Pork – Page 7 – The Food Wife

Enchiladas

7th August 20188th August 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 8 (serves 4 adults)

Last week we had friends round for a midweek meal. I wanted something that I could cook fairly easily once The Food Baby was in bed that could then be put in the middle of the table and everyone help themselves. We went Mexican. I marinated the chicken earlier in the day but everything else was done in about 45 minutes. And half an hour of that was it cooking in the oven.

Whilst I have opted for chicken (in my case I go for thigh meat as it stays so moist), but it would also be good with thinly sliced pork or beef. If you wanted to go meat-free then butternut squash would be delicious. Use the same spice mix but roast it in the oven once coated in the marinade (step 1) for 25-30 minutes and then mix with your cooked peppers and onions (step 3).

Ingredients:
2x my fajita spice mix (with 2 tsp set to one side)
2 tbsp oil
500g chicken fillets (thighs or breast) cut into thin strips (or a meat or vegetable of your choice)
1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 – 2 peppers, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
8 corn & wheat tortillas
500g passata
125g mozzarella

Step 1: Combine the spice mix (making sure youâ€™ve taken out two teaspoons’ worth to save for the sauce), one tablespoon of the oil and the chicken (or meat/vegetable of your choice) in a bowl, cover and leave to marinate.

Step 2: Separately combine the reserved spice mix with the passata and leave to one side.

Step 3: Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat and add your remaining tablespoon of oil. Fry the peppers and onions for a few minutes and then add the marinated chicken. Stir frequently until the chicken is just cooked through (if you have cut it thinly this will not take long and you donâ€™t want to over cook it as it is going in the oven too).

Step 4: Lay out your tortillas and spoon equal amounts of the cooked filling down the centre of each tortilla.

Step 5: Carefully tuck in the two ends and then roll each tortilla so it is enclosed.

Step 6: Place the tortillas carefully in a baking dish. You want to pack them in next to each other, but donâ€™t over lap them.

Step 7: Pour your spicy passata over the top and make sure they are all covered.

Step 8: Tear your mozzarella (or sprinkle if you are using pre-grated) over the top and place in a preheated oven (180c) for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and the cheese is golden.

This is good served with a salad (why not try my Mexican-style salad) and some crunchy, cheesy nachos. I layered up a dish with salted tortilla chips, a sprinkling of Mexicana cheese, dollops of salsa, sour cream and guacamole and finely chopped jalapeÃ±os (repeated until the bag of tortilla chips ran out) and cooked these for 20 minutes in the same oven as the enchiladas.

Madeira Glazed Chorizo Tapas

28th June 201829th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-4 as a tapas

Two ingredients and yet this is such a hit. Itâ€™s so simple but it does exactly what you want it to. I donâ€™t think I can say anything else, other than try it!

Ingredients:
150g chorizo (the dried kind, sweet or spicy as you wish)
3 tbsp Madeira

Step 1: Peel the dry skin from the chorizo and slice in to rounds, about half a centimetre thick.

Step 2: Heat a small pan (medium heat) and place the chorizo flat, covering the base, ensuring none are overlapping. Within a minute or so the oils from the chorizo will start to ooze out and after a couple of minutes the chorizo will be nicely bronzed on one side.

Step 3: Flip each piece over and then add the Madeira.

Step 4: Cook for a few more minutes, until the chorizo is bronzed on both sides, the Madeira has reduced and you are left with glazed pieces of heaven. The oil is pretty good to dip bread in too…

Chorizo and Pea Baked Risotto

18th June 201818th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

A traditional risotto can be a labour of love but a baked risotto requires little interference and still produces a satisfying dish for a weeknight meal.

This combination uses spicy chorizo and naturally sweet peas to give a nice balance of flavours. I like to use bouillon vegetable stock, and find I donâ€™t need to add any extra salt as the stock and parmesan are salty enough. I also cut the chorizo up into different sized pieces, some finely diced, some half moons, some full slices, I find this gives a good dispersion from the small pieces and also you still get the odd big chunk!

This is a one pot dish but just make sure the pan you use is hob- and oven-safe and deep enough to hold the cooked risotto. It does not need a lid.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil or butter
1 onion or leek, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, cut into small dice
75g chorizo, chopped
110g arborio rice
320ml hot vegetable or chicken stock
50ml white wine or vermouth
Pinch of white pepper
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
150g frozen petit pois

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 150c.

Step 2: Heat the oil or butter on a medium heat in a deep oven proof pan. Add the leek or onion and soften for five or so minutes before adding your red pepper and softening for another five minutes.

