Oh, I do so love this time of year when the garden is filled to bursting with fresh young vegetables in their prime, just waiting for us to pick them and eat them.
Its one of my favourite times of the year!
Already we have been picking our peas, (which are almost done now.
Next year we will do two plantings), our second batch of early new potatoes, early green beans, carrots, beetroot, etc.
Back home in Nova Scotia there is a traditional dish that is very popular this time of year and it very well may have it's origins in old English Cookery, but I haven't been able to find it just yet.
We always called it Hodge Podge (Hotch Potch) and it is nothing more than a dinner of small new tender vegetables, briefly cooked and then tossed together in a tasty sauce of salt pork (bacon lardons), cream and some of the cooking liquor from the vegetables.
It is colourful, simple and very tasty!
I expect it hails from a time when there were only one or two pots in the household and so one would have been used to cook the vegetables in and the other the sauce part.
Serve this in shallow heated bowls, so that you can get all of that beautiful creamy sauce.
Lots of buttered crusty bread is also a good go with so that you can sop up all of those rich juices.
Altogether it is a delightfully delicious meal that is a bit of a tradition in my home and I hope will become one in yours!
When all else fails . . . just cook up a Hodge Podge where anything goes. (I don't recommend using beetroot however, unless you want it to have a decidedly unappealing colour!)
This is quite simply wonderful. My mother always waxed poetic about it. Her grandparents had a large farm and she spent a lot of time there. Her childhood was filled with plenty of fresh garden vegetables, eggs, meat, etc.
Those were the days. Eating this lovely spring dish tastes like you are eating a delicious piece of Nova Scotia heritage!
Hodge Podge
Yield: Variable depending on amount of vegetables used
This is not really a recipe as such, but something that my mother used to make us at times in the summer with fresh new vegetables. The amount varies according to however many people you are feeding, and the amount vegetables you have ready to use. It is delicious. I could make a meal of this alone.
Ingredients
- young bush beans (haricots vert, yellow or green beans, sliced runner beans etc.)
- carrots (peeled young small carrots, sliced in half lengthwise if thick, or kept whole if very small) potatoes (new baby potatoes)
- peas (small freshly podded English peas)
- cauliflower (broken into florets)
- asparagus
- 1 bunch of spring onions (try to get larger sized ones. Cut off and save the tops for another purpose. Use the bulb end (trimmed) and about 2 inches up the light green parts. Cut in half lengthwise)
- (any other fresh vegetables as you have available and in quantities to suit)
- 1 cup diced salt pork (I used 140g of unsmoked bacon lardons as salt pork is not available over here)
- 1 cup of heavy cream (240ml)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper fresh thyme (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the new vegetables as required. The beans, carrots and potatoes can all be cooked together in boiling lightly salted water, just until tender.
- I add the potatoes first, cook for about 8 minutes, then add the carrots and beans and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes longer, until crispy tender.
- Cook the peas, cauliflower and asparagus separately, just until crispy tender. The peas you may just want to blanch. It depends on how well done you want them. We like them fairly fresh.
- Drain all your vegetables well, reserving some of the cooking liquor. Toss them together in a bowl and keep warm.
- Fry the salt pork (lardons) to a golden brown. Add the spring onions, and cook until slightly wilted.
- Stir in the cream and an equal amount of cooking liquor. Bring to the boil and then allow to reduce somewhat.
- Add the cooked vegetables and give them a good stir to coat. Heat for several minutes. Season to taste with some salt and pepper and a bit of thyme if desired. Serve immediately.
If you only bake one muffin this summer, let this be the one. These are just wonderful!! Moist and delicious and stogged full of summer berries!
They rise really high, like wowowow! You will be amazed, I guarantee.
You can use any combination of summer berries, or even just one kind if you prefer. I used raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and black currants today and they were extra scrummy!
I also like to scatter some baked granola cereal on the tops for added texture, a bit of crunch . . . and I just love how it looks!
So wholesome and oaty . . . almost healthy.
The yoghurt makes them really moist and then there are some oats in the batter as well, which is good for your heart. If you use no fat yoghurt (like I did) then this keeps the calorie count down as well, whick equates to only about a tsp per muffin.
Fruit, oats, yoghurt, granola . . .what more could you ask for in a muffin???
*Berry Yogurt Muffins*
Makes 6 large muffins
Printable Recipe
Moist and delicious and stogged full of berries. I used a mixture of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and black currants today. Scrummo!
