Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
I never really have to be asked twice if I want to do a cookbook review. As you know I adore cookbooks. My motto is "You can never have too many cookbooks." Todd begs to differ. He moans every time another one arrives. He is not, however, adverse to indulging himself in the fruits of those very same books. He eats very well indeed!
He was almost as thrilled as I was when this latest one dropped through our post box. The Toddster is a pie afficionado. A good pie, savoury or sweet, is one of his favourite of all meals.
Pie is the tenth cookbook by the award-winning Global Baker and pâtissier Dean Brettschneider and it includes recipes and detailed instructions for over 80 mouth watering pies.
Hearty meat pies, seafood pies vegetarian pies, not-quite-pies (including chocolate whoopie pies!) and a collection of sweet pies are accompanied by stunning photography throughout.
Nearly every recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous photograph which, for me, is a key component in enticing me to try a new recipe. I do so love food photography and find it so much more interesting to peruse a cookbook with great photos.
There is a section on basic recipes from sweet and short pastries to puff pastry and most importantly, thorough descriptions and photographs to help you along, plus tips on decorating for creating that show stopping finish!
I haven't been able to find a recipe in this delicious book that I don't want to try. Seriously. It is sure to become a fast favourite in my cookbook library. The proof is in the eating however, and so . . .
I really wanted to pick a recipe to make from the book and I don't mind telling you I was very hard pressed to pick one. This delicious looking twist on the traditional Shepherd's Pie really captured my eye however and I knew it would be something that Todd would really enjoy!
The instructions were clear and concise and the recipe was very simple to execute. Not only did it look really nice when it was done but it tasted delicious as well! I think that most people would be able to cook this and the other recipes look just as easy. And to be honest, his instructions and the photography are simply so well done, I can't see anyone having a problem at all. I give this book a resounding 10+ out of 10!
*Untraditional Shepherd's Pies*
Serves 4Add the tomato puree, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Fry for few more minutes, then add the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer on low for about 40 minutes, uncovering after 20 minutes and stirring from time to time. Season to taste and keep hot whilst you prepare the crispy potatoes.
First published in New Zealand in 2012, this 224 page hardback book will be available in the UK on the 17th of October 2013 published by Jacqui Small LLP. You can pre-order it now from Amazon at a discounted price.
Book: Pie: Delicious Sweet and Savoury Pies and Pastries, From Steak and Onion Pie to Pecan Tarts
Author: Dean Brettschneider
ISBN: 9781909342187
Publication Date: 17 October 2013
Cover: Hardback
RRP: £25
I did receive a review copy of this book at no charge, but I assure you wholeheartedly my opinions are my own.
A lot of people are quite intimidated when it comes to cooking steak. Cooking a steak to perfection is not really all that hard . . . as long as you follow a few rules.
I'm really lucky to live in the UK, where the beef is considered to be some of the best in the world. Top quality meat, marbled with plenty of fat for beef and lamb is essential for successful broiling, grilling and pan frying.
It goes without saying that, if you want the perfect steak, you have to first start out with the perfect cut of meat.
For panfrying, broiling or grilling, I wouldn't recommend anything less than a good quality sirloin, rib eye or filet steak. Steak that has been properly aged on the bone will give you the best flavour.
I also like to start with meat that is at room temperature, so take your steaks out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking or longer if possible.
Some cooks eschew seasoning the meat prior to cooking.
I am a firm believer, however, in salting the meat prior to cooking, as the heat helps to seal in the salt, allowing it to penetrate and really flavour the surface of the meat. That old idea about the salt drawing out the moisture and meat juices, is just hoaky to me.
If pan frying, which is my preferred method, you want to use a really heavy skillet, heated to a hot temperature. Brush your seasoned meat with some butter, and then place it in the hot pan.
Cook for several minutes to sear the first side, and then flip over and finish searing it on the second side.
Don't turn your steak any more than once. Turning it over and over, is what causes the meat juices to release and your steak ends up stewing instead of frying.
I prefer my steaks medium rare.
This finger test is a simple way to judge the doneness of a piece of meat. The further your thumb has to move across your hand, the more resilient the ball of the muscle becomes.
The amount of resistance felt by your opposing finger when compared against the same finger pressed onto your meat is an excellent gauge in guessing as to how done your meat is.
First finger stage: for blue meat and lightly cooked fish.
Touch your thumb to it's opposing first finger and press the ball of your thumb with the tip of a finger of the other hand, the ball will offer no resistance. The surface should be seared in steak, and firm, and the beads of meat juice not yet risen to the surface. The meat is rare to almost blue when cut with a mild flavour.
