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Pete's Food Blog
A winter without Tessa
Crispy fried, marinated fish with Vietnamese dipping sauce; Anchovy pasta; Red currant and apple juice cordial; Chicken dijonnais with chat masala roast potatoes; braised juniper pork chop; Vietnamese meatballs with peanut sauce.
19th November, 2021
Crispy fried, marinated fish with Vietnamese dipping sauce
Ingredients:
400 g frozen pollock or cod - defrosted and cut into 2 cm cubes
2 tsp turmeric powder
4 stalks of lemongrass, finely chopped
2 tbl fish sauce
1 tsp soft brown sugar
3 tbl tamarind paste
80 g rice flour
4 tbl vegetable oil
large bunch of dill
10 cm (white) end of a leek, cut into fine shreds
Two "pads" of dried rice vermicelli noodles
50 g roasted, salted peanuts
5 - 6 lettuce leaves
25 g mixed herbs - thai basil, lemon mint, coriander, all finely chopped.
For the Vietnamese dipping sauce:
2 tbl lime juice
2 tbl fish sauce
2 tbl water
1 tbl sugar
1 tsp of finely grated ginger
1 red bird's eye chilli, finely sliced
1 garlic clove finely chopped
Method:
Create the marinade paste by blitzing the turmeric, lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar and 2-3 tbl water with a stick blender. Coat the fish thoroughly and leave to marinade for 2 hrs.
Boil some unsalted water, drop in the noodles, remove from the heat and let them stand with a lid on for two minutes. Strain and chill under a cold running tap, then leave to drain.
Prepare the remaining side dishes, peanuts in a dish, lettuce leaves on a plate, mixed herbs in a dish. Make the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredents together in a small bowl.
Toss the pieces of marinated fish in the rice flour, to thoroughly coat them. Heat the oil in a shallow frying pan. Fry the fish in 2 - 3 batches, turning several times once each surface is golden.
Quickly fry off the dill sprigs and leeks.
Assemble the components on a plate and sprinkle the noodles with some of the dipping sauce.
21st November, 2021
Anchovy pasta
Ingredients:
Try to source anchovies preserved in oil, rather than brine for this recipe.
6 anchovies, chopped
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red pepper (capsicum) cut into 1 cm pieces
10 black olives, pitted/finely chopped
1 tsp red chilli paste e.g. gochujang
75 g finely grated parmesan
1 tbl olive oil
130 g (dry weight) spaghetti, cooked
½ tsp grated nutmeg
Method:
Lighly fry the onion, garlic and pepper in the oil over a low heat, they should still have a little bite to them.
Stir in the olives, anchovies and chilli paste as well as half the parmesan; then remove from the heat.
Fold in the cooked spaghetti, season with ground pepper and nutmeg (no need for any salt).
Sprinkle the serving with the remaining parmesan.
22nd November, 2021
Red currant and apple juice cordial in my steam juicer
Ingredients
900 g (defrosted) red currants
500 g white sugar
8 eating apples - peeled and thinly sliced - with core/pips
Method
Mix the currants and apples in the steemer and pour the sugar on top.
Set to steam for 45 minutes. Collect the juice and pour it (once more) over the fruit. Leave to steam for 2½ hrs.
Collect the juice cordial (approx. 1½ litres) and bottle once cooled.
Store in the fridge. Mix 1 part cordial to two parts water.
23rd November, 2021
Chicken Dijonnaise with Chat masala roast potatoes
Ingredients
3 leg/thigh joints of chicken - skin removed/ preferably not marinated
1 glass (150ml) of white wine
237 ml chicken stock (use plain water if the joints have been marinated)
2 tbl brandy (optional for flambé)
2 tbl olive oil
2 cloves of garlic - peeled and crushed
1 ½ tbl smooth dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
Freshly ground pepper
2 tsp cornflour slacked in 15 ml water
For the potatoes:
500 g new/small potatoes
1 tbl oil
1 tsp chat masala or garam masala
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 220°C
Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper, then brown both sides in a frying pan using the olive oil. Optionally, then flambé with the brandy.
Add the remaining ingredients (except the cornflour) and stir well.
Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
(Meanwhile, toss the new potatoes in 1 tbl oil, sprinkle with the chat masala or garam masala and roast on a parchment lined tin for 45 minutes)
Remove the chicken joints, stir in the slacked cornflour and bring to the boil. Simmer til the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
Serve with the roast potatoes.
26th November, 2021
Braised juniper pork chop
Ingredients:
2 pork chops (on or off the bone)
125 g bacon - finely shredded
750 g potatoes, peeled and sliced (3 mm)
130 ml white wine
1 large (2 small) onion finely sliced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
12 juniper berries
Method:
Pre-heat the oven t0 160°C
Using a sharp pointed knife, make insertions along the length of the chops, between the flesh and fat layers. Insert, alternately juniper berries and slices of garlic.
Flash fry the chops to brown both sides.
Mix the sliced potato and onion, adding any left over garlic or berries. Spread half the vegetables on the base of a baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
Lay the chops on top of the potatoes and onion and cover them with the remaining vegetables. season with pepper (not salt). sprinkle the bacon over the dish and pour in the wine.
Cover tightly with foil and bake at 160°C for 1 hr 45 minutes. Crank the heat up to 220°C, remove the foil and bake for 25-35 minutes until the bacon and top layer of potatoes are crispy.
29th November, 2021
Vietnamese meatballs with peanut sauce
Ingredients:
400 g pork mince
100 g shallots finely chopped
20 g garlic, finely chopped
2 tbl fish sauce
1 tsp palm (or soft brown) sugar
2 tbl roasted rice powder (roast Jasmin rice in a dry pan until golden, then powder in a spice blender or pestle and mortar)
½ tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
4 tbl tamarind paste
1 tbl vegetable oil
20 g garlic, crushed
100 g roasted peanuts, finely ground
120 ml coconut milk
2 tbl fish sauce
1½ tbl hoisin sauce (see blog for homemade recipe here)
1 tsp palm (or soft brown) sugar
2 medium hot red chillies, finely chopped
For the pickled carrot
1 carrot, finely sliced
120 ml ricewine vinegar
2 tbl sugar
Method:
Mix well, with your hands, all the meatball ingredients. Press the mixture firmly against the base of the bowl and leave to chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
(For the sauce:
Fry the garlic in oil until golden and then add all the other ingredients. Stir fry until the sauce is of a thick, coating consistency).
Using wet hands, roll the meat mixture into table tennis sized balls (approx. 14 ).
Place on a baking parchment and bake for 25 minutes at 225°C
(For the pickled carrot)
Mix the vinegar and sugar and leave the carrot slices to pickle for one hour.
Serve the meatballs with boiled potatoes or rice.