American Style Spicy Italian Sausage

One of the things I miss the most from the states is American style Italian sausage. It might seem like such a oxymoron “American/Italian” sausage...but it's legit trust me. Thet hing is, this sausage is pretty much stricty an American thing, and I'm guessing it's adapted from the huge Italian culture in the north eastern United States. Either way, it's darn good and it's everywhere. It's fantastic because they put it in casings and you can grill it, or squeeze it out in your marinara, or lasagne. Really nice stuff. The point is they have nothing like it here in the UK and I've been missing out on it.

I decided to look through many recipes. Back home they have a sweet and a spicy kind and I opted to make mine the spicy kind. If you want to make it sweeter just add 1 tsp. Of brown sugar to the spice blend and get to mixin'. I used 500g of lean minced pork meat, which is about 1lb. You can double this easily too. I decided to make some meatballs for mine to go in a calzone (recipe to come), and then I froze the rest for later. The recipe makes about 10 meatballs, or would make a perfect bolognese for 4. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
½ tbsp. Dried basil
1 tsp. Dried oregano
1 tsp. Paprika
½ tbsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Salt
½ tbsp. Ground pepper
1 tsp. Fennel seeds
¼ tsp. Caraway seeds
½ tbsp. Dried parsley
1 ½ tsp. Dried red chilli flakes
1 ½ tbsp. red wine vinegar

To Make:
Mix all the spices and red wine vinegar with the pork mince and mix thoroughly with your clean hands for about 10 minutes until thoroughly combined.
Split into two packages and freeze immediately, or use now. I don't care! :)

Easy Bacon Jam

Bacon jam. It doesn't really need much explaining. It's sweet and savoury and all things you could expect from two really wonderful things that you can put on bread. I found this especially delicious as an addition to cheese on toast, and just toast.

Before I made the recipe fit my own standards I did a lot of looking at a lot of different recipes. I used what I had and what flavour profile I wanted to get out of it. I just happened to have a bottle of wild blueberry maple syrup so I decided to use that. I really think that anyone could get by without this and just use regular maple syrup and be just fine. I also decided at first that this would be a slow cooker recipe, but it just didn't transpire in translation when I actually went to make it. I made the first few parts or so in a pan, and then transferred. I was very impatient and did not want to leave this to boil away for 8 hrs!! Even though I gave it a go, but it was too slow!! So I just took it out, transferred it to a small pan and boiled the crap out of it until it was a sticky slimey yummy ooey gooey jam! The ingredients for this makes a small jar full, or about 10 servings (I use about a tablespoon per slice of toast). You could easily double it, and it would be a fantastic artisan gift! Enjoy!

Particularly good with cheese! :)

Ingredients:
400g smoked streaky bacon 1cm pices
¼ c. dark muscovado sugar (regular brown sugar is fine)
½ c. Jack Daniels Honey (regular Jack Daniels is fine too)
¼ c. blueberry maple syrup
½ c. espresso or coffee
200g onions diced
¼ c. apple cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic

Method:
Cut up all the bacon into small strips of 1cm.
Dice the onion and garlic.
Get a pan roaring hot.
Start to render the fat on the bacon by placing them in the hot pan and stirring constantly.
When your bacon is crispy and golden drain off all the fat either by spooning it out or using a lot of paper towels. Make sure you've got most of the fat out.

Next add in the onions and garlic and stir fry for about 5-10 minutes on medium heat.
Next add the muscovado sugar and stir through until you have coated the onions and it's starting to look sticky.
Crank up the heat and add in the Jack Daniel's until reduced by half, then add in the maple syrup, coffee and vinegar.ink
Bring up to a rolling boil and then turn down and simmer stirring frequently for about 1hr or unti all of the liquid is gone and you just are left with jam.

*****Note: did not use a slow cooker a
fter all, even though it shows one in the photo

Super Easy Thai Style Meatballs

I really like meatballs. They're super easy to make and really good to take to a party for appetisers and best of all they're really cheap. You can throw just about anything into some mince meat and come up with some pretty fantastic combinations! I happened to have some pork mince and some Thai style ingredients leftover from a green curry that I made and I wanted to experiment!

