Dan Dan Noodles – Amie Style!

Ok so I need to start this post by informing my lovely followers that I have never actually had this dish (I don’t think!!…) I say this because the first thing James said when tucking in was “I think this is what we had at Nosh in Beeston a few years ago” so maybe I have maybe I haven’t?!?
All I know is I was craving oriental food and wanted something light and spicy. This soup hit the spot and if I can make this from scratch in between bath time, milk and bedtime with a toddler attempting to empty my kitchen cupboards (daddy put the cupboard locks on today so she’s very cross!) then anyone can!
Who says being a mummy means you can’t have an awesome Saturday night dinner!!
Ps apologies for the fact I haven’t blogged in about a year…a lot has changed! We adopted little A 8 weeks go and life has been a crazy whirlwind but worth every moment. She is truly the most amazing human being I have ever come across and I feel so privileged to be her mummy:-)

Ingredients
for the crispy pork
200g Pork Mince
4 Spring onions diced
2 garlic cloves sliced
1 got red chilli diced
3 Tsp light soy sauce
1/2 Tsp Chinese 5 spice
2 Tbsp sesame oil

for the broth
500ml chicken stock (I used a flavour pot)
2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
Good pinch of black pepper
2 Tsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp peanut butter
2 got red chilies

2 portions straight to wok noodles

Lime, fresh coriander and more chillies to serve.

method
Combined all of the pork ingredients together and set aside for at least half an hour to allow the meat the marinade.
(I used this time to prepare the broth)

Set a large pan on the hob and bring the chicken stock to boil
Add the rest of the stock ingredients barring the noodles and simmer for 20 minutes – this gives the fresh chillies time to cook and heat the broth up!
Add the noodles and mushrooms and summer for a further 3 minutes.

Whilst simmering, heat a little sesame oil in a wok and fry the marinated pork until cooked and crispy – don’t worry if it starts to stick…they are the tasty bits!

Use tongs to portion the noodles into two large bowls.

Add a spoonful of the pork on top of the noodles.

Ladle the broth and mushrooms around the noodles.

Garnish with a chunk of lime, fresh coriander and more chillies!

I’m not professing this to be an authentic dan dan recipe, more an amalgamation of about 10 recipes I found online from all over the world but it’s hot, tangy and so damn tasty!

Enjoy:)

Leftover Pork and Fennel Pasta

Yesterday I cooked a humongous pork joint (3.5kg!) which took 5 hours to cook but was well worth it. I knew I was on to a good thing when I took it out to rest and pinched a bit off the edge to try and it came away like pulled pork! Yummy! I won’t bore you with another Sunday roast recipe but instead wanted to show you that there are more ways to use leftover meat than in a sandwich.
This recipe is loosely based on an Italian pork pasta dish I have eaten in Naples but is tweaked to cook in less than an hour so is perfect for a midweek dinner.
The sauce is thick so if you prefer a looser sauce, just add half a ladle full of the pasta water at the end.
Ingredients
200g Leftover Pork Shoulder
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tsp Fennel Seeds
1 Red Chilli
5 Chestnut Mushrooms
150ml Red Wine
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Red Onion

Method

Slice the onions, chillies and mince the garlic whilst a little olive oil is heating in a saute pan.

Add the garlic, onions, chillies and fennel seeds and saute with the lid on for about 5 minutes until the onions are starting to turn translucent.

Add the cooked shredded pork and stir through. As soon as the meat starts warming it should start to loosen and relax.

Cook for 10 minutes and add the red wine and balsamic vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze and catch all those lovely crozily bits!

Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook with the lid on for about half an hour, stirring occasionally to avoid it catching.

Meanwhile, cook your penne according to packet instructions, drain (reserving 1 cup of pasta water).

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix through. If its a little too dry, add some of the cooking water to loosen.

Serve with a glass of red wine and a sprinkle of Pecorino cheese for a great Love Food  Hate Waste dinner idea.

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Taco’s!

Today has been a very lazy Sunday. James declared war on zombies or whatever else you shoot using the Xbox…tell me he’ll grow out of it one day?!? And I sat on my bum watching chick flicks for most of the day (only venturing out of my pit to check the oven and make more tea!) I very rarely do this so enjoyed every minute of it. We have some pretty intense weekends coming up over the next 2 months so want to enjoy being at home. Besides, the weather is absolutely awful so the only way to believe it is actually summer is to create some sunshine food and Mexican food, especially of the help yourself kind is just that.
This pulled pork recipe is something I’ve been tweaking for years and gets better each time i make it.
James and I like our pork tangy and spicy but you will find yourself tweaking the chillies/Paprika/Vinegar ratio to your own liking.
Serve with warm corn tacos med tonnes of salad, salsa and guacamole..and in our case, extra chillies for that added oomph!
I’ll also let you into a little secret..it works fantastically cold the following day in sandwiches for packed lunch or as the ultimate burger topping!

Ingredients
1 Kilo Pork Shoulder
6 Ripe Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Onion
3 Red Chillies
100ml White Wine Vinegar
200ml Water
5 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
4 Tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
2 Tbsp Runny Honey
1 Tsp Brown Sugar

Method
Place the pork joint in a bowl and add the spices, using your hands to rub into the meat. Allow to marinade for as long as possible, preferably overnight.

In a deep sided roasting tray place the pork and add the water, vinegar,Ketchup, honey and soy to the tray.