Step 3: Add your chorizo and stir to release its oils and then stir in the rice, coating it in the oils.

Step 4: Add your pinch of white pepper, stock and wine and bring to the boil, then transfer the pan (uncovered) to the preheated oven and leave for 25-30 minutes.

Step 5: After this time, remove from the oven and stir in the parmesan and frozen petit pois and then return to the oven for a further 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serve with green beans and an extra sprinkling of parmesan.

Katsu Curry

13th June 201818th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

If Iâ€™m going for Japanese, and not eating sushi, then it is very likely Iâ€™ll opt for a katsu curry. Referring to the breaded and fried meat or tofu, katsu is served with a fruity curry sauce and a sticky rice.

At home Iâ€™ve been researching recipes for the curry sauce as I had already decided that I wanted to have a go at making a lower calorie katsu by cheating on the frying element (by just using frylight and a non-stick pan). I knew I wanted to use apples in my recipe and I also wanted to make sure that it could be both vegan and gluten-free if required. I succeeded in adapting the recipes to make this version which I was really pleased with.

It is really quick to make (it only took about 20 minutes) and I made it earlier in the day so I only had to reheat it in the evening whilst I was frying my tofu. I have included a description of how I created the katsu element at the end of this recipe, and whilst this is not gluten-free/vegan, it could be adapted by using gluten-free flour, aquafaba (the thick water found in a tin of chickpeas that is often used as a vegan egg-replacement) and gluten-free bread crumbs if necessary.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 heaped tbsp tomato purÃ©e
1 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour, slackened in a little cold water
2 heaped tsp of curry powder (I used medium strength)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
350ml hot vegetable stock (gluten-free if required)
A drop of sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Melt the coconut oil on a medium heat in a frying pan and add the onion, carrot and apple. Put a lid on the pan and cook for eight to 10 minutes until they are softened (you may need to stir or shake the contents a couple of times).

Step 2: Whilst this is softening add the sugar, soy sauce and tomato purÃ©e to the slackened cornflour and stir. Set to one side.

Step 3: Remove the lid and add the garlic and cook for a minute, followed by the two spices, stirring for 30 seconds.

Step 4: Add the vegetable stock and stir followed by the cornflour mix and stir. Add a tiny drop of sesame oil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for four or five minutes.

I served this with a low calorie, low fat version of tofu katsu, but there is no reason why you couldnâ€™t follow the same method with chicken or pork.

I used a firm tofu and cut slices 1cm-1 1/2 cm thick, pressed them on kitchen paper to remove the excess moisture and then panÃ©d them by first dusting them in seasoned flour, dipping them in beaten egg (if you wanted to make this strictly vegan then replace the egg with aquafaba) and then coating on a mix of panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. I fried them in a non-stick pan with just a spray of fry-light, cooking them on a medium heat for three-four minutes on each side. I served two of these slices with some sticky sushi rice and a small salad on the side.

Spanish Prawns with Red Rice and Chorizo

23rd May 201823rd May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 as a main meal or 4-6 as a tapas

Smoky paprika, pungent garlic and the zing of lemon adorn sweet and juicy prawns and meaty chorizo in this wonderful meal inspired by Spain. The addition of red rice adds a deep nuttiness to the dish, but a brown basmati rice would be a good alternative as you will also be flavouring it with a simple but gutsy sofrito.

Ingredients:

For the rice and sofrito:
140g red rice/brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 dried chilli, crushed or 1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

For the prawns and chorizo:
1 tbsp olive oil
80g chorizo, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
150-200g raw king prawns
1/2 lemon (juice only)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:
1/2 lemon (cut in to wedges)

Step 1: Cook your rice according to the packet instructions.

Step 2: Make the sofrito; heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and soften for five minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute.

Step 4: Add the chilli and paprikas and stir on a low heat for two minutes. Turn off the heat until you are ready to add your cooked rice.

Step 5: Add the cooked rice to the sofrito and stir thoroughly so everything is combined and then season to taste. Keep on a low heat whilst you cook the prawns and chorizo.

Step 6: In a separate pan, heat the oil on a medium heat and fry the chorizo to release its oils for a few minutes.

Step 7: Add the garlic and paprika and stir to ensure they do not burn, then add the prawns, stirring frequently and cooking until they are no longer translucent.

Step 8: Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and stir in the chopped parsley.

Serve the prawns and chorizo on a bed of the rice, with a wedge of lemon on the side to squeeze over. It is lovely with a green salad.