I also put together a little BBQ style sticky glaze to go on top which was really yummy and tasty. I glazed the meatballs at the last five minutes of cooking and then used the rest as a dipping sauce and it was really delicious.

It's really easy to make meatballs in the oven in muffin tins. Just spray a bit of nonstick spray and toss em in! It's a nice trick instead of frying them in a pan with lots of oil. Just let them cool completely before you scrape them out! The glaze that I made to go over them would go with a wide variety of things including chicken wings and BBQ ribs with an Asian flare. This recipe makes about 15 meatballs, but obviously can be doubled and trippled! Enjoy!

Time to party!

Ingredients for the Balls:
250g lean pork mince
1 tsp. Bart lemon grass paste
2 tbsp. Chopped green onions
1 egg
1 tsp. Grated ginger
1 tbsp. Chopped coriander
¼ tsp. Korean red c hilli flakes (optional)
½ red chilli (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 garlic cloved minced
½ tsp. Salt
1 rice cake (I used this for binding, you can use a slice of bread)


For the Sticky Glaze:
¼ c. hoisin sauce
3 tbsp. Brown sugar
¼ c. sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp. Soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. Freshly grated ginger

For the Balls:
Preheat your oven to 200C
Get your ginger grated, chop the coriander, chilli, green onions and garlic.
Mix the pork with all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray, and roll the mixture into balls and place in there.
Cook for 15 minutes.
Then glaze and cook an additional 5 minutes.

To make the Glaze:
While the balls are cooking in the oven, mix all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn down and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Next turn off heat and use for the glaze or dipping.

They make great party food!

Light Mexican Chorizo

When I moved to England, I couldn’t believe how many things I would miss from home! One of the most missed things is waking up early and getting potato, egg, and chorizo tacos on the way to school twice a week. Sadly there’s no Mexican chorizo to be had in the UK. What they have here is Spanish chorizo which is much different. There are similar flavours in that you’re tasting garlic and paprika, but more smoky paprika in Spanish chorizo. The thing I absolutely don’t miss about Mexican chorizo is the grease! Oh it tastes soo good but it’s not good for you!! There is something comforting in a bit of grease running down your arm while you grasp that taco first thing in the morning. However comforting that is, or might be it’s not for today’s recipe! This is super easy to make, and I haven’t taken any photos of things I’ve made with it but I just portion this recipe into four parts and it feeds two each time. I put it in the freezer and take it out for breakfast tacos, or mix with rice or potatoes for a side or main dish. Enjoy!

The possibilities are endless.

Ingredient List:
500g lean pork mince
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. ancho chilli powder
2 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
½ tsp. dried Mexican oregano
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tsp. chilli powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne
¼ c. apple cider vinegar
Small pinch cinnamon
Small pinch cloves

Slow Cooker Spanish-Style Chorizo and Squid Stew

I bought a slow cooker a few months ago, and sometimes it comes in really handy! I prefer to cook things on my own, but when you’re going out and you just want to throw some dinner in a pot, it’s a great way to save some time! I knew that I wanted to use this method with this recipe in particular because I was using squid. I know that the rule with squid is to either cook it really fast or to cook it really slowly and for a long period. What better way to use the slow cooker then! I really enjoyed this stew, but my hub enjoyed it too! He’s not really a fish eater and kind of frowned when he found out it was chorizo AND squid. I cooked it all day for about 5-8hours and it had a really lovely depth of flavour. The one downside to this recipe is I used white wine which I had to cook out in the beginning of the cooking; if you don’t it probably will have a weird funky alcoholic taste so I decided to cook it off beforehand. Try it! In a medium slow cooker it serves about 5. Enjoy!

Lovely with a bit of crusty bread.

Ingredients:
150g chorizo (half of a ring)
200g fresh squid
1 large onion
1 red pepper
1 chilli or two if you’re feeling spicy
1 400g tin chick peas
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 Knorr fish stock pot (use 4c. fish stock if you don’t have this)
1 large glass white wine (250ml)
1 can of water
Pinch saffron
1-2 cloves garlic
Green Spanish olives

To Start:
Slice the red pepper, chilli, fresh squid, and add to the slow cooker.
Add the chopped tomatoes and chick peas (undrained), along with an extra can of water.
Turn on the slow cooker to high.