225g self raising flour ( 1 1/2 cups)
30g old fashioned rolled oats (1/3 cup)
3 large free range eggs
165g soft light brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
200g of plain yoghurt (3/4 cup)
80ml vegetable oil (1/3 cup)
180g of fresh or frozen berries (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 TBS of granola cereal
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Grease a six hole Texas size muffin tin really well. Set aside.
Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the oats. Beat together the brown sugar, yoghurt, oil and eggs. Stir gently into the flour mixture, mixing only to combine. Fold in the berries. Spoon into the greased muffin tin. Sprinke about 1 TBS of granola over top of each.
Bake for 20 minutes, until well risen , and the tops spring back when lightly touched. ALlow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning out to cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container for up to two days.
Last night I cooked the last of the meat that I had left from my visit to Jimmy's Farm earlier this week. As you know we got to attend a special Butchering Class in which Joe Collier and Jimmy showed us all the different cuts of pork and advised us on the best way to cook each cut for optimum enjoyment and flavour!
I found it to be a really interesting class, as having grown up in North America we call different cuts of meat by different names and also cut the meat in different types of cuts, so I really found it quite informative and fascinating.
I came home with a rolled pork belly, which I proceeded to cremate by accident (Seriously. It occasionally happens to even the best of us!! It still tasted good, but was not that attractive in all sincerity!), and a lovely Rack of Pork and the tasty pork chops with you see here today. If you want to see how the Rolled Pork Belly should have looked, you can check out Julie's photo here. We shared it between us and she didn't forget hers in the oven until it was burnt to a crisp like I did! (DO go take a look. Her's looks wonderful!)
Earlier this week I did the Rack of Pork and last night I did the chops. I didn't want to just fry them. I wanted to do something special with then . . . and I think I did!
Deliciously moist and sticky! With a wonderful hoisin marinade and glaze. Perfect!
Of course starting off with a quality cut of pork makes all the difference in the world. Rare breed free range pork is the way to go! Oh so lovely and full of flavour!
All I did was add some icing to an already very, very tasty cake! You'll be licking your fingers with enjoyment wanting to get every scrap opf those delicious flavours with these! Trust me on this!
Once again many thanks to Jimmy and the Put Pork On Your Fork people!
*Grilled Chops with a Hoisin Marinade and Glaze*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Lovely free range pork chops marinated in a wonderful marinade chock full of Oriental flavours and then grilled and basted with the same marinade until finger lickingly scrummy delicious!
4 free range pork chops, rind trimmed off, each about 1/2 inch thick
(Leave some fat around the edges)
125ml of hoisin sauce ( 1/2 cup)
60ml of dark soy sauce (Scant 1/4 cup)
2 TBS toasted sesame oil
2 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp hot chili powder
4 TBS runny honey
vegetable oil
Whisk the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger and chili powder together in a large shallow dish, mixing all together well. Add the chops and turn them around to coat them well in the sauce. Allow to sit at room temperature for about an hour to marinate, given them a quick swish and turn every time you walk past them.
At the end of that time, remove them from the marinade, letting any excess drip off. Place the marinade into a saucepan along with the honey. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a quick simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes, while you grill the chops.
Heat your grill pan and brush it with some cooking oil. Also, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a baking dish.
Place your chops onto the heated grill and sear well on both sides, until golden brown and the fat on the edges has begun to crisp. (About four to five minutes per side.) Place into the baking dish. Pour the thickened marinade over top and then bake in the heated oven for about 10 minutes longer, until just cooked through, but still moist. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Place one chop on each of four heated plates. Spoon a bit of sauce over top and pass the rest at the table. Delicious!
I've been revelling in the abundance of summer berries at the moment . . . currants, early raspberries and blackberries. cherries, blueberries. I do so love summer!
I found myself today with a glut of berries in the refrigerator, bit and bobs leftover from this week's splurges and pickings.
We are very fond of Apple Brown Betty in the autumn . . .
buttery bread crumbs, layered with sliced sweetened apples and baked until the apples are all meltingly tender and the bottom and top layer of crumbs crunchy and buttery and well. . .
what can I say . . . the whole thing is moreishly scrummy to say the least!
I thought to myself today . . . what better way to use up all the berries before they go off than to make a Brown Betty with them.
I had some Brioche that needed using up too and so I turned it into crumbs and mixed them with some melted butter to layer between the fruit.
The fruit, I tossed together with some lemon juice, brown sugar, flour and nutmeg . . .
The two layered into individual ramekins and then baked until scrummy yummy!
We both thoroughly enjoyed with some double cream poured over top. Sigh . . . summer and heaven tucked into a buttery bowl together. Truly a delight!
