Eight Bells

If you enjoy this blog please leave a comment, if there is something you would like to see feel free to make a request and don't forget to use the search function.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Cook Me Some Ribs

There are hundreds of different ways to cook pork spare ribs but for a kiwi this is the BEST RIB RECIPE EVER. Texans like to rub them down with 63 secret herbs and spices and barbeque them slowly for three weeks. If however you're from the land of the long white cloud you will know that we do things a little more simply. Follow this recipe and you will be in spare rib heaven. This is taken from the book 'Beach Bach Boat Barbeque'. This will serve four.



2 kg of pork spare ribs
6 tablespoons of soy sauce
6 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1/4 of a cup of lemon juice
3 tablespoons of soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons of liquid honey
3 tablespoons of medium sherry
3 tablesppons of hoisin sauce
3 cloves of garlic, squished to bits
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8 large baking potatoes



Mix all the ingredients (not the pork ribs you twit) in a bowl. Place the ribs in some kind of container and pour the marinade over them. Cover and place in your fridge for at least 6 hours.
Place the ribs and marinade in a large flat roasting dish and bake for 2 1/2 hours at 150C basting about every 30 minutes. Put your potatoes in the oven at the same time.
Serve with coleslaw.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Asian Pork Dumplings

As the days get shorter and colder it's time for traditional winter meals to come out again. This dish is a slightly different take on the hearty and warming winter soup. Don't let the number of ingredients put you off attempting this dish, it is easy to prepare and delicious. The following is based on a recipe taken from the New Zealand magazine 'Taste' and will serve 4.



Dumplings
450g of pork mince
1/2 a cup of finely chopped spring onions
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 teaspoons of minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon of cornflour
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
1/2 a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
20-30 dumpling wrappers (found at your local Asian supermarket)

Prepare the dumpling filling by thoroughly mixing all of the above ingredients in a bowl (except the dumpling wrappers of course).
Place the dumpling wrappers on a flat surface and place a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each (don't over fill). Moisten the edge of one half of each wrapper and fold over to enclose the filling. Press down firmly right along the edge to seal.
Poach the dumplings in batches in boiling water until they are cooked through, this takes around 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.



Broth
1 1/2 litres of chicken stock (buy it in liquid form not powder)
1 clove of garlic, squashed (not minced)
6 slices of ginger
A handful of dried shitake mushrooms, sliced and rehydrated in a cup of hot water
250g of portobello mushrooms
2 heads of baby bok choy halved lengthwise
1 head of broccoli cut in to florettes

To prepare the broth pour the stock in to a large pan and add garlic, ginger and the shitake mushrooms and the water they soaked in. Bring to the boil and then add the fresh portobello mushrooms and the bok choy and broccoli. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are just tender but not soft.
Put the dumplings in to your serving bowls and ladle over the broth adding mushrooms, bok choy and broccoli. Seve with Asian style soup spoons and chopsticks. 好吃

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Fig Salad

The figs are fat and juicy on the trees and as the season lasts only about three weeks you really have to try and make the most of them. Julia is a huge fan and has been eating them whenever she can; figs, honey and Greek yoghurt have been seen regularly at breakfast. This salad is very easy to prepare and with the goats cheese is a real taste of the Mediterranean at your table (I am aware that there is very little soy sauce used in Mediterranean cooking, call it fusion if you must...shudder). The following will serve three.



9 ripe figs
1 chicken breast
1 Lebanese cucumber
3 tomatoes
lettuce
1/2 an avacado
Goats cheese
Runny honey
Soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar

Mix equal parts of the honey and soy sauce so that you have about 1/4 cup of marinade. Marinate your chicken breast for 30 minutes and then cook in a frying pan until nicely browned. Rest the chicken and then slice and serve with the salad.
Cut figs open and place slices of goats cheese on top. Cook in your oven at 160C for 20 minutes.
Place lettuce leaves on plates with cucumber, avocado and tomato. Dress the salad with a sprinkle of good balsamic vinegar or extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Finish the salad with the cooked figs and sliced chicken.