For the Cooking Part:
Heat a frying pan until well hot.
Slice the chorizo and onion into thin slices and add to the hot pan.
Stir around until the chorizo renders some fat and smells fragrant.
Next add the white wine, stock cube and pinch of saffron, cook for about 5 minutes.
Add all of the chorizo onion and wine mixture to the slow cooker.
Finish in the slow cooker with a few cloves of garlic and green olives.
Put the lid on and leave for 1hr on high, then turn down to low for the remaining 5 hours of cooking.

Note: The cooking time is only dependent on what time you have. You can easily start this from low, I just wanted to get some heat going through before I left it alone.

Curried Piccalilli Scotch Eggs with Curry Ketchup

Who doesn’t love a scotch egg? I know I do! I have made a few attempts at making them but it always turned into a disaster. I watched a few videos on how to do the breading and I think I have it down! I wanted to incorporate the traditional dip ‘piccalilli’, that goes with scotch eggs, into the actual sausage meat. If you’re willing to take a little time to make these they make great picnic accompaniments. They’re rather large so you can assume it will fill you up! I could easily split one with someone else on a picnic. This recipe makes 4, and unfortunately it’s hard to make them any smaller because the eggs are quite large to begin with. It was a bit of a messy job making these so it was harder to photo the entire process, so I only have the end result. Enjoy!

Delicious oozy runny yolks :)

Ingredients:
500g lean pork mince
200g piccalilli (chopped up very finely)
8 large eggs (4 for breading 4 for boiling)
2 tbsp. curry powder (reserve 1 tsp. for the curry ketchup)
4 large eggs
200g bread crumbs (or about 5 cups)
150g seasoned flour
Oil for frying
Cling film
½ c. ketchup to serve

To Start:
Get on a pot of water to boil.
When the water is boiling gently put the eggs in and boil for six minutes exactly. Take out and run under cold water; peel and set aside.

To Prep:
Pull out 4 large pieces of cling film; set aside.
Make breading stations, 3 bowls with b
Next chop the piccalilli as fine as you can and mix it with the pork mince.
Divide in four equal portions.
Place one portion on a piece of cling film and press out into a circle.
Place the egg in the middle and bring the cling film together, twisting tight and bring the meat to the egg covered completely.
Repeat for all eggs, and refrigerate for 1hr.

To Bread: (THE MESSY PART)
Take the chilled sausage and eggs out of the fridge, dip in the flour first, then into the egg, then into the bread crumbs.
From the bread crumbs, toss back into the egg to coat, and then back into the breadcrumbs.
Set aside while you do the others, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

To Cook:
Heat your oil to about 180C – I did not have a temperature gadget so I just eyed it.
They should take about 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
When done remove and let sit on a paper towel for 20 minutes before digging in as they are hot!

For the curry ketchup:
In a small saucepan, heat up the ketchup and 1 tsp. of curry powder just until heated through.
Let cool and use for dipping the egg!

Yogurt and Mustard Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is one of those things that some are often scared of cooking. I have been scared before I won’t lie. I’ve overcooked countless tenderloins, even though I own a digital meat thermometer. I decided I would try again and give another approach. I have always taken inspiration from Indian cooking and this case is no different. The technique of marinating the meat in yogurt I’m really familiar with because I often spatchcock chickens and marinade it in yogurt frequently just like tandoori. It always comes out completely succulent and delicious. This was no different with the pork tenderloin and it’s one of my favourite recipes now. It’s versatile and you can mix it up with the spices and try new things. Hope you try it!

Crusted with aromatic spices for extra flavour!

Ingredients for the Spice Mix and Marinade:
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. pink peppercorns
1 c. bread crumbs
½ c. fat free yogurt
Sea salt
2 tbsp. Maille Dijon mustard
1 pork tenderloin 400g

To Start:
In a mortar and pestle mix all of the whole spices with a few pinches of salt and grind it up until you have a chunky blend.
In another bowl mix the yogurt and mustard.
Take your pork out of the package and pat dry with a kitchen towel and roll in the yogurt and mustard; return it to the fridge for about 15 minutes.

