Iberico Pork Cutlet

Sunday, 3rd March 2013

The cutlets were done as usual by quickly frying them in a hot pan and then finishing them for 10 minutes in the oven, with a few minutes to rest afterwards.
Pasta with a sauce of italian bacon, onions, garlic, white wine, diced tomato and cream, added to the pan in that order.
Superb and went down very well with a bottle of Vintage 2002 Bollinger!

Pork and Veal in Sherry

Saturday, 2nd March 2013

Based on this Delia recipe. I bought a nice looking piece of boar shoulder but, when I got it home, I realized it would be too small, so I added some veal I had in the freezer.
I left out the olives but otherwise stuck pretty close to Delia's recipe. As often seems to happen the meat itself was a little dry, Interestingly, it was next to impossible to tell what was boar and what was veal. But the sauce had a lovely flavour and the chorizo was great.

Lamb Chops in Cider

Saturday, 23rd February 2013

Easy Meals for One and Two, p36. Brown the chops and some onions, add flour. Blend in a small bottle of cider, then add sliced courgette, apple, sultanas and mint. Season and cook in the oven for 45 minutes.
I put in way too much flour, so the sauce was very "gloopy". Also too many sultanas. And the meat came out dry, possibly because I had the oven too high. All in all not a success.

Spinach and Chicken Curry

Friday, 22nd February 2013

Or, as we English would know it, Saag Murgh. 200 Curries, p58.
Marinade chicken in yoghurt, garlic, ginger, ground coriander, and curry powder. Cook and blend some spinach. Fry onions and add some cumin seeds. Add the chicken then the spinach and some water. Cook for 30 minutes. Add some lemon juice.
I put in too much spinach but the flavours were still good. Could have been spicier for my taste. I also added some coriander leaves, which is the flavour I most associate with Indian food, but the local supermarket seems to have found a variety of completely non-aromatic coriander.
Served with aubergine baked with Garam Masala (over-cooked), rice and turkish flat bread (over-cooked).

Grilled Lamb Cutlets

Sunday, 17th February 2013

I grilled myself some lamb-chops a week or so ago and they came out beautifully tender and juicy. The only thing was I had the grill pan so hot the chicken was full of smoke. So for these I lowered the heat a bit, but the extra cooking time meant the came out a little dry and chewy by comparison.
The moral is, crank up the heat and open a window.

Chicken Breasts with Ginger

Friday, 8th February 2013

The Low-Fat Gourmet, p51. The recipe says wrap the breasts loosely in foil with a sauce of onion, ginger, garlic, soy, sherry and concentrated apple juice. I used normal apple juice and a spoonful of plum puree and, because I had no foil big enough, just a normal covered dish. I also omitted the 24 hours marinading due to bad planning. Came out nicely enough, if nothing special. The tiny Thai asparagus, boiled for a minute and tossed in sesame oil, where the best bit.