Pumpkin, Spinach and Goat cheese pie

Hello Autumn, welcome pumpkins!
This isn't my recipe at all as I never attempted to do pastry from scratch before. And it took a lot of watching (and tasting) my flatmate Zoe baking this little wonder before I'd decided to experiment myself with the rolling pin!
The original recipe features on Delicious Magazine but it has been tweaked a little to my taste.

(8-10 servings)
For the filling:
2 kg of butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into thick slices
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
2 tsp ras el hanout (from the spice section of most major supermarkets)
Pinch of chilli flakes
2-3 red onions, thinly sliced
4 whole garlic cloves with skins on
1kg baby spinach
250g ricotta
50g pine nuts, toasted
200g soft, rindless vegetarian goat’s cheese, sliced

For the pastry:
350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50g coarse polenta
150g cold butter, cut into cubes
60g grated vegetarian Parmesan
1 medium free-range egg, beaten

5 tbsp cold water

01.For the pastry, mix the flour, polenta and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl, add 50g of the grated Parmesan and mix with a table knife until the mixture comes together. Measure out 4 tbsp cold water and add a little at a time until the dough just sticks together (you may not need all the water). Knead it gently until it forms a ball, wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
02.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Scatter the sliced butternut squash over 2 or 3 large roasting trays, drizzle with half the olive oil, scatter over the cumin seeds, ras el hanout and chilli flakes, and season well with salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
03.Meanwhile, add the sliced onions and garlic to another roasting tin with the rest of the olive oil. Halfway through cooking the squash, add the onions to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the squash and onions from the oven, squeeze out the garlic from their skins, mash the roasted garlic into the onions and leave to cool slightly.
04.Place the spinach in a colander over the sink and pour over a kettle of boiling water. Refresh under cold water, then squeeze dry to remove all the excess water. Chop the spinach, put into a bowl, season and mix with the ricotta, then set aside.
05.On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry and use it to line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin. Add half the spinach mixture in a layer, then distribute half the roasted squash on top of that. Scatter with half the pine nuts, then half the goat’s cheese. Repeat with the rest of the spinach mixture, butternut squash, pine nuts and goat’s cheese. Finally, add the garlicky onions in a layer on top.
06.On a lightly floured surface, roll out the rest of the pastry, then lay on top of the pie, pushing in the edges to seal well. Make a hole in the middle of the pie and decorate the top with leaves made from any leftover pastry. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg, scatter with the rest of the Parmesan and chill for 20 minutes.
07.Cover with cling film and foil and freeze, uncooked, for up to 1 month.
08.When ready to eat, remove the foil and cling film and defrost fully in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6 and bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown on top. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before serving.

Thai-style pork tenderloin on rice

 
Southeast Asian-infused little dish which is easy to prepare and looks pretty on the table. I have made the recipe mine after stumbling upon something similar on the web, looking for creatively cooking some extra pork tenderloin I kept in the fridge.
Ingredients:
(For the pork)
2 large pork tenderloins
1/4 cup Mirin, (or Chinese White Vinegar)
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce (or reduced salt soy sauce)
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 lime (juiced)
white sesame seeds and a drop of sesame oil

(For the rice)
1 cup basmati rice
3 eggs
1 chicken stock pot
1 cup lardons
1 onion
1 red chili
1 teaspoon curry powder

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade except flour and sesame seeds. Cut the tenderloins in large strips and leave marinating for as long as possible. Best overnight but even a couple of hours would do the job.
Start preparing all the ingredients for the rice by cooking them separately and adding all in a bowl. Start with the onion and set aside, scrambled eggs and set aside, lardons and chili.
Then proceed steaming the rice with the usual 1x rice 2x water ratio, but this time replacing water with chicken stock (stock pot). When the rice is done add all of the ingredients that you had set aside, add the curry powder and give it a good stir. Remove pan from heat, leave lid on and let the rice rest whilst you move to the meat.
Heat a little oil in a work or large fry-pan. Drain the pork from marinade and dust each strip in flour before pan-frying. Cook until almost done, remove from wok and set the meat aside.
Place marinade into the same wok and bring to a simmer until slightly reduced then return meat to wok and cook together with marinade until the meat is no longer pink. I also like to grate a little lime zest to give it an extra tangy kick.

Make a nice bed of fragrant rice and place the pork strips on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and garnish with spring onions.

Mini Shepherd's and Cottage Pies

A smoky American classic and part of my everlasting love affair with winter comfort food!
The difference between these two lovely staples is mainly being its meat. Shepherd's pie comes traditionally with lamb and Cottage pie with beef - But there are hybrids, of course, and lots of debates going about the choice of seasoning.

What I did IS in fact an hybrid from the Cottage kind, where I added some pulled pork to the minced beef, resulting in way more flavour!
Prepping ahead is the key so get your timing right.

