Over the past few weeks we’ve been watching Heston Blumenthal doing crazy stuff in the kitchen. Things that have my 10-year-old twin boys looking for aerosol cans in the supermarket and dreaming of dry-ice. While I love watching the show and admire the genius that he is, there is no way that I’m transporting any of that into my kitchen. Why? Much of it just takes too much time. I know that I’m not going to spend hours brining chicken or making stock or freezing the worktop so I can get creative with some chocolate. I’ll keep watching though and ‘one of these fine days’ might even get to visit the Fat Duck to taste the fruits of his hard work.
Somewhere else that I’ve added to my list of places that I’d really love to go to is Hobbs House Bakery. With a bakery, butchery and bistro as well as sampling their wares you can also go there to learn to make bread. I’ve discovered its existence from yet another Channel 4 cooking show – The Fabulous Baker Brothers starring Tom & Henry Herbert. They also have an on-line shop and if you were so inclined you could buy a jar of their sourdough starter. But that is something else I can’t see myself doing for a while. I’ve seen Tom lovingly knead and rest his sourdough but again too much waiting required to fit in with my lifestyle right now.
One thing I was determined that I would try out though after last week’s episode of The Fabulous Baker Brothers was Tom’s Tri Pie. I loved the way the pastry was made so quickly and easily and it was all slapped together in a very rustic fashion, no cutting the pastry to make a lid for the top, no fancy crimping around the edges and made using an almost forgotten ingredient – beef suet.
My life is all about convenience which means most of my shopping is a mad dash through the supermarket, swiping at the shelves as I go. My quest to find beef suet slowed me down though. A survey of the baking aisle revealed boxes of Atora light vegetable suet but no beef variety. The butcher at the supermarket told me I’d need to go to a traditional butchers so being a Saturday afternoon The Gravy Man made that trip and came home with a big bag of beef fat some still clinging to kidneys.
I pulled out the aged box that contained the mincer attachment for the Kenwood Chef. I had never used it before and I suspect my mother who had given it to me had never used it either.
After some investigation we figured out the fitting of it to the Kenwood and after the Gravy Man roughly chopped the fat we gave it a go. Wow. If you’ve never minced beef fat before give it a whirl, it is beyond easy and super satisfying. Butchers are throwing away this beef fat as there isn’t a demand for it so there’s plenty to be had – in our case at Anthony O’Sullivan’s Traditional Butchers.
As it had become a joint venture the Gravy Man decided to give the pie a go as well so we ended up having our own Baker Brothers style pie-off and …….. he won! (his is pictured at back in these 2 pics and in front on last pic)
He worked his pastry more than I did which resulted in a much smoother finish where mine remained on the rustic side though still delicious of course.
This was slow cooking done at the weekend when there was time. First up you had to make the stew. Then your pastry (after mincing the suet). Then potatoes and turnips were boiled and mashed together and finally spring greens were wilted with lemon zest. You may well ask what are spring greens, as did I and they are very early cabbages with just soft leaves and no hard heart. I examined the nearest thing at the supermarket which were york and sweetheart cabbages but as they were foreign imports I instead opted for their more robust looking friend, the Irish cabbage.
With the pastry rolled and lining a large springform tin with a good overhang of pastry around the edges you layer up the meat then the potatoes and the greens on top before folding in the flaps of pastry to encase the lot.
For the complete Tri Pie recipe click on the link above, here I am just giving Tom’s recipe for the suet crust pastry. This is an amazing pastry that you can use for any savoury pie.
Suet Crust Pastry
You will need:
500g plain flour
250g beef suet
Good pinch salt
250 ml cold milk
Method:
Put the flour, suet and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cold milk.
Use a fork to combine the pastry and when it begins to come together use your hands to form it into a ball.
Give it a light knead on a flour dusted worktop. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before use.
The pie was cooked in a hot oven for an hour and the pastry was brushed over with beaten egg and a sprinkle of thyme leaves.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.
Posted in What's for Dinner Mom? | Tagged Beef Suet, Heston Blumenthal, Savoury Pastry, Suet Crust Pastry, The Fabulous Baker Brothers | Leave a Comment »
Tonight (25th January) is Burns night in Scotland celebrating their famous poet Robert Burns and this is traditionally done with a Burns Supper. If you are unfamiliar with the name you will be familiar with his most famous song ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ Anyway in Scotland they will be cooking up plenty of haggis this evening and those who keep with tradition will welcome the haggis with a piper playing on the pipes and with a speaker reciting the ‘The Address to a Haggis’ in praise of the pudding.
