The 'Here's what I had for dinner last night' thread - Part I

Slunk

Had dinner early today so was a little peckish. Just made lime and chilli chicken Burger with grilled cherry tomatoes melted Brie and mustard Mayo. Didn't look all that good but tasted delicious

neuro-praxis

The fridge is full of fresh food so, naturally, we ordered a pizza.

Dun laoire

Cottage pie with steamed sugarsnap peas and carrots. A little drizzle of gravy on top for good measure.

neuro-praxis

Just put a kilo of pork belly into the oven. Now we play the waiting game.






Aw, the waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!

Martyn1989

neuro-praxis wrote: »

Just put a kilo of pork belly into the oven. Now we play the waiting game.






Aw, the waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!

Ive been meaning to try cooking pork belly, any advice?

neuro-praxis

Martyn1989 wrote: »

Ive been meaning to try cooking pork belly, any advice?

Well, you'd prob be better off asking advice from someone who's done it successfully before! :pac: It's still cooking as I type.

I preheated the oven at 160 and oiled a deep roasting tin. I got a 1kg piece of pork belly, scored the fat, and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.

I then took some new potatoes and cut a thin slice off each one, to create a flat side on each spud. I prepared a layer of new potatoes in the roasting tin in this way, and laid the pork on top. I then put a few tablespoons of water into the roasting tin, being careful not to get the pork wet.

I'm now leaving it for 2.5-3 hours.

I'm planning to serve with pork gravy made from the juices, apple and cider sauce and sugar snap peas, babycorn and asparagus. I'm hoping the new potatoes underneath will be tender and tasty, but only time will tell.

Martyn1989

neuro-praxis wrote: »

Well, you'd prob be better off asking advice from someone who's done it successfully before! :pac: It's still cooking as I type.

I preheated the oven at 160 and oiled a deep roasting tin. I got a 1kg piece of pork belly, scored the fat, and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.

I then took some new potatoes and cut a thin slice off each one, to create a flat side on each spud. I prepared a layer of new potatoes in the roasting tin in this way, and laid the pork on top. I then put a few tablespoons of water into the roasting tin, being careful not to get the pork wet.

I'm now leaving it for 2.5-3 hours.

I'm planning to serve with pork gravy made from the juices, apple and cider sauce and sugar snap peas, babycorn and asparagus. I'm hoping the new potatoes underneath will be tender and tasty, but only time will tell.

Sounds delicious, let me know how it turns out

The Hill Billy

If you are in a hurry - go back a few pages & check out trackguy's pork belly recipe.

tHB

the beer revolu

Martyn1989 wrote: »

Ive been meaning to try cooking pork belly, any advice?

Pork belly is very forgiving.

It slow roasts very well in a low oven (around 150 - 160). I'd leave a large piece in for about 3 hours after scoring the skin and rubbing salt and pepper into it. An hour more or less than that would be alright too. Then crisp up the crackling under a grill (careful not to burn it) at the end. Eat the crackling while the joint rests:D.

It is also good fast roast - different texture and more fat left. Follow any pork roast timings - I'd usually cook a 8 X 10 inch piece at 190 for an hour and a half or so . Same skin procedure as above but you might not need to crisp up the crackling.

Pork belly poached in good homemade chicken or pork stock is wonderful with an amazing soup to drink with it when done. No crackling, though but lovely jellyish skin - not to everybody's taste but I love it.

Or you can do a hybrid method and slow roast the belly in a roasting pan just big enough to fit the piece with liquid in it but with the skin above the level so that it roasts.

Pork belly takes Asian flavours really well done by any method.
I love it poached in stock with loads of ginger, garlic and soy sauce with star anise and chilli flakes and something sweet like redcurrant jelly or rhubarb jam and schezwuan pepper corns if you have them. Reduce the liquor a bit and serve with rice and green veg like pak choi or Chinese leaves.

Fennel seeds are also good on pork.

You can also cut up the belly and make lovely stews - again Asian flavours work well but you can do anything you like - I've also had good results with lots of good paprika, mild chillies and tomatoes.

I mostly cook belly with the ribs attached but this isn't vital by any means - it really is best for any of the wetter cooking methods cause the bones really adds to the flavour of the stock/sauce.

the beer revolu

Suet crust turkey and veg pudding with tenderstem broccoli.
A lot of turkey to be eaten this week!
Yesterday we had roast veg fried up in a pan with leek, turkey and gravy - big dogs dinner. Looked awful so no pic but tasted great.





The pie collapsed a bit this time as well, though I made the filling a little stiffer. I think it is down to not using a proper pudding basin shape container - mine has straight sides (I guess they are that shape for a reason!).

trackguy

Looks amazing Beer!

This was actually Sunday's lunch, which I cooked for Mother's Day. For starters, we had ribolitta



and Coq au Vin for main or as the Irish call it... dogging (to borrow a Graham Norton joke )



My mam is off the sweet things for lent!

the beer revolu

For starters, we had ribolitta

Would that be chicken and vegetable broth by any chance?
Looks peasantlicious!!
When it comes to food, I am such a peasant (most of the time) - despite what Newfrocktuesday might think!
Isn't it odd how peasant food is now considered posh!?

My mam is off the sweet things for lent!

