Tasty Pork Loins with Lemon, Garlic and Parsley

A simple mid week supper:

Tasty Pork loin steaks with lemon, garlic, onion, salt and pepper and parsley, served with french beans and spuds

 



This is a perfect mid week recipe when you feel in the mood for a hearty but simple meat and veg meal, but are time poor.

It really is a 30 min meal with time to spare!

If you are already put off by the title - trust me, lemon does go with pork. Also the garlic is delicate and inoffensive and the parsley takes the edge off.

I was originally inspired by this combination of flavours after visiting Majorca and loving the way the Majorcans served fish with the same simple ingredients.
Then in a tapas restaurant in Richmond I had exactly the same flavours with pork loins steaks, which was a revelation, as up until then, I had always found pork loin very dry and lacking in flavour.
Trust me, they are juicy and full of flavour.


Ingredients: 

To serve 2 people

2 x Pork Loin steaks. This recipe works regardless of whether you use pork chops, loin steaks or shoulder steaks by the way.
Fresh chopped parsley. Or *cheat* and buy from the frozen aisle in Waitrose!

Olive oil - you just need a small glug.

Salt and pepper

1 clove of garlic - chopped

A good squeeze of approx 1/4 lemon.

1 medium onion (white or red)

Serve with french or runner beans. 

It also works well with a salad.

If particularly hungry, rustle up some 'quick' roasted potatoes:

Keep skin on, chopping spuds into small squares. They will crisp up in no time if added to a roasted dish with pre heated olive oil. You can even add some chopped onion for extra flavour and season well and add some parsley at the end for a bit of colour. 

* I find these take approx 20 mins on a hot oven 220 degrees (fan). But oil has to be red hot when you add the potatoes.

Method.

• Place the chops in a dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Squeeze over the lemon then add the chopped garlic. Turn the chops over so that they are evenly coated. Leave to one side.

• Chop up the onion into 1/8s or medium pieces. It doesn't matter really. 

• Heat some olive oil (only a small amount req - small dash) in a frying pan.

• When the pan is nice and hot add the chops followed by the onion. Let it sizzle away. 

• Cook on one side for approx 6-8 mins. Try and rotate the onions whilst the pork is cooking.

• Turn over the pork and cook again for the same time. Sprinkle with parsley. The cooking time varies depending on the size of the chops. The outside needs to be nice and browned, but the middle cooked (obviously). So if in doubt slice into it at the fattest part and check for any pink. If you are using chops on the bone, they might take closer to 8-10 mins each side.

Plate up, sprinkle more parsley on top and serve up with your green beans and spuds. 

Enjoy. A delicious tasty meal. 

A tea time classic. Coffee and Walnut Cake

'Coffee and Walnut cake'

This is a real teatime classic.
A cake my Mum used to make lots when I was a child and charmingly I would turn my nose up at it because I didn't like coffee. I had no problem with picking the walnuts off the top and eating them whilst nobody was looking though!

It is a delicious cake with a very subtle flavour and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee!

I use exactly the same recipe she has always followed, I haven't changed a thing. It is a simple 'all in one' sponge method and really doesn't require much effort, but always pleases!

It was a favourite of my grandparents and sadly, they both passed away recently, so making this cake always makes me think of them.

Ingredients:

6oz Self raising flour
6oz stork baking margarine or soft unsalted butter
6oz caster sugar
3 medium free range eggs
1 level tsp baking powder

100ml hot water with 4 tsp instant coffee powder

8oz icing sugar
3oz soft unsalted butter/margarine.
100g walnut halves or pieces to decorate. I say 100g because that is how many you get in a small bag. But you don't need to use that many. I would say half a bag is plenty.


Method:

• Pre heat oven to 160c (fan)

• Line two sandwich tins with greaseproof paper. Or *cheat buy pre cut out circle. Pound land have now introduced them to their Twickenham branch. £1 very well spent!