The traditional accompaniment to the haggis would be ‘champit tatties and bashed neeps’ – mashed potatoes and turnip.
In Ireland the closest we have to a haggis is what we call pudding and they are generally made a lot smaller in Ireland than they are in Scotland and here they are made from pork meat whereas the Scottish haggis is made from sheep.
We do have champ potatoes though, or at least I grew up on my mother’s version of them which is creamy mashed potatoes mixed with butter and milk and lots of chopped up spring onions.
This simple supper is perfect for a cold January evening. Tasty pudding accompanied by comforting champ and a side of pea and parsley puree. Preempting the calls of ‘where’s the gravy’ from the heathens who will not be satisfied with melting butter (yes – you Gravy Man) I put a dollop of lemon & parsley creme fraiche on the side which got the thumbs up and gives the dish a nice little twist.
Serves 4
White Pudding & Champ Potatoes and Pea Puree
You will need:
8-10 medium potatoes
3 or 4 spring onions
Butter and milk to mash
1 tbsp sunflower oil (or olive or rapeseed)
1 x 300g Traditional White Pudding ( I used Rosscarbery Recipes)
300g frozen peas
5 tbsp creme fraiche
2 tbsp chopped parsley
zest 1 lemon
Method:
Peel and boil the potatoes until tender enough to mash.
While potatoes are boiling slice the pudding lengthways in four long slices and cook over a medium heat in the heated oil in a large frying pan until golden on both sides.
Cook the frozen peas in boiling water, drain and then blitz in a processor or mini-chopper with one tbsp creme fraiche and 1 tbsp parsley. (Don’t over process as you want it to have a little bit of chunky texture.)
Make up the zingy creme fraiche by mixing 4 tbsp creme fraiche with 1 tbsp parsley and zest of 1 lemon.
Mash the potatoes with butter and milk and then stir in chopped spring onions.
Slice the 4 lengths of pudding in two and serve two pieces each on top of a bed of champ with a side of the peas and creme fraiche.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.
Posted in What's for Dinner Mom? | Tagged Burns Night, Burns Supper, Champ Potatoes, Haggis, White Pudding | 2 Comments »
Little by little I’m getting to try out making things that I’ve never made before and over the past few months that has included a couple of preserves in the form of chutneys ( blackberry & apple, date & apricot ) and pickled cucumber . It’s one of the exiting things about food, there’s always something new to try. What surprises me most though is how simple a lot of these things turn out to be when you finally get around to trying them. If I’d grown up on a farm perhaps with a glut of onions or apples to be used up I probably would have learned the art of preserving somewhere along the way but it has evaded me until now.
I love most foods both savoury and sweet but one of my favourite taste experiences is a mixture of the two and that tangy yet sweet combination is to be found in a jar of this onion relish.
Any relish that you don’t use up with your crackers and cheese can be smeared on a pizza, pastry or pitta base topped with some crumbled cheese and cooked to create a sophisticated pizza. You can use any onions that you have, red or white for the relish and I used a combination of both when I was making mine.
Yesterday I had some of the onion relish in a thickly sliced cheddar cheese sandwich with a side of Tayto Cheese & Onion crisps for my lunch with a big mug of tea. (Barry’s of course, I am from Cork like). Divine.
Onion Relish
You will need:
4 medium-sized onions
4 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp light muscovado sugar (or any brown sugar that you have)
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method:
Peel and thinly slice the onions.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat and add the onions and salt. Leave to cook and soften for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar and stir well. Increase the heat until it begins to bubble and then reduce the heat to low again for another 5 minutes until sticky and syrupy.
Take off the heat and leave to cool in the saucepan.
Store in sterilised jar in the fridge.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila
Posted in What's for Dinner Mom? | Tagged Onion Marmalade, Onion Relish | 5 Comments »
No, that doesn’t mean pasta that is good for the soul but hopefully translates to mean ‘Pasta in the light of the sun.’ I’ve googled it and haven’t seen a recipe with this name yet so it’s mine, all mine, an original. 2012 is looking like a very exciting year for me with the publication of my recipe book ‘Gimme the Recipe‘ with Mercier Press in March and the remainder of the year is peppered with various family celebrations throughout the year the highlight of which will be my sister Eimear’s wedding in Sicily in August. I’ve even started learning Italian.
