Attempt #53: Pork chops with prosciutto, apple & Stilton

Yummy, yummy yummy. And just put that calories scale away just this once.

The Result:

Definitely mouth watering….well, anyone who loves cheese will love this recipe. However, securing the prosciutto with a rosemary sprig was a little tricky. I couldn’t really get that done right hence in terms of presentation of the dish, it was a F. But taste wise, it was still an A+ to me! :) 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Lay out 3 slices of the prosciutto so they overlap. Repeat with the rest of the prosciutto so you have 4 piles.

Put a frying pan over a high heat. Season the chops well with salt and pepper, then sear in the hot pan on both sides. Place a seared chop on top of each pile of prosciutto. Divide the sliced apple and Stilton between the prosciutto piles, on top of the pork.

Wrap the prosciutto around each of the pork, apple and Stilton parcels to hold it all in place. Secure each with a rosemary sprig. Place the prosciutto parcels on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. Serve with mashed potato and cooking juices from the parcels.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 slices quality prosciutto
• 4 higher-welfare pork chops, French trimmed and all fat removed
• 1 small red apple, cored and sliced
• 75 g Stilton cheese, crumbled
• 4 small rosemary sprigs, to skewer

Attempt #52: Quick crispy chicken with tomatoes & broccolini

Jamie declared that this is really a quick and simple meal to make. I can now attest to that statement as not only it is that simple and quick to make, it is yummy yummy yummy.

Jamie suggested using olives, anchovies or sun-dried tomatoes to add a bit of saltiness and extra flavour.

The Result:

It was indeed a very yummy combination of ingredients but the chicken did not turn out to be ‘crispy’ per se. I used skinless chicken as suggested in the recipe and it got me wondering if one can crisp chicken without skin as this attempt did not give me crispy chicken although it had been sold/mentioned that way in Jaime’s recipe. Hence, I did some research after I attempted this recipe and generally, one got to either dunked skinless chicken in egg mixture, flour it or bread it to get it all crispy. Good learning though! J

And oh yeah, I used anchovies for the saltiness and it works really well.

Method:

Place a large pan on a high heat. Lay your chicken breasts on a board and cut three incisions into each one like fingers, going all the way through the breast but leaving about 1cm joined at the top. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Snap the woody ends off of the asparagus spears. Add a splash of olive oil to the pan, followed by the chicken, pancetta and asparagus. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken and asparagus are cooked through, turning halfway. Lift the pancetta on top of the chicken once golden and crispy.

Move the chicken, bacon or pancetta and asparagus to one side of the pan then throw in the tomatoes, olives, basil leaves and butter. Reduce to a low heat and add a splash of wine to help make a sauce. Leave to bubble away and thicken for a couple of minutes. Use tongs to divide the chicken, bacon or pancetta, asparagus and most of the tomatoes between your plates. Squash the remaining tomatoes, mixing them with the lovely juices in the pan, then drizzle over the chicken before serving.

Serves 2

Ingredients

·         2 x 120 g free-range, skinless chicken breasts

·         sea salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

·         1 bunch of asparagus

·         olive oil

·         4 rashers of higher-welfare pancetta

·         250 g cherry tomatoes, halved

·         5 black olives, destoned

·         a couple of sprigs of fresh basil, leaves picked

·         a small knob of butter

   a splash of white wine 

Attempt #51: Avocado, Pancetta & Pine Nut salad

I started my attempts with Jamie Oliver’s recipes last year out of one goal that is to test out if anyone can cook if we try. After 50 attempts (and counting), I can vouch for that and do believe that anyone can cook. We may not be great sous- chefs but with the right combination of ingredients and more importantly fresh ingredients, the meal can turn out to be pretty good if not decent.

Here’s a surprisingly yummy salad that anyone can whipped out in a matter of minutes – the combination of the ingredients were just perfect. 

The result:

As long as the pancetta is nicely fried and not burnt, the avocado and spinach leaves are fresh and you if have good quality pine nuts, this is simply one of the easiest and most delicious salads to make. 

