Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Ham and Spinach

This is probably my second favourite Gary Rhodes recipe and one I’ve cooked many many times. If you can get the tenderloin on offer it makes for a really tasty, cheap (this one was on offer £4.60 I think) and crowd pleasing Sunday dinner. It’s also excellent cold with chips and pickle, chutney etc ..

To me the idea of stuffing pork with, well, basically, more pork and then adding a further layer of pork (OK ham and bacon but it’s still pig right) seemed a little bit excessive sort of like Roast beef stuffed with steak, . Amazingly it works so well each bit of the pig complementing the other and then contrasted by the spinach, sage and nutmeg flavours, the gravy is sweet yet savoury and the wine gives just the right amount of acidity

I served this with new potatoes covered in sage butter and crème fraiche leeks with pancetta, perhaps I got carried away with the pig thing

Ingredients

1 Large Pork Tenderloin

2 Rashers of streaky bacon, normal back bacon is ok if you forget to get some , ahem .

2 Roughly chopped red onions

2 Sprigs of Rosemary

3 Tbsp Olive oil

Stuffing

25g Butter

2 Shallots finely chopped

½ tbsp finely chopped sage leaves

115g baby spinach washed and shredded

50g Sliced Ham (original was 25g)

55g Fresh Breadcrumbs

1 beaten egg

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Gravy

2 Glasses of white wine

150 ml Chicken Stock

Preheat the oven to 180^OC

First off you need to remove the silverskin from the tenderloin, it’s the thin white layer of stuff (I think it’s fat) that often covers one side of the meat. Removing this prevents the meat from getting tough and chewy apparently, some chef imparted this bit of wisdom on the TV. I can’t remember who it was and I’m not entirely sure it works; I still do it though just in case

Slice open the tenderloin lengthways, two thirds of the way through, open out and pound it gently, not sure if that’s possible, it’s bit like asking you to softly stab someone. Right, erm, flatten it anyway

Melt the butter and very gently fry the shallots and sage for around 10 mins. Add the spinach and cook until it wilts. Mix in the rest of the ingredients

Spread the stuffing along the centre of the tenderloin, roll it up then using the help of another person or the extra two hands you didn’t know you had, tie up with kitchen string (What the hell is kitchen String anyway, I used normal string , the type next to the selotape and I’m still alive). By the way not being the most dextrous of people trying to tie up a long piece of pork stuffed full of things is bloody hard to do, so either enlist the help of someone else or teach the kids some interesting new words, it’s up to you

So once you’ve trussed it up with the skill veteran dominatrix, lay it on top of the onions in a roasting tin then lay the bacon on top.

Roast for 35-40 mins basting every now and then, sorry can’t be more specific. My basting technique is directly relational to what else I have to do or what’s on TV.

Remove the joint, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 mins

Discard the onions, deglaze with wine then add the stock and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Season to taste of course but then you knew that didn’t you

Remove the string, yeah yeah, I know but some people would seriously not do this unless explicitly told to do so.

Carve and serve with whatever you fancy plus the gravy of course

Feel free to make your own Carry On style, pork stuffing innuendos

A Kind Of Cassoulet

I've got a thing for beans at the moment, they’re good for you , filling and cheap the only other advice I can offer is stand down wind

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a Cassoulet for a while now but Lisa’s ever increasing list of don’t likes includes the texture of beans

Not put off at all , a free weekend and with space in the freezer I came up with this little beauty

If you look at proper Cassoulet recipes you’re supposed to add some chicken, completely bucking tradition and incurring and indifferent shrug from the entire French nation I left this out, its still tastes marvellous though

I guess the most important thing is to get some really tasty sausages, I used Sainsburys Chorizo style pork sausages

With the addition of the tomatoes it’s a but like grown sausage and beans

Also because the quality of the sausages wasn’t all that Instead of slicing them I remove the skins and made little sausage balls