To Finish:
Preheat your oven to 220C
Mix your crushed seeds with bread crumbs and lay flat on a round plate. (If you want to make your own see below)
When your oven has preheated take the loin out and scrape a little excess yogurt, mustard off.
Roll your tenderloin in the breadcrumb spice mixture.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 175 for a further 30 minutes.

Note:
*Cooking times will vary for the size of your pork.
*If you haven’t got your own bread crumbs prepare them by blending in a food process 2 slices of bread, and a few leaves of rosemary.

Classic Toad in the Hole

Toad in the hole, what can I say? I had no real idea what it was when it came to British classics. I thought it was something like ‘pigs in a blanket’, which to me is a lovely little Polish sausage wrapped in a crescent roll. What British people think pigs in a blanket is, is a little cocktail sausage wrapped in bacon. While equally nice neither of these things are what I expected. When I looked into toad in the hole to make it on bonfire night it looked really good and interesting. More like a main course than an appetiser! It’s a lovely Yorkshire pudding batter poured over hot oil and sausages and baked. The texture is really great, it has a nice crunchy outside and a very lovely eggy soft middle by the sausage. I encourage anyone to try it, it’s so simple and makes an excellent economical meal! This serves just 2 only because I used 4 sausages, but you could easily use more sausages for this batter recipe. I adapted this recipe from several ones I read online so but my husband who is British gave it the stamp of approval! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
100g plain flour
1 scant tsp. English mustard powder
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs
250ml milk
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
4 lean pork sausages (you can use up to 8 sausages)
1 ½ tbsp. oil (anything except olive)

To start:
Heat oven to about 220C or 400-420F (really hot!)
Get the batter going by mixing the flour, salt and mustard powder. Mix around until combined.
Add in the eggs and half of the milk. Mix slowly until combined.
Pour in the rest of the milk and the thyme until all is incorporated. Set aside.

For the Sausages:
In a reasonably sized roasting tin, pour the oil in and lay the sausages out.
When the oven is hot, place them in for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick your sausages are. The goal is to half cook them before the batter.

To Finish:
When the sausages have cooked about 15 minutes, take the pan out and carefully pour over the liquid batter. Be very careful as the batter will splatter in the hot oil.
Cook for 30-40 minutes in the oven, and gauge doneness by the golden crispy crust.
Take out the glorious bake, and serve with some fresh onion gravy and steamed seasonal veggies. YUM!

Butter Bean Bacon and Autumnal Squash Stew

I love dried beans, and with the weather really getting more troublesome with cold temperatures and even colder rain, I like to stock up and just have them around for really comforting dinner. I’ve also been trying my hand at bread making so this is an excellent accompaniment. I never knew that butter beans were lima beans. I used to think I hated lima beans as a child. I think it must be because when I was a child they came in a can and were green. Who knows, but my recipe for the lima beans now is amazing and I love it. Either I know how to cook them now or I was just a silly child. Probably both. I generally don’t soak my beans as I like the idea of having a pot cooking all day, but if you’re pressed for time and have the time to soak them in advance, I would soak them over night. This serves about 5 depending on your hunger levels. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
500g hard squash (butternut, pumpkin, red kobacha etc..)
400g dry butter beans
100g streaky bacon (about 6-8 rashers)
1 large onion
1 stick celery
1 green pepper
4 cloves garlic
2-3 litres of water
2 tbsp. bouillon powder (stock cubes work too)
1 tsp. pepper
Salt to taste

To Start:
Peel and dice your squash. Be careful with this; use a sharp knife and a sturdy cutting surface.
Dice your onion, celery, bacon and green pepper and garlic. (The garlic can be smashed and stay whole as it will be cooked for a long time it will just disintegrate).

To Cook:
Heat a large pan on high, and add the bacon. Stir it around and encourage it to get crispy. 5-6 minutes.
Next add in the onions, peppers, celery, and garlic. Stir around for a few minutes (you may need to add oil depending on how fatty your bacon is)
Add the beans, water, pepper (no salt yet) and bouillon cubes and bring up to a boil.
Once at a rolling hard boil, turn down to a low-med heat (small boil).
Cook for about 2-3 hours, or until beans are completely soft and cooked through.
Salt to taste and serve hot with fresh bread.