Method:

Heat a frying pan and fry the pancetta slices till crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, lightly toast the pine nuts. 

Make your dressing by combining 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Taste to make sure your dressing is balanced – add a little more oil or vinegar if you need to. 

On serving plates, lay out the avocado. Sprinkle over the spinach leaves, pancetta and toasted pine nuts. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle over your dressing. Great served with some warm crusty bread and a lovely glass of wine.

Ingredients: 

(Serves 6)

·         12 slices pancetta

·         50 g pine nuts

·         balsamic vinegar

·         good-quality extra virgin olive oil

·         sea salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

·         6 ripe avocados, stoned, peeled and quartered

·         4 big handfuls baby spinach, washed

Attempt #50: Best-ever fruit crumble…is in savouring it with family and friends

This attempt was more of an attempt to taste a JO recipe baked by a friend and her hubs. It was their 1^st attempt at a JO dessert and while they felt that the crumble topping didn’t seem to be caramelizing as perfect as it should be, it was perfectly delicious to the rest of us. There are many variations of apple crumble but the best-est will be home made with love and served with friends.

A principal fruit of friendship, is the ease and discharge of the fulness and swellings of the heart, which passions of all kinds do cause and induce. We know diseases of stoppings, and suffocations, are the most dangerous in the body; and it is not much otherwise in the mind; you may take sarza to open the liver, steel to open the spleen, flowers of sulphur for the lungs, castoreum for the brain; but no receipt openeth the heart, but a true friend; to whom you may impart griefs, joys, fears, hopes, suspicions, counsels, and whatsoever lieth upon the heart to oppress it, in a kind of civil shrift or confession

-          - Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Serves 6

Ingredients

·         For the crumble

• 225 g plain flour
• 90 g caster sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 115 g unsalted butter

·         For the filling

• 100 g sugar
• 100 ml water
• 4 nice ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 5 pieces stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
• juice and zest of plus extra for serving 1

Method

Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, salt and ginger.

Cut the cold butter into chunks and rub it into the flour mix with your hands until you get a mixture that looks a bit like fine breadcrumbs. This is the crumble topping.

To make the filling, boil the water and sugar together, then carefully drop in the pear chunks and simmer gently for a couple of minutes.

Add the chopped ginger and the lime zest and juice to the pan and stir. Spoon the mixture into one large ovenproof dish or four small ones.

Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the fruit, piling it high in the middle of the dish and leaving space at the edge for the caramel to bubble up.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the pears are cooked and bubbling and the crumble is golden on top. Serve with custard or a dollop of crème fraîche with lime zest grated over, if you like.

Tip: This crumble will work well with apples instead, if you prefer.

Attempt #49: Roast Lamb

My first attempt at man handling and cooking a leg of lamb! Although the recipe and method is pretty similar to the earlier roast chicken, the tricky part is in not over or under-cook the lamb.

The result:

The lamb was initially under-cooked when I first took it out from the oven. Hence, I pop the lamb back into the oven but the lamb became a tad over-cooked. It was not as tender as I hoped for.

 Ingredients

• 4.5 pounds leg of lamb
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 1 bulb garlic
• olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture

Attempt #48: A cracking burger

To quote Jamie, “there's nothing better than a homemade burger. They're easy to make and once you've mastered this tasty basic recipe, you can make it your own with different herbs, spices and toppings. The sky's the limit – that's why cooking is so exciting.”

Here’s my experience…

Yes, there’s nothing better than a homemade burger but only when you’ve ‘mastered the basic recipe’. Emphasis on the word ‘mastered’ J

It can be a little tricky to make a perfect looking burger.

The result:

While it does taste pretty decent, all my burgers were burnt or rather looked burnt and scrawny. I wonder how the burger joints make all their burgers look exactly the same??

