Pork Satay

I like to make satay as bite-sized morsels and normally use pork loin steaks for this, with the fat cut off and sliced into thin strips then threaded onto cocktail sticks.  The tenderloin works well too, you can cut it into bigger chunks and skewer them kebab-style.
I first tried cooking the satay meat in the oven years ago when I made masses of them for a party that I was catering for and found that it worked really well.  I always use this method for nibble-sized satay but if I'm making kebabs with bigger pieces of meat I'll cook them on the barbeque or griddle pan.
This recipe can easily be replaced with chicken or (raw) prawns.  The sauce is particularly easy and so very delicious, you'll find yourself dipping lots of foods into it in addition to the satay meat just as vessels to eat more!  I must recommend dipping cucumber into it, so good!

 

 This weight of pork loin steak makes about 16 bite-sized skewers

Ingredients

For the Marinade

350-400g Pork

 3 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
Juice of 1 Lime
2 tablespoons Sunflower Oil
1 large (or 2 small) Garlic Clove, minced
2 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
3 Spring Onions, finely sliced
For the Satay Sauce
4 tablespoons Peanut Butter (I like crunchy but you can use smooth if you prefer)
4 tablespoons Coconut Milk
1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
Juice of half a Lime
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Red Chilli, finely chopped (less or more depending on how hot you want it

• Cut any fat off the pork and slice into thin strips, put into a bowl.
• Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together then pour into the meat, give it a good stir to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour until needed.
• To make the sauce simply put all the ingredients into a small pan and slowly heat until combined and glossy, you may need to add some water or more coconut milk if it seems too thick, try not to boil as it may start to separate.  You can make this ahead of time, you will probably need to add some water when you reheat it though.
• When you are ready to cook preheat the oven to 210C.
• To cook the pork, take each piece out of the marinade and space evenly onto a large baking tray or roasting tin.  Put in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
• After this time check one to make sure they are done.  Serve with the sauce on the side sprinkled with some finely sliced spring onion.
• Watch them disappear within minutes!

Lemon, Rosemary and Garlic Chicken

So it is spring at last!  As Brits we instinctively feel the need to get the barbeque out as soon as the warm sun appears...and why not?  We are accustomed to such changeable conditions that have learnt to act quickly when the sun shines, discarding our boots for flip-flops and glugging down Pimm's with abandonment because, let's face it, we never know how long it's going to last...
So I'm all for celebrating each sunny day enthusiastically and barbequing as often as is feasibly possible!
This is a very simple, Italian-inspired marinade which is full of Mediterranean flavours and makes for very tasty, juicy chicken.  Try to get ready-boned chicken thighs for this, it's a long, messy job to do it yourself.  You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but you will need to flatten them out a bit by bashing them between two pieces of cling film with a rolling pin before marinating. 
As we always need a Plan B, this is also great griddled or fried on the hob if the weather is not barbeque friendly.

 

Ingredients

4-5 Chicken Thigh Fillets

3-4 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

3 cloves Garlic, sliced

4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Lemon

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

• Put the rosemary sprigs into a bowl with the sliced garlic, sea salt and pepper, bash them with the blunt end of a knife a few times to release the flavours, or use a pestle and mortar.  
• Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl with the rosemary, tear the lemon halves in half and pop them in too.  Pour in the olive oil and give it all a good stir.
• Trim the chicken thighs by opening them out and cutting off any fatty bits then put them into the marinade.  Squish the chicken around to get it thoroughly covered in all the lemony juices. Leave to marinate for at least an hour in the fridge until ready to cook.
• To cook the chicken thighs, take them out of the marinade and place, as flat as you can, onto a hot barbeque, griddle pan or frying pan, cook for approx. 5-7 minutes each side until cooked all the way through.  If you are using flattened chicken breast it will probably not need as long.
• Serve immediately with salad, in a pitta or just eat with your fingers, yum!!

Coconut and Lime Cake

Coconut and lime are a classic combination and work so well in this beautifully light, moist cake.
I make this two different ways depending on how I feel, sometimes with a syrup poured over the warm cake so it soaks in, other times (like in the picture below) I make a runny icing and trickle this over the warm cake to form a glaze.

