Pork Chops with Gorgonzola

I'm never eating boring old chops again! We all loved this dish, even the kids!

4 large boneless pork loin chops
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp green pesto
3 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
100g/4oz gorgonsola, cut into 4 thick slices (we used St Augur as it was on offer, an brie for the kids)

Preheat the grill to high. Brush the chops with the olive oil and season well. Lay the chops on a baking sheet and grill for 4-5 minutes.

Remove the chops from the grill. Brush each one with the pesto. Put the tomato slices on top of the shops and add the slices of cheese.

Put the chops back under the grill for 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and has melted. Serve immediately with new potatoes or wedges and salad.

Serves 4

Hob-to-table Moussaka

2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1kg/2lb 4oz minced lamb or 1 pack of vege mince
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp ground cinnamon
200f jar chargrilled aubergines in olive oil, drained and chopped
300g/10oz feta, crumbles
large handful of mint, chopped
green salad and toasted pitta bread, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan. Toss in the onions and garlic and fry until soft. Add the mince and stir fry for about 10 mins, until browned.

2. Tip the tomatoes into the pan, add a canful of water and stir in the tomato puree and cinnamon. Season generously with salt and pepper. Leave the mince to simmer for 30 mins, adding the aubergines halfway through.

3. Sprinkle the crumbled feta and chopped mint over the mince. Bring the mousakka to the table as the feta melts, and serve with a crunchy green salad and toasted pittas.

Serves 8

Chocolate Fudge Icing.

This quantity is enough to fill & ice an 8" cake:

2oz butter or margarine
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespooons cocoa
8oz sifted icing sugar

Put butter, milk & cocoa into a saucepan & heat gently til all melted. Take off the heat & cool slightly, then add the icing sugar - about a quarter of it at a time - then beat til smooth.


It tastes lovely, not as sickly as buttercream but nicer than plain glace icing. It also sets, but not firmly, so it's in between butter icing & glace.

Jules' Chocolate Cake

1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs

1 cup plain flour
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
2 heaped tablespooons cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 cup milk
1 rounded tablespoon butter (about the size of an egg)


Cream the sugar and eggs until pale.

Add the sieved dry ingredients and the vanilla essence and mix together.

Put the milk and butter into a saucepan and melt the butter (don't let the milk boil, once it starts to go bubbly around the edges, take it off the heat).

Pour it into the rest of the mixture and beat it until there are loads of air bubbles.

Pour it into two cake tins and bake at 200 degrees C (400 F) for about 15 - 20 minutes.

My Mum's Fresh Tomato Soup.

2 med onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1kg plum tomatoes, chopped coarsely 2 cups chicken stock (I use Knorr caldo del
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce abuela)
2 tbs finely chopped parsley
2 x 400g cans borlotti beans


Heat oiled large pan, cook onion and garlic, stirring, till softened

Stir in tomato, cook ,stirring, about 3 mins till juices start to run

Add stock and sauce, bring to boil

Simmer, covered, 15 mins

Blend in batches until almost smooth

Return to pan, stir in parsley and beans, simmer, uncovered about 5 mins

Variations:
Substitute tin baked beans for borlotti beans
Add sweet chilli relish to taste at end
Serve with grated cheese/chopped red onion/croutons

¡Que aproveche!

Sausage Plait.

1lb pack sausage meat or sausages with skins removed - plain pork.
tbpsn oil
1 onion diced finely
1-2 cloves garlic crushed
1 green chilli finely diced (optional)
1tsp dried thyme
handful sage, chopped finely
juice of half lemon
salt & pepper
1 pack ready made puff pastry
1 beaten egg.

pre-heat oven to 200 (gas 6??)gently fry the onion & garlic (& chilli if using it) in the oil until soft but not coloured, set aside to cool.

when cooled mix onion/garlic into the sausage meat with your hands, then add the lemon juice, herbs& seasoning. its really really sticky!!!

roll out the pastry so that its about the size of a swiss roll tray. place the sausage mix lengthways down the middle third of the pastry leaving the same size gap all the way round.

make slits 1 inch apart all down each side making sure they are level with each other & slanting slightly towards you , stopping at least an inch from the meat. wash the edges with some of the beaten egg.