I really liked this and I’m glad I’ve got some in the freezer

8 Sausages with a good strong flavour, sliced or made into balls

3 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped

1 Onion chopped

1 Large Carrot Chopped

½ Stick of Celery finely chopped

1 Glass of white wine

500 ml Chicken Stock

200g Cubed Pancetta

½ Tsp Paprika

1 tin of Sainsburys Pomodori D’Oro Plum Tomatoes

2 410g tins of Haricot Beas Drained

Two good handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs

Squeeze of Lemon Juice

Bouquet Garni

In a large pan gently sweat the onions for a couple of mins, add the garlic and fry for another min, add the pancetta and gently brown

Next add the carrots and Celery and fry for another couple of mins

Now add the sausage and again gently brown

 Add the wine and reduce by half

Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to the boil

Add the beans and bring back to the boil add the bouquet garni, simmer gently partially covered for around 2 hours, stirring occasionally

When its ready most of the liquid should have been absorbed and the beans have a satisfying soft yet resistant texture

Stir in the lemon juice top with Breadcrumbs and then grill for a couple of mins until golden brown

Drizzle with Good Olive oil and add chopped parsley, serve with Shredded Cabbage 

Gamberetto e Cannellini (Beans and Prawns on Toast)

Ok I’ll admit it’s not quite beans on toast but there’s some toast right and the beans that there are, are on it, so there you go eh!

Another one of my own creations and one that I really like, not for Lisa unfortunately as she doesn't like the texture of beans.

I say this a lot but this really is very simple and even more delicious, the whole thing takes about 20 mins start to finish, honest guv.

There’s something altogether fresh and clean about the dish. I think this is Italian in its nature, as I saw something with beans and prawns in an Italian restaurant once. This dish exemplifies the Italian approach of a few good ingredients cooked well.

The chilli gives it just the right amount of kick. The wine and lemon add the perfect balance of acidity to the beans

It’s surprisingly filling and wonderfully tasty, best though as a light meal

You could go the whole hog and use uncooked prawns but that’s just showing off.

1 Shallot finely chopped

2 Garlic cloves finely chopped

1 Garlic Clove peeled

225g Jumbo cooked king prawns

1 Red Chilli Finely Chopped

400g Tin of cannellini beans drained

150 ml of dry white wine

2 slices of thick country bread (baguette will do) per person

Olive Oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Handful of chopped parsley

Gently fry the shallot and garlic for a couple of mins in a large frying pan, season with salt and pepper

Throw in the prawns and fry for a min or two

Add the wine and reduce by half

Add the beans and simmer for about 5 mins

Meanwhile toast both side of the bread and rub with the clove of Garlic when toasted

Drizzle good olive oil onto the toast and arrange onto a plate

Stir in the chilli and parsley, season to taste, then spoon onto the toast

Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over each plate

Drizzle over with more extra virgin olive oil

Best with a glass of dry white wine

Korean Sizzling Beef

Whilst I’ve gorged many a time on Chinese or Thai food and even Cambodian I’ve never tried a Korean dish before.

This is adapted (I added chilli and a little water, ok not a paradigm shift but it’s still my own touch) from Olive Magazine

I guess this dish is from Southern Korea. I’m sure the North find time to knock up something magical in-between bouts of maniacal synchronised marching in aid of the North Korean Chiropodists, employing Blue Peter to oversee their intercontinental ballistics program and their daily 30 mins of mourning the great leader, honestly I’ve seen more convincing theatrics from Luis Suarez. I’m pretty sure though this is from the south.

So the dish right, it’s awesome and unbelievably simple to do. There’s a bit of fiddly prep to do with all the fine slicing and that but otherwise its ridiculously easy.

It’s got Mirin in it, which to the uninitiated is rice wine from Japan. Unlike Chinese rice wine which has elements of sherry this has a much smoother, sweeter and weirdly malt like taste. By Malt I don’t mean your usual Sarsons but more sort of Malted milk. I’m not really selling this am I.

