Pork with Spiced Apple

There is something about pork and apples that makes them just made for each other. Here's a little twist on the old apple sauce: spiced apples, cooked quickly and easily and served on juicy pork steaks.


I got the recipe from this trusty website, always a failproof! I served it with steamed baby potatoes and greens. I omitted the cayenne pepper because I don't have any, and used a little Japanese seven-spice powder instead.

This is an excellent and satisfying mid-week meal.

Hearty Beef Stew

As the weather becomes colder and colder, I crave hearty and filling meals that remind me of my childhood. Here is a good old classic: beef stew. Of course, anyone can cook a stew, and you don't need a recipe. It's just meat in a broth, cooked slowly until tender. But I want to share my tips to make a stew that's thick, tasty and very economical.

First, I use some stewing beef, such as chuck steak. I get about a kilo of it, and cut it into roughly one inch chunks. I brown the beef in a little oil in batches - no more than about 6 cubes of beef browning at one time. After it's all browned, I season the whole lot with salt and pepper and set it aside.

Then, after adding a little more oil to the pan, I gently saute one roughly chopped onion, a stalk of chopped celery, a diced carrot and 2 cloves of chopped garlic until soft (about 5 mintues).

Next, I sprinkle over about one tablespoon of plain flour and cook, stirring, for about one minute.

Now, I add the liquid: one cup of beef stock, half a cup of red wine and one can of chopped tomatoes. I also add a couple of dried bay leaves and some dried parsley. At this stage, I return the beef to the stew and bring the whole thing to a gentle simmer, then turn the heat to it's lowest setting and let it gently simmer (very gently!) for about 2 hours, with the lid on.

During that 2 hours, I might occasionally go in and give it a quick stir. Also, I taste to check if it needs any extra seasoning.

After 2 hours, it should be quite tender. Usually, I find it's a little runny, so I take one tablespoon of Gravox (gravy mix) and make it into a paste with a little cold water, then add it to the stew and stir. This thickens the whole thing and adds some extra beefy flavour.

Now, it's ready to serve! I like to serve it with mashed potatoes, peas and crusty bread with butter. Eat the leftovers the next day for lunch (I like to eat it with brown rice). Delicious, even if I say so myself!

Italian Chicken - The Hunters' Way

This is one-pot-wonder I cooked up, loosely based on Nigella's recipe for Pollo alla Cacciatora from her wonderful book, Nigella Express.




I made a few changes, and here they are:

1. I used regular olive oil instead of garlic oil, and added a clove of crushed garlic.

2. I used smoked bacon instead of pancetta.

3. I ommitted the rosemary and added a little dried basil instead.

4. I used chicken breast instead of thigh.

5. I used regular salt instead of celery salt.

6. I used soy beans instead of cannellini beans, and doubled the quantity.

Many changes! But when you get right down to it, it's the same basic idea. That's the beauty of home cooking, you can just do your own thing!

This is quite a nice meal, very fast and easy. I thought it was quite nice served on rice. I think it would also be nice to eat it with some good crusty bread. Another winner from Nigella!