*Summer Berry Brown Betty*
Serves 4
A twist on an old fashioned favourite dessert. Buttered Brioche crumbs layered with sweetened and lightly spiced summer berries. Delicious!
9 ounces of mixed summer berries, (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, currants, cherries, etc. 3 cups)
1 1/2 tsp of fresh lemon juice
5 TBS unsalted butter, melted
1 TBS granulated sugar
6 ounces of fresh brioche crumbs (2 cups)
2.5 ounces soft light brown sugar (1/3 cup packed)
2 TBS plain flour
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pouring cream, custard, or clotted cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Brush 4 glass ramekins with 1 TBS of the melted butter. Dust the insides with the granulated sugar. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.
Mix all the berries in a bowl with the lemon juice. Set aside to macerate for a few minutes, while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
Mix the brioche crumbs with the remainder of the melted butter, tossing to coat evenly.
Sprinkle the berries with the brown sugar, flour and nutmeg, Gently mix together.
Place 1/3 of the bread crumbs in the bottoms of each of the ramekins. Top with half of the fruit mixture, dividing it equally amongst the ramekins. Top with another third of the crumbs, and then the other half of the fruit. Finally top with the remainder of the crumbs.
Gently press down on the layers.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the crumbs are golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to lukewarm. Serve and pass the cream, custard or clotted cream!
And then . . . there was none . . .
There are some things in life that you just can't live without. Thinks like hugs and love . . . chocolate and cherries . . . puppy snuffles, good chips, bacon, and . . . ok, I'll admit it . . . curry!!
I had only ever had curry once before I moved over here in 2000. An acquaintance of mine in Suffield, Alberta, who also happened to be a Brit, had us over for a party one time and she made a killer curry! Wowser! It was fantastic. Spicy and delicious and quite unlike anything I had ever tasted. Her name was (K)Cathy Giles, and I have been looking for her since I moved over here to no avail. She was a Mancurian or maybe even a Liverpudlian. I only know she was from the North West and her hubby was named Mick . . . she had two sons and a daughter, Louise, and she made a mean curry!!
I have come to really love curry since moving here and have also come to realize there are many different kinds. I do love a good Indian, but last summer I was introduced to Thai Curries and I adore them too!
I was craving a curry today, and remembered a rather tasty one I had seen on Kevin's page, Closet Cooking. It was fruity and looked spectacularly delicious, with distinct Thai Flavours. It was also quick and easy and I am rather lazy at times, you know . . .
I was sadly lacking in a few ingredients though, the main one being fresh apricots. Ok, the only one being fresh apricots. I do, however, always have several tins of them in the larder. They come in really handy to make cakes and crumbles and all sorts!
It would seem they also come in very handy when making this delicious curry because . . . we quite, quite liked it! I have adapted his recipe a bit to my own tastes and methods, and this is what you see here, but by all means hop on over and see his original recipe. You won't regret it as he has a fabulous cooking blog and always cooks the most interesting foods!
If you don't want a lot of faff (ie. Peeling and stoning of fresh apricots) then . . . just cook my adaption. Either way I'm sure you will agree, this is one mighty tasty curry. (You can adjust the heat by upping or downing the amount of curry paste. Just sayin is all . . . ) You won't need any salt either, as fish sauce is quite salty.
*Fruity Chicken Curry*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
Loosely based on a Thai Curry, this is quick, easy and quite delicious! (Plus it uses stuff that I always have around!)
1 410g tin of apricot halves in juice, well drained
1 heaped dessertspoon of apricot preserves
2 TBS Thai Fish Sauce
the juice and zest of half a lime
1 TBS oil
2 to 3 TBS of red Thai curry paste (I used Blue Dragon)
3 large free range boneless, skinless chicken fillets, chopped into bite sized pieces
small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped (Cilantro)
1 small red chili, thinly sliced
Place 8 apricot halves in a blender along with the apricot preserves, fish sauce and lime zest and juice. Blitz to puree. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a deep skillet. Add 1 TBS of the curry paste and heat and then throw in the chicken pieces. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Pour in the mixture from the blender. Allow to simmer on a slow bubble for about 10 minutes, stir in the remainder of the apricot halves, cut into 1/2 inch chunks, the coriander and the rest of the curry paste to taste. (I like it a bit zippy, so use about another 1 1/2 TBS, but you do it according to your own tastes.)
Serve spooned over top of some warm basamati rice and garnish with some thinly sliced red chili. Delish!
One cut of pork that I really love is Rack of Pork. I know, it may seem like a boring cut to choose, but it needn't be! Rack of Pork can be succulent and delicious as long as you follow a few rules.