 

Ingredients

150g Soft Butter (spreadable is fine)

175g Caster Sugar

Fine Zest of 1 Lime

2 Large Eggs

3 heaped tablespoons Natural Yoghurt

175g Self-Raising Flour

50g Desiccated Coconut

For the Syrup

Juice of 1 Lime

50g Caster Sugar plus more for sprinkling

Or for Icing Glaze

Juice of 1 Lime

50-100g of Icing Sugar (depending how thick you want it)

• Preheat the oven to 175C (fan) and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
• Whisk the butter, caster sugar and lime zest together until pale and fluffy.
• Slowly whisk in the eggs and natural yoghurt then gradually add the flour and coconut.
• Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes in the tin.
• For the syrup put the lime juice and the caster sugar into a small pan, heat for a very short time whilst swirling the pan until the sugar is mostly dissolved.  Pour the syrup over the cake while it is still in the tin, sprinkle with some extra caster sugar then let it cool completely.
• For the icing take the cake out of the tin and put it onto a plate.  Mix the lime juice with the icing sugar to the thickness you want (I like it runny enough to slightly soak in leaving a glaze on the top but you can make it thicker if you like more icing).  Trickle the icing over the top of the cake so that it runs randomly down the sides then leave to set.

 

 

Rhubarb and Custard Shortbread Tart

This is a beautiful tart, making the most of seasonal British rhubarb by combining it with rich vanilla custard and a shortbread base.  The three elements of the tart can be made in advance (in fact the colour of the rhubarb is more vivid the day after it has been cooked) then put together a few hours before serving.

 

Ingredients

For the Rhubarb

Approx. 400g Rhubarb

150g Caster Sugar

For the Base

50g Caster Sugar

100g Soft Butter

150g Plain Flour

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Custard

300ml Double Cream

50ml Milk

50g Caster Sugar

3 Large Egg Yolks

1 tablespoon Corn Flour

seeds from 1 Vanilla Pod or

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

·     To cook the rhubarb, preheat the oven to 175⁰C.  Cut the rhubarb into short pieces and rinse in a colander.  Tip it into a large oven-proof dish with the caster sugar and spread it all out so  it is in a single layer.  Put into the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and tender but still holding its shape whilst surrounded by a pink syrup.  Transfer the rhubarb and syrup into a bowl to cool then cover and refrigerate until needed.

·     To make the base, increase the oven temperature to 200⁰C and thoroughly butter a loose-bottomed tart/flan tin (approx. 25cm diameter).  Beat the butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy then work in the flour.  Mix vigorously until all the flour is incorporated and you have a stiff, crumbly dough.

·     Press the dough so it covers the base of the tin then ease it up the sides, keep going until it is as even as possible across the base and the sides.  Bake it for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown, it will feel soft but will crisp up as it cools.  Let it cool completely before removing from the tin.

·     For the custard, whisk all the ingredients together in a small pan.  Over a low heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick and steaming but don't let it boil.  Pour it into a bowl and cover with cling film or greaseproof paper, gently placing it on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin forming.  Chill until needed.

·     Gently take the soft pieces of rhubarb out of the syrup using a slotted spoon or sieve then arrange evenly over the custard.  Incidentally, the syrup is wonderful spooned into a glass and topped with Prosecco for a beautifully pink rhubarb bellini.

·     Serve the tart within a few hours of assembling.

Focaccia...different ways

This is a fantastically rewarding bread to make, it doesn't require strenuous kneading and always works a treat.  It's my current favourite nibble to make when friends are coming over for drinks. 

I always make my focaccia by hand, it's a wet, sticky dough which isn't kneaded so much as squashing and stretching it in the bowl.  It isn't a difficult process, just a bit messy, though I have to say that if you have a mixer with a dough hook attachment, this would be the time to use it.  Just mix it on a slow setting for 10 minutes then let it rise as per the recipe.

Ingredients

300g Strong White Bread Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

200ml Warm Water

1 teaspoon Sugar

2 tablespoons Olive Oil (plus a little more for extra trickling)

1 sachet (7g) Fast Action Yeast 

• Tip the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl.
• Mix the warm water together with the sugar, olive oil and yeast and pour it into the flour bowl.
• Stir it with a fork until it comes together in a wet dough.  Use one hand to hold the bowl and your other hand to work the dough, squashing and stretching it out for about 10 minutes.
• Cover it with a tea towel or cling film and leave it for about an hour until it has doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 220C and generously brush a baking tin with olive oil (I use my brownie tin which is 30 x 17cm).
• Scoop the now risen and airy dough into the oiled tin and, using oiled fingers, push it into the tin.
• You can now just trickle over some good olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and it will be delicious.  I usually like to add various toppings, the one in the pic is topped with tomato and garlic compote, rosemary and a touch of balsamic glaze.  I've also made it with feta, red peppers and pine nuts, another one with caramelised onions and fresh thyme...whatever is in the fridge, within limits!  All these toppings need to be pushed and squashed a bit into the dough.