Fold over the ends onto the meat & trim of the corners. then bring up alternating flaps from each side making a plait effect. go slowly!! wash with rest of the beaten egg & cook in oven for 25-30 mins til golden.

serve in slices with salad & new pots in summer, mash & veg in winter. great cold the next day too!

I cook this on an oven tray with holes or slits in over a roasting dish as it can let out some fat from the meat & the pastry & that way it drains off & the pastry goes nice & crispy

Chilli Cheese Meatballs

Sausagemeat
bunch spring onions (sliced finely)
garlic puree
lemon juice and rind
Fresh sage (finely chopped)
grated fresh cheddar cheese
chillis red diced very finely
black pepper (I leave the salt out)
carton passatta
fresh basil
spaghetti

I simply throw it all in a bowl and mix then form into balls. I throw them in a big glass dish with a dash of olive oil then I cook them off for a while, drain them (as you get the fat out of the sausagemeat) and then add a carton of passatta and torn basil leaves finish off in the oven for 10 minutes, then serve with spaghetti and olive bread. Extra cheese and basil over the top too.

Cajun Chicken Gumbo.

1 tbsp sunflower oil
4 chicken thighs
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
90g/1/2 cup long grain rice
300ml/1/2pint chicken stock
1 small red chilli
225g/8oz okra
15ml/1 tbsp tomato puree
salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the chicken until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan.

2. Stir in the onion, celery and pepper and fry for 1 minute. Pour off any excess oil.

3. Add the rice and fry, stirring for a further minute. Add the stock and heat until boiling. Thinly slice the chilli and trim the okra. Add to the pan with the tomato puree. Season to taste.

4. Return the chicken to the pan and stir. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender, the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the liquid adsorbed. Stir occasionally and if it becomes too dry, add a little extra stock.

Meatballs in BBQ Sauce

Meatballs in BBQ Sauce

approx 500g Minced beef
very finely chopped or grated onion
1 egg
matzo meal or breadcrumbs
oxo cube
garlic granules

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and with your hands, thoroughly mix. Add enough breadcrumbs so that the meat will hold its shape, but do not make it too dry.
Shape into golf-ball size balls.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat a very little amount of oil. Gently fry meatballs to colour, ensuring you gently turn them so that they cook on all sides (don't worry about cooking them through thoroughly).

Transfer meatballs to an oven-proof dish that is large enough to take them all in one layer.

Now, for the best bit....

Make the following bbq sauce to cook them in:


4 tbs dark brown sugar
2 tsp English mustard
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs lemon juice
5oz can tomato purée (142g)
Water
Salt & pepper


Empty the tomato purée into a saucepan and dilute with water (2 x empty purée can). Add the rest of the ingredients. Gently heat and stir well.

Pour over the meatballs. Cover with foil and bake in a medium oven for 30 - 45 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake.

100g (3 1/2oz) digestive biscuits
50g (2oz) roasted and chopped hazelnuts
15g ( 1/2oz) dark brown soft sugar
450g (1lb) chocolate
60g (2 1/2oz) unsalted butter, melted
50g (2oz) caster sugar
350g (12oz) full-fat soft cheese
450ml (¾pt) double cream, lightly whipped
40ml (1 1/2fl oz) Baileys Irish Cream liqueur

For the chocolate sauce
200g (7oz) chocolate
200-300ml (1/3 - 1/2pt) milk
2 tbsp double cream
25g (1oz) caster sugar
25g (1oz) unsalted butter

Process the biscuits, hazelnuts, brown sugar and melted butter to make the biscuit base. Press onto the base of a 20.5cm (8in) diameter spring-release tin.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Beat the sugar and cheese together until smooth then fold in the whipped cream. Fold this mixture into the melted chocolate then stir in the Baileys Irish Cream. Spoon into the tin and level the surface. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs until firm.

