We attempted to eat this with chopsticks. Lots of noodles went on the floor, but you had great fun.
You'll need:
a couple of boneless pork steaks, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornflour
vegetables - we used peppers, onions and carrots (yes, not particularly Chinese I know, but it was whatever we had in the fridge)
First of all, stick your pork, a teaspoon of soy sauce, sugar, rice wine and cornflour all in a bowl, and leave to marinate. You could do this a while before you need it (overnight even), and just leave it in the fridge.
Slice your veg into strips. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil (preferably sunflower or vegetable) in a frying pan/wok on a very high heat, and then stir fry the pork for a couple of minutes (or until it colours). Take out, set aside and keep warm.
In the meantime, add the veg to the wok, and stir fry for another couple of minutes. Chuck the pork back in, add a little water (or stock if you have it to hand) and cook for a minute. Pour in the rest of the soy sauce, mix well, and then serve.
We ate ours with noodles, but it'd be equally good with rice.
Showing posts with label mediterranean vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mediterranean vegetables. Show all posts
06 February 2009
04 January 2009
Vegetable lasagne
This rounded off a day of playing in tents (artfully constructed from a couple of blankets and some living room chairs), and a trip to the Winter Gardens in Sunderland. I think I prefer the bolognese version, but there were a whole load of veggies in the fridge desperate to be eaten.
You'll need:
2 onions, finely sliced
a pepper, sliced
a few mushrooms, quartered
a really large courgette (or a couple of smaller ones), sliced into rings
a carrot or two, sliced thinly lengthways
tin of chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
dried thyme, mixed herbs and black pepper
lots of grated cheese
sheets of lasagne (dried, not fresh)
1/4 pint of milk
a tablespoon of flour
a large knob of butter
grated nutmeg
Stick your oven on at about 180 degrees C.
First of all, you need to make your tomato/vegetable sauce. It takes a while to simmer, so I did this at lunchtime, because I knew I wouldn't have time later on.
Fry the onions in a little olive oil until they're soft and translucent. Add the peppers and carrot, and fry until they soften, chucking in the mushrooms after a few minutes (you may need to add some extra olive oil).
Tip in the tin of tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree, and the thyme, mixed herbs and black pepper. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for ages - at least half an hour. It'll cope quite happily with up to 1.5 hours, but you'll probably need to add some extra water at some point.
Take your oven-proof dish, and cover the bottom with a layer of courgette slices. Top with half the tomato sauce, and a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat - you'll end up with the pasta on the top.
You'll then need to make your white/bechamel sauce. Chuck the butter in a non-stick pan and let it melt. Add the flour, and mix to a smooth paste. Gently and gradually add the milk in small stages, beating any lumps in the paste out with a wooden spoon. Once all the milk's incorporated, grate a little nutmeg into the sauce, and leave on a very low heat to thicken (be careful it doesn't start to boil). If you haven't got time for all this shenanigans, you could always just use some creme fraiche.
Pour the sauce over the top of the lasagne sheets - ideally you want enough that it runs down the sides and into the lower layers. Season with lots of black pepper, sprinkle with lots of grated cheese, and put in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.
Eat while piping hot - it goes well with a crisp green salad.
You'll need:
2 onions, finely sliced
a pepper, sliced
a few mushrooms, quartered
a really large courgette (or a couple of smaller ones), sliced into rings
a carrot or two, sliced thinly lengthways
tin of chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
dried thyme, mixed herbs and black pepper
lots of grated cheese
sheets of lasagne (dried, not fresh)
1/4 pint of milk
a tablespoon of flour
a large knob of butter
grated nutmeg
Stick your oven on at about 180 degrees C.
First of all, you need to make your tomato/vegetable sauce. It takes a while to simmer, so I did this at lunchtime, because I knew I wouldn't have time later on.
Fry the onions in a little olive oil until they're soft and translucent. Add the peppers and carrot, and fry until they soften, chucking in the mushrooms after a few minutes (you may need to add some extra olive oil).
Tip in the tin of tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree, and the thyme, mixed herbs and black pepper. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for ages - at least half an hour. It'll cope quite happily with up to 1.5 hours, but you'll probably need to add some extra water at some point.