1. For the Pulled Pork (easy recipe mashup!):
1.5kg Pork Shoulder (on the bone, and with a good layer of fat on top)
230ml BBQ sauce
1 large onion (grated)
120 mlChicken or Veg Stock
1 teaspoon mustard
Sweat the onion and set aside.
''Sear'' the Pork shoulder in a pan with some olive oil or butter in order to trap all the juices in.
Once the meat is nicely browned transfer pork and its juices into the Slow Cooker.
Add the stock, the onion, BBQ sauce and mustard. Cook on high for about 5 hours. Once properly cook shred the pork using two fork - it should fall apart very easily. If not, then more cooking is required.

2. For the mince Beef
500gr lean mince beef
1 clove of garlic (grated)
1 shallot (grated)
2 carrots (grated)
500ml chicken or veg stock
1 tbsp tomato puree'
green peas (optional)

Sweat the onion in some olive oil, once nice and brown add the garlic and carrots.
Stir in the beef and let cook until all of its juices are being re-absorbed.
Add the stock and tomato puree'. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 mins.
Once the minced beef is ready transfer it onto the slow cooker together with the pulled pork and let it simmer for another hour.

3. For the Mash:
500gr potatos peeled and cut into chunks
2 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
a knob of butter
grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Boil potatos and carrots until tender. Drain well,then mash with butter, salt, pepper and cheese.

4. Now the exciting part:
The pulled pork and minced beef must have cooked wonderfully and are ready to be transferred into ramekins. Fill each ramekin with a generous 3/4 meat filling - then scoop a nice dollop of mash to topup. Use a piping bag to get a lovely design!
Bake in the over at 180 till the mash turns crisp (approx 10 mins)
Serve with a little gravy and some veg. Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

Possibly one of the most famous Russian recipes that has made its way into International cuisine, becoming a classic and a favorite among meaty (and quite rich) recipes lovers.
I have attempted this dish once, with fairly good results. But I have strayed a bit from the original recipe.

Ingredients:
75 gr butter
1 shallot finely chopped
150gr white mushrooms
2 tbsp tomato puree'
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
100ml beef stock
500gr beef fillet cut into strips
100ml Brandy
200ml sour cream
parsley to garnish
salt and pepper to taste.

Sweat shallots in melter butter till nicely golden. Add mushrooms and cook for about 2 mins. Stir in tomato puree, mustard and paprika and cook for a further minute or two.
Add in the stock and simmer until reduced.
Add sour cream until the desired consistency/creaminess and set aside.

Tenderize beef and cut into strips, season with salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining butter into a separate pan and brown the beef on both sides.
Add the brandy and be careful not to set the house on fire! Allow to flambe' the pan and wait until flames have subsided.

Finally add the beef into the mushroom mix, garnish with mushroom and serve with either steamed fluffy rice or potatoes of your choice.

NOTEs:
1. Beef needs to be taken out of the fridge and left to rest at room temperature for at about 1 hour before being cooked.
2. Unless you've invested in good quality beef fillet, remember to trim the fatty bits away and give the meat
a good bash with a tenderizer.

Winter wonders: Squash Soup with bacon

Ingredients:
2. onions
2. large carrots
4. garlic cloves
2. sticks of celery
2. springs of fresh rosemary
2. litres of chicken stock
2 kg Butternut Squash
1 cup of diced pancetta or bacon
Sourdough Bread for crostini
Cheddar cheese

Many thanks to Jamie Oliver for suggesting this comfort food wonder!
Peel and chop the onions, carrots, garlic and celery. Pick and chop the rosemary.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently sweat the veggies in.
Halve, de-seed and chop the squash (I hate this part). Then add the squash and stock in the pan, bring to boil and simmer for about 30mins.
When the squash is tender whiz the soup with a stick blender and season it to perfection.

Grill the pancetta until crisp and scatter over the soup.
Melt the cheddar on the crostini and serve alltogether.

lightly cured Gravad lax Salmon

Here's my take on the Swedish Gravad lax:
Ingredients could not be easier to source:
1. Salmon - Buy two chunky, thick fillets of salmon, skin on
2. Rock sea salt - 3 heaped tablespoons
3. Brown Sugar - 1 heaped tablespoon, don't be shy!
4. Dill
5. Orange and Lemon zest
6. About 25ml of vodka

Food safety first: As Salmon these days is often farmed, it could have parasites! These will die upon freezing the fish - Best freezing your fillets and defrosting it a day ahead of preparation!!

Curing time it is up to you. Some recommend 36 to 48 hours but I guess it depends by a couple of factors: Size and thickness of your salmon fillet and your own taste-buds. I personally prefer a lightly cured version of the gravlax.

Start by making the dry 'marinade', grating the zests, chopping the dill and mixing all the other ingredients into a bowl. Then pop the salmon fillets into the bowl turning them over until well coated. Wrap them with cling film tightly and place in the fridge for at least 5 hours.
After your preferred curing time, remove the cling film and wipe of the excess salt. I also rinse the fillets in water and pat them dry.
Slicing comes next -  Use a super sharp knife as the thinner the better..

OPTION 2:
Add beetroots in the dry marinade for a touch of color. Just pop 'em in the processor with the salt, sugar, vodka and dill.

Serve your Gravad lax with a sauce made by combining sour cream + horseradish.
A chopped Beetroot dressed with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil taste lovely with the salmon... Add a splash of green and some slices of orange for wow-effect. Enjoy.