Pork Casserole with Spicy Apple Sauce

Slow casseroled shoulder of pork with spicy apple sauce and roast potatoes

Casseroling is a very popular way of cooking the tougher cuts of pork, such as leg and shoulder. If you are not careful, however, even the perfectly slow cooked meat can become dry and tasteless. This experiment involving cooking and subsequently briefly resting the meat while the casserole accompaniments are blended to form a sauce is something I believe worked very well.

It is also worth specifically pointing out the stock I used in this recipe. Usually, a pork casserole recipe will call for the use of chicken stock. I got to wondering why we never tend to make actual pork stock. I decided to give it a go and made my own homemade pork stock before incorporating it in this casserole.

Pork shoulder steaks

Ingredients (Serves Two)

3/4 pound pork shoulder steak, chopped to about one inch chunks
Olive oil
1 Granny Smith apple, cored but not peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium white onion, peeled and quartered
1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli pepper, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
3/4 pint fresh pork stock (or chicken stock)
12 new potatoes (or as required)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 ounces trimmed green beans

Browning and sealing diced shoulder of pork

Directions

Start your oven preheating to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Pour a little oil in to a large pot or saucepan and bring up to a medium heat. Add the pork and stir for two or three minutes with a wooden spoon to evenly seal all over.

Vegetables and fruit for pork casserole

Carefully tip the pork in to a large casserole dish and pour the pork stock in to the empty pot. Heat the stock gently until it reaches a simmer.

Solid ingredients for pork casserole

While the stock is heating, add the apple, onion, chilli, garlic and seasonings to the dish with the pork and carefully stir/fold to combine.

Pork stock is added to casserole ingredients

Pour the heated stock in to the casserole dish, put the lid on and pop in to the oven for two hours.

As soon as the casserole is in the oven, add the unpeeled potatoes to a large pot, season with salt and pour in enough cold water to comfortably cover. Bring to a simmer for half an hour or so until the potatoes are softened. Turn off the heat and drain the potatoes at your sink. Return them to the pot and let them steam for five minutes before covering and leaving to cool completely.

Preparing potatoes for roasting

Ten minutes before the pork is due to come out of the oven, pour two or three tablespoons of olive oil in to a small roasting tray and place it in the oven to preheat. Carefully peel the cooled potatoes with your fingers. When you remove the casserole from the oven, set it aside for a minute while you carefully stir the potatoes and roughly broken rosemary sprigs through the oil. Turn the oven up to 220C/450F/Gas Mark 8 and cook the potatoes for twenty minutes, stirring or shaking gently halfway through cooking.

Cooked pork is removed from casserole dish

Take a minute or so to remove the pork chunks from the casserole with a large slotted spoon and a fork to a heated bowl and cover with foil. Ladle the gravy and vegetable pieces in to a blender and carefully blitz until smooth.

Blitzing apple sauce for pork

Pour the blitzed gravy in to a pot and gently reheat. If you want it a bit thicker, add a teaspoon of cornflour/corn starch mixed to a paste with a little cold water and stir through for a couple of minutes.

Blitzed spicy apple sauce

Take the potatoes from the oven and drain on kitchen paper while you blanche the beans for a couple of minutes in boiling, salted water.

Draining roast potatoes

Plate the potatoes, beans and pork before spooning the gravy over the pork to serve.

Plating up casseroled pork, roast potatoes and trimmed green beans

Spicy Plaice Fillets with Crispy Potatoes

Lightly spiced, pan fried plaice fillets served with crispy, deep fried new potatoes

Plaice is funnily enough a type of British sea fish I don't remember ever catching while fishing. I have caught flounder and dabs which are similar in the way they are prepared and not unlike plaice in taste so any plaice recipes are pretty much interchangeable with these other species. This is good to know as plaice does tend to be a little bit more expensive than the common flounder. This is a very straightforward plaice recipe, easy to prepare and with few ingedients but its simplicity will hopefully not put you off: it was also absolutely delicious.

