Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with Muscovado Sugar and Lemon Syrup

From waitrose.com

Ingredients

• ½ x fresh Fairtrade pineapple
• 225g light brown muscovado sugar
• 3 natural colour glacé cherries, halved
• 150g lightly salted butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons, plus 3 tbsp juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease the base of a 23cm round, solid-based cake tin and line with baking parchment. Cut away the skin from the pineapple and slice the flesh into thin rings. Remove the cores, using a sharp knife.
2. In a large, heavy-based frying pan, heat 75g of the sugar with 4 tablespoons of cold water until the sugar dissolves. Add the pineapple and cook gently for 5-6 minutes, turning once, until it has softened slightly. Remove, using a slotted spoon, and reserve the syrup. Arrange the pineapple in a single layer in the tin, cutting sections from the remaining rings to fill any gaps. Place a cherry half, cut-side down, in each ring. Chop any remaining pineapple into small pieces.
3. Using an electric hand whisk, beat together the butter, remaining sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and lemon zest for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chopped pineapple. Turn into the tin and level the surface.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the surface is just firm to the touch. Loosen the edges and turn out onto a plate, removing the baking parchment. Stir the lemon juice into the reserved syrup in the pan and spoon a little over the cake. Place the remaining syrup in a jug and serve with slices of the cake.

Comments:

A bit pretentious but very tasty!

Moros y Christianos

From The Guardian

Serves 4

2 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken legs, split into thighs and drumsticks
160g lardons (or slices of streaky bacon)
2 red onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 green pepper, cut into 1.5cm cubes
120ml red wine vinegar
300g long-grain rice
1 tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
750ml chicken stock

1 In a bowl, mix the cumin, dried oregano and salt. Add a drop of olive oil to moisten the mix, then rub it over the chicken pieces, making sure all the surfaces of the chicken are coated. Leave for as long as you can, preferably overnight. 2 Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-based metal casserole dish and put the chicken pieces in skin side down. Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side, until they are well bronzed.3 Lift the pieces out and put to one side. Turn the heat back up, toss the lardons, onion and garlic into the hot pan and give it a good stir. After 5 minutes, add the pepper and vinegar. Stir well for a minute before tipping in the rice. 4 Season and mix in the black beans. Nestle all the chicken pieces into the rice, cover with chicken stock and put the lid on. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down immediately to the lowest setting. 5 After 25 minutes it should all be ready (but always test the rice to make sure). Turn the heat off and let it stand with the lid on for a further 5 minutes. Serve straight from the pan.

Comment:

This recipe it very tasty - although can be a little greasy. I use pancetta chunks instead of lardons and finish it in the over for 25mins at about 190ºC. Make sure to brown the chicken well in the pan otherwise it can take a much longer time to cook.

Pulled Pork

From Gastronomy Domine

One boneless pork butt or boneless shoulder (about 3 lb)
4 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon mustard powder
10 turns of the peppermill
1 tablespoon chilli powder (I used chipotle chilli powder for the smoky taste, but you can use your favourite)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon onion salt
12 fl oz (1 ½ cups) apple juice
6 fl oz (¾ cup) water

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and rub them thoroughly all over the pork in the same bowl. If your cut of meat has been boned and rolled, you can push some of the rub into the space where the bone used to be as well, seasoning the meat inside and out. Leave the meat in the bowl and leave, covered, in the fridge overnight.

About six hours before you want to eat, preheat the oven or smoker to 150° C (300° F). Place the pork joint, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting tin. Pour the apple juice and water into the bottom of the tin. (The liquid should not be touching the meat.) Cover the roasting tin tightly with a few layers of tin foil and place in the oven for five hours. Don’t poke at the pork while it’s cooking; it should be left to steam gently in its tinfoil hat.

When the five hours are up, remove the tinfoil. If the liquid in the pan looks like it might dry up, add a wine glass of water. Turn the heat up to 200° C (400° F) and cook the joint uncovered for half an hour. Remove the meat to a large bowl, keeping the juices in the bottom of the roasting tin.

