Pork with Pears, Red Onion and Blue Cheese

 Pork and Pears..... sounds great let alone tastes great together. This is a good variation on your average pork and apple combo ( though I have to admit I did sneak an apple in there too).

I used pork minute steaks for this recipe as they are nice and thin and quick to cook.

This is the perfect Sunday Lunch recipe, and the best part about it is its extremely quick to make!

Theres no putting the joint in to roast for a couple hours, it literally takes 20minutes or less from prep to table.

Recipe:

serves 4

• 4 Pork Minute Steaks
• 2 Pears
• 1 Apple (optional)
• 2 Red Onions
• 50g Blue Cheese

1. Heat a roasting tin with a tablespoon of oil on the hob (use 2 rings),

2. Add the onions, pears and seasoning (salt pepper and rosemary). Fry for 5 mins or until just starting to caramelise.

3. Heat the grill and season the Pork. Add it to the roasting dish and fry for 2-3minutes either side.

4. Add the cheese on top and transfer to the grill, until its melted. 

Its best served with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper new potatoes.  

Just boil the quartered new potatoes until soft and transfer to the frying pan to brown with the seasoning and oil.

Apple and Custard Mini Cakes

These mini marvels with a surprise centre are delicious and different; not your average fairy cake with some icing and sprinkles. 


Bake them with kids or as I did, for someones work treats and they'll be employee of the week! 


If you haven't got any apples or canned apple. Why not try custard and jam, marmalade or lemon curd?




Ingredients:

• 100g caster sugar
• 100g very soft butter
• 100g self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60mls think prepared Custard
• 125mls canned apple ( or cooked and sweetened apple)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1. Pre heat the oven to 180C

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

3. Stir in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.

4. Fold in the flour and cinnamon. 

5. Put one teaspoon of the mixture in fairy tin cakes or different mini cake mould (I used stars) 

6. Add half a teaspoon of the custard, then half a teaspoon of the apple to the centre of the cake mixture.

7. Cover the filling with cake mixture, make sure to only fill the cases half full. 

8. Put in the oven and bake for 10-15mintues.  Glaze with the apple or jam.

N.B. for an extra treat try a cream cheese icing on top.

Lachha Paratha (layered flatbread)

This bread, I only came across on holiday in the Maldives. It was made fresh by one of the chefs.... a character who could greet every person in their native language, now thats an achievement, along with his cooking skills of course. 

I'm very grateful to have been introduced to this dish as its so easy and versatile, you can cook up a great curry to serve it with, have it with yoghurt and vegetables or even eat it as a sweet treat.  

Unfortunately, as I was so desperate to attempt this new found marvel.... I didn't use the right flour. Instead, I used wholemeal bread flour in place of wholewheat. So mine were a bit heavier then they should have been, but the same concept is there.  

Ingredients:                                       (makes 4 parathas about 5-6 inch diameter each)

• 250 g whole wheat flour or Atta (fine milled whole wheat flour available in Indian stores) 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 3 tbsp ghee or melted butter (may use oil as a substitute)
• 125ml luke warm water or milk,  just enough to make a smooth soft non sticky dough
• oil/ghee/butter to brush on the paratha while rolling and frying

Method:

1) Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub the melted butter(ghee or oil) until the flour forms crumbs

2) Add warm water gradually, a little at a time. Knead until smooth. Cover well and leave aside for about 30 minutes to an hour.

3) Knead  it again for a couple of minutes; divide the dough into 4 portions. Shape into a ball, then flatten them. Roll out each flattened ball into a circle (8 inch diameter)/ as thin as you can get them. 

4) Brush some melted butter/ghee on the top of the dough and dust some flour on top. 

5) Forming the dough:

- Start from one end; hold the left and right side of the end with fingers and then start pleating, like doing a paper fan. 

- Do small folds, (6-8) the more you do the more layers you will have.  

- Once you have reached the other end,  it will look like a  rope. Press both the ends with your finger tips.

- Pick up the rope up and  twist it, (move each hand in an opposite direction, to look like a twisted bread stick).

- Rolling it up into a spiral shape. Take the end tip and press it down on the top or the sides, so it does not open while rolling. Flatten it with your palm. 

- Then roll it carefully without pressing too hard into (5″-6″diameter) circles.

- Heat a frying pan or griddle and cook (on medium heat) on both sides. When you see tiny brown spots appear, brush on about half to one teaspoon of ghee/butter/oil and flip it over.  

- Then add 1/2 tsp of ghee/oil on the top, flip it over and cook this side in the same way as you did the other side.

Once cooked take them out and crush the edges together to make the layers more visible and soften up the bread.

They are best served hot from the pan.

Knead

Roll out - butter and flour

Pleat 

Twist and roll up 

Rolled up ball

Ball rolled out - ready to cook

 Why not try it served hot with sugar and yoghurt ....... and add your own English touch with a cup of tea!

The Olive Press Restaurant Review

Overall: 3.5/5 

For dinner I was looking for a restaurant that was good quality but not pretentious, allowing for a relaxed, comfortable meal.  The Olive Press ticked the boxes and was also not your average restaurant chain for italian meals and offered a good range on the menu.

The decor created a clean, fresh look to the restaurant with some added style elements, namely  exposed brick walls, beams and pillars, along with artwork and an open plan kitchen.

However the restaurant does seem quite small and impersonal, making it quite hard to fall in love.

I will add however, that we had a table at the back near the till and disabled toilet, which may have taken away from some of the restaurants atmosphere.

Mojito

We began with mojitos, which hit the spot and weren't over sweet as some can be. The restaurant had a good variety of cocktails on offer including; "ps I love you".

Garlic Pizza bread with rosemary and sea salt

For starters we shared a garlic pizza bread between three. This was a good sized portion, however it lacked flavour and the sea salt, rosemary and oil olive was spread very thinly with some pieces looking extremely bare. 

A positive was the presentation on the wooden board, coming uncut allowing for diners to cut it how they would prefer. A good personal touch. 

Flattened rump steak with garlic, chilli, 
peppercorn, sea salt, rocket and grana padano 

Polenta Chips

For mains, I chose the rump steak and teamed it with polenta chips, which I have never tried before and was please to see a different alternative to the average fries.

We put the waiter through his paces asking about the steaks and he informed us that the rump was less fatty and therefore less chewy than the other cuts available.

However, I was slightly disappointed with it. Firstly we could only choose pink or well-done and having chosen pink, I was let-down when I couldn't find any pink meat. Secondly, the chilli was over powering but not to the point of being inedible.

The polenta chips on the hand, were tasty, well presented and innovative.

Overall, the restaurants positives are a great menu, good decor and experienced staff. I would therefore recommend it for a relaxed dinning experience. Our meal ended up quite expensive even with 10% discount. However, if you choose other meals it would be cheaper and if I returned I would go for the Baby scallops and prawn spaghetti tossed with tomato, anchovies and capers, my second choice at the time. 

Double Chocolate Shortbreads

Wanting a chocolate fix at Easter time but you're sick of chocolate eggs and easter bunnies??

Why not make these delicious chocolate shortbreads?!

They require only 5 of your basic store cupboard ingredients and I'm sure at this time of year you could find some chocolate somewhere if you're quick! 

They are melt in your mouth beauties that go perfectly with a glass of warm milk.