the red kitchen

Telling porkies - slow roast pork v2

Still cooking away on my 'buy 1, cook 3' theme of general thriftiness...It started with roast chicken, then oxtail stew (my mum and dad's favourite of old - how I remember sitting at the table with them while they sucked and chewed the bones), and now, tonight's deluxe menu, slow roast pork. Ever the obsessive purveyor of my site stats, I can attest that this recipe is one of my most googled recipes, after bircher muesli, banana cake, and rather perplexingly, roasted beetroot.

I haven't made slow roasted pork for ages - summer time, laziness etc. But I found a nice piece of pork the other day and vowed to slow roast it in the name of economy and general deliciousness. So I dashed home this afternoon from a friend's and seared off the meat and braised the veges and added the liquids and bunged it all in the oven for a few hours. So easy! In the past I've had trouble with the meat being too dry, but not tonight. Because I hadn't made it in so long I totally forgot that it is usually roasted with the lid off the casserole dish, and left the lid on for at least 2 hours. By the time I realised, the meat had semi-steamed/roasted itself to tender perfection - great! I took the lid off for the last hour and then replaced it when I took the dish out to rest. The result - lovely, tender, juicy pork. Delicious.

I went to all the effort (which was, if I am truthful, not very much effort at all) to make this rather fab dinner, and in the end it was just Max and I eating it - Bruno was in Basel and Lola was at her second mother's (Francis), so Max and I leisurely mashed potatoes together, strained gravy and sat down to eat our semi-solitary feast. It was lovely. And now there is a big pyrex dish full of leftovers, mellowing and mingling their flavours, ready to make a spectacular bubble and squeak, or little fried croquettes, or sandwiches, or some other such dish. Allegra, you saved my life.

The past few weeks have been rather meaty. I'm thinking its time for veg. Still got a piece of home-grown pumpkin lingering about the fridge, so I foresee some pumpkin-y goodness happening in the Kitschenette household sooner rather than later. Soup, thai curry, gnocchi - oh yes!

Foodista of the day

hey, how cool is this - today I'm the featured foodie blogger of the day over at Foodista!

thanks, Foodista people!

Herby garlic butter

Herby garlic butter, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Mash some chopped herbs, crushed garlic and sea salt flakes into softened butter. Spread onto crispy good bread for garlic bread, or place a spoonful into the hollows of big field mushrooms before grilling, or a dab onto a big ol' piece of moo moo.

Udon noodle face

Udon noodle face, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Eating miso soup with udon noodles and crispy tofu at the potluck dinner we held here last weekend for the neighbours.

Perfect oatcakes

stack o biscuits, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

I made these oaty savoury biscuits last week - perfect for smearing with cheeses and tapenades. They are Max and Bruno's favourites, with or without the cheesy business. I used to make them quite often in Sydney, but lost the recipe and didn't think about them until Bruno was organising a wine and cheese evening for some friends in Basel and requested a batch. I dug out my old recipe book from Oz, fat with newspaper clippings and print outs, and found my original, treasured recipe. It's an old one from Good Living (Feb 22, 2000!!), the Sydney Morning Herald food supplement, written by Jill Dupleix, who is a great food writer (I think she lives and writes in the UK now, but I have lost track of what she is up to. Perhaps I will see her next time on telly with her own series!!! That wouldn't surprise me in the least). It's stuck in my recipe book next to one of my other favourite recipes (if you could call it that, it is so simple), for smashed potatoes (squash boiled potatoes flat on a baking tray with a potato masher, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and maybe some herbs or pepper, roast at high heat til crispy and golden). 

Here is the recipe. Try it out, it's so simple and makes a good alternative to breads or crackers when you want a quick snack:

Oatcakes

130 g oats

130g flour

80g softened butter

1 tsp sea salt

approx 6 tablespoons cold water

Whizz oatmeal, flour, butter and salt together in a food processor. Add the water slowly until mixture forms a ball. take the dough out and knead quickly until it comes together, then roll out on a floured surface and cut out rounds with a cookie cutter, glass etc etc. Arrange oat cakes on a piece of baking paper on a baking tray, then bake at 180 degrees for around 15 minutes or until very lightly golden brown. Remove and cool, then store in an air-tight container.

These oatcakes are really wonderful with cheeses or savoury spreads (tapenade etc), and of course a glass of wine. Also make a good snack at any time of the day!

