Thai BBQ Pork Neck

Hello my lovelies.

Long-time no write. I keep saying that I will do better but we all know how lazy I can be when it comes to writing my own recipes. My October-month resolution will be to do better.

So here I give you the gift of life, and whilst we still have a bit of sun, and if you feel like squeezing in the last of your BBQ use, this recipe is for you! Thai BBQ pork neck served with Jaew.

Now let’s talk about pork neck, if you have a butcher near you, then you are sorted, as they should easily be able to get it cut and prepped for you, I usually give my butches a 48 hours’ notice.

If you are one of the unlucky ones and you don’t have a local butcher, you may use the shoulder for this recipe.

For this recipe you will need:

• 450 g pork neck – slice into 2-inch strips
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
  1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

For the Jaew (spicy dipping sauce):

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp finely chopped green onions
• 1 tbsp dried red pepper powder
• 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes.

Firstly, you will need to make the marinade for the pork, and I would highly advise to let the pork marinate for 24 hours at least. In a big bowl, add the sugar, white pepper, oyster sauce and fish sauce. Mix the ingredients until combined and add the pork meat. Cover and keep it in the fridge for 24 hours.

Just before the meat is ready to be cooked, you will have to prepare the Jaew (the dipping sauce). This dipping sauce is amazing with chicken or pork, so if you have any left-over sauce after making this dish, please do yourselves a favour and save it!

Mix all the Jaew ingredients In a bowl, and adjust the taste as required. The sauce should be mainly salty and sour.

Now, the best part, if you have a BBQ at home and feel like going through the trouble of using it, then I’d suggest you go for it. However, if you want a quick fix, then I’d say there is no harm in using a griddle pan. Heat up a pan and lightly oil it. When the pan is slightly smoking, carefully add in the meat. Lower the heat and grill each side for about 3-4 minutes (depending on the thickness). Once it’s done remove and set aside to cool for 5 minutes to let it rest before cutting. Cut the meat into thin slices at an angle and enjoy.

I hope you try this out and feel free to ask me any questions if you need.

Crab Cakes

Hello! 

After two weeks of California road trippin’, having an amazing time with my family, eating amazing food, just having an amazing experience.. I’m sure my waist line gained a few inches for letting loose. 

Missing the fresh seafood in the USA, I’ve decided to make and share this delicious recipe with you guys. This recipe makes for five cakes.

For the crab cakes:

• 170gr crab meat
• 150gr peppered smoked herring (or any smoked oily fish) 
• 1 medium sweet potato (mashed)
• 1 cup coooked finely chopped spinach 
• 1 egg (beaten) 
•  cup flour
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, smoked hearing, sweet potato and spinach. One is well mixed, shape into five patties. 

In three shallow bowls, put in each the egg, flour and breadcrumb. Cover each pattie with flour, dip in flour and fully cover it with breadcrumb. 

If you have a deep fat fryer, then perfect.. fry each pattie for about 2-3 minutes on each side at 190C or until it’s golden brown. Alternately heat the oil in a sauce pan and fry the crab cakes. 

Enjoy it with a nice fresh salad or some slaw! 

Creamy Mushroom and Gorgonzola Risotto

I love a good risotto… I mean, a creamy, rich bowl of rice? Hell to the yes. It’s relatively straightforward to make risotto. However, it requires patience, and you have to be organised. The only annoying thing is that you cannot use just any rice for this dish. And a tip for you guys, do not wash the rice as you would be rinsing the starch off – you need starch to make the dish creamy.

For the sauteed mushrooms and peas:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 clove garlic finely chopped
• 100g dry porcini mushroom
• 150g frozen peas
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt to taste

For the risotto:

• 500ml chicken stock + 500ml mushroom water
• 1 + 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small white onion finely chopped
• 320g risotto rice
• 60ml dry white wine
• 100g blue cheese diced – Preferably Gorgonzola
• 20g salted butter
• 20g grated parmesan cheese
• freshly ground black pepper

Start off by soaking the mushrooms in boiling water, making sure the bowl is covered. You will need to leave them to soften for roughly half an hour.

Another trick is to use hot stock when making risotto. In a saucepan, bring the chicken stock with the mushroom soaking water to a boil over medium heat. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat to low to keep it warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat and add the chopped garlic. Sautee until its fragrant. Add the mushrooms, peas and thyme, season with salt and cook for about 10 minutes. Once the mushrooms and peas are cooked, set them aside in a bowl and start on your rice.

Add 1 + 1/2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, and sautee the onion until softened. Add in the risotto rice and toast it, often stirring, for about 2 to 3 minutes, you will notice that the edges will turn translucent, but the centre is still opaque.

Pour in the white wine and, when it has been absorbed, add just enough stock to cover the rice and reduce the heat to low. Keep adding half cups of stock, stirring continuously and allowing each cup of stock to be absorbed before adding the next one. About halfway through, add the mushrooms and peas making sure its mixed well. When the rice is al dente, remove from heat and stir in the gorgonzola, grated parmesan cheese, and butter.

