Pork and Leek Meatloaf

Bargain sausagemeat from Sainsbury's, so I made a meatloaf with it, using oats, cornmeal, diced leek and herbs (rosemary in this case, but sage is also a good choice).

The ingredients were mixed initially by hand in a large pyrex bowl, until the vegetables and meat were thoroughly mixed together. I also added a little sunflower oil, and one large egg.

The mixing can take up to ten minutes. I added a little salt and the rosemary during this process.

After that I continued the mixing process using a medium sized wooden spoon for another seven minutes or so.

Then the mix was decanted into a silicon bread tin, patted down and textured with a fork. Cooked for one hour at 190 deg C on the middle shelf of the oven (check progress occasionally). The meatloaf will shrink a little during the cooking process, so there is no problem getting the loaf out of the tin in one piece after it has cooled.

Served in this case with Brussels sprouts and some cranberry jelly, and some sliced yellow pepper. Dusted with a little parsley. 

Chilli Chicken Soup, with Sweet Potato, Leek, and Black Rice

Sweet potato and leek work very well together as a soup base. This soup features chicken, carrot, garlic, paprika, spinach, tomato passata, leek, and black rice.

All the vegetables were cooked first in boiling water, along with the black wild rice. Half an hour to forty-five minutes at a low heat.

Then the chicken pieces were added. Plus the chicken stock. Simmered under glass for another half an hour.

After that the tomato passata was added, along with the herbs (basil, oregano) and a pinch of paprika.

Served with a garlic and coriander flatbread. Delicious!

Garlic and Black Bean Pork Noodle

Buying joints of meat is an extremely economical way of feeding yourself and your family. This dish was made with pork slices from a roast joint, which was the basis of a number of other meals.

It was made with the aid of a steamer. The noodles were cooked in the water in the bottom part, and the roast pork and the garlic and black bean sauce was heated in a bowl inside the top half of the steamer.

The process takes around fifteen minutes. The noodles were semi-dried and in an airtight pack. Dried noodles might take a bit longer, and require occasional stirring, which means adding some extra time for the contents of the top of the steamer. The vegetables were stir-fried in a little sunflower oil in a separate pan. These were diced celery, deseeded chilli, garlic, green beans, onion, red and yellow pepper, and spring onion. Plus a splash of vinegar. Ready in ten minutes!

Lentil, Leek and Sprout Soup

A nutrition packed soup made with Brussels sprouts, carrot, leek, lentils, potato and chicken stock.

All the vegetables were boiled together in a pint of water. I used about 12 sprouts, 2 medium carrots, one medium leek, and some leftover boiled potato. Plus half a cup of red lentils. Cooked for half an hour to forty minutes.

I mashed the vegetables for a minute, and then used an electric blender for another minute. After blending, avoid high heat, or the soup may burn at the bottom of the pan (stir frequently!). Then I added a quarter teaspoonful of turmeric, a pinch of paprika, the chicken stock, two splashes of Worcester sauce, and a large pinch each of oregano.and Herbes de Provence.

Stir together, and simmer under glass for another ten minutes before serving. Add more water if it becomes too thick. Served with a toasted garlic and coriander flatbread. Delicious!

Mushroom and Cabbage Stir-Fry, with Chilli Chicken

Mushroom and cabbage stir-fry ingredients from the local Co-op, and onion and bean sprouts. Stir fried-for seven minutes at a medium heat (I have an efficient cooker hood, but I still try to avoid cooking at very high temperatures). The stir-fry was decanted to a plate heated in the oven.

The chopped roast chicken was prepared in a separate small pan, with chicken stock, deseeded and diced red chilli, plus a quarter spoonful of powdered ginger (fresh is better if you have a root in your fridge). Simmered under glass for ten minutes until most of the chilli salsa has been reduced.

Serve on top of the stir-fry and drizzle with some dark soy sauce and some white pepper.

Roast Pork Soup with Chickpeas

Fabulous soup made to use up some roast pork in the fridge.

The chickpeas were soaked overnight in unsalted water until soft. A white onion was caramelised in a small pan with some sunflower oil (diced leek will do instead).

The chickpeas were added to the pan with the onion, and water, plus chicken stock, was added. After that I added the tomato puree, the diced carrot, the roast pork, the diced spinach and courgette. Add a generous dash of soy sauce. Stir together and simmer for 45 minutes under glass.

Ten minutes before serving, add the herbs - oregano, and Herbes de Provence.

Serve with a garlic and coriander flatbread and freshly ground black pepper!

Chickpea, Carrot and Spinach Stew

Made with dried chickpeas, soaked in cold unsalted water overnight. Stir-fried for a couple of minutes in sunflower oil, along with chopped carrot, courgette (zuchini), a hundred grams of green beans, one deseeded chopped green chilli, and a handful of diced spinach leaves.

Add about a pint of boiling water, add the chicken stock, and simmer under glass for a few minutes.Then add about 300g of tomato passata. Simmer for half an hour to forty-five minutes. Add the herbs of your choice (I used basil and oregano)

Serve with a toasted flatbread (I used a garlic and coriander naan).

Roast Chicken, with a Garlic and Bacon Napoletana

Chicken breasts, roasted in a casserole dish in the oven for 50 minutes at 190 deg C. Drizzled in sunflower oil, with a little water. Dressed in coarse sea salt.

The salsa napoletana was made separately, with onion, chopped garlic, tomato passata, chicken stock, oregano, basil, a pinch of paprika, with crispy fried pieces of unsmoked bacon. Cooked for twenty minutes, stirring frequently.

The carrot wedges were boiled in a small pan for thirty minutes under glass, at a low heat. During the last five minutes I added diced spinach leaves. A simple and delicious dish.

Wheat-Free Pasta Salad, with Garlic and Onion Mayo

The garlic and mayo salad was made a couple of days before this dish, and kept in the fridge. Made by using a food chopper to dice one clove of garlic, and half a medium sized onion. Mixed together with two dessert spoonfuls of standard mayonnaise.

The vegetables were: half a dozen cherry tomatoes, each cut into three with a sharp vegetable knife, half a green bell pepper, a handful of diced spinach leaves, and one diced spring onion.

The pasta was cooked for nine to ten minutes at a low heat in salted water under glass, then drained, and rinsed in cold water until cool. Drain again.

The vegetables, pasta and the garlic and onion mayo were stirred together in a glass bowl, and then decanted to the serving dish. Topped with some finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Fifteen minutes preparation time!

Pork and Beans, with Hash Browns

Something comforting from the Oregon Trail. The pork came from an oven roast made a couple of days ago, and the strips of meat were steamed for twenty minutes. The heat was turned down, and 200g of baked beans were added to the bowl in the steamer. Stirred together thoroughly.

The hash browns were made with fresh slices of raw and semi-skinned potato, cooked in a little sunflower oil in a skillet - first at a high heat, and then turned down close to low. This way the potatoes brown, but do not burn. Turned once. Cooked altogether for twenty minutes, mostly under glass.

Once the hash browns are properly cooked, decant to a serving plate, along with the pork and beans, and dress with freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of basil.

Chorizo and Chickpea Soup

I used dried chickpeas for this recipe, so they were soaked in a dish of water overnight. I diced some cherry tomatoes, celery, carrot, onion, red bell pepper, one deseeded red chilli, and added some leftover boiled potato. I also added about 100g of diced chorizo sausage.

The ingredients were added to a lidded pot of water brought to the boil. Three squirts of tomato puree from a tube was stirred through, and the chicken stock added.

Simmer the soup for forty-five minutes. Add a generous pinch of oregano, and another of basil. Stir through. Served with a garlic and coriander flatbread, lightly toasted.