Cajun Style Dirty Rice

Sometimes things can never make you feel as happy as things from back home. Now, while I'm not quite Cajun, I am close enough in Texas. I used to make this dish (maybe not so traditionally) all the time for my roomates and friends who would come over. I have never made it with the chicken livers before but I thoroughly enjoyed it! It gives it a really lovely depth of flavor. I'm a sucker for offal so this was just up my alley. It's really simple to prepare, and you can use any leftover rice that you have. This recipe serves 2-4 depending on how hungry you are! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
250g lean pork mince
200g chicken livers
3c. cooked rice
1 stick celery
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning (If you don't have this add equal parts, cayenne, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper)
1 tbsp. oil
1c vegetable stock (maybe less, eye it)
Fresh parsley

To Start:
If you haven't boiled your rice, boil your rice according to the instructions.
Dice finely, peppers, onion, celery and garlic.
Dice the chicken livers to a mince and set aside.
Heat the oil in a hot pan and add the pork mince to brown.
Next add in the onions, celery, pepper and garlic.
Fry down for a few minutes until the peppers and onions have softened.
Add the chicken livers and stir around until thoroughly cooked. About 5 minutes.

To Finish:
Add the hot rice and mix thoroughly, along with the Cajun spice, and about a quarter of the stock)
Simmer on the stove for a few minutes.
Mix around and add more stock to combine ingredients.
When everything is warmed through, taste for seasoning then add the parsley.

Bacon and Chocolate Chili with Sweetcorn

Chili is a standby dish in my house, in all kinds of ways. There’s always a base to chili, once you get that down you can really do anything…beans, no beans, meat, no meat, etc… I wanted mine to be simple, I had a little bacon leftover from another recipe and I decided to make chilli! And even better put some chocolate in it! Delicious, everyone should try this! I used a variety of chilli powders, but for the purposes of this recipe, you can use any chilli powder you want, hot or mild, whatever you prefer. This serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 smoked streaky bacon rashers
2 corn on the cobs (kernels removed)
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 400g tin cannellini beans
1 400g tin red kidney beans
1 red pepper
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
¼ c. chilli powder
2 tbsp. cumin
3-4 squares of lindt 75-90% dark chocolate
Salt and pepper to taste

To start:
Chop the onion, pepper, and garlic.
Slice the bacon into pieces.
With a sharp knife and sturdy hand slice the corn kernels from the cob. You can use about 1 cup of frozen or tinned if you’d like.
Get a pot hot, when it’s hot add the bacon and get it sizzling. Brown it a little and render the fat. 2-3mins.
Next add in the red peppers, onions, corn, and garlic. About 3 minutes of cooking.

To Finish:
Add the tinned tomatoes and beans (all undrained), and bring up to a boil.
Add the chili powder and the cumin and simmer for about 30-40 minutes on a low heat.
After it’s boiled down, take it off the heat and add in the chocolate and stir.
Serve hot over rice, or with corn bread.

Pork and Prawn Fried Rice

I absolutely love fried rice. It’s so versatile, so easy and so fast. You can use anything you have leftover, or you can make up some elaborate dish with a few ingredients. I had some frozen pork in the freezer as well as some prawns and decided to bang it out. I hope you like this as much as I did! Ate it right up, this serves two but obviously it can be doubled or tripled to your liking. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
150-200g pork shoulder (any cut will do)
175g cooked peeled prawns
1.5 c cooked cold rice
2 cloves garlic
1 red onion diced
1 egg beaten
4 spring onions
150g snow peas
2-4 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. sweet Thai chili sauce
1.5 tbsp. oil

To start:
Boil the pork for about 10 minutes (can do longer for a more tender result). Set aside.
Make sure your rice is cold and cooked, leftover rice is ideal.
Slice the snow peas on the bias.
Slice the spring onions, and dice the onion.

To cook:
In a large pan, preferably a wok (I used a non-stick pan), heat 1 tbsp. of oil.
When hot add the pork, onions, and snow peas and sauté for a few minutes.
When the pork has a nice char on it, add the rice and stir around until the rice starts to stick to the pan.
Add the prawns at this point and stir in with some soy sauce. Stir around about 2 minutes.
Next shove it all to the size and make a hole, turn up the heat and add the remaining oil.
Drop the egg in the oil and stir quickly to scramble. When almost set begin to mix it throughout the entire dish.
Add the spring onions, chilli sauce, and more soy sauce depending on your taste. Serve immediately!

