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    Pork Tenderloin with Ponzu Dressing and Roast Potatoes

    28 November 2018 - By 

    Run out number 2 for this ponzu pork, and this was a significantly better cooked joint, albeit less attractive in presentation… If anyone cares. Looking back at the first attempt (here), the picture doesn’t necessarily tell the truth. This time the meat was significantly more moist and flavoursome, mostly due to not blindly trusting the time on the recipe and using a meat thermometer. The joint was a little smaller than it was previously, less than 400g, and required a couple of minutes fried on each side, then about 10 minutes on one side, then 8 minutes on the other…

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    Breakfast soda bead #2

    27 November 2018 - By 

    Second time this recipe is having a run out (See here). Used superfine cake sponge flour and half butter milk, half yoghurt for the wet ingredients. So still not tried the suggested wholewheat flour. Same ratio of dry to wet suggested in the recipe. It’s a fairly stiff, but airy mix that goes into the muffin tin. Such that I just dumped it in to each hole with my mitts, real elegant like. This is really first rate, so quick but light and moist and even lasts a couple of days when toasted. Bridges the gap between scone and bread…

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    Omelette with spinach, tomato and brie & beetroot compote

    27 November 2018 - By 

    A lovely, large omelette, filled with chopped tomatoes, chopped gherkins, and spinach, sautéed together for a couple of minutes or until the tomato juice reduces, then popped in the middle of the omelette along with a slice of Somerset brie, then the whole thing is folded like… We’ll, like an omelette. Topped with some toasted pistachios. The compote from the previous night’s duck was a welcome sharpness. Perhaps the brie isn’t the finest choice of cheese for an omelette, not tangy enough to fight the egg. But a quick, tasty, frugal meal.

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    Celeriac steak and sweet potato fries

    25 November 2018 - By 

    The celeriac steak is magnificent. Meaty and fresh. Can take a good blasting on the griddle. It takes on the flavour of the marinade in rapid fashion, but you could really play with different flavours. I love sweet potato fries, the sprinkled polenta is important to help with the moisture, and they need more time in the oven than you think. No less than 25 minutes, I would say. Garlic becomes roasted and sweet and it’s a wonderful burst of flavour when you accidentally pick one up instead of a chip, bordering on too intense, but ok by me. I…

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    Roast duck with beetroot compote

    25 November 2018 - By 

    This was a big bird at 2.5kg. The fact that the two of us polished it off in one night both disturbs me and provides me with not a single moment of regret. The skin was crispy and flaky, almost like a salty, salty pastry. And the meat juicy and succulent. I see no reason to ever use another method to roast a duck. 180c for 1 hour 45 minutes, on a wire rack with a pan to catch the fat. A little longer than suggested in the book, but this was also a bigger bird. Some newly acquired Bristol…

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    Pan seared salmon with napa cabbage

    25 November 2018 - By 

    The best thing about this recipe is the provided method for cooking the salmon, which resulted in a wonderfully cooked fish. Colour on the outside, translucent and moist on the inside. Even making up for the constantly disappointing fish available from supermarkets. Season the fish all over, put oil in the pan, put fish skin down in the cold pan, turn the heat on medium ish and cook on that side until the opaque colour on creeps up the side to the top of the fish. Jostle the filets occasionally after a couple of minutes for even cooking. Flip the…

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    Miso Broth

    18 November 2018 - By 

    This is a healthy, hearty and homely broth, absolutely packed with goodness and rather quick and easy to boot. I am deeply sceptical that this is even remotely authentic Japanese cuisine, there’s a lot of stuff going on here that does not strike me as Japanese. But it absolutely doesn’t matter. It’s tasty and virtuous. I packed it with double the stated chicken, because the pack of chicken came with two breasts… And realistically I’m not going to find another use for the second one in time. I’d do that again, no regrets. More of a regret is not having…

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    Warm Sriracha Salad

    16 November 2018 - By 

    Quick and absolutely delicious, particularly as I used ready made sriracha instead of making it. Replaced the kale with spinach added at the last minute. Very valid option, in fact you’d have to be more careful with kale, I expect. The timing and stronger flavour would be much trickier.

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    Courgetti with pesto and baked ricotta

    11 November 2018 - By 

    The two things that blew me away here were the home made pesto and the baked ricotta. Both such simple, delicious elements in so many dishes. The pesto, toasted nuts – here pistachio – with a handful of basil and a handful of mint. Finish with seasoning and a few tablespoons of olive oil and whizz it in the chopper, until potato-like. Very quick and entirely delicious. The ricotta, dumped in a pile onto a tray like a sandcastle from a bucket, a zested lemon, a sprinkle of chili, a good squeeze of honey. In this case ten minutes in…

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    One-pot spaghetti

    7 November 2018 - By 

    Really simple, very fresh thanks to the amount of lemon zest, but I wouldn’t change it. Should have pepper, really can’t see why you would exclude it. Nice, quick dish for a weeknight. Definitely room for playing around with it. The recipe includes the helpful advice to continually turn the pasta whilst simultaneously preparing the kale, which will no doubt result in impressive contortions from those who don’t have a helper. Incidentally the amount of kale suggested is too much, or the type of kale used is very different. We used 200g of purple kale and wouldn’t even think of…