Pork Roast

Pork Roast

To get a decent roast you need at least 4 pounds of a meat. This applies to any Roast be it Pork, Beef or Lamb.  

For this Roast I used the loin of Pork, which is easy to carve .

If you are partial to crackling then the leg of Pork would be better suited. The method is the same

Ingredients:

4 to 6 pounds of Pork roast serves 6-8 people depending on their appetite

3-4 medium onions

3-4 fresh tomatoes

½ l or more decent white wine ( full bodied!)

2-3 cloves of garlic ( optional)

2- Tbsp dried majoram ( optional)

Salt and pepper to taste 

Pork Roast prepared for roasting

Method

1. Peel the garlic, cut into slices, make some incisions into the meat and insert the garlic. Rub the meat with salt, pepper and majoram.

2.  Depending on the size of the roast  take a large pan and quickly brown the meat on top of the hob, or alternatively set you oven to at least 220C and roast the joint for 20 min.

3. After either browning or roasting at the high heat, place roast in roasting tin with the onions quartered and the quartered tomatoes.

4. Start roasting at 175 C. Baste the roast with the wine every 10-15 minutes. The wine will help to tenderize the meat and keep it moist. If you used up the wine you can use some water.

according to the weight you take 20 min. roasting per pound approx. a 4-6 pound roast will need usually min. 2 hrs. depending on your oven.

5. Take out the roast and let it rest

Scrape the juices with some water (if needed) and put the tomatoes and onions through a sieve; be sure to scrape off the pulp into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, add some more  majoram.

6.  Reduce the liquid ( boil it in a pan) until you have the required amount for the sauce. If necessary add some more water.

7.To thicken the sauce, put a tablespoon of  flour into a jar add some water make a soft liquid pour into to the sauce, bring it to the boil again and simmer for a minute or two. This will take the flour taste out of it ( if the sauce turns out lumpy put it through a sieve again, it will reduce the lumps)

Pork Roast after Roasting!

Note:  The better quality of the meat the better the taste!

The above method can be applied to any roast,  just use Red wine for Beef and Lamb

Depending on the meat you can add different herbs, ie. Rosemaryn and Thyme for Lamb, Bay Leaf and Tarragon for Beef etc.  

                                            Be adventurous and experiment!

Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup  (simply the quickest and easiest to cook)

The following recipe uses vegetables which you will have in the house most of the time. Once you get used to making soups you can and will use whatever comes to hand and make a nice soup.

I was initiated into soup making by my father's mother (Oma Mia). My gang will know the story but I think it worthwhile to share it with you.

When we used to visit Oma Mia, Saturday then was the traditional “Suppen”(soup) day,  in most German families and each family had their own specialities.

It took me quite a while to figure out what the difference was between my mother’s vegetable/potato soup and my Grandmother’s. One day we were in the kitchen alone and Oma, asked me to stir the vegetables in the pot. I ask her why and she explained that was to lock the flavours into the vegetables and that it would taste better. She called it “schwitzen”, that means sweating. She would put a little oil into the pot and sometimes, when it was to be a fine, delicate soup, she would use butter, or a mixture of both.

She had a specific order as well, which to this day I dare not change, I still don’t know the reason for the particular “Reihenfolge”( order).

First always come the onions, then leeks, then celery or celeriac, then carrots and last but not least the potatoes. These are the ingredients of the most simple soup and it is simply delicious.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. of good vegetable oil or butter or a mixture of both

1 medium sized onion

1 med/large leek

2 carrots

3 carrots

½ cup celery (if you like celery)

3 medium potatoes

¾ l chicken stock or vegetable stock

Pepper to taste

Parsley optional

Cream optional

Method:

1. Clean the vegetables and cut them into small pieces.

2. Put oil into a large saucepan and add the onions

3. Sauté the onions until the look glassy but are not browned.

4. Add the leeks, stir, let them “sweat” a bit and then add the carrots

5. Continue until all the vegetables have been added. Should take about 5 minutes.

6. Add the chicken/vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes.

7. If you want a cream soup,  puree the vegetables

8. Serve either with, cream, parsley, croutons (homemade!!)

Note:  The recipe for the croutons you find on the recipe for Winter's Tale soup

Mary's Salad

Mary’s Salad 

This salad has been a family favourite for a long long time now. It got its name after Mary, a close friend of the family. Why name the salad after her? Well, whenever we had big Parties in the house, the food and not really the drink! was the important bit. As already mentioned (Corn Patties) there are a few vegetarians among the friends and I felt that they deserved a little more than simply eating the non meat dishes. So Mary's salad was created. It is one of the salads which is requested any time there is a gathering in the house. It even made it to a christening in Germany! But for some inexplicable reason I never made a photo of it. The photos of the vegetables below were taken at a garden fête in Belfast last year.