Split Pea Soup with Smokey Bacon

When it’s cold and rainy outside, sometimes you just want to snuggle up with a big bowl of moreish soup, stew, or anything that makes you feel warm and cozy. For me, it’s always beany soups. My mom used to make split pea soup for me all the time growing up. It’s completely simple, and I was able to source ingredients that made it taste just like my moms, which uses a smoked ham hock. It’s difficult to find that here without going to a butcher and putting in a special request so I use smoked streaky bacon. This serves about 4-6 portions depending on how hungry you are! Serve with hot crusty fresh bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
500g green split peas
6 rashers streaky bacon
3-4 carrots
3 garlic cloves
1 whole onion
1 tsp. pepper
Soured cream or yogurt to finish

To start:
Slice the bacon into little strips.
Get a large pot hot, and throw the bacon in there to cook off and get brown and render some fat.
Throw in the peas and 1.5lr of water, or covering it by 4 inches.
Peel and chop the carrot (leave in quite thick chunks).
Dice the onion and garlic and toss in.

To Cook:
Bring that up to a boil and simmer for about 2-3hrs stirring every 30 minutes.
You will know when it’s done as the peas will turn to mush and everything will be one thick stodgy stew.
Serve hot with crusty bread and a dollop of sour cream.

Pork and Prawn Summer Rolls

These are my absolute favourite part of a Vietnamese meal. I always order these before I order my pho or bun thit nuong. I haven’t tried my hand at the fried spring rolls but maybe another time. This is really a no brainer; it’s not difficult at all. I literally can throw these together in a few minutes. The only prep is the vegetables that you want to go inside. I generally get all of the fillings set up and sliced beforehand so that you have everything you need when you’re ready to roll up. They’re such a great snack and actually pretty good for you. This makes 8 rolls. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 Sheets of rice paper
100g vermicelli rice noodles
100g cooked prawns
50g pork shoulder
4 spring onions sliced lengthwise
1 large carrot shredded
50g mint leaves
50g coriander leaves
100g shredded iceberg lettuce
Hoisin sauce and srirracha for dipping

To start:
Place all of your veg in little piles on a large plate or cutting board.
To cook the pork and prawns, bring a small pot of water to boil with a dash of salt.
Drop the pork in first and boil for about five minutes, then add the prawns boil until pink about 1 more minute.
Take out the pork and slice very thinly. Set aside.

To assemble:
In a large bowl pour 1 litre of half boiled water from the kettle in. (If you boil the kettle it will be too hot for you to get the rice paper out).
Get one rice paper and dip it into the water until it goes limp in the warm water, and then dunk the rest of the paper in, only for a few seconds or until it becomes very floppy and pliable.
Pull out and place on a plate try to get it as flat as possible.
Start to add some noodles, across the length of it on the edge closest to you, repeat with carrot, herbs, lettuce, shrimp and pork.
Next fold the sides of the rice paper over the mound and tuck and roll it, folding more rice paper inwards as necessary.
The paper sticks to itself so no need to worry about it coming undone.
Repeat for the rest of the rolls and serve with the hoisin sauce and srirracha for dips.

Crispy Chorizo and Prawns on Spinach Couscous

I have to admit, this isn’t totally my recipe idea, I adapted it from a chefs recipe I saw on TV. It was a 15 minute meal special and I didn’t believe him so I made my own. The original recipe was with squid and needless to say I did not like it at all. I decided to try my hand at a prawn one and I really enjoyed it! I just have to post it because it literally took nearly 20 minutes. So so so easy, and everyone needs easy. This is for exactly two servings, but I would just double it if you want to make more! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
150g uncooked prawns
100g chorizo sausage
1 whole pepper, you can mix and match of any color
1 medium onion in halves
¾ c. whole wheat couscous
100g baby spinach
1 tbsp. bouillon powder
1 c. boiling water
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
Yogurt for dolloping

To start:
In a food processor, add the onion, spinach bouillon powder and blitz up until it’s almost a paste, a few seconds.
Add the couscous and stir around.
Next add the boiling water, try to pour it all around.
Pop the lid on the processor and let sit until you’re ready to serve.