Top off this lovely dish with some freshly ground black pepper.

Churritos with Chocolate and Hazelnut Sauce

If you live in Southeast London, you have probably been to Greenwich Market, and have most likely seen the Brazilian churro stand in there.

I went for dinner with my friends yesterday and passed by the market, in the corner of my eye I could see the empty stand, and that’s when it hit me, the big urge of having their chocolate filled churro…

Apparently, my willpower is weak, and the path of bikini bod is not the smoothest.

Some of you might know that I already have a churro recipe on here, but I have found an easier and quicker way to make them. Heads up, I have tried it before just hand rolling the dough, but it is not the same. Therefore, for the best result possible, I would recommend using the piping bag.

For the Churros:

• 175ml boiling water
• 25g melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 125g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1l sunflower oil for frying

 

For the chocolate and hazelnut sauce:

• 50ml condensed milk
• 50ml milk
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 10 hazelnuts, crunched

 

For the cinnamon sugar:

• 50g white caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

 

In a measuring jug, add the water, melted butter and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl and make a little well in the centre. Pour in the liquid and very quickly beat into the flour with a wooden spoon until it’s combined. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, start making the chocolate sauce by combining all ingredients in a pan and gently melting everything together. Keep it warm on a low heat stirring it occasionally.

As some of you might know, I have a deep fryer, which makes it handy when making this kind of recipes. If you do not have one, simply use a large deep saucepan to fry your churritos in.

Put the churro dough in a piping bag with a star nozzle fitted. Start by piping finger length churros into a greaseproof parchment paper. Make sure you have a pair of scissors nearby, as you will need to cut the dough. Unless your aim is to have the Guinness world record for the largest churro.

Fry 4 or 5 at the time until golden brown and crisp. Once they are ready, remove them from the fryer or the pan – I like using wooden chopsticks for this job. You will need to kitchen towel, to drain any excess oil. Don’t forget to toss them in the cinnamon sugar. For that, you just need to mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a plate or bowl.

Serve the chocolate and hazelnut sauce in a small ramekin to dip the churritos in.

 

Gluten Free Tahini and Chocolate Cookies

For the little monsters, I like to try out super healthy recipes, because let’s face it… who wants to feed children cups of sugar? Well I know I don’t! 

We have got today, a gluten free, vegan and refined sugar free recipe! What? What is left of good? How can I be lots of butter and not give you an indulgent recipe? Well.. there’s always a balance! 

Gluten free tahini and chocolate cookies

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 cup walnuts (ground finely)
• 1 + 1/4 cup gluten free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup cacao powder 

Firstly, in a bowl, whisk up maple syrup and tahini. When fully combined add in the walnut and whisk the mixture well. 

In a separate bowl, combine sifted flour, cacao powder and the baking soda. Add it to the tahini mixture in three batches. The mixture will be thick and sticky so it’s best to use your hands. Make sure you don’t overmix it otherwise the cookies will be hard. 

Weigh the dough and divide it into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and press the ball down with a rolling pin, or an empty bottle of wine.

Put the cookies into the fridge for about 40 min. When about 30 min in, pre-heat the oven to 175C. 

Bake in a hot oven for about 10-12 mins. Once they are ready, remove from the over and transfer to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool down before eating! 

I hope you enjoy this little bit of healthy heaven and please do let me know your opinion! 



Courgette Fries

I’m terribly sorry I have not posted anything for the past 10 months. Life has changed a lot and there’s no excuse because I’m obviously still cooking.. just not writing down the recipes and posting them on my beloved blog. 

I’ve got a new job which I’m in love with, lucky to work close from home and doing a bunch of traveling this year! 

Anyway let’s get to why we are here! Courgette fries! I went to Granger and Co last week with some friends and had courgette fries there… however.. they were undercooked.. but I’m always too damn nice to send my food back, so I just chewed through tough rubbery fried disks.

I had some baby courgettes in the fridge during this weekend, so decided to make it at home. 

For this beautiful recipe: 

• 8 baby courgettes (cut lengthwise in quarter)
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch 
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1 egg

I am lucky enough (or not… depending if you’re a doctor or not haha) to have a deep fryer at home, turn your fryer to 180C. 

In a bowl, mix all of your dry ingridrients (flour, cornstarch, seasoning), slowly add the milk to the dry mix, making sure to whisk well, then add the egg. Make sure the batter is well combined. 

Dip the courgette in the batter and fry it until golden brown. If you don’t have a deep fryer, use a pan deep enough to fry your courgette fries. 

Once the fries are ready to come out of the oil make sure you use kitchen towel to drain any excess oil. Season with sea salt to taste. 

Fantastic on its own, or with a tangy dip. 

Stuffed Crust Pizza

Hello guys, 

My sincerest apologies for the lack of communication.. It’s been very crazy lately. 

You all know how I love the pizzas, and this time I’ve made a mozzarella stuffed pizza (and I did not cheat when it comes to making the pizza base!) 

