Rainy, Recession Dishes for a Wintery Summer

Sometimes when I am shopping in my local supermarket I come across meat at a really reduced price that I can't resist.  Often they are cuts I would never normally buy so I challenge myself to try and make something tasty with them.

I love lamb but hate the the taste of mutton and a few times I have been caught out buying mutton dressed as lamb so to speak.

I almost never buy shoulder chops as I prefer loin.  But the other day I came across a packet of 4 big lamb shoulder chops at a substantially reduced price and as it was the weekend of my Seven Week Odyssey (diet) I decided to try and make a curry but reducing the calories.

The curry paste was made up as follows:
1 large onion finely chopped or buzzed in a blender preferably with 2 fat cloves of garlic and a piece of ginger the size of your thumb.  Add a good pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sunflower oil.

Remove this mix and add to the blender 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon of fennel, mustard seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek.  Buzz these until crushed and add to the onion mix above.

Mix in 1 teaspoon of turmeric, chilli powder (more if you like it spicy), ground cumin, coriander, garam masala, 5 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 curry leaves, 5 cardamon pods and a small piece of cinnamon stick.  I also add a red chilli chopped with the seeds.

Trim excess fat off the meat and spread the paste on both sides of the chops and leave overnight or at least 3 hours covered loosely with cling film in fridge.

Scrape the paste off the meat and reserve. Sear the chops on a hot pan and set aside. Add the paste to the pan and stir for a few minutes as heating the spices releases the flavours.

Add the meat back into the spice paste and just cover with water.  

Simmer for approximately an hour.

When the meat has become tender, add 1 sachet of creamed coconut.  When adding it stir continuously to prevent it splitting.  The sauce will thicken. Just before serving add a good handful of finely chopped spinach.


I either serve with a small portion of basmati rice and/or a naan bread and some poppadoms cooked in the microwave.

All curries are far nicer cooked with meat on the bone and also left overnight before serving.  Nigella seeds are available in Sainsburys in Newry or Asia Market, Drury St.                                                               


Tags: curry, lamb shoulder chops, creamed coconut

Jarret de Porc

Jarret de porc also know as a pork hock i.e. a hock that has not been brined.  I bought one from my local butcher weighing 1kg for €1.

A hock this size feeds two people adequately so it is really economical.

Marinate the hock overnight with 500ml of dry cider or a craft beer (O'Hara's ale).  Add some chopped onion, celery, carrot and a bay leaf to the marinade.

Next day strain off the marinate and place in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum that rises to the top and reserve the skimmed liquid.


Fry off more veg of your choice (carrot, celery, onion, garlic and some fresh herbs such as thyme and sage) and transfer to a casserole with the skimmed cider/beer.  Pat the hock dry and sear it on a hot pan.  Place it in the pot.  Add 150ml of chicken or veal stock, season and place in oven for 2-3 hours or until the meat falls off the bone.

Tags: jarret de porc, pork hock, O'Haras

Little Balls of Heaven

I love meatballs and have experimented with many different recipes to finally achieve what I believe are the best ever.



I use a 50:50 beef and pork. I find the beef needs to be lean and the pork less so.  Preferably mince your own and use the best quality you can afford.





250g each minced beef and pork
1 medium red onion finely chopped with 1 clove garlic softened in some butter
A good handful of chopped herbs (I used sage, oregano and mint)
1 egg to bind if required
Salt and pepper
1 pack of fresh Mozzarella

Mix all the ingredients together when the onion and garlic mix have cooled.  Make a well in the centre of the meat ball and place a piece of mozzarella in it. Form the meat until it encloses the cheese.
                                                                   
                                                                 
Seal the meatballs on a hot pan.  If you are serving with a tomato sauce and pasta, they can be cooked through when transferred into the sauce.  If not then they must be cooked through on the pan but not overcooked or they will become like dry bullets.  Some of the mozzarella may ooze out but it becomes browned and it is delicious. 

This recipe makes enough for 3-4 depending on appetite.  Serve with a tomato sauce made from either fresh tomatoes or a tin of good quality peeled plum tomatoes cooked down with some onion, garlic and fresh herbs, a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of red wine.  Serve with tagliatelle or new potatoes and vegetables if preferred.






Tags: Meatballs  Pork and Beef Recipes  Food  

Seven Week Odyssey to Skinny

Week one has started of my seven week odyssey - which is defined as "an intellectual or spiritual quest".  Actually, odyssey is maybe the wrong word but I have to make it seem like an adventure and not a miserable experience.  I want to diet to lose a stone in the next seven weeks or 49 days or at least an average of 2lbs a week.  Then if I get to that target I hope to go on and lose a bit more; but one step at a time.  Why I am doing this is, because I have prevaricated and messed about with it for too long now - starting and stopping after a couple of weeks with no target to aim for.  Plus by posting this on my blog I hope it will shame me into keeping it up and not giving up heart if I don't reach my target on time.

I am following the Weight Watchers Pro-Points Programme.  I have joined Weight Watchers a few times and have always given up in frustration at the nutritional advice they dole out.  The final straw last time was telling dieters to use an oil-concoction-replacement-chemical spray instead of a healthy teaspoon of an olive or rape seed oil.  Plus advising buying fake bacon and promoting bars with hefty doses of hydrogenated fats and other nasties.  I wanted to scream several times at the meetings at the level of nutritional ignorance by the leaders.

So this is day 3 of week 1 and I am aiming for a 22 point daily intake plus a very vigorous walk for 50 minutes minimum which gives me another 3 points to play around with.

So far for breakfast I have had organic Kilbeggan porridge approx 50g cooked in water with low fat milk and muscovado sugar and a freshly squeezed orange for breakfast.  I have as much tea, coffee and water as I feel like.

For lunch I have variations on a salad theme with no bread and I use my own homemade dressing with olive oil and measure it out by teaspoon instead of the usual big dollop!

Snacks are seeds, nuts and fruit.

Dinner consists of meat or fish, lots of veg usually up to 5 or 6 different portions and maybe a medium potato or some rice.  I am trying to avoid pasta and other refined carbohydrates.

At the weekend I am going to splash out on a really good red wine and allow myself a bottle spread out over Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday, depending on my restraint! 

I hope to devise some nice meal recipes and post them as I go along, but here's a quickie.

Spicy Bean Stew
1 400g can of mixed beans
1 small onion
1 stick celery
1 carrot
1 clove garlic
Thyme, sage and parsley chopped
Salt and pepper
4 thick good quality sausages (i.e. low fat and 80%+ lean e.g. Oldfarm)
100ml chicken stock
1/2 tin tomatoes
1 tsp of spicy sauce (Holy Fuck)

Sauté all vegetables in a teaspoon of rapeseed/olive oil.  Dry fry sausages, dab in kitchen paper and slice.  Add to vegetables.  Add beans drained and rinsed, stock and tomatoes.  Season and simmer for 30 minutes.  By my calculations this should serve 2-3 people and will not be more than 7 pro-points/serving.  Serve with a mash of root vegetables or extra green veg rather than potatoes or bread.

Tags:
Spicy Bean Stew,Sausage, Diet Weight Watchers, Low Calorie Kilbeggan, Holy Fuck