• Boil the kettle. Fill a measuring jug with 100ml hot water. Add 4 tsp instant coffee and stir. Leave this to cool whilst you mix your sponge.

• This is yet another all in one sponge. 'Minimal effort' all the way. So finding a large roomy mixing bowl. Weigh the flour and sieve into the bowl. Weigh out the sugar and butter and add to bowl. Break in the eggs and the tsp of baking powder and mix.

• Then pour in approx half (or 2 tbsp) of the coffee mix. (you will need the rest for the icing)

• Mix well it will only alter the colour slightly (see below) and then equally divide the mix into the two sandwich tins. Bake in oven for 20 mins.

Whilst the cake is in the oven prepare the icing:

Measure out the icing sugar and (soft) butter and mix slowly together in a bowl together with a tbsp remaining coffee (keep the rest just in case you want to make the flavour stronger) 

Put the bowl of butter icing in the fridge to firm up. 

*please note - if you ended up using more of the coffee, the liquid will make the buttercream more runny. So add a little extra icing sugar to compensate.

Once sponge is cool. Sandwich the two cakes together with the butter icing. 

Save half to spread on the top of the cake then decorate how you choose with walnuts. 

I like to also dust the top with cocoa powder. 

Put the kettle on and enjoy! :-)

Chocolate and Almond Brownies

The ultimate Chocolate and Almond Brownie recipe - with a little help from Nigella.

Since starting this blog, this is the recipe I have been most asked to post. So here it is.

I am often requested to make brownies by friends and I can safely say that this is the easiest and yummiest recipe. Trust me I have tried loads of other recipes. Plus they keep well and can easily be made a couple of days in advance.

This recipe and method is from Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a domestic goddess book' (one of my fave cook books). But because I am incapable of ever following a recipe exactly, I have substituted walnuts for roasted almonds because I think they are my preferred nut!

I have also reduced the amount of sugar she suggests, as I think they are richer and more chocolatey that way.

I have also reduced the quantities slightly to fit a more general size brownie tin. My tin is 13"by 9".
If your tin is slightly smaller don't worry, the brownies will be slightly deeper which is never a bad thing. Just cook them for 3-5 mins longer. 

Ingredients:

250g soft unsalted butter
250g good quality dark chocolate (off the shelf chocolate not cooking chocolate)
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
300g caster sugar
150g plain flour
200g blanched whole almonds (roasted in oven and then chopped/halved or put in whole!)
* Walnuts/pecans are more traditional and also lovely. Or I have tried hazelnuts which work a treat. So I would suggest using your favourite. 

Makes approx 20 large brownies. Or a minimum of 30 little ones. 

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180c fan. Line your brownie tin, greaseproof paper is best. 

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large saucepan on a very low heat. 

Whilst the butter/choc is melting find a large measuring jug or mixing bowl and beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract.

                                     

When the chocolate mixture has melted, leave to cool slightly to avoid scrambled eggs. 

Then beat in the eggs/sugar. When all combined, mix in the flour and roasted nuts of your choice.
Beat to combine smoothly and then scrape mix out of the saucepan into your lined tin.

Bake for approx 16 mins. It doesn't seem very long, but the difference between dry and gooey brownies is minutes. You will know when it is ready as the top will seem paler but the middle still gooey. 

Keep them in the tin to cool as they continue to cook whilst in the tin. 
You really need to wait until they are completely cool before cutting. Or you will end up with a gooey mess. 
Once cool turn the brownies onto a solid chopping board. Trim the edges off and devourer secretly or give to the kiddies. 
Then use a very sharp knife to cut into squares.
Once cut, I like to dust with cocoa powder to serve. Lush 

Dorset Apple Cake

Classic Dorset Apple Cake

This is a delicious moist cake. Very simple. An all in one sponge and a cake that is usually demolished very quickly in our house. I love the tartness of the apples with the sweet sponge.

Bramley Apples are in season at the moment, so if you want an alternative to a crumble or a pie, I would definitely give this recipe a try. Its works well as a pudding and tastes great warm with ice cream or custard.
But also tastes just as good cold and keeps well for a few days in a tin.

