breakfast on Instagram then I salute you!

I hope you come across recipes and methods that you want to try out and force feed your family and friends with..

:)