For the sauce, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. In a separate pan, combine 200ml (1/3pt) milk, the cream and sugar and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Whisking all the time, pour this onto the chocolate. Return the sauce to the pan and boil over a high heat for 15 secs. If wished, add extra milk to thin the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter bit by bit.

Serve the cheesecake with the sauce or with crème fraîche and fruit.

Most Moist Carrot Cake

400g/14oz caster sugar
4 eggs
400ml/14fl oz sunflower oil
400g/14oz self-raising flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
teaspoon salt
400g/14oz carrots, grated
1teaspoon vanilla essence

For the topping
175g full-fat cream cheese
50g/2oz unsalted butter
Juice and grated zestof 1/2lemon
350g/12oz icing sugar

Makes 2 loaves

Line two 900g/2lb loaf tins with baking parchment. Whisk the sugar, eggs and oil together until thick and pale, then mix in the flour, mixed spice and salt. This is best done in an electric mixer with the balloon. Stir in the carrots and vanilla essence. Pour the mixture into the tins an bake in an oven preheated to 170c/325f/gas mark 3 for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre come out clean. Leave to cool completely.

To make the topping, beat the cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and zest together, then beat in the icing sugar. Spread on top of the cooled cake.

Tea Time Cake

150g (5oz) soft margarine
150g (5oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
75g (3oz) currants
450g (1 lb) jar mincemeat
Almonds, to decorate

Grease and line with greaseproof paper a 20 cm (8inch) round cake tin. Heat the oven to 160 C/ gas mark 3 / 325 F. Place all the ingredients, except the almonds, in a bowl and beat for one minute until blended. Turn into the tin and smooth the top. Arrange the almonds on top and bake in an oven for about 1 ¾ hours until golden brown and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin and then remove the paper and store in an airtight container.

Julia's Curried Rice and Spinach.

Fab recipe via my best mate, Julia. Thanks Ju!

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil (but I just use olive oil)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp curry paste (Ju uses Madras, I use Tikka Masala paste)
250g/9oz basmati rice, rinsed
450ml/16floz vegetable stock
400g can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
Handful of raisins
175g/6oz frozen leaf spinach, thawed
Handful of cashew nuts
Natural yogurt, to serve (optional)


1. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan that has a lid, then fry the garlic and the curry paste over a medium heat for 1 minute, until it smells toasty.
2. Tip the rice into the pan with the stock, chickpeas and raisins and stir well with a fork to stop the rice from clumping. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and bring to the boil. Reduce to a medium heat and cook for 12-15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
3. Squeeze the excess water from the spinach with your hands. Tip it into the pan along with 2 tablespoons hot water, then fluff up the rice with a fork, making sure the spinach is mixed in well. Toss in the cashews. Serve drizzled with natural yogurt if you like.

Serves 4.

Curried Lentil and Lime Soup

Gorgeous soup! I even forgot to add the lime juice and zest but it was still glorious.

1 tbsp hot curry paste (I used Tikka Masala so the kids could eat it too)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
200g (1 cup) red lentils
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
50g (1/4 cup) sultanas
grated rind and juice of 1 lime
150g carton fat-free natural yoghurt (optional)
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 warm chapattis, to serve (optional)

1 Place the curry paste, onion, garlic, ginger and cumin seeds in a large pan and cook gently together for three minutes.

2 Add the lentil and stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the sultanas and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the lime rind and juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

3 Ladle into bowls and top each serving with a large spoonful of yoghurt and a sprinkling of mint. Serve with warm chapattis.

Calories: 241, Protein 15.4g, Carbs 43g, Fat 1.9g, Sat Fat 0.1g, Fibre 3.2g, Added sugars - none, Salt 0.28g