- Remove the crackling and cook it separately. (in order to get really crispy crackling you would have to cook it at such a high temperature you meat is more likely to dry out before your crackling is crisp)
- Leave a good layer of fat on the surface, about 1/3 inch at least. Score lightly, but not all the way through to the meat.
- Do not overcook! You are better off taking it out whilst still a bit pink in the middle and allowing it to set for a fifteen minutes or so, lightly covered with foil. During the setting time it will finish cooking through and still be lovely and moist.
I toyed with the idea of stuffing my rack with fruit and other goodies, but in the end I decided that I would stay more traditional and rub it all over with a tasty mixture of herbs and olive oil. Roasting some root vegetables along side . . . delicious sweet potato, carrots and potatoes. I also decided to make good use of the gooseberries that are ripe in my garden at the moment.
Fruit goes very well with pork and need not just be apples, which are oh so scrummy. Gooseberries also go wonderfully! I added a hint of sharpness to the sauce by adding some creamy horseradish to the mix, along with the richness of a knob of butter.
This always turns out fabulously. Why not put some pork on your fork! You can't get a much nicer cut than the rack!
*Roasted Rack of Pork and Roots with a Gooseberry Horseradish Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
A traditional roast, moist and delicious, accompanied by a variety of roasted root vegetables and served with a scrummy Gooseberry Horseradish Sauce on the side!
1 four rib piece of Rack of Pork (Free range of course!)
(about 2 1/2 pounds)
(Remove the crackling and reserve for another use)
For the rub:
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed (depending on how much you like garlic)
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
For the vegetables:
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 large baking potatoes, washed, unpeeled and cut into chunks
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
For the Gooseberry Sauce:
50g of golden caster sugar (1/3 cup)
250g of topped and tailed gooseberries (about 2 cups)
2 TBS white wine
pinch salt
a knob of butter
1 tsp creamed horseradish
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Remove the crackling layer from your pork, leaving about 1/3 of an inch of nice fat. Score this in diamonds with a sharp knife, without cutting all the way down to the meat.
Whisk together the olive oil, seasoning salt, black pepper, paprika, parsley flakes, thyme and garlic. Mix well and then rub this all over the meat until coated. Place in a roasting pan and then cook for about 35 to 40 minutes while you get the vegetables ready, and make your sauce.
Prepare your vegetables. Put them into a bowl. Whisk together the oil, parsley flakes, salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables with this mixture, coating them all over.
To make your sauce, place the gooseberries in a saucepan along with the wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes until very tender. Push the mixture through a sieve into a clean pan, scraping through as much as you can. Discard any solids left in the sieve. Whisk in the salt, sugar and butter. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Keep warm.
Remove the pork from the oven. Move it to the side. Toss in the vegetables and roll them around in the pork fat in the roasting tin. Move them until they are around the roast. Cover with some aluminium foil and then return to the oven. Roast for a further 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pork and place on a plate, covering loosely with foil. Give the vegetables a stir in the pan juices. Increase the oven temperature to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 7. Return the tray to the oven and roast uncoverd for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are tender and beginning to brown.
Serve the roast cut into slices, one rib per person, along with a portion of the roasted vegetables and some of the sauce. Pass the remainder of the warm sauce at the table.
I have to just say, this was one very tasty joint of pork! I'm still licking my chops!! (no pun intended!)
A few weeks back I was invited to visit Jimmy's Farm with a select group of other Food Bloggers here in the UK. This was to be a special event designed to Promote the One Pig Weekend, which is happening on the 30th and 31st of July. The One Pig Weekend has been created to inspire people to dedicate one weekend in the year to buying and cooking British Pork, and why not turn it into a party at the same time!
Anyhoo . . . what better way to kick it all off than by treating some of us dedicated foodies to a special day at Jimmy's!! When I was first invited I almost decided not to go as with my knees being the way they are, I was not sure I would be able to cope with the long trip down to Ipswich from Chester and then to spend a day walking about. Thankfully my good friend Julie offered to go with me and Chris was more than happy to have her join in, so all was well!
It was a fabulous time. Everything, including the trip down and the whole day ran smoothly like clockwork. Our every need was attended to. Julie and I had a very comfortable trip down on the train the day before, Sunday . . . a comfortable evening in a great hotel the night before (where we talked each other silly until the wee hours of the morning about everything under the sun . . . but mostly food . . . you know how it goes!) . . . a lovely cooked breakfast when we got up in the morning and then a comfortable ride out to Jimmy's Farm.
