Category: European

Filet de porc en crôute

  • pork fillet
    Trim and add sage

Serves two

Ingredients

The pork

1 pork fillet (about 250 g)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
teaspoon dried sage
3 long, wide pieces of prosciutto
1 tablespoon oil
1-2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
beaten egg
parsley sprigs to garnish

Mushroom sauce:

30 g (1 oz) butter or margarine 60 g (2 oz) mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons plain flour 1\ cups chicken stock
pinch of ground mace

Directions:

  1. Trim the fillet, cut in halt and put one piece on top of the other.
  2. Season lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle with sage.
  3. Wrap the prosciutto around the pork and secure with toothpicks
    if necessary.
  4. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
  5. Add the pork and brown it all over for about 10 minutes.
  6. Remove and cool.
  7. Roll out the pastry dough thinly if necessary.
  8. Cook an oblong piece of pastry  that will fit underneath the pork fillet. This is necessary to absorb the cooking juices and stop the underside of the pastry going soggy when the whole lot is cooked.
  9. Take the toothpicks out of the pork.
  10. Place the pork on top of the cooked piece of pastry and wrap with the uncooked dough around to enclose completely.
  11. Dampen the edges and press well together to seal.
  12. Place on a dampened baking sheet, seam underneath, and decorate with the dough trimmings.
  13. Glaze with the beaten egg and cook in a preheated hot oven (200C) for 15 minutes.
  14. Reduce the temperature to  moderate (180C) and continue cooking for 20 to 25
    minutes.
  15. Just before the pork is ready, make the sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Gradually stir in the stock and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Add the mace

Serve with the pork, cut into slices.

Garnish with parsley.

Moussaka (Gluten Free)

moussaka

This is a combo dish officially approved by the family. It will serve six easily and probably eight without leftovers depending on how hungry everyone is.

 

INGREDIENTS

5  large eggplant, sliced 1cm thick
Qty garlic salt
Olive oil
1kg beef mince
500g pork mince
(note Moussaka is traditionally made with lamb mince – but this combination works well)
3 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons tomato paste or more as you taste
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tins diced tomato
1½ cup beef  stock
5 medium potatoes, nearly cooked, sliced
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
60g butter
60g flour
½ litre milk or as required
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1½ cup grated  parmesan cheese
1/3 cup corn flake crumbs

METHOD

  1. Mix the mince together
  2. Heat half tbsp oil in a deep frying pan and cook the mince in two batches,separating the mince with a spatula
  3. Place batches in a colander to cool and drain over a bowl – keep the juices
  4. Put more oil in the pan and cook the onions and garlic until soft and brown.
  5. Add tomato paste, cinnamon, salt, pepper, oregano, allspice.
  6. Cook and stir for a minute
  7. Add crumbled (between your fingers to make it fine) mince mixture and any juices
  8. Add diced tomatoes and stock and cook for around 40 minutes or when the sauce is thick and tasty
  9. Stir in parsley when cooking time is finished
  10. Meanwhile, cook potatoes for five minutes in microwave and sllce 5mm thick, when cool
  11. Fry eggplant on bbq (it’s quicker) with olive oil and garlic salt and drain on paper towel
  12. Assemble the moussaka in a 43 cm lasagne dish by putting down a layer of potato, eggplant, mince, eggplant, mince, eggplant.
  13. Make a bechamel sauce by heating the butter gently in a pan, adding the sifted flout gradually until it forms a dough mixture, then gradually add milk until it makes a thick sauce.
  14. Add nutmeg salt and pepper to the sauce and pour over the assembled moussaka.
  15. Mix the cheese and breadcrumbs and distribute evenly over the top of the moussaka
  16. Cook at 180C in the oven for around 40 minutes, checking halfway through the process.

Serve with a salad, crusty bread and lots of wine.

 

Veal Parmigiana

This is a fantastic recipe from Jo Turnbull on taste.com. You can find it here

Mods include adding a strip of prosciutto on top of each shnitz and spicing up the tomato a bit with home grown chilli

Glasgow Katie’s Spag Bol

Spaghetti Bolognese

50g (2oz) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
25g (loz) diced mushrooms (optional)
125g (4oz) pancetta or unsalted bacon, finely chopped
350g (12oz) minced beef, pork or veal, or a mixture
300ml (1/2pint) dry Red wine
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons tomato paste
300ml (1/2 pint) meat stock –

Heat the butter and oil in a deep saucepan, add the vegetables and fry until they soften and brown lightly.

Add the pancetta and minced meat and fry until the meat changes colour. Moisten with wine, simmer until it evaporates, then add seasoning, tomato paste and a little stock.

Cook slowly, covered, stirring occasionally and gradually stirring in all the stock.
Serve with tagliatelle.