We love a Roast dinner every Sunday, but unless we have guests I don't normally make a pud.
However this last Sunday I was kindly given a bag of home grown Bramleys, so it seemed a good enough excuse to make this.

Ingredients:

6oz Self raising flour
6oz Caster sugar
6oz margarine (or unsalted soft butter)
3 free range eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder

8oz (about 2 medium apples) washed/peeled and sliced Bramley apples. (You can use eating apples, which does work, but it will lack the tartness that you get from cooking apples - plus the cake will then be very sweet)

Method:

Pre heat your oven to 160c degrees (fan).
Line a round 8/9 inch tin. Or use a liner (like below), if you are a cheat like me.

Minimal effort, its another simple all in one sponge recipe:

Weigh out all the ingredients and place into a large roomy mixing bowl. Please ensure you sieve the flour and baking powder into the bowl.

Give it a good mix, an electric hand whisk is my favoured method. But a wooden spoon does the job.

Peel and slice the apples (2 apples should be fine) Add to the cake batter and mix in.

Spoon the mix into your lined tin.

* Option. I sometimes sprinkle the top with demerara sugar to give a nice crunchy topping.

Place on the middle shelf of your oven and set the timer for approx 50 mins.

Take out of the oven and leave in the tin to cool slightly. Then turn onto a wire cooling rack.

There are many variations with this cake:

• You can add a tsp of cinnamon and some raisins.

• Or you can substitute caster sugar for light brown sugar for a more fudgy colour and taste.

• Or often, I add a few fresh raspberries or blackberries or both. I think berries go so well with Apple. If you choose to do this, add them at the end and don't stir too vigorously or (as I know from experience) you will end up with a pink cake.

Chocolate, Banana and Nutella Cake

Easy peasy Chocolate, Banana and Nutella cake

This is an extremely quick and easy cake put together one rainy afternoon when I had a friend due over for a play date and I needed to make us something yummy to cheer us up about the weather.
We also both needed the sugar/carbs to get us through an afternoon with 4 under 4's in a small confined space battling to play with the same toy!

Incidentally, I hadn't set out to combine these particular flavours.

The chocolate aspect of the cake was purely to satisfy a craving I had that day.
The banana aspect was to use up an old banana that would have otherwise gone in the bin.
The Nutella was only used as I didn't have quite enough icing sugar/butter to make butter icing and I couldn't pop out to the shops due to a baby sleeping upstairs.

Plus:

• It had to be prepared/baked/decorated and still allow time to make kitchen spotless in less than an hour. 

• It couldn't be a banana loaf as I had made one the last time the same friend came over.

So this is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

6oz self raising flour

6oz caster sugar

6oz margarine

3 free range eggs

1 tsb baking powder

1 heaped tbsp cocoa powder

1 large 'going brown overly ripe banana rescued from the bottom of my nappy bag that would have gone in the bin had it not been for this cake! '

Lots of Nutella to spread on top of cake when baked and to use to sandwich cakes together 

Something of your choice to sprinkle on top. I used flaked almonds (toasted in the oven for a few mins first). But I think chocolate buttons or crushed up cadburys flake would work well? 

Method:

1. Line or grease the bottom of two 8 inch sandwich tins and pre heat oven to 160c (fan oven).
2. Using the 'all in one' sponge method. Weigh out the flour, cocoa and baking powder and sieve into a large roomy mixing bowl. Add the butter and sugar then break the eggs into the bowl and mix. I use an electric hand whisk, but a wooden spoon is fine. A Magimix mixer would be wonderful but I haven't got one!
3. Mash the banana and add to the cake batter. Give one last mix. 
4. Divide the mix equally between the two sandwich tins using a palette knife to smooth over.
5. Put both tins on the middle shelf of your oven and set timer for 17 mins. From experience this is the perfect amount of time for my oven. You may need slightly longer. But no longer than 20 mins. Nothing worse than an overcooked cake.
6. When cooked turn out of sandwich tins onto cooling rack and leave to cool.
7. When cool (but can still be slightly warm to touch) spread one of the cake halves generously with Nutella and sandwich together. Then place on a serving plate or cake stand and spread the top with Nutella and sprinkle with the topping of your choice.