Never thought about it before but would not Mother's day/another Hallmark day not have the same sort of exemption from lent as St. Patrick's day (but only for mothers)?

trackguy

the beer revolu wrote: »

Would that be chicken and vegetable broth by any chance?
Looks peasantlicious!!
When it comes to food, I am such a peasant (most of the time) - despite what Newfrocktuesday might think!
Isn't it odd how peasant food is now considered posh!?

Never thought about it before but would not Mother's day/another Hallmark day not have the same sort of exemption from lent as St. Patrick's day (but only for mothers)?

Just vegetable broth - pretty tasty too for such humble beginnings!

Agreed on Mother's Day but she resisted the chocolate banana bread and mars bar tombstones on offer!

xxxkarenxxx

A selection of cheese, homemade bread toasted, gherkins, bacon, piccalilli, and some home made cranberry and apple chutney. Yum!

Susie_Q

Man alive. What's your address? I'm coming to live with you two.

NewFrockTuesday

Get in line :mad:

Last night wa lamb chops that I had brought up from home. Since the country went sounth, alot of people pay my Dad in lamb - theyre all farmers and its the only currency they have for some of the bigger jobs they need doing by him. The freezer at home cant take anymore so Im reaping the benifits!

So I have a freezer full of chops, 3 legs, shanks and ribs chops.


With the chops, we had mushrooms (allowed in the house again - they are no longer evil) and baby news roasted with thyme, garlic (also on bail ) and rosemary. I made a horseradish and sourcream curd to go with.

trackguy

Susie_Q wrote: »

Man alive. What's your address? I'm coming to live with you two.

NewFrockTuesday wrote: »

Get in line :mad:

Ladies... ladies... please, there's plenty to go round :P

*hides from xxxkarenxxx*

hardCopy

Chicken stir fry with brown rice. Have done stir fry in a couple of weeks, this rekindled my love of them.

I had a few things to do when I got home so left the rice on a low heat so I could wander away for a while, this meant it was much softer and mushier than normal. I also had a massive bag of almost out of date spinach so that went in the wok with some sugarsnaps.

The stir fry ended up really moist and gorgeous.

PS: Completely random point but for some reason all my posts in this thread, and only this thread, come out as double posts, I always have to go back and delete one. I thought it had something to do with posting pics but I don't have one today.

the beer revolu

More turkey!!:eek:

This time a Thai green curry.



The sauce was a bit thin because I sieved it to get rid of the 'bitty bits' from my homemade paste so it ran off the meat and veg.
Tasted great, though.

BTW, the yoghurt did nothing for it.

The Hill Billy

trackguy wrote: »

Ladies... ladies... please, there's plenty to go round :P

*hides from xxxkarenxxx*

Easy tiger.

Minder

Home made curries - a whole tandoori chicken; a cauliflower curry with a few beans and some greens; a pilaf with lentils, spices and caramelised onions.

Faith

I made a lovely lasagne and had it with garlic bread. First meal I've made from scratch in a while .

Daisies

Just made home made falafel. Delish. Had it with home made guacamole, minted yogurt, salad of rocket and mixed leaves and some halloumi.

Twas delish. I think I have fallen in love with my food processor!

trackguy

Spicy sausage and bean stew made with cajun sausages, smoked bacon, vegetables, garlic, cumin, chilli, paprika, thyme, tomatoes, chicken stock and an extra kick from a bottle of Sierra Nevada Torpedo!

the beer revolu

trackguy wrote: »

and an extra kick from a bottle of Sierra Nevada Torpedo!

It didn't make it a bit bitter?
If not, it sounds nice !

trackguy

the beer revolu wrote: »

It didn't make it a bit bitter?
If not, it sounds nice !

No not really, I always add some sugar with tinned tomatoes anyway so maybe that counteracted it. It was no more bitter than a steak & ale pie for instance.

The liquid in the dish was 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes about 300ml of chicken stock and a 350ml(?) bottle of Sierra Nevada so it was less than a quarter of the liquid.

On last night's evidence, I'd definitely put it into a chilli or other such dishes.

Seaneh

Last night I didn't have dinner (haven't had a meal since tuesday at 6pm, which was a baked potato stuffed with chicken in a mushroom sauce and a side salad) because I've had a wee bit of tummy trouble the last 48ish hours.

So today to make up for it I am treating myself.

Pan Fried Sea Bass with a compound butter of garlic, chives and lemon juice and zest served with a parsnip and shallot pureé and steamed tender stem broccoli which I will drizzle with some lemon vinegarette.

Thought nice, easy to digest food was the way to go (ignore the butter and the milk in the pureé!!!).

Susie_Q

I cooked paneer mutter, which is an Indian curry with paneer (firm cottage cheese) and peas (that's the 'mutter' part). Was very tasty! Hard to get meat here so this is the equivalent of having a steak

Slunk

Last night I had pork chops soaked in mulled mine left over from xmas. Fried off some mushrooms, red onion and cherry tomatoes in some more wine. Forgot the picture as usual.

Just on a side note, what would beer be like for marinating stuff if its a little out of date?


Here's what I had tonight, quite simple. Chicken breast, baby potatoes and carrots roasted with lemon and herbs.

trackguy

Karen made dinner last night. Smoky Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas with guacamole, salsa and home-made wedges.