To Make the dish and finish:
Slice the pepper, onion, and chorizo.
In a hot pan put the chorizo down until it starts releasing some fat, about 2 minutes.
Next add the peppers and onions and sauté for a good 5-7 minutes until the chorizo crisps and the peppers soften.
Next add the prawns continuing to stir until they get a pink color.
Crush in the garlic and add the honey, stirring around until it gets a nice caramelized color and there’s a real crisp to the veggies.
Next deglaze with the vinegar scraping the bits off the pan, and then you’re done.
Serve hot over the couscous!

Pork and Bacon Sloppy Joes

I had some extra pork mince and I wanted to do something old school and summery, but give it a twist! This was the perfect thing for me, as I’ve never made sloppy Joes from scratch. For any of you that don’t know what a Sloppy Joe is, traditionally it’s beef mince with a sauce made out of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and other spices that make it a really sloppy meat patty you throw on a bun and get messy! It’s a delicious treat and I will be making my version again, which is with pork and bacon! This recipe makes 2-3 depending on how much you want on your bun, enjoy!

Ingredients:
250g pork mince
4 smoked bacon slices
½ onion
½ green pepper
¾ c. ketchup
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt + pepper to taste
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. oil
2 whole wheat baps

To Start:
Dice the onion and pepper fairly small.
Chop the bacon into small pieces.

To cook:
In a large skillet heat the oil, and add the bacon onions and peppers.
Cook until the bacon gets crispy, but don’t burn the onions. About 5 minutes.
Next add the pork mince and break up with a spoon until really fine, until completely cooked a further 5 minutes.
Next add the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcester sauce, garlic powder.
Mix thoroughly and simmer, on low for a couple of minutes until the sauce heats thoroughly.
To serve, plop the mixture on any buns of your choice and enjoy!

Sausage Cassoulet with Bacon

I’ve always been into making casseroles, but I wanted to make a French inspired dish, with sausages and bacon. I thought that I would be in for slaving all day in the kitchen, but what I found was quite the opposite! It was such a simple dinner to throw together. I personally made my own cannellini beans in some stock with onions and carrots, but I would recommend anyone in a hurry to go for tinned beans, which is what I’m writing up the recipe for. This serves 4 people. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 traditional plain sausages
4 large tomatoes
2 tins of cannellini beans (you can use any white beans)
1 glass of white wine
2 large carrots
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 slices of smoked bacon
1 tsp. pepper
1 beef stock pot/cube
1 c. water (if needed)
1 tbsp. oil

To start:
Heat oven to 190C or 375F
Chop up the onions, carrot, bacon.
Cut up tomatoes and garlic set aside.

To Cook:
In a large skillet (an ovenproof one is ideal), heat the oil and add the onions carrots and bacon. Sauté a few minutes until the bacon gets a little crispy.
Next add the sausages, stirring constantly for a few minutes.
Next add the glass of wine and simmer until that reduces down by half.
Then add the rest of your ingredients, the tomatoes, garlic, pepper, stock pot, beans (undrained). Bring up to a boil, and then remove from heat. You want a thick stew consistency, so if it's not juicy enough add a little water.

To Finish:
If you’re using an ovenproof dish, stick it in the oven for 30 minutes.
If not, transfer to an oven safe dish, and bake for 30 minutes. Be careful the mixture is nuclear hot!

Spicy Pork and Apple Meatballs

I had some pork mince and I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I decided to make some meatballs! I've made meatballs before but I wanted to try something new, a new way to keep the flavor and to keep it moist. I decided to grate an apple in for some added texture and it worked out great, the meatballs came out really lovely and juicy. These would be great with a sauce, or simply eaten on their own or in a sandwich! Really good. This is a small portion for two people and it makes 8 meatballs, you can double it for a family portion quite easily.Enjoy!