Trust me though it is delicious

300g rump steak , trimmed of all fat

2 tsp sugar (any type will do)

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin

2 garlic cloves , chopped

1 Chilli Very finely sliced lengthways

sesame oil

vegetable oil

4 spring onions , sliced lengthways

1 tbsp sesame seeds , toasted

100g basmati rice , steamed, to serve

Slice the meat as thinly as possible. Mix the sugar, soy, mirin, garlic and 1 tsp of sesame oil, add the beef and stir well. Crack over a good grind of black pepper.

Heat a wok until very hot with 2 tsp vegetable oil. Sear the meat for a few minutes, if at this point it seems a little dry you can add a small amount of water, this thins the sauce slightly but not so much as to dilute the flavour

Then add the spring onion. Stir-fry for another minute then add the sesame seeds.

Serve with rice of your choice, in my case the egg fried variety

Finally top each plate with finely sliced Chilli if required

Baked Goats Cheese with Red Onion, Cranberry and Red Wine Jam

I’m pleased to say this is all my own creation. I’d previously had goats cheese baked but the rest is mine, all mine.

If there any Jam Nazis out there who are at the point of commenting “that’s not a jam blah blah” then don’t, I didn’t know what else to call it, ok!

Right, so a lot of people don’t much like goats cheese and those that do would prefer it in small quantities. Who the hell would want a whole or half a cheese to themselves?

The secret you see is the baking. When cold, goats cheese can be very strong and almost feta like. However when you bake it, the texture changes to something silky and warm, that taste morphs into a creamy delightfully tasty, cheesy hit.

Couple this with the sweetness of the jam which takes on almost perfumed aroma of the wine and the erm cranberryness of the cranberries (help I’m running out of superlatives). Cheese and sweet fruitiness? A winner surely.

The Salad and dressing balance out the other two and the hazelnut topping brings the crunchy texture into the mix

Word of warning, make sure your cheese is cooked properly, it’s perfectly safe but if it’s not runny all the way through you’ll get that very strong goats cheese taste that people fear.

Usually this is a starter or light lunch

Goats Cheese

100g wheel of goats cheese per two people

Handful of hazelnuts crushed

Jam

One red onion, finely sliced

One handful of cranberries

3 Tbsp of soft light brown sugar

Good glug of red wine

1 Tbsp Olive oil

Salad

Handful of salad leaves each

1tbsp balsamic Vinegar

4tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180^o

To make the jam, fry the onion in the oil until soft. Add the cranberries wine and sugar, stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, taste, add more sugar if required plus salt and pepper.

Cut the goats cheese in half horizontally, place each half, skin side down on a greased baking tray, cover the top in chopped/crushed hazelnuts. Place in the centre of the oven for 10-15 mins until all of the cheese is soft and runny inside the skin. Test this by placing a sharp knife into the centre of the cheese, if the tip comes out hot then its done

Place the salad leaves in a bowl, put the oil, vinegar, mustard in  jar with a lid and shake until mixed. Alternatively whisk together in a separate bowl, add salt and pepper to taste

Dress the salad leaves in the bowl, put enough on each plate, add the cheese and a dollop of Jam.

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict is one of those dishes, that if you've never tried it, you’ve heard of it and when you do get to have a go you wonder why you’ve not had it before.

For the uninitiated it’s a very sumptuous, rich and you might venture, a decadent dish. If you’re counting the calories then get your abacus out, butter sauces don’t do fat free.

The Hollandaise, whilst it sounds tricky is actually not that difficult it just requires some manly whisking. You have to taste as well to ensure it has the right consistency and levels of acidity that you like.

Equally as important is the poached egg, there are lots of different methods each of them works, just make sure the yolk is runny and the white solid. My current (it changes) method is below; if you have a way that works for you then use that.

The Parma ham again is a preference other people prefer the greater saltiness and texture of crispy streaky bacon.