Potatoes ready for boiling

Ingredients per Person

10 to 12 baby new potatoes or as required
2 whole plaice fillets (see pictures below)
Vegetable oil for frying
2 tablespoons plain/all purpose flour
2 teaspoons medium chilli pepper
Salt and black pepper
Finely sliced basil leaves to garnish

Plaice fillets ready to be skinned

Directions

The potatoes should be boiled in their skins in salted water until done (about half an hour) then drained and left to cool.

You will need to skin the plaice fillets before they are fried in this recipe. Alternatively, you could ask in your supermarket or fishmonger's for this to be done for you.

Skinning a plaice fillet

Skinning a fillet of fish like this is not difficult and the technique can actually be seen in the above photograph. Simply lay the fillet skin side down on a board and hold the tail end with yout weaker hand. Cut through to the skin (but not through it) with your filleting knife and using backwards and forwards motions, slide the knife over the skin to free the fillet. Half each fillet lengthways along the natural line.

Seasoning is mixed through flour with a knife

Put the flour in to a wide bottomed bowl and season with the chilli powder, salt and pepper. Using a knife rather than a spoon to stir the combination helps prevent lumps forming.

Deep frying cooled and peeled potatoes

Rub the skins from the potatoes with your hand and deep fry in hot oil for five or six minutes.

Pan frying seasoned and floured plaice fillets

Bring a little oil up to a medium heat in a large, non-stick frying pan. Pat the plaice fillets in the flour, shake off the excess and lay them carefully in the hot oil.

Plaice fillets are very carefully turned to fry on their second side

The plaice fillets should only take a minute to a minute and a half each side to cook. They need to be turned carefully with a palette knife half way through cooking.

Fried plaice fillets are plated

Lift the potatoes to a paper covered plate to drain. Lift the plaice fillets on to a plate, garnish with the basil leaves and serve with the potatoes alongside.

Swordfish Steak on Fusilli Pasta Salad

Seared swordfish steak is served on a warm fusilli pasta salad

Swordfish is a beautiful eating fish, not dissimilar to tuna. It is not however always easy to get hold of and even where it is available, care should be taken to ensure the fish comes from a sustainable source. If you're buying swordfish in the United Kingdom, this is easily checked by looking in your supermarket or fishmonger's for the blue tick of the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) which signifies compliance with this important factor.

The most important thing to remember when cooking swordfish is that it must never be overcooked. In a similar way to both tuna and salmon, it is served and enjoyed at its best when still slightly pink and ostensibly underdone in the centre. Cook it too much and it will become dry and overly flaky.
  

Simple Mediterranean style salad ingredients

Ingredients per Person

1 swordfish steak
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced
2 inch piece of cucumber, seeded and finely diced
3 large basil leaves, finely sliced (2 for salad and 1 to garnish)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying swordfish
Salt and pepper
4 ounces dried fusilli pasta

Simple salad prepared for fusilli pasta

Directions

Begin by assembling the salad to give the flavours maximum infusion time. The tomato, cucumber, basil, garlic and olive oil are all combined in a bowl with some seasoning. Cover with clingfilm until required.

Fusilli pasta

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, stir well but briefly and simmer for around ten minutes or until al dente.

Fresh swordfish steak

When the pasta is almost ready, drizzle some olive oil in to a small frying pan and bring it up to a high heat. Season the swordfish steak on both sides with salt and pepper and lay it in the hot pan.

It is important to watch the swordfish cook if it is to be cooked correctly. The time it will take to cook will depend upon the thickness of the steak. What you are watching for is the steak appearing to have cooked one-third of the way up the side. At this stage, it should be turned to cook a third of the way up the other side. This thin steak required only about one minute on each side.

Pan searing a swordfish steak

When the swordfish has been turned, drain the pasta through a colander at your sink and return it to the empty pot. Add the prepared salad and stir well with a wooden spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required before stirring again.

Salad is added to drained fusilli pasta

Spoon the pasta in to a deep serving plate to form an effective bed for the swordfish.

Fusilli pasta salad is plated to form a bed for the swordfish

Lift the swordfish on to the fusilli bed, scatter with the remaining basil strips and serve immediately.