Ingredients:
250g pork mince
1 small apple
½ small onion
½ green pepper
1 slice of bread
1 egg
½ tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried chillies
½ tsp. salt
1-2 tbsp. oil

To start:
Chop the onion and the pepper as finely as you can.
Grate as much of the apple as you can skin and all.
Tear the bread into small pieces.
In a bowl combine all of the ingredients.
Clean your hands and mix it up with your fingers, it’s the only way to get it all mixed thoroughly.

To cook:
Form the meatballs by rolling into a ball in your hands, I made 8 with this recipe so about golf ball size.
In a non-stick skillet, heat some oil, when hot add the meatballs and turn continuously. Cook about 5 minutes on each side.
When the meatballs are done they’ll feel very firm when you press into them they will resist.
Enjoy hot with some sauce, or on their own in a sandwich!

Spicy Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya

I have made this recipe before, but I wanted to make an original version without any subsitutions because the previous recipe was made with reduced fat sausage and brown rice. Which is wonderful, but I was interested in the original version for this recipe. It’s a very large recipe so I cut it in half, if you want to feed a crowd I would suggest doubling it, and you might even have leftovers for the fridge! I like my jambalaya spicy, but you can add any level of spice that you prefer. Also I know that in the US it might be harder to get hold of Spanish chorizo, just use any pork sausage smoked with a lot of flavour. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
250g chicken breasts diced
100g Spanish chorizo
1 red pepper
1 large onion
6 spring onions
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 c long grain rice
2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
½ tsp. cayenne
½ tsp. salt
1 chicken stock cube
2-3 c. boiling water
1 tbsp. olive oil

To start:
Dice onions, peppers, chicken and chorizo. Crush the garlic and set aside separately.
Slice the spring onions and halve the cherry tomatoes and set aside.

To cook:
In a large deep pan heat the oil until hot, and then add the chicken and chorizo. Stir constantly about 5 minutes.
To that add the brown sugar and garlic, stirring continuously. 3 minutes.
Next add the peppers and onion stir around for a further 3 minutes.
Next add the rice and 1 tbsp. paprika, stir until incorporated.
Add cayenne, salt, chicken stock cube, Cajun seasoning, remaining 1 tbsp. paprika and 2 cups of water.
Bring up to a boil, then turn down to low heat and cover for about 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes check for doneness, you might need to add a little more water.
Add the more than half the spring onions and half the cherry tomatoes (leave some for garnish), cover for a further 5 minutes.
Adjust seasoning and stir thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Note: This is a great recipe with shrimp as well!

Chorizo and Potato Quesadillas

I know what you’re thinking, what am I doing in London trying to make quesadillas?! Well, thankfully they have tortillas here and lots of different kinds of cheeses so it’s easy for me to make something up! I had wanted to try this idea for a while, cubed Spanish chorizo with potatoes peppers and cheese, but what cheese was it going to be was the question? Since this was the biggest challenge, I had to do some research and tasting. I was wanting a bit of queso fresco, but since that wasn’t going to happen I made due with some Lancashire cheese, which is wonderfully melty and crumbly. I would suggest anyone getting Spanish chorizo for this, as Mexican chorizo is too greasy, and not firm like a sausage like Spanish chorizo. This recipe will make about 2 large quesadillas. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 large tortillas
1 chorizo ring (200g)
1 clove garlic
1 green bell pepper
1 chilli
½ onion
1 c. grated Lancashire cheese (or any melty cheese you like)
1 tbsp. oil

To Start:
Scrub the potato and poke holes into it with a knife, stick it in the microwave for 4 minutes. (You can fry it in the pan, but who has time for that?)
Dice the green pepper, chorizo and onion.
Crush the garlic.
Grate your cheese.
When the potato is done and cooled, dice it in small chunks.

To Cook and Assemble:
Heat a little oil in a pan until hot; when hot add the chorizo, potatoes, peppers, onion and garlic.
When the peppers are soft and the potatoes are crispy, turn off heat and set aside.
On a comal or cast iron skillet, heat the tortillas, after you turn them once, place some of the filling around the whole surface of the tortilla, top with grated cheese and place another tortilla on top.
Press down with a spatula making sure that the cheese melts.
Flip carefully (I recommend a very large spatula). Once flipped and the cheese is melted in keeping both tortillas together you can remove from heat and repeat for the next one.
Cut your quesadillas in four slices and enjoy!