Blackcurrant and Shallot Pork Tenderloin

I had some Blackcurrant and Shallot compote for brie cheese in the fridge that desparately wanted to be used or should I say that I wanted to use. Knowing that pork tenderloin was on the dinner menu I decided that this is where it shall go. As much as I like using the oven having a slow cooker can be just as effective in having delicious tasting meals as long as you are able to plan ahead.  

I place about a 1/2 cup of low sodium organic chicken stalk in a slow cooker. Added some veggies like carrots, potatoes, onions and leeks. Then place the pork tenerdloin on top and add the remaining veggies around the pork tenderloin. Then drizzled some olive oil on top.  Adding a pinch of salt and some pepper. Then placed the blackcurrant and shallot compote on top of the pork and cooked on high for about 6 hours. 

The house smelt wonderful. I served the pork with a bit of hot English mustard with red chili on the side which complemented the sweetness of the pork. The veggies were tender and had a hint of sweetness to them thanks to the compote. It was simply a delicious robust meal. - JW   

Butter Chicken Pizza

Saturday nights I usually make pizza. This time I was inspired to make a butter chicken pizza. Fairly simple considering I used a pre-made low sodium butter chicken sauce. Roll out your pizza dough. Spread the butter chicken sauce all over, being generous. Then add pieces of pre-cooked chicken, orange peppers, onions and whatever other veggies you like. Place mozzarella cheese, grated or thinly sliced, on top. Bake until cheese has melted and bubbly and crust is slightly golden. With a pizza cutter slice into wedges and let this mouthwatering pizza leave you wanting more. Trust me it will! - JW

Dill Pickle Dip

Knowing that the tub of sour cream was about to expire I decided to quickly whip up a little something... a dip! This dip was so easy to make. I am sure you won't want to buy another ready made one again. My recipe is as follows:

Dill Pickle Dip
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1 cup light sour cream
2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 low sodium garlic dill pickles, chopped and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs, consisting of chives, parsley, shallots, onions and leeks 
or add
1 shallot chopped and diced
2-3 sprigs of fresh chives, chopped
some peeled and chopped onion
some parsley finely chopped

Mix all together and let mellow for about an hour in the fridge or overnight. Can also be spread on crackers or bread. Enjoy your weekend everyone! - JW 

Lavender Scones

These are the scones I made from the Jamie's Great Britain cookbook. Although the recipe didn't ask for it, I dressed the top of them with lavender. They were so delicious and devoured in no time flat! I would use this recipe again. It was easy and I am sure the next time I make them they will turn out even better. I was a bit off on my conversion of the flour. Should have added more. 500 grams of flour translates to about 3 3/4 cups of flour. I was under that. When trying to find the appropriate shape cutter I had a small-medium sized one. What can one do other then to just go with it and make smaller scones. They were being eaten so quickly nobody seemed to notice. Another plus was that there were a few left over so the kidlets got to take them to school in their lunch. - JW  

Jamie's Great Britain

You knew I wasn't going to leave England, this summer, without bringing this cookbook back with me. When I ordered my copy back in February it wasn't available in Canada. Not knowing the official North American release date or even if it was going to be released in Canada I placed my order and had to wait until my visit in August. I could have had the cookbook delivered to me however I can only imagine what the postage would have been! As of September 21 it has become available at Chapters. 

Jamie's Great Britain, first edition, 2011; pp.[15]407; Penguin, London, delivers another delicious book. Between the matte photos, the family photos, the local photos and British fanfare this has Rule Britannia written all over it! Apart from their history, Great Britons are food enthusiasts... foodies... a melting pot with a wonderful blend of past, present and future. This book was inspired by, at the time, the up and coming 2012 Olympics, him being a father of four kids and the country he calls "The Magpie" nation. He isn't overly patriotic just passionate about what his country has. The cookbook is also dedicated to Rose Gray, a former boss of his, who passed away in 2010. I find this cookbook a celebration of heritage - mine and could be yours, identity - our taste in food is not defined by where we live and people - locals, immigrants and visitors. We are all alike and in search of good food! 