Swordfish steak is laid on fusilli pasta salad

Rainbow Trout Fillets with New Potatoes

Pan fried rainbow trout fillets are served on a salad bed with buttered new potatoes

Rainbow trout is perhaps more often cooked whole by being baked in the oven. In this instance, however, although I bought the fish whole, I decided to fillet it myself and pan fry the fillets in a little oil and butter. I was not disappointed. I served the fillets incredibly simply on a bed of mixed salad leaves and with some boiled new potatoes.

Ingredients

2 rainbow trout fillets
8 to 10 baby new potatoes, or as required
Generous handful of mixed green salad leaves
2 tablespoons plain/all purpose flour
Vegetable oil
1 ounce (1/4 stick) butter, approximately
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried dill

New potatoes are added to cold salted water

Directions

Start by washing the new potatoes but leave the skins intact. Add them to a pot of cold water along with a little sea salt. Put the pot on to a high heat until the water reaches a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for half an hour or until the potatoes are just softened.

Supermarket mixed salad leaves

Supermarket salads like the one shown above consisting of spinach, rocket (arugula), red and ruby chard will often state on the packet that the leaves are washed and ready to eat. Never take this for granted. Always put them in to a colander and rinse them thoroughly under running cold water. Sit the colander aside on a draining board until the leaves are required.

Washing salad leaves in cold water

Spoon the flour on to a large dinner plate, season with salt and pepper and scatter evenly over the plate. Add a little oil and half the butter to a large, non-stick frying pan and put the pan on to a fairly high heat. Wash the trout fillets in a bowl of cold water (not under running water or you may damage them), pat them carefully dry and pat the skin sides only in the seasoned flour.

Trout fillets are patted in seasoned flour on skin sides

When the butter is melted and the oil is fairly hot, lay the trout fillets in the pan, skin sides down. Continue to cook on a fairly high heat as the idea is to crisp up the skin. Don't worry - the skin will protect the flesh from overcooking.

Pan frying rainbow trout fillets

When you can see by looking at them that the fillets are almost cooked (roughly three minutes but the visual test should always be the acid test) you should switch the heat off completely, push the pan to a cool part of the stove-top and only then carefully turn the fillets with a spatula or fish slice on to the flesh sides. Leave them to complete cooking in this way while you drain the potatoes and prepare them for serving.

Butter and dill are added to boiled new potatoes

Drain the potatoes through a colander at the sink and return them to the empty pot. Add the remainder of the butter and the dill. Swirl the pot to combine. Plate the salad with the potatoes and carefully lay the trout fillets, skin sides up, on the salad bed. You will find that the skins peel easily away from the fillets leaving the delicious, moist flesh ready to eat.

Crisp skin peels easily from pan fried rainbow trout fillets

Roast Woodcock in Red Wine Sauce

Roast woodcock in red wine, rowan berry and apple sauce

Woodcock is I believe one of the most delicious of all the game birds and I say that as someone who has tasted a great many different types of wild game. The obvious problem, however, is that they are incredibly small and probably at least two are required per person to represent an even semi-decent main course portion. What this recipe offers, therefore, is a very enjoyable starter or appetizer suggestion.

There is a tradition when cooking woodcock that the head be left on the bird and the guts intact. The neck is twisted around and the beak used to pin the legs and wings in place as the bird is roasted. The guts dissolve during the period spent in the hot oven and form part of what becomes a rich, luscious sauce. While I have eaten and very much enjoyed woodcock prepared and cooked in this way, on this occasion I decided to remove the head and innards before it was roasted.

A whole, plucked woodcock

Ingredients per Person

1 plucked woodcock
2oz butter
1 small glass red wine (Shiraz was used in this recipe)
1 tablespoon rowan and apple jelly
Salt and pepper
Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Feet are chopped from woodcock

Directions

It may be that you source your woodcock from a supplier who will undertake the cleaning process on your behalf. Be aware, however, that they usually come plucked and nothing else, for reasons already explained. This means that you should have some idea of how to clean these little birds (if desired) before they are cooked.