I think the spinach leaves are there balance to all the butter in the sauce, Ok it’s nod towards the healthy at least

Serves 2, the sauce will stretch to 3 maybe 4 if you’re not a glutton like me

Hollandaise Sauce

125g Melted Butter (I like my sauce fairly thick so increase the butter if you want it runnier)

2 Egg Yolks

1 tsp White wine vinegar

Pinch of Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Squeeze of lemon juice

The Rest

1 Egg per person, fresh as you can get them

1 Muffin per person

3 Slices of Parma Ham

1 Handful of baby spinach leaves per person

1 Egg per person

Splash of white wine vinegar

I recommend getting everything out and measured before you start as it’s a bit go go go at the end

In a large pan put some water on to boil, about half full, turn down to simmer if it boils before you’re ready to poach

Put the grill on ready to toast the muffins

To make the hollandaise place a heatproof, glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water and that the water doesn’t boil

Into the glass bowl put the egg yolks, vinegar, salt and pepper, whisk like mad over the heat until you get a thick sauce like effect, apparently this is called a sabayon.

Take the bowl off the heat and either

• Trickle the butter whisking as you go , this is a pain as pans are heavy man
• Pour in a glug at a time then whisk the hell out of it until the butter is incorporated into the sauce

Keep doing this until the sauce has the consistency you want or the butter has gone

Next whisk in a small amount of lemon juice, taste and add more if you want to

Off the heat put the bowl back over the water and cover with cling film to keep warm

Break your eggs into something like ramekin dishes

Halve your muffins and toast under the grill

Place two halves on each plate and cover with spinach leaves, next layer on your ham

Add a good splash of white wine vinegar to the water, stir, make sure the water is simmering nicely, then gently slide each egg into the water. I find it best to place the ramekin into water and gently tip the egg out. If the eggs are fresh they should hold their shape. Mine weren’t and look a bit flat. Simmer for exactly 3 mins

Remove the eggs and dry on paper towels

Give your sauce a final good whisk

Place and egg in the middle of your muffin, spinach, ham arrangement

Drizzle over the hollandaise and add a twist of black pepper

Trust me if you’ve never had this before and you like poached eggs, you’ll love this

Cue Ubiquitous empty plate shot !

Tea Eggs, with Prawn and Bean sprout Noodles

Apparently some people used to do something similar to eggs as children, making patterns etc. I however did not have such creative forces influencing my childhood so this is new to me.

The eggs do take on quite a lot of the flavour as well as the stunning patterns. The rest of the dish is standard Chinese fare of noodles and prawns, still very tasty though.

The pickle goes well, although too much and you’re straying into pickled eggs territory which is a different game altogether

I may or may not make this again, visually stunning , pleasant on the taste buds and fairly healthy, so actually, why not?

I saw this in this in this months Olive, very eye catching and I instantly wanted to have a crack, ahem 

Cucumber ¼ peeled, seeded and diced

½ Birds eye chilli finely sliced

Rice Vinegar 2 tbsp

Golden Caster sugar 2 tsp

Egg Noodles 200g

Rapeseed oil 2 tbsp

Garlic 2 cloves sliced

Spring onions 4 shredded

150g Cooked Prawns

Fish sauce 1 tbsp

Bean sprouts 1 handful per person

Tea Eggs

Light soy sauce 2 tbsp

Shaoxing rice wine  2btsp

Star anise 1

Golden Caster sugar 1 tbsp

Cinnamon stick 1

Ginger 2 thick slices

Chinese black tea 3 tbsp

Eggs 4

To make the tea eggs put all the ingredients, except for the eggs in a pan with 750 ml water and bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 20 mins.

Bring another pan of water to the boil add the eggs and simmer for 4 mins. Drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle.

Carefully tap until the shell cracks, then gently crack roll the shell to get a crazy paving effect. Be very gentle as the egg is still runny inside, the first one I did smashed and caused much fuming. So I used a knife and tapped the shell gently all over to get the effect rather than rolling it

Place the eggs into the tea mixture and cook for an hour, then leave to cool in the mixture until ready to shell

Put the cucumber, chilli, rice vinegar and sugar in a bowl

If the noodles are uncooked, cook to packet instructions and drain

Heat the oil in a wok add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds then add the spring onions and stir fry for two mins.

Add the prawns, bean sprouts toss together, add the fish sauce

Add the noodles and toss together

Divide into bowls and place 2 shelled eggs onto each plate

Serve the pickled cucumber on the side