Put the kettle on and serve with a cup of tea. It is such a delicious cake. The banana keeps the sponge moist and despite being a gamble, the Nutella works well.  

Cherry and Almond Marzipan Cake

This is probably my absolute favourite cake and I am always asked for the recipe by friends.

As you will see from my recipes, I am not a fan of lots of icing or fussy decorative cakes. So traditional fruit cakes like this are much more my thing.

It is filled with glace cherries and has a layer of marzipan in the middle for a lovely combination of flavours. So when you cut out a slice, the marzipan should run perfectly through the middle like a filling.

It is the type of sponge that once baked, you only have to sprinkle with icing sugar. Or I sometimes drizzle with icing and sprinkle with cherries and toasted flaked almonds. You don't even need to do anything, it is fine on its own.

The cake doesn't require any skill or artistic talent (things I lack). So it most definitely qualifies as a minimum effort, maximum output recipe.

The cake keeps well for approx 6-7 days and is perfect with a cup of tea.

Ingredients:

Oven temp 160c fan oven (180c non fan oven)
Required: 1 x round movable bottom cake tin 8 or 9 inches approx

200g (8oz) Self raising flour
200g (8oz) Caster Sugar
200g (8oz) Stork Margarine or (soft unsalted butter)
4 free range eggs
100g (4oz) Ground almonds
200g glace cherries (chopped into half if you like, or whole or chopped into 1/8s - it really is up to you)
250g marzipan (half a shop bought packet)
200g flaked almonds


Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180c (160c fan).

2. Roll out the marzipan into a flat circle so it is ready for when needed.
Using the base of the cake tin as a guide, place the marzipan on the base of the tin and use a rolling pin to roll out into a circle spanning the entire diameter of the cake tin, but not over lapping.
Put to one side.

3. Prepare the cherries. I like to cut mine in half, but if you prefer chopping them into smaller pieces feel free, then place in a bowl to one side.

4. Line an 8-9 inch round cake tin. Line the bottom and the sides. Or for 'minimum effort maximum output' use a silicone coated cake liner. I buy them from poundland. The Jane Asher range has cake tin and loaf tin liners in packs of 15 for £1!

5. The sponge:

There are two way of making the sponge. When I make a sponge, I generally follow the Delia 'all in one' method. However, if I have time, I always like to follow the Victoria sponge method, which I think results in a lighter sponge. I have tried and tested both ways and there is not a massive difference. So choose based on your personal preference or what you are used to and works!

All in one:

1. Weigh out the flour, then sieve from a height into a large roomy mixing bowl. 
2. Weigh out the sugar, butter and ground almonds and add to the bowl along with the eggs.
3. Give a good mix with an electric whisk or a good old wooden spoon. 
4. Scatter in cherries whilst mixing to get them evenly dispersed into the mix.

Victoria Sponge:

1. Weigh out the sugar and butter and put into a large roomy mixing bowl. Cream them together with a wooden spoon or electric hand whisk.
2. Beat the eggs in a small measuring jug. Then very slowly add the beaten eggs to the butter and sugar mixture whilst mixing with a spoon. A tiny bit at a time is fine. Too much and the mix will curdle. 
3. Then when the egg is incorporated. Weigh out the flour and sieve it slowly into the cake batter, mixing as you go. 
4. Add the ground almonds and place cherries and mix slowly to get the cherries evenly dispersed into the mix.

6. Now put half of the cake mix into your prepared tin. Place the rolled out marzipan circle on top of and place the remaining mix on top.

7. Lastly, scatter the top of the cake evenly with flaked almonds. You will probably need 1/2 of the amount specified. But entirely up to you.