Take your oven-proof dish, and cover the bottom with a layer of courgette slices. Top with half the tomato sauce, and a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat - you'll end up with the pasta on the top.
You'll then need to make your white/bechamel sauce. Chuck the butter in a non-stick pan and let it melt. Add the flour, and mix to a smooth paste. Gently and gradually add the milk in small stages, beating any lumps in the paste out with a wooden spoon. Once all the milk's incorporated, grate a little nutmeg into the sauce, and leave on a very low heat to thicken (be careful it doesn't start to boil). If you haven't got time for all this shenanigans, you could always just use some creme fraiche.
Pour the sauce over the top of the lasagne sheets - ideally you want enough that it runs down the sides and into the lower layers. Season with lots of black pepper, sprinkle with lots of grated cheese, and put in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.
Eat while piping hot - it goes well with a crisp green salad.
06 November 2008
Mediterranean fish stew
It's been one of those drizzly, mizzly sort of days, that's only cheered up by a bowl of steaming warmth and Captain Jack Wakeman.
You'll need:
fish (I used a couple of trout fillets, cut into chunks)
two tins of tomatoes
whatever potatoes you have left in the cupboard
a couple of green peppers
a few mushrooms
two onions
1/3 jar of black olives
a clove of garlic
salt, pepper, oregano
Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, until it's softened. Add the peppers and mushrooms, and cook for a couple of minutes until they start to go soft too. Add the potatoes, and cook for another couple of minutes.
Bung in the tins of tomatoes, the olives and lots of seasonings, bring to the boil, and then simmer for 45 minutes or so, until the potatoes are soft, and you have a beautiful tomato-y sauce.
Add the fish, and simmer gently for another 10 minutes or so, until it's cooked (it might cook quicker, depending on the size of your chunks, so keep an eye on it).
Serve with some buttered couscous.
You'll need:
fish (I used a couple of trout fillets, cut into chunks)
two tins of tomatoes
whatever potatoes you have left in the cupboard
a couple of green peppers
a few mushrooms
two onions
1/3 jar of black olives
a clove of garlic
salt, pepper, oregano
Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, until it's softened. Add the peppers and mushrooms, and cook for a couple of minutes until they start to go soft too. Add the potatoes, and cook for another couple of minutes.
Bung in the tins of tomatoes, the olives and lots of seasonings, bring to the boil, and then simmer for 45 minutes or so, until the potatoes are soft, and you have a beautiful tomato-y sauce.
Add the fish, and simmer gently for another 10 minutes or so, until it's cooked (it might cook quicker, depending on the size of your chunks, so keep an eye on it).
Serve with some buttered couscous.
13 August 2008
Roast vegetables, feta and couscous
It's another 'chop lots of things up then bung in the oven and wait for a bit' recipe. Your dad's favourite, actually, though he prefers his with pasta rather than couscous.
First of all, you'll need some vegetables to roast - today's included:
half a butternut squash
a pepper
a couple of onions
a couple of large tomatoes that were in the reduced to clear section cos they were slightly squishy
Courgettes are always good, as are baby tomatoes, pieces of carrot, red onions, parsnips...depends on the time of year, really.
Anyway, stick the oven on hot - 200 degrees C or so, chop everything up to roughly the same size, drizzle with lots of olive oil and season with lots of black pepper. You could make this herby by adding some dried Mediterranean herbs, or spicy if you add some chilli flakes or chopped up fresh chillies. If you add a stick or two of cinnamon and some star anise, it starts to turn a little more Middle Eastern.
Roast until the squash is squishy (I've always wanted to say that). Chop some feta cheese into large chunks, and make some couscous. If your roast vegetables are on the plainer side, you could add some ras al hanout to the couscous to make it more interesting. Assemble on a plate, and then serve.
We ate ours in front of the telly, while watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. You were long since fast asleep...
First of all, you'll need some vegetables to roast - today's included:
half a butternut squash
a pepper
a couple of onions
a couple of large tomatoes that were in the reduced to clear section cos they were slightly squishy
Courgettes are always good, as are baby tomatoes, pieces of carrot, red onions, parsnips...depends on the time of year, really.