On meal planning, and tv chefs as far as the eye can see

Flopped down in front of the telly last night, it seemed as as if the scourge of the tv chef had invaded every last corner of my tv screen. Almost every channel I flicked to was showing a foodie program. As you know, I have a slight fondness for food, and usually I am dead keen to watch anything involving food shopping, baking, mashing, slicing, frying and the food porn camera shots that accompany these shows. BUT it's getting to be a joke, the amount of dire presenters the BBC has rustled up. Just because you have a successful food writing career and/or restaurant chain, doesn't mean you will translate well to the small screen! I'm talking about you, Nigel Slater! Dearest Nige, you've been a staple in my kitchen for years, and I so love your books, but please, please, stick with writing. TV is not your forte. Likewise, the guy from 'Virgin Cooks', sorry don't know his name, wasn't compelled at all to remember much if anything about the programme (except that the paella did look rather good). No charisma! Sorry, but I do demand a little something extra when watching, aside from the food.

However, my evening was rescued by the glorious emergence of Allegra McEvedy with 'Economy Gastronomy'. Love her! She is my new Nigel, or perhaps Valentine. She is one of the founders of the great chain of good food, fast food restaurants in London, Leon, and her no-nonsense style is just awesome. 'Economy Gastronomy' makes perfect sense at the moment, when everyone is freaking out (rightly) about not wasting food and generally being thrifty and sensible about food. The episode last night featured a single mum and her (very sensible and earnest, in an adorable way) kid being taught how to shop, plan and cook efficiently without resorting to expensive luxury goods. Next week it's a two dad plus kid family being shown how not to waste food. I like the show's message as much as I like the way it features non-traditional families. but mostly, I just like Allegra. She rocks!

So, inspired by the lovely Allegra (I should also mention that 'Economy Gastronomy' is co-hosted by Paul Merrett, but he is sadly overwhelmed by the pure presence of Allegra :) ) I did some menu planning for the next few days. Menu planning is definitely not my strong point, it's one of those things which I know I should do but....never get around to. So I end up shopping more often than I need to and not using up all those leftovers lurking at the back of the fridge (oh, the horror!). Here's what I planned, using Economy Gastronomy's notions of the bedrock (major meal) and tumbledown meals (those made with leftovers from the major meal) - such simple, sensible concepts!

Bedrock meal

Roast chicken (I'm roasting 2 to ensure sufficient leftovers) with mash and pan-fried brussels sprouts (just feel like the bitterness of these lately)

Tumbledown meals

chicken, leek and mushroom filo parcels (found some filo pastry today, to my surprise - such 'exotic' ingredients are not usually found in my local area)

Paella with chicken and chorizo

Some type of risotto (made with chicken stock from the chicken bones and carcasses)

That should keep us going for a few days. We've also got a great wodge of pumpkin from Bruno's parents' garden, so there will be some pumpkin soup and pumpkin gnocchi from that. Very Autumnal!

Oaty biscuit, with garlicky Boursin cheese

Oaty biscuit, with garlicky Boursin cheese, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Max's snack while doing his homework. Stay tuned for the recipe!

Forward thinking

Picnic, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

It's the last days of summer, and I am enjoying every last drop of the remaining sunshine, storing it up for the long months ahead of grey skies and snow. Although, with autumn in between, I hope we don't go straight into the snow business!

Already the mornings and evenings are cooler. And I find myself craving heavier and warmer food, trawling through my cookbooks for words like 'slow cooked' 'unctuous' 'rib-sticking' and hearty'. I have to force myself to focus on the here and now, where it is still good weather for salads and grilling, for fresh, juicy summer fruits and light meals. Last week it was intensely hot and I just couldn't bring myself to cook, let alone eat. Bruno was away for most of the week so the kids and I survived on listlessly prepared sandwiches and the like. The hotter it is, the less I feel like eating. The colder it is, the more I feel like eating! It is only natural.

So now I am thinking and planning ahead for all sorts of autumn eating adventures. Also at the back of my mind is our October holiday, to an island with not much available in terms of fresh food supplies (we've been advised to bring as much with us from the mainland as possible). So i shall have pack the car with basics - I'm looking forward to that in a strange way! Packing well and knowing that I've thought of (hopefully) everything, that's a challenge for me (not the most organised of people).

Boiled egg for breakfast

Boiled egg, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

I love a good boiled egg for breakfast, and this one is cooked exactly how I like it - not runny, and not hard.

Saved by the strawberry tart

Strawberry tart, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Bruno's parents came for lunch, and we were all a little underwhelmed by my attempt at sushi (see previosu post). Luckily, this little strawberry tart I made with the leftover pastry from the Apple Pie of Death and the strawberries we picked at the far yesterday saved the day!

Once again, peace and happiness was restored to the kitschenette household with the appearance of dessert :)