In the meantime I have been conjuring up a taste of Italy at home and I’ve been helped along by Sacla’ who very kindly sent me a selection of their vast range of pasta sauces etc. to try out. I’d been eyeing the jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes for a while anticipating the release of their lusciousness and in this recipe they more than lived up to all my expectations.
With tomatoes and balsamic being a classical pairing this dish revolves around that with any zinginess being balanced out with the creamy coating of creme fraiche.
As the days begin to lengthen and brighten this dish is one of longing. It is a taste of sunshine and summer with fruity sweetness bursting in your mouth mingling with refreshing bitey courgette. It is important not to over-cook the courgette, it gets just a minute on each side – just long enough to lightly colour it and mop up some succulent bacon juices from the pan but still retain its crunch.
This is the first time that I have ever weighed out pasta before I’ve cooked it, usually judging with my eye. 75g (the recommended portion size on the pack) X 4 being 300g looked meagre on the scales but as I wanted this dish to err on the healthy side, bulking it up with extra courgette, I denied the temptation to throw in a fistful or two more of pasta. Rashers of bacon were modest in portion size too but enough to impart just enough fat and flavour to lean towards indulgent. This is delicious.
Serves 4.
Pasta alla luce del Sole
You will need:
1 tbsp olive oil
6 rashers of bacon
300g pasta shells – conchigile
100g sun-dried tomatoes (I used two-thirds of a Sacla’ jar – drained weight)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 courgettes
4 tbsp creme fraiche
1 tbsp semi sun-dried tomato pesto (I used Sacla’ Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto )
Fresh parsley to garnish
Method:
Bring a large saucepan full of boiling water to the boil for the pasta
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan
Roughly chop the rashers and put them on to cook in the frying pan over a medium to high heat
Put the pasta shells into the boiling water to boil (follow cooking time of pack, it varies depending on size)
Once the rashers have begun to brown push them to the side of the pan, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and place in the centre of the frying pan.
Spoon the balsamic vinegar on top of the tomatoes and stir them around a little as they cook for a couple of minutes.
Push the tomatoes out to the side of the pan and fry thick slices of courgette for a minute on each side.
(Meanwhile drain the pasta when cooked and drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking)
Pour the creme fraiche on top of the courgettes and bacon etc. and mix, cooking until heated through.
Serve bowls of pasta shells topped with the creamy bacon, tomato and courgette mixture and garnish generously with chopped parsley.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.
Posted in Uncategorized, What's for Dinner Mom? | Tagged bacon and sun-dried tomatoes, Pasta with courgette, Sacla' | 5 Comments »
So firstly a Happy New Year to you.
While writing this it’s bright and dry outside and we’re thankful to have come through the holidays without a hint of ice or snow this year (sorry kids). I’ve been crazy busy with family celebrations and I’m looking forward to finally making it to a couch one of these days to loll and watch TV before the kids head back to school. Before they go back we will be making our way through some of the goodies that still lay around tempting me, especially the ones in the shiny wrappers. And then there’s the cheese that needs to be used up.
It has to be a good time of year for the cheese-makers as I’m sure that like me you’ve stocked up on all kinds of varieties. I’ve written recently that all you need for a really good lunch is some really good cheese and bread so for a lunch par excellence just add some really good chutney.
My Secret Santa (thanks Donal) was very kind to me and gave me a beautiful book Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland – A Celebration by Glynn Anderson & John McLaughlin along with this amazing slate cheeseboard with a variety of knives, slicers and prongy things with which to cut and select my cheese along with little dishes for chutneys etc.
As you can tell from the name of this post I’ve been experimenting with Chutney making. I’ve done my usual and started with what looked like an interesting recipe from The Hairy Bikers’ 12 Days of Christmas and then substituted in what I actually had in my cupboards. Making a chutney is a great way of using up left over dried fruit. I’d almost a full box of dates that I’d been using to make sticky toffee pudding and some dried apricots that I’d used in tagines and florentines and as the best before dates was looming (well okay it had passed, shhhh…) on both of these it was time to use them up.
