asparagus

British asparagus is in season right now and I couldn't resist buying some this weekend. This recipe is super easy and there's hardly any effort involved.

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus

1 fat clove garlic, whole

salt & pepper

splash dry vermouth or white wine

knob of butter

juice of half a lemon

1. Snap each asparagus spear so that you've removed the woody base. Place the spears in a wide pan that has a lid, add the garlic, vermouth, butter salt and pepper. Cover with the lid then cook over a medium heat for around 8 minutes or until the spears are cooked through.
2. Finish off by squeezing over the lemon juice and adjusting the seasoning as needed. Keep the cooking juices and drizzle over the top of the asparagus when serving. This was particularly good with some gridled tuna steaks and boiled new potatoes. 

almond layer cake

I've been on the look out for a suitable almond cake recipe to be part of my wedding cake in a few weeks time. After a few wrong turns I discovered this beauty. It's ridiculously easy to make, has the firmness you need to stand up to fondant icing but isn't too heavy at all. Also with the alcohol syrup you have an added richness which is exactly want you want from a celebration cake. This version is based on Dan Lepard's yummy cake which you can find here. I have boosted the almond flavours by substituting the vanilla extract with almond and using amaretto instead of brandy for the syrup. I've also done a version using Krupnik, a Polish vodka and honey based liquer. That was pretty awesome too. My version here is also much lighter because I haven't slathered it with double cream as in the original. I'm sure it would be glorious with the cream but I didn't have any in the house and I wanted to make it just a little lighter. If you want to be more decadent go for it and layer the cake together with fresh raspberries or strawberries and some lightly whipped and sweetened double cream. 

Ingredients
225g caster sugar (+25g for syrup)
125g unsalted butter, softened
250g mascarpone

170g greek yogurt
4 medium eggs
2 tsp almond extract
75g ground almonds
325g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
Brandy/amaretto/krupnik
Good quality Strawberry jam or conserve

1. Grease and base line two 18cm round sponge tins with baking parchment and heat the oven to 180C.  Beat together the caster sugar, butter and 125g mascarpone with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy - this will take around 3-5 minutes.
2. Next add the eggs one at a time beating to ensure they are thoroughly combined.
3. Beat in the almond extract and ground almonds, sift in the flour and baking powder, and combine thoroughly.
4. Divide the mixture between the two tins then bake for about 30 minutes, or until completely cooked (a skewer will come out cleanly when it is).
5. While the cakes are cooling heat 25ml of your chosen spirit with 25g caster sugar until the sugar dissolves then remove from the heat. Prick the tops of the cakes with a fork or skewer then carefully pour over the syrup. Cover the cakes with paper and leave to cool completely. This will help to keep them soft.
6. Put one layer of the cake on a serving plate. Cover with a generous couple of dollops of good quality strawberry conserve/jam then beat together the greek yogurt and remaining mascarpone, adding a little sugar if you wish. Put half the mascarpone mixture on top of the jam then cover with the second cake layer before finally putting the remaining mascarpone mix on top. Yum.

egg-fried rice with pork and vegetables

Fried rice is a great dish to have in your repertoire. You can easily turn all sorts of left overs into another meal. Once you've mastered the basic principles you can vary the vegetables, seasoning and chosen protein with ease. Following this method the key to success is cutting your veg up to a suitably small size so that it cooks quickly, preparing everything before you get started and keeping your wok on full heat while you're cooking. 

Ingredients Serves 2-3

200g (uncooked) long grain rice

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups of cooked meat - I used the left overs from my slow-cooked crispy chinese pork belly

1 stick of celery, finely sliced

3 small carrots, halved lengthways then finely sliced

1 red pepper, finely sliced

1 cup of frozen peas

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

small piece of ginger, finely sliced

2 green chillies, chopped (optional)

2 spring onions, sliced

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Soy sauce/fish sauce/chilli oil or whatever you fancy to serve

1. Cook the rice: Use what ever method you like but this always works for me. Boil the kettle. Put the rice in a saucepan then add the freshly boiled water to the rice so that it comes to a centimetre above the rice. Put the lid on the pan then boil rapidly on a high heat for exactly 5 minutes. Once the time has passed, turn off the heat then leave the rice until you're ready to use it. Don't lift the lid and make sure you leave it for at least 10 minutes as it needs to finish cooking.
2. Stir-fry: Make sure you've got everything to hand now as things are going to move pretty fast. The key to success here is being ready to go. Put a large wok on the highest heat you have and get it smoking hot. Add the oil then swirl it around to coat the lower third of the wok. Add the beaten egg swirl around then once it is bubbling round the edges start to stir it around.
3. Add the meat, ginger, garlic and chilli if using. Stir for a couple of minutes until the garlic starts to go crispy and brown round the edges. 
4. Add the remaining vegetables then continue to keep things moving for a couple more minutes and the vegetables are starting to cook through then add in the rice. Continue to cook and stir for another 3-5 minutes until everything is cooked through and well combined. Add the chopped spring onions then serve. Add some soy sauce or chilli oil if you want some extra flavour. 

slow-cooked crispy chinese pork belly

I love pork belly. It's a great cut of meat with lots of flavour and is also one of the cheapest you can get.  I love it so much we're even serving it at my upcoming wedding. This recipe uses Chinese flavours to complement the richness of the meat and is great served with simple stir-fried greens and some steamed rice. There are no complicated techniques here or hard to find ingredients but you do need the time to allow the marinade to work and for the pork to slow cook.