For the dough base: 

• 500gr plain flour
• 1 sachet instant yeast
• 320ml luke warm water
•  1/2teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Start by mixing the the water, yeast, olive oil and sugar in a cup until it’s dissolve. 

Sieve the flour and add the salt, if you have a big enough surface, I would suggest mixing the dough in your kitchen counter, but if you don’t, use  a large enough bowl that you can use to mix the ingridients. Don’t feel discourage just because you don’t have the space to. 

Gradually bring in the flour from the sides of the bowl, and keep mixing until you have a smooth springy dough. 

Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover it with a damp towel to proof for one hour at least.

Once the dough has risen, you can divide it in 4 pieces and wrap in cling film and freeze the pieces you’re not going to use straight away. 

Preheat your over to 250C. 

I’ve cheated and used a rolling pin to roll out my dough into a perfect circle. I would usually do it the traditional way however because we want to stuff the crust, we got to make it look nice.

Pizza topping:

• Tomato and basil passata 
• Grated mozzarella 
• Salami 
• Ham
• Chopped vine tomatoes 
• Rocket

Put the rolled dough on a grease proof paper sheet and neatly put grated mozzarella on the edges of the rolled out dough and slowly fold the edge over the cheese and press down. 

Top the dough with the passata sauce first, then some more grated mozzarella, the meats, some more mozzarella (never enough cheese!) and finally the chopped tomatoes. 

Cook the pizza in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is lightly brown and the cheese bubbling. 

Top the pizza with rocket for some fresh peppery taste! 

Try it and let me know how it goes! 
Ana X 

No Fuss Hummus

Hi fellow food lovers. 

Today I’m sharing with you my easy no fuss hummus. 

Let’s face it, should you want to make proper hummus you will need to buy tahini, you probably use half of the jar and leave it in the back of your fridge for a year before you notice you have it. 

We will replace tahini for another ingredient that we all adore and is so good for your health: coconut oil. 

  
Ingredients:

• 400g of chickpeas
• 4 tablespoons of chickpea water
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
• 1½ tablespoon squeezed lemon juice
• Paprika

In a food processor, add the chickpeas, coconut oil, garlic, salt, lemon juice and the chickpea water. 

Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the olive oil while it blends

When the mixture is fully combined and smooth, pour it into a serving bowl. Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some paprika. 

  

Delicious and easy dip that will definitely impress your friends. 

Ana x

Salted Pistachio Brownies

Hello petals. 

Sorry I haven’t been so active. It’s been a bit rough. Feeling under the weather and have lost someone that was very dear to me unexpectedly. 

J was one of the best people I have ever met. 

This recipe is for you, you never liked sweet things but you liked me. 

  
Ingridients: 

• 145g salted butter
• 250g white caster sugar
• 65g cocoa powder 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 70g plain flour
• 100ml condensed milk
• 75g crushed salted pistachios 

Firstly, preheat your oven on gas mark 6. 

Start of my lining your baking tray with greaseproof paper. You will want to do this as it will make it so much easier to remove it once it’s cooled down. 

As I am a bit lazy, instead melting the butter over a saucepan, I do it in the microwave for about 45seconds. In a bowl add the butter, sugar and cocoa powder. You don’t want the mixture to be too hot from the butter, as this might cook the eggs. 

Stir in vanilla with a spatula and then add the eggs, one at a time, stirring hard after each one.

When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated. Spread evenly in lined tray. 

Scatter half of the crushed nuts on top and evenly pour the condensed milk on top of the chocolate and nut mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the pistachios on top and pat down gently with the spatula. 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean when you insert it in the center of the tray. You will need to keep an eye on it from time to time and you might have to bake it for longer. 

Once it’s done and it has cooled down, parts of the condensed milk will have turned into caramel. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Ana 

Braised Duck Legs with Butter Bean, Asparagus and Courgette

Hello my fellow foodies! I hope you are all well – I have to say that this past month has been quite a good month for me and that I have been inspired to cook and pursue my passion. Everything becomes quite easy when you have people that believe in you.

This recipe is the bomb and you should definitely try it. 

  
Ingredients:

• 2 duck legs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 400ml chicken stock
• 100ml red wine
• 2 cans of butter bean
• 2 small courgette chopped in batons
• 1 bunch of asparagus tips
• dried rosemary
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and season duck legs with salt and pepper.

In a large oven proof pan heat the coconut oil and fry the legs, skin sides down, over moderately high heat 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin is crips.Turn legs over and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, red wine and chicken stock.

Put the pan in the oven and let it braise for 1 hour  (total cooking time is 2 hours). Once they have cooked for 1 hour add the two cans of butter bean and let it cook in the oven for half an hour. Finally add the courgette, asparagus and the rosemary- you might have to remove some of the liquid/stock out, just leaving enough to cover the beans.

After another half  an hour of cooking, the duck legs should be extremely tender. Serve duck legs with some of the sauce, butter beans and vegetables.

Let me know what you think!
Ana x