Use two forks to shred the pork. It’ll come to pieces very easily after the long cooking time, and should be moist and delicate with a slight crisp to the outsides. Place the shredded pork in a large frying pan with all its juices and the liquid from the roasting tin. Add another tablespoon of soft light brown sugar, an extra teaspoon of chilli powder if you want some extra kick, and a tablespoon of liquid smoke if you can find some (I like applewood liquid smoke for this recipe). Cook over a medium heat until the liquid in the pan begins to become syrupy.

Serve the pork with its sauce in toasted burger buns. The pork will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Sweetcorn, coleslaw and other traditional barbecue accompaniments make a great side dish. Try not to get too much down your front.

Comment:

The meat truly is fall apart tender and still moist. I made the mistake of putting the marinade on the fat which meant it charred on top - next time I'll just rub it on the meat.

I didn't mix in the sauce at the end as there were just the two of us and I thought it would be easier to use up leftovers if I didn't have such a strong flavour.

I used this recipe to make 'carnitas' burritos with a bit of fresh salsa, soured cream, grated cheddar, refried beans (tin), mexican rice (I cooked long grain rice in stock then stirred in the sauce from the meat) and the rest of the sauce to spoon on the meat.

Beef and Ale Casserole with Horseradish and Thyme Sauce

From waitrose.com

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 450g pack Waitrose British Mini Diced Beef
• 2 large onions, thickly sliced
• 2 tbsp light brown soft sugar
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 500ml bottle Timothy Taylor's Landlord Strong Pale Ale
• 2 tbsp creamed horseradish
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C, gas mark 2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large ovenproof and flameproof casserole dish with a lid. Add the beef in 2-3 batches and cook each for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer all the meat to a plate and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil and add the onions to the casserole dish. Sauté over a low heat for 6-7 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the sugar, flour and balsamic vinegar and stir over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Pour the ale over the onions and stir until it reaches boiling point.
3. Return the beef to the casserole and season lightly. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and the cooking liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency.
4. Mix the creamed horseradish and thyme leaves together and serve as an accompaniment to the casserole with creamy mashed potato.

Comment:

This is a fab recipe for beef in ale. I don't bother with the horseradish and thyme sauce - just serve with some horseradish condiment. I also often top this with suet dumplings, just pop them on top for the 20-25mins.

Salmon and Asparagus couscous with lemon and mint

From waitrose.com

Serves 2

Ingredients:
200ml hot chicken stock
200g asparagus tips
100g couscous
2 Lightly Smoked Salmon Fillets, together about 260g, from the fish service counter
1 small garlic clove
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
20g pack fresh mint
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of caster sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
4 salad onions, thinly sliced

Method:
Preheat the grill to medium.

Place the stock in a small pan, add the asparagus, cover and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the couscous, stir, then cover and leave off the heat for 10 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, grill the salmon for about 5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Break into large flakes

Place the garlic and capers in a mini blender or food processor and chop finely. Add the mint and lemon zest and whizz. Add the lemon juice, sugar, olive oil and 2 tablespoons of cold water and whizz again until well blended. Season

Gently stir together the salmon, couscous, asparagus and salad onions, then ripple through the lemon and mint drizzle. Divide between bowls and serve warm.

Comments:

Nice and simple. Works well with fine green beans out of asparagus season. Buying the smoked salmon fillets is well worth doing as it adds a lot to the taste.

Spanish Rice with Chorizo and Saffron

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/468654/spanish-rice-with-prawns-and-chorizo

• 
• Ingredients:
• 1 onion , sliced
• 1 red pepper , cut into chunks
• olive oil
• 100g chorizo , chopped into pieces
• 150g paella rice
• pinch saffron
• 400ml chicken stock , hot
• 125g cooked prawns
• 1 lemon , halved
• small bunch parsley , chopped

Method:

1. Cook the onion and pepper in 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide, shallow pan until softened. Add the chorizo and cook for a couple of minutes until the oil is released. Stir in the rice until coated in all the oils. Stir the saffron into the stock then add to the pan and stir well. Put on a lid and cook for 15 minutes until the rice is tender and the stock absorbed.
2. Stir in the prawns until heated through completely, then squeeze over lemon and toss through the parsley.

Comments:

Quick and Tasty! I used risotto rice, which was fine and added extra water part way through. Used Marigold powder for stock and added lemon chunks at the end.