Ingredients
1kg (approx) bone-in pork belly with the skin scored (you can use boned instead if you prefer)
1 onion cut into large slices
2 carrots peeled and cut into 2 or 3 pieces
2 sticks of celery cut into 2 or 3 large pieces
100/200ml cold water depending on method
Marinade:
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp chinese 5 spice powder
3 cloves garlic, finely minced/grated
thumb sized piece fresh, peeled ginger minced/grated
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 stick lemongrass
2 dried red chillies, finely chopped

STEP 1 - Marinade

1. Make sure the meat is completely dry and pat away any excess moisture with kitchen paper.
2. Mix together the marinade ingredients then spread evenly over the flesh side of the pork belly, working it into the meat.
3. Place the meat into a sealable plastic food bag. Bruise the lemon grass with the back of a knife or rolling pin then add to the bag with the meat. 
4. Put the pork belly in the fridge making sure it is safely away from cooked food and that no juices will drip from the meat then leave for at least a couple of hours or overnight to allow the flavours to develop.

STEP 2 - Slow cooking

Slowcooker Method

1. Put the onion, carrots and celery in the bottom of the slow cooker put the pork belly, skin side up, on top of the veg and pour in 100mls of water.
2. Put the lid on the slow cooker then cook the pork belly for around 6-8 hours on medium. You may need to adjust the cooking times depending on your slow cooker model.

Oven Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Put the veg in the base of a roasting pan or casserole dish and then place the meat on top with the skin facing upwards. Pour in 200ml water then cover over the pan with either foil or the lid if you have one. 
2. Put the meat in the oven and cook for around 3 hours or until you can insert the blunt end of a spoon all the way through the meat.

STEP 3 - Crisping up

1. Once the meat has cooked using your chosen method you can either continue with the whole piece of belly and cut to serve later or cut into portions now. If you decide to portion it before crisping make sure you allow it to cool enough so that you can handle it. As you can see from the pictures I decided to keep the piece whole. I enjoy cutting through the crispy crackling when I serve it. 
2. Preheat the oven to 200C then transfer pork to a roasting pan then put in the oven to finish off for about 30 minutes or until you've got a nice crispy crackling top.
3. Serve with stir-fried broccoli, pak choi or similar and some steamed rice. 

I've entered this recipe into A Kick at the Pantry Door's 'Feel Good Food Challenge'. Why not take a look at all the other great recipes featured. 

'turkish eggs'

I've now been to Peter Gordon's restaurant/cafe/bar Kopapa in London's Covent Garden a few times and the food and service is always great. It's not a stuffy place, really straight forward but the food and cocktails on offer are really exciting without being pretentious or hugely over-priced, this is an incredibly rare thing in London. One dish that has stayed with me since the first time I tried it was their version of an egg dish from a related cafe in Istanbul, Turkey. The combination of thick yogurt, soft poached eggs and spicy rich butter is heavenly. Seriously - this is a wonderful breakfast.



Ingredients Serves 2
1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
150g thick Greek yoghurt
25ml extra virgin olive oil
25g unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (adjust this according to your tastes, you could also use some hot smoked paprika or cayenne instead.)
stem of fresh dill or flat parsley, shredded
4 eggs

1. Briefly whisk together the garlic, yoghurt and half the olive oil before setting to one side.
2. In a small pan cook the butter until it just starts to brown. You don't want it to burn just colour slightly. Remove the pan from the heat then add the chilli flakes, paprika or cayenne. Add the remaining oil and the dill. Put to one side while you poach the eggs.
3. Poach the eggs using whatever method you prefer. I have a suspicion that crispy edged, but still runny fried eggs would also work well here but I've ever tried so do what ever you fancy.
4. Divide the yogurt between two bowls, put two poached eggs in each bowl then spoon over the spicy butter and oil mix. Serve with some thick sliced, toasted bread or some warmed fat bread. 

butter, olive oil, chilli and herbs

yogurt mixed with olive oil and crushed garlic

the finished dish 

I've entered this dish in the Breakfast Club Challenge with A Kick at the Pantry and Fuss Free Flavours.