 

• Leave the prepared dough for 20ish minutes to get bubbly and a bit puffy then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and risen.  Transfer to a rack to cool slightly.
• It is fantastic served warm or cold, it can be heated up in a hot oven for 10 minutes if you want to make it ahead of time.

 

Little idea...



• If you have any left over the following day you could try making these crisp little crostini.  Slice the focaccia thinly and place onto a lightly oiled baking tray in a single layer.  Sprinkle with sea salt and bake them for about 10 minutes at 200C, flipping them over halfway through.  Turn off the oven and leave them in to cool with the oven door slightly open.
• They will then be crunchy and ready to be dipped or used as a base.

Pecan and Honey Bread

This is a robust, tasty bread which is absolutely perfect with pretty much any cheese.  Quite a claim I know...but really, the crunchy pecans and seeds coupled with a touch of delicate sweetness from the honey make a heavenly marriage with soft, ripe Brie, tangy Stilton or some salty feta.  Cheese aside, this wonderful little loaf is also great with thickly sliced ham and chutney or just toasted and scoffed with lashings of butter!
I like using a ready seeded or mixed grain bread flour for this, my current favourite is one from Wessex Mill.

 

Ingredients

350g Mixed Grain or Mixed Seed Bread Flour

Half a teaspoon Salt

200ml Warm Water

1 tablespoon Sunflower Oil

3 tablespoons Honey

1 sachet (7g) Fast Action Dried Yeast

75g Pecan Nuts, roughly chopped

• Mix the salt into the flour in a large mixing bowl.
• In a measuring jug mix 2 tablespoons of the honey with the warm water and oil until the honey is dissolved.  Add the yeast and stir.
• Pour the liquid into the flour bowl and mix with a fork until a dough forms.  Take the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured surface.
• Knead the dough by stretching and working it for about 10 minutes, it will be quite sticky and messy but try not to add too much flour.  Knead it until it feels more manageable and stretchy, form it into a ball and put it into a floured bowl.  Leave to rise for at least at hour until the dough has doubled in size.
• While the dough is proving, toast the nuts in a dry frying pan until lightly toasted.  Tip them into a bowl and, while they are still hot, stir in 1 tablespoon of honey to coat all the nuts.  Set aside to cool until needed.
• When your dough is fully risen knock it down in the bowl and take it out onto the lightly floured surface again.
• Flatten the dough out a bit and tip the honeyed pecan nuts onto it.  Fold the dough over the nuts then knead for a few minutes to incorporate the nuts.  You can reserve a few to strew on the top if you like, they can burn a bit though.
• Shape the dough into a sausage then roll it with your hands to lengthen, you should also be able to pick it up by the ends and swing it slightly to stretch it out.  When your dough 'sausage' is about 45-50cm long transfer it onto a floured baking tray and loop into a circle, squashing the ends together.
• Set aside to rise again for about 45 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 220C.
• Once the dough has risen for the second time, bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until risen, craggy and deep golden brown.



Creamy Mustard Savoy Cabbage

This is my absolute favourite way to cook any of the softer leaved cabbages, simple and very tasty.  It also works beautifully with the addition of  a minced clove of garlic.



Ingredients

1 Savoy Cabbage, chunkily sliced and washed in a colander

Juice of half a Lemon

1 teaspoon Wholegrain Mustard

2-3 tablespoons Single Cream
Optional: Clove of Garlic, minced

Salt and Black Pepper

• Squeeze the lemon into a large saucepan and add the mustard, give it a quick stir (if you are using garlic add it to the pan now).
• Tip the cabbage into the pan, cover with a lid and put on a medium heat.  Let it steam for 5 minutes.
• Uncover and stir in the cream, cook uncovered for a few more minutes then season and serve.