8. BAKE for approx 1 hour 15mins. My own oven cooks the cake in 1 hour 15mins perfectly. But I have tried it whilst on holiday in a slower oven and it needed 10 mins longer. So I would say: Set the timer for 1 hour 15 mins. Then check on the cake, covering in foil if the top of the cake and almonds are brown, but the cake fails the skewer test. Then bake for no more than 1 hour and a half.

When the cake is baked, place on a wire rack in the tin to cool for approx 20 before removing from tin. I once tried to cut a slice as soon as it came out of the oven. The marzipan was quite liquid and it was a gooey mess!

When cool enough to eat. Dust with icing sugar, or if you fancy, drizzle with white water icing and add more flaked almonds (toasted lightly first). You can't have enough almonds in my opinion!

ENJOY!

BBQ Pork Ribs

LUSHIOUS JUICY STICKY 'FALL OFF THE BONE' BBQ RIBS RECIPE. 

I absolutely love pork ribs and I have for years tried to find the ultimate recipe.

It seems so obvious now, but the main secret is to cook them for a long time. Duh! But cooking is a learning curve and I never used to slow cook anything until I had children and now I slow cook most things. I just assumed ribs would be tender if I cooked for 40 mins but had marinaded for 24 hours, but it is not the case.

I have had many a discussion with friends about the ultimate rib recipe, and it appears that most people have their way of doing it. A bit like a spag bol.
So, I think you could add or substitute many of the ingredients to suit your own taste, but this is 'my way' of doing it. Again like most of my recipes it is a store cupboard kind of sauce. I tend to buy decent ribs when I see them on offer and freeze them. Then I can defrost them when I need them.
Plus the sauce can be made in a matter of minutes and you are literally chucking ingredients together. Plus once they are in the oven you can forget about them!

Ribs are a great weekend meal. I often make the sauce when I have a child free moment and put it in the fridge. Then around kids teatime I put the ribs in the oven. Then once the kids are bathed and asleep I come downstairs and dinner is already cooked! How about that for minimum effort maximum output?!

They also work well on the BBQ and you can have them in oven slow cooking before your guests arrive and you can finish them off the BBQ for that charcoal taste.

Or I often cook them if we have friends over for dinner as a finger food starter.

My recipe has been mainly inspired by Alex Hollywood (wife of Paul!). She posted a recipe on twitter that I tried as was curious about her suggestion of adding orange juice.
It was well worth a try as it works a treat keeping the moisture in the meat as well of adding a lovely natural sweetness.
But I have put my own twist on her recipe as you will see below:

INGREDIENTS:

Oven temp 140-160c.
Cook for approx 3 hours.

Pork ribs: Approx 750g of baby back ribs/spare ribs for 2 people.
Or 1 rack of ribs per person if easier. I have bought all varieties.

Sauce:

1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp runny honey or maple syrup if you have it
2 tsp english mustard powder
2 tsp muscavado sugar
1 tbsp of worcester sauce
Dash of balsamic vinegar
A generous squirt of tomato ketchup
1 tsp 5 spice
1 tbsp chopped ginger
2 cloves of crushed/chopped garlic
2 x red chilli chopped (optional) great for colour.
Squeeze of a lemon
Juice of 1 orange (this was Alex Hollywood's suggestion that has changed everything)

Method:

1.Place the ribs in a deep oven proof dish.
2.Then in a mixing bowl put each of the sauce ingredients in and give it a really good mix with a spoon. It is important to taste as if too acidic add more honey/sugar and you might want to season well with salt and pepper.
3.Pour the sauce over the ribs and use some tongs to turn ribs over ensuring they are evenly coated with the sauce.
4.Cover the dish securely with foil and place in the oven.
5.Check on the ribs after 2 hours turning over and basting with sauce. Then cook for another hour possibly 2 if the sauce stick needs thickening. You can add more orange juice as you can go along if needed.
6. Enjoy your amazingly tender tasty ribs! You will need napkins and possibly a bib :-)