Finely chop the onion, garlic, chillies and Tomatoes and add to the tray.

Cover with foil and cook at the bottom of your oven for 1.5 hours.

After 1.5 hours, remove the foil and mix well. You will find the meat is starting to fall apart slightly….this is good!!

Take the pork out of the tray and slice into large chunks (approx 1.5 inch thick and place in a heavy bottom pan.

Pour the juice and onions from the tray ino the pan and add 5 Tbsp Ketchup, 2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar and 2 Bay leaves, cover and bring to the boil on the hob for 30 minutes.

Take off the heat and using two forks, start pulling the pork apart whilst still in the pan. The sauce will still be really runny at this point. Don’t worry!

Place back on the hob and cook uncovered for 30 minutes stirring frequently to shred the meat further and allow the meat to absorb the lovely juices and sauce.

By this point you should have a thick juicy pan of shredded meat that can be served with anything and will be loved by all:)

Pancetta, Green Pepper and Jersey Royal Fritatta

Apologies for the complete lack of posts over the past week, I have been extremely busy at work, James has been working really late and we have spent the entire weekend visiting babies, parents and friends (far worse ways to spend a weekend I know!)
Last night I did the Indian Spiced Whole Chicken recipe again (see previous post) with some jersey royals and had an abundance left so refrigerated them and knew I could do something with them today.
On am examination of the cupboards..eggs, potatoes, peppers means one thing…FRITATTA!
In my opinion, anything can go into a Fritatta as long as there are eggs to bind it.
This one has lots of different textures from the chewy pancetta, crunchy peppers and soft eggs. The Garlic and Red Onion also add a great depth of flavour.
Serve hot or cold with anything you like and remember to save some for packed lunch tomorrow:-)
Ingredients
7 Eggs
1 Red Onion
1 Pack Cubed Pancetta
1 Garlic Clove
10 Jersey Royals – cooked and cooled
1/2 Green Bell Pepper
Salt and pepper to season

Method
In a non stick oven proof sauté/frying pan, hear a little olive oil and fry the pancetta for a few minutes until cooked.
Preheat the oven to 180.c
Diced the peppers and onions, slice the garlic and chop the cooked potatoes in half. Mine were boiled yesterday and then lightly roasted for 20 minutes to give them a crispier skin.
Add the garlic, onion and peppers to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes to warm through and season generously.
In a jug, crack the eggs and beat until thoroughly blended.
Turn the heat up high and add the eggs to the pan, cooking with a lid on for 5 minutes.
Take the lid off and transfer the pan to the oven for 15 minutes to allow the eggs to cook through.
Once cooked, allow to cool then too out onto a plate,
Slice and serve:-)

Louisiana Style Ribs with Sweet Potato Fries

I LOVE meat on the bone. What is bizarre about this statement is that I didn’t eat meat for years (food poisoning in Portugal) and couldn’t bear the texture or the thought of it in my mouth.
Now days, although I am not a chicken breast or steak person I absolutely love chicken wings, drumsticks and ribs.
Ribs are my favourite pub menu choice and I could eat 50 of them in one go. I have never attempted to make them myself as have always relied on the amazing Waitrose sticky BBQ ribs that just go in the oven for 20 minutes but thought I’d give it ago as its our wedding anniversary weekend (more to come tomorrow!)
This takes a little time and is best prepared the night before ready to go in the oven the following day.
As the sauce is rich and sweet I wanted something a little more healthy to go with them and as James has a new found love for sweet potato (yay..finally!!) thought I would push them on him.
Serve with lots of napkins and a cold frosty beer for once you’ve licked those fingers:-)

For the Dry Rub
2 Tbsp Mustard Powder
2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tsp Pepper
1 Tbsp Salt

Method
Mix all Ingredients together and use your hands to rub the powder into the rack of ribs.
Cover and leave in the fridge overnight to marinade.

….The following day..

For the Marinade

4 Tbsp Ketchup
2 Tbsp Runny Honey
75ml White Wine Vinegar
100ml Water
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Garlic Cloves Crushed

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

To cook the ribs
Preheat the oven to 170C/150 fan/Gas

Add 100ml cold water to the roasting tin and cook the pork in the oven for 3 hours or until very soft and tender – the meat should be almost falling off the bones. Turn every hour and add a little extra water if the base of the pan becomes dry as the pork drippings may stick and begin to burn. (Cover the ribs with a piece of foil if they begin to dry out.)
4For the wet barbecue sauce, Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened, stirring regularly.
Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve into a bowl to get rid of the garlic that might otherwise burn In the oven.
Pour roughly half the sauce into a serving dish and set aside. Leave the rest in the bowl.

Take the pork out of the oven and, using a pastry brush, brush liberally on both sides with the barbecue sauce.
Carefully place the pork in the oven and cook over a low heat for 20-30 minutes, turning and brushing with more of the barbecue sauce every 5-8 minutes as it cooks.

Don’t leave the pork for a minute or the marinade could burn and be prepared to move the rack up if the coating starts catching. (You’ll need to use a decent set of tongs to turn the pork as it needs a firm grip!

The idea is to get a thick, sweet, smoky coating on the pork. Carve the ribs and serve with the reserved barbecue sauce for dipping or drizzling.

For the Fries
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into thin chips.
Place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Cook in a medium oven for 20 minutes (more if you have cut your chips thick)
Serve with the ribs and reserved BBQ sauce and get smacking those lips!!
Nom Nom Nom!!