Second finger stage: for rare meat.
Touch your second finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel spongy. The meat should be well browned and spongy when pressed in the centre. It should be firm at the sides and any beads of juice on the surface should be deep pink. The meat when cut is read, juicy and aromatic.
Third finger stage: For medium cooked meat, game or duck, or well done fish.
Touch your third finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel resilient. The surface should be crusty brown and the meat should resist when the centre is pressed. Firm at the side, the juices on the surface should be pink, and when cut the meat is juicy, deep pink and well flavoured.
Fourth finger stage: For well done meat, or poultry.
Touch your fourth finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel firm. The surface of the meat will be crusty brown and dry and the meat will feel quite firm when touched in the centre. Beads of juice on the surface of the meat will be clear and when cut no pink juices will be visible.
You may also be interested in learning how to cut tri tips into your perfect eating steak. For tips on how to cut tri tips there is a really great tutorial for you to follow. I love trip tip steak. Its filled with flavour, but there can be a bit of confusion in knowing how to handle it properly.
I like to serve my steaks with some tasty fried mushrooms. Very easy to do.
Just slice the mushrooms, melt a knob of butter in the pan and then add the mushrooms. Don't agitate the pan at all. Allow the mushrooms to sear and brown. In short leave them alone.
Stirring releases to much of their juices and, once again, they stew. If you leave them alone and only stir them once they have begun to really brown, you will be rewarded with nicely browned, juicy and flavorful mushrooms. I wait to season them at the end.
Following these few simple rules and techniques should help you to cook the perfect steak every time, and if you still manage to mess it up, well . . . here's the perfect sauce to serve with your steak, whether you have cooked it to perfection . . . or not.
It is delicious can enhance a really well cooked steak or cover a multitude of sins!
*Classic Steak Au Poivre Sauce*
Serves 2 generously
This classic sauce is not only delicious when you have a perfectly cooked steak to serve, but is also an excellent cover-up for beef that is overcooked, tough, or lacking in flavour.
2 TBS whole black peppercorns
175ml good red wine
174ml double cream
1 TBS cognac
salt to taste
Place the peppercorns in a heavy ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Place in the saucepan and add the wine. Cook and boil until reduced to 2 TBS. Whisk in the cream and cognac and heat until quite warm. Season to taste with salt
.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
Red meat is not something which I eat very often. I do enjoy a nice piece of steak every now and then, or a pot of beef stew. Occasionally I will enjoy a sausage, an all beef hot dog, or a pork chop.
In the UK I used to enjoy a bit of lamb every now and then. Usually I only eat chicken/turkey, or fish . . . and often I will opt for no meat at all.
I recently (maybe a month or so ago) found a nice thick bone in pork chop marked down at the grocery store here in town. It had a lovely medallion of tenderloin on the side as well. It was about 1 1/2 inches thick and would have been large enough for two people to enjoy and in truth would do me for two meals.
I could not resist picking it up and bringing it home. I wrapped it up tightly and popped it into the freezer to enjoy sometime when I was fancying a bit of pork. Today was the day.
I have always loved pork chops with stuffing. To be honest I love anything with stuffing. I just LOVE stuffing (or dressing as it is also called.) I am the kind of person who could eat a whole plate of that and nothing else at all.
I also love the concept of sheet pan suppers. Suppers where you pop everything onto one sheet pan and then bake them in the oven. Easy peazy, with not a lot of clean up to do afterwards.
I decided to try to make up a sheet pan pork chop and stuffing dinner for myself. It is sized for two. You can use either a large thick pork chop large enough for two people or you can use two thinner pork chops. Its your choice.
If you use a large thick chop you will need to cook it for a bit longer when you are browning it so that it cooks through in the time allotted for roasting in the oven. This is what I did.
I used my basic recipe for Newfoundland Stuffing. Its a simple recipe and one which my family really enjoys. I kept the quantities for that at a full size, enough to serve four, because . . .
Can you ever have too much stuffing? I think not!
I just cooked the extra in a small baking dish along side of the sheet pan supper.
For vegetables I used sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts because that is what I had and I love both of those. You can use whatever vegetables you want to use. Regular white potatoes would be nice as would green beans.
You could roast cobs of corn, or carrots, squash, turnips, zucchini, or whatever vegetables you enjoy. Just make sure that they are a vegetable that will cook in the time allotted.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SHEET PAN PORK CHOP & STUFFING DINNER
Simple every day kitchen ingredients. Fresh vegetables and fresh meat. A bit of bread and some herbs/seasonings.