Anyway, stick the oven on hot - 200 degrees C or so, chop everything up to roughly the same size, drizzle with lots of olive oil and season with lots of black pepper. You could make this herby by adding some dried Mediterranean herbs, or spicy if you add some chilli flakes or chopped up fresh chillies. If you add a stick or two of cinnamon and some star anise, it starts to turn a little more Middle Eastern.
Roast until the squash is squishy (I've always wanted to say that). Chop some feta cheese into large chunks, and make some couscous. If your roast vegetables are on the plainer side, you could add some ras al hanout to the couscous to make it more interesting. Assemble on a plate, and then serve.
We ate ours in front of the telly, while watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. You were long since fast asleep...
02 August 2008
Mediterranean vegetables, halloumi and couscous
I made this a while ago when your Gran and Grandpa were here, but then I gave Gran the vegetarian cookery book I filched the recipe from, so I've no idea if this is the same thing or not.
Makes enough for four:
an onion, sliced
a clove of garlic, chopped
two peppers (red/yellow/green/orange - doesn't really matter), sliced into chunks
a courgette, sliced
some mushrooms, quartered
(you could also add aubergine, or whatever else is lying around)
a tin of tomatoes, and a squirt of tomato puree
herbs - some thyme, oregano, mediterranean herbs - whatever you've got really
couscous (about 1/4 of a 500g bag - depends how greedy the people are that you're cooking for, I suppose)
a block of Greek halloumi cheese (couple of hundred grams or so...)
Fry the onions and garlic in some olive oil until they are translucent. Add the peppers, cook for a couple of minutes until they soften, and then bung in the courgette and mushrooms (you might have to add a little more olive oil at this point. Cook for a couple more minutes, then add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, a screw of black pepper and a teaspoon of herbs. Simmer for a while - it's probably edible after 20-30 minutes, but it's better when you leave it for an hour.
The halloumi's really nice if you slice it, and put it into a greased griddle pan (brush it with olive oil) on a high heat - you should get some nice stripes if you fry them for 30s-1 minute on each side.
For the couscous: melt a knob of butter in a saucepan, and add the couscous grains, coating thoroughly. Add boiling water - enough to cover the couscous by about a centimetre. Let it bubble away for a couple of minutes until the water has been absorbed, then stir with a fork, to break the grains up. Check how hard it is - you may have to add some more water and give it a little longer.
To serve: take four bowls, dollop some couscous in each. Slosh the mediterranean vegetables on the top, and then place three or four slices of halloumi on each portion.
Me, your gran and your grandpa had this for tea, but you said you didn't like the squeaky halloumi cheese, so yours came with a few slices of chorizo instead.
Makes enough for four:
an onion, sliced
a clove of garlic, chopped
two peppers (red/yellow/green/orange - doesn't really matter), sliced into chunks
a courgette, sliced
some mushrooms, quartered
(you could also add aubergine, or whatever else is lying around)
a tin of tomatoes, and a squirt of tomato puree
herbs - some thyme, oregano, mediterranean herbs - whatever you've got really
couscous (about 1/4 of a 500g bag - depends how greedy the people are that you're cooking for, I suppose)
a block of Greek halloumi cheese (couple of hundred grams or so...)
Fry the onions and garlic in some olive oil until they are translucent. Add the peppers, cook for a couple of minutes until they soften, and then bung in the courgette and mushrooms (you might have to add a little more olive oil at this point. Cook for a couple more minutes, then add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, a screw of black pepper and a teaspoon of herbs. Simmer for a while - it's probably edible after 20-30 minutes, but it's better when you leave it for an hour.
The halloumi's really nice if you slice it, and put it into a greased griddle pan (brush it with olive oil) on a high heat - you should get some nice stripes if you fry them for 30s-1 minute on each side.
For the couscous: melt a knob of butter in a saucepan, and add the couscous grains, coating thoroughly. Add boiling water - enough to cover the couscous by about a centimetre. Let it bubble away for a couple of minutes until the water has been absorbed, then stir with a fork, to break the grains up. Check how hard it is - you may have to add some more water and give it a little longer.
To serve: take four bowls, dollop some couscous in each. Slosh the mediterranean vegetables on the top, and then place three or four slices of halloumi on each portion.
Me, your gran and your grandpa had this for tea, but you said you didn't like the squeaky halloumi cheese, so yours came with a few slices of chorizo instead.
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