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 12 Jacob's cream crackers
• 8 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 500 g quality minced pork
• 1 large free-range egg
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 1 round lettuce
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3-4 gherkins (or pickled cucumber)
• 6 good-quality or fresh burger buns

·         Optional:

• 6 slices Cheddar cheese, optional
• 2 heaped tablespoons Dijon mustard, optional

Method

To make your burger:

Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands, and put them into a large bowl.
Finely chop the parsley, including the stalks. Add the parsley, mustard, if using, and minced beef to the bowl. Crack in the egg and add a good pinch of salt and pepper.
With clean hands, scrunch and mix everything up well. Divide into 6 and pat and mould each piece into a roundish shape about 2cm thick. Drizzle the burgers with oil, put on a plate, cover and place in the fridge until needed (this helps them to firm up).

To cook your burger:

Preheat a large griddle or frying pan for about 4 minutes on a high heat. Turn the heat down to medium.
Place the burgers on the griddle or in the pan and use a spatula to lightly press down on them, making sure the burger is in full contact. Cook them to your liking for 3 or 4 minutes on each side – you may need to cook them in two batches.

To serve your burger:

Wash and dry a few small lettuce leaves, tearing up the larger ones. Slice the tomatoes. Peel and finely slice the red onion. Slice the gherkins lengthways as finely as you can. Place all this on a platter and put in the middle of the table with plates, cutlery, ketchup and drinks.
Remove your burgers to another plate and carefully wipe your pan or griddle clean with kitchen paper. Halve your burger buns and lightly toast them on the griddle or in the pan. Also great with a chopped salad.

Attempt #47: Baked Cod with Avocado, Shrimp, Cream and Cheese

The combination of cod, prawn and avocado is already fantastic to begin with. The recipe calls for baking this mouth watering combination with cream and cheese.
 
The result:

 

It does look very appetizing. However, I find that the cream and cheese was just too strong for Cod. Cod by itself is already a very smooth, creamy fish and I feel that we should enjoy its natural flavour and texture without the zing and zang of all the cheese and cream.

 

Ingredients (Serve 2):

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 8oz cod fillets, skinned and pin boned

1 small handful of fresh basil, ripped

1 Avocado, peeled, pitted, halved and sliced

5 1/2 oz good peeled shrimp, cooked or uncooked

½ cup plus 2 tablespoon heavy cream

5 1/2 oz good Cheddar cheese

 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Rub a baking dish or roasting pan with a little olive oil, season the cod on both sides and palce in the dish. Sprinkle the fillets with the basil, avocado and shrimp. Drizzle over the cream and grate over the cheese. Cook at the top of the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Season to taste with dea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve simply with a green salad.

Attempt #46: Sesame Seed Toffee Snaps

Before attempting this recipe, I would not have known that making this sweet caramel munchy would be this simple.

However, while it may be simple, it can get a little tad tricky if this is your first attempt. The tricky part lies in the process of cooking the sugar syrup and the spreading of the sesame seed caramel.

The result:

 

Overall, pretty awesome munchy to go with ice-cream or hot chocolate or tea or coffee or pudding or just on its own. Pretty much anything. J

The nuttiness of the sesame seeds tames the sweetness a bit. Plus, by making this on our own, we can manage the amount of sugar being used.

 

Ingredients:

1lb sugar

7oz pack of sesame seeds

Method:

Put your sugar and 8-10 tablespoons of water into a pan on medium heat. Sue a spoon to stir together - a few times until it comes to the boil and it will become a syrup. Carry on cooking until light golden (but dont stir too much or sugar crystal will form in your syrup.

When the syrup reaches a light golden color, pour in the sesame seeds. Swirl the pan around a bit so that the seeds get coated, but remember not to stir. Continue to cook until the color is dark golden. Immediately pour out onto a silpat (or a nonstick pan that has been oiled). Use a palette knife to spread it out until it is ~¼" in thickness...or even thinner, if you can. Let it sit and cool for ~15 minutes. Now you one big slab of brittle ready to break into shards and bits.