Prep Time: 20 to 60 min depending how many portions are needed

Ingredients:

for approx 4-8 people depending on the size of the vegetables

1 small very fresh and firm cauliflower

2 carrots

1 gourgete

1 red/yellow pepper

1 leek

1 large eating apple/ pink lady or similar

1 Ts cut chives

½ tsp dried dill ( or 1 Tsp fresh dill)

2 portions of a normal vinaigrette dressing (1 Ts vinegar to 3 Ts rapeseed oil/sunflower, ½ tsp salt, pepper to taste)

Method:

1. Cut the cauliflower, carrots, gourgete into small pieces

2. Cut the leek into fine rings

3. Cut the apple into small pieces with the peel on

4. Mix the vegetables with the dressing and the dill

decorate with  chopped chives

Note: 

The salad can be prepared a few hours before using it. Just add the dressings shortly before serving. Depending on the size of the individual vegetable, adjust the dressing to suit.

 Only use absolutely fresh vegetables

Salads Dressings

Salad Dressings

A salad dressing should always enhance the flavour of the salad and should not drown the individual taste of the ingredients.

Oils

selection of green leaves and strawberries with French dressing

For most vegetable salads involving green leaves a light oil is preferable, Rapeseed/or Sunflower oil, is best suited.

For specific salads involving Asian herbs and spices, Peanut oil or Sesame oil can be used.

Using a mixture of leaves and other ingredients, a Virgin olive oil, or some of the Nut oils, like Walnut, Hazelnut, Oils with herbs and Spices etc. can be used.  For most salads a mixture of olive oil and  the special oil works best.

! A dressing is a good as your oil and vinegar. For everyday salads a good Rapeseed Oil or a good sunflower oil is the best to have in your cupboard.

Rape(seed)Oil (Canola)

has been established as being the best everyday oil to use in you cooking, may it be frying or in salad dressing. It can be heated to higher temperature than Olive oil and is thus safer for consumption. A lot of supermarkets carry now Rapeseed Oil. It is said to be healthier than Olive Oil.

Olive Oil 

has a very distinctive taste depending from which country it originates. The largest providers are Greece, Italy and Spain. There is a amazing amount of different ones and different prices, the dearest is not necessarily the best. Lately both Aldi and Lidl have offered better Virgin Olive Oil than the bigger supermarkets at much better prices.(according to tests done by a German TV documentary)

According to a new survey even virgin olive oil has been subjected to additives which give the oil a longer shelf life, but it might not be better for your health. The advise is to buy olive oil not from a big producer but from smaller companies. At the moment of writing this,  Aldi has a really good virgin cold pressed olive oil from a Greece monastery  for less than 5 Euro. The taste is one of the best I have tasted.

Personally I would be inclined to buy Italian or Greek rather than Spanish Olive Oil, a question of personal taste.

Vinegars

As much as oil can “kill”the taste of a salad, so can a bad vinegar. For most green leave salads and most other vegetable salads a neutral vinegar  works best as you want to taste the salad not the vinegar. Cider Vinegar or White Balsamic Vinegar are best. Some white vine vinegars have too much of an own taste, so try out which one would suit your taste best.

Modena Balsamic Vinegar has been on the market for the last decade or so and is mostly associated with Italian dishes and salads where tomatoes are the main ingredient. Like with the Oils there are many differences in the quality of the Vinegar. The price range is vast from less than 3 Euro to 15 Euro for less than 1/2l.

Some of the cheap ones are very vinegary, aka very sour and it will be hard to get a nice dressing. Often good balsamic vinegars come in small bottles. Again the discounters Aldi and Lidl have small bottles on offer which are surprisingly good.

As with the Oil try out a few different vinegars to find the one you like.

In your cupboard you should have a good Rapeseed Oil, a good Olive Oil, a good White Vinegar (Cider or Balsamic) and a good Modena Balsamic Vinegar. With these you can produce a really nice tasting dressing any time.