You will need:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium or 3 small red onions
2 garlic cloves
thumb sized chunk of fresh ginger
150g dates
150g dried apricots
100g raisins
150g light muscovado sugar (or any brown sugar)
150ml white wine vinegar
half tsp nutmeg
half tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt flakes (or any salt) and ground black pepper
Method:
Peel, halve and thinly slice the red onions.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, cooking over a low heat for 10 minutes until they soften.
Finely chop or grate the ginger and crush the garlic. Add to the onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and cook for a further 5 minutes until the onions being to brown.
Roughly chop the dates and apricots and add these along with the raisins to cook with the onions for 2 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, vinegar, nutmeg and cinnamon along with the salt and a good seasoning of ground black pepper.
Allow the chutney to cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Take the pan off the heat and leave the chutney to cool before storing in sterilised jars.
Enjoy with some great cheese and crackers or bread.
Til next time, Sheila.
Posted in Uncategorized, What's for Dinner Mom? | Tagged Christmas Recipes, Chutney, Date and Apricot Chutney | 1 Comment »
‘When can we have some, when can we have some?’…is what I’m being implored since I iced up this Christmas cake.
This time last year we would have been admiring a royal icing decorated traditional Christmas Cake which looked equally as beautiful but there’s not much point in admiring something and saying it looks wonderful if nobody is going to eat it. It’s a fact that lots of children do not have a love of dried fruit and it naturally follows that they are not going to be huge fans of fruit cake and that’s why this year I’m giving them what I know they will eat. Chocolate!
The recipe for this biscuit cake is more or less the same as the one I did earlier in the year for the Royal Wedding. I’ve taken the egg out as it binds fine without it and I don’t want to take any food safety chances. To cover the cake I used three 100g bars of white chocolate and this is layered over a melted mars bar topped biscuit cake base.
You will need (for the cake):
110g dark chocolate (I used 70% Aine )
110g caster sugar
110g unsalted butter (softened)
225g McVitie’s Rich Tea biscuits
Cake ring – springform release preferably.
Method:
Line a baking tray with some parchment paper.
Place the cake ring on the parchment paper – you are not using a cake tin, just the ring of a cake tin with base removed to shape the cake.
Beat the unsalted butter until smooth and then beat in the caster sugar.
In a separate bowl break the biscuits into almond sized pieces.
Melt the dark chocolate and gradually beat it into the butter mixture until smooth.
Add in the broken biscuits and stir well to cover with the cake mix.
Spoon the chocolate biscuit mix into the cake ring and press it down and out to the sides with the back of the spoon.
Place the cake in the fridge to set overnight.
You will need (for the topping):
5 x 58g Mars bars
3 x 100g White Chocolate
Assortment of finger biscuits and sweets to decorate.
Method:
Remove the ring from the cake and turn the biscuit cake upside down (as the bottom is smoother – this will now be the top) and place it on a wire cake rack. (Put some parchment paper underneath to catch dripping melted mars & chocolate!)
Cut the Mars bars into small pieces and melt them in a saucepan with a couple of tbsps of water – mixing well to form a smooth topping.
Pour the melted Mars topping onto the biscuit cake and chill it for an hour.
Break the white chocolate bars into small pieces and melt them in a bowl in the microwave.
Pour the melted chocolate over the chilled Mars topped biscuit cake and then carefully move the cake from the wire rack onto a cake display/plate.
Have fun decorating with sweets and finger biscuits.
Enjoy.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, Sheila
Posted in Baking Day | Tagged Biscuit Cake, Christmas Cake, White Chocolate | Leave a Comment »
The excitement is palpable now and it’s time to dust off the old reliable recipes that go to make Christmas Dinner in our homes. For as long as I’ve been making Christmas Dinner I’ve been using this Darina Allen recipe for Grape and Melon with Mint as a starter and it’s a tradition for us now.
I’m hopeful that it will bring warm memories to my children of their childhood Christmases when they eventually leave to create their own celebration of Christmas. Memories of Christmas music playing in the background as I sit up at the counter to peel the grapes and some of them join in as they drift in and out of the kitchen.
Yes, you read that correctly PEEL the grapes!!