For the stuffing:
- 2 cups (118g) fresh coarse bread crumbs
- 1 - 2 TBS summer savory (can use a mix of thyme, sage, poultry seasoning)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 6 TBS butter, melted
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock (only if dressing seems dry)
You will also need:
- 2 (1/2 inch thick) bone in pork loin chops
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- about 16 brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1 TBS canola oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- garlic herb seasoning to taste
- 1 TBS cold butter thinly sliced
Summer savory is an herb that is peculiar to the Maritime Provinces and can be very difficult to find in other places other than via mail order. If you cannot get it you can use equal amounts of a combination of thyme, marjoram and sage.
When I lived in the UK I used to pick up packages of it to bring back to the UK every time I came back to Nova Scotia for a visit. It is an herb we Maritimers just love.
I used a thick pork chop rather than two thinner ones. As a result I needed to brown it for a bit longer before putting it into the oven so as to make sure it would be cooked through during the roasting time allotted. This worked out perfectly.
Nothing could really be easier, really. I know I say that all the time, but I really do mean it.
First make the stuffing. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and cook stirring until softened without browning.
Place the bread crumbs into a bowl. Pour over the butter and onion mixture and toss everything together well. Add the savory and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Only add the stock if the mixture seems ultra dry.
Season the pork chops all over and brown for 2 - 3 minutes per side over medium high heat. (Use the same skillet you cooked the onions in.) (If you are using one thicker chop, cook for about 4 minutes per side.)
Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some aluminum foil and spray it with some nonstick cooking spray.
Toss the sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts together in a bowl with the oil, some garlic herb seasoning and salt and black pepper to taste.
Place the vegetables onto the baking tray. Add the pork chops and pile half of the stuffing onto the top of the chops, dividing it evenly. Place the rest into a small casserole dish and cover tightly.
Dot the top of the stuffing with some of the cold butter.
Roast in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the pork chops are cooked through and the vegetables have begun to caramelize a bit. Add the extra stuffing the last 8 minutes or so of cook time. If you think the stuffing on your chop is browning too quickly, you can cover it lightly with a small square of aluminum foil.
Divide the hot chops and stuffing between two heated plates along with half each of the vegetables. Serve hot.
This was incredibly delicious. The pork was perfectly cooked. Not dry in the least and very tender. The vegetables were beautifully cooked and caramelized. The stuffing was also perfect. I did not add any extra stock to it at all.
If you wanted to you could make some gravy to serve with this, or add a side salad or even some applesauce. Pork and applesauce go very well together.
Altogether this was a really super satisfying meal that I would highly recommend. If you wanted to you could use a larger baking sheet and double everything to feed four people. Cook times would remain the same.
If you are a fan of pork chops, you might also enjoy these other pork chop recipes found here on The English Kitchen:
PORK CHOPS WITH CREAM GRAVY - Deliciously tender pork chops with pepper gravy, a creamy pepper gravy. The same type of cream gravy that you might enjoy on biscuits with sausage. The chops are perfectly cooked, well flavored and spiced. The cream gravy is rich and the perfect accompaniment. Together they are excellent eating!
MAPLE GLAZED PORK CHOPS - These simple pan fried pork chops with their simple maple and mushroom sauce and glaze make for a really quick and easy dinner recipe. You begin by curing them with a simple brown sugar rub. A mushroom and maple glaze finishes them off perfectly.
Yield: 2
Sheet Pan Pork Chop & Stuffing Dinner
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Two bone in chops are lightly browned and then baked in a hot oven topped with some delicious homemade stuffing along with sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts for a delicious complete meal for two.
Ingredients
For the stuffing:
- 2 cups (118g) fresh coarse bread crumbs
- 1 - 2 TBS summer savory (can use a mix of thyme, sage, poultry seasoning)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 6 TBS butter, melted
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock (only if dressing seems dry)
You will also need:
- 2 (1/2 inch thick) bone in pork loin chops
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- about 16 brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1 TBS canola oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- garlic herb seasoning to taste
- 1 TBS cold butter thinly sliced
Instructions
- First make the stuffing. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and cook stirring until softened without browning.
- Place the bread crumbs into a bowl. Pour over the butter and onion mixture and toss everything together well. Add the savory and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Only add the stock if the mixture seems ultra dry.
