Just adapted this on the spur of the moment when we were having some friends over shortly after Christmas so everyone was bored with turkey and ham. The main differences being the method of cooking and a wetter marinade.
Feeds 6 to 8.
3 pork steaks, sliced thinly across the grain
heaped tbsp sesame seeds
heaped tsp cumin seed
tsp fennel seeds
heaped tsp medium curry powder
level tsp berbere (optional)
juice of one lime
tbsp rice vinegar
tbsp light soy sauce
tbsp sesame oil
tbsp honey
tbsp sunflower oil + a dash more
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced.
Method:
Combine all the ingredients and chill in a closed container in the fridge for a few hours. Agitate often to combine the flavours. Heat the oven to 180C while this is chilling, then spread the mixture over a large roasting tin. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until slightly burnt at the edges.
Serve with boiled rice and green beans cooked in coconut milk, garlic and chili on a bed of shredded cabbage.
Just adapted this on the spur of the moment when we were having some friends over shortly after Christmas so everyone was bored with turkey and ham. The main differences being the method of cooking and a wetter marinade.
Feeds 6 to 8.
3 pork steaks, sliced thinly across the grain
heaped tbsp sesame seeds
heaped tsp cumin seed
tsp fennel seeds
heaped tsp medium curry powder
level tsp berbere (optional)
juice of one lime
tbsp rice vinegar
tbsp light soy sauce
tbsp sesame oil
tbsp honey
tbsp sunflower oil + a dash more
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced.
Method:
Combine all the ingredients and chill in a closed container in the fridge for a few hours. Agitate often to combine the flavours. Heat the oven to 180C while this is chilling, then spread the mixture over a large roasting tin. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until slightly burnt at the edges.
Serve with boiled rice and green beans cooked in coconut milk, garlic and chili on a bed of shredded cabbage.
Here’s a recipe borrowed from Linda Reid (again), the fount of a lot of good food. I think it may be Lebanese in origin …
For the cake:
50g slightly stale white breadcrumbs
200g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
1.5 tsp baking powder
200ml vegetable oil
4 eggs
finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed orange
For the syrup:
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
75g caster sugar
3 cloves
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
Method:
line a 20cm cake tin
mix all the dry ingreients
mix all the wet ingredients
mix the wet and dry ingredients
turn into the cake tin
place into the middle of a cold oven
turn the heat to 180C
bake for 45-50 minutes, a skewer should come out clean.
For the syrup, mix all the ingredients and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
When the cake is cooked, turn out onto a plate and allow cool for a while. Stick a few more holes into it and pour over the syrup, so it soaks in.
Serve with yoghurt (I prefer cream / ice cream).
I didn’t have access to unwaxed oranges and lemons, so I just scrubbed them hard under the hot tap. Neither did I use the star anise. But it was delicious anyway. Even better on the second day.
Here’s a recipe borrowed from Linda Reid (again), the fount of a lot of good food. I think it may be Lebanese in origin …
For the cake:
50g slightly stale white breadcrumbs
200g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
1.5 tsp baking powder
200ml vegetable oil
4 eggs
finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed orange
For the syrup:
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
75g caster sugar
3 cloves
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
Method:
line a 20cm cake tin
mix all the dry ingreients
mix all the wet ingredients
mix the wet and dry ingredients
turn into the cake tin
place into the middle of a cold oven
turn the heat to 180C
bake for 45-50 minutes, a skewer should come out clean.
For the syrup, mix all the ingredients and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
When the cake is cooked, turn out onto a plate and allow cool for a while. Stick a few more holes into it and pour over the syrup, so it soaks in.
Serve with yoghurt (I prefer cream / ice cream).
I didn’t have access to unwaxed oranges and lemons, so I just scrubbed them hard under the hot tap. Neither did I use the star anise. But it was delicious anyway. Even better on the second day.
Here’s something I make incorporating the preserved lemons I mentioned elsewhere.
4 to 6 pieces of chicken preferably on the bone
2 onions thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp berbere
palmful of fresh thyme or a tsp of dried
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
quarter of a preserved lemon, very finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Firstly, put sliced onion in the base of the casserole and drizzle with half the oil. Then slash the chicken pieces with a sharp knife and place on top of the onions. Sprinkle over the rest of the oil, followed by the garlic, berbere and thyme. Lastly, carefully drape the preserved lemon slices over the chicken pieces.
Cook uncovered in a moderate oven for 45 minutes. Baste occasionally.
This dish doesn’t really need extra salt because of the residual salt from the preserved lemons. If you really have to, just season with pepper. If you don’t have berbere, substitute with a little less cayenne.
I serve these pieces with either couscous or brown rice, with the juices from the casserole poured on top. Nice with a simple steamed vegetable.
