Portuguese style Chicken Broth
This simple but full of flavour broth was definitely a favourite of mine when living in the Algarve. Just a few ingredients and time is all you need!
Start making chicken stock. I put the left over chicken and carcass from a roast chicken in my slow cooker, add a chopped onion; a few peppercorns; a couple of bay leaves; the rind from half a lemon and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Cover with water and switch it on. Mine cooked on low for 8 hrs, you could pressure cook it I guess?
Strain ...
Tasty Pork Tenderloin Medallions
Cut the pork tenderloin into thick medallions. In a non metallic bowl mix together the following.
4 tblsp of Soy sauce, juice of one small orange, a couple of tblsp ketchup, good splash of Lea & Perrins, a tblsp of honey, a couple of tblsp of oil, grated garlic and ginger, some chilli flakes. Taste and adjust to suit you.
Marinate the pork for a good few hours. Remove pork, shake off excess sauce and grill for roughly 4 mins either side. Let the pork rest for a few minutes. ...
Lemon, Honey & Thyme Rack of Lamb
Wow it was devoured very quickly!
My rack of lamb weighed just over 900 grams. Marinated for 2 hours in equal quantities of olive oil; honey and lemon juice plus 3 cloves of grated garlic; a good tblsp of chopped thyme; zest of 1 lemon; salt and pepper to taste; 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes.
Put the lamb on a wire tray over a roasting tin and cook for 25 minutes at 200 degrees. Rest for 10 minutes.
Bubble the juices for a minute or two to create a sauce.&n...
Indulgent Pasties
These, for us, are the perfect sailing lunch/snack. Today was blowing a steady 7 gusting 9 in the marina and I was bored so here you go - pasties!
To make 6 pasties I used one medium sized potato, 2 small carrots and 1 red onion plus 200g of beef and 2 rolls of shop bought puff pastry as well as an egg for glazing. Flavour combinations are endless, chicken & mushroom; beef and blue cheese or strictly vegetarian. Method and cooking time remains the same, fill ya boots ...
Roasted Coconut Cauliflower
Fragrantly spiced cauliflower florets with just the right amount of crunch, delicious!
Break half a large cauliflower into florets. In a bowl mix grated ginger; garlic and chilli to suit your taste. Add 2 tblsp each of coconut oil; light soy sauce and coconut milk plus a squirt of Agave syrup or honey. Mix and add extra chilli if wanted, I put some dried chilli flakes in. Massage the cauliflower to coat well, leave for up to a day for flavours to develop.
Roast for ...
Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash
So one of the daughters asks me what my new blue cheese fixation is all about? Blaming my OCD so it's my current obsession! This is delicious, I looked at tons of recipes and adapted to suit my taste. Hope you like it!
Halve a butternut squash, scrape out the seeds. Pop in a baking tray, add some chopped garlic and a bay leaf or two. Drizzle with olive oil, season well then add a knob of butter. Bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.
Sauté a couple of shallots and a generous handful of ...
Sicilian Style Fish Soup
Ooh, I genuinely hope you enjoy this as much as I did! Inexpensive, simple and so flavoursome.
For the fish stock either make your own as in the Fish Pie from last week or use bought stock. I must admit making my own in the boat leaves a fishy smell for a couple of days...
Finely chop a couple of shallots, 2 celery stalks, some finely chopped fennel, a de seeded chilli and a couple of cloves of grated garlic until softened. Add grated butternut squash and grated carrot (this thickens ...
Sweet and Spicy Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Sauce
Delicious way to combine vegetables, equally tasty hot or cold. Oven needs to be quite hot, I set mine to 190 degrees and turned the veg over halfway through cooking.
Chop your chosen selection of vegetables. I had butternut squash; red onions; carrots; cauliflower and broccoli. Steam these for 8 mins then put in a roasting tray with some garlic and chunked courgettes. Drizzle with a little olive oil and black pepper then bake for 30 minutes.
For the sweet and spicy sauce just combine ...
Braised Cabbage Wedges with Melting Cheese and Crushed Walnuts
Don't you feel bad for cabbage being depicted as boring and tasteless? This was an experimental dish but happy with the result.
Chop a couple of onions and sauté until softened. Add a chopped clove of garlic. Cut your cabbage into wedges (tip: they only stay whole if you keep the stem intact..) Add to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, turn then over and fry for another couple of minutes for flavour and colour. Add a good cup of vegetable stock and simmer for 8 mins. Season to ...
Baked Vegetable and Cheese stuffed Aubegine Rolls
Honestly our boat looks like a harvest celebration right now, I've gone way overboard (pardon the pun) with buying gorgeous organic vegetables and then they also had organic goat milk cheese! Well, it would've been rude not to buy it! The cheese I've got is Pecorino, easy to grate but not too soft. It's mild, substitute for mozzarella perhaps?
Chop a selection of vegetables: red onions, leeks, courgettes - whatever you fancy. Sauté them with chopped garlic, cool then add grated ...