Recipes

Vinaigrette  ( simple oil/vinegar dressing)

carrot salad with mango on lettuce (vinaigrette with dill)

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon cider/white balsamic vinegar

3 Tsp Rapeseed Oil/Sunflower Oil

½ tsp salt ( sea salt, if possible use a herb salt  less salt!!)

Black freshly ground pepper

1 crushed clove of  garlic (optional)

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients together!!

Variations:

French Dressing: 1 tsp of Dijon mustard , ½ tsp sugar (unbleached, organic if possible)

Cream Dressing: 1Tsp fresh cut herbs (Dill, parsley etc.) ½ cup fresh cream, 1 tsp. sugar.

Yoghurt/Crème Fraiche Dressing: 1 tsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp sugar, ½ cup plain yoghurt, ½ crème fraiche, 1 Tsp mayonnaise, fresh herbs (optional)

Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon  Balsamic Vinegar ( see note above)

3 Tsp Olive Oil

1 tsp salt

Ground black pepper to taste

1 crushed clove of garlic

Method:

Mix all ingredients together until you have smooth syrupy consistency

Light salad dressing

Ingredients:

¼ l vegetable stock (cooled)

1Ts red/white wine vinegar ( or White Balsamic vinegar)

Pepper to taste

Method:

Mix all ingredients together 

This dressing is often used for mixed salads which include Potatoes or Rice or Pasta

Note:

There are a lot of novelty oils and vinegars available, try them out on small quantities!

For most salads the rule is: Keep it as simple as possible and let the salad ingredients “talk”

Tasty soup in minutes

Thai Noodle Soup (Annegret's version)

I find that this soup is the only food I can eat when I have a bad cold or do not have any appetite for whatever reason. It very easy and quick to make!

Ingredients

picture shows soup with chicken pieces

1 medium sized onion diced
1 handful fresh button mushrooms cut
or a small tin of mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp diced fresh Ginger
3/4 l chicken stock
2-3 EL light or dark Sojasauce
Fresh Coriander  to taste( or 1 Tbsp dried coriander)
A little Rapeseed/Sunflower oil
Handful small Asian noodles

Method

1. Lightly fry onion, mushrooms, garlic and ginger
2. Add the chicken stock and soya sauce and simmer for approx. 15 min.
3. Add the coriander and some chili.
4. Add the noodles 5 min. before serving

Note: If you want a more substantial soup add some diced chicken breast before adding chicken stock and simmer for 25 min.

Corn patties

Corn Patties

What to do when friends of your children are vegetarians? You try to find interesting and different recipes. The following recipe I found in a Vegetarian Thai cooking book  many years ago and it is still one of my favourite vegetarian starters. It is not only very tasty but also quick and easy to make.

Cooking time 5 min/ prep.time 15min

Ingredients

1 can of Sweet Corn
2 med. onion chopped
1 tsp curry powder
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ground coriander
Some chopped parsley/ or chives
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Salt to taste
1 large egg
4 Tbsp oil

Cooking Instructions

1. Lightly mash the corn in a bowl
2. Add all the ingredients except the oil and mix well
3. Drop spoonful of mixture in pan with heated oil, lightly flatten with back of spoon
4. Fry  each side  for approx. 4 min.

Eat while still warm and serve with sweet chili sauce

NOTE: don't turn patties too early. 

Quick Stir Fry

Quick Stir Fry

Preparation time: 10 min, cooking time: 2-3 min

Ingredients

Use any mixture of vegetables.
The amount depends on  whether this is to be a meal in itself or  a side dish.
This particular mixture was used as a side dish to fried fish.

2 carrot, 2 leeks, 1 onion, 1 red pepper, 125 g fresh spinach

Some rapeseed oil, 2 Tbsp light soya oil, some pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. Clean the vegetables and cut them into thin strips, the carrots can be shaved with a vegetable peeler.
2. Just before you want to serve the fish or meat, heat up the oil in the wok
3. Add all the vegetables and quickly fry the vegetables not longer than 2-3 min
4. Add the spinach just a minute before serving.
5. Add the light Soya Sauce and serve immediately.

This stir fry is especially nice with pan fried fish, lemon sole, plaice, Brill etc.

Note:  Spinach be exchanged with more peppers and/or mushrooms, cabbage etc. Just be carfeful not to overfill the wok.