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Vegetable fried rice

vegetable fried rice

Method:

Heat a wok or large non-stick frying pan and then add the oil. Add the peppers first and fry for a couple of minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients and stir fry for a few minutes before adding the rice.

Continue to stir fry over a high heat until the rice is heated through. Add the salt and pepper and mix through.

Move the rice to one side of the wok or pan and add a little more oil. Add the soy to the beaten egg and pour this into the space in the pan. Stir the egg to cook through before mixing the rice in.

Taste and add more salt or soy if needed.

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Pork chop with bay salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C. Parboil potatoes in salted water then drain. Transfer the potaoes to a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over thyme and season. Cook in the oven until crispy, turning a few times.

Meanwhile, pound up fennel seeds and bay leaves with pestle and mortar along with 2 tbsp salt until you have a fine green moist paste. Shake through a sieve into a bowl. Rub the chops with olive oil and season with the herb salt on both sides. Preheat a griddle pan until really hot. Add chops and cook for around 3-4 mins on each side. Once cooked, allow to rest for about 4 mins.

Heat cider and mustard in a little pan. Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add crème fraiche. Bring back to the boil and reduce again until the sauce thickens then remove from the heat. Season to taste.

Serve the chops with the potatoes and drizzle over the cider sauce.

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Spaghetti Bolognese

spaghetti bolognese

Method:

Add the onion, carrot and celery to a pan with a good splash of olive oil and soften on a medium heat for about ten mintutes before adding the garlic and cooking for another couple of minutes.  Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.  Crank up the heat and add both sets of mince and the pancetta, you want to brown the mince and break it up while it cooks so that it doesn’t clump together.

This normally takes about 5-10 mins, once this is complete add the vegetable mixture back to the pan, keep the heat high and add the wine.  Continue cooking on a high heat until the wine has almost disappeared befre adding the milk (or cream), tomatoes, puree, a couple of teaspoons of salt and herbs.

Reduce to a low heat and leave to cook with the lid on for as long as possible, ideally 2-4 hours.  Check for seasoning when cooked, the sauce shouldnt be too wet so if it is cook with the lid off for a bit, you can’t overcook this really.

Boil the spaghetti or pasta of choice until al dente, before serving.  Personally I belive the sauce should be mixed through the pasta so that’s what I would recommend, although i have seen it with the sauce “plonked” on top of the pasta.  Add paremsan chees to serve.

If you have an alternative recipe and there are many then feel free to send it in.

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Spanish lamb and chorizo stew

spanish lamb stew

Method:

This is an excellent lamb dish, lamb works well with chorizo and the smoked paprika adds another dimension.

First cut the lamb into large cubes and coat in flour with salt and pepper, simply place it in a freezer bag and move it about.

Put a large pan onto a high heat and add a good glug of olive oil, when hot add the lamb, shaking off excess flour.

You want to get the meat nice and brown on all sides so so it four or five bits at a time and then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside for now.

When the lamb is done turn the heat down to low and add the onions and fry for about five minutes.

Add the garlic and carrot and fry for another five minutes then put the heat right up and return the lamb to the pan along with chorizo.

When the pan is up to heat add the port and let it reduce by half, the sauce should be quite thick already.

Add the lamb stock, bay leaf and smoked paprika.

Put in an oven at 160 and cook for an hour, when ready check for seasoning and serve with rice or potatoes with vegetables

If you are looking for ideas for Spanish style food Rick Stein has this excellent book

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Chinese style beef stir fry

chinese beef stir fry

Method:

Rub sweet soy, cornflour and oil into the beef. Set aside.  Whizz garlic and ginger together with some water to make a paste.  Heat a wok until really hot.
Fry ginger/garlic paste until quite dry, then add onions and red chilli. Stir fry for a few minutes before adding the beef. Stir fry for a few minutes more until beef is cooked.

Add more soy if needed and the tamarind paste. Sqeeze over some lime juice before serving.
Serve with rice or noodles.