We could not have been given a warmer welcome or had a finer day for traipsing around a farm! The sun was shining. The air was sweet with the smell of summer blossom . . . the sounds of twittering of birds . . . I was quite surprised actually. I had expected a pig farm to . . . well . . . PONG big time! But it quite simply didn't. Seriously.
We could not have had a nicer host than Jimmy. I know that it was an event, but you just can't fake sincerity and I was impressed with his warmth and affability. This is a really nice guy! He was genuinely pleased to be showing us around the farm, and his love and passion for what he does was very apparent in every step. This is a man who loves his animals and cares a great deal for their welfare, even if they are going to end up on someone's plate. Animal Husbandry is clearly very important to him and it showed. He was informative, genuine and very down to earth.
The pigs ( fabulous rare breed Essex, Saddleback and Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs) were in small groups, scattered all over the farm, free to do what pigs do best, wallow in the mud, snuffle up goodies with their snouts . . . walk about in grass and dirt and flower, free to be, well . . . pigs.
This particular one was my favourite. Just look at that face!! I am a firm believer in "happy" meat. I think it tastes better, I truly do.
We really had a wonderful time walking around in the sunshine, seeing where the animals live . . . learning all sorts of interesting facts and folklore about pigs. For instance, did you know that Old Spot pigs are said to have developed their spots because they were traditionally held in Apple Orchards and the spots were said to have been developed by falling apples!
We got to walk through his Butterfly House . . . hot and humid but fascinating. There is a great lack of butterflies in the wild today, due to climate change, the spraying of pesticides, encroaching habitation of their habitats by mankind, etc. We just don't see them like we used to and it was wonderful to be inside where they were flying about in abundance, so very pretty!
There were chickens, beautiful chickens! (I love chickens!)
Sheep and ferrets and guinea pigs. All sorts to entertain a family. I could see where it would be a wonderful place to bring your children on a sunny Saturday.
After our tour of the farm we were treated to a special Butchering class given by Joe Collier from the famous Berkhamsted butchers, Eastwoods. Joe took us through the butchering of a whole side of pork whilst Jimmy explained all the cuts and what we could do with them. I found it very informative and could not wait to get home and put some of it into action! Especially interesting was all the information we were given regarding the "lesser" cut of pork, or cheaper cuts. I have always found that these are the tastiest bits!
After the Butchery Class, we were treated to a lovely lunch in Jimmy's Restaurant.
Tasty snacks of Pork Scratchings and slices of a variety of Jimmy's sausages (all delish!) kept the hunger at bay whilst we waited for our lunches to arrive, which interestingly enough was all the same! Go figure. Given our choice of anything on the menu, we all had opted for the Tasty Pork Burger with onion relish and wedge potatoes, fried in pork fat. Oh sooooooo scrummy yummy!! Normally the Toddster trys to discourage me from taking pictures of my food in restaurants . . . but I quite happily clicked away with abandon along with everyone else!
Jimmy was kind enough to sign copies of his books for us and then sit with us afterwards whilst this very busy man had some lunch of his own.
Julie and I both came away from this day with a much better idea of what British Pork is all about and really enthused about this whole Put Pork on Your Fork Campaign! I, for one will be planning something special on the day, and I know Julie is as well. I'm not quite sure just what yet, but I have my thinking cap on. Do make sure to check out the Put Pork on Your Fork page online, and also sign up for their Facebook Page! You can also keep up to date on their Twitter Channel ( @onepigweekend).
All in all this was a fabulous experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am so glad that I was able to put my mobility fears behind me and very grateful for Julie's having gone along with me. We got to meet some really nice bloggers, had a really unique and wonderfully informative tour from Jimmy, learned a lot about pork through the Butchery Class, ate some beautiful Pork Burgers, and came away with some lovely pork cuts to take home and cook ourselves, a nice cookbook and having had a truly worthwhile experience. It's not really about all of that though . . . it's about supporting our British Pork Farmers and speaking up for responsible and ethical farming practices by putting our food pounds where our mouth is!
Many thanks to Chris and his crew for helping everything to run so smoothly and affording us the opportunity to particpate in this fab event, also to Jimmy for being such a gracious and warm host, to Joe for sharing his expert butchery skills with us, to the staff in Jimmy's restaurant for treating us so well and serving us so efficiently!
(Chris and Julie. I know!! I didn't end up with one snap of her with her eyes open! Wot is she like!!)
In short . . . thanks all for a fabulous couple of days! (Oh and thanks Julie for being so kind as to come along with me!)
Tune in tomorrow to see what I managed to cook up with my lovely piece of pork!
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