I forgive you if you think I’m an absolute nutter for going to those lengths but I do it because Darina says so in her recipe. She also says to ‘remove the pips with the hooked end of a sterilised paper clip or hair grip.’ Bordering on lunacy I may be at times, but as I am not a complete ‘head the ball’ I opt to buy seedless grapes instead of removing the pips by hand. But peel them I do. It’s a tedious chore but it doesn’t take long to do especially if you’ve some little hands to help you. I have also made it without peeling the grapes too and it still works fine but it is lacking that tiny bit of effort that makes it extra special and more enjoyable.
Dipping the rim of the glass in juice and rolling in some sugar gives the glass a lovely frosted looking, wintry touch.
Grape and Melon with Mint
You will need:
1 small melon
2 medium oranges
1 lemon
1 tbsp caster sugar
225g green (seedless) grapes
1 tsp fresh mint
Extra sugar to decorate glass
Method:
Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds and use a melon baller to create mini balls of melon and place them in a large bowl.
Squeeze in the juice of the two oranges and the juice of the lemon and stir in 1 tbsp caster sugar.
Peel the grapes and add them to the melon and juice.
Finally add some finely chopped mint and mix well.
Serve this as a starter in some pretty glasses, first dipping the glass rim into the juice and then rolling the rim onto a plate of caster sugar to coat it.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.
Posted in Dinner Party | Tagged Christmas Day Starter, Darina Allen, Grape and Melon with Mint | 4 Comments »
Well, we’re in the thick of it now. Up to our elbows in wrapping paper, scrabbling to find the beginnings of the cellotape roll and getting ourselves tangled into knots along with the fairy lights. As the frenzy of present shopping begins to subside it’s time to turn our attention to the food preparation. With visitors dropping in unexpectedly it’s a good idea to have some stand-bys to hand so that you can very quickly whip up a tasty morsel or two to serve with the mince pies.
The inspiration for these canapes came from my annual trip to the Christmas Food & Wine Magazine Show in Dublin where Moloughney’s were one of the exhibitors. To say I was inspired is an understatement as what I have done is more or less replicated one of their offerings at the show.
I’ve used their spiced cranberries along with some locally sourced chicken liver pate and a home-made pickled cucumber to produce a very simple yet impressive looking canape. I picked up the chicken liver pate at Mahon Point Farmer’s Market last Thursday. This delicious free-range chicken liver pate is made by Flynn’s Kitchen and was an award winner at Blas na hEireann 2011.
Good quality pickled cucumbers are easy to pick up pre-made or you could use this simple Clodagh McKenna recipe to make your own. It should keep well for 3-4 weeks if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Pickled Cucumber:
You will need:
1 cucumber
1 onion
80g white sugar
250ml cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
Method:
Peel and very thinly slice the cucumber and the onion into a large bowl.
(I used a large dish (see picture) to ensure all cucumber and onion would be covered with the liquid)
Add the sugar, cider vinegar and salt and give it a stir.
Cover with cling-film and store overnight in the fridge.
Dispense into airtight containers, jam jars etc. and use within 3-4 weeks stored in the fridge.
Cranberry, Pate & Pickled Cucumber Christmas Canape:
You will need:
Thin crackers or toasts
Chicken liver pate
Pickled cucumber
Spiced cranberries or a regular cranberry sauce will work too
Method:
Spread some pate on the crackers and top with the pickled cucumber and spiced cranberries.
Simple & Delicious.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.
Posted in Dinner Party | Tagged Chicken Liver Pate, Christmas Canape, Flynn's Kitchen, Moloughney's, Pickled Cucumber, Spiced Cranberries | 2 Comments »
In the season of making merry I’m getting to dine out more often than usual and on a recent night out in Cork I had my first E L E C T R I C experience. I have to say I was very impressed with the food and as I was in a party of 24 thought they did a great job overall though some dishes did go back to be reheated. Mine however was perfection. I chose the ‘Saddle of Dromoland estate venison with koffman cabbage, dauphinoise & gravy’ and it was truly melt in the mouth sublime.
That was my main course and for starter I had picked the Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup which I’ve since recreated at home. I’m pretty sure that theirs had some coriander in it too so if you have some lurking about perhaps throw in a handful.
This sweet bowl of comfort cheered me up on an icy cold day that saw pellets of rain bouncing off the overhead velux windows as I tried to keep warm while I worked in the office today.
Today’s also the day that a little bit of panic niggled at me as the kids revealed that there are only 13 days left until Christmas. There’s much to do but there is much to look forward to as well as my family trails home from different parts of the world. As one of 7 siblings it is rare that we all get together so this Christmas season which sees one of my sisters getting married will be one of major celebration.
