Month: September 2016

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Menu – 14 September 2016

Foolishly, I planned this week’s menu last week when I had lots of ideas (cravings) but already filled my list. This was before I realised it would be 30 degrees and that I would have little inclination to move, let alone cook 🙁

  • Chicken liver bunny-chow w/ mashed cauliflower
  • Coq au Vin with braised red cabbage
  • Wings & Ribs
  • Cod, chorizo, tomato and aioli on greens
  • Lamb curry with roast cauliflower
  • Steak, parsnip chips and blue cheese sauce
  • Bubble & squeak with York ham and eggs

Also knocked up two batches of soup (Broccoli & Stilton and a chunky Pesto & Root Veg)

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New plates!

While editing and cropping my last batch of photos,  I noticed a lot of them look the same as I only have a couple of different types of dinner plate and I’m limited to where I can take pictures with natural light in my tiny kitchen.

So either I use a flash on my camera (which makes food look disgusting) or only cook in daylight hours and take stuff outside to shoot (not ideal when this is my actual evening meal, not a prop).

With winter approaching I needed a better solution so I’ll be investing*  in some new crockery and a homemade background board. Hopefully the results will be a bit less monotonous!

*time to visit Ikea 🙂

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Cured belly pork

I was initially put off this recipe as it used sugar as part of the curing mix – but really pleased I tried it as the finished dish is gorgeous, and most of the sugar and salt is discarded with the extracted liquid.

Needs to be cured overnight (or at least a few hours) but then you just bang it in a low oven (150c) and ignore for 3hrs. Ridiculously tender pork with crisp cracking, and a 500-750g joint normally feeds us two a generous dinner plus leftovers for another night – unfortunately not this time 🙂

Served with a raw cabbage and apple slaw, crumbled blue stilton and pistachios.

 

 

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Pesto Chicken

An oldie, but a goodie. Plus, gives me extra pesto for use later in the week to tart up an otherwise boring side of green veggies 🙂

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Bunny Chow

Ok, confession time. I cook chicken livers quite regularly; stroganoff, peri-peri etc. as I know they are nutritious and cheap, but I don’t love them. It’s more of a “chew slowly and think of England” situation. I don’t find them icky but they’re such a rich flavour and texture that after a few bits I find it a bit much; which isn’t good when they’re a main course dish.
All that changed with a delicious starter I had last week at a chic lunch-spot in Jo’burg – Chicken liver Bunny Chow 🙂
I didn’t think to take a photo at the restaurant (too busy scoffing) so this is an interpretation of what I remember – a great success, if I do say so myself!

From this....

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Reset time!

After a too-short visit to South Africa (with quite a bit of over-indulgence and a LOT of great wines) time to get back on track.  Got a whole week of tasty meals planned, with minimal cooking effort required, so should have no excuses for extra snacks or trips to the pub!

  • Sea bream with Thai butter and pea shoots
  • Chicken liver bunny-chow
  • Roast belly pork with red cabbage, apple, pistachio & blue cheese salad
  • Sauerkraut & belly pork leftovers
  • Pesto chicken with green beans, peas & broad beans
  • Chicken souvlaki, wors, coleslaw and pesto, feta and pea salad
  • Wors, chakalaka and cauliflower “pap”