- Season the pork chops all over and brown for 2 - 3 minutes per side over medium high heat. (Use the same skillet you cooked the onions in.) (If you are cooking one thicker chop, cook for about 4 minutes per side.)
- Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some aluminum foil and spray it with some nonstick cooking spray.
- Toss the sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts together in a bowl with the oil, some garlic herb seasoning and salt and black pepper to taste.
- Place the vegetables onto the baking tray. Add the pork chops and pile half of the stuffing onto the top of the chops, dividing it evenly. Place the rest into a small casserole dish and cover tightly.
- Dot the top of the stuffing with some of the cold butter.
- Roast in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the pork chops are cooked through and the vegetables have begun to caramelize a bit. Add the extra stuffing the last 8 minutes or so of cook time. If you think the stuffing on your chop is browning too quickly, you can cover it lightly with a small square of aluminum foil.
- Divide the hot chops and stuffing between two heated plates along with half each of the vegetables. Serve hot.
Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
It was quite chilly and rainy the other day and so I decided to make us a nice pot of hot soup for our midday meal. You can't beat a bowl of soup on a cold and drizzly day!
After nosing around the refrigerator I found some ham that needed using as well as some cabbage. I do so love cabbage in a soup and cabbage goes very well with ham! I almost yelled Bingo!
I always keep a variety of chicken stock cubes/pots in my larder. They come in handy for all sorts. Chicken, beef, fish, vegetable, lamb, ham . . . I use them all. They are convenient and work well for all sorts of things.
For this soup I used ham and chicken stocks. You could also use just chicken stock, but I wanted a bit of a smokey flavour.
Cubes of ham are first glazed in a mix of brown sugar and a tiny bit of oil. Try not to overcook the ham, as it can dry out really quickly.
After that you saute leek and onion, and some garlic . . . slowly softened without browning and then simmered in a thickened stock until all are melting tender.
After that you add the some potato and let it simmer until the spuds are tender. Then you add the remaining stock, cabbage, return the ham to the pot and add a bit of white wine vinegar. Trust me on this. It's perfect. While that is simmering make the dumplings.
Who doesn't love dumplings??? Not me! We both adore them in this house. The sight of a dumpling has been known to make my husband jump up and down and rub his hands together in glee! Okay . . . a slight exaggeration, but he does love them a lot!
Cheesy dumplings . . . so good.
These are really tender and delicious. They are the perfect addition to a really tasty soup.
Altogether this is a really, really tasty pot of soup. Nourishing, delicious and filling.
You are going to love this soup. You really are!
Yield: 6
Cabbage & Ham Soup with Cheese Dumplings
prep time: 40 minscook time: 1 hour and 10 minstotal time: 1 hours and 50 mins
Be judicious when you add salt as ham can be quite salty. This is a delicious soup!
ingredients:
For the soup:
60ml vegetable oil (1/4 cup)
350g smoked ham, cut into cubes (11 ounces)
2 tsp soft light brown sugar
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 leeks, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS plain flour
1 litre ham stock (6 cups)
480ml chicken stock (2 cups)
black pepper to taste, coarsely ground
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 savoy cabbage, finely shredded
1 TBS white wine vinegar
For the dumplings:
30g cold butter, cut into small bits (1 ounce)
280g self raising flour (2 cups)
60g finely grated cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
2 tsp finely chopped thyme
120ml water (1/2 cup)instructions:
Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large saucepan. Add the ham and sugar.
Saute over high heat, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes, or
until just golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper
towels. Add the remaining oil along with the leek, garlic and onion.
Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
to make sure they don't catch, without browning. Stir in the flour and
cook for one minute. Remove from the heat and add the ham stock
gradually. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring, then
reduce and cover. Cook for about half an hour. Add the potato to the
pan and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, ham,
cabbage and vinegar. Season with black pepper. Cook for a further 10
minutes while you make the dumplings.
Saute over high heat, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes, or
until just golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper
towels. Add the remaining oil along with the leek, garlic and onion.
Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
to make sure they don't catch, without browning. Stir in the flour and
cook for one minute. Remove from the heat and add the ham stock
gradually. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring, then
reduce and cover. Cook for about half an hour. Add the potato to the
pan and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, ham,
cabbage and vinegar. Season with black pepper. Cook for a further 10
minutes while you make the dumplings.
Sift the
flour into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips
until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the cheese and
thyme. Stir in the water to bind the mixture together. Drop by heaped
TBS into the hot soup. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the
dumplings are cooked through, plump and look dry on top.
flour into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips
until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the cheese and
thyme. Stir in the water to bind the mixture together. Drop by heaped
TBS into the hot soup. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the
dumplings are cooked through, plump and look dry on top.