Here’s something I make incorporating the preserved lemons I mentioned elsewhere.
4 to 6 pieces of chicken preferably on the bone
2 onions thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp berbere
palmful of fresh thyme or a tsp of dried
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
quarter of a preserved lemon, very finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Firstly, put sliced onion in the base of the casserole and drizzle with half the oil. Then slash the chicken pieces with a sharp knife and place on top of the onions. Sprinkle over the rest of the oil, followed by the garlic, berbere and thyme. Lastly, carefully drape the preserved lemon slices over the chicken pieces.
Cook uncovered in a moderate oven for 45 minutes. Baste occasionally.
This dish doesn’t really need extra salt because of the residual salt from the preserved lemons. If you really have to, just season with pepper. If you don’t have berbere, substitute with a little less cayenne.
I serve these pieces with either couscous or brown rice, with the juices from the casserole poured on top. Nice with a simple steamed vegetable.
To make preserved lemons, first of all obtain some fresh, organic lemons. No wax or preservatives if you can source them. The overwrapping process is possible. Wash and scrub them very thoroughly, and prepare a sterile jar with an airtight lid for storage. You’ll also need salt. Lots of salt.
Next, with you favourite knife, slice the lemon along its long axis almost to the end, then turn it around, roll it through 90 degrees and slice it along its other long axis almost to the end. So now you’ve got this almost-sliced-through lemon into which you pack your salt. It doesn’t matter if it starts spilling out, just direct the spillage into the jar but pack the lemon full of salt. Repeat this untill you’ve filled your jar or almost run out of lemons. Juice the last lemon (or lemons) and top off the jar with this juice. Add a little more salt if you feel daring. Seal the jar.
Next comes the waiting. Keep your sealed jar on a shelf at room temperature for six weeks. Turn it lovingly every day to redistribute the juice and dissolved salt. It’ll be cloudy, and sometimes you’ll see a white waxy substance leeching out of the lemon skin, possibly a reaction involving the lemons’ oils – this is OK. The atmosphere inside the jar is so saline and acidic that nothing bad can grow in there.
After six weeks, your preserved lemons are ready to use. Open the jar and take out however much you need – a little goes a long way – remove the flesh and discard, and wash the lemon rind thoroughly. Slice very thinly and add to your dish. Make like that scene in Goodfellas where Paulie shaves the garlic with a razor.
I use preserved lemon a lot with couscous and grilled poultry, it’s traditional home is Morocco, and so it’s common in North African dishes. Perhaps it’d work with more robust meaty flavours too – I haven’t tried, but I think it would overpower fish. I’m also thinking about introducing other flavours to the mix, maybe a little cumin seed, coriander seed, pepper, garlic, but I haven’t got round to this yet.
To make preserved lemons, first of all obtain some fresh, organic lemons. No wax or preservatives if you can source them. Wash and scrub them very thoroughly, and prepare a sterile jar with an airtight lid for storage. You’ll also need salt. Lots of salt.
Next, with your Best Pocket Knife, slice the lemon along its long axis almost to the end, then turn it around, roll it through 90 degrees and slice it along its other long axis almost to the end. So now you’ve got this almost-sliced-through lemon into which you pack your salt. It doesn’t matter if it starts spilling out, just direct the spillage into the jar but pack the lemon full of salt. Repeat this untill you’ve filled your jar or almost run out of lemons. Juice the last lemon (or lemons) and top off the jar with this juice. Add a little more salt if you feel daring. Seal the jar.
Next comes the waiting. Keep your sealed jar on a shelf at room temperature for six weeks. Turn it lovingly every day to redistribute the juice and dissolved salt. It’ll be cloudy, and sometimes you’ll see a white waxy substance leeching out of the lemon skin, possibly a reaction involving the lemons’ oils – this is OK. The atmosphere inside the jar is so saline and acidic that nothing bad can grow in there.
After six weeks, your preserved lemons are ready to use. Open the jar and take out however much you need – a little goes a long way – remove the flesh and discard, and wash the lemon rind thoroughly. Slice very thinly and add to your dish. Make like that scene in Goodfellas where Paulie shaves the garlic with a razor.
I use preserved lemon a lot with couscous and grilled poultry, it’s traditional home is Morocco, and so it’s common in North African dishes. Perhaps it’d work with more robust meaty flavours too – I haven’t tried, but I think it would overpower fish. I’m also thinking about introducing other flavours to the mix, maybe a little cumin seed, coriander seed, pepper, garlic, but I haven’t got round to this yet.
Homework for Ben (aged six) yesterday evening was to make a fruit salad as part of an educational scheme in his school to help kids’ awareness of healthy eating. Here is the result…
Homework for Ben (aged six) yesterday evening was to make a fruit salad as part of an educational scheme in his school to help kids’ awareness of healthy eating. Here is the result…
