Pork chops with sweet apple sauce and black pudding mash

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

2 pork chops

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 small apples, chopped

1 tbsp light muscavado sugar

Black pepper

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 bottle dry cider

2 large potatoes, cubed

2 slices black pudding

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat. Sear the chops well on both sides and put aside, then turn the heat down to medium.

At this point, I prefer to trim the fat from the chops.

Add another 1/2 tbsp of oil. Add the onions, garlic and apples, then stir in the sugar and add black pepper to taste.

Add the peppers, fry lightly, then return the chops to the pan and pour over the cider. Reduce the heat to a simmer and reduce the cider to a thick sauce.

Boil a saucepan of water. Add the potatoes and reduce to a simmer.

Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil and fry the black pudding on both sides.

Drain the potatoes and add the extra virgin olive oil to the saucepan - off the heat - along with the pudding. return the potatoes to the pan, stir and then mash well, mixing the pudding in with the potato.

Chicken Rendang Tandoori

This was a first attempt at using my new tandoori pot, which I got for Christmas.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion (I used 2 small)
1 clove garlic
3 chicken thighs
1 pot rendang paste (came with the pot, I'll look up the spice mix later)
1 green chilli
1 dried, red chilli (ground up with my new pestle and mortar)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 courgette, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 tbsp basmati rice
2 tbsp water

Heat the oven to c. 180C.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and soften, then add the paste and heat through.

Add the chicken thighs, sealing on both sides in the spices.

Pour the tomatoes into the tandoori pot. Add the courgette, peppers, water and rice, and stir.

Layer the chicken mix over the top of the pot and cover.

Place in the oven for about 50 minutes.

Tomato, mushroom and aubergine pasta

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
250g mushrooms, sliced
1/2 an aubergine, quartered and sliced
500g tomatoes, quartered
Oregano, basil and black pepper
1/2 glass red wine

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened.

Add the mushrooms and stir in; saute until beginning to soften, then add the aubergine and tomatoes and stir well.

Add the herbs and pepper and the wine and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve with penne or other short pasta.

Paprika Chicken 'Lite'

Based loosely on a Hairy Dieters' recipe to use up some leftovers.

1/2 tbsp olive oil
250g chicken breast
1/2 medium onion
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
1/2 red pepper
200g chopped tomatoes (1/2 regular tin)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2/3 cup rice

Heat the oil in a saute pan.

Fry the onion and chicken on a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until the chicken begins to brown and the onion is softening.

Add the oregano and paprika; stir well and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the tomato, stir in and cook for another 2 minutes.

Combine the water with the stock and puree.

Add the rice, stir in and then add the stock mix; lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.

Chicken Liver and Beetroot Casserole

I cooked this about a week or so ago, and it is brought to mind because I reheated it last night and, mistaking it for a veggie option, added a sausage (as Tuesday is a meat day). That was interesting.

I'm very fond of chicken livers, and they tend to be cheaper than chicken. Alas, Hannah is not a fan, save in pate.

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 beetroot, chopped
300g chicken livers, chopped
250g mushrooms, chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken stock
Oregano

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.

Saute the onion, garlic and beetroot until they begin to soften.

Add the livers and mushrooms and saute until the livers are browned.

Add the tomato and stock, and then simmer (uncovered) until the beetroot softens and the livers are cooked through. Add oregano to taste.

Serve with rice or pasta, which can be added to the pan to cook.

Living Better on Less

I have a dripping hot tap - well, dribbling, and worse each time it's used - so I'm trying to do as little washing up as possible (washing up = kettles of boiling water + cold tap). I was also trying to use up some leftover beetroot before it went off, and that plus one-pan-cooking-YAY made me decide on a variation of Jack Monroe's beetroot, lentil and feta salad.

My version skips out the leaves, which would be grand in summer, in favour of some carrot, and beefs the whole thing up a little with some stock.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium carrots, cubed
3 beetroots, cubed
2 small onions, chopped small
100g red lentils
300ml chicken stock

Heat the oil in a saucepan.

Add the carrots and beetroot. Saute for about 10 minutes.

Add the onions to the pan. Saute until the onion begins to soften.

Rinse the lentils and add to the pan, stirring well.

Add the stock to the pan and simmer until the stock is absorbed into the lentils.

You can crumble some feta cheese over the top, which is really nice; I just forgot that today.

This made easily enough for two, so there's a tub of leftovers in the freezer.

Sunday's Salad

This is the salad I was making on Sunday when the baby fell off the bed. The salad was still good when we came back from A&E.

Carrot and Beetroot Salad
1 orange
2 carrots
1 beetroot
1 cup sultanas
Chopped, fresh coriander leaf

Juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Ground black pepper

Zest, peel and slice the orange into eights, collecting the zest and any juice in a bowl. Halve the slices and set aside.

Add to the collected juice and zest the juice of the second orange. Add the oil, vinegar and pepper and stir vigorously with a fork to create a citrus dressing.

Place the sultanas and chopped coriander in the citrus dressing and stir.

Peel and grate the carrots and beetroot and mix together.

Add the sultanas and the dressing and mix together.