Created using The Recipes Generator
The leftovers were even tastier. The dumplings were a bit soggy as they had sat in the soup overnight, but that didn't bother us one bit! We will take dumplings any way we can get them! Bon Appetit!
I am just loving summer with all of it's fresh fruit and vegetables! It is by far and away the best time of year for fruit and veg just packed with flavour!
The supermarket shelves (not to mention my garden) are a dancing parade of delicious colour and taste, and I am love, love, lovin' every moment of it!
I was recently asked if I would like to try some Basaljo Black Garlic. I quite like garlic and I was immediately intrigued . . . black garlic. It sounded quite interesting! I was game to try it! I like to try new things (within reason) and from what I had read about black garlic, it sounded like something we would enjoy.
From Wikepedia: Black garlic is a type of "caramelized" garlic (in reality, browned by the Maillard reaction rather than truly caramelized) first used as a food ingredient in Asian cuisine. It is made by heating whole bulbs of garlic (Allium sativum) over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves.
The garlic came, already peeled in a plastic pot. It looked a bit like garlic clove shaped black jelly babies. It was soft and slightly sticky. I tasted a small one just to see what it tasted like. It was only slightly garlicky, very mellow with an almost fruity balsamic quality. I could not wait to use it.
One of my first thoughts was that it would be fabulous in a vinaigrette salad dressing. Possibly a salad with earthy baby greens and some beetroot, and so that is what I used for the salad. I added some leftover roast chicken and green peas.
I left the dressing pretty basic as I wanted to highlight the flavour of the garlic. It was basically just a good olive oil, along with a touch of Dijon mustard and some good balsamic vinegar and seasonings, which I felt would go well together with the garlic. I blitzed it in my small food processor and was well pleased with the resulting almost amber coloured silky dressing.
It was slightly pungent, but not in a bad way. We really, really liked it. I think this dressing would be beautiful drizzled over some grilled salmon, or even brushed on the salmon prior to grilling, or even some good cod. I think it would also serve as a great marinade for beef or pork, or even lamb. I am going to try that in the summer for BBQ season!
*Black Garlic Vinaigrette*
Makes 225ml (1 cup)
The next thing I did was to use it in some mash. We love our mash and are very fond of roasted garlic mash. (We are fond of roasted garlic anything!)
My primary concern was about the colour. I was a bit worried that it might tint the potatoes a funny colour, the idea of really black potatoes did not appeal to me.
I wanted to make sure that the garlic was really smooth before I stirred it in, so I did what I do with normal garlic. I mashed it together with some sea salt. The sea salt helps to break it down really fine and also adds flavour to your potatoes. You won't need to add anymore salt.
We have really good new potatoes coming out now. They are sweet, but waxy in texture so not really great for mashed potatoes, but work great for smashed potatoes! You can peel or not as you wish. I chose to peel this time around.
I used quite a few cloves of the black garlic, six altogether, and I added some grated strong cheddar. We got some really great cave aged cheddar the other day and the two were begging me to use them together. What a fabulous result! I could have easily sat down and eaten a bowl of this Black Garlic and Cheesy Smash all on its own with nothing else at all. It was fabulously delicious! A new favourite!
*Black Garlic and Cheesy Smash*
Serves 4 - 6
Black garlic is sweet meets savory, a perfect mix of molasses-like richness and tangy garlic undertones. It has a tender, almost jelly-like texture with a melt-in-your-mouth consistency similar to a soft dried fruit. Hard to believe, but true. It’s as delicious as it is unique. This is sure to become a pantry staple.
To find out more about Balsajo Black Garlic, be sure to check out their website.
Balsajo Black Garlic is available from www.balsajo.com and any good independent farm shops, fine food shops and delicatessens.
Balsajo
Black Garlic One Large Bulb - £2.99 from Sainsbury’s
·
Balsajo
Black Garlic Peeled pots 50g (£4.49) or 150g (£11.99)
·
Balsajo
Black Garlic Black Garlic Paste for 100g jar - £6
Many thanks to the people at Balsajo for affording me this opportunity to try something new! This has become a new favourite item in my kitchen! I can't wait to see what I can use it in next. There are plenty of recipes and tips on their site. That Black Garlic and Parsley Potato Salad is calling my name!
Note - Athough I was sent some black garlic for free to try out, I was not required to write a positive review. Any and all opinions are my own.
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