Let the countdown begin…
Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup:
Serves 6-8
You will need:
3 x butternut squash (approx 450g each)
750ml vegetable stock
200ml coconut milk
sea salt & black pepper to season
Method:
Prepare the butternut squash and cut it into chunks.
Cook the butternut squash in a saucepan of boiling water until tender and then drain.
Add the vegetable stock to the butternut squash in the saucepan and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and then add in the coconut milk.
Heat through, season well, blend and serve with some crusty bread.
(Next time I will try roasting the butternut squash in oil perhaps with some garlic cloves first instead of boiling for a deeper flavour).
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila
Posted in Dinner Party | Tagged Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup | 5 Comments »
Wow, did you know that one third of the world’s Bramley apples are grown in Ireland? Neither did I. I have to admit that if you had asked me to spell Bramley a couple of weeks ago I would have been inserting an extra b as in bramble, as I’d yet to learn of the Mathew Bramley for whom they are named. So it seems that here in Ireland we are rather good at growing these cooking apples and to celebrate there is a competition afoot courtesy of Bord Bia and the Irish Food Bloggers Association.
My first intention was to reinvent Mr Kipling’s ‘exceedingly good’ bramley apple pies.” If memory serves me that was what was said as a pie was cut into, oozing out a syrupy bramley apple filling, the words spilling just as smoothly in the distinguished tones of perhaps a baritone or maybe the understudy for ‘Rumpole of the Bailey.’ Each pie as beautifully symmetric as the last. Buttery and light shortcrust pastry enveloping deftly cubed still bitey syrup glazed bramley apples. However a big fat FAIL on that score. Buttery yet light pastry? Yes for the lid but not for the base. Tentatively filled with a little bit too syrupy bramley apple cubes they had become more of a pudding than a pie and had to be lovingly coaxed from the tin. Redemption was to serve them in pretty teacups with a dusting of icing sugar, although delicious – exceedingly good pies they were not. A remnant of the pastry had been rolled thinly to form a bramley apple stuffed hand pie and that worked quite well. The left over bramley apple were used in a crumble and the excess of crumble topping mixture was stored in an airtight lunchbox for a couple of days while the cogs turned.
The next outing of bramley apples to the kitchen was much more succesful. Dare we call it a triumph? Apple and Pork are always a good pairing but here I’ve incorporated the softened bramley apple into the side dish with mashed carrot and parsnip which works really well with the cranberry sweetened pork chops. For dessert the crumble topping was revisited, stretched with a good share of oatmeal flakes to create a layer of chewy topping hiding a generous layer of softened and sweetened bramley apples spiked with dark chocolate chunks for added surprise.
Cranberry Pork Chops
You will need:
1 tbsp rapeseed oil or olive oil
4 Pork Chops
2 medium onions
500ml chicken stock
3 heaped tbsp cranberry sauce
Method:
Pre-heat the fan oven to 200C / Gas Mark 7.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over a medium/high heat and brown the chops on each side for two minutes.
While the chops are browning peel and thinly slice the onions.
Place the browned chops on a baking tray in the oven to continue cooking.
Soften the onion rings in the frying pan for 5 minutes over a medium heat.
Add the chicken stock and the 3 tbsp of cranberry sauce to the onions and mix well, bring to the boil and then reduce.
Return the chops to the pan with any meat juices in the baking tray and stir through.
Serve with the Carrot, Parsnip & Bramley Apple Mash
Carrot, Parsnip & Bramley Apple Mash
You will need:
4 medium carrots
1 medium parsnip
1 medium bramley apple
A little butter for mashing
Method:
Peel and chop the carrots and parsnips and boil the carrots for 10 minutes before adding the parsnip for a further 5 until both are tender enough to mash.
While the vegetables are boiling; peel, core and chop the bramley apple into chunks and cook in a saucepan with a tiny splash of water over a medium heat until beginning to soften but still retaining a little bite.
Combine the cooked carrots, parsnips and bramley apple with a little butter and mash well.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila
Posted in What's for Dinner Mom? | Tagged Carrot Parsnip & Bramley Apple Mash, Cranberry Pork Chops, Irish Bramley Apples | 1 Comment »
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