Because I had ordered the cookbook directly from the UK all recipes offer UK measurements. This means I get to do some referencing, guess work, cross referencing to create the recipes. I don't mind, I enjoy it. The recipes range from traditional, classic to modern up-to-date British flair. The chapters are: Breakfasts, Soups, Salads, Pub Grub, New British Classics, Afternoon Tea, Seaside, Pies and Puddings, Sunday Lunch, Wild Food, Vegetables, Puddings and Condiments. I did try the scone recipe because I am always in search of the perfect scone. Either here at home, in the kitchen or when I am out and about. I like to try different scone recipes. My grandmother always made scones which were very delicious and I can taste them to this very day! I will post about the scones I made tomorrow. There are introduction stories to almost every recipe which are entertaining. Even when Jamie Oliver is describing the most simplest of things his passion and personality come through loud and clear.   

Was this cookbook worth the wait? For me, yes! Do I find it inspiring? Yes! and you may find it inspiring too. -JW 

Potato and Veggie Cakes

Remember the veggie strudel I posted about the other day. The lovely filling of onions, potatoes, carrots, peas, cheddar cheese and curry powder. There was enough filling left over for me to make these potato and veggie cakes. In a blender I added the filling and some chicken stock. I added enough stock just to smooth the consistency a bit. Making sure not to add too much stock. Stopping the blender every now and again and with a spoon scrapping the sides of the blender. Not worrying if the filling wasn't completely smooth. I then transfered the blended filling into a large bowl. Added some cornmeal until the consistency thicken up and held well together. I didn't measure exactly how much cornmeal. I just eyeballed it. You want it so that the filling doesn't fall off a spoon. Then I fried in a pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Until they have browned on both sides.

This was a great way to use up leftovers. I dressed them with chives and sour cream and served them with sausages and steamed string green beans. -JW 

Veggie Strudel

I am just plowing through that 10 pound bag of potatoes. A veggie strudel I have made before using chickpeas instead of potatoes. I managed to pre-boil the potatoes and chop the veggies which saved me a bit of time. You may be thinking cheddar cheese and curry? They are actually very quite tasty together. Don't let this delicious combination fool you. Give it a try. The recipe goes as follows...

5 potatoes - boiled with the skins and chopped
1 onion - chopped
1-2 tablespoon of no salt butter or low sodium margarine
3 teaspoons of curry powder
1 carrot - chopped
1/2 cup of peas  *frozen peas will do nicely too*
3/4 cup low sodium organic chicken or vegetable stock
juice of half a lemon
1 cup cheddar cheese - grated
pinch of salt
pepper
10 sheets of phyllo pastry 
melted butter


1) Pre-heat oven to 350º. Line a baking try with parchment paper. Making sure that the parchment paper goes a bit up the sides. To catch any runny liquid. 

2) Boil the potatoes in their skins until done. Firm so that a fork can pierce. When the potatoes are done, drain and rinse under cold water. Set them aside. 

3) Melt the butter in a hot pan. Add the onions and cook until slightly transparent. Then add the curry powder. Stir. Coating all of the onion bits. Cook for a few more minutes.

4 Add the chopped carrot and peas. Stir. Cooking until veggies are slightly soft. Then add the chicken stock. Stir and let the liquid reduce a bit. Remove from heat. If you are concerned about the liquid or as I like to call it gravy being to runny. Just take a bit of cornstarch in a small bowl and mix it with a bit of water. Then add that to the veggie mixture and stir. The liquid should thicken up a bit. 

5) Chop the potatoes and place them into a large mixing bowl. Pour the curried veggies over the chopped potatoes. Stir. Mixing well. Then add the grated cheddar cheese and the the freshly squeezed lemon juice. 

6) On a clean surface place one phyllo pastry sheet. Narrow edge towards you. Brush with butter than place another sheet of phyllo pastry on top, brush that one with butter and repeat this, layering all 10 phyllo pastry sheets. Brushing each with melted butter or margarine. Then spread the veggie mixture about an inch or two from the narrow edge. Not spreading the veggie filling completely to either ends. Once all the filling has been placed roll once then tuck in the sides all the way down the length of the prepared sheets of phyllo pastry. Then continue to gently roll until you have reached the other end. Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Brush with melted butter or margarine. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Checking after 20 minutes. Serve with a green leafy salad.

You can change this dish up by adding different veggies to suit your taste. You can omit the curry powder if you wish and add other herbs to season. 
Have a good weekend everyone! - JW