Head and neck are chopped off woodcock

I began by chopping the feet off at the knees. Essentially, cut at the joint where you can see the meat begins/ends. You should then cut off the head and neck, right at the point at which it joins the main body.

Guts are removed from woodcock

Again because woodcock are so small, it's not easy to clean out the body cavity without damaging the structure of the bird. The way I do it is by using my index finger to poke inside and draw out the organs. This is much safer than using a knife or any other form of tool and works very well. You should then wash the body of the bird in cold water and pat it gently but thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.

Woodcock is browned on either side

Before you start cooking your woodcock, make sure your oven is preheated to 220C/450F. It is vital that the bird(s) go straight in to a very high oven heat.

Melt the butter in an ovenproof frying pan and brown the woodcock on both sides. Add the red wine and the rowan and apple jelly and heat until what will become the sauce is just simmering. Baste the woodcock well and put the pan in to the oven.

Red wine and rowan and apple jelly are added to browned woodcock

The woodcock should be in the oven for a total of twelve minutes but you want to take it out and briefly baste it about every three minutes. Remember to use oven gloves when lifting the frying pan as the handle will become ultra hot! It's all too easy to forget about this when you are lifting what is after all a frying pan.

Roast woodcock is rested before it is served

As with any other type of meat, it is vital to rest the woodcock when it comes out of the oven. Give it a minimum of five minutes.

Red wine, rowan berry and apple sauce for roast woodcock

A deep serving plate is desirable for serving a woodcock prepared in this way. Begin by spooning the sauce in to the bottom.

Roast woodcock is laid in bed of sauce

Lay the woodcock on the sauce before scattering with the roughly chopped flat leafed parsley to garnish. Tuck in and enjoy...

Tucking in to roast woodcock with red wine, rowan berry and apple sauce

Spicy Chicken and Peppers Pizza Omelette

Half spicy chicken and pepper pizza omelette served with homemade chips

Pizza omelettes are a delicious combination of two popular fast foods that can also serve as an excellent way of using up leftovers. The potential inclusions are almost limitless and this particular recipe adaptation was devised as a means of using up some leftover roast chicken in my fridge. Pizza omelettes are much quicker and easier to make from scratch than conventional pizzas but although different, can be made to be equally delicious.

Chillies and bell peppers for spicy pizza omelette

Ingredients for this Pizza Omelette (Serves Two)

4 large eggs
4 ounces (approximately) of leftover, cooked chicken
1 red chilli pepper, sliced
1 green chilli pepper, sliced
2 slices (seeded) each from green, red and yellow/orange bell peppers
3 ounces cheddar cheese (coarsely grated)
1 ounce (1/4 a stick) of butter
Salt and pepper
Homemade chips to serve

Chillies and bell peppers are sliced for pizza omelette

Directions

Break the eggs in to a bowl and beat with a fork or small whisk until just combined. Stir in the chicken, broken in to small pieces.

Chicken and egg combination is added to omelette pan

Melt the butter gently in an (ovenproof) omelette pan or non-stick frying pan and pour in the chicken and egg combination. Cook on a medium heat, drawing the egg in from the sides towards the centre only until it starts to set. Put your grill/broiler on to preheat to its highest setting.

Chilli pepper slices are laid on almost set pizza omelette

When the omelette is almost but not quite completely set, season with salt and pepper then evenly lay the chilli pepper slices over the top.

Bell pepper slices are laid on set chicken pizza omelette

The bell pepper slices should then be arranged on top of the chillies.

Grated cheese is scattered over spicy chicken pizza omelette

Scatter the cheese evenly over the top of everything by hand.

Cheese is melted over spicy chicken pizza omelette

Put the frying pan under the grill/broiler for a minute or so until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Spicy chicken pizza omelette ready for slicing and serving

Just as with pizza, a pizza omelette should never be cut while in the pan as this can permanently damage the pan. Slide it instead on to a chopping board for this purpose. Cut it carefully in half and plate along